Tommy G. Thompson Center for Public Leadership

Thompson Center Director, Ryan Owens, discusses the latest news relating to the Impeachment inquiry with UW-Madison Professor, Kenneth Mayer.

Ryan Owens interviews the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum, Scott Coenen. https://www.wiscef.org

Thompson Center director, Ryan Owens, interviews Michael Murphy about his experience and what he thinks future elections hold in store.

Speaker Paul Ryan joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss current policy priorities, including evidence-based public policies with the American Idea Foundation and opportunity zones designed to provide incentives to invest in Census tracts where poverty is persistent. Speaker Ryan provided insight on the rise of polarization, opportunities to revitalize civil society, and lessons for younger Americans. The conversation concluded with discussion on the first 100 Days of the Biden Administration and hopes for progress in divided government. Paul Ryan is a native of Janesville who served as Representative for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District for two decades, the 54th Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 2012 Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States.

Sean Stevens joined the Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss findings from a 2020 survey on free speech on college campuses. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), College Pulse, and RealClearEducation released College Free Speech Rankings, a comprehensive comparison of student experiences of free speech on their college or university campuses. Dr. Stevens is a Senior Research Fellow in Polling and Analytics at FIRE.

Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI) joined the Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss upcoming congressional priorities and opportunities for bipartisan consensus. A small business owner, union member, and lifelong advocate for progressive causes, Rep. Pocan was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second congressional district in 2013 following 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Michael Ferris joined the Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss a data-based planning tool called "Wisconsin Expansion of Renewable Electricity with Optimization under Long-term Forecasts" (WEREWOLF) he developed with Thompson Center funding and explain how the model has been replicated for use in Wisconsin's COVID-19 vaccine delivery. Dr. Ferris is the John P. Morgridge Professor & Jacques-Louis Lions Chair of Computer Sciences & Stephen C. Kleene Professor in Computer Science and Mathematics and Industrial and Systems Engineering at UW-Madison and the Director of the Data Science Hub at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.

In this episode, the Thompson Center was joined by Shannon Jankowski and Diego Zambrano to discuss the current reach of Anti-SLAPP statutes and the potential for further implementation. Shannon Jankowski is the E.W. Scripps Legal Fellow at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, where she works to protect First Amendment freedoms and the newsgathering rights of journalists. Diego Zambrano is an Assistant Professor at Stanford Law School with expertise in transnational law and arbitration.

Mondira Saha-Muldowney joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss her team's timely study, Academia and Industry Collaboration During the Early Onset of COVID-19 Pandemic: Success Stories and Barriers Encountered. Mondira is the Manager of the Dissemination and Implementation Launchpad at the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

Christine Rosen joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss her recent article, "You Will be Re-Educated." Christine is a senior writer at Commentary Magazine and a senior editor of the New Atlantis, where she writes about the social and cultural impact of technology,