McCourt School hosts the nation’s largest bipartisan convening of young state legislators

The McCourt School of Public Policy welcomed nearly 100 state legislators to its new home on Georgetown University’s Capitol Campus as the host of Future Summit, the nation’s largest bipartisan convening of young state legislators. Throughout four days of programming, participants had the opportunity to network with Gen Z and millennial lawmakers from across the country and engage with prominent leaders and practitioners in politics, business, media and philanthropy.

“Future Summit is a transformative experience that empowers young lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to bridge the partisan divide and develop innovative policy solutions,” said Layla Zaidane (SFS’09), president and CEO of Future Caucus and Georgetown alumna.

Future Caucus, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit, provides young leaders nationwide with the resources and support to become effective changemakers. Since 2013, the organization has served more than 1,800 lawmakers across the U.S., providing leadership development, strategic communications guidance, connection with policy experts and networking opportunities.

The partnership between the organizations was a natural choice, according to Zaidane, who underscored the McCourt School’s “commitment to fostering a community of diverse problem-solvers and its state-of-the-art facilities that provided the perfect environment for delegates to collaborate and grow.”

“Future Caucus and the McCourt School are both dedicated to building a better world by strengthening public service, convening diverse people and perspectives, grounding ethics and empathy in policy and politics, and deepening the connection between policy and the people it’s designed to serve,” said Maria Cancian, dean of the McCourt School. 

“Together, we are equipping the next generation of leaders with the skills and networks they need to create a more inclusive and effective democracy,” said Zaidane.

Engaging with some of the nation’s foremost leaders and practitioners

The McCourt School hosted two of Future Summit’s most prominent events in its new 400-seat auditorium. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined journalist Kara Swisher to discuss effective governing and character-driven leadership. Their conversation was recorded live for Swisher’s podcast On with Kara Swisher.

On the same day, Zaidane moderated a conversation with David Greene, award-winning journalist and host of the podcast Left, Right & Center, about the media’s role in bridging the political divide.

The future of AI governance was the focal point of multiple key sessions. Tammy Haddad, founder of the Washington AI Network, moderated a panel discussion with Margaret Palmieri, deputy chief digital artificial intelligence officer at the U.S. Department of Defense, Alla Seifert, head of U.S. Regulated Industries at Amazon, and former Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar about the promises of artificial intelligence and the necessary safeguards to mitigate its risks.

Assemblymember Alex Bores (D-NY) and the McCourt School’s founding donor Frank McCourt (C’75) — executive chairman of McCourt Global and founder of Project Liberty — discussed the future of the internet, the potential of AI and social media harms. Every attendee received a copy of McCourt’s new book, Our Biggest Fight: Reclaiming Liberty, Humanity, and Dignity in the Digital Age.

Other featured events included a TED-style talk from Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics and co-founder of Unite, a film screening and Q&A with Girls State directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine and a comedy night with former The Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. 

“By providing a space where young leaders could engage in meaningful discussions and learn from diverse perspectives, the McCourt School reinforced Future Caucus’ mission to promote bipartisan cooperation and highlighted the transformative power of learning to shape a more hopeful and united political future,” said Reed Howard (SFS’17), chief strategy and public affairs officer for Future Caucus. Howard is also a Georgetown alum and residential minister on Georgetown’s Hilltop Campus.