Day-long event to be held December 5 in Washington D.C. with the theme “Democracy, Human Rights & Leadership in Action”
Click HERE to register for the in-person event
The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) today released the speaker lineup and agenda for its inaugural Washington Forum taking place Dec. 5, 2024, from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ET at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington D.C. Click HERE to view the full agenda.
“Modeled after the McCain Institute’s signature Sedona Forum, the inaugural Washington Forum will convene global leaders, experts, and humanitarians in our nation’s capital to confront challenges impacting human and planetary health,” said McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas. “The McCain Institute’s work to counter authoritarianism, protect democracy, and defend human rights while harnessing innovation and collaboration will be a core focus of the day.”
Notable speakers include U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Venezuelan Opposition Leader and Pro-Democracy Activist Leopoldo Lopez, American Political Strategist and Publisher of The Bulwark Sarah Longwell, and Co-Anchor of the PBS News Hour Amna Nawaz. View the full list of speakers HERE and below.
- Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Former Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush, and Deputy National Security Advisor in the President George W. Bush Administration
- Peter Berkowitz, Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University
- Stephen Biegun, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, Boeing
- Rusty Bowers, Former Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives
- Alfred Brownell, Georgetown Law School’s 2024-25 Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Chair in Human Rights, Human Rights Lawyer, and Environmental Activist
- Kurt Campbell, 22nd U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
- Roger Carstens, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs
- Sunny Cheung, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Flow HK Media, McCain Global Leader, Hong Kong Activist
- Karen Donfried, Director, Congressional Research Service and Former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
- Olivia Enos, Senior Fellow Human Rights, Hudson Institute
- Abby Finkenauer, Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues, Office of Global Youth Issues, U.S. Department of State
- Melanie Greenberg, Managing Director, Peacebuilding, Humanity United
- Kirk Herbertson, U.S. Director of Advocacy & Campaigns, EarthRights International
- David Kramer, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
- Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuelan Opposition Leader and Pro-Democracy Activist
- Sarah Longwell, American Political Strategist and Publisher of The Bulwark
- Daria Minsky, International Tech Leader and Entrepreneur, McCain Global Leader from Belarus
- Nate Mook, Special Advisor on Ukraine
- Siamak Namazi, Former Hostage in Iran
- Amna Nawaz, Co-Anchor of the PBS News Hour
- Ian Urbina, Director, Outlaw Ocean Project
- Dan Twining, President, International Republican Institute
- Brian Whitmore, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center
*Speakers and panels are subject to change*
The event will be held in person only, and a livestream will not be available. To learn more about the McCain Institute Washington Forum and register to attend, click HERE.
