Speakers and Award Recipients:
, COO, The Case Foundation
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Ben Binswanger, chief operating officer of the Case Foundation, has held senior leadership positions in the government, business, and nonprofit sectors. He began his career working for numerous Democratic candidates, including Senators George Mitchell and John Kerry and Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode. He then served for more than five years as Senator Edward Kennedy's senior political strategist. After managing the initial development of commercial real estate to provide financial support for museum operations at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Ben joined America Online, Inc. (AOL) as vice president for corporate communications. Following AOL's merger with Time Warner, he created Employees Caring and Helping Others (ECHO) to promote employee giving and volunteering for AOL Time Warner's 90,000 employees worldwide. Ben is a board member of Demos, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
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, President and CEO, Civic Enterprises
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John Bridgeland is president and CEO of Civic Enterprises. He served as Assistant to the President of the United States and the first director of the USA Freedom Corps. In that role, he coordinated more than $1 billion in domestic and international service initiatives and worked with non-profits, corporations, and schools to foster a culture of service in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Prior to that, Mr. Bridgeland served as director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House, where he coordinated policy on dozens of issues. He also served as chief of staff and counsel to former U.S. Congressman Rob Portman.
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, Associate Director, Office of Volunteer
Recruitment & Selection at the Peace Corps
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CHARLES "CHUCK" BROOKS is Associate Director in the Office of Volunteer Recruitment & Selection at the Peace Corps. Prior to his appointment with Peace Corps, Charles Brooks served as Group Director of New Business Development at Planning Systems Inc., a Reston, Virginia based company specializing in scientific engineering. Charles was responsible for developing and implementing the company's marketing strategy. Charles served in the United States Navy for 31 years, first as a Naval aviator, and has held recruiting positions as District Commander, Regional Commander and Deputy Commander for all aspects of Naval recruitment. After retiring from the Navy, Charles managed the Navy Marine Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship program.
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, United States Senator
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ROBERT BYRD is a United States Senator who carries his Constitution in his shirt pocket every day—close to his heart, and always in his head. The principles established in and protected by the Constitution have served as a guide for Senator Byrd throughout his public service, and, with the growing support for Constitution and Citizenship Day, he hopes that all Americans will take a renewed interest in our nation's founding document. The longest serving Senator in the history of the Republic, Senator Byrd is known for his fierce defense of the Constitution's principles and as a strong advocate for the liberties enshrined in its text. It was his love of the Constitution which led Senator Byrd to create Constitution Day, first celebrated in 2005, to be marked annually on September 17—the date on which, in 1787, the Constitution's Framers affixed their names to what the Senator has called, "the greatest document of its kind ever written."
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, Principal, Constitution High School for American Studies
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THOMAS DAVIDSON is the Principal of Constitution High School for American Studies, Philadelphia's "History High School" -- a partnership among significant education, civic, and cultural institutions. Notable among his achievements have been: as Principal of Philadelphia's Stoddart Fleisher Middle School, labeled a "failing school," attaining the coveted AYP status in 2004; transforming a moribund 7-12 high school into a Top 75 state ranking (New Jersey Magazine, 9/98); and setting the stage for a low functioning junior high to become designated a New Jersey Star Middle School.
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, CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service
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DAVID EISNER is the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. He is a nationally recognized leader on nonprofit capacity-building, infrastructure, and organizational effectiveness, and focuses his efforts on strengthening the organization's accountability, improving customer service, and increasing public trust. In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Eisner has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations including Independent Sector, the National 4-H Council, and Network for Good.
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, President and CEO, United Way of America
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BRIAN GALLAGHER is the President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America, where he has taken on the challenge of leading the transformation of the organization to focus on community impact. A career veteran of the United Way system, Mr. Gallagher believes that the true measure of success for United Way and other philanthropic organizations is bottom-line results: the lives that are changed and the communities that are shaped. Today, Mr. Gallagher has raised the bar on the accountability, governance and transparency standards adopted as a requirement of membership for each of the 1,300 local United Ways across the country.
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, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
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WILLIAM A. GALSTON is a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. Formerly the Saul Stern Professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Dr. Galston specializes in issues of American public philosophy and political institutions. He is working on several high-profile projects pertaining to core questions of American public philosophy. Among these are how to ensure equity between generations in an aging society, and how to advance policies that are in the nation's long-term interest in a political environment biased toward short-term gains.
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, Attorney General
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ALBERTO GONZALES was sworn in as the nation's 80th Attorney General on February 3, 2005. Prior to serving at the Department of Justice, he was commissioned as Counsel to President George W. Bush in January of 2001. Prior to serving in the White House, he served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. Before his appointment to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999, he served as Texas' 100th Secretary of State from December 2, 1997 to January 10, 1999. Prior to his appointment as Secretary of State, Gonzales was the General Counsel to Governor Bush for three years. Before joining the Governor's staff, he was a partner with the law firm of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. in Houston, Texas. He joined the firm in June 1982. While in private practice, Gonzales also taught law as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center.
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, Research Professor, University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research
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LLOYD D. JOHNSTON is a Research Professor and a Distinguished Research Scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. A social psychologist by training, he has served as an advisor to the White House, Congress, and many other national and international bodies, and has conducted research on a wide range of issues, including the use of alcohol, tobacco, and various illicit drugs; institutional trust; policy evaluation; and the functioning of American high schools. His research interests also include international comparative studies and the application of survey research to social problems generally.
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, Director of the Office, Management and Budget
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ROBERT PORTMAN currently serves as the 35th Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He first served in the President's cabinet as the United States Trade Representative. Previously he served as a Representative of the Second District of Ohio in the United States Congress. During his time in Congress, Director Portman served as the Chairman of the House Republican Leadership and was the liaison between the House Leadership and the White House. He served as a Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and as Vice Chairman of the House Budget Committee. Prior to his service in Congress, he served in the first Bush White House from 1989-1991 as Associate Counsel to the President and later as Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.
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, Founder and CEO, Philanthropy Associates
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SHAWN REIFSTECK has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, having held senior management positions with community-based, national and international nonprofits. His prior work has cut across a wide spectrum of issues including civic engagement, hunger relief and the environment. Most recently, Shawn served as Founder and CEO of Philanthropy Associates, a consulting firm with a mission to improve the effectiveness of philanthropic and charitable organizations. During the past ten years, Shawn has involved himself at all levels in Hands On Network including service as Executive Director and Board Member for the Hands On affiliate in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as Chairman of the Board for Hands On Network.
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, Founder and CEO, César Chávez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy
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IRASEMA SALCIDO is the founder and CEO of the César Chávez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy. In 1998, Ms. Salcido founded the first Chávez School in Washington, DC because she wanted to provide inner-city students with a rigorous high-quality education that would prepare them for college and inspire them to civic engagement. The founding Chávez school quickly earned a strong reputation for its rigorous academic curriculum, unique public policy program, top-notch faculty, and comprehensive student support services, which together have ensured that 100% of graduating Chávez seniors have been accepted into at least one college or university. In 2004, Ms. Salcido opened Chávez's second campus.
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, Director, USA Freedom Corps
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DESIREE THOMPSON SAYLE is the Director of USA Freedom Corps. President George W. Bush created USA Freedom Corps to help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush asked all Americans to dedicate two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lives to serving others. The mission of USA Freedom Corps is to help Americans answer the President's Call to Service. USA Freedom Corps brings together executive branch departments, agencies, and offices with public service programs and components to recruit, mobilize, and encourage all Americans to engage in public service.
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, President and CEO, Partnership for Public Service
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MAX STIER is the President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. The Partnership for Public Service is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing public service through a campaign of educational efforts, policy research, public-private partnerships and legislative advocacy. Mr. Stier comes most recently from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, having served as the Deputy General Counsel for Litigation. He is also an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, serves on the Board of Directors of Public Agenda and is a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow.
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, President and CEO, National Constitution Center
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JOSEPH TORSELLA serves as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a position he also held from 1997 through December 2003. He was the driving force behind its concept, construction, and opening as a new tourism anchor on Independence Mall. In 2004, he founded 743 Ventures LLC, a private equity and strategic consulting firm. Torsella ran for a seat in the United States Congress in 2004. From January 1992 until September 1993, he served as Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning of the City of Philadelphia. He is a director of Admiral Merchants Motor Freight and a trustee of several non-profits, including Young Scholars Charter School, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, and Historic Philadelphia.
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, Chairman, National Conference on Citizenship
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CRAIG TURK is the Chairman of the National Conference on Citizenship and works as a political consultant and screenwriter in Los Angeles. Craig graduated from Harvard College with high honors, pursued graduate studies in politics at Oxford University, and earned his law degree, with honors, at Harvard University. He served as chief counsel for John McCain's presidential campaign, and has practiced law in Washington and California. Craig advises political parties in Europe and Asia, as well as domestically. He has also written for television shows including Law & Order, Cold Case, and Boston Legal. Craig is a board member of the Epilepsy Foundation in Los Angeles.
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, Civic Advisor
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HARRIS WOFFORD advises the Case Foundation on initiatives relating to civic engagement, children, and youth. Since helping Sargent Shriver to launch the Peace Corps in 1961, he has been at the forefront of the nation's service movement. He has dedicated much of his life to the goal of making citizen service a common expectation and experience for all Americans, and he continues that mission as a senior fellow at the Case Foundation. Following his election to the Senate in 1991, Harris was a leader in the effort to secure universal health insurance. With Congressman John Lewis, he co-authored legislation establishing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a day for volunteer service–now observed as a "Day On, Not a Day Off" in many parts of the country. He also played a key role in enacting the legislation that created AmericaCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service.
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