We will discuss the current challenges facing our democracy today and discuss pathways to reform and repair. Featured speakers for this event are Daniella Ballou Aares, CEO & Co-founder of the Leadership Now Project, and Grant Tudor, a Policy Advocate at Protect Democracy.
This event is open to anyone who would like to attend. Please register for this event in order to receive the Zoom link beforehand.
Daniella Ballou Aares is the Founder and CEO of the Leadership Now Project, a national membership organization of business and thought leaders committed to fixing American democracy. Daniella began her career at Bain & Company, working across the firm’s offices in the US, South Africa and the UK. From there she became a founding Partner at Dalberg, where she led the Americas business. She spent five years in the Obama Administration as the Senior Advisor for Development to the Secretary of State, serving under Secretaries Clinton and Kerry. Daniella’s perspectives have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, the World Economic Forum, and Morning Consult, among others. Daniella is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was a 2014 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPA from the Kennedy School and a BS in Operations Research and Engineering from Cornell.
Grant Tudor is passionately committed to creating a more resilient and democratic politics. He is currently a Policy Advocate for Protect Democracy, and was prior a senior manager of political reform at Harvard’s Institute for Strategy & Competitiveness. Grant was also a founding partner at Nucleus Impact; has been a Visiting Fellow in the Middle East with UNRWA, a UN refugee agency; and worked with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Asia, a group that mediates armed conflict. He's written on issues of conflict and political reform in various academic and popular outlets, including the Taiwan Journal of Democracy, the Bangkok Post, and Brookings. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School where he was a Fellow at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership. Grant graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from the George Washington University.
Global and domestic indicators reveal an American democracy in decline. A Pew Research Center poll shows that trust in government has declined from over 70% in the 1960s to just 20% today. Even with historic turnout in the 2020 election, the U.S. ranks only about 17th among OECD countries in participation among the voting age population. In a recent poll conducted by Leadership Now, 87% of business leaders are very or somewhat concerned about democracy. The current COVID-19 crisis has only accelerated risks to our system and to the 2020 election itself.
The Leadership Now Project is a membership organization of business and thought leaders who are committed to long-term solutions to renew American democracy. Leadership Now has four guiding principles that transcend political parties: to protect democracy while renewing it; to promote fact and evidence-based policymaking; to create an economy that works for all, and to embrace diversity as an asset. In 2019-2021, the organization is focused on the threats to the fundamentals of democracy, including low voter participation, gerrymandering, and the influence of money in politics.
Incubated in 2017 by a group of Harvard Business School alumni, Leadership Now activates the resources, networks, and skills of our members. We power reforms to our system through sophisticated analytics; engage in thought leadership; mobilize new investments in a portfolio of reform organizations like OpenSecrets and recognize political leaders who change the game and share our principles. Leadership Now is encouraging the business community to stand up and take action for the continuity of the 2020 Election and highlighting the role that business can play in solving the critical issues facing our nation as we transition to a new administration. We are also committed to moving from words to action to advance racial equity.
Today, Leadership Now has chapters in six cities, members in 25 states and continues to grow. Learn more at www.leadershipnowproject.org and sign up there for our Stay Awake Newsletter. You can also follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter at @LeadershipNP.