The Discussions on Governance Lecture Series
David Hickton - "Can Democracy Survive the Internet?"
David Hickton is the founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security, and former United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
David Thornburgh - "Drawing the Lines: How redistricting reform will improve Pennsylvania and restore citizen’s trust in government."
David Thornburgh is president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy.
David Shribman - "The Press, the Truth, and other Endangered Species."
David Shribman is the former executive editor of the Post-Gazette from 2003 to 2019, writes a nationally syndicated column in the United States; prepares a separate column on Americans affairs for the Globe and Mail, the national newspaper of Canada; and is scholar in residence at Carnegie Mellon University. He came to Pittsburgh from The Boston Globe where he was assistant managing editor, columnist and Washington bureau chief.
The Honorable D. Michael Fisher - "Separation of Powers: Who should decide what the law means?"
Judge Fisher is Senior Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit (Judge Fisher has served in all three branches of Government), Distinguished Jurist in Residence, PittLaw
Michael Missal - "Watchdog of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Ensuring Effective Services for Veterans and Proper Spending of Taxpayer Dollars."
Michael J. Missal was nominated by the President to be the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs and was sworn in on May 2, 2016. In that role, he leads an office of more than 700 professionals who conduct oversight of VA, the second largest federal agency with a budget of $180 billion and over 350,000 employees.
Talmage Boston - "Cross-Examining History: A Lawyer Gets AnsweDrs From the Experts About Our Presidents."
Litigator Talmage Boston probes the expertise of 31 of our top presidential biographers and insiders on their understanding of the office. His hard-hitting questions cover all aspects of the political and private lives of our most notable presidents and reveal the qualities that create the most positive impact.
William Generett, Jr. J.D. - "Public-Private Partnerships: The Best Governance Structure to Create Transformation Change."
Bill Generett is the inaugural President and CEO of UrbanInnovation21, a regional public-private economic development partnership that links successful innovation economy clusters with the needs and assets of inner city communities to produce local, living and sustainable economies. Urban Innovation21 was one of the first US based nonprofit organizations to work under the "Inclusive Innovation" model. Under Bill’s leadership Urban Innovation21 has been recognized nationally for its work to connect underserved communities and their residents to the greater Pittsburgh region’s most successful innovation ecosystems.
David Stewart - "Madison's Gift. Five Partnerships That Built America."
Historian David O. Stewart restores James Madison, sometimes overshadowed by his fellow Founders, to his proper place as the most significant framer of the new nation.
Eugene Dodaro - “Anticipating and Meeting Accountability Challenges.”
Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Eugene Dodoro, will present a lecture describing federal, state, and local governments facing a period of transition involving both significant challenges and unprecedented opportunities. Trends in national security, fiscal sustainability, global interdependence, science and technology, communications networks, governance, and demographics will have strong implications for the nation and the accountability community.
James Getty - "A Visit with Mr. Lincoln"
President Lincoln portrayer, James Getty, brings Lincoln to life: audiences see and hear the President recount his homespun stories of youth, his recollections of his personal and political life, and his special anguish for Gettysburg.
David Arnold - "The Challenges and Promise of Democratic Governance in Asia."
Drawing on The Asia Foundation's six decades of experience in promoting democratic governance in Asia, David Arnold, the president of the Asia Foundation, examines both the opportunities and obstacles facing different Asian countries on their paths toward more transparent, accountable and responsive systems of government.
Stephen Zimmerman - "A Quixotic Pursuit of zero tolerance for corruption: Must we choose between fighting poverty or corruption?"
Stephen Zimmermann, the Director of Operations for the World Bank's Integrity Vice Presidency, discussed the challenges faced by the World Bank fighting corruption while pursuing an aggressive development agenda. Mr. Zimmermann discussed a recent investigation of corruption that led to the Bank's withdrawal from financing the construction of the Padma bridge in Bangladesh and the innovative tools employed to try to strike a balance between the need for integrity and pursuing a transformational development project beset by allegations of corruption.
Message from the Governor
The Forum was established at the late Dick Thornburgh’s Law School alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. In connection with the Dick Thornburgh Papers held by the University's Hillman Library, the Forum reflects his experiences in public life. It is in intended to foster discourse on issues vital to the preservation of our democratic system and the Rule of Law upon which that system depends.
Special thanks are due to Chancellor Emeritus Mark Nordenberg who serves as the Director of the Dick Thornburgh Forum and has been unstinting in support of this effort since its inception. In addition, many others have provided time, resources and dedication to this undertaking.
