Speakers

Alexander has served in the U.S. Senate and as the governor of Tennessee, U.S. education secretary and president of the University of Tennessee. His most recent book, “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump” was published in 2026.

Alvarado was elected to serve Texas Senate District 6 in 2018. She previously served five terms representing District 145 in the Texas House of Representatives. Alvarado also serves as the chair of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus.

Antepli is the president of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, an independent, globally recognized institution dedicated to art, spirituality and human rights. He is a globally acknowledged scholar and leader in cross-religious and cross-cultural dialogue. His Muslim Leadership Initiative at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem helped young Muslim American leaders understand Judaic and Israeli studies and worked to cultivate compassion in the face of fear and hate.

Becker leads the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research. Becker previously served as director of the elections program at The Pew Charitable Trusts and as a trial attorney in the voting section of the U.S. Department of Justice. He co-authored, with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett, the book “The Big Truth: Upholding Democracy in the Age of The Big Lie.”

Blanco was selected as the fifth presidential inaugural poet in U.S. history and is the youngest and the first Latinx, immigrant, and gay person to serve in that role. In 2023, Blanco received a National Humanities Medal. Born to Cuban exile parents, cultural identity characterizes his many collections of poetry. Blanco serves as education ambassador for The Academy of American Poets and as professor and dean's fellow at Purdue University.

Brady represented Texas’ 8th Congressional District in Congress for 26 years, including serving as chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. He authored the landmark 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and helped secure passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Brady is an advisor to Americans for Free Markets and advises clients on tax, trade, healthcare and energy policy.

Bryan is a Texas businessman, historian, preservationist and philanthropist. He has spent more than five decades preserving Texas history through civic service, historic restoration and museum leadership, and was appointed to the Texas Bicentennial Commission in 2026.

Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic and media analyst. He is also an adjunct instructor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and chair of the Media Monitoring committee for the National Association of Black Journalists. Prior to NPR, he worked at the Tampa Bay Times for nearly 20 years. He is author of “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.”

Espina is a 27-year-old nonprofit director, activist and content creator who works to uplift the Latino community through content, organizing and charity. Espina received his bachelor’s from Vassar College in 2020 and his juris doctor from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2024. He has over 23 million followers on social media.

Elizalde was selected in June 2022 to serve as superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District. Elizalde is a third-generation public school educator. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in educational leadership from UT-San Antonio, and holds a doctorate in educational leadership and policy from UT-Austin.

Emanuel most recently served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Previously, he was the 55th mayor of Chicago, President Barack Obama’s chief of staff and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois’s 5th Congressional District.

Espinoza-Grcic has a wealth of immigration experience with a long career in private practice and judicial service. She was appointed to serve as an immigration judge at the Chicago Immigration Court by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in July 2023. As an immigration judge, she presided over thousands of cases in the detained and nondetained dockets until July 2025.

Favreau is a co-founder of Crooked Media and co-host of “Pod Save America”, a popular political podcast with over 1 billion downloads. He’s also host of “Offline with Jon Favreau,’’ “The Wilderness,” and co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller “Democracy or Else.” Prior to founding Crooked Media, Favreau was President Barack Obama’s head speechwriter from 2005-2013.

French is a columnist for The New York Times. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he was previously a senior editor at The Dispatch and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is a former major in the U. S. Army Reserve and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was awarded the Bronze Star.

Garza, an attorney and Brownsville native, currently serves as president of the Texas Civil Rights Project and chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In 2022, Garza was the first Latina in Texas history to serve as a major party nominee for attorney general. Her work has broad impacts on civil rights, including the “Garza Notice,” a federal requirement that ensures teens in immigration detention control their reproductive healthcare choices.

Gilbert works at the intersection of journalism and emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence. He leads the Knight Lab and founded the Data-Driven Reporting Project and Next Gen News. He co-directs the Generative Artificial Intelligence for Newsrooms project. Gilbert was The Washington Post's director of strategic initiatives and helped lead digital strategy for National Geographic.

Haberman is a White House correspondent for The New York Times. Before joining the Times in 2015, she reported for the New York Post, New York Daily News and Politico. She has covered six U.S. presidential elections, shared in a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their ties to Russia and is the author of “Confidence Man.”

Harkey has over 20 years of experience helping individuals and communities succeed through the arts. Previously, she served as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. In her dual role as senior policy advisor for arts in culture in the mayor’s office, she advised on cultural policy and arts strategy across all city departments and agencies.

Herndon is a podcast host and editorial director at Vox, where he created and hosts "America, Actually," an audio and video podcast about national elections. He is also a political analyst for CNN and a former political reporter and podcaster for The New York Times.

First elected to the Texas House in 2016, Hinojosa is a former Austin ISD trustee and a longtime public education advocate. She sits on the Land and Resource Management committee and the Public Education committee. She is running for Texas governor in 2026.

Julianna is a Texas-based digital strategist and political media expert with more than 1.6 million followers. She rose to national prominence after dismantling a Texas abortion whistleblower site and raising over $2.2 million for abortion funds. In 2024, she became one of the first members of her generation to take the stage at the DNC.

Kabas is an independent journalist who publishes The Handbasket, a site she founded in 2022 that has become a nationally recognized news outlet. She takes a human-centered approach to covering America's crumbling institutions. Kabas has extensively covered the second Trump administration, with scoops about federal grants, ICE, DOGE, FEMA and the State Department.

Keller has led the University of North Texas since 2024. At UNT, he has launched the Look North 2030 strategic plan and the Texas Talent Accelerator. In his previous role as Texas Commissioner of Higher Education, he led development of Building a Talent Strong Texas and outcomes-based funding reforms. A sixth-generation Texan, he holds a Ph.D. from Georgetown University.

Leach is in his seventh term of serving the citizens of House District 67 in Collin County. He serves as chair of the Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence committee and sits on the Calendars and Public Education committees.

Little is a business attorney with Scheef and Stone, LLP. He was tapped to join the team of lawyers who defended Attorney General Paxton against the impeachment advanced by House leadership. In 2024, he was elected to his first term in the Texas House of Representatives.

Loeb is the head of The Galileo Project, former director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative, the Institute for Theory and Computation and chair of Harvard's astronomy department. He served as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in the White House and chaired the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies. Loeb is the bestselling author of “Extraterrestrial” and "Interstellar."

Lovett is a co-founder of Crooked Media, co-host of “Pod Save America” and host of the comedy show “Lovett or Leave It.” His first book, “Democracy or Else,” which he co-authored alongside his Crooked Media co-founders Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor, was released in 2024 and was a New York Times #1 bestseller. Before starting Crooked Media, he served as a presidential speechwriter in the Obama White House and speechwriter for Hillary Clinton.

Lydgate is the CEO of the States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting free, fair and secure elections. Before launching States United, Lydgate served as chief deputy attorney general of Massachusetts. In that role, she coordinated multistate litigation and oversaw criminal enforcement, coordinating daily with local, state and federal law enforcement partners.

McCaul represents Texas' 10th Congressional District and serves as chair emeritus of both the Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs committees. Prior to Congress, McCaul served as chief of counterterrorism in the U.S. Attorney's office, as Texas's deputy attorney general and as a federal prosecutor.

Nirenberg is the Democratic nominee for Bexar County Judge and former mayor of San Antonio. As mayor, he worked to expand Pre-K 4 SA, launch mass transit initiatives, grow the airport, and create a nationally recognized workforce and housing strategy. He recently released his first book, “Nirenberg: The Education of a Texas Public Servant.”

Ollstein is a senior health care reporter for Politico. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, La Opinión, All Things Considered and Talking Points Memo. She is a past winner of the Association of Health Care Journalists Fellowship and was named one of the New Media Alliance’s “Rising Stars” under 30.

Ortiz Jones is the mayor of San Antonio, which has the seventh largest population in the United States and is one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities. She was elected as mayor on June 7, 2025.

Pariser is an author, activist and entrepreneur. He has served as president of MoveOn.org, wrote the bestselling 2011 book “The Filter Bubble” and co-founded the media startup Upworthy and the global citizen movement Avaaz. With Deepti Doshi, he currently co-directs New_Public, a nonprofit research and development lab bringing together community entrepreneurs, researchers, engineers and designers to envision, architect and scale digital public spaces.

Perry is the Henry A. Morss Jr. and Elisabeth W. Morss Professor of African American Studies at Harvard University and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute. She is the author of nine books including the 2022 National Book Award winning title, “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation.” Perry is a 2023 MacArthur Fellow.

Pfeiffer is a former White House communications director, political and digital strategist, writer of the Message Box newsletter and best-selling author. One of President Barack Obama’s longest-serving advisors, Pfeiffer joined his presidential campaign at the outset, serving first as traveling press secretary and eventually, as the campaign’s communications director. He entered the White House as deputy communications director and had risen to communications director by the end of 2009. Pfeiffer held that post until his appointment as senior advisor in early 2013.

A Republican former chair of the Federal Election Commission, Potter served as general counsel to John McCain’s 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns and as adviser to the drafters of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. He is perhaps best known for his recurring appearances on “The Colbert Report” as the lawyer for Colbert’s super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, during the 2012 election. Potter founded Campaign Legal Center in 2002. "

Rabb is president of the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association. Prior to joining the TTARA, she was a fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and previously served as tax policy advisor to the lieutenant governor, clerk of the Texas House Ways and Means Committee and tax policy director for the Texas comptroller. Rabb holds a juris doctor from UT School of Law and a master of laws in taxation from SMU's Dedman School of Law.

Rogers is founder and principal of Next Chapter Advisors, a strategic advisory firm that helps mission-driven organizations navigate growth, transition and transformation. A former CEO and executive leader with more than 30 years of experience, she advises boards and leadership teams on strategy, governance, communications and organizational development. She served as executive director of the Alamo Trust until 2025.

Romero is serving his sixth term representing House District 90 in Fort Worth. He also serves as chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. The son of Mexican immigrants, he became Tarrant County’s first Latino state representative in 2014.

Rosen is the CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center, a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Rosen is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, including “The Pursuit of Happiness.” His latest book is “The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America.”

Rove was senior adviser to President George W. Bush and deputy chief of staff from 2004-07. At the White House, he oversaw the offices of Strategic Initiatives, Political Affairs, Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs and was deputy chief of staff for policy, coordinating the White House policymaking process.

As director of No Kid Hungry Texas, Sanchez-Hare unites communities around practical, bipartisan solutions to childhood hunger. Through grantmaking, partnerships and advocacy, her leadership has connected thousands of kids to nutritious food, including expanding no-cost school meals to 146,000 Texas students.

Scelfo is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Mothers Against Media Addiction, a grassroots movement of parents fighting back against media addiction and creating a world in which real-life experiences and interactions remain at the heart of a healthy childhood. Under her leadership, MAMA has established 50 chapters across 23 states and secured landmark AI safety legislation in California and New York.

Sessions was first elected to Congress in 1996. He also served as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2009 through 2012. He is currently a senior member on the House Financial Services Committee and is the chair of the Subcommittee on Government Operations on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Sherrill serves as New Jersey’s 57th governor. She is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, former Navy helicopter pilot, and former federal prosecutor. She previously represented New Jersey's 11th District in the U.S. House.

Stitt serves as governor of Oklahoma. He was elected in 2019. Before serving as governor, Stitt founded Gateway in 2000 and transformed it into one of Oklahoma’s largest banks. Stitt secured $1.6 billion in tax cuts and championed Oklahoma’s economy globally. He made record investments in education and championed universal education freedom.

Greene spent two decades owning and operating a family construction business, before taking her business experience to the U.S. Congress. She served in Congress for five years representing Georgia’s 14th district.

Thompson is a Dallas-based content creator and civic engagement advocate focused on voting rights and political education in Texas. She creates accessible content that moves people from awareness to action, centering everyday Texans in conversations about democracy, representation and the power of their vote. She’s also a public relations professional with experience in thought leadership and brand storytelling.

Ulloa is a national reporter for The New York Times. She previously reported for The Boston Globe, where she was part of a team that won the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting, and the Los Angeles Times. A native of El Paso, she started out as a journalist in Texas, where she worked for newspapers in Brownsville, San Antonio and Austin.

Vietor is a co-founder of Crooked Media, co-host of “Pod Save America”, and co-host of the foreign policy-focused “Pod Save the World.” In 2017, he co-founded Crooked Media, alongside his White House colleagues Jon Lovett and Jon Favreau. Prior to founding Crooked Media, he worked for President Barack Obama for nine years, including a stint as White House national security spokesman.

Villalba is a former three-term Texas state representative and chair and CEO of the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation , a nonpartisan organization advancing data-driven analysis of Latino political trends. He also leads the Texas Lobbying and Government Affairs Practice at FBT Gibbons LLP.

Beard is president and CEO of Houston Endowment, leading the foundation’s vision to create a vibrant region where all have the opportunity to thrive. A South Texas native, she spent 27 years at Teach For America, including 12 as CEO, guiding significant organizational transformation. Her experience — from the classroom to communities nationwide — has shaped her belief in the power of local leadership and strong systems that support families and neighborhoods.

Webb is a quantitative futurist who advises leaders of the Fortune100, three White House administrations and heads of state across four continents. Her books, including international bestseller “The Big Nine,” are translated into 23 languages. She was ranked the #3 Most Influential Management Thinker in the World on Thinkers50’s 2025 list.

West represents Dallas District One. A former plan commissioner, West helped draft Dallas’ live-work, accessory dwelling unit and inclusionary zoning ordinances. He has championed walkability, housing affordability, parking reform, and the expansion of trails and bike infrastructure while balancing growth with neighborhood preservation.