Journey Towards Democracy:
Involving Students in the Political Process

Meet the Panelists

Scott Keeter, Associate Director, Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
As the Pew Research Center's associate director, Dr. Scott Keeter plays a leading role in setting the overall direction for the center and guiding its research on attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. He has served as the principal investigator for research projects such as "The Civic and Political Health of the Nation: A Generational Portrait." Dr. Keeter has also held numerous academic posts and is currently on leave from the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University. He has served as a political commentator and election analyst for several news organizations, including NBC News, and continues in that role at the center. Dr. Keeter is co-author of three books: The Diminishing Divide: Religion's Changing Role in American Politics; What Americans Know about Politics and Why It Matters; and Uninformed Choice: The Failure of the New Presidential Nominating System.

Jennifer Bonardi, Associate Director, Democracy Matters
As the associate director of Democracy Matters, founded by NBA player Adonal Foyle to give college students a voice in the pro-democracy movement and an active role in the national dialogue on campaign finance reform, Jennifer Bonardi has been educating and motivating the youth community on the topic of money in politics. Bonardi's involvement in social justice groups began as an undergraduate leader at Tufts University where she served as both the co-president of Violence Against Children Awareness and co-president of the Tufts Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Collective. She has since been active in various community service organizations such as Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, and American Youth Hostels.

Ben Brandzel,Founder and Project Director, MoveOn Student Action
As Founder and Project Director for MoveOn Student Action, Ben Brandzel is spearheading a new way for young people to make their voices heard. MoveOn Student Action is using technology to engage "ordinary citizens" (especially college students and other young people) in the political process through campaigns and petitions for progressive causes. Through this project, Brandzel has been able to build on the work that he and his college friend, Ari Rabin-Havt, began with www.povertyfighters.com, an initiative to organize students to promote micro-finance in the developing world.

Meet the Moderator

Linda Williams, Associate Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland
As a professor at the University of Maryland, Linda Williams' research interests include race, class, gender, and politics; press, politics, and public policy; the American welfare state; urban politics; and public opinions and elections. She is one of the Founding Principals of The Democracy Collaborative, an international consortium founded on the premise that while democracy as theory has triumphed over its adversaries, democracy as practice faces daunting challenges in the US and in every region of the world. Williams is the former Director of the Institute for Policy Research and Education at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and is the recipient of the Michael Harrington Best Book Award for The Constraint of Race: Legacies of White Skin Privilege in America.