Plenary Sessions

Danielle Allen is a professor of political philosophy, public policy, and ethics at Harvard University. She is Director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, Director of the Democratic Knowledge Project, and James Bryant Conant University Professor, one of Harvard’s highest honors. She is also Founder and President of Partners In Democracy. At Partners In Democracy, she advocates for democracy renovation to create greater voice and access in our democracy, and drive progress towards a new social contract that serves and includes us all. Her many books include the widely acclaimed Our Declaration: a Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality; Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A.; Democracy in the Time of Coronavirus; and Justice by Means of Democracy.

Lynn Pasquerella has served as President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities since July 2016. A philosopher whose career has combined teaching and scholarship with local and global engagement, she has continuously demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to ensuring that all students have access to excellence in liberal education, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

Danielle Allen will once again bring her talent, knowledge, and experience during this plenary panel. Review her biography above.

Kelly Corrigan is a successful journalist, gifted storyteller, and bestselling author who’s always had a strong interest in culture, caregiving, and matters of society and has spent hundreds of hours interviewing some of the top change-makers in the world. She’s taken these lessons to heart — and to audiences nationwide. As the host of PBS’ Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan, she talks with influential leaders in their field who are deeply committed to making things better. These insightful conversations educate and entertain as guests reflect on their lives and the impact they have on their worlds. Kelly also hosts her own podcast Kelly Corrigan Wonders, that has had 14 million downloads, which she describes as a “place for people who like to laugh while they think.” She recently wrapped a 15+ college and university tour where she interviewed educational leaders and asked them the question, what is the point of college? Kelly’s inspirational words elevate everyday life experiences and uplift our darkest moments with humor, humanity, and unforgettable eloquence.

Jarvis Givens studies the history of American education, African-American history, and the relationship between race and power in schools. His first book, Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching received an AAC&U Ness Book Award.

Givens takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying history, employing conceptual and methodological interventions from the field of Black Studies. Such methodological interests led him, in partnership with Imani Perry of Princeton University, to an exciting new digital humanities project called The Black Teacher Archive (BTA).

Givens is completing a work of creative nonfiction on black student life in an American school, among other emerging projects.

Len Gutkin is a senior editor at The Chronicle Review and a scholar of the American and British novel. He holds a PhD from Yale and was a junior fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows from 2015–18. Gutkin is the author of Dandyism: Forming Fiction From Modernism to the Present and is currently working on a second book, Unseriousness Seriously Pursued: Irony and Camp Affect from James to von Trier.

Frederick M. Hess is a senior fellow and the director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he works on K–12 and higher education issues. The author of Education Week’s popular blog Rick Hess Straight Up, Dr. Hess is also an executive editor of Education Next and a senior contributor to Forbes. He is the founder and chairman of AEI’s Conservative Education Reform Network. An educator, political scientist, and author, Dr. Hess has published in popular outlets including the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Dr. Hess started his career as a high school social studies teacher and has since taught at colleges including Rice, Harvard, Georgetown, and the University of Virginia. His books include Spinning Wheels, Letters to a Young Education Reformer, Cage-Busting Leadership, A Search for Common Ground, The Great School Rethink, and Getting Education Right. He holds an MA and a PhD in government and a MEd in teaching and curriculum from Harvard University.

Eboo Patel is a civic leader who believes religious diversity is an essential and inspiring dimension of American democracy. Named “one of America’s best leaders” by U.S. News and World Report, Eboo is the Founder and President of Interfaith America, the leading interfaith organization in the United States. Under his leadership, Interfaith America has worked with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations to make faith a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.

Eboo served on President Obama’s Inaugural Faith Council, has given hundreds of keynote addresses, and has written five books, including We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy. He is an Ashoka Fellow and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship.