Glenn College Policy Brief John Glenn College of Public Affairs

In April, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs released the long awaited after action review of the City of Columbus response to summer 2020 protests.  Dean Trevor Brown and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Carter Stewart led the investigative team. In this episode of Policy Brief, Brown and Stewart discuss findings from the report including schisms that existed between the community, police and city leadership, as well as report recommendations for tactical solutions, reconciliation and policy changes to help the city prepare for and respond to future protests.

Guest: Mike McCurry, Distinguished Professor of Public Theology, Wesley Theological Seminary, and former White House press secretary


From a career as a press secretary for Senator Glenn’s presidential campaign, President Bill Clinton and other political entities, Mike McCurry sees the significance — and current downfall — of the public’s trust in both our elected officials and the news media.


McCurry and Dean Trevor Brown discuss factors for the mistrust, including the effects of social media, divisive politics and the struggling local media industry. McCurry offers solutions in the form of educating the public about public policy, restructuring our definition of public information and engaging other credible and reliable institutions, such as faith organizations, in real, honest dialogue about critical issues.

Lori Garver, CEO of Earthrise Alliance and former deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, believes that since the beginning of humanity, exploration was necessary for human survival. Now, as she leads a nonprofit organization which uses space technology to mitigate the effects of climate change, she believes space exploration is increasingly essential for humans to survive on Earth and beyond.


Tune in for this conversation as Garver talks with Dean Trevor Brown about her career working with NASA and Senator John Glenn, the importance of private sector space technology innovation, and what’s next in space travel.

Lobbying is an important part of the political process, but it often has a negative connotation. Kellie Adesina, a graduate of The Ohio State University Mortiz College of Law, joins Dean Brown to discuss the ways lobbyists advocate for people and businesses while helping Congress draft quality legislation. She shares her experience influencing food and agriculture legislation for Bayer in areas like biotechnology, nutrition and climate change, explaining Bayer’s stake in these issues and how her team works to drive change. In closing, Kellie introduces Black Professionals in Food and Agriculture, a new organization that promotes representation of Black policy professionals in the food and agriculture sector, where BIPOC voices have been historically underrepresented.   

Guest: Drew Willison, MPA ’90, Former Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate
 
With over 2,000 officers sworn to protect and defend the U.S. Capitol, it is hard to imagine the building could be overrun by America’s own citizens. John Glenn College of Public Affairs alumnus, Drew Willison, joins Dean Trevor Brown in the latest edition of Policy Brief to discuss the duties of the sergeant at arms in safeguarding and securing the Senate and what may have caused the lack of preparation on January 6. Willison shares his expertise on the inside workings of the Senate, observations from the insurrection and thoughts about what should happen next.

Policy Brief's January guest is Tom Wheeler, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Wheeler will discuss the important work that goes into serving on a presidential transition team from his experience serving on the Obama-Biden Transition in 2008-09.