The Public Service Project

Amanda Van Dort is a McCain Institute American Democracy and Technology Fellow, and an Adjunct Professor for Johns Hopkins and GWU teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on issues related to Women, Peace, and Security. She's also a former diplomat, most recently serving the Department of State as Chief of Staff in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues, building on her background advancing the rights of women globally and addressing the needs of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Amanda is spending her post gov era hitting the books and thinking big thoughts on the roots of American democracy, revisiting documents drafted by the founding fathers, and studying their cultural influences to better understand not just what they said, but what they meant. We're talking about her path into government service, her thoughts on what it means to go "back to basics," her elevator pitch for why gender matters, and our shared assessment of whether the public education system prepares kids to engage with the most critical questions of our time.
Links to a few of Amanda's top reads:
First Principles by Thomas Ricks: Buy on Thriftbooks
Our Declaration by Danielle Allen: Buy on Thriftbooks
Sex and the Constitution by Geoffrey Stone: Buy on Thriftbooks

Katrina "Kat" Fotovat is Co-Founder of Peace Pays, a global initiative that harnesses artificial intelligence to prevent violence, strengthen democratic resilience, and advance women-led peacebuilding worldwide. Kat is a former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues with over 30 years of experience in fragile settings, overseeing more than $5 billion in programs supporting democracy, human rights, and marginalized populations. Today, she's harnessing her wildly impressive experience, her incredible network, and her indomitable spirit to tackle old challenges with new tools - and as always, she's turning problems into propportunities.

Russell York is the Founder and CEO of Cosmo Technologies - one of the fastest growing family tech brands, creating purpose-built, safe devices that help kids stay connected, while giving parents peace of mind.
Russell joined me for a conversation about tech, parenting, and the public good. We discuss the pervasive techxiety that is driving our parenting strategies; the need for ethical tech leadership and real solutions; the essential nature of an outdoor childhood; cultivating resilience; creating a values-first business model; and so many other topics that are top of mind for parents, policymakers, and people interested in the public good. Join me for an honest and reflective chat with this homeschooled 4H kid, who blazed his own trail from intel analysis in Afghanistan to building a kid-safe smartwatch.

Kristen Cordell serves as Grand Challenges Canada's inaugural Senior Director for Policy and Learning. Before joining GCC, she held senior roles at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of State, and USAID. Her commitment to service and support of U.S. geopolitical objectives has earned her awards from the Secretary of State, and USAID Administrator. She's a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a true thought leader, an innovator, and a creator. Kristen joins us to talk about lessons learned from the many seasons of her career (from the field, to the halls of the White House) and to share her thoughts on the future of service. She's thinking through how to create productive and satisfying portfolios, how to build resilience into public service careers, and how to live in alignment with your values. And she's also here to help me convince Dr. Becky to join me on the show :)

Alexa Dominique Pascual is a Sustainable Development Goals Global Ambassador with the UN Association of the United States of America, and the DMUN Foundation's Head Observer to the UN, World Bank, and IMF. That's a lot of acronyms. What does it mean? It means Alexa leads American youth delegations weighing in on topics like global governance, economic cooperation, and AI regulation. She's participated in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on International Tax Cooperation and spoken at high level UN events. She's shattering assumptions about how and where young people can shape policy by demonstrating that young leaders are not just activists; they are negotiators and researchers and... tax experts!
And what prepared Alexa to engage in citizen diplomacy and multilateralism? Why of course, her background as an acrobat with Cirque du Soleil!
Listen in to learn how she moved from literal tightropes to metaphorical ones, and follow Alexa for a steady stream of inspiring content and sound advice for young leaders!