UW-Green Bay hosts former presidential advisors Axelrod and Rove in free Point/Counterpoint Conversation
Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership sponsors free event
Green Bay, Wis. — National political strategists and former senior advisors to Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, David Axelrod and Karl Rove, will be on the UW-Green Bay campus for a Point/Counterpoint Conversation on Wednesday, April 3 at 6 p.m. at the Weidner Center.
The event, sponsored by the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership, is free and open to the public and designed to provide and promote civil, non-partisan and thought-provoking conversation about election polling and strategy, politicians and presidents, red and blue culture, the state of our democracy, the media and more. Registration for the event is required and is available at thompsoncenter.wisc.edu and www.weidnercenter.com/events/axelrod-rove/.
David Axelrod is a senior political commentator, CNN and host, the Axe Files; director, University of Chicago Institute of Politics and senior advisor to President Barack Obama (2009-2011). Karl Rove is a Fox News contributor and Wall Street Journal columnist, former senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush and a best-selling author. Award-winning journalist and distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette University Law School, Mike Gousha, will moderate the one-hour discussion, which will include an audience Q&A session.
According to Thompson Center Director and Political Science Professor Ryan J. Owens, the UW-Green Bay event exemplifies the Center’s mission to bring important conversations and highlight successful public leaders to communities across Wisconsin. “We are excited to hold our first on-campus event in a community that is bustling with innovation, growth and emerging public leaders.
“Universities are places of discovery and conversation around important topics that foster the development of leaders,” said UW-Green Bay Chancellor Gary L. Miller. “We are proud to welcome these distinguished thought leaders to our campus to be a part of the public discourse at this critical time in our nation’s history.”
David Axelrod is a preeminent American political strategist and commentator and the former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama. Axelrod currently serves as the founding director of the University of Chicago’s non-partisan Institute of Politics and as a senior political commentator for CNN. He is the host of The Axe Files, a top-rated podcast featuring in depth conversations with public figures across the political spectrum. A televised version of the show airs monthly on CNN. A former political writer for the Chicago Tribune, Axelrod produced media strategy and advertising for 150 campaigns across the U.S., culminating in President Obama’s historic elections. Axelrod is also the author of The New York Times best-selling memoir, Believer: My Forty Years in Politics.
With more than four decades of experience in the political arena, including serving as senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove is an iconic strategist whose provocative and robust knowledge of the major issues of the day have made him one of the most sought-after commentators of our time. Rove has been described by respected author and columnist Michael Barone as “unique…no Presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon” and by Fred Barnes, Executive Editor of the Weekly Standard as “the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation… He knows history, understands the moods of the public, and is a visionary on matters of public policy.”
Mike Gousha serves as a distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette University Law School. An award-winning journalist, Gousha explores important public policy issues through his work at the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education. He is the host of the Law School’s “On the Issues” conversation series, and has been the sole moderator of numerous political debates held at the Law School, including the final debate of Wisconsin’s historic 2012 recall election for Governor. In addition to his work at Marquette, Gousha recently completed an 11-year stint as a contributing anchor and political analyst at WISN-TV in Milwaukee, where he hosted the statewide political program, “UpFront with Mike Gousha.”
About The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership
The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership was established to provide a multi-disciplinary, non-partisan environment to study, discuss, and improve leadership. Students, faculty members, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders come together to share knowledge and learn about successful public leadership. We pledge to pursue leadership, to foster collegiality, and to be problem-solvers. For more information visit thompsoncenter.wisc.edu.
About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs to nearly 8,000 students with campus locations in Green Bay, Marinette, Manitowoc and Sheboygan. Established in 1965 on the border of Green Bay, the University and its campuses are centers of cultural enrichment, innovation and learning. The Green Bay campus is home to one of the Midwest’s most prolific performing arts centers, a nationally recognized 4,000-seat student recreation center, Division I athletics, an award-winning nine-hole golf course and a five-mile recreational trail and arboretum, which is free and open to the public. This four-campus University transforms lives and communities through student-focused teaching and research, innovative learning opportunities, powerful connections and a problem-solving approach to education. UW-Green Bay’s main campus is centrally located, close to both the Door County resort area and the dynamic economies of Northeast Wisconsin, the Fox Valley region and the I-43 corridor. UW-Green Bay offers in-demand programs in science, engineering and technology; business; health, education and social welfare; and arts, humanities and social sciences. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.
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