Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

Ken Miller (B.A. Pomona College, J.D. Harvard Law School, Ph.D. U.C. Berkeley) is Don H. and Edessa Rose Professor of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College. He became director of the Rose Institute on July 1, 2021, having served as associate director from 2009 to June 2021. He has served as a member of CMC’s Government faculty since 2003. Miller’s research focuses on state government institutions, with an emphasis on direct democracy and the interaction between law and politics. His publications include Texas vs. California: A History of Their Struggle for the Future of America (Oxford University Press, 2020), Direct Democracy and the Courts (Cambridge University Press, 2009), and co-edited volumes Parchment Barriers: Political Polarization and the Limits of Constitutional Order (University Press of Kansas, 2018) and The New Political Geography of California (Berkeley Public Policy Press, 2008). Miller was the Ann and Herbert Vaughan Fellow in the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University (2011-2012) and a visiting scholar at the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University (2017-2018). At the Rose Institute, he has worked with students on numerous research projects, including the biennial Video Voter Guide project and the 24-state Miller-Rose Institute Initiative Database.

Vernon C. Grigg III is a seasoned trial lawyer and educator with a deep commitment to education, and public service. Holding degrees from Yale Law School (J.D.), the London School of Economics (G.S.C.), and the University of Michigan (BA), Vernon has served as CEO & President of Up with People, an international educational program where he built leadership programs and led a global team through the challenges of a worldwide pandemic. His legal career includes representing diverse clients, from government officials to Fortune 100 companies, and significant pro bono work in civil rights. Vernon has taught at Golden Gate University School of Law and has international experience, including groundbreaking roles in South Africa and Israel. As theExecutive Director of the Kravis Lab, Vernon aims to advance CMC’s mission in civic engagement and civic leadership by bringing students knowledge, skills and inspiration.

The Civitas Sessions focus on the stuff you need to know before it becomes the stuff you wish you had known…Curated by the Kravis Lab and hosted at the Athenaeum, this lunch series is designed to build real-world civic skills and the knowledge needed to live thoughtful, productive lives as responsible community members and leaders. Each session will deliver practical knowledge and discuss how the subject matter applies to important current issues.