Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

Erik Ramanathan P’27 served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden from December 2021 until January 2025. Ambassador Ramanathan was credentialed in Stockholm in January 2022, just five weeks prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His tenure in Sweden centered on working with Swedes across all sectors of society as they navigated far-reaching changes accompanying the reversal of over 200 years of military non-alignment, the decision and challenging accession process to join NATO, and new understandings of autocratic threats to the democratic values and trade and investment norms that undergird their vibrant economy and way of life.

Leveraging key legislative tools like the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act, Ambassador Ramanathan led efforts to ensure the U.S. and Sweden worked hand-in-hand to address challenges and opportunities in climate sustainability and green transition, emerging technology, pandemic and supply chain resilience, and other geopolitical complexities that require greater cross-border coordination and cross-sector collective action than ever before. U.S-Swedish technological and defense cooperation flourished, while bilateral trade in goods and services and Swedish direct investment in the U.S. both roughly doubled in three years, creating over 200,000 new American jobs.

Since returning from Stockholm in January 2025, Ambassador Ramanathan has been a keynote speaker, media commentator, and strategic consultant to multinational public and private enterprises navigating fast-changing geopolitics and global security challenges. He serves on the International Policy Advisory Council of the Center for American Progress, guiding global-facing policy development and education for one of America’s leading nonpartisan think tanks.

Prior to his diplomatic service, Ambassador Ramanathan was a long-time strategic leader and change agent on a portfolio of six institutional boards of directors. He most prominently served as Chairman of Heluna Health, a trailblazing national nonprofit that has been advancing public health for over 50 years. Before that, he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of ImClone Systems, a Nasdaq-100 biotechnology firm. His academic and teaching experience includes four years as Executive Director of the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession, the world’s leading research program and think tank on the evolving global legal profession.

Ambassador Ramanathan has a passionate interest in empowering and supporting others to thrive at scale, whether it be through health care and community wellness, human rights advocacy, or inspiring military and civilian service veterans to start a career in public service. He has been a prominent LGBT+ community leader and change agent for more than three decades and is the recipient of honors including the Global Vision Award. Among numerous non-profit and public service roles, he has long chaired the board of Immigration Equality, guiding its rapid growth into a highly effective national legal services and advocacy organization for LGBT+ and HIV+ immigrants and refugees.

A native of rural western New York, Ambassador Ramanathan earned a B.A. in behavioral biology with highest honors at Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School. 

Ambassador Ramanathan is the featured speaker for Family Weekend 2026.

Philip Wallach is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies America’s separation of powers, with a focus on regulatory policy issues and the relationship between Congress and the administrative state.

In his latest book Why Congress (Oxford University Press, 2023), Wallach defends the centrality of Congress in America’s constitutional system, traces the roots of current dysfunction, and suggests how the institution might be restored.

Before joining AEI, Wallach was a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, where he authored To the Edge: Legality, Legitimacy, and the Responses to the 2008 Financial Crisis (Brookings Institution Press, 2015). He was later affiliated with the R Street Institute and served as a fellow with the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress in 2019.

Wallach’s scholarly and popular work has been published widely, including in the publications of the Brookings Center on Regulation and Markets, Studies in American Political Development, Fortune, National Affairs, National Review, Law & Liberty, Los Angeles Times, RealClearPolicy, the Bulwark, the Hill, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. A frequent conference participant, he has lectured at William & Mary, the University of Oregon, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and the University of Michigan, among others.

Wallach received a master’s and doctorate in politics from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University’s College of Social Studies.

(Source: AEI)

Danielle Allen is James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She is also director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School and director of the Democratic Knowledge Project, a research lab focused on civic education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy, she is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, tech ethicist, and distinguished author. She is a contributing columnist at The Atlantic Magazine, winner of the 2025 Barry Prize, and was the 2020 winner of the Library of Congress’ Kluge Prize, which recognizes scholarly achievement in the disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prize. She received the Prize “for her internationally recognized scholarship in political theory and her commitment to improving democratic practice and civics education.”

Across nearly three decades in higher ed, Danielle has worked to make the world better for young people. She won the Quantrell award for excellence in undergraduate teaching at the University of Chicago, where she also served as Dean of the Division of Humanities (2004-7); she chaired the board of the Mellon Foundation (2015-19), as that foundation expanded the range of institutions in which it invests; she wrote for the Washington Post from 2008-2024, with a column on constitutional democracy; and she has developed a public policy portfolio on issues from cannabis legalization and public health policy to democracy renovation, civic education, and sound governance of and with new technology.

As a scholar, Allen currently concentrates on democracy renovation: studying how to reconnect people to their civic power, experience, and responsibility via civic education and how to redesign our political institutions to improve their responsiveness, increase the accountability of officeholders, and reward the participation of ordinary citizens. Her most recent book, Justice by Means of Democracy, provides the foundation for this work. Her forthcoming book, The Radical Duke, a biography of an 18th century British political reformer, is due out with Liveright/Norton in 2026.

Professor Allen’s Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by Kravis Lab for Civic Leadership, the Open Academy, the Salvatori Center, and the President's Leadership Fund, all at CMC.

(Photo credit: Melissa Blackall_PrimaryHR)

Amy Gallo works with individuals, teams, and organizations to help them better collaborate, communicate, and transform their culture to support dissent and debate. She is the best-selling author of Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and the Harvard Business Review "Guide to Dealing with Conflict." She has published often in Harvard Business Review, where she is a contributing editor. Her writing has been collected in numerous books including on feedback, emotional intelligence, and managing others. 

From 2019 to 2025, Gallo co-hosted HBR's popular Women at Work podcast, examining the struggles and successes of women in the workplace. Gallo has delivered keynotes and workshops at numerous companies and conferences and often appears in media outlets for her perspective on workplace dynamics, conflict, and difficult conversations. Her advice has been featured in multiple news outlets internationally. 

A graduate of Yale College, she holds a master’s in public policy from Brown University. 

Ryan Patel is currently a William F. Podlich Distinguished Fellow at CMC. Patel is an expert in scaling businesses and has served both startups and publicly traded firms. Listed as one of the “Creators to Follow” by LinkedIn Editor in Chief and recognized as a “Top Voice” on Linkedin, Patel is a news commentator board director. Patel also hosts "The Moment with Ryan Patel," featuring conversations with top innovators and executives. 

 This program is co-sponsored by the Financial Economics Institute and Kravis Leadership Institute, both at CMC.

Sean Kennedy is the executive director of the Center for Juvenile Law & Policy at Loyola Law School. For the past 15 years, he has taught appellate advocacy and the death penalty law seminar at the Law School. In 2013, Kennedy was named Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year by the Los Angeles County Bar Association and received the Fidler Institute Award for Defense Lawyer of the Year from Loyola. He is a recipient of the Public Interest Award by Loyola’s Public Interest Law Foundation. Prior to working in public defense, Kennedy was an associate at Talcott, Lightfoot, Vandevelde, Woehrle & Sadowsky, LLP, where he handled white collar criminal defense cases.

Professor Kennedy’s Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by the history department at CMC.

(Photo credit: Loyola Law School)

Melissa S. Kearney is the Gilbert F. Schaefer Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame and director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group. She is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Her research focuses on poverty, inequality, social policy, and the economics of families and fertility.

Kearney is the author of The Two-Parent Privilege (University of Chicago Press, 2023), named a Best Book of the Year by The Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker. 

She holds a B.A. in economics from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in economics from MIT.

Professor Kearney's Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by the Lowe Institute of Political Economy at CMC.

(Source: University of Notre Dame)

Cristian Eduardo is a prominent advocate, speaker, and educator dedicated to advancing the rights of immigrants, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, and those affected by human trafficking. As a queer immigrant from Mexico, a survivor of human trafficking, and a person living with HIV, his advocacy is profoundly shaped by his lived experience, fueling his fight against hate and stigma across all sectors. Eduardo serves as a member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, where he leverages his expertise to advise the President’s Interagency Task Force on federal anti-trafficking policies. His work centers on ensuring these policies are survivor-led, trauma-informed, and focused on holistic recovery. Eduardo partners with non-profit organizations and legislative stakeholders nationwide, providing training and technical assistance at the intersection of human trafficking, immigration, the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and trauma related mental health challenges. Eduardo is a Survivor Leader at New Yorkers for the Equality Model, co-chair of the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition, and serves on various advisory boards and committees, including the Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking. Additionally, he is a key collaborator in HIV prevention efforts, serving on the NYC HIV Planning Group to inform the city’s Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan. Eduardo has received numerous honors, including the Advocate of New York City award from the NYC Office to End Gender-Based Violence, the 2023 NJ Freedom Award, and the 2025 Liberator Award Survivor of the Year.

Yasmin Z. Vafa is co-founder and Executive Director of Rights4Girls, a national human rights organization dedicated to ending gender-based violence against young women and girls in the U.S. An award-winning human rights lawyer and advocate, Vafa's work focuses on the intersections of race, gender, violence, and the law. She has successfully advocated for several laws at the federal and state levels, testified before the U.S. Senate, state legislatures, and international human rights bodies, and co-authored multiple reports detailing the over-criminalization of girls and young women of color, particularly, survivors of sexual violence.  Vafa and her work have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, ABC News, and more. She currently serves on the U.S. Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth, serves as adjunct faculty for the National Judicial Institute on Child Sex Trafficking— an intensive judicial training she co-designed and leads with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and previously served on both the Department of Justice National Girls' Initiative Advisory Committee as well as the DOJ National Task Force on the Use of Restraints on Pregnant Women and Girls Under Correctional Custody. She has received numerous awards for her work including the Lois Haight Award for Excellence and Innovation for her legislative advocacy from Congress. 

This conversation will be moderated by Vivienne Arndt '28 and introduced by Macy Puckett Scripps '28.

This program is co-sponsored by the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights at CMC.

Glenn C. Loury, Merton P. Stoltz Professor Emeritus of Social Sciences, Professor Emeritus of Economics, and Professor Emeritus of International and Public Affairs, joined Brown University in 2005. He is an academic economist who has made scholarly contributions to the fields of welfare economics, income distribution, game theory, industrial organization, and natural resource economics. He is also a prominent social critic and public intellectual, having published over 200 articles in journals of public affairs in the U.S. and abroad on the issues of racial inequality and social policy.

Loury is a Fellow of the Econometric Society, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a past Vice President of the American Economics Association. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was for many years a contributing editor at The New Republic magazine.

Among the issues Loury studies are racial affirmative action; dysfunctional social identity; status transmission across generations; and cognitive theories of racial stigma. He also writes popular essays on social and political themes as a public intellectual.

Michael J. Fortner, Pamela B. Gann Associate Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College, will moderate the conversation.
 

Terry Tang is the executive editor of the Los Angeles Times, overseeing the newsroom and the Opinion section. She was appointed to her role in 2024, becoming the first female editor in the paper’s 142-year history.

Tang joined The Times in July 2019 as a deputy Op-Ed editor after two years at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she served as director of publications and editorial. She was named editorial page editor in 2022.

Before that, she worked at the New York Times for 20 years in many positions: as deputy editorial page editor; op-ed editor; assistant editorial page editor; editorial writer; deputy technology editor; metro desk major beats editor; and co-founder and editor of Room for Debate, an online platform for rapid-response commentary. Prior to that, she was an editorial writer and columnist at the Seattle Times and a reporter at the Seattle Weekly.

Tang graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in economics and received a J.D. from New York University School of Law. She was a Nieman fellow at Harvard in 1992-93. Her family immigrated to Los Angeles from Taiwan, and she grew up in Gardena. (Source: LA Times)

Terril Jones is a visiting lecturer in the Government Department at Claremont McKenna College, specializing in international journalism. He has more than 40 years of experience in journalism, including as a business and foreign correspondent and editor for Reuters, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes and The Associated Press. Jones was based in Beijing, Paris, and Tokyo for 18 years covering politics, business, international relations, sports, crime and many other topics. He was also a technology correspondent in Silicon Valley and an automotive correspondent in Detroit. He is fluent in Japanese, Mandarin and French, and holds a B.A. from Pomona College.

This program is co-sponsored by the Dreier Roundtable at Claremont McKenna College.

Photo credit: Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Keynote Panel: Watt’s Next? A Roadmap for Energy Evolution

Panelists:

Blake Chalson, Senior Manager Project Management, Southern California Edison

Hilary A. Haskell, Low Carbon Fuels Manager, TRC Companies, Inc

Robert Owlett, Director of Origination, Pathway Power

Philip Trapp, Senior Sales Manager, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited