With President Trump announcing that he has a new strategy for the conflict in Afghanistan and the likelihood that many troops will be deployed under this strategy, we SPOTLIGHT Asha Castleberry. A U.S. Army veteran, Asha recently completed a 30 month deployment in the Middle East. Since the 2014 ISIL incursion in Iraq, she served for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (AntiISIS Military Campaign) in Iraq and Kuwait. Asha serves on the Board of Advisors of America’s Impact, and Women Veterans and Families Network. She is a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council, a global fellow at the Project on the Study on the 21st Century (PS21), Adjunct Fellow at the American Security Project and a cofounder of International Youth Council. Extensive media experience.
The Secret Service is currently having trouble paying its agents due to President Trump's frequent travels and the volume of work required to protect his large family. To discuss this, we FEATURE Mandy Smithberger. Mandy, a former national security policy adviser to U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), worked on passing key provisions of the Military Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act into law, which expands protections by increasing the level of Inspector General review for complaints, requiring timely action on findings of reprisal, and increasing the time whistleblowers have to report reprisals. Media includes: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, Politico.
With the Trump administration planning to disband the federal advisory panel on the National Climate Assessment, we FEATURE Dana R. Fisher. Dana is a Professor of Sociology and the Director of the Program for Society and the Environment at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between environmentalism and democracy —most recently focusing on environmental stewardship and American climate politics. This research employs a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. Her current research employs data collected from environmental activists, stewardship organizations, volunteer stewards, students in the DC school system, as well as political elites involved in climate policy-making in the United States and internationally. Media includes: The Today Show, USA Today, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, various NPR shows.
Following the protests in Boston that happened this past weekend, the role of peaceful protest has become a topic of conversation. To discuss, we FEATURE Celina Su. Celina is Marilyn J. Gittell Chair in Urban Studies and an Associate Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York. Her research concerns civil society and social policy, especially health and education. Her work focuses on how everyday citizens engage in and shape policy-making and community development—via deliberative democracy, community organizations, and protest and social movements. Her publications include Streetwise for Book Smarts: Grassroots Organizing and Education Reform in the Bronx (Cornell University Press, 2009). Media includes: PBS, The Nation, Die Tagezeitung, The Progressive.
With the solar eclipse that happened on Monday and another eclipse expected for April 8, 2024, we FEATURE Emily Lakdawalla. Emily is a passionate advocate for the exploration of all of the worlds of our solar system. Through blogs, photos, videos, podcasts, print articles, Twitter, and any other medium she can put her hand to, Lakdawalla shares the adventure of space exploration with the world. She has been writing and editing the Planetary Society Blog since 2005, reporting on space news, explaining planetary science, and sharing beautiful space photos. Media includes: BBC America, BBC World News, Planetary Radio.
Dr. Julie Thomas Achettu, EdD
Dr. Rebecca J Clendenen, PhD
Dr Carla Ionescu, PhD
Dr. Kimya Nuru Dennis, Ph.D.
Dr. Melody J Glenn, MD, MFA