Re-Imagining America: Next Steps in the COVID-19 Response

The pandemic world is changing rapidly. In some places, COVID-19 cases are diminishing. Hundreds of millions of vaccine doses are coming onstream, while leaders around the globe contest their national and international distribution. Vaccination brings its own vexing challenges… and the opportunity to re-examine and re-invent our communities, our schools, our businesses and enterprises, and our domestic lives. In June, the Sine Institute for Policy & Politics will begin a summer series of engaging conversations with leading experts in health care, government, politics, policy, urban development, business, sports, and entertainment on-campus and off as they share their ideas, perspectives and creativity to re-think and re-imagine a post-pandemic nation and world.

Series Schedule

June 7

Working Towards a Resilient Food Supply Chain

June 24

Transforming Our Cities with Distinguished Lecturer Mayor Suarez

July 14

The Classroom of the Future

July 27

Sports and Entertainment in a Covid World

August 4

Our Health

August 24

The Global Perspective

 

Register

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Re-Imagining America: Working Towards a Resilient Food Supply Chain

June 7 | 12:00 Noon ET

The global pandemic crippled America's infrastructure and exposed the weakness across the food supply chain. The collapse of the restaurant industry tossed farmers and producers into turmoil. Increased demand at grocery stores and created food shortages. Unemployment forced more than 15 million into food insecurity. We must now rethink how we produce food in this country and work to center human rights as part of the conversation. This session led by former Sine Fellow and food expert Katherine Miller will explore the impact of Covid-19 on our food supply chain and what must we do next to strengthen people’s access to food. The discussion will focus on the political and policy outcomes needed to ensure food is accessible in our local communities and produced in a way that supports positive climate, equity, wage, and health outcomes.

Moderator: Katherine Miller, Principal and Founder of Table 81, Sine Fellow 2020 (author of At the Table, a guide to food advocacy, publishing in 2022) @table81
Panelists:
Helena Bottemiller Evich, Senior food and agriculture reporter at POLITICO @hbottemiller
Devita Davison, Executive Director of Detroit Food Lab @DevitaDavison

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Re-Imagining America: Transforming Our Cities with Distinguished Lecturer Mayor Francis Suarez

June 24 | 12:00 Noon ET

Health Crises have shaped our cities for decades. They impact the personal health, finance and social fabric of our communities. In the past year our cities have had to reimagine systems of operation, policy priorities and the collective community in challenging times. Mayor Francis Suarez is facing all of these challenges and more in Miami. As the Mayor negotiates with city, state and federal entities he is promoting the policies that will best help the community and drive success. Come and join Amy Dacey in conversation with Mayor Suarez as he discusses the challenges the city faced during covid and his vision for Miami’s future.

Moderator: Amy K. Dacey, Executive Director, The Sine Institute of Policy and Politics
Speaker: Distinguished Lecturer Mayor Francis Suarez (Miami) @FrancisSuarez @MiamiMayor
Institute Co-Sponsor: Metropolitan Policy Center @MPC_AU

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Re-Imagining America: The Classroom of the Future

July 14 | 12:00 Noon ET

2020 was the most disruptive and opportunistic year in the history of education in America. In this webinar, the Sine Institute and School of Education at American University come together to explore the future of America’s preK-12 schools post-COVID. With a panel of education experts, SOE Dean Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy will discuss "lessons learned" during the pandemic as well as promising education strategies and initiatives that address longstanding education disparities. Join us for a provocative and much-needed discussion.

Moderator: Dean Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, School of Education the American University @chm91364
Panelists:
Sonya Horsford, Associate Professor of Education Leadership in the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University @SonyaHorsford
Thomas Toch Director FutureEd's @thomas_toch
Wes Moore, Former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation and Sine Institute Fellow 2021 @iamwesmoore
School College Co-Sponsor: School of Education @AU_SchoolofEd

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Re-Imagining America: Sports and Entertainment in a Covid World

July 27 | 12:00 Noon ET

The great coronavirus sports lockdown of 2020-21 appears to be easing up. Sports and leagues are marching ahead, implementing plans to reopen. What does this mean for the stakeholders: teams, athletes, fans, communities, and media? What has the impact been on local ecosystems that collaborate with sports franchises for economic opportunities?

In this seminar, AU alumna and NFL Washington Football Team SVP Julie Andreeff Jensen explores the impact of COVID-19 on sports, the lessons learned and what to expect moving forward.

Moderator: Julie Andreeff Jensen, AU Alumni (SPA/BA '95, WCL/JD '02)and SVP External Engagement and Communications at the Washington Football Team @AndreeffJensen
Panelists:
Monica Dixon, CAO and President External Affairs Monumental Sports, Chair Monumental Sports Foundation @MonicaDixon_MSE
Nicole Hawkins, Chief Communications Officer for the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League @NicoleHawk
Derrick Dockery, Government Affairs at TikTok, Former National Football League Player
Institute Co-Sponsor: American University's Sports Analytics & Management Program

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Re-Imagining America: Our Health

August 4 | 12:00 Noon ET

It has been over a year since initial information was shared about the Coronavirus. At first, we learned to wear masks, wash our hands, social distance, a new way of life. We stopped meeting in public and seeing loved ones and going to work and going to school in person. We searched for access to testing, then the vaccines and then asked what is next? In this Sine Institute Summer session, we explore the science of moving forward as a country. What is next and what is the future of our health both physical and mental as we continue to battle a global pandemic.

Moderator: Danielle C. Gray, Sine Institute Advisory Board Member and Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC)@realdgray

Speaker: Dr Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services @HHS_ASH
Co-Sponsor Schools and Institutes on Campus:
College of Arts and Sciences @AUcollege
Center on Health Risk and Society

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Re-Imagining America: The Global Perspective

August 24 (new date) | 6:00PM ET

In 2020, the world entered a global pandemic that left us scared, masked, and experiencing challenges to the infrastructure of our lives. We navigated rising cases and rising death tolls, varied access to testing, financial insecurity, and unexpectedly toxic politics surrounding public health measures like masks and social distancing. During this time, the world somehow felt simultaneously more interconnected and more isolated. Many nations have increasing access to vaccines, yet inequities in vaccine access may cause spiraling consequences for years to come. This seminar talks to the global leaders who are addressing issues from a healthcare, financial, and social connectivity standpoint as we search for a “new normal.” In this discussion, we will explore the varied national health responses to COVID-19 that led us here, the path for the future based on science and data, and how global institutions can address current and future health threats.

Moderator: Carolyn Gallaher, Senior Associate Dean, The American University
Panelists:
Helen Clark (Former Prime Minister of New Zealand) Co-Chair of WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness & Response @HelenClarkNZ
School College Co-Sponsor: School of International Service @AU_SIS