Join the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs and eCornell for a conversation with President Bill Clinton on the state of democracy in America. This program will delve into the challenges faced by our democracy today and what can be done to strengthen our democratic norms for future generations. Following the conversation with President Clinton, please stay tuned for a panel reaction from Cornell experts and to learn how to get involved with the Campaign for the Future of Democracy, an exciting new project through the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs.

This event is sponsored by the Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation and marks the first event in the Milstein State of Democracy Address series. The event is also supported by The Larry and Judy Tanenbaum Distinguished Speakers Fellowship of Sigma Phi. 

Biography of our esteemed guest, the 42nd President of the United States

William Jefferson Clinton, the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice, led the United States to the longest economic expansion in American history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs.

After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation in order to continue working on the causes he cared about.  Since its founding, the Foundation has endeavored to help build more resilient communities by developing and implementing programs that improve people’s health, strengthen local economies, and protect the environment.

In addition to his Foundation work, President Clinton served as the top United Nations envoy for the Indian Ocean tsunami recovery effort, the UN Special Envoy to Haiti—and has partnered numerous times with Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush to support relief efforts for communities devastated by natural disasters.

President Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. He and his wife Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton have one daughter, Chelsea, and three grandchildren, Charlotte, Aidan and Jasper. They live in Chappaqua, New York.

Introduction by special guest, Chairman of Cornell's Board of Trustees

Bob Harrison is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University.  He served as Chief Executive Officer of the Clinton Global Initiative from 2007 to 2017 and worked for the Clinton Foundation since 2005 in two prior roles — Executive Director of the Foundation’s childhood obesity initiative and chairing a task force on access to water and sanitation in the developing world. Before joining the Clinton Foundation, Harrison spent over 20 years on Wall Street as an investment banker and attorney. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1987, where he became a partner in the firm’s Investment Banking Division and Global Co-Head of its Communications, Media, and Entertainment group.  From 1981 to 1987, Harrison practiced corporate law in the New York and Paris offices of Davis, Polk and Wardwell.  In addition to serving on the Cornell Board of Trustees, Harrison is a Director of the Clinton Foundation and the Association of American Rhodes Scholars, a Director and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of the Henry Street Settlement, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  He received a B.A. in Government from Cornell University, an M.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

The Institute of Politics and Global Affairs is a non-partisan institute dedicated to elevating public discourse and stimulating civic engagement.