Juliette Kayyem (moderator)

Robert and Renee Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security, Harvard Kennedy School

In academia, government, media and the private sector, Juliette Kayyem is a global leader in safety, security and crisis management efforts. Professor Juliette Kayyem is currently the faculty chair of Homeland Security at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She also serves as CNN Senior National Security Analyst for CNN where she has been described as CNN’s “go to” for disasters. A contributing writer  to The Atlantic, she has a weekly security segment on NPR’s Boston station WGBH. Her most recent book, The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters, was described in a New Yorker profile of her as an “engagingly urgent blueprint for rethinking our approach to disaster preparedness and response.” She is the author of Early Warning newsletter on Substack.

Mayor Lisa Gillmor

Mayor of Santa Clara, California

Mayor Lisa M. Gillmor embodies the spirit of Santa Clara as a fourth-generation resident who has dedicated her life to serving the community where she was born, raised, and is now raising her own family. Her deep roots in the city span over four decades of public service, combining extensive civic leadership with proven business expertise.

As a lifelong advocate for Santa Clara, Mayor Gillmor has held virtually every level of public service, from grassroots volunteer work to countywide commissions. Her journey began in 1982 as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner, where she served for a decade before being elected to City Council. Over her distinguished career, she has served two previous terms as Vice Mayor and City Councilmember (1992-2000 and 2012-2016), was appointed Mayor in February 2016, and has since been elected to two full terms, with voters reaffirming their confidence in her leadership in 2022.

Mayor Quinton Lucas

Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri

Born and raised in Kansas City’s inner city, Quinton Lucas serves as the 55th mayor of Kansas City, the youngest person elected to the role since 1855.

As Mayor, he has built opportunity for Kansas Citians from all neighborhoods and at all income levels, including the adoption of one of the first zero-fare transit initiatives, which maintains fare free public transit for passengers on bus and rail transit citywide, putting hundreds of dollars back in passengers’ pockets.  Experiencing homelessness in his youth, Mayor Lucas created the City’s first Housing Trust Fund, developing thousands of units of housing attainable for Kansas Citians at a time of rising housing and rent costs.

During his tenure, Mayor Lucas has promoted Kansas City domestically, bringing new businesses to the city and leading the city to its highest population in its history, and globally, securing Kansas City’s position as one of only 11 American cities to host the 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

Todd Rogers

Weatherhead Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Todd Rogers designs, evaluates, and scales innovations that help people thrive, make organizations more effective, and strengthen society. This work leads to peer-reviewed research, new governmental policies, large-scale partnerships, and social enterprise startups.

His new research strengthens social connection by harnessing sports fandom. To support this research program, he founded and lead the Harvard Fandom and Social Connection Initiative.

His previous research reduced student absenteeism by engaging families, and improved communication by making reading easier for skimmers.