An Honorable Profession

In this week's episode, co-host Ryan Coonerty sits down with Hawaii State Senator Troy Hashimoto. They reflect on the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires, including lessons around  preparing for and building resilience against natural disasters, as well as best practices for coordinating disaster safety efforts across multiple levels of government. Senator Hashimoto also discusses his efforts to addre...

In this week's episode, NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with Alabama State Representative Phillip Ensler. They talk about the recent legislative session and unpack the realities of working in the legislature during Trump's second administration. Ensler talked about his work to pass bipartisan common-sense gun reform after many years of trying. He details his path to public service, his time w...

In this week's episode, NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with Illinois Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senate Candidate Juliana Stratton. They discuss how the Pritzker-Stratton administration has improved healthcare and unemployment, and how they've built a balanced budget that will help carry Illinois into a brighter future. Stratton talks about Trump's irresponsible budget bill and the differen...

Recorded at the NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit in Atlanta, GA, this week's episode features co-host Ryan Coonerty in conversation with former Mountain View City, CA Mayor-now-Councilmember Chris Clark. Clark describes how he balances working for tech companies by day and the interests of the Mountain View community by night. They talk about how lessons learned in tech can be applied to improve local g...

Recorded at the NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit in Atlanta, GA, this week's  episode features co-host Ryan Coonerty in conversation with Georgia House Democratic Whip Sam Park, the son of a Korean Immigrant and the first openly gay man elected to the Georgia's Legislature. Park talks about his journey to public office, his efforts to fight for healthcare after his mom got stage four cancer, how he advo...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with Congressman Greg Landsman who represents Ohio's 1st Congressional District. Landsman is a member of the New Democrat Coalition and co-host of the new podcast, The Fly-In. They talk about the effects of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" that passed the House by one vote - highlighting the massive unpopular cut to health care and...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks to Colorado State Senator Dylan Roberts. Roberts represents a swing district in the Western part of his state - including ski resort towns, mountain communities, and rural areas. Roberts discusses how he set priorities for this year's legislative session, including what it took to close a $1.2 billion dollar shortfall, as well a...

This week, we bring you another episode of our series on How Government Can Get Sh*t Done, as co-host Ryan Coonerty sits down with Marc Dunkelman, professor and author of Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress- and How to Bring it Bac k. Marc discusses the barrier preventing the government from solving problems and achieving broadly shared goals, what it will take  to instigate meaningful change,...

Recorded at the NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit in Atlanta, GA, this week's special episode features co-host Ryan Coonerty in conversation with Florida House State Representative Lindsay Cross. An environmental scientist, Cross discusses how she draws on personal experiences to fight for the preservation of wetlands and endangered species across Florida. She highlights the bills she has recently champi...

Recorded at the NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit in Atlanta, GA, this week's special episode features co-host Ryan Coonerty in conversation with Ohio House Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells. Rep. Jarrells speaks candidly about his childhood experience with  lead poisoning, channeling his identity as a survivor of the devastating illness into advocacy as he works to pass comprehensive laws to...

In today's episode, co-host Ryan Coonerty sits down with NewDEAL Alumna and former Georgia House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams at the NewDEAL Forum's Annual Ideas Summit in Atlanta. Abrams reflects on how she drove progress on big issues as the minority leader in the Georgia House between 2011 and 2017. She talks about how to model values-based leadership and encourages listeners to do the same,...

This week, we bring you another episode of our series on How Government Can Get Sh*t Done, as host Debbie Cox Bultan sits down with Caitlin Lewis. Caitlin is the Executive Director of Work for America, an organization committed to addressing the talent shortage in public service by connecting qualified and passionate problem solvers with positions in state and local government. In today's conversa...

This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Lansing, MI, Mayor Andy Schor whose community and state are at the center of national politics and the current debates around manufacturing, jobs, and tariffs. Mayor Schor discusses the disconnect between President Trump's campaign promises versus the actual impacts his policies are having on the lives of the everyday Michiganders who elected him. He digs...

Today on An Honorable Profession, we're revisiting co-host Debbie Cox Bultan's conversation with Jennifer Pahlka. Pahlka has decades of experience in civic technology. She was U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer under former President Obama and recently authored  the book, Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better. Debbie and Jennifer talk about the f...

This week, host Ryan Coonerty talks with Connecticut State Senator Christine Cohen. Cohen is a small business owner turned legislator who previously served on her local school board before running for the state senate following the first election of President Trump. In Hartford, she draws on her experiences as the owner of Cohen's Bagel Company  to guide her leadership on various legislative commi...

This week, we bring you another episode of our series on How Government Can Get Sh*t Done, as host Debbie Cox Bultan sits down with NewDEAL alumnus Jim Townsend. Jim is a former Michigan state legislator now serving as the Director of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, which promotes fact-based legislative oversight as a key to the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the gove...

This week, The NewDEAL and The Next50 announced a partnership that will build a robust pipeline of center-left talent by combining The Next 50's electoral backing and campaign tools with the network, policy, and skills support that the NewDEAL provides. The goal is to round out a cycle of support for leaders who can win tough elections, deliver results while in office, and be the Democratic messen...

This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Fairfax County, VA, County Supervisor James Walkinshaw as he navigates the significant  impact of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency  on his community amid firings of federal employees who safeguard our national security, energy, social security, public health, and much more. Walkinshaw discusses how these cuts impact families, morale, a...

Faith in our government and elected officials has reached record lows in recent years. In 2023, trust in government institutions plummeted to 16%, marking one of the lowest points in history, and, in 2024, 49% of Americans – a plurality of respondents – asserted that the very foundation of our government, our democracy, was not working. This episode kicks off our limited series How Government Can...

This week, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with San José, CA, Mayor Matt Mahan, who was elected two years ago on his promise to tackle the city's most intractable problems like homelessness, crime, and traffic. Mayor Mahan talks about his recently announced "Responsibility to Shelter" initiative, which makes historic investments in intermittent housing and supportive shelters while c...

This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Albany, NY, Mayor Kathy Sheehan, who is approaching the end of a 12 year tenure in which she has guided her city out of bankruptcy, spearheaded pivotal redevelopment projects, and cut childhood poverty rates. She reflects on the challenges of navigating a rapidly evolving world to modernize city services and the importance of work that is not initially vis...

This week, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani, as he navigates his newest role as Vice Chair of the House DOGE Committee. The conversation digs into the contentious election of Texas's new Speaker of the House and why Democrats backed moderate Representative Dustin Burrows against more conservative options, as well as how Bhojani has succes...

This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Newport, RI, City Councilmember Xay Khamsyvoravong. With a background in public finance, Khamsyvoravong talks about the importance of understanding where the money goes in public policy, reflecting on his own successes modernizing utilities, improving school attendance, and strengthening infrastructure at a low cost for residents. The conversation digs int...

This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Lincoln, NE, City Councilmember Tom Beckius. In addition to serving as an elected official, Beckius is a business owner and a housing developer. He talks with Ryan about why it's important for Democrats to take an aggressive stance in support of small businesses, especially in the face of potentially disastrous economic policies from the Trump Administrati...

In this week's episode, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Santa Cruz, CA, City Councilmember and Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson. On the city council, she uses her background in social services and public health to integrate the values of wellbeing, sustainability, and equity into all of Santa Cruz's policies. Kalantari-Johnson shares her path to service, starting with her early memories of her...