An Honorable Profession

In this week's episode, co-host Ryan Coonerty talks with Eboo Patel, Founder and CEO of Interfaith America and the author of the book "We Need to Build: Field Notes for a Diverse Democracy." The conversation focuses on the importance of interfaith efforts to reduce dangerous nationalism and strengthen civic life in America. They discuss what it means to create an interfaith movement in America, th...

In this week's episode, co-host Ryan Coonety talks with Cedar Rapids, IA, Councilmember Ashley Vanorny. Ashley brings a unique perspective to city government due to her professional background in healthcare. She discusses how her experience has informed her holistic approach to city affairs and shares current municipal initiatives in Cedar Rapids, including policies driven by public health concern...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan talks with Mike Schmuhl, who serves as the chair of the Indiana Democratic Party. Schmuhl, who started his career at the Washington Post, recounts his shift to politics to work on campaigns for Congressman Joe Donnelly and NewDEAL Alumnus Pete Buttigieg. He and Debbie also discuss Indiana's political shift to the right over the past tw...

In this week's episode, co-host Ryan Coonerty talks with Rosalynn Bliss, the first female Mayor of Grand Rapids, MI. They discuss her journey from social work to elected office, as well as the challenges she has faced in addressing racial equity, affordable housing, and the city's economy. In addition, Bliss also details her vision for how a mayor can create positive change through accountability,...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with Pittsburgh City Councilmember Erika Strassburger, the first woman elected to represent her district on the Council. Erika shares her journey from being an environmental organizer to a policymaker, and discusses how to restore public faith in government. She also reflects on the impact of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting...

In this week's episode, co-host Ryan Coonerty talks with newly-elected Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. She and Governor Maura Healey are part of the first all-female executive team to lead Massachusetts in its long history. Driscoll served for more than a decade as Mayor of Salem, where she led a turnaround of the city's financial health and passed several groundbreaking measures t...

In this week's episode, co-host Ryan Coonerty interviews San Diego, CA Councilmember Raul Campillo. They discuss the city's economic recovery from the COVID pandemic, including the impact of a successful vaccination campaign that has meant fewer cases and deaths than initially predicted. In addition, Campillo shares his strategies for addressing some of the biggest issues facing San Diego and citi...

Following up on the release of the NewDEAL Forum's Democracy Playbook , this week's episode features Daniella Ballou-Aares, CEO and co-founder of the Leadership Now Project, a national membership organization of business and thought leaders committed to fixing American democracy. Daniella speaks with host Ryan Coonerty about why, after starting her career growing social impact companies around the...

In this week's episode, we're taking a look at public service from a slightly different perspective. Co-host Ryan Coonerty talks with Kerry Kriseman, wife of former NewDEAL Leader St. Petersburg, FL Mayor Rick Kirseman. She joins us to discuss her new book Accidental First Lady: On the Front Lines and Behind the Scenes of Local Politics, where she writes about the highs and lows of integrating pub...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan talks with Richland County, SC Councilmember Jesica Mackey, who made history in 2020 as the youngest African American woman ever elected to the Council. They discussed her transition from local government staffer to elected office, her approach to engaging the public, the causes she's most passionate about, and why diversity is essenti...

In this week's episode, Ryan Coonerty talks with the co-founders of School Board Partners: Carrie Douglass and Ethan Ashley. Carrie and Ethan share what they have learned from working to prepare and support school board members to make systemic changes in their districts, and the keys to ending outdated and discriminatory education policies and practices. At a time of unprecedented pressure and at...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan talks with Andy Flick, the Executive Director of the New Democrat Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives. They examine the current state of Congress, including immediate issues like the debate over the debt ceiling and some of the longer-term priorities of the New Democrat Coalition: immigration reform, opioids, and mental heal...

In this week's episode, co-host Ryan Coonerty talks with Talladega, AL, Mayor Timothy Ragland, the first Black mayor of his hometown and the youngest in over a century. Ragland shares the inspiring story of overcoming challenges in his youth to reach the military and law school, and explains how he decided to return home to run for mayor. The conversation touches on how to attract new businesses a...

In this week's special episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan talks to Lauren Harper and Liam Kerr, co-founders of the non-profit Welcome Party, about how to broaden the Democratic Party's tent by engaging with Independents and Republicans to protect democracy. Their latest effort, the WelcomePAC, supports candidates in "democracy districts" -- areas where Democrats can be competitive if...

In this week's episode, host Ryan Coonerty talks with Indianapolis, Indiana Representative Blake Johnson. They discuss how to govern successfully in a legislative super minority, and how he has built productive relationships with colleagues with different ideologies by identifying their shared values. They discuss his work to prioritize communication between candidates and citizens by starting a p...

In this week's special episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan welcomes legislative leaders from blue, red, and purple states for a conversation on their priorities for 2023, how legislative strategy differs when in the minority, and how to find compromise. She is joined by Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, Pennsylvania House Majority Whip Jordan Harris, Iowa Senate Democratic L...

In this week's episode, host Ryan Coonerty talks with Fairfield, CT Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey, a long-time NewDEALer and brave public policy advocate. They discuss her work from last year's legislative session to increase housing and improve equity measures in her state, her new challenges as the co-chair of the Public Health Committee, and how her experience as a social worker informs...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan talks with Sonoma County, CA, Supervisor James Gore. They spoke in the midst of California's historic wave of dangerous storms, reacting to the devastation across the state and addressing keys to disaster preparedness and climate resiliency -- issues that have been central to Gore's work. Gore, who serves in leadership at the National...

Recorded at NewDEAL's 12th Annual Leaders Conference, this week's episode features a conversation between host Ryan Coonerty and NewDEAL Leader Maryland Delegate Jazz Lewis. They discuss how the impacts of the Great Recession led him to become a community activist and inspired him to work on issues like economic opportunity and criminal justice reform. Lewis talks about his role advising Majority...

Recorded at NewDEAL's 12th Annual Leaders Conference in Washington, this week's episode features a conversation between host Ryan Coonerty and NewDEAL Leader Colorado Senator Jeff Bridges. They discuss how he is the only state senator with a Master of Divinity, which has given him a unique perspective on campaigns, the role of elected officials, and the future of democracy. Senator Bridges discuss...

Recorded at NewDEAL's 12th Annual Leaders Conference in Washington, this week's episode features a conversation between host Ryan Coonerty and NewDEAL Leader North Carolina Representative Brandon Lofton. They discuss how he was able to flip a red district and how he has been the target of gerrymandering ever since as he works to improve his state's education system while creating jobs. Representat...

Recorded at NewDEAL's 12th Annual Leaders Conference last week in Washington, this week's special episode features Arizona Secretary of State-elect Adrian Fontes -- dubbed by TIME Magazine as one of the "defenders of democracy"  during his successful midterm campaign against an ardent election denier. Speaking with host and NewDEAL Leader Ryan Coonerty, Adrian talks about why he decided to run for...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL Leader Ryan Coonerty talks with Canton, MI, Representative Ranjeev Puri about his leadership role as a majority whip tasked with holding together his caucus in a legislature that will be under full Democratic control for the first time in 40 years after this year's historic election. The first Sikh-American elected to the state legislature, Puri discusses h...

In this week's episode, we feature NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan's appearance on a recent episode of the Moderate Party Podcast - a political podcast for moderates, centrists, and independents hosted by Hillari Lombard. They talk about moderate victories in the 2022 midterms, why they happened, and how to replicate those successes. They also discuss why voters think both parties are extreme and th...

In this week's episode, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan talks with State Attorney Dave Aronberg from West Palm Beach, FL. In a wide-ranging interview about major policy challenges, Florida politics, and the future of the Democratic and Republican parties, Aronberg discusses his work to address the opioid crisis and some of the high-profile cases that have crossed his desk, his prediction fo...