Coffee with Ken

Is American democracy broken, or is it simply overdue for an update? As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, Ken Biberaj sits down with former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and Glenn Nye, President and CEO of the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress, for a candid conversation about the strength, shortcomings and future of American democracy. Sununu and Nye exa...

Batteries are 40 to 50 times less energy dense than jet fuel. So why is Marc Allen, the former Boeing executive who could have coasted into retirement, betting everything on an electric airplane? Marc Allen is CEO of Electra.aero, building a hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet. Not a helicopter. Not an eVTOL. A fixed-wing airplane that solves a tradeoff aviation has never...

China owns the magnet supply chain. For now. David Lorch is the Director of the Office of Strategic Capital at the Department of War, an office most people have never heard of, with $210 billion in lending authority and a mandate to help rebuild the industrial base the United States has spent decades offshoring. In this Coffee With Ken Summit conversation, Ken sits down with Lorch to unpack what O...

What happens when Apple engineers and Marine Corps intelligence officers decide the defense industry needs to be completely rebuilt from scratch? Ken sits down with Andy Baynes, co-founder of Tiberius and veteran of Apple, Google, and Nest, and Matt McKnight, CEO and founder of Perimeter and former Marine Corps intelligence officer, to explore why the West's defense playbook is broken — and how a...

Ken sits down with Ahmed Abonamah, EVP & Chief Financial Officer of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Catherine O'Malley Kearney, National Head of Key Private Bank at KeyBank. The conversation highlights the significance of the work being led by Mayor Justin M. Bibb and Cleveland's Site Readiness Fund in support of the reindustrialization of America's indust...

What does it mean to be ready in today’s defense landscape? What does it mean to be ready in a world defined by war, disruption, and rapidly shifting alliances? In this episode of Coffee with Ken, Ken Biberaj sits down with Iain Martin, Founder and Executive Director of the London Defence Conference, for a timely conversation on the future of global security, defense readiness, Ukraine, defense te...

Ken Biberaj sits down with Dame Karen Pierce DCMG — one of Britain's most senior diplomats — on the Western Balkans, NATO, and Russia's strategy in Europe, recorded live at the fourth annual London Defense Conference. Dame Karen breaks down why the Western Balkans remain one of the most strategically important and overlooked regions in transatlantic security, describing it as "the mis...

What does it take to lose a governorship on principle, then go on to feed millions — and win a Nobel Peace Prize? Ken sits down with former South Carolina Governor David Beasley — Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and newly appointed Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees member — to explore courageous leadership, the politics of global hunger, and wh...

Andrea Mitchell was told to wear red so Reagan would see her in the back row. He called on her anyway, because he felt guilty for ignoring her. The next press conference, everyone showed up in red. That's the kind of story five decades in Washington produces. From the night Judy Woodruff needed pocket change for a payphone to report Reagan's assassination attempt, to standing outside Katha...

What does it take to maintain and reimagine America’s most iconic public space? In this episode of Coffee With Ken, we step onto the National Mall with Catherine Townsend, President & CEO of the Trust for the National Mall, for a behind-the-scenes look at the projects, partnerships, and people shaping its future. From the newly rebuilt stables to the transformation of Constitution Gardens, and...

Aleksander Dardeli joins Coffee with Ken for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, artificial intelligence, workforce disruption, and the global competition shaping the future of talent. Recorded in Washington, D.C., Ken Biberaj sits down with the President and CEO of IREX to explore a critical but often overlooked idea: leadership is not a soft skill. It is infrastructure. As AI accelerates...

From a classroom lesson to a national stage, Will Baggett shares the message behind *Hues of Hope* and why connection, not credentials, is the real currency of leadership. In this conversation with Ken Biberaj, Will reflects on the moment that changed everything and how it shaped his approach to growth, identity, and personal brand. As AI accelerates and the world becomes more digitally connected,...

Thomas Friedman joins Coffee with Ken for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, China, globalization, democracy, and the forces reshaping the world. Recorded live in Washington, D.C. before a standing-room-only audience, Ken Biberaj sits down with the three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and foreign affairs commentator to unpack what Thomas calls a historic phase change: the mom...

In this episode of Coffee With Ken, Ken Biberaj sits down with Erik Balsbaugh, Executive Director of Open Frontier, and Todd Phillips, board member and professor at Georgia State University, for a thoughtful conversation on cryptocurrency, regulation, and the future of the financial system. Together, they explore why crypto has become such a politically charged issue, what lawmakers still misunder...

Recorded live on the APAP 2026 main stage in New York City, this episode of Coffee with Ken features host Ken Biberaj in conversation with Erin Harkey, CEO of Americans for the Arts. In front of more than 3,000 arts leaders from across the country, Erin and Ken explore why the arts must be treated as core civic, economic, and democratic infrastructure—especially amid political uncertainty, funding...

What does real American progress look like today? Ken Biberaj sits down with Neera Tanden, CEO of the Center for American Progress and former senior advisor to three U.S. presidents, for a candid conversation about policy, power, and the people public service is meant to serve. From helping pass the Affordable Care Act to shaping landmark legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Sci...

What if the buildings around us are shaping our health—without us even realizing it? Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona joins Ken Biberaj live at Georgetown University during International WELL Building Institute DC Policy Day to unpack the hidden crisis of indoor air quality. From COVID-era HEPA filters to healthier building design, Dr. Carmona explains why “the environment is never neut...

What does it take to thrive in the Age of AI? Ken Biberaj sits down with Jason Palmer — AI innovator, investor, and former presidential candidate — for a candid, fast-moving conversation about the future that’s already here. From EdTech to entrepreneurship, policy to productivity, Jason breaks down the opportunities and risks shaping our next decade. He also shares how he built an AI-powered versi...

As America’s demand for energy surges—from AI data centers to advanced manufacturing—a once-forgotten power source is making a comeback. Juliann Edwards , Chief Development Officer at The Nuclear Company and Chair of Women in Nuclear, joins Ken to explore how nuclear innovation is shaping the future of American power, competitiveness, and clean energy leadership.

What happens when art becomes the bridge between culture, community, and conversation? In this special episode of Coffee with Ken —guest-hosted by Ernie Jarvis — Sheila Johnson (Founder of the Middleburg Film Festival , Co-Founder of BET , and Founder & CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts ) joins Susan Koch (Emmy & Peabody Award–winning filmmaker and Executive Director of the Middleburg...

How are Apple’s supply chains, China’s rise, and the “offshore world” redefining the global economy? Recorded live in Washington, D.C. at the 25th Annual National Book Festival , Financial Times journalist Patrick McGee ( Apple in China ) and historian Ian Kumekawa ( Empty Vessel ) join Ken Biberaj for a fascinating discussion on globalization, technology, and the unseen forces shaping our interco...

Andrew Roberts , President of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy , joins Coffee with Ken to explain why literacy is the foundation of economic mobility, workforce readiness, national security, and public health —and how coordinated action across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors can scale proven solutions. From one-to-one and small-group tutoring to family literacy programs a...

Ahead of UN Climate Week , Coffee with Ken sits down with Rachel Hodgdon , President & CEO of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) , to discuss the launch of the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air —a multi-year, multi-country effort to make clean indoor air a public-health priority. They explore why indoor air quality is finally front and center, how a coalition of 100+ commis...

Recorded live at the Virginia Consultants Forum , Coffee with Ken talks with Jason El Koubi , President & CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) , about how the Commonwealth is building one of America’s most competitive economies. They unpack Virginia’s formula for attracting global brands like Amazon HQ2 , advancing manufacturing, investing in talent, and ensuring reliabl...

How do you turn a bold idea into a brand that’s changing an entire industry? Ken Biberaj sits down with Lindsey Davis Stover and Shivam Mallick Shah , co-founders of 1953 Tequila , for a conversation about vision, grit, and building a first-of-its-kind, women-led tequila company. From careers in politics and advocacy to creating a premium, additive-free tequila founded, farmed, distilled, and led...