Participant Biographies

The Hon. Barbara Comstock (R-VA, 2015-2019), FMC President-Elect
Senior Advisor, Baker Donelson

Barbara Comstock is a senior advisor with Baker Donelson, she offers clients decades of policy experience in the legislative, administrative, and private sector arenas, as well as a lifetime of relationships, to build winning coalitions and strategies for clients in today's challenging policy and political environments. She's active in the technology and cybersecurity areas, national security and space, and congressional investigations.

Barbara was elected to Congress in 2014, and served two terms representing Virginia's Tenth Congressional District, making her the first woman elected to that seat. She was named as one of the "Top Ten Most Effective Lawmakers" in the 115th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint effort of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University.

During her time in Congress, Barbara was a leader on technology and cybersecurity issues, chairing the Science, Space, and Technology Committee's Research and Technology subcommittee, as well as serving on the Joint Economic Committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the House Administration Committee. Her legislative achievements include passing legislation to promote women and disadvantaged populations in STEM, as well as expanding research in the technology space. Barbara also was the leader on anti-sexual harassment legislation in Congress, and legislation to tackle the opioid crisis and gang crime. She partnered with Senator McCain to reauthorize multi-year firefighter grants to increase innovation and public safety. While in Congress, Barbara was the only woman in the Virginia congressional delegation and the only Virginia member to chair a subcommittee.

Prior to serving in Congress, Barbara served as a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates. There she was also a leader on technology issues serving as chairwoman of the Science and Technology Committee. She also served on the Commerce and Labor Committee and the General Laws Committee. Barbara was a go-to leader in technology, authoring and passing legislation such as the Research and Development Tax Credit, Data Center Tax Incentives, the first Telework bills in Virginia, and legislation on human trafficking and health care. She received the Virginia Chamber's Free Enterprise Award and Competitiveness Award.

Prior to elected office, Barbara co-founded her own public affairs firm and was a senior partner at Blank Rome Government Relations. She also served as Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice, overseeing the communications efforts at the Justice Department and FBI, handling communications dealing with major terrorism investigations, corporate fraud, and antitrust matters.

Barbara worked as a strategic advisor for the Mitt Romney presidential campaigns, was head of Research and Strategy at the Republican National Committee and worked with the George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign. Barbara first worked on Capitol Hill as a senior aide to Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf (1990 – 1995), working on transportation, health care, business, and appropriations matters. She also served as the Chief Counsel for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and as outside counsel on numerous high-profile investigations.

In 2013, Barbara founded "The Young Women's Leadership Program" for women in high school and junior high, which is now housed at the Barbara Comstock Institute for Women in Leadership at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government.

Barbara regularly appears on network and cable news shows such as "Meet the Press," "Fox News Sunday," CNN's "State of the Union," and others as a commentator on political and policy issues of the day.

The Honorable Rodney Davis, a five-term former U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 13th district, currently holds the position of Managing Director at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies. In this role, Rodney provides strategic counsel to the firm’s government relations clients, particularly those whose business goals are impacted by the legislative actions of Congress.

As a governing Republican in Congress, Congressman Davis worked across the aisle to seek bipartisan solutions on several key issues, including promoting America’s infrastructure, defending our nation’s farmers, strengthening national security, supporting the men and women in the armed forces, and lowering the cost of health care. He is particularly adept at building consensus on complex legislative efforts through strong bipartisan bonds in Congress and the administration, resulting in Rodney being considered one of the most effective legislators during his tenure.

Congressman Davis served in several leadership positions in Congress, including Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and Deputy Whip for Republican Whip Steve Scalise. He previously served as the Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research at the House Agriculture Committee in the 115th Congress.

While serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Davis fought to revitalize rural America by introducing legislation to incentivize investments and bolster job creation, was a strong advocate for rooting out foreign interference in U.S. elections, and also led legislative action to help fight predatory telephone fraud.

Another key priority was lowering the cost of health care for all Americans. This is a deeply personal issue as Rodney’s wife Shannon – a 23-year cancer survivor – was diagnosed with a genetic form of colon cancer that will affect her and their children for the rest of their lives. Drawing inspiration from Shannon’s battle, Rodney worked with lawmakers from both parties to advance policies aimed at preventing cancer. He advocated for increased federal funding for cancer research and expanding access to cancer treatment and prevention as well. Rodney’s bipartisan Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act, which was signed into law in 2020, aims to decrease colorectal cancer deaths by increasing cancer screenings.

Congressman Davis has a strong reputation for civility and bipartisanship in politics. On June 14, 2017, Rodney was one of several Republicans who were practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity when a gunman opened fire, attempting to assassinate Republican members of Congress. Following the shooting, Rodney made it his mission to remove dangerous rhetoric from political conversations.

Congressman Davis began working for Illinois Congressman John Shimkus on his first day in office in 1997 and served for 16 years as Projects Director, helping communities across Illinois work with the federal government to break through red tape and gain access to federal funding to address their local needs.

Congressman Davis graduated from Millikin University in 1992 with a degree in political science. He resides in Taylorville, Illinois, with his wife, Shannon, daughter, Toryn, and twin sons, Clark and Griffin.

The Hon. Charlie Dent (R-PA, 2005-2018)
Executive Director & Vice President, The Aspen Institute’s Congressional Program

Congressman Charlie Dent is Executive Director and Vice President of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, where he leads bipartisan, bicameral policy education programs for sitting members of Congress. In addition to his role at the Aspen Institute, Congressman Dent is a Political Commentator for CNN, a Senior Policy Advisor to the global lawfirm, DLA Piper, and a Distinguished Advisor for Pew Charitable Trusts, and a former Visiting Fellow for the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN), Perry World House.

Prior to those positions, Congressman Dent served 7 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 15th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. During his time in Congress, Congressman Dent distinguished himself as a strong, independent leader who is well respected on both sides of the aisle. Congressman Dent was a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee where he chaired the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. Additionally, he served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Ethics from 2015 – 2017. In addition to his role as a senior Appropriator, Congressman Dent was the co-chair of the Tuesday Group, a caucus of more than 50 center-right Republicans, where he played an important role in many of the most challenging policy and political issues confronted by Congress. Congressman Dent was a member of the Speaker of the House’s weekly cross section lunch and was a member of the Majority Leader’s Chairman’s Table.

Before his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Dent served for 6 years in the Pennsylvania State Senate and 8 years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Congressman Dent holds a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Service and International Politics from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s of Public Administration from Lehigh University. He is a recipient of the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2015, Moravian College conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon Congressman Dent.

Steve Driehaus recently returned from Iraq where he served as Resident Senior Director for the National Democratic Institute (NDI). In this position, he managed a staff of sixteen Iraqi and third country nationals who designed and implemented programming to strengthen Iraq’s democracy. The focus of NDI’s work in Iraq centers on building the capacity of political parties, professionalizing the work of the committees and directorates of Parliament, empowering women and youth to engage in the political process, and developing domestic election monitoring to ensure fair and impartial elections.

Steve is a former U.S. Representative for Ohio's 1st Congressional District, serving from 2009 until 2011. In Congress, he was a member of the Financial Services Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Prior to his election to Congress, he served as a State Representative for eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives, and was elected Minority Whip from 2005-2008.

Prior to joining NDI, Steve was President and Managing Partner at Good Government Group, LLC. G3 is a consulting firm that focuses on the intersection of public policy, community engagement and economic development. Steve also served as the Executive Director of Cincinnati Compass, a regional initiative advocating on behalf of immigrants that celebrates the cultural and economic contributions being made by first generation Americans living in Greater Cincinnati.

Previously Steve served as Country Director for the United States Peace Corps in both Morocco and Swaziland. In Morocco, he led 150 Volunteers focused on the development of Morocco’s youth population. His efforts included partnerships with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Youth and Sports as well as expansion into Morocco’s smaller, rural communities. Prior to Morocco, Steve served four and a half years as the Country Director for Peace Corps Swaziland where he led two projects concentrating on Community Health and Youth Development in an effort to combat Swaziland’s HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Driehaus earned a B.A. in Political Science and Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs from Miami University. After graduation, he joined the United States Peace Corps in Senegal serving as an Environmental Education Volunteer where he worked with village groups and local schools to promote sustainable environmental practices. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs (MPA) from Indiana University where he studied Public Finance and Comparative International Affairs. 

Elected in a special election in June 2008, Ms. Edwards became Maryland’s first African American woman in Congress, serving 5 terms.  In Congress, she served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Committee on Standards and Official Conduct, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, serving as the lead Democrat on the Subcommittee on Space.  In her last term, Congresswoman Edwards was a member of the Democratic leadership team as co-chair of the House Democrat’s Steering and Policy Committee.  She also served in the leadership of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. These days Congresswoman Edwards spends her time working in the issues that consumed her passion in Congress and offering occasional political commentary on MSNBC.

Former US Congressman Philip English is a senior government relations advisor at Arent Fox and serves as co-chair, along with former Sen. Byron Dorgan, of the firm's government relations practice. While in Congress, he developed an interest and rich experience in trade, health care, and tax and energy policy. Phil currently assists clients in these areas, plus state and municipal government operations. He is also a member of the firm’s Colombia Working Group.

Phil currently serves as Coordinator of the Healthcare Group Purchasing Industry Initiative (HGPII), which enforces industry standards, promotes best business practices, and monitors adherence to its ethics code by healthcare group purchasing organizations (GPOs). HGPII is an independent ethics oversight organization with responsibility for a major part of the healthcare supply chain.

Phil served seven distinguished terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Western Pennsylvania’s 3rd District from 1995 to 2009. Phil served on the Ways and Means Committee and was the first Republican freshman appointed to that committee since George H. W. Bush in 1967. In the 110th Congress, he served as the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee of Select Revenue Measures.

As a member of Congress, Phil became a strong advocate in the areas of health care, energy, tax, and trade policy. He was a long-time member of the Joint Economic Committee, and co-chair of the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute.

While serving on the Trade Subcommittee, Phil was a co-chair of the Congressional Service Industries Caucus and a member of the President’s Export Council. He was a Congressional Representative to the World Trade Organization Ministerial Meetings and Advisor to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Congressional Leadership Group.

On the Health Subcommittee, Phil was a proponent of Medicare policy reform, reimbursement changes for hospitals, cancer screening, therapeutic procedures, and prescription drugs. His involvement with tax policy included cost recovery (bonus depreciation), international taxes (repatriation), repealing the alternative minimum tax, and expanding savings instruments (Auto-IRA). Phil was co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional Real Estate Caucus.

Phil is an advocate of public diplomacy and America’s role in world affairs. He served as co-chair of the House European Union Caucus, the House Brazil Caucus, the House Morocco Caucus, the House Swiss Caucus, and the House World Bank Caucus.

 Martin Frost served 26 years as a Congressman from the 24th District of Texas (Dallas-Ft. Worth) from 1979 to 2005. During that time, he served eight years in the House Democratic Leadership, four years as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (1995-1999) and four years as chair of the House Democratic Caucus (1999-2003). He was a member of the House Rules Committee and the House Budget Committee. Since leaving Congress he served four years as chair of the National Endowment for Democracy (2013-2017) and served as President of the Former Members of Congress Association (2018-2020). He is an adjunct professor in the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management and is a speaker on cruise ships about American politics. He holds journalism and history degrees from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Frost and former Republican Congressman Tom Davis of Virginia co-authored the recent book, “The Partisan Divide – Congress in Crisis.”

Dan Glickman is a well-recognized leader in the fields of agriculture, nutrition, hunger, bipartisan politics and public policy following a long career in the federal government, advocacy, the private sector and non-profit arenas.

Glickman is a senior counselor and chair of the International Advisory Board at APCO Worldwide and is a long-time board member and former lead director and Chair of the Governance Committee of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group), senior advisor to the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and recent past chairman. He is a distinguished fellow in Global Food and Agriculture at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and an adjunct professor at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston. Glickman also serves as a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a D.C- based think tank that fosters bipartisanship; and a strategic advisor and counselor at The Russell Group.

The first-time author has written his memoir, Laughing at Myself; my Education in Congress, on the Farm and at the Movies, published by the University of Kansas Press in 2021.

Glickman has been actively engaged in promoting bipartisanship in the U.S. Congress, retiring as vice president of the Aspen Institute and executive director of its Congressional Program in early 2021 after 10 years. The program is a public policy education and civility building program for members of the U.S. Congress.

He was a board member of the American Cancer Society Action Network; the domestic anti-hunger group Food Research and Action Center; Issue One, a cross partisan political reform group; World Food Program-USA; past chairman and now board member of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He serves on the Advisory Boards of Francis Renewable Energy, an electric vehicle charging company, and Good Meat, a subsidiary of Eat Just, a cellular based meat company.

Glickman served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from March 1995 until January 2001 in the Clinton Administration. While at USDA, Glickman oversaw the administration of farm and conservation programs, Meat and poultry food safety and related inspection programs, global trade in food and agriculture, civil rights enforcement impacting employees and other stakeholders, and the US Forest Service. Before his appointment as Secretary of Agriculture, he served for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 4th Congressional District of Kansas. While in Congress, he was a senior Member of the House Agriculture committee and chair of the subcommittee on general farm commodities, the House Judiciary Committee and chairman of the subcommittee on Administrative Law and Government relations chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; and was a leading congressional expert on general aviation policy.

He served as chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) from 2004 until 2010. Prior to joining the MPAA, he was the director of the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.

Before his election to Congress in 1976, Glickman served as president of the Wichita, Kansas School Board; was a partner in the law firm of Sargent, Klenda and Glickman; and worked as a trial attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. degree from The George Washington University. In recognition of his service, Glickman has also received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Kansas State University and an honorary Doctor of Laws from The George Washington University Law School.

The Hon. L.F. Payne was elected President of FMC – The Former Members of Congress Association – on June 16th, 2022. Before that, he served on the FMC board of Directors in various capacities, including as President-Elect and as Chairman of the Audit Committee. He is President of Three Ridges Group, a real estate development company in Charlottesville, Virginia. From 1998 to 2020 he was the co-founder and President of McGuireWoods Consulting, a national public affairs firm and a subsidiary of the prestigious McGuireWoods law firm. Payne served 5 terms in the United States Congress, representing the 5th Congressional District of Virginia. He served on the Ways and Means Committee, the Budget Committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee. Prior to his Congressional service, Payne was the developer of the highly acclaimed Wintergreen Resort community in Nelson County Virginia, where he served from 1973 -1988 as Chairman and President of Wintergreen Development. During this time, he consulted with Bankers Trust Co. in New York City on real estate projects throughout the United States. Payne served as an officer in the United States Army Corp of Engineers from 1967 to 1971.

U.S. Representative Tim Petri represented Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District for 18 terms until his retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of the 113th Congress (January 2015).  He was a senior member of both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce.   In the 113th Congress, he served as Chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee and previously served as chair of the Aviation Subcommittee.

Known for his innovative and creative solutions to government problems, Rep. Petri pursued legislative initiatives in several areas, including student loan reform, the federal highway program, cost-sharing for federal water projects, tax and welfare reform, and health care reform.  He also sponsored bipartisan legislation, the Making Work and Marriage Pay Act, which would establish a commission to examine and report to Congress on the disincentives for low-income couples to work and marry created by uncoordinated state and federal social safety net programs.

Petri was born in Marinette, Wisconsin, and attended Goodrich High School in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  He received undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard College/Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  He was clerk to United States Judge James Doyle of the Western District of Wisconsin, 1965.  Petri served in Somalia as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1966-1967, and then in the White House focusing on anti-drug efforts.   A lawyer in private practice in Wisconsin, Petri also served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1973 to 1979. 

In addition to his legislative work, Rep. Petri at various times in his career served as the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives-British Parliament exchange, the House French and German Caucuses and was an  active participant in U.S. House-Japanese Diet  discussions.  In appreciation of his efforts, in Nov. 2015 Japanese Emperor Akihito conferred on Rep.  Petri honorary membership in the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver level, and in early 2016 Queen Elizabeth II made Petri an honorary Officer of the British Empire. He is married to Anne Neal Petri and has one daughter, Alexandra.

Denver Riggleman previously served in the U.S. Congress, representing the 5th District of Virginia. During his time in Congress, Riggleman served on the Financial Services Committee, where he was Vice Ranking Member of the International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee and on the National Security and Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittees. He also served as co-chair of the China Task Force national security and technology pillars and was a member of the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Working Group. His national security background includes serving as an intelligence officer for the United States Air Force (USAF) where he deployed for multiple operations including directly AFTER 9/11 with the 34th Bomb Squadron where he specialized in kinetic warfare and non-kinetic mission planning. Denver was posted to the National Security Agency in 2003, where he supported science and technology development, operational analysis, joint special project support in cyber and critical infrastructure and Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) activities. In 2007, he co-founded and was CEO of Analyst Warehouse LLC (AWL). AWL supported USAF Special Programs, National Security Agency (NSA) advanced analysis activities (including social network analysis, pattern-of-life, critical node and non-kinetic warfare), and other government agency projects. In 2016, Denver was hired as a senior consultant for critical infrastructure analysis and algorithmic warfare for the Electronic Warfare and Countermeasures Office in the Pentagon. He is currently CEO of Riggleman Information and Intelligence Group (RIIG) supporting technology development in the domestic counter-terrorism space, chief strategist for the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) where he supports predictive analysis and disinformation tracking, co-owner of the award winning Silverback Distillery and author of books relating to disinformation, conspiracies and cult activities.

Denver earned an A.A. from Burlington County College in 1996, an A.A.S. degree in Avionics Systems from the Community College of the Air force in 1996, a BA (with Distinction) in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1998 and a Masters Certificate in Program Management from Villanova in 2007. Denver is a USAF distinguished graduate (DG) and decorated veteran.

Dennis A. Ross is a former Member of the United States Congress, former Member of the Florida House of Representatives, and currently serves as the Director of the American Center for Political Leadership at Southeastern University, where is he is also a distinguished professor of political science.

A native of Lakeland, Florida, Dennis graduated from Auburn University in 1981. After working in the Florida Legislature and then the newly created microcomputer industry, Ross attended the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and in 1987, graduated and became a Member of the Florida Bar. Mr. Ross is also a Member of the Washington DC Bar Association.

Mr. Ross initially practiced law at Holland & Knight in Lakeland, Florida for two years. Ross was then employed as an attorney at Walt Disney World before starting his own law firm, which grew to 27 employees.   

In 2000, Dennis was elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he served for eight years, before being term limited. In the Florida House he served on various Committees and Chaired the House Committee on Insurance following the devastation of 4 successive hurricanes crossing the state of Florida in 2004.

In 2010, Dennis was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served Florida’s 15th Congressional District for eight years. Serving on various House Committees, Ross continued his work in the Financial Services arena where he served for 6 years on the House Financial Services Committee, as well as two terms on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, serving two years as the Chair of The Federal Work Force and United States Postal Service Subcommittee.

After retiring from Congress in 2019, Dennis joined Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida as a Distinguished Professor and as the Director of the American Center for Political Leadership (ACPL). The ACPL is dedicated to the mission of advocating for increased civic engagement through the development of researched based curriculum which teaches civil discourse and promotes citizen participation.    

In addition, Dennis is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator, and serves as a Board Member for the Former Members of Congress Organization (FMC) and serves on the Board of Trustees at Ariel University in Israel. Mr. Ross was recently inducted into the Workers’ Compensation Institute’s, Florida Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame for his efforts in that industry over the last 33 years.  

He is married to Cindy Hartley Ross and they have two sons, Shane and Travis, and two grandchildren, Emmett and Charlotte.

Richard N. Swett was nominated by President Clinton to be Ambassador to Denmark in 1998 where he presented his credential to H.M. Queen Margrethe II.

In 1990, Richard Swett was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.  In Congress, he served on the Committees on Public Works and Transportation; Science, Space and Technology; the U.S. Congressional Delegation for Relations with the European Parliament and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.  He co-authored the Congressional Accountability Act.  He also authored the Transportation for Livable Communities Act.  Key provisions were included in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA).  He also introduced legislation to encourage energy conservation and use of renewable energy, which were included in the Energy Policy Act of 1992.  Ambassador Swett brought NASA’s first business outreach office to New Hampshire, which increased contracts between NASA and New England companies by over 21%. He was the only architect to serve in Congress in the 20th Century and to serve as a US Ambassador in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

 Ambassador Swett’s business experience encompasses architectural design, project management, corporate management, project development, and finance.  He has developed and financed Independent Clean Power plants in the Northeast as well as consulted on energy technology projects and assisted with financing in the Eastern and Central European countries of Romania and Hungary.  He is a licensed architect in the states of California and New Hampshire. He currently is the CEO and co-founder of Climate PROSPERITY Enterprise Solutions, LLC, a project development firm using proprietary software methodology to model and build integrated Sustainable Solar Communities in emerging markets in Africa and the USA by combining architecture, energy, and enterprise economics. Just prior to establishing CPES he served as the Managing Principal of the Leo A. Daly Architects and Engineers Washington, DC office.

Ambassador Swett holds positions on numerous corporate boards including the position of Senior Counselor at APCO Worldwide and member of the Projects for Public Spaces Advisory Board.  He is a Director on the World Affairs Council of NH Board, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and Design Futures Council, past state chair of the U.S. Olympic Committee, a past member of the European Union Center of California’s advisory board, past member of Denmark’s H.C. Andersen Foundation board of advisors, a member of the board of Peers overseeing design quality issues for the GSA for the US Government building portfolio, and a past member of  The George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, the US Global Leadership Coalition Board of Advisors, the Concord Coalition Board of Advisors and Fix the Debt Board of Advisors.  He is the author of the book, Leadership by Design: Creating an Architecture of Trust, 2005 and a contributing author to A Nation Reconstructed:  A Quest for the Cities That Can Be, 1997; Denmark’s Future, 2014; and has published numerous articles, and delivered speeches on a variety of topics at various institutions including Yale University’s Roth-Symonds Lecture, U.C.L.A., Scripps College, Boston Architecture Center’s Cascieri Lecture, Boston Society of Architects, National American Institute of Architects Conventions, the National Prayer Breakfast and many others. He is also an Associate Professor in the Master of Arts in Public Policy program.

He received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Yale University.  While there, he was awarded the Timothy Dwight College Master’s Cup, served as captain of the track team, and still holds the University record in the decathlon.

The U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce named Ambassador Swett one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans in 1993.  He was also named one of the Ten Most Influential People in New Hampshire by NH Business Magazine.  He has been twice awarded the Presidential Citation by the AIA and has been awarded numerous honorary degrees and awards.  He served as one of six panelists who helped the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation select the design teams to perform the design studies for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center after the 911 attacks. He also served as a juror for the 2013 Solar Decathlon competition sponsored by the DoE.

He received the Arnold W. Brunner Award from the New York Chapter of the AIA for his work on leadership in the Architecture profession.  Grants for continuing this work have also been awarded by the Design Futures Council and the Velux Foundation, Denmark. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the NH Commission on Voter Confidence.

On April 30, 2001, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark bestowed the Grand Croix of the Order of the Dannebrog on Ambassador Swett.  This is the Danish equivalence of knighthood. He is a King of the Ijaw Nation in Nigeria and he currently serves as Bishop of the Concord, NH Ward of the Concord, NH Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Ambassador Swett is married to Katrina Lantos Swett. They are the proud parents of eight children, grandparents of fourteen, and soon-to-be sixteen grandchildren

John Yarmuth is a former United States congressman who served eight terms as the representative of Kentucky’s third congressional district, which includes most of the Louisville Metro area. He chose not to seek re-election in 2022.

In Congress, Yarmuth was chairman of the House Budget Committee from 2019-2023. He was the primary sponsor of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Yarmuth was the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bourbon Caucus. He was also a president of the freshmen class of 2007.

Prior to his congressional career, Yarmuth founded and edited the Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), a weekly alternative newspaper in the Louisville area. During his 15 years with LEO, Yarmuth won nearly 20 awards for column and editorial writing.

Yarmuth also worked for a home health care company, the University of Louisville, the magazine LouisvilleToday, and U.S. Senator Marlow Cook (R.-KY) earlier in his career.

A Louisville native, Yarmuth graduated from Atherton High School, where he was selected to be in the school’s first Hall of Fame class. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in American Studies in 1969.

Yarmuth and his wife, Cathy, have one son, Aaron, daughter-in-law Sarah, and two grandsons, J.D. and Rory.