Hogan Institute Announces Initial Programming

The institute will launch its Distinguished Speakers Series with former Delmarva governors discussing bipartisan efforts to manage the environment.

 In its first public event, the Hogan Institute at Washington College will bring together two former governors of the Delmarva region to discuss the challenges of managing our shared environment. 
 
Governor John Carney (D-DE) will join Governor Hogan (R-MD) for a wide-ranging conversation on the environmental legacy and future of Delmarva on Thursday, September 10 at 5 p.m. in the Decker Theatre. Their conversation will be moderated by Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, former Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The event is free and open to the public.
 
In addition to the public event, the governors will visit classes, meet with students and faculty, and visit the Washington College Center for the Environment and Society while on campus. 
 
Hogan Institute Faculty Director Christine Wade noted that the environment as an issue is well-suited for conversations about working across differences, whether of party or jurisdiction.
 
“Environmental concerns don’t stop at state borders. It’s crucial that state leaders work with one another to develop policies that work in concert with one another, especially in places like the Delmarva peninsula,” Wade said. “Rural areas like ours are under a lot of pressure to chase economic growth at the expense of the environment, so bridging party lines and effective communication are essential.”

Hogan Institute Executive Director Colin Pascal pointed out that in addition to exploring details on environmental management decisions, the governors’ conversation will also model a focus that will continue throughout the fall. 
 
“Our programming theme this semester is communication and its importance in improving political discourse and policymaking. Our esteemed guests understand the importance of communicating in ways that inform the public rather than perpetuate divisions,” Pascal said. “They understand that communication shouldn't be partisan and should help people of every political persuasion understand the issues. How we talk to one another matters, especially on contentious issues. Communication can either exacerbate division or close divides and it's so important to get it right."
 
Two other Hogan Institute events are confirmed so far for the fall, both in the Leaders and Citizens Dialogue Series. On September 17, communications strategists Len Foxwell and Mike Ricci will discuss “Crisis Communications in a Divided America,” then on October 13, former Maryland Chief of Staff to the Governor Amelia Alcivar and former Virginia Chief of Staff to the Governor Clark Mercer will share a behind-the-scenes look at how communications functions inside a governor’s office and across state government. 
 
For the September 10 event, the governors will be joined on their visit by Ben Grumbles, the Executive Director of the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) and former Secretary of the Environment for Maryland, Chair of the Governor’s Chesapeake Bay Cabinet and the Maryland Climate Change Commission, and an Executive Committee Member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Moderator Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio is a native of the Eastern Shore and a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, in addition to being former Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
 
The conversation between Gov. Carney and Gov. Hogan will be livestreamed for members of the public unable to join the event in person, available on the Washington College YouTube channel.

— Mark Jolly-Van Bodegraven