Guest Speakers & Lectures

Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 513 

Guest Speakers spoke in the PPOL 513: Law and Public Policy, and included The Honorable Mark Mahon (Circuit Court Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), Professor John Inazu (Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion, Washington University), The Honorable John Peyton (CEO, Gate Petroleum; former Mayor of Jacksonville), The Honorable Lori Boyer (CEO, Downtown Investment Authority, former member of Jacksonville City Council), Mike Weinstein (CEO, Kids Hope Alliance; Interim CFO, City of Jacksonville),Randy White (President, Jacksonville City Council), Nat Ford (CEO, Jacksonville transportation Authority), The Honorable Nathaniel Glover (former Jacksonville Sheriff; former President, Edward Waters University), Nick Allard (Dean, College of Law, Jacksonville University).

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Paul Renner October 2023

The Honorable Paul Renner, Esquire, House Speaker, Florida House of Representatives, gave the keynote address to the Board of Advisors during their fall meeting.

MPP Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 513 Fall 2023

Guest Speakers spoke in the PPOL 513: Law and Public Policy, and included The Honorable Mark Mahon (Circuit Court Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), The Honorable John Peyton (CEO, Gate Petroleum; former Mayor of Jacksonville), The Honorable Lori Boyer (CEO, Downtown Investment Authority, former member of Jacksonville City Council), Mike Weinstein (CEO, Kids Hope Alliance; Interim CFO, City of Jacksonville), The Honorable Ron Salem (President, Jacksonville City Council), Nat Ford (CEO, Jacksonville transportation Authority), The Honorable Nathaniel Glover (former Jacksonville Sheriff; former President, Edward Waters College), The Honorable Melissa Nelson (State Attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), Martry Fiorentino (President, The Fiorentino Group). 

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Val Demings February 2022

The Honorable Val Demings, U.S. Representative, Florida's 10th Congressional District gave the keynote address to the Board of Advisors during their winter virtual meeting. 

MPP Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 513 Fall 2022

Guest speakers spoke in the PPOL 513: Law and Public Policy, and included The Honorable John Peyton (CEO, Gate Petroleum and former Mayor, City of Jacksonville), Jason Gabriel, Esq. (General Counsel, City of Jacksonville), The Honorable Mark Mahon (Chief Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), The Honorable Nat Glover (former President of Edward Waters College and former Sheriff, City of Jacksonville), The Honorable Melissa Nelson (State Attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), The Honorable Lori Boyer (CEO, Downtown Investment Authority, former member Jacksonville City Council), Nat Ford (CEO, Jacksonville Transportation Authority), The Honorable Terrence Freeman (Jacksonville City Council), Marty Fiorentino (President, The Fiorentino Group).

EMPP Leadership Series Fall 2020- Fall 2021

Guest Speakers for our Executive Master in Public Policy students: Fred Franklin Jr., Esq. (Managing Director of Rogers Towers and Chairman of the firm's Board of Directors), The Honorable Jason Altmire (author of the book Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About It. He is also a former Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Government, and Community Affairs for Florida Blue), Steve Halverson (retired Chairman and CEO of The Haskell Company), Shantel Davis (Vice President sales, Southeastern US with The Greenbrier Companies), Janie Lanier CFRE (owns and operates Lanier Consulting and Strategy Services), Michael Ward (former chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corporation for 14 years), William H. Walton III (Managing Member & Co-Founder, Rockport), Magha Parek, Esq. (Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Jacksonville Jaguars), Darnell Smith (Market President, North Florida Region for Florida Blue), Robert M. Clements (Chairman and Chief Execituve Officer, Covius Holdings), Ari Jolly, Esq. (Expert Council, GuideWell Mutual Holdings Corporation), The Honorable Ander Crenshaw (Senior Council, Government Advocacy and Public Policy, King & Spaulding), Nicole B. Thomas, FACHE (President, Baprist Medical Center Jacksonville), Robert M. Rhodes (Former General Counsel, Disney Development Co.)

MPP Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 513 Fall 2021

Guest speakers spoke in the PPOL 513: Law and Public Policy, and included The Honorable John Peyton (CEO, Gate Petroleum and former Mayor, City of Jacksonville), Jason Gabriel, Esq. (General Counsel, City of Jacksonville), The Honorable Mark Mahon (Chief Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), The Honorable Nat Glover (former President of Edward Waters College and former Sheriff, City of Jacksonville), The Honorable Melissa Nelson (State Attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), The Honorable Lori Boyer (CEO, Downtown Investment Authority, former member Jacksonville City Council), Nat Ford (CEO, Jacksonville Transportation Authority), The Honorable Matt Carlucci (Jacksonville City Council), Marty Fiorentino (President, The Fiorentino Group).

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Marco Rubio September 2021

The Honorable Marco Rubio, United States Senator, gave the keynote address to the Board of Advisors during their fall virtual meeting. 

Keynote Speaker: Nat Ford April 2021

Nat Ford, CEO of Jacksonville Transportation Authority, gave the keynote address to the Board of Advisors during their spring virtual meeting. 

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Nikki Fried February 2021

Nikki Fried, Florida's 12th Commissioner of Agriculture, gave the keynote address to the Board of Advisors during their winter virtual meeting. 

 

Guest speakers spoke in the PPOL 661 class co-taught by Dr. Charles Moreland and Professor Paul McCormick. These speakers include Mary Palka (Editor, Florida Times Union), Jim McCarthy (President, North Florida Land Trust),  Bruce Hamilton (WJXT4 Anchor), Mike Tolbert (Political Consultant), Matt Carlucci (Past Jacksonville City Council President), Tom Nolan (Political Consultant), and Susan King (President and CEO of Feeding Northeast Florida). 

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Ron DeSantis October 2020

Ron DeSantis, Governor of the State of Florida, gave the keynote address to the Board of Advisors during their fall virtual meeting. Governor DeSantis spoke on timely policy matters, including his response to the COVID-19 pandemice. 

MPP Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 513 Fall 2020

Guest speakers spoke in the PPOL 513: Law and Public Policy, and included the Honorable John Peyton (CEO, Gate Petroleum and former Mayor, City of Jacksonville), Jason Gabriel, Esq. (General Counsel, City of Jacksonville), the Honorable Mark Mahon (Chief Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), the Honorable Nat Glover (former President of Edward Waters College and former Sheriff, City of Jacksonville), the Honorable Melissa Nelson (State Attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), the Honorable John Delaney, Esq. (Former Mayor of Jacksonville; Former President, UNF), Nat Ford (CEO, Jacksonville Transportation Authority), the Honorable Brenda Priestly Jackson (Jacksonville City Council), Susie Wiles (Consultant; Campaign Manager for Ron DeSantis).

MPP Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 661 Spring 2020

Guest speakers spoke in the PPOL 661 class co-taught by Dr. Charles Moreland and Professor Paul McCormick. These speakers include Nate Monroe (Reporter, Florida Times Union), Bruce Ganger (Former Executive Director of Bounty & Soul, Former President and CEO of Feeding Northeast Florida), Jim McCarthy (President, North Florida Land Trust), Rebecca Perry (Director of Real Estate & Community Conservation, North Florida Land Trust),  Mike Hightower, Jeanne Miller (President and CEO Jacksonville Civic Council), Matt Carlucci (Past Jacksonville City Council President)

Keynote Speaker: Roger McNamee November 2019

The Institute partnered with the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville to bring Roger McNamee, author of Zucked, to campus for a presentation discussing privacy issues and technology.

Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Kenning October 2019

Jennifer Kenning, CEO of Align Impact, gave the keynote address to the Board of Advisors on the intersection between policy and business, and also spoke about impact investing.

MPP Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 513 Fall 2019

Guest speakers spoke in the PPOL 513: Law and Public Policy, and included the Honorable John Peyton (CEO, Gate Petroleum and former Mayor, City of Jacksonville), Jason Gabriel, Esq. (General Counsel, City of Jacksonville), the Honorable Mark Mahon (Chief Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), the Honorable Nat Glover (former President of Edward Waters College and former Sheriff, City of Jacksonville), the Honorable Scott Wilson (President, City Council of Jacksonville), the Honorable Lori Boyer (CEO, Downtown Investment Authority), Kent Justice (WJXT Anchor; Political Analyst).

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Makaziwe Mandela July 2019

In 2019, the Institute partnered with the Office of the President to welcome Dr. Makaziwe Mandela to campus. Dr. Mandela is the daughter of Nelson Mandela and was the recipient of the University's Presidential Global Citizen’s Award.

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Al Lawson February 2019

U.S. Representative for Florida's 5th congressional district Al Lawson, gave the keynote address to the Board of Advisors on bipartisanship and congressional cooperation. Former U.S. Representative for Florida's 4th congressional district Ander Crenshaw, introduced Al Lawson.

MPP Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 662 Spring 2019

Guest speakers spoke in the PPOL 662 class taught by Professor Paul McCormick. These speakers include Mary Kelli Palka (Editor for the Florida Times Union), the Honorable Anna Brosche (Jacksonville City Council), Jim Overton (Duval County Tax Collector), AG Gancarski (Journalist at Florida Politics), Michelle Cook (Chief of Police, Atlantic Beach Police Department) Matt Justice (Political Consultant & CEO, Reliant Florida) John Winkler (Attorney at Law), Bruce Ganger (former President & CEO, Feeding Northeast Florida; Executive Director, Bounty & Soul), Nate Monroe ( Reporter, Florida Times Union), Tom Nolan (Founder, The Nolan Group; President and Founding Board Member, Committee for Open Democracy), Audrey Moran (Executive Vice President and President, Baptist Health Foundation), Lisa Rinaman (St. Johns Riverkeeper), and Frank Denton (former Editor, Florida Times Union).

MPP Classroom Speaker Series: PPOL 513 Fall 2018

Guest speakers spoke in the PPOL 513: Law and Public Policy, and included the Honorable John Peyton (CEO, Gate Petroleum and former Mayor, City of Jacksonville), the Honorable Aaron Bowman (President, Jacksonville City Council), Jason Gabriel, Esq. (General Counsel, City of Jacksonville), the Honorable Mark Mahon (Chief Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida), the Honorable Nat Glover (former President of Edward Waters College and former Sheriff, City of Jacksonville), and the Honorable Melissa Nelson (State Attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida).

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Richard Corcoran 2018

Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran gave the keynote address at the Spring Board of Advisors Meeting attended by the Public Policy Institute Board of Advisors, students, faculty, and guests.

Keynote Speaker: Mo Eleithee 2018

Mo Elleithee, founding Executive Director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, gave the keynote address at the Public Policy Institute's Winter Board of Advisors Meeting. Prior to launching the GU IOP, Mr. Eleithee was a top communications strategist in the Democratic Party, most recently as Communications Director and chief spokesperson of the Democratic National Committee. He was senior spokesperson and traveling press secretary on Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, and worked on several other state and local races in every region of the country. He is a frequent political commentator on television and radio, and was named a FOX News contributor in 2016. He was a founding partner of Hilltop Public Solutions, one of Washington's leading political consulting and public affairs firms. Mr. Eleithee earned an undergraduate degree from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, and an M.A. in Political Management from The George Washington University.

Policy Matters Lecture Series Speakers: The Honorable David Jolly & Patrick Murphy April 2018

Former Congressmen David Jolly and Patrick Murphy made a joint appearance at Jacksonville University to present Why Gridlock Rules Washington and How We Can Solve the Crisis, a discussion of opportunities for bipartisanship leadership and how to build political consensus, demonstrating that even in times of disagreement on solutions to our country’s most divisive issues, those disagreements need not divide us as a people.

Policy Matters Lecture Series Speaker: Dr. James Wyckoff March 2018

The Public Policy Institute hosted Dr. James Wyckoff, Director of the University of Virginia’s Center on Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness for an Education Policy workshop for MPP students and invited guests.

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Gwen Graham 2017

Former U.S. Representative Gwen Graham visited Jacksonville University to give the keynote address at the Winter Board of Advisors Meeting attended by the Public Policy Institute Board of Advisors, students, faculty, and guests.

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Jason Altmire 2017

The Honorable Jason Altmire, former U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District, provided the keynote address at the Board of Advisor's Fall Meeting. In his address, Mr. Altmire discussed his new book, Dead Center, and talked about the partisan divide.

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Adam Putnam April 21, 2016

Former Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam visited Jacksonville University to give the keynote address at the Spring Board of Advisors Meeting attended by the Public Policy Institute Board of Advisors, students, faculty, and guests. Former Commissioner Putnam addressed issues he believes are the keys to making Florida a player in the global job market - namely education and water management.

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Bob Graham February 16, 2016

The JU PPI Board of Advisors meets three times per year to provide advisement and support to the Institute. At the winter meeting, we were pleased to welcome former U.S. Senator Bob Graham to meet with and address the MPP students and faculty, the JU PPI Board, and guests in attendance​.

Senator Graham served as Florida Governor from 1979 to 1987, US Senator from 1987 to 2005, and ran for President of the United States, seeking the 2004 Democratic nomination. In 2006, he created the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at University of Florida, which has since entered into a formal partnership with the Public Policy Institute at Jacksonville University.

• Read more about Senator Bob Graham.

Policy Matters Lecture Series Speakers: Mr. James B. Smith & Dr. Janet Breslin-Smith     November 30, 2015

On November 30, 2015, the JU Public Policy Institute hosted an evening with Mr. James B. Smith and his spouse, Dr. Janet Breslin-Smith. ​Mr. Smith was U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2009 to 2013 and is also a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force where he was an F-15 fighter pilot. Dr. Janet Breslin-Smith’s career has focused on higher education and outreach to women in the Middle East. She taught at the U.S. National War College and was the first woman to Chair the Department of National Security Strategy there.

The Smiths each gave a short presentation, and then audience members were given the opportunity to pose questions. This Q&A was moderated by Rick Mullaney, PPI director.

• Watch the lecture video on YouTube.
• Read more about Ambassador Smith and Dr. Breslin-Smith.             

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Lenny Curry October 1, 2015

Recently elected Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry served as the keynote speaker at the Public Policy Institute's Fall Board of Advisors Meeting. Mayor Curry discussed his first 90 days in office, public safety, and more during his address to the Board, Jacksonville University students, and esteemed guests

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Mitt Romney April 25, 2015

Jacksonville University conferred degrees upon the first Master in Public Policy graduates in our state. W​e are proud of the accomplishments of these policy analysts and look forward to seeing great work from them in the future. Former Massachusetts Governor and former Presidential Candidate ​Mitt Romney delivered the commencement keynote address.

Keynote Speaker: James G. Workman​ March 23, 2015

Jacksonville University was pleased to co-host the Global Business Luncheon with the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville as we welcomed Mr. James G. Workman, writer and Deputy Director, Environmental Defense Fund's Catch Share Design. This luncheon and conversation were moderated by Jacksonville University's own Dr. Quinton White of the Marine Science Research Institute and Mr. Rick Mullaney of the Public Policy Institute. Read more about Mr. Workman. Read more about MSRI.

Keynote Speakers: The Honorable Corrine Brown & Ander Crenshaw Federal Legislators Panel, October 16, 2014

U.S. House of Representatives Congresswoman Corrine Brown discussed several local and state issues, focusing on representation and education.

U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Ander Crenshaw discussed local and state issues including housing, job creation, national security, and military affairs.

After their individual presentations, Congresswoman Corrine Brown and Congressman Ander Crenshaw took several audience questions, broadening the conversation to global issues including ISIS and military response, and concerns with global transportation and Ebola.

• Watch the video on YouTube.
• See photos of the event on Facebook.
• Read more about the event at MetroJacksonville.com.

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Jeff Atwater April 17, 2014

Jeff Atwater, CFO of the State of Florida, stopped by to discuss policy issues with the PPI Board of Advisors and PPI students.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Cammy Abernathy February 6, 2014

Dr. Abernathy addressed several issues in engineering education such as the lack of engineering education leading to lack of standing in the global marketplace, how global competition requires us to educate our engineers differently, and the void of engineers in public service.

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Will Weatherford October 17, 2013

Will Weatherford, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and JU Alumnus, visited JU to discuss policy issues with the PPI Board of Advisors and PPI students.

Keynote Speakers: The Honorable Pam Bondi & Jason Altmire April 25, 2013

Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi and Jason Altmire, Florida Blue senior vice president of public policy, government and community affairs met with the Public Policy Institute Board of Advisors and PPI Faculty on April 25, 2013.

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Rick Scott​ February 7, 2013

Rick Scott, governor of the State of Florida, joined us on campus to discuss policy issues with the PPI Boar​d of Advisors.

• Read more about Governor Rick Scott's visit on the Florida Times-Union.