Berkley Center

E.J. Dionne is a senior research fellow at the Berkley Center, University Professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture teaching in Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy and Government Department, and a leading scholar and commentator on religion in U.S. politics. In addition, since fall 2017 he has been William H. Bloomberg Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School and the Harvard Kennedy School. The W. Averell Harriman Chair and senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution, Dionne writes a column for the Washington Post that is syndicated in over 200 outlets nationally and abroad. His books include One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported (2017, with Norman J. Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann); Why the Right Went Wrong: Conservatism: From Goldwater to Trump and Beyond (2016); Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent (2012); Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right (2008); Stand Up Fight Back: Republican Toughs, Democratic Wimps, and the Politics of Revenge (2004); They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate The Next Political Era (1996); and Why Americans Hate Politics (1991), which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award nominee.

Imam Mohamed Magid is the Executive Imam of All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center in Sterling, Virginia. He is the Chairman of International Interfaith Peace Corps (IIPC) and former President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). He is also the Chairman of Muflehun, a think tank which focuses on confronting violent extremist thought through research-driven preventative programs within a religious paradigm. Imam Magid has a long history of commitment to public service through organizations such as The Peaceful Families Project. He has helped to organize training and workshops for Imams and religious leaders, domestically and internationally, on the issue of violence against women. Imam Magid also leads an initiative to protect religious minorities in Muslim majority countries through seminars and Imam training workshops. He has co-authored three books: Before You Tie the Knot: A Guide for Couples, Reflections on the Qur’an, and Change from Within, and has contributed to the Washington Post and Huffington Post, He was profiled in Time Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. He was honored with the Washingtonian of the Year 2009 and the Human Rights Award 2005, from Fairfax County.

Michael D. McCurry is a partner/principal at Public Strategies Washington, Inc., and a veteran political strategist and spokesperson. He is also a distinguished professor of public theology at Wesley Theological Seminary. McCurry served in the White House as press secretary to President Bill Clinton (1995-1998). He also previously served as spokesman for the Department of State and director of Communications for the Democratic National Committee. McCurry held a variety of leadership roles in national campaigns for the Democratic ticket from 1984 to 2004. McCurry serves on numerous boards or advisory councils and is co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates. McCurry received his B.A. from Princeton University, a M.A. from Georgetown University, and a Master's degree in theology from Wesley Theological Seminary.