2005 Progressive Policy Skills Seminar Series

Starting in February 2005, American Progress began hosting monthly seminars as a Progressive Policy Skills Series. The seminar series is aimed at equipping our future leaders with concrete tools and skills for advancing a progressive policy agenda, and will include "how to"s on diverse topics to foster future generations of progressive leaders. All young progressives are invited to attend.

Seminars are held at the Center for American Progress. Space is limited; admission is free upon registration. Lunch is provided.

View list of previous seminars

Current Policy Skills Seminar

The Basics of Lobbying
Friday, October 28, 2005

The role of the lobbyist is to influence public policy. What constitutes the day-to-day work performed by lobbyists on behalf of their constituents or clients? What are strategies for effective lobbying and how do they differ depending on who you work for? Our experts -- who have experienced the lobbying process in various environments, including the private sector and nonprofit advocacy -- will cover the fundamentals of lobbying and provide a glimpse into the profession. They will share their insight and tips and engage questions from the audience.

Featuring:
Mark Tavlarides, Associate Vice President, Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc.
Marcela Urrutia, Senior Policy Director for Hispanic Affairs, Office of the Senate Minority Leader
Dan Restrepo, Director of Congressional Affairs, Center for American Progress

Register for this seminar

Previous Policy Skills Seminars

How to Brief Your Principal
Friday, September 9, 2005

Featuring:
Andrea LaRue, Partner, Nueva Vista Group, LLC
Toby Chaudhuri, Communications Director, Campaign for America's Future
Sarah Rosen Wartell, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President, and General Counsel, Center for American Progress

Decisionmakers in all organizational structures rely on the ability of support staff to synthesize information. How do you effectively encapsulate key points in a written or oral presentation that’s easy for your principal to digest? What should you include or not include? Whether you’re prepping your boss in an advocacy organization for a meeting or in a campaign for a media interview, certain rules apply. Our experts have briefed advocacy leaders, Miss America contestants, political candidates, members of Congress, and the President. They offered tips and basics from their experiences for mastering this crucial skill.

Negotiation
Friday, July 22, 2005

Featuring:
Martina Gillis, Advocacy Coordinator, Fair Budget Coalition
Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

What makes a good negotiator? What are useful negotiation strategies, and how do they change or stay the same in different situations and for different audiences? Martina and Mara spoke about negotiation skills they employ in disparate professional settings -- grassroots local advocacy and legislative policymaking -- for a variety of progressive ends. They offered illustrative examples concrete tips to for an effective negotiation skill set.

How to Write an Op-Ed
Friday, June 10, 2005

Featuring:
Paul Glastris, editor in chief, The Washington Monthly,  and Senior Fellow, Western Policy Center 
Vinca LaFleur, President, Vinca LaFleur Communications, and Visiting Fellow, Center for Strategic & International Studies
P.J. Crowley,  Senior Fellow and Director of National Defense and Homeland Security, Center for American Progress

Attendees learned from the pros about how to write concise, timely opinion pieces for publication. Presenters offered tips to consider in writing a policy op-ed. What do writers of all experiences struggle with in crafting a compelling piece? What makes an editor consider an op-ed submission for publication? Our panelists spoke from a combined vast background in writing, editing, and policymaking to share advice, potential pitfalls, and anecdotes for young progressives.

Making Numbers Make News
Friday, May 6, 2005

Featuring:
Lauren Sucher, Director of Public Affairs, Environmental Working Group
Jeanne Lambrew, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

A crucial skill for any policy professional is the ability to use data to tell a story. Jeanne Lambrew and Lauren Sucher are two experts who have honed the art of localizing data in order to drive a policy point home. They explored how to identify and analyze publicly available data in an engaging, compelling way and outline what can be achieved by producing accessible policy analysis. Each panelist framed her remarks in the context of their respective areas of expertise -- health care and environmental policy -- and offered examples of the most compelling reports and how and why they made a difference in policy debates.

Building Coalitions for Progressive Causes
Friday, April 1, 2005

Featuring:
Greg Moore, Executive Director, NAACP National Voter Fund
Tom Matzzie, Washington Director, MoveOn.org
Brian Komar, Director of Coalition Relations, Center for American Progress

Why are coalitions important? What determines whether a coalition succeeds? What changes when you try to advance an agenda with coalition partners through the internet? Our presenters covered the basics from their years of experience in uniting diverse groups toward common goals.

Progressive Media Activism
Monday, February 14, 2005

Featuring:
David Brock, President and CEO, Media Matters for America
with Judd Legum, writer for the Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org, American Progress Action Fund

What's the current state of the US media, and how has conservative misinformation has influenced the public debate and skewed American politics to the right? Our featured presenters discussed the ways in which progressives are fighting back, and how young progressives can be a part of taking back the media.