FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu
Valerie Endress, 401-456-4781, vendress@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Writers for Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Howard Dean and Martin O’Malley will be among the panelists at an American Democracy Project forum titled “Political Speechwriters: A Look Behind the Scenes,” hosted by Rhode Island College. The event will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17, in Room 110 of Alger Hall, Rhode Island College, 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Providence. WJAR TV 10 reporter Katie Davis will serve as moderator for this free event, which is open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Panelists include David Cavell, team speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama, former speechwriter for Governor Devall Patrick; Parag Mehta, chief of staff to the U.S. Surgeon General and former speechwriter for senate candidate Ron Kirk and presidential candidate Howard Dean; Sarada Peri, special assistant and senior speechwriter to President Obama; Steve Rabin, senior advisor for NASA’s Office of Communications, former speechwriter for Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and former press secretary for Anthony Weiner; and Michael Smith, former speechwriter for Rhode Island Office of the Governor and former speechwriter for RIC Office of the President.
RIC Associate Professor of Communication and Director of the American Democracy Project Valerie Endress, said, “We have the unique opportunity to bring to RIC some of the most respected political speechwriters in the nation in order to explore the unique and intimate relationship between speechwriter and speaker, and to understand how political speeches are constructed and negotiated among a team of writers. These behind-the-scenes strategists influence public dialogue far more than the average citizen realizes, and this forum is designed to shed light on the process. We think that this group of speechwriters will have some very interesting stories to tell.”
Another event organizer, RIC Emeritus Associate Professor of Communication Kay Israel, called this event “a chance to see and hear how the concepts and thoughts of those in government or those pursuing political office evolve into the words we hear from them. Our panelists have been involved with communicating ideas in a number of major arenas. They are the practitioners who play a major role in defining what is or might be public opinion today as they help to influence many of our most important concerns.”
Funding for the event is made possible in part by the Rhode Island College Committee on College Lectures.
The ADP is a multi-campus initiative focused on public higher education's role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens. The project began in 2003 as an initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, in partnership with The New York Times. For more information on the ADP at RIC, visit www.ric.edu/adp.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing.
