Blockchain Africa Cape Town 2019 Could Very Well Go Down as a Pivotal Moment in South Africa's Adoption of the Technology - CommPRO.biz
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Blockchain Africa Cape Town 2019 Could Very Well Go Down as a Pivotal Moment in South Africa’s Adoption of the Technology CommPRO Editorial Staff The Cape Town edition of the Blockchain Africa Conference 2019 saw an exploration of how blockchain technology has and can be used to help achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Speakers explored the ways in which this emerging technology is combating issues of security and safety. There is a shift moving from private and centralised systems to more public, anonymous, decentralised networks in a bid to maintain safety and security over financial assets and data, and in order to keep up we need to look to technology to make important changes. The Conference was a resounding success, as amplified by James Preston, Project Lead at SA Crypto: “Almost one month before the conference, and in true South African style, Bitcoin Events made an announcement that came from left field. Premier Helen Zille would be a keynote speaker, along with the Western Cape’s Minister of Economic Opportunities Beverley Schäfer. For the first time in South Africa, a significant member of
government and key policy influencer would be directly involved in a prominent blockchain event. Blockchain Africa Cape Town 2019 could very well go down as a pivotal moment in South Africa’s adoption of the technology. ” The presence of provincial government executives was enthusiastically welcomed by an audience made up of tech geeks and “blockheads” as Premier Zille so affectionately labeled us. The elegant and unequivocally eloquent Didi Sehume was the master of ceremonies and addressed the audience with the welcomes and the formalities. Minister Beverley Schäfer opened the Cape Town conference with a thoroughly well-researched and educated address outlining what is truly possible for our economies in the likes of real estate, medicine, and of course finance, with the introduction of blockchain. Her keynote was presented with passion and a sincere desire to see economies impacted for the better through innovative solutions such as blockchain technology which included a statement: “We would likely find a way that blockchain can reduce costs, or increase speed transparency and traceability.” SA Crypto’s podcast interview with Minister Schäfer highlights the need for innovative tech like blockchain, and the need to support technology-centred entrepreneurship in the Western Cape. Minister Schäfer’s address was followed by the headline act, Premier Helen Zille who presented her address using handwritten notes based on her very own research. Premier Zille’s passion for blockchain’s possibilities was obvious in her address: “We haven’t even got our feet wet yet. 10 years from now, blockchain will be mainstream. How do we prepare for that?” Zille was not only captivated by blockchain, but she was also captivating in that she had the attention of her audience through her heartfelt call to the industry: “This is truly a disruptive innovation that opens entirely new possibilities for governance.” SA Crypto had an interesting podcast interview with Premier Zille about how she
first came to hear about blockchain, and how the Western Cape provincial government could potentially see it implemented into their administration. Winslyn TV featured both Premier Zille and Minister on what the Mother City planning with blockchain technology. The keynote addresses continued with thought leader in the crypto and blockchain space, Simon Dingle. Known for his radio show and book “In Math We Trust”, Simon introduced his talk with interactive video ideas and visual brain teasers, all designed to make us see that blockchain was an entirely new paradigm not yet fully understood. Simon’s passion for the Bitcoin project is convincingly clear and refreshingly provocative: “If you haven’t read Satoshi Nakamoto’s white paper, I suggest you go back to it. It’s a hot knife through butter for people on Twitter. Satoshi was not out to change the world with decentralized databases, he had a specific economic purpose. Bitcoin is the only one!” The great South African tech success, Marcus Swanepoel reminding us just how hard he worked to get BitX, now Luno, off the ground and explained that this is a new global economy that we are in the midst of transitioning into. Marcus: “This new financial system will be created from the bottom up, not from the top down. It’s trustless and more importantly, cryptocurrencies are very versatile.” Riccardo Spagni highlighted the importance of user’s rights to privacy, and how such rights can be achieved with blockchain technology: “Fact is, there’s a huge amount of metadata out there about our lives, and we have no control over that. Privacy allows you to take back control of your own information in a way that no laws, governments or protocols ever will.” The conference continued with talks by the incredibly articulate Jean Paul Fabri about Malta’s preparation for this new wave of innovation, and its resounding success in drafting
progressive regulation that attracts innovative startups. Learn more from Jean Paul, with his podcast interview by Grey Jabesi, on How Malta became the Blockchain Island. While Llew Claasen engaged the audience with his anecdotes of early days with Vinnie Lingham, although it’s their latest set of innovative interactions developing Civic Key that one can see what Llew meant with: “Decentralised business models are the future of economic coordination, where the incentives of different actors are aligned towards shared objectives that grow the value of the network for the benefit of all participants.” Panels with blockchain and economic expert Farzam Ehsani and Centbee’s Lorien Gamaroff made for locked-in attention as it addressed cryptocurrency adoption in Africa. Monica Singer’s story of leaving the elite of corporate South Africa for blockchain powerhouse ConsenSys is an inspiring one, while Matthew Arnett’s panel contribution to Economic Inclusion in Africa utilising blockchain innovation highlighted what is happening right here on the African continent. Grey interviewed Matthew Arnett on P08’s work in Marine Archaeology on Blockchain with STO. Caroline Dama, director and co-founder of Grassroots Economics, intrigued the audience with her topic: A Grassroots Financial Innovation Which is Responding to the Unsustainability of a Global Monetary System with “community currencies are bottom-up solutions and social innovations which come from civil society.” The conversations and introductions made between key government officials and leading technologists, engineers and entrepreneurs in the space were ones that will be invaluable to South Africa’s adoption of blockchain, crypto and distributed ledger systems. View photos and receive more information on what happened at
the conference in Cape Town on the day on the website. Videos of the conference can be viewed on Bitcoin Events’ YouTube channel. Cryptographers Join Forces to Build Superior Blockchain Interoperability and Distributed Custodial Solution CommPRO.biz Editorial Staff Fusion Foundation, a non-profit organization on a mission to build the next generation financial infrastructure, announced it has engaged in a joint initiative with esteemed cryptologists Rosario Gennaro, Professor of Computer Science at CUNY, Steven Goldfeder, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University, Louis Goubin, Professor of Computer Science at University of Versailles and Pascal Paillier, Ph.D., CEO and Senior Security Expert at CryptoExperts to accelerate the implementation of Fusion’s highly anticipated interoperability and distributed custody solution, Distributed Control Rights Management (DCRM). “At the core of Fusion’s mission has been interoperability and
building the highest grade secure distributed custodial solutions through our DCRM technology. We are privileged to be collaborating with four of the brightest and most creative minds in cryptography to validate, certify and help enhance our DCRM architecture,” stated Dejun Qian, Founder of Fusion. “Together, we plan to tackle decentralized secure custody and provide new scalable, efficient and reliable solutions for the digital assets community.” During this first phase of research, Gennaro and Goldfeder will analyze the theoretical basis of Fusion’s ECDSA implementation that would enable DCRM to support additional crypto-assets. Source: Blockchain Wire Banking Services for Crypto Business Owners CommPRO.biz Editorial Staff CoinAcquiring has announced the addition of crypto-friendly bank accounts to its portfolio of essential financial services it can offer to crypto industry businesses and merchants. The London-based firm specializes in providing crypto merchants with fiat-to-crypto payment processing and, more recently, corporate banking and other financial services. CoinAcquiring is now able to assist businesses with account opening at banks which are friendly to the crypto industry.
The corporate bank accounts available include features such
as:
Multi-currency accounts in GBP, EUR, USD, AUD, CAD, CHF,
CZK, DKK, HKD, JPY, NOK, PLN, RON, SEK, and ZAR
SEPA instant credit transfers
Virtual IBANs
0% foreign exchange
Wire transfer by SWIFT
Physical and virtual debit cards for spending
Visa & MasterCard merchant acquiring facilities
This exciting new service is worth noting due to the
difficulty that crypto merchants face with finding any sort of
banking or payment processing services. “Banking is
notoriously difficult for crypto businesses” said David Jones,
Senior Payments Consultant at CoinAcquiring. “Banks still
don’t fully understand how to evaluate risk in the crypto
industry, and instead just turn the business away and close
accounts. These core banking & payment services are vital for
any crypto business to operate and CoinAcquiring is excited to
offer a service which takes the headache out of account
opening and makes the process easy and straightforward.”
CoinAcquiring services also add a layer of security and
longevity to the merchant and bank accounts opened owing to
its established relationships with the banks.
Backed by a number of cryptocurrency and financial services
veterans, CoinAcquiring is a stepping stone for cryptocurrency
merchants to successfully enter the industry in the most
hassle-free way possible.
Source: Blockchain Wire
Mea Culpa Dr. Arthur Solomon* A few months ago, when discussing the political scene with friends and family members, I was accused of being devoid of principles. One comment hit me like a blow to the solar plexus delivered by a heavyweight boxing champion. The stinging comment, made by a lawyer, no less, was that that I was principled-less because I am a PR practitioner, whose assignments included working for some of the most notorious entities and individuals in our society, and worse, on political campaigns. Prior to my jumping the fence to the PR business, which is known far and wide to only represent clients that have no ulterior motive, unlike the lawyer who attacked me, I was a reporter and editor on several New York City newspapers. Thus, I was also accused of fostering slanted reporting and editing. “Fake news creator,” I was often called. Over the years, I have been accused of being pro-Republican and anti-Republican; pro- Democrat and anti-Democrat; pro- civil rights and anti-civil rights; pro- Obama and anti-Obama and pro-Trump and anti-Trump. Unfortunately, since Trump commenced his campaign for president, every discussion invariably turns to politics. And my beliefs are often the target. So, I apologize to those who find fault in my not being a down the line Republican or Democrat or socialist Democrat, who does not agree with every comment made by pressure groups that others agree with. In order to clarify my views, I am writing a column (which I’ll hand out at every subsequent family and friends
gathering) to clarify my political, social, business and other
positions that might arise). I’ll do it in a unique way, using
news stories which everyone in our business and allied
communications fields should know, and then adding, in
italics, my own opinions.
Trump keeps saying that the media is the enemy of the
people. (I’ve always believed that the media was the
enemy of PR people.)
Fox News dropped its “Fair & Balanced” slogan. (By doing
so, Fox News is now the most straight forward
disseminator of news, (unlike MSNBC, which would have
been my favorite if it existed during my college
socialist-like days.)
Trump’s claim of “fake news.” (For years, the socialist
media have been accusing the president of doing things
he denies. (Everyone knows that the media has a leftist
agenda. Why should I believe them over the president,
who unlike the media that attacks him, said he has no
financial motive.)·
The National Enquirer has been slammed by the leftist
press for killing stories critical of Trump. (Not
exactly breaking news: Every day, at every news
organization, editors routinely kill stories that they
think has no news value, even though PR people
disagree.)
President Trump denies allegations in “A Higher Loyalty:
Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” former FBI director James
Comey’s book. (I stand with Trump. Why should I believe
the allegations against a president of the U.S made by a
disgruntled fired employee?)
In a surprising reversal of his earlier position, Trump
said he is considering rejoining the Trans-Pacific
Partnership. (Reversing a formerly held position is a
necessary aspect of prudent leadership.)
Trump has been criticized for pardoning Scooter Libby,
the former Cheney aide, who was convicted of lying to
the F.B.I. (No matter what the president does, the deck is stacked against him. Civil libertarians criticize him for watching the cable TV shows of his choice. Now, he’s being criticized by the haters for showing compassion.) Trump changes his mind about why he fired FBI director James Comey. (Flexibility is necessary for good leadership. As Niccolò Machiavelli said in “The Prince:” “The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.”) Former Fed prosecutor and NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who joined the Trump lawyer’s team, first gained fame for prosecuting prominent mob leaders in the 1980s. Former FBI director James Comey, in his book “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” said some of his interactions with Trump reminded him of his earlier career as a prosecutor against the mob. (My choice to play Trump in the film – Vladimir Putin, who also plays Trump’s love interest.) News reports said that Trump yells while watching TV. (To me, that’s a sign of intelligent sanity from a stable genius.) During the 2016 election one of Trumps talking points was that if Clinton was elected there would be four years of Congressional investigations. (I’m glad Trump was elected. The .way things are going we might only have three years of investigations.) On her May 3 “Deadline: White House” TV program, Nicolle Wallace thanked a guest for dumbing down the facts of a story. (Proving she certainly knows her audience.) NBC News broke a story that Chief of Staff John Kelly called Trump an idiot. (When Rex Tillerson was Secretary of State it was reported that he called Trump a moron. The big unknown is what Melania called the president when the Stormy Daniels story broke.) If you want to know if being called an idiot is worse than being called a moron, ask my wife. She uses both words
interchangeable when speaking to me. President Trump said he didn’t attend the White House Correspondents Dinner because he didn’t enjoy being a target of jokes by those who oppose him. (From personal experience, I know that men’s hair gets thinner as they age, but I never knew that their skin also gets thinner.) Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Michelle Wolf’s comic routine was “a disgrace.” (Perhaps he thought it wasn’t as funny as his routine when he insisted that the crowd at Trump’s inauguration was the greatest ever.) During the days when I worked with political columnists, one publication invited me as their guest to the White House Correspondents Dinner. (That was in the days when the comic’s routine was so clean that ordering a dirty martini was off limits.) Some members of the White House staff walked out during Michelle Wolf’s routine. (Perhaps they were upset hat someone could write material that’s funnier than Trump’s serious comments.) White House staffer Mercedes Schlapp walked out during Michelle Wolf’s performance and tweeted, “Completely appalled by the so called and twisted comedian at the #WHCA dinner.” Her husband, Matt Schlapp chairman of the American Conservative Union, tweeted, “My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us.”(Calling a stand-up comic an elite was the funniest joke of the night.) The New York Mets are allowing hard liquor commercials on their telecasts.(The way the Mets have played the last few seasons, their fans don’t need any encouragement to drink.) The New York Times ran a lengthy article about “A.I. Reporters.” (That’s not new to P.R. people. Many feel that human reporters have had artificial intelligence
for years.)
Major coverage resulted after it was discovered that
Melania Trump sponsored her parents for U.S. citizenship
under the same program that the president denounced as
“chain migration.”(A source at the White House told me
that the only reason Trump tried to stop the “chain
migration” program was because he thought it could solve
his in-law problem.)
Rudy Giuliani made headlines by saying “the truth isn’t
truth.” (Try using that logic with your wife when being
caught having an affair.)
Headlines said that Trump paid hush money to kill
negative stories. (And I always thought money talks.)
USA TODAY headlined a story, “Trump had ‘Informal’ chat
with Putin at summit dinner’. (To discuss political
asylum plans?)
A Wall Street Journal page one blurb read, “The Senate
approved a bill changing sentencing guidelines for
federal prisons. (The legislating was pushed by Jared
Kushner. For the benefit of him and family members?)
On January 30, one day after his intelligence chiefs
publicly contradicted him on national security matters,
Trump tweeted, “Perhaps Intelligence should go back to
school.” (But Not to Trump University, I suggest.)
2018 Proved that the TV pundits were correct in saying
that now that Roger Ailes is gone, Fox News would be
more balanced and less inflammatory in its programming.
(If you believe that you’ve been April Fooled.)
Given the current political situation, I’d feel remiss not to
mention what Will Rogers said: “The trouble with practical
jokes is that very often they get elected.”
And let’s give credit where credit is due. To Ivanka and Jared
for their moderating influence on the first dad and dad-in-
law.
Of course, the biggest April Fool’s Day joke of this year orpast years has nothing to do with my mea culpa. It’s when members of Congress who squeaked by to win an election than egotistically speak for all Americans by saying, “Americans want.” E-Mail Disclaimer to Journalists The information in any pitch I may send you gives the individual receiving it permission to plan a story or contact me regarding any additional information needed to result in positive coverage. If a pitch has been sent to the wrong individual (as is common with PR pitches) there are no legal restrictions prohibiting you to forward it to the journalist that you feel is most likely to cover the subject. Doing so will prevent you from receiving at least three follow-up calls within the hour. In order to keep my anxiety level down, a fast reply will be appreciated. You may also contact me via telephone and, unlike other disclaimers you may have received, I will accept collect calls, if the response is positive. (Writer’s Note: Those of you who have read my essays before might notice that my byline on this column is “Dr. Arthur Solomon.” That’s because I have decided to add the PhD I earned from Trump University on April Fool’s Day.)
About the Author: Arthur Solomon, a
former journalist, was a senior
VP/senior counselor at Burson-
Marsteller, and was responsible for
restructuring, managing and playing
key roles in some of the most
significant national and
international sports and non-sports
programs. He also traveled internationally as a media adviser
to high-ranking government officials. He now is a frequent
contributor to public relations publications, consults on
public relations projects and is on the Seoul Peace Prize
nominating committee. He can be reached at arthursolomon4pr
(at) juno.com
Polymath and BMI Coinstreet
Digital Announce Strategic
Partnership with STO Global-X
CommPRO Editorial Staff
BMI Coinstreet Digital (“BC Digital”), a security token
advisory and service firm, announced it will launch its
security token issuance, OTC trading, and exchange operation
with STO Global-X’s platform.
STO Global-X (STGX) is a global, institutional-focused
security token exchange, enabling institutions to tokenize
securities and facilitate the virtual ownership and trading of
conventional physical assets using digital tokens, powered byBlockchain technology. The end-to-end platform includes a Tokenization Platform to put real-world assets into fractional ownership on the Blockchain, while offering investors a digital investment marketplace that’s secure, transparent and inclusive; P2P with no middlemen and in a market that operates 24/7. Taking advantage of Polymath’s market-ready technology solutions, STGX will incorporate Polymath’s protocol and token specifications including ERC1400 – The Security Token Standard, which will sit as the base layer technology for security tokens created through STGX’s issuance platform. ERC1400 is the community-driven, Polymath-led standard for security tokens that is backwards compatible with ERC20, allowing security token issuers to maintain compliance through transfer restrictions among other functionality. “Tokenized representations of traditional as well as emerging asset classes can effectively address some real problems in the current financial ecosystem,” said Floyd DCosta, Co- Founder and CEO of STGX. “These crypto assets fit fairly well within existing regulatory frameworks while providing for improved accessibility, liquidity and transparency throughout an asset’s lifecycle. We are eager to work with partners like Polymath and Coinstreet to build the comprehensive infrastructure needed to support tokenized securities.” Source: Blockchain Wire Paris Blockchain Week Summit
First International Conference Held in
France Dedicated to the Professionals of
Blockchain and Crypto-Assets
CommPRO Editorial Staff
A few weeks after the PACTE law,
which will regulate the crypto-asset
industry in France, is voted, the
Paris Blockchain Week Summit will
gather 3,000 French and international
professionals of the industry. The
summit will be the flagship event of
the Paris Blockchain Week.
The goal of the Paris Blockchain Week Summit is to showcase
the French regulatory framework and ecosystem in order to:
Nurture vocations and foster the development of the
blockchain scene in France and in Europe
Encourage the best international blockchain projects to
set up their activities in France and in Europe
Organized by the French Digital Asset Association Woorton,
Chain Accelerator, Datalents and Havas Blockchain, the event
will take place in Station F and will be opened by Bruno Le
Maire, Minister of the Economy and Finance.
“The Paris Blockchain Week Summit will be an exclusive
opportunity to show Paris as the European capital of
blockchain and crypto-asset fundraising. Broadly speaking,
this event will give the chance to gather the French and
international tech ecosystem around these topics which are
still undervalued in Europe and for which we are proud to be
among the first movers”, said Kat Borlongan, Director of La
French Tech.Agenda
During two days, on the main stage, renowned speakers from the
most prominent international blockchain and crypto-asset
organizations will present the latest advances in the industry
and their sentiment on three main topics: Technology,
Regulation and Investment.
Among the topics addressed:
Technology
Governance: the path to actual decentralization
Public and private keys management
Proof-of-Work vs. Proof-of-Stake
Integrating AI in distributed algorithms
IoT: wallets for people vs. wallets for objects
Strategies for decentralized data storage
Interoperability and scalability
Zero Knowledge Proof: beyond pure privacy
applications
Sharding
Regulation
How the French regulated crypto-assets
Security Token Offerings: the next frontier
Self-regulation: a solution for secondary market
players
The regulator’s conundrum: protecting the investor
and fostering innovation
The future of currency in a digital world
International cooperation for the development of
blockchain and crypto-assets
Attractivity and competitivity in the race for
innovation
KYC-AML solutions for law enforcement agencies
Investment
Building the European digital asset market
infrastructure
The role of exchanges in the democratization ofcrypto-assets
The OTC market chimaera
Investing in decentralized organizations
The rise of DEX
On-chain funds: the future of investing
Stable coins
A room dedicated to workshops and demos will also allow to
showcase the French ecosystem and event partners in a more
interactive format.
Speakers
More than 100 international speakers will attend the event.
The first 30 announced are:
1. Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy and Finance
2. Mounir Mahjoubi, Secretary of State for Digital Affairs
3. Eva Kaili, Member of the European Parliament
4. Kat Borlongan, Director of La French Tech
5. Bibop Gresta, Chairman of Hyperloop Transportation
Technologies
6. Wei Zhou, CFO of Binance
7. Dominik Schiener, Co-founder of IOTA
8. Edward Moncada, CEO of Blockfolio
9. David E. Rutter, Co-founder and CEO of R3
10. Arthur Breitman, Co-founder of Tezos
11. Nicolas Cary, CEO of Blockchain.info
12. Leonard Schrank, Former CEO of SWIFT
13. Pascal Gauthier, Chairman of Ledger
14. William Mougayar, Managing Partner and Chief Investment
Officer of JM3 Capital
15. Jenna Zenk, CTO of Melonport
16. François-Xavier Thoorens, CEO of Ark Ecosystem
17. Muneeb Ali, CEO of Blockstack
18. Philipp Pieper, Co-founder and CEO of Swarm
19. Henri Pihkala, CEO of Streamr20. Ambre Soubiran, CEO of Kaiko
21. Matan Field, Co-founder of DAOStack
22. Mark Smargon, Co-founder of Colu and Bitgo
23. Ouriel Ohayon, Co-founder of ISAI
24. Angie Lau, Founder of Narramur and former Bloomberg TV
lead anchor
25. Aleksei Antonov, Co-founder of SONM and SCDE Ventures
26. Jonathan Benassaya, CEO of IronChain Capital
27. Michael Waitze, Founder of BlockchainLabs.ai
28. Thomas Power, Board member of BICRA
29. Zaki Manian, Founder of Skuchain
30. Jill Carlson, Founder of Juno
Ditch the Binder: Focus on
the Essential Elements of an
Emergency Communications Plan
The Healthcare Public Relations & Marketing Society of NY
(HPRMS) cordially invites you to a breakfast presentation
with author Doug Levy, who has spent his career in the middle
of emergencies, bringing calm to chaos.
The presentation is based on topics covered in Doug’s
book, The Communications Golden Hour: The Essential Guide to
Public Information When Every Minute Counts, which provides a
framework that streamlines planning, preparation and training
for emergencies large and small, from natural disasters to
major crimes and everything in-between.Event Details
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
8:30 – 10:30 am
Lenox Hill Greenwich Village
200 W 13th Street
Conference Center, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10011
About Doug Levy
Precision wordsmith Doug Levy has spent more than 20 years at
the intersection of technology, science, health, policy, and
ethics and now is a consultant to corporations, academic
institutions, and other organizations on crisis communications
and reputation management. From 2010-2015, he was chief
communications officer at the Columbia University Medical
Center in New York. He has also held communications roles at
Johns Hopkins and UCSF medical centers and was a medical
reporter for USA Today for most of the 1990s.
He has worked with security teams and law enforcement to
leverage social media for early warnings of potential issues
and as a tool to prevent and mediate risks, including
communications during emergencies.
$25.00 for HPRMS members
$35.00 for non-membersPlease purchase tickets by clicking here
If you do not have a PayPal account, click “pay with debit or
credit card” for secure one-time transaction
Interested in becoming an HPRMS member? Learn more here.
If you have any questions, please contact Yajaira Estevez
at hprmsny@yahoo.com
The Intersection of Law and
PR – Why the Mueller Report
Will or Won’t Be Made Public
Two key members of President Trump’s and the White House’s
Legal Teams discuss what will or won’t be made public in the
Mueller Report. The panel discussed the growing PR role of
lawyers as spokespeople and whether it puts brands at risk.
They addressed the key legal issues facing organizations
including cyber security, privacy and how to navigate them.
The panel took place at the Schar School of Policy and
Government on February 26 during “Truth on Trial”, the third
in a series of events looking to grow our understanding of
messaging in the digital age. “The Intersection of Law and PR”
featured Ty Cobb, Former White House Special Counsel to
President Trump; Stefan Passantino, Government Relations,
Political Law and Public Policy, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP;
Suzanne Rich Folsom, Award-Winning General Counsel and Chief
Compliance Officer; and Richard S. Levick, Chairman and CEO,LEVICK, moderated by Doug Simon, D S Simon Media. Ty Cobb: Stefan Passantino: Suzanne Rich Folsom: Richard S. Levick: Doug Simon: Truth on Trial: Implications for Communicators – Part III (On-Demand Video)
Watch On-Demand The intensity of the political divide is making it harder than ever for brands and non-profits to cut through the clutter and get their message out. They are being pushed to take positions on controversial issues. How are legal issues intersecting with the need to tell their story? What are best practices to cut through the clutter? How is this effecting the political, media and communications landscape? “Truth on Trial” is just one of a series of forums put on by the Schar School of Policy & Government, whose panelists are among the most influential legal, communications, and media experts in the country. The February 26 “Truth on Trial” forum follows two extremely well-attended (live and online) moderated events launched last summer.
Panels Public Affairs in the Digital Age The Intersection of Law and PR Media and Communicators Speakers Mark J. Rozell, Dean, The Schar School of Policy & Government (HOST) Douglas Simon, CEO, D S Simon Media (MODERATOR) Michael Caputo, Strategic Communications Expert Maria Cardona, Principal, Dewey Square Group Peter Carson, Managing Director, Public Affairs, North America, Weber Shandwick | Powell Tate Ty Cobb, Former White House Special Counsel to President Trump Gabriel Debenedetti, National Correspondent, New York Magazine Suzanne Rich Folsom, Former General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer & SVP-Government Affairs, U.S. Steel Alexander Howard, Independent Writer & Open Government Advocate Richard S. Levick, Esq., Chairman & CEO, LEVICK Terry McAuliffe, Former Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia / The Schar School of Policy & Government Stefan Passantino, Former Deputy White House Counsel to President Trump Steven Pearlstein, Columnist, The Washington Post / Professor, George Mason University David K. Rehr, Ph.D., Professor of Public Policy, Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University Lisa Osborne Ross, President, Edelman Washington D.C. Frank Sesno, Director, Professor of Media and Public Affairs and International Affairs, George Washington
University
Michael Zeldin, Legal Analyst, CNN
Watch On-Demand
Host
Mark J. Rozell, Dean, The Schar
School of Policy and Government |
George Mason University
| @MarkJRozellGMU
Mark J. Rozell is the author of nine books and editor of
twenty books on various topics in U.S. government and politics
including the presidency, religion and politics, media and
politics, and interest groups in elections. His latest books
are:
Catholics and U.S. Politics after the 2016 Elections:
Understanding the “Swing” Vote. New York:
Palgrave/MacMillan Press, 2017 (edited with Blandine
Chelini-Pont and Marie Gayte).
God at the Grass Roots, 2016: The Christian Right in
American Elections. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield,
2017 (edited with Clyde Wilcox).
Religion and the American Presidency. New York:
Palgrave/MacMillan Press, 2017 (revised and updated 3rd
edition) (edited with Gleaves Whitney).
The New Politics of the Old South: An Introduction to
Southern Politics (revised and updated sixth edition).
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017 (edited with
Charles S. Bullock III).
The President’s Czars: Undermining Congress and theConstitution. University Press of Kansas, 2012 (with
Mitchel A. Sollenberger).
The Oxford Handbook of Southern Politics. Oxford
University Press, 2012 (edited with Charles S. Bullock
III).
Interest Groups in American Campaigns: The New Face of
Electioneering (3rd edition). Oxford University Press,
2012 (with Michael Franz and Clyde Wilcox).
Executive Privilege: Presidential Power, Secrecy and
Accountability (3rd edition). University Press of
Kansas, 2010.
He has testified before Congress on several occasions on
executive privilege issues and has lectured extensively in the
U.S. and abroad. In recent years he has lectured in Austria,
China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain,
India, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, and Vietnam.
Dean Rozell writes frequent op-ed columns in such publications
as the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News,
and Politico. He is often asked to comment about his areas of
expertise for print and broadcast media. He may be reached
at mrozell@gmu.edu or 703-993-8171.
Moderator
Doug Simon, CEO, D S Simon Media
| @DSSimon
Doug Simon is the CEO of award-winning video influencer
marketing firm D S Simon Media. His firm advises and executesbroadcast and social media video communications campaigns on topical issues for senior leadership of brands and non- profits. His firm has completed more than 100 projects for DC based industry groups and non-profits and has been involved with political campaigns on the local and national level since 1992. His firm pioneered Social Media LIVE™–multi-camera video production featuring an organization’s leadership with influencers distributed live to up to 30 social media sites simultaneously. Its unique approach to guiding clients, PRketing®, which connects communications to marketing results, was awarded a trademark by the US patent office. Doug is frequently quoted in top media across platforms. Television appearances include Reuters, Dateline NBC, PBS, CNN, Fox News Live and WNBC. He’s appeared on NPR and been quoted in USA Today and on The Huffington Post in addition to numerous trade publications. Doug’s video commentary on the 2012 political conventions was picked up by the humor site Funny or Die. Doug is the President-Elect of the PRSA-NY Chapter and he was a three-time president of the Publicity Club of New York. Additionally, he is the Founder of SPOKEies® the first ever awards program to recognize in-house spokespeople for representing their brands with authenticity and building trust. Doug began his broadcast career at NBC Sports, where he served as Talent Assistant to Bob Costas. His hobbies include performing stand-up comedy at New York’s top clubs and rooting for terrible sports teams including the Jets and Knicks while still remaining optimistic.
Michael Caputo, Strategic
Communications Expert
| @MichaelRCaputo
Strategic communications expert Michael R. Caputo is a former
senior advisor to the campaign of President Donald J. Trump.
Michael is the Managing Director of Zeppelin Communications.
He has 30 years of global communications experience with
government, political campaigns, trade associations, and
Fortune 500 corporations. Lauded by the New York Times for his
“high octane brain,” he is also the only executive in history
who has worked for both the White House and the Kremlin. This,
in concert with his work as a senior advisor to then-candidate
Donald J. Trump, has led to his involvement as a witness in
recent Russian collusion investigations.
Michael’s work has been commended by reporters across the
spectrum for spirited, creative and unrelenting advocacy of
his clients. He appears each week on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Fox
Business, and is quoted regularly in leading newspapers like
the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and
more.
Michael worked with field grade Army officers as an enlisted
public affairs specialist for the 25th Infantry Division and
has counseled senior leaders like presidential candidate Jack
Kemp, US President George HW Bush, Russian President Boris
Yeltsin, Hollywood director David Lynch, and leaders of the
US, Russian and Ukrainian national legislatures. He is a
Journalism graduate from SUNY Buffalo and lives with his wife
and children in Buffalo and Miami Beach.Maria Cardona, Principal, Dewey
Square Group | @MariaTCardona
Maria Cardona is a Principal at the Dewey Square Group (DSG)
and Founder of Latinovations, the Latino Strategies Practice
of DSG. A seasoned Democratic Strategist, and CNN/CNN en
Español Political Contributor, Cardona is a public affairs and
communications professional with over two decades of
experience in public relations as well as political,
governmental, campaign, community and coalition building
arenas. Cardona also heads DSG’s Public Affairs Practice,
combining public policy, communications, coalition building,
constituency outreach, government relations, traditional and
new media at this premier national public affairs firm. Maria
is also known for her work as a political commentator, and is
currently a CNN and CNN en Español political contributor, who
appeared frequently on MSNBC, FOX, Univision and Telemundo as
a public policy expert and providing political analysis on all
manner of national issues, prior to signing on exclusively
with CNN. She is regarded as one of the nation’s top 100 most
influential Latinos.
Cardona joined DSG as a principal in 2005, helping DSG’s
corporate, non-profit and trade association clients develop
strategic partnerships at the national, state and local level,
especially within the Latino community. One of the most well-
known and respected Latina political operatives and activists
in the country, Cardona leverages her expansive insight and
long standing recognition in the Latino community to ensure
DSG clients are well represented and that they understand the
myriad of opportunities that exist for exposure among this
growing and increasingly influential market. Since foundingDSG’s Latinovations, she guides clients on “best practices” to building support for their positions, products and brands within the Hispanic community. While at DSG, Cardona served as a Senior Advisor to the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign, serving as a campaign surrogate and spokesperson and representing the campaign on major national TV, radio as well as Spanish language television news and political programs. Cardona also served on Senator Clinton’s formidable Hispanic Outreach team, helping to ensure that the candidate’s message reached Latinos throughout the country. Following the primary, Cardona then served as a key surrogate for the Obama for America general election campaign, appearing on several the major national news shows. A former Senior Vice President for the New Democrat Network (NDN) and Director of NDN’s Hispanic Strategy Institute, Cardona led NDN’s $6 million initiative to communicate effectively with Hispanics across the country. At the time, the project was the largest ever effort to conduct dedicated research and polling, develop effective messages geared toward Latinos, and to promote Democratic values and identity in the Latino community through Spanish language and bilingual advertising. Prior to coming on board with the NDN, Cardona served as Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2003, where she helped coordinate the national Democratic message for the party officials, elected leaders, candidates and state democratic party committees. From 1998 to 2001, Ms. Cardona was the Director of Communications for the Department of Justice’s Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), acting as the Clinton Administration’s top spokesperson on the complex issues surrounding immigration including the controversial case of Elian Gonzalez. Before working at the INS, Cardona spent five years at the Department of Commerce, first as Deputy Press Secretary to Secretary Ronald H. Brown, and later as Press Secretary to
Secretaries William Daley, and Mickey Kantor. During her time
at the Commerce Department, she acted as a lead communications
strategist for the passage of NAFTA in 1993. In 1997, she was
awarded the Department of Commerce’s Silver Medal Award for
Meritorious Federal Service.
Ms. Cardona graduated from Duke University and serves on the
Board of Directors of Center for Reproductive Rights, The
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, PODER PAC, the
Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino and
Hoops Sagrado,
Ms. Cardona is a native of Bogotá, Colombia and lives in
Washington D.C. with her husband Bryan Weaver, their son
Sebastian and their daughter Maya Luna.
Peter Carson, Managing Director,
Public Affairs, North America,
Weber Shandwick | Powell Tate
Peter Carson leads the North America Public Affairs Practice
of Powell Tate, helping devise and oversee integrated
communications programs on behalf of corporations, coalitions,
trade associations, and nonprofits. Peter’s work includes:
corporate reputation and crisis communications; third party
identification and advocacy; federal and state coalition
building; and, CEO visibility. He has counseled clients
across industries, from financial services to manufacturing,
health care, telecommunications, food and beverage, government
services, and hospitality.
Peter’s career began working for former RepresentativeChristopher Shays (R-CT). Over the course of his career with
the Congressman, he served in policy positions as Legislative
Director and Chief of Staff. He currently serves on the
national board of Mental Health America (MHA), a leading
community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of
those living with mental illness. Peter received a BA in
English from Kenyon College.
Ty Cobb, Former White House
Special Counsel to President
Trump
Ty Cobb recently retired from the government, where he served
as the Special Counsel to the President, managing the White
House response to the Office of Special Counsel. Previously,
Ty was a long-time leader at international law firm Hogan
Lovells, where he was widely recognized as one of the premier
white collar, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
enforcement, and Congressional investigations lawyers in the
world. Prominent corporate clients (domestic and
international) and senior executives facing serious corporate
governance matters such as crisis management, allegations of
corruption, bribery or trade sanctions violations routinely
turned to Ty to guide them. A former federal prosecutor, Ty is
a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is
regularly profiled in Best Lawyers in America, Lawdragon 500
Top Lawyers in America, International Who’s Who of Business
Crime Lawyers, and Superlawyers. He was selected to
the Ethisphere Hall of Fame in 2011 for his work advancing the
cause of ethics in business and corporate compliance.Gabriel Debenedetti, National
Correspondent, New York Magazine
| @gdebenedetti
Gabriel Debenedetti is the National Correspondent for New
Yorkmagazine, where he writes feature stories about national
politics and the 2020 election.
A staff writer with the magazine since early 2018, Debenedetti
has written extensively about figures including Donald Trump,
Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Joe
Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and more. He joined
from POLITICO, where he wrote about the build-up to the 2016
presidential election, the campaign itself, and its aftermath.
He traveled the country with both Clinton and Sanders,
chronicling the election with daily dispatches and long
reports for Politico Magazine. Prior to that, he spent three
years with Reuters, where he wrote about the 2012 presidential
election, Capitol Hill, and the White House.
Frequently appearing on MSNBC, CNN, CBS, and BBC to analyze
politics, Debenedetti has also written for the New York Times
Book Review, The Economist, and The New Republic. A New Jersey
native, Debenedetti graduated from Princeton University and
lives in New York City.Suzanne Rich Folsom,
Former General Counsel, Chief
Compliance Officer & SVP-
Government Affairs, U.S. Steel
Suzanne Rich Folsom is an accomplished board member and unique
lawyer-leader with direct P&L experience, responsibility and
operational accountability. She has a broad international
background and a successful track record of driving
transformation and restructuring at public and private
corporations in diverse industries during periods of
unprecedented scrutiny. Mrs. Folsom is known for her
integrity, innovative-thinking, crisis management leadership,
and the critical ability to build consensus around challenging
decisions. A former General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer
and SVP-Government Affairs at U.S. Steel, Mrs. Folsom played a
key leadership role in the iconic company’s transformation.
Prior to joining U.S. Steel, Mrs. Folsom was the EVP and
General Counsel of ACADEMI, the company formerly known as
Blackwater, and instrumental in its turnaround. Previously,
Mrs. Folsom served as the Deputy General Counsel, Chief
Regulatory & Compliance Officer at AIG. She joined the
company after its material weakness determination and helped
to stabilize and restructure AIG during the financial crisis.
Other career highlights include: Counselor to the World Bank
President, and Director of its Department of Institutional
Integrity; Private Secretary to H.M Queen Noor, Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan; Special Assistant to Barbara Bush; Chief of
Staff to the Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee,
Maureen Reagan; and Advisor to the U.S. Delegation to the U.N.
World Women’s Conference. Mrs. Folsom is a frequent lecturer
and thought leadership contributor. She has been recognized
by numerous organizations for her efforts in the areas ofgovernance, compliance, cybersecurity and diversity.
Alexander Howard, Independent
Writer & Open Government Advocate
| @digiphile
Alexander B. Howard is an independent writer, digital
governance expert, and open government advocate based in
Washington, DC. Howard has been honored twice by The
Washingtonian Magazine as one of Washington’s “TechTitans,”
which recognized him as a “respected trend-spotter and
chronicler of government’s use of new media,” and one of
the world’s most influential people on digital government by
Apolitical.
In 2013, Howard founded e-pluribusunum.org, which
became widely read as a top blog on government information
technology, cited and respected in open government and press
freedom communities around the world, from the Office of
the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the National
Archives of the United Kingdom.
In 2016, Howard joined the Sunlight Foundation as a senior
analyst, where he led nonprofit’s federal transparency work,
inheriting a broad portfolio of issues that covered the gamut
of digital government, open government data, press freedom,
net neutrality, social media, identity and privacy.
Over the years, Howard has appeared on-air as an analyst for
All Things Considered, Marketplace, MSNBC, WHYY, WNYC’s On the
Media, WAMU, Federal News Radio, Al Jazeera English, and
America, Washington Post TV, WJLA and a guest on The KojoNnamdi Show, and has been quoted by the Washington Post, CNN,
New York Times, hundreds of print, broadcast, radio and
digital publications.
In 2016, Howard was the first senior editor for technology and
society at the Huffington Post. From 2013 and 2015, he was
a columnist at TechRepublic and a contributor to
TechPresident, among other fine publications.
Richard S. Levick, Esq., Chairman
& CEO, LEVICK | @richardlevick
Under his leadership, LEVICK has set new standards in global
communications and brand protection for corporations,
countries, and major institutions. Mr. Levick is one of the
communications industry’s most important spokespersons and
thought leaders.
A powerful advocate for the strategic initiatives that
companies must pursue in today’s perilous environment, he
regularly addresses corporate boards as well as industry and
government leaders around the world, providing guidance on
their most complex communications and reputation management
challenges. He is featured in, and authors, countless
articles, and is a frequent guest on prime time national and
international television programs.
Mr. Levick is a much-sought after keynote and graduation
speaker and is a columnist for the top business blogs
including Forbes.Mr. Levick has co-authored five books including, The
Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis; Stop the
Presses; The Crisis and Litigation PR Desk Reference; 365
Marketing Meditations; and Lessons for Absent Children.
Terry McAuliffe, Former Governor
of the Commonwealth of Virginia |
The Schar School of Policy &
Government | @TerryMcAuliffe
Distinguished Visiting Professor Terry McAuliffe brings a
lifetime of progressive political experience and successful
economic development to the Schar School of Policy and
Government classrooms.
As the 72 nd Governor of Virginia (2014-2028), McAuliffe (D)
made a record 35 trade missions around the world, creating
thousands of jobs and bringing in more than $20 billion in
capital investment in the Commonwealth. The unemployment rate
dropped from 5.4 percent to 3.6 percent, unemployment claims
dropped to a 44-year low and personal income rose 12.3
percent.
While McAuliffe improved Virginia’s competitiveness in the
global economy, he also focused on enhancing the quality of
life for the Commonwealth’s citizens, assuring that economic
opportunity in the diversified economy was a right, not a
privilege. McAuliffe protected women’s access to health care,
bolstered the public school system, protected the environment,
restored voting rights to 173,000 rehabilitated felons,
secured bipartisan support for legislation to reduce gun
violence and used his executive powers to secure consumercyber transactions.
McAuliffe entered national politics at age 23 as National
Finance Director for President Jimmy Carter. He co-chaired
President Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign for reelection and
Clinton’s 1997 Presidential Inauguration. In 2000, he was
chairman of the Democratic National Convention and from 2000
to 2005, he was the Democratic National Committee Chairman. He
was also Chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 Presidential
Campaign.
Stefan Passantino,
Partner, Practice Group Chair,
Government Relations, Political
Law & Public Policy, Michael Best
Former Deputy White House Counsel, Stefan is chair of Michael
Best’s Government Regulations & Public Policy practice where
he heads the Firm’s Political Law practice. Leveraging his
nearly 25 years of experience to serve clients, Stefan focuses
on representing corporations, interest groups, political
figures, and other entities with respect to state and federal
election law, ethics, campaign finance, pay-to-play, state and
federal lobbying laws, internal investigations, crisis
communications, Congressional oversight, and other issues.
Stefan joins Michael Best after serving as Deputy Assistant to
the President and Deputy Counsel where he headed the White
House Compliance and Ethics programs. He maintains offices in
Washington, D.C. and Atlanta.
In the 2015-2016 election cycle, Stefan helped form, and
served as counsel to, some of the largest and most influential
and innovative “SuperPACs” and 501(c)(4) advocacy groups inthe Presidential campaign, including the Trump Presidential Transition Team. Stefan was also asked to co-chair the Republican National Lawyers Association Ballot Access Project, which coordinated and disseminated guidance on Republican Party ballot access to counsel for all candidates for President. Some of Stefan’s clients have included major multi-national corporations, tax exempt advocacy groups, political parties, and politicians, including serving as national counsel to presidential candidate and former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, former Governor (and now Secretary) Rick Perry, several U.S. Senators and House Members, as well as other prominent political figures and advocacy groups. In addition, Stefan serves as General Counsel to corporate entities formed by former Speaker of the House Gingrich. Stefan has provided Congressional and Executive Branch ethics and lobbying training to Members of Congress, their staff, the Administration, and private corporations for over fifteen years. Most recently, Stefan was appointed Special Assistant to the Attorney General of Georgia Sam Olens to represent the interests of the State of Georgia in a litigation matter against the federal government. Stefan is a co-author of the Handbook on Corporate Political Activity: Emerging Corporate Governance Issues, an overview of the legal rules and standard practices related to corporate activity in the political arena. He is a regular contributor and commentator for CNN Radio, POLITICO, Bloomberg, The Hill, FOX News, Roll Call, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, and USA Today, among others. He is a Visiting Professor on campaign finance for Georgia State University College of Law and the University of Georgia. He is also a frequent speaker on political law issues at Emory University School of Law.
Stefan was recognized by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the
“Best Legal Minds in Washington” in the field of Campaign and
Election law, and has been recognized as one of the leading
political law attorneys nationwide by Chambers USA. Law &
Politics and Atlanta Magazine recognized Stefan on their
2008-2016 lists of Georgia Super Lawyers and on their 2005 and
2006 lists of Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Stars. Stefan was
recognized by James Magazine as one of “Georgia’s Most
Influential People.” The Georgia Supreme Court appointed
Stefan as a mentor in the Transition into Law Practice
Program of the State Bar of Georgia in January 2009.
Steven Pearlstein, Columnist, The
Washington Post| Professor,
George Mason University
| @StevePearlstein
Steven Pearlstein, a Pulitzer Prize-winning business and
economics columnist for the Washington Post, joined the Mason
faculty as Robinson Professor of Public and International
Affairs in the fall of 2011. At Mason, he has focused on
teaching economic principles to non-economic majors and
helping to launch the interdisciplinary Politics, Philosophy
and Economics concentration for majors in those departments.
He also offers seminars on narrative journalism, politics, and
wealth and poverty in the Honors College.
Professor Pearlstein’s route to university teaching has been
an unconventional one. After several years as a reporter for
small newspapers in New Hampshire, he moved to Washington to
serve as administrative assistant to members of the House and
Senate. He was a TV reporter for public television in Boston,You can also read
