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Donna Brazile and Chris Christie make a powerhouse duo taking stock of the current administration, party dynamics, the upcoming election, and the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.
Donna Brazile is one of the best known, most influential African-American women in modern American political life. She was named one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, D.C.,” by Washingtonian Magazine and one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in America” by Essence Magazine. Ms. Brazile is a frequent political commentator, the Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee, and most recently, she's taken a bold step to serve as a commentator on Fox News, a decision "rooted in the belief that you cannot make progress, let alone reach compromise, without first listening to, and understanding those who disagree with you on critical issues."
55th New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is currently a senior legal and political commentator for ABC News, and the managing member of the Christie Law Firm and Christie 55 Solutions. Governor Christie spent his two terms in office emphasizing the issues of fiscal responsibility, pension, health benefit reform, education reform, and the opioid crisis gripping his state and the nation. Lauded for his trademark charisma and candor, Governor Christie provides an in-depth understanding of what is happening in the nation’s capital and what it means for your industry, organization and employees.
Brazile and Christie both know the mindset and vision of their respective parties’ policies, and what we can expect from the campaign trail in the months to come. They bring their executive experience and engaging speaking styles to the stage, leaving audiences in-the-know.
Donna Brazile is one of the best known, most influential African-American women in modern American political life. She was named one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, D.C.,” by Washingtonian Magazine and one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in America” by Essence Magazine. Ms. Brazile is a Senior Advisor at Purple Strategies, New York Times bestselling author, Chair of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and sought-after Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning media contributor to such outlets as ABC News, USA Today and TheGrio.
She became the first African American woman to serve as the manager of a major party presidential campaign, running the campaign of former Vice President Al Gore. She previously served as interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee and of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute. She is a current member of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee.
She is author of the 2004 best-selling memoir Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics and the 2017 New York Times Bestseller Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump In The White House.
She serves as an adjunct professor in the Women and Gender Studies Department at Georgetown University and served as the King Endowed Chair in Public Policy at Howard University and as a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. She has lectured at nearly 250 colleges and universities on diversity, equity and inclusion; women in leadership; and restoring civility in American politics.
55th New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is currently a Senior Legal and Political Commentator for ABC News, the Managing Member of the Christie Law Firm and Christie 55 Solutions, LLC, and the author of The New York Times bestseller Let Me Finish, about his life and career in New Jersey and as a candidate for President. Previously, he served as Chairman of the Trump Presidential Transition Committee.
Governor Christie spent his two terms in office emphasizing the issues of fiscal responsibility, pension, health benefit reform, education reform, and the opioid crisis gripping his state and the nation. He also devised the state’s groundbreaking response to Super-storm Sandy, leading the rebuilding of the state’s housing, infrastructure and public schools, and setting a bi-partisan example for storm recovery.
Lauded for his trademark charisma and candor, Governor Christie provides an in-depth understanding of what is happening in the nation’s capital and what it means for your industry, organization and employees. He highlights that achievable solutions and unrelenting leadership will help move us forward and help solve the most pressing issues in Washington.
Donna Brazile is a veteran political strategist, Senior Advisor at Purple Strategies, New York Times bestselling author, Chair of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and sought-after Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning media contributor to such outlets as ABC News, USA Today and TheGrio.
She became the first African American woman to serve as the manager of a major party presidential campaign, running the campaign of former Vice President Al Gore. She previously served as interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee and of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute. She is a current member of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee.
She is author of the 2004 best-selling memoir Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics and the 2017 New York Times Bestseller Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump In The White House. She is a co-author of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics, which won the 2019 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction. Ms. Brazile is a contributor to the recently published 400 Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019.
She serves as an adjunct professor in the Women and Gender Studies Department at Georgetown University and served as the King Endowed Chair in Public Policy at Howard University and as a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. She has lectured at nearly 250 colleges and universities on diversity, equity and inclusion; women in leadership; and restoring civility in American politics.
She is the proud recipient of more than ten honorary doctorate degrees from major colleges and universities, including her alma mater Louisiana State University. In October 2017, Ms. Brazile was the recipient of the W.E.B Du Bois Medal, Harvard’s highest honor in African American studies. Ms. Brazile was the recipient of a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Program, Good Morning America (2016-2017) in connection with her work with ABC and she was a member of the Peabody Award-winning “Best Political Team on Television” on CNN during the 2008 election cycle.
She moonlights as an actress and is especially honored to have made three cameo appearances on CBS’s The Good Wife, and two cameo appearances on Netflix’s series House of Cards. She also appeared as herself on BET's Being Mary Jane. Most recently she played herself in the Zack Snyder film Army of the Dead. Ask her and she’ll tell you that acting, after all, is the key to success in politics.
Chris Christie was inaugurated as the 55th Governor of the State of New Jersey on January 19, 2010. He was re-elected with 60% of the vote in November of 2013 and served two terms as Governor. He left office in January of 2018.
During his time in office, Governor Christie emphasized the issues of budget reform, pension and health benefit reform, school choice and education reform and the opioid crisis gripping his state and the nation. His March 2017 law restricting opioid prescriptions led to a 26% reduction in those prescriptions in its first year. He also devised the state’s groundbreaking response to Superstorm Sandy, leading the rebuilding of the state’s housing, infrastructure and public schools and setting a bi-partisan example for storm recovery.
Governor Christie was a leader among his colleagues as Governor. He was elected Chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, leading the organization to a record fundraising effort and the election of 31 Republican Governors. He also was elected to the Executive Committee of the National Governors Association and served from 2010-2013.
In 2017, President Donald J. Trump appointed Governor Christie as Chairman of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Governor Christie led the Commission on a seven-month investigation of this issue, holding hearings around the country. The Commission issued a final report on November 1, 2017. The report contained more than 65 substantive recommendations, all of which were adopted by President Trump.
As Governor, he was also the lead plaintiff in challenging the federal prohibition on sports gambling. His six-year fight against the four major professional sports leagues and the NCAA concluded with a win before the U.S. Supreme Court in May of 2018, invalidating the law against legal sports gaming across the nation.
Prior to his service as Governor, he served as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from January 2002 to December 2008. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on December 7, 2001. His office brought 130 cases prosecuting political corruption at all levels of New Jersey government and never lost a case. He served as one of seventeen U.S. Attorneys on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee in Washington, DC.
He was in the private practice of law from 1987-2001 specializing in corporate law, securities matters and appellate advocacy. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.A. in Political Science in 1984. He was awarded a Juris Doctor degree by Seton Hall University School of Law in 1987. He is admitted to the Bar of the State of New Jersey, the U.S. District Court of New Jersey and the United States Supreme Court.
In 2019, he authored The New York Times best seller, Let Me Finish, about his life and career in New Jersey and as a candidate for President.
He is now a Senior Legal and Political Commentator for ABC News and the Managing Member of the Christie Law Firm and Christie 55 Solutions, LLC in Morristown, NJ.
Governor Christie also serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Mets, appointed by owner Steve Cohen, Pacira Pharmaceuticals in Parsippany, NJ, LifePoint Health in Nashville, TN, Saker Holdings in Middletown, NJ, and Maxim Crane in Bridgeville, PA. He also served from May 2018-May 2021 as Executive Chairman of Beach House Recovery Centers in Juno Beach, Florida, a BelHealth portfolio company.
Governor Christie married his wife Mary Pat in 1986. They have four children: Andrew, Sarah Anne, Patrick and Bridget. They currently reside in Mendham and Bay Head, New Jersey.
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