1 VITAL SPEECHES of the day 2019 EDITION THESE VITAL SPEECHES THE BEST OF THE 2019 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

37 DIVERSITY: “The Power of Singlemindedness,” written and GRAND AWARD delivered by Janet Stovall, Manager, Executive Communications, UPS 3 “Go Boldly,” by John La Rue for Meredith Segal, Co-Founder, African Development University 39 EDUCATION: “The Bystander Effect: Why Some People Act and Others Don’t,” by Soness Stevens for Kelly Charles-Collins, Lawyer

40 ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY/SUSTAINABILITY: “In Our Hands: CATEGORY WINNERS Let’s Launch a Satellite to Track a Threatening Greenhouse Gas,” by Amanda Holt for Fred Krupp, President, Environmental 5 AGRICULTURE: “That’s Very Wedgworth of You,” by Chris Moran Defense Fund for Jack Payne, Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Florida 42 HEALTHCARE: “The Hardesty Lecture: Patients I Will Never Forget” written and delivered by Norman E. Sharpless, M.D. and 6 ASSOCIATIONS: “Fulfilling the Promise of Telehealth,” by the NCI Office of Communications and Public Liaison Boe Workman for Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO, AARP 45 PHILOSOPHY/RELIGION: “Meaning,” written and delivered 10 BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES: “Families, Not Files,” by Jeffrey Flint by Raegan Weber, for J. David Motley, 2018 Chairman, Mortgage Bankers Association 47 PUBLIC POLICY: “The Mysterious Intersection of Media and Criminal Justice Policy,” by John Patterson for John J. Cullerton, 12 COMMERCE AND RETAIL: “How Distributors and Reps Can Build Illinois Senate President Trust and Work Better Together to Remain Relevant in Our Markets,” by Teresa Zumwald for Eddie Gibbs, Vice President, 50 TECHNOLOGY: “What Kind of Society Do We Want to Be?” Vendor Relations, Winsupply, Inc. by Jennifer Bowles for Alan Finkel, Chief Scientist of Australia

17 EDUCATORS: “Kent State Beyond the Shootings: Journey of the 52 ANALYST CALL/INVESTOR MEETING: “Lunch with the Wounded Healer,” by Tom Farmer for Beverly Warren, President, Chancellor,” by Amanda Todd for Rebecca Blank, Chancellor, Kent State University University of Wisconsin

23 ENERGY: “Changing in a Time of Change,” by Lech Mintowt-Czyz 56 COMMENCEMENT/CONVOCATION ADDRESS: “5 Lessons in Life,” for Ben van Beurden, CEO, Royal Dutch Shell written and delivered by Eydna Skaale, Rhetorician

25 GOVERNMENT: “Never Be a Bystander,” by Lieke Hagebeuk for 58 EMPLOYEE MEETING: “The Keys to Our Collective Success,” Hugo de Jonge, Deputy Prime Minister, the Netherlands by Teresa Zumwald for Richard W. Schwartz, Chairman of the Board, Winsupply, Inc. 26 MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION: “2018 State of Manufacturing Address,” by Mark Isaacson for Jay Timmons, 63 EULOGY/TRIBUTE SPEECH: “The Japanese Hell Ships,” by Leonoor President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers Russell for Admiral Rob Bauer, Chief of Defence, the Netherlands

29 MEDIA: “What Can a Women’s Magazine Teach Beltway 64 HEARING TESTIMONY: “Statement of Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., Insiders?” by Gary Forman for Susan Spencer, Editor-in-Chief, SHRM-SCP, before the California State Senate Joint Committee Woman’s Day on Rules Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response,” by Martha Frase for Johnny C. Taylor, President and 32 MILITARY: “Where Are the Leaders?” by Hal Gordon for CEO, Society for Human Resource Management Tom Stewart, Retired New York Investment Banker and Former Naval Attack Commander 67 MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH: “Work and Love and Suffering,” by Kate Devlin for Lucy Kalanithi, Clinical Assistant Professor of 34 CONTROVERSIAL OR HIGHLY POLITICIZED: “#MenToo: Breaking Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine the Silence of Male Trauma Survivors,” by Megan Pope for Debra Warner, Professor, Los Angeles Campus of the Chicago 68 STATE-OF-THE-INSTITUTION SPEECH: “That Is What a School of Professional Psychology 21st Century Public University Does,” by Alex D. Solis for Rodney K. Rogers, President, Bowling Green State University

SEE HONORABLE MENTIONS, INSIDE FRONT COVERCICERO 2019 HONORABLE MENTION “Architects, Your ‘Dare-to-Be-Great Moment’ Is Now!” by “Art + Science = Innovation,” by Judith A. Navoy for Jack Dougherty for Carl Elefante, President, American Institute Jeffrey W. Evenson, Senior Vice President and of Architects Chief Strategy Officer, Corning

“Health Funders’ Role in Building a Reflective Democracy,” “That’s You! Who We Are at UCF,” by Joe Adams for by Rosemary King for Nichole Maher, President and CEO, Elizabeth A. Dooley, Interim Provost, University of Northwest Health Foundation Central Florida

“Winning the Game of Faculty,” by Jennifer Bowles for “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize,” by Teresa Zumwald for Alan Finkel, Chief Scientist of Australia Jeff Walker, Father of the Groom

“Miscarriage: What Do You Say?” written and delivered by “Remembering T.K.,” by Jill Elish for John Thrasher, Soness Stevens, Associate Professor President, Florida State University

“Building a Culture of Health Using an Equity Lens,” by “What We Do, & Why,” written and delivered by Tanya Barrientos for Richard Besser, President and CEO, Howie Beigelman, Executive Director, Ohio Jewish Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Communities

“Rotterdam, a Two-Speed City,” by Lieke Hagebeuk for Hugo de Jonge, Deputy Prime Minister, the Netherlands 3 GRAND AWARD WINNER “Go Boldly”

By John La Rue for Meredith Segal, Co-Founder, Delivered at the University of Pennsylvania African Development University Graduate School of Education, Philadelphia, June 29, 2018

believe in going boldly. she was raised by nuns, and took the Students who do finish secondary I Picture yourself on an airplane, national secondary school exit exam school take national exams in July— on your way to a new country—a new two years early—at age 16, earning and get results back too late to apply continent—for the first time. On the outstanding scores. Passed the Associ- to universities that fall. So the class of monitor, you see the distance to your ate’s exam without the requisite course- 2018 often doesn’t enroll until fall of destination shrinking, and you don’t work. And for her education, that was 2019. If they go to the national univer- know how to feel. You don’t speak the pretty much it. sity, strikes and other disruptions mean language. You can’t imagine life in the I met a 27-year-old woman, Nana, a 3 year education usually takes 6. So second poorest country in the world. who spoke English that put my French this year’s high school grads get diplo- You don’t know how you’ll get home to shame. As Nana tells the story, she mas in 2024 or 2025, and proceed to from the airport. And you don’t know had failed out of the national univer- unpaid internships that can last years you’ve just lost half your luggage. sity medical program and dropped out before paying work results. In July a year ago, that was me. Just of an English program in Ghana. Her A young person in Niger would out of graduate school, on my way to life had gone from great promise to a have every reason to feel like they’re Niger to visit my friend Kad. I wrote a living hell—her words. She considered stuck spinning their wheels in a world little blog post on the plane, detailing suicide. She ultimately found a partner where they don’t quite speak the all my fears and expectations. and gave birth to three children over language. Where, no matter how zeal- The extent of my French vocab four years (the average woman in Niger ously they push that accelerator, they then was “Merci” and “Je t’aime.” has eight). And through her failures, get nowhere. Which is almost but not quite enough marriage, and motherhood, Nana To get my car free, it took a small to convey “missing purple suitcase.” clung to the dream of education. crowd of children who appreciated my My friend Kad also believes in going At the same time that kids like Yas- difficulty, understood the context, and boldly. Straight away he tossed me the mina and women like Nana have no with many hands pushed Kad’s car keys to his car and told me I’d learn opportunity for quality higher educa- clear of the sand. about Niger best by driving around. tion, employers in Niger are actively And to help Niger and its young And—despite the US State Depart- looking for smart, educated employees. people get that extra force multiplier to ment warnings of kidnappings and If you go around Niger and talk to free themselves from their difficulties as terrorism—I did. businesses, to government, to develop- they accelerate, it seemed to my friend I learned it’s a place with dirt roads ment agencies, you’ll hear again and Kad and I that the best thing we could clogged with cows. I learned a two- again about how they truly want to do would be to start a University. wheel drive car bogs down in sand, at hire local talent, but can’t find people Now, there were a few challenges night, when you’re driving by yourself. with basic skills and experience. involved in this plan. I learned that’s not very fun, when People who can independently write a First, we’d never done this before. We you can’t speak the language and can’t report. Send an email that conveys in- knew people would think we were crazy. forget those State Department warn- formation. Say hello with confidence. Why Niger? Why us? Why so fast? ings. And I learned that just pushing Ask questions. Present a professional Second, in Niger as in many places, the accelerator—no matter how hard CV. If someone says they know Excel, there’s corruption. We refused to pay or with how much hope—doesn’t get they often mean they learned about bribes. In the past ten years, no univer- you unstuck. the program with paper and pencil— sity had gotten its accreditation without Looking back, that moment feels not that they’ve used the program on paying a bribe. But a university with symbolic. Niger is full of smart, driven, a computer. the mission and mandate to teach eth- hard-working people pushing the accel- It seemed to us that the way educa- ics can’t start with bribery. erator. They happen to live in a place tion works in Niger makes it hard for And third, we had already met with without opportunity for higher educa- skilled workers to develop. The average enough ministries and enough people tion. It’s hard to move forward. child in Niger completes less than five to realize that Niger doesn’t attract In Niger, I met a brilliant girl named years of schooling. More than 80% of much investment. It’s what people call Yasmina. Orphaned as a small child, adults cannot read or write. a donor orphan country.

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Talking about founding a University a university. 41 undergrads, 31 graduate take a chance on an unknown place on would never work. We had to do it. We students, and around 100 professional the globe, to take a chance on a young had to go boldly. students, 20 executive students. Visit- institution, to take a chance on us? So we set out to found a univer- ing faculty from around the globe have What does scale mean to us? Sup- sity… in three months. come to teach our students— students pose we educate only one student, I landed in July. We decided to who are hungry to learn, overflowing the experience is exceptional, and the launch our university in August. In with questions, and prepared to grapple graduate is exceptional. But it’s one September we invited the US Ambas- with the problems these same professors student. Suppose we welcome 1,000 sador to our opening ceremonies and present to classes at Harvard. and we give 1,000 students access to set that date as October 16th. Each of our students has secured an education they would never otherwise We went boldly. We believed that internship in an international NGO, receive. But the resources are spread so if we produced something, however a top performing company, a govern- thin that no one becomes exceptional. imperfect, that would make people ment ministry—or an incubator to What is the growth trajectory that sus- believe us and lend their hearts and build his or her own startup. tains the A.D.U. culture we’ve built? their hands. This fall, we’ll grow to 100-some un- Perhaps these questions would have And it’s true. There is a contagion dergrads and a new crop of graduate been answered before opening had we of excitement that happens when and professional students. We hope we spent years researching and preparing. people see a project in motion. A whole will have support from new donors. I don’t know. world of amazing, generous people It’s now been a year since Kad and What I do know is that Yasmina came to help. I were sitting in your seats, just about enrolled at A.D.U. on a scholarship. Just like the children who pushed to graduate from our master’s pro- We set her up with a one-time job as my car out of the sand as I pushed on gram. Our university has been serving note-taker at a conference with Save the accelerator, many hands helped us students for eight months. the Children. They liked her so much, move forward. Professors contributed We aspire that the African Develop- she earned a six-month internship—a cases, time, their credibility, and whole ment University will become a world- six-month paid internship. courses on a USB drive. class university. The Harvard, the And Nana—the 28-year-old with We faced a mountain of decisions. Oxford University, the Ashesi Univer- three children? Nana gained just We needed a building, we needed teach- sity, The University of Pennsylvania enough confidence to come to our ers, we needed students. We needed of Francophone West Africa. I believe A.D.U Open House. When she went entrance standards, a curriculum, a that our course is the right one. home, she declared to her husband student handbook. We needed comput- But, even 5,000 miles from Niamey, that going back to school was no longer ers and projectors, paper and pencils. I cannot get out of my mind the defin- a question. She earned the full trust And we addressed many of these ing questions that Kad and I debate of her classmates, and faith in herself. needs in a similar way. We said yes every day. Nana was voted the president of the when help came along. We set dead- Just in the past few weeks, I’ve had student body. She applied to and won lines, and we always leaned toward at least a dozen people declare they a scholarship to this year’s Clinton action. Kad always says, “done is better want to come to Niger. An experienced Global Initiative University. So in a few than perfect.” As a perfectionist, I still coder and start-up leader from Spain. months, she will be the one on an air- cringe a bit, but I’ve come to embrace The head of Brandeis’s Negotiation plane—for the very first time—going this way of thinking. program. The CFO of Savannah to a new country and a new continent. For example, we needed a building— Petroleum. The CEO of AMBA, one And I will urge her—as I urge you: so we searched for two weeks, visiting of the “big three” global business school go boldly. many sites. We got our nine-person accrediting associations. So we have our Marketa, create that school of team together on Friday, held a debate next challenges: How do we organize experiential education that you came about the possible locations, and did not and manage all these people so our stu- here to build. John, embark upon your leave until we reached a decision. dents gain value and they have a great search for a way to reform surgical resi- The site we picked was shabby, to experience? How do we balance seizing dency, and make it happen. Cindy, lead say the least—so we gathered about opportunities and focusing efforts? a global school network that will bring 200 volunteers to clean it, paint it, We still don’t have the money to fin- affordable education to every child. furnish it, and adorn the walls with ish our building or to hire the custom- And each of you: Lean toward ac- inspirational words. ary cadre of full-time faculty. How tion. Get your plans in motion—and October 16th came. The U.S. long can we depend on the generosity inspire those many hands that together, Ambassador cut the ribbon. The lead of volunteers to donate resources and will change the world. story on national news said we opened time? How can we convince donors to

VSOTD.COM 5 WINNER: AGRICULTURE “That’s Very Wedgworth of You”

By Chris Moran for Jack Payne, Senior Vice President for Delivered to Class X of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Florida Orlando, Florida, July 26, 2018

ood evening, everyone, and con- for president of the blueberry asso- in which five of the last eight FNGLA Ggratulations to the graduates and ciation—just weeks after she’d given presidents are Wedgworth alumni. their families for completing a two- birth. Brittany tried to discourage him That includes the current president, year journey. from doing so. She told Ryan that she Will Womack, who was a member of We expected a lot from you in the was just a little occupied, with freeze Class IX and is here tonight. In his first Wedgworth Leadership Institute. After protection in her fields and caring for a president’s letter to the association, he tonight, all of us at IFAS—as well as newborn at home. mentions Wedgworth in the second the people who nominated you—ex- You know what Ryan said to that? paragraph and Hannah in the third. pect you to lead. He said, “Brittany, that’s not very My only question is, “What took you so One of the great lessons I hope you Wedgworth of you.” long to get to the point, Will?!” take away from Wedgworth, is that OK, so there’s a couple of ways of In all seriousness, I was glad to attend you don’t have to lead by yourself. looking at this. One is, “Ryan, man, we yet another convention where a Wedg- You won’t see be seeing Hannah and didn’t put you through this program so worth alum became president this year. your classmates as much anymore, but you could weaponize Wedgworth!” And who swore him in? Hannah. they’ll still be part of your lives. You’ve The other is, “Ryan, that is very They even delayed Will’s inaugura- just expanded your professional net- Wedgworth of you to call on Brittany tion until the last day of the conven- work and your circle of friends. to lead when maybe she thought the tion so Hannah could make it back I come to almost all these ceremo- time wasn’t right. The time is AL- from the Class X international trip nies because I can’t say enough times WAYS right for a leader to step up. So in time for the swearing-in. Hannah how important the graduates of the Ryan, thank you for inspiring Brittany went straight from Glasgow to Wedgworth Leadership Institute are to and for helping to lead what has been the convention hotel in Naples, a the future of Florida. one of Florida’s great agricultural suc- 20-hour trans-Atlantic journey. She This class didn’t even wait for the cess stories of the past 20 years. even had an IFAS associate vice future. You’re already reaching higher President Lee is here. Brittany, president bring her swearing-in than you were two years ago. it’s very Wedgworth of you to be with clothes so she wouldn’t look rumpled Let’s start with JC Deriso. In a us tonight. Thank you for coming, at the ceremony. couple of months, we may be calling thank you for responding to Ryan’s Will, I thank you, too, for coming, him “Commissioner Deriso.” He’s run- call, and thanks for being a leader in and for stepping up to be a leader. ning for the DeSoto County Commis- Florida agriculture. I think the story of Will and Han- sion. Not bad for a guy who launched How about Tom Mitchell? Last nah is a great example of the lengths a business career not even 20 years ago month I had the pleasure of attending people will go to be there for a fellow with his winnings from the county fair, the Florida Citrus Mutual conference Wedgworth alum. which he invested in a John Deere lawn at which Tom became president of You know, I recently featured mower and 500 business cards. the board. Again, not bad for a guy Wedgworth alum Laurie Hurner in my Ryan Atwood became vice presi- who moved to Florida less than a column in Citrus Industry Magazine. dent of the Florida Blueberry Growers decade ago. Now he’s in a position to Laurie showed inspiring leadership in Association during his time in Wedg- lead Florida’s iconic agricultural com- the wake of Hurricane Irma last year. worth. He could have been president, modity through one of the toughest Among the many things she did was but class IX graduate Brittany Lee beat times in its history. organize a laundry brigade to wash the him to it. Then there’s Tom’s new Wedg- utility crew’s clothes. So we’ve got the two recent Wedg- worth buddy, Martin Hackney. Martin She did this not because it was her worth grads in charge of the blueberry just became secretary/treasurer of job as an Extension agent, but because association. That happened in part be- the nation’s largest state nursery and it was a job that needed doing. Men cause of Wedgworth. You see, Brittany landscape association, what we call and women came from all over the as an alumna was one of the people FNGLA. And that means he’s in line to U.S. to restore power to South Florida, who nominated Ryan for Wedgworth. become its president in two years. That and you can imagine their clothes got a Ryan, in turn, nominated Brittany will continue Hannah’s winning streak bit sweaty and grimy.

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The problem was, the volunteer and to each other’s families. So I Would the families and friends washerwomen she organized were combed through the newsletters to see who’ve accompanied our graduates using their own money at the laun- if I could glean what it is that makes tonight please stand? Thank you for all dromat. Laurie needed to get them you such a tight-knit group. you’ve done to support our graduates. help. So what did she do? She called a I think I found it in the newsletter One final acknowledgement. Dr. fellow Wedgworth alum. The next day, that recapped seminar VIII: You’ve Eugene Trotter was the founding someone showed up at the laundromat seen each other square dance. I guess director of the Wedgworth Leader- with $200 worth of quarters, said, “I’m I’m glad I wasn’t there for that one! ship Institute. He passed away in 2004, from Wedgworth,” and then left. Boom! But, hey, you never know, maybe but his wife and daughter continue to Problem solved with a phone call. square dancing will become the new attend these graduations, and they are That’s the power of the network golf, the bonding time when deals and here with us tonight. you’ve graduated into. And that’s the re- decisions get made. And really, how Gale and Dottie, thank you for sponsibility you have to your classmates many more times in your life are you remaining a part of the Wedgworth and fellow alumni in the years to come. going to play the Newly Wed Game? family. I don’t get to see what Wedgworth Hannah, what’s with this curricu- Graduates, I’ll be looking for your looks like during the sessions. I just lum? names on association boards, in head- know that every time through, it seems Graduates, when you decided to lines, and on the ballot. One place I like Hannah has concocted an even commit to Wedgworth a couple of hope I’ll see it is on the attendee list at more powerful “Wedgworth special years ago, your family and friends did, future graduations and other reunions. sauce.” The testimonials get stronger too. So I just want to take a moment to Thank you in advance for all you’ll and stronger. acknowledge the sacrifices they made do that will make the rest of us say, Hannah tries to explain to me how by having you away so many times over “That’s very Wedgworth of you.” close you’ve become to each other— the past two years. Congratulations. WINNER: ASSOCIATIONS “Fulfilling the Promise of Telehealth”

By Boe Workman for Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO, AARP Delivered at the American Telemedicine Association Annual Conference, Chicago, May 1, 2018

ood morning everyone. I’m excit- We believe that consumers need to be lower costs, reduce risk of medical debt Ged to be here this morning to help front and center in the telehealth dis- and help us save. celebrate ATA’s 25 years of advanc- cussion and a full partner in designing • And, in terms of self—It can ing health care through telemedicine, the future of health care. improve how we live, give us more time and to represent AARP’s 38 million At AARP, we envision a future and ability to connect with others, and members as a consumer voice in this where all people will be able to fulfill help strengthen our relationships. increasingly important discussion. their real possibilities over the course We believe that people of all The world has changed a lot in of an ever-longer lifetime while liv- backgrounds should be able to count those 25 years, and advances in health ing healthier, more financially secure on community and social connections care have contributed greatly to those and fulfilling lives—what I like to call when they want them and a safety net changes. But as we meet here to learn, health, wealth and self. when they need it. And, we seek to re- connect and discover new ways to We believe that telehealth is duce disparities in quality of life, health empower patients and improve their poised to lead a change, not only in span and life span. lives, we’re only beginning to scratch how we think about aging, but also in For health, this means: the surface in realizing telehealth’s in- sparking new solutions to help us all • Preparing people to live longer, creasingly important role in the future age better. healthier lives, of health care. For example: • Providing them with the knowl- AARP’s social mission—our pur- • With regard to health—As we live edge and tools necessary to help them pose—is to empower people to choose longer, telehealth can challenge the do that, and how they live as they age. norms and improve how we take care • Creating an emerging market of That’s why AARP was one of the of ourselves and our loved ones. health innovations that supports their first consumer groups to join ATA. • In terms of wealth—It can bring efforts to lead longer, healthier lives.

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As a result, they will have access represent 30% or more of the popula- our institutions, our social structure and to healthcare at any age at an afford- tion. By 2050, 31 countries—including our infrastructure to make that possible? able price. And, we will all be better China—will reach that milestone. Many of these—as well as many of equipped to care for each other as we Think of it another way: Picture a the products and services that sup- age—both goals we share with ATA. 10-year-old child—maybe it’s your son port us as we age—were designed Making this vision a reality requires or daughter, or a grandchild, a sibling, for a 20th century lifestyle and don’t some radical changes. It demands that a niece or a nephew, or a neighbor— adequately support the way we live we disrupt aging. It demands that we that 10-year-old today has a 50 percent today, nor do they reflect the advances embrace a new vision of health that chance of living to 104. And the older in technology that allow us to live bet- emphasizes well-being. And, it de- he or she gets, the odds continue to rise. ter as we grow older. mands that we change the rules that In less than two years, people 65 govern the use of new and emerging and over will outnumber children 5 Health health care practices and technolo- and under. And some have speculated gies—including telemedicine. that the first person ever to live to 150 This has huge implications for the So, let me begin by stating the obvi- is alive today. future of health. We have made a lot ous: The world is aging. The question for us is what do we of progress with regard to health and Usually when we think of the re- need to do as individuals and societies, health care. ally big or “macro” issues that affect not only to adapt to that new reality, But as we think about millions of our world—like “climate change”, for but also to help shape it? people living longer lives, it’s clear that example—a lot of the debate centers We have to create a new mindset we simply cannot continue doing the around whether it really exists, or around aging—a new way of thinking same things we’ve been doing with about how it is defined, or how various about possible solutions. We have to regard to health. We have to embrace people believe it will or will not impact disrupt aging. a new vision of health that emphasizes the world. But “population aging” is We need to change the conversation well-being. different. There are no aging “de- in this country about what it means to We need an integrated approach niers,” or even skeptics. grow older. The way people are aging involving collaboration from all sectors In a world where consensus on any is changing, but many of our attitudes of society—not just those in the health issue is increasingly rare, there exists and stereotypes about aging are not. care system—and especially those in sweeping consensus on the simple, but We need to challenge those old ste- the technology sector. powerful truth that the world is ag- reotypes and attitudes and spark new We are coming to realize that our ing—fast and just about everywhere. solutions so more people can choose health has more to do with the choices Our ability to live longer, healthier, how they live as they age. we make each day in how we live our more productive lives is one of man- Let me show you what I mean. lives than it does from an occasional kind’s greatest accomplishments. We’ve [Video—What is Old?] visit to the doctor’s office. added more years to average life expec- Disrupting aging is not only about We’re discovering that it’s increas- tancy since 1900 than in all of human changing the conversation; it’s also ingly possible to improve health in later history up to that time—combined. about changing the reality of aging— years. We now know that changes in Consider these facts: how we perceive, what we believe and lifestyle and medical advances can in- • Here in the U.S., 10,000 people a how we behave…as individuals, as crease our healthy lifespan and shrink day are turning 65—a trend that will institutions and collectively as a society. the number of years spent with a dis- continue for the next 12 years. And, let me be clear: Disrupt Aging ability. In fact, a healthy lifestyle adds • Over the next two decades, the is not really about aging—it’s about an average of 6.5 disability-free years number of people age 65 and older living. It’s not just about adding years after age 65. will nearly double to more than 72 to the end of life. It’s about creating a Healthcare is happening at home. million—or 1 in 5 Americans. And plan for a 100-year life. Ninety percent of people 65 and over most 65-year-olds today will live into This has implications for all aspects want to age in place. And, technology their 90s. of our lives. Think of it this way, if you is allowing more people to do that. • The fastest growing age group is knew you were going to live well into • Mobile health adoption has in- people 85+; the second fastest is people your 90s or 100, what would you do creased two-fold in the last two years. 100+—and the majority of them are differently? • Use of social media among people women. Now think about it from the broader 65 and over has tripled since 2010. And this isn’t happening just in the societal view. If we as a society knew • 83% of people say they are willing US. that huge numbers of our population to share their health data. Today, Japan is the only country in would live that long, what would we • Telehealth is huge now—and will the world where those aged 60 and over need to do to adapt our public policies, continue to grow.

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But we need to do more. Instead ary this year, Prime Minister Theresa The third area where telehealth of just treating ailments, we need to May appointed a Minister of Loneli- can have a real impact is in addressing focus more on preventing disease and ness to measure it, determine its impact disparities that exist throughout the improving well-being. and develop a strategy to address it. healthcare system. Instead of just focusing on the And, CareMore, in California, Telehealth makes it possible for medical and physical aspects of health, became the first healthcare provider people in rural or underserved areas we need to also focus on the social group in the US to hire a “Chief To- to see providers or specialists who are determinants of health—things like getherness Officer” to directly address far away. loneliness and social isolation, helping loneliness and its impact on health. And, it can help address language people realize a sense of purpose, and We believe that telehealth holds and cultural barriers by giving people helping them develop a more positive, great promise in helping to combat access to doctors or other providers optimistic outlook on aging. loneliness and social isolation. In fact, who speak their language. We need to enable them to become our research indicates that people 50 empowered users of the healthcare sys- and over view “connectedness” as the Fulfilling the Promise of tem—not dependent patients. And we primary benefit of telehealth. Telehealth need to ensure that they have depend- The second area where we see able access to quality care throughout telehealth having a tremendous impact So, what do we have to do to fulfill their lives. is caregiving. the promise that telehealth holds That is the promise of telehealth. It It may surprise you to know that, for the future of healthcare as our can help us achieve all of these goals. in many cases, people will spend more population ages? • It’s convenient and saves time. time—and resources—caring for their First, we have to change the rules. I • It offers easier and greater access aging parents than they did raising said earlier, that as we disrupt aging, we to healthcare regardless of where you their own children. also need to adapt our public policies live. This has serious implications for to support and make longer lives pos- • And, it helps people connect, caregiving. We know that at some sible. Nowhere is this more important not just to health care providers, point in our lives, most of us are than in telehealth. but to others with similar conditions either going to be a caregiver or need We need to change outdated laws and to family and caregivers—espe- a caregiver. While anyone at any age that are barriers to delivering tele- cially those who may live in a different can require caregiving, the vast num- health. Most of the rules and regula- part of the country who can be linked ber of people needing care will be in tions that govern telehealth are set by into a doctor’s appointment with a these older age groups. the states. loved one. Family caregivers face unprecedented In 2014, we joined with ATA and There are three areas where I think demands. And those demands continue others to work on a telehealth task telehealth can have a tremendous im- to grow. Our research shows that family force—the Partnership Project on pact on people as they age while show- members do 90 percent of caregiving, Telehealth—organized by the National ing us what is possible in the delivery and nearly half perform tasks that were Conference of State Legislators. Its of healthcare. once limited to trained nurses. focus was on breaking down barriers. The first is social isolation and And, as the oldest segment of the Since that initial meeting, AARP loneliness. population increases rapidly in the has been working in states across the • Loneliness is the “new smoking.” It coming decades, the ratio of family country to change rules in order to give is the equivalent to smoking 15 ciga- caregivers to those needing help will patients more access to providers, make rettes per day—and shaves 8 years off decline dramatically—placing even it easier for providers to get paid for of life expectancy. greater demands on fewer family care- telehealth services and, make it easier • Loneliness has the largest negative givers and creating an urgent need to to provide information and monitoring. effect on quality of life and is the single support them with training, respite and We’ve also been advocating in states largest predictor of dissatisfaction with workplace flexibility. to broaden the definition of telehealth. healthcare. But both caregivers and those need- In Colorado, for example, we worked • Mortality risk for loneliness is ing care should view telehealth as a to pass a bill that creates a new defini- greater than obesity. way to help make caregiving easier and tion of telehealth that expands the op- • Social isolation among older adults more flexible. portunities for patients and their loved is associated with an estimated $6.7 It can make it easier for those need- ones to utilize telehealth at home. billion in additional Medicare spending ing care to live independently in their In Iowa, we successfully advocated annually. homes— and for those providing care to for a telehealth parity law that now Social isolation has become such a access important medical information provides telehealth for Medicaid en- problem in Great Britain, that in Janu- about the person they care for. rollees as well as for those covered by

VSOTD.COM 9 private insurance and state employee Our latest research on technology ing, and it sent the right signals that this health plans. adoption among people 50 and over will improve care, not replace it. In Indiana, we helped to pass a bill shows a lot of promise—it’s now preva- that prohibits any distance restrictions lent across all 50+ age cohorts. Seventy Conclusion for telehealth and telemedicine services percent own a smartphone—and are under Medicaid and adds podiatrists on social media. There are still some is- We’re at a unique time in our history to the definition of prescribers for tele- sues around trust and privacy, but signs when our increased longevity is con- medicine services. are promising overall. verging with unprecedented innova- In Utah, we supported legislation Text messaging is gaining in tions in biomedical research, genomics, that requires private insurers to cover popularity. And while only a fraction health and technology to disrupt aging tele-psychiatric consultations between of people over 50 use technology to in ways previously unimaginable—em- providers, ensuring greater access to manage their health or communicate powering us to choose how we want to mental health services for the people with providers, most have positive live and age. of Utah. reactions toward using communica- Our world is changing constantly And recently in New York, we tion technology to provide care. Not and at an increasingly rapid pace. The worked to expand Medicaid-covered surprisingly, interest is higher among future of aging will be very different. telehealth services to home settings, caregivers and those who are more Living to 100 is a real possibility, espe- making a person’s home an allowable tech savvy. cially for younger generations. originating site. So, what holds people back? In 2030—less than 12 years from At the federal level, we’re also People simply don’t understand now—the first Millennials will start actively supporting the Chronic Care the possible applications or how it can turning 50. And the first GenXers will Act, which we believe will take some benefit them in their everyday lives. So, turn 65. At the end of 2030, the first important steps to improve care for the educating people is critical to fulfilling Boomers will begin turning 85, swell- millions of Medicare beneficiaries with the promise of telehealth. ing the ranks of what is already our chronic conditions. And this leads to the third thing country’s fastest growing age group. One of those steps is expanding the we have to do to achieve telehealth’s That’s three distinct generations use of telehealth in Medicare Advan- promise—change the language. reaching milestones in their adult lives. tage plans and Accountable Care Orga- Our research shows that the lan- The same trend will occur in varied nizations. It expands telehealth coverage guage we use to talk about telehealth ways around the world. to include a wide array of services such matters a lot in shaping people’s at- But it’s not just about living longer, as checking on a patient’s blood pressure titudes toward it and their willingness it’s about living better. It’s about creat- or changing a medication dose. to use it. ing a future in which people will be By delivering efficient, effective One of people’s biggest fears re- able to fulfill their real possibilities over in-home care to those with chronic garding telehealth is that it will be used the course of an ever-longer lifetime conditions, we will help to improve out- to replace the way we currently receive while living healthier, more financially comes and reduce costs—especially for care instead of enhancing it. secure and fulfilling lives. the more than two-thirds of Medicare It’s important for consumers to see beneficiaries who live with multiple telehealth as part of the healthcare • If we disrupt aging and challenge chronic conditions such as heart dis- system—another tool to help them get outdated beliefs and stereotypes about ease, cancer, diabetes and stroke. the care they need—not a mandatory growing older; Being able to access telehealth replacement for seeing a doctor in • If we embrace a new vision of technologies can reduce the number person. And the terms we use can help health that emphasizes well-being; and of times a patient goes to the doctor’s get that point across. • If we change the rules that govern office. And for an older person with The terms “telemedicine,” “tele- the use of new and emerging health- mobility issues, this is a huge benefit. health” and “digital health care” don’t care practices and technologies; In addition to changing the rules send the right message to consumers. …Then telehealth will help us cre- around telehealth, we also have to The most favorable term that ate that future. change the outdated perception of emerged from our research is “connect- older people as technophobes. ed care.” It was seen as the most appeal- Thank you.

CICERO 2019 10 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS WINNER: BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES “Families, Not Files”

By Raegan Weber, for J. David Motley, 2018 Chairman, Delivered at the National Mortgage Servicing Conference Mortgage Bankers Association and Expo 2018, Grapevine, Texas, Feb. 7, 2018

t’s my pleasure and honor to be with The Sanchez family fell on hard agencies on board following the same Iyou today serving as MBA’s 2018 times due to illness and the resulting standards. Chairman, representing both Colonial loss of income. As with many in these Take for example the uncertainty Savings and the servicing industry. situations, house payments fell behind. that still exists around FHA loan-level You know, sometimes servicing gets In order to avoid foreclosure, the fam- certifications and DOJ enforcement painted with such a negative image. ily worked hard to sell their home. standards under the False Claims Act. We’re the paper pushers… They found a buyer and got all Though these have been used primar- The check collectors... the way to the closing table, only to ily to bring cases for origination issues, The ones who follow through on find what they believed was outstand- the risk is similar for FHA servicers delinquencies and, occasionally, unfor- ing late fees, and previous tax ad- who submit these certifications or tunately, foreclosures. vances that would prevent the sale of claims for defaulted loans. All we care about is getting our their home. HUD Secretary Carson committed check on time– which couldn’t be fur- They asked Colonial to step in. We to addressing this issue at MBA’s An- ther from the truth! quickly worked with the settlement nual Convention and we are continu- And, from the policymaker perspec- agent, the realtor, and the borrower, ally following up with HUD in hopes tive, they are perhaps understandably walking them through the paperwork, that progress will be made in the near skeptical and cautious as the result of helping them understand that the fees future. Ideally, we can reach a point a few bad actors that gave the entire were already accounted for and they where lenders and servicers will only servicing industry a black eye. should be good to close (after we for- be liable for material errors that would And the fact is, even within my own gave a small debt). have altered the decision to approve company, too often, we have talked Our team at Colonial was available the loan for FHA insurance, and good- about A FILE having this or that even at the last minute to quickly miti- faith mistakes will not result in draco- problem, sometimes forgetting the fact gate the situation and help the sale to nian punishments. that every file is really a family trying to close, relieving a great burden for the By determining loan defects through improve their situation. Sanchez family. terms of insurability, FHA would I really don’t think that is WHO While this may seem like a small provide greater certainty and clarity we are. Either as a company or as an thing to you and me, it wasn’t to the regarding the types of errors that can industry. Sanchezes. But this is the sort of thing expose lenders to False Claims Act risk. The fact is, we care about our cus- servicers do every day. Limiting this risk, along with reforms tomers and their homes. The best part Because these are families, not files. to lower the cost of servicing FHA of my job is being part of a team that Luckily, in this situation, we had the loans, would encourage more robust helps people get a home of their own. ability and flexibility to quickly resolve participation in the FHA program. What often goes unsaid is the impor- the problems without any regulatory Servicers also need a cohesive tance of helping those people stay in hurdles. But that isn’t always the case. framework in which to provide loss mit- their home if something unfortunate As we work with policymakers to igation and alignment across investors happens. Otherwise, what’s the point address the legislative and regulatory and guarantors. We know what works of helping them buy that home in the burdens that prevent us from providing in default servicing and should align first place? the service we want to give, we should towards those standards. Such changes Which is why, at Colonial, we have always keep our families in mind. would provide equitable outcomes coined a motto—”Families, not files.” We continue seeking clarity in the that don’t vary based on the particular Because we are supposed to be a rules with written and reliable guidance government insurer or guarantor; such source of information, expertise, and all servicers can follow, and all consum- changes would reduce consumer confu- help. ers can understand. sion about available options and would It’s not a file that needs help to avoid We need servicing alignment across provide servicers with a single playbook foreclosure…it’s a family. all investors and guarantors—HUD/ they need to follow. Let me take a moment to tell you FHA, VA, DOJ, USDA, and even the With this in mind, an MBA Task about the Sanchez family. GSEs. We need all federal government Force comprised of over 35 members

VSOTD.COM 11 from 20 companies convened to draw And, we are doing all we can to as- Whenever we recruit to fill existing upon the experiences of the financial sist them. or new positions, we seek out social crisis and HAMP—to formulate uni- As if hurricane destruction wasn’t media, publications, and schools that versal principles that should be applied enough, another natural disaster struck are known to be active in multi-cultur- to a future loss mitigation program. families in California. Wildfires are still al communities. After much deliberation, the task burning and are noted as some of the These types of initiatives can be ap- force developed the One Mod Wa- worst in California’s history. More than plied to every business. terfall Proposal. It incorporates four 1.2 million acres have burned. And here are just a couple of the themes that drive successful loss The North Bay fires resulted in $9 things that MBA is doing to help you mitigation—accessibility, affordability, billion in claimed losses, according to on this front. sustainability, and transparency. the California Department of Insur- MBA is providing more education Life after HAMP shouldn’t be a ance. Across the state, more than 5,700 on, and access to, services, tools, and guessing game. residential properties were listed as to- other resources to help its member com- A unified framework, like the tal losses, while over 15,000 residential panies advance their diversity efforts. One-Mod proposal, offers clarity and properties were listed as partial losses. MBA is aggressively promoting predictability to both servicers and Servicers with customers in disaster- jobs and careers in mortgage banking consumers. impacted areas are working round the through Mortgage Banking Bound and But, then there are the extraordi- clock to provide families what they need virtual career fairs to attract new, more nary, unexpected tragedies that have to rebuild their homes and their lives. diverse populations to our industry. catastrophic impacts on people’s homes This is one of the hardest jobs for We have created our mPact and and lives. servicers and some of the most difficult mPower programs to provide a plat- Because it’s not a file that lost their times for families. form for bringing young people and home in a hurricane or wildfire…it’s a We take each situation very person- women into our business and giving family. ally because there is nothing more them a network that will help them And MBA and our members get personal to someone than their home. prosper and advance. it…it’s a family. And because these are families, By taking advantage of MBA’s Immediately at the onset of the not files. diversity resources and incorporating hurricanes and flooding in Texas, Working with families also takes an simple, strategic diversity initiatives Florida, the Southeast, and Puerto Rico, understanding of who they are, their within our businesses, we can better MBA deployed consumer and industry lifestyles, and their housing needs. serve the families who depend on us resources on its website to help families And in this area, our industry can for their homes. impacted by the devastating hurricanes. always do better. Folks, this is the future. Basics like a checklist, along with tips And to do better, we must embrace Companies that don’t embrace for consumers on who to call, and links diversity within our own organizations diversity and inclusion are going to be to disaster resources such as FEMA. and in every sector of our industry. left in the dust. These industry resources are a one- We need an industry that better It’s just that simple. stop shop for all mortgage investor, reflects its customers. As we work with leadership in insurer and guarantor guidance related We all know and believe in the case Washington, DC, to improve the ser- to disaster responsiveness. Because for diversity. Now let’s do something vicing atmosphere, we must keep the when we’re prepared, we can help our about it. families we serve at the forefront of customers that much better. At Colonial, we created our own Di- our conversations. Many of us needed this guidance. versity and Inclusion Committee led by We are closer to consumers than Colonial alone serviced about 9,000 a cross-section of people from all over anyone and because of this, we have a families who were impacted by hur- the company—new employees and vet- unique perspective to advocate for the ricane Harvey and over 5,000 families erans; Senior VPs and clerical folks; and policies that affect our industry and who were impacted by Irma. minorities representing people of differ- impact consumers. We provided resources and informa- ent races, lifestyles, and backgrounds. With the economy going strong and tion straight from our website for the Managers meet with their teams mortgage defaults low, now is a perfect families in need of help regarding their regularly to talk about our shortcom- time to evaluate the servicing business, weather damaged homes. ings and our successes from a diversity seek out opportunities for improve- Today, many families remain stuck and inclusion perspective. ment, and work with policymakers to somewhere between FEMA assis- We encourage our folks to speak out make it happen. tance and Hazard or Flood insurance on ways to knock down barriers and We have an opportunity with a payments; proceeds that they need to develop better ways to attract diverse more business-friendly administration rebuild their homes. talent and customers. and Congress to make great changes.

CICERO 2019 12 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

Last year at this conference, I talked which we need to be working with succeeded in getting an exclusion for about the Basel III Accord’s puni- regulators if we are to restore balance mortgage servicing contracts in the tive treatment of Mortgage Servicing to the housing market; final Senate bill and conference report. Rights, and how the rule was bad for Some of them are directly servicing That’s the power of MAA and that’s the entire industry. related, while others could have ripple the power we have when we act as one. Largely, as the result of the efforts effects across the entire real estate 9,000 letters in less than a DAY is an of MBA and its members, the three finance industry. impressive number, but every skirmish prudential regulators gave us a “pause” And here is where you come into is different—and next time we may in the BASEL implementation timeline the picture. need ten times that amount! last fall. They subsequently proposed To be successful, we need you advo- There are 250,000 people employed “a simplification” of the capital treat- cating WITH us. in the mortgage finance industry. We ment that would raise the cap on AND we can start right here at this need them ALL to be MAA members. MSAs from 10% to 25%. conference. As evidenced by this recent call to This was a huge success story. First, if you’re not already a mem- action, the MAA is fast. But, we won’t back down. ber of the Mortgage Action Alliance, It is FREE. We look forward to the finaliza- you should be. It’s free and it is MBA’s And it is EFFECTIVE! tion of a “simplified” rule that would primary mechanism for effecting To learn more, I’d like to invite you “loosen the noose” of punitive capital change quickly. to join me this evening for the MAA/ standards that the original rule imposed. When the GOP tax plan passed the MORPAC reception at 6 PM. To be Meanwhile, some think now would Senate Finance Committee, the bill honest, this crowd has not been as be a good time to address servicer com- contained a provision that would have actively engaged in advocacy as some pensation or “fee for service”. I suggest required lenders who retain servic- of our other industry niches. we be very cautious here. There is a lot ing to pay tax on their MSRs at the So please stop by tonight and we to consider. time the Mortgage Servicing Asset is will discuss how you can help us con- What is the right amount of servic- created, not as the income is received tinue to influence and educate law- ing fee? under current law. makers to move our initiatives forward Do you set the amount now and This change in tax accounting for and help our industry better serve our have it adjust with some index? mortgage servicing rights would have customers. How do you estimate what future had a devastating impact on the flow We need you to lend your voice to costs there might be? of capital that supports a robust and our efforts. This a very complicated topic and competitive real estate finance market. Bring your expertise, relationships, one for which we need to be very It could have put a lot of us servicers and experiences to the table. thoughtful and deliberate after having out of business! Everything we do touches PEOPLE’s received a lot of input from the entire MBA jumped into action, and in lives. industry-originators, servicers, guaran- addition to a surgical direct lobby- What we do and how we serve our tors, and investors. ing effort, we activated the Mortgage customers matters. Here’s the bottom line… Action Alliance. We generated more Because it’s about families, not files. There are a number of issues on than 9,000 letters to Capitol Hill—and Thank you. WINNER: COMMERCE AND RETAIL “How Distributors and Reps Can Build Trust and Work Better Together to Remain Relevant in Our Markets”

By Teresa Zumwald for Eddie Gibbs, Delivered at the Association of Independent Manufacturers’/ Vice President, Vendor Relations, Winsupply, Inc. Representatives, Inc. 46th Annual Conference, Napa, California, Sept. 13, 2018

here’s no doubt in my mind that of the U.S. population within hours.” NAW SmartBrief—which reads: “Sales Tyou’ve seen these headlines: • “Franklin Electric—a leading move online, jeopardizing field reps.” • “Ferguson buys master distributor manufacturer of pumps and motors— The Bloomberg article that follows is Jones Stephens.” buys four distributors with 70 locations titled, “Death of the Salesman: Hu- • “Home Depot will spend 1.2 billion nationwide.” mans lose as computers close deals.” dollars to open more than 100 distribu- And probably the most chilling Meanwhile, Amazon keeps expand- tion locations that can reach 90 percent headline of all—from this past Friday’s ing into wholesale distribution. They’re

VSOTD.COM 13 supported by our national vendors— Our roles are shifting. their operation, with Winsupply Inc. as and often by distributors themselves. So there are many unanswered ques- the majority owner. More mechanical contractors are tions. And quite frankly, a bit of fear. All 600 of these presidents are planning to use digital commerce to Here’s something else that’s changed: entrepreneurs free to decide how to buy more products day-to-day. Winsupply came to realize that “we make their own company succeed. And And more vendors are promoting an loved reps”—and recognized that they since they’re local owners, they’re very omni-channel experience. That could are more of a key to our success than driven to make their local company mean reaching around distributors and we’d previously been willing to admit. highly profitable. reps to sell direct to the end user. We realized that if distributors and Local companies get the benefit of Threats like these are much worse reps are to survive and thrive in the fu- Winsupply’s support services working than the perceived threat all of us ture, we need to figure out ways to add with my team in Vendor Relations. faced in the early 1990s, with the more value. That way, we can remain We’re the organization’s liaison rise of the Big Box stores. Back then, relevant in our markets. with our preferred and large vendors, some people said the Big Boxes would A major contributing factor of buying groups, trade associations—and destroy the traditional wholesaler! And HOW this might be done is a discovery now rep agencies like yours. yet, somehow our industry survived that Winsupply made gradually, start- We negotiate preferred vendor pro- and prospered. ing around four years ago. This morn- grams, and deal with a vendor’s distri- Here’s the truth: Vendors want to ing, I’d like to talk to you about it—and bution policies and access to their lines. sell whatever they make, however they give you some food for thought about We also negotiate baselines for pricing, can—which is not a knock on vendors; how the working relationship between buy-in requirements to distribute a new it’s just reality. And today, vendors distributors and reps needs to change if line, and things like conversion, return have more sales channels than they’ve both of us want to secure our future in and co-op programs. had in the past—well beyond the this industry. We do not, however, negotiate local traditional channel that relies on us: prices. distributors and reps. *** We also monitor market trends and This was confirmed in a recent legislative issues facing our local com- study by NAED, which also identified Winsupply’s journey toward this panies and the industries they serve the “Great Disconnect” between ven- important discovery began back in such as No Lead … Tariffs … and per- dors and their distributors. March 2014. haps the greatest example of govern- Dirk Beveridge led this study. Many At the time, we were gearing up for ment overreach in our lifetimes—the of you know him from his work with our very first Rep Council: A two-hour California Prop 65 legislation. NAW and ASA. meeting with a group of about 20 reps Everything we do at Winsupply and The results of Dirk’s study showed from the leading agencies Winsupply Vendor Relations is designed to benefit that both vendors and distributors feel does business with. our local companies at the local level. like they’re being abused by a 9-to-1 We had one purpose for this Rep We wanted to explain all this to the ratio. Distributors complained about Council: To give our reps a better reps at our first Rep Council in Texas, “too many distributors and channels.” understanding of Winsupply and how which we did. And believe me—it was And vendors complained about “dis- we do business. eye-opening! tributors wanting more of our margin, We have a very unique business Yes, we accomplished our agenda: while offering little in increased benefits model—unlike other distributors These 20 reps had a better idea of our and value.” in our industry—so we were often unique business model and how our All of this has an effect on you, as misunderstood in our markets. We local company presidents operated at reps. Because it may put you on op- wanted to clear up what I called the local level. posite ends of the spectrum with your “urban myths and legends” about our But we heard two comments that customers and your vendors. organization. forever changed our thinking about And what about contractors that If you don’t know Winsupply, we’re how we needed to work with our reps. are consolidating across the country? It a collection of 600 local companies in First, we heard from Bill Freeman of means more centralized purchasing— 45 states operating in the plumbing, the Spirit Group, Supply House Times or at the very least, more centralized HVAC, electrical, industrial, water- Rep of the Year in 2013. He pointed decision making—and less business for works and fire industries. out that local Winsupply companies are some of us. Each local company is run by a small businesses—just like all the reps Make no mistake: Our industry is president at the local level—a deci- in this room—with a local owner under rapidly changing! And distributors sion maker. It’s unique, because each every roof. “So we’re just like you!” Bill and reps are feeling the brunt of these local company president and their key said. “We have skin in the game just changes. employees can own up to 40 percent of like your local company presidents.”

CICERO 2019 14 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

And he was right. that trust issues had piled up over This Rep Council told us: “You But for some reason, we’d never the years. need to share this message with more connected those dots before. Both of us were guilty of not be- reps like us—and you need to share Second, we heard from Mike Smith ing completely transparent with each it faster.” from Mega Western Sales. He was other. Both of us had violated each We took their advice to heart and frustrated that his vendors had never other’s trust at one time or another. decided to do a road show so we could talked to him about Winsupply and And as a result, both of us had some- take our message nationwide, just as how we work when he said, “Who was times been burned. our reps suggested. supposed to tell us all this stuff?” Frankly, some of us at Winsupply’s We may have been talking with Mike’s comment was a surprise to parent company and many of our local our vendors regularly—but we clearly us, too. companies viewed reps as a “necessary needed a better model for communi- We figured everything we were evil.” And I have no doubt that some cating with our reps. sharing with our key vendors and their of our reps felt the same way about Remember what we learned back National Account Managers was being some of our local companies. in 2015 about the high turnover in the passed on to you, the reps, since you This was no way to view a potential executive ranks of our vendors? are their sales force. But that wasn’t partner if our goal was to work better I can’t tell you how many times I’d happening. So there was this huge dis- together! get a call from a rep and asked him connect resulting in a huge breakdown So there were lots of hurdles and what he was up to, only to get this in communication. barriers to overcome. reply: “Eddie, I’m training another VP (A year later, in 2015, we got a clue We had to get rid of all this old bag- of Sales from XYZ Manufacturing, why this may be happening. As we gage. So we decided the next thing we giving him (or her) the tour of our ter- were preparing the invitations for our had to do was keep our Rep Council ritory so they get a feel for what we do, second Vendor Summit, we learned going so we could keep the conversa- and how we do it.” about the fairly high turnover in the tions going. As you well know, this kind of turn- executive ranks of our vendors. It’s 6 to In 2016, we held another Rep over does not happen at rep agencies! 7 times higher than the turnover rate Council, this time in Orlando. We So getting our message to our reps— of rep agency changes by vendors.) wanted to come up with real answers directly—is something we thought was Nevertheless, after our first Rep to this question: “How can local com- pretty important to do. Council, the takeaways for us were panies in the Winsupply organization That 2016 Rep Council taught us a very clear: establish a closer partnership and work very important lesson: Independent reps like you are more better together with reps?” That the relationship between local like our independent local company We had five breakout tables. Reps company presidents and reps is the presidents than we ever knew. got to rotate from one table to another most important relationship in the And for the most part? As reps, you to give their honest opinions about real supply chain. have staying power since you—just like issues we faced together in the field— So I got with Michael Souders, our our local company presidents—are lo- like how to grow our businesses. VP of Sales, and together we planned cal owners committed to your agencies We also talked about ethics, integ- our road show program and itinerary. and to your markets. rity and honesty … joint sales calls and Michael comes from a rep family that We realized that you, as reps, were marketing … new product launches … is still in the business today. a key audience for us—potentially a inventory and training … and vendor We set up 9 Rep Summits. These very strong partner—that we’d been programs. were two-day meetings in nine major overlooking. After it was over, we’d collected areas where we do business—from We concluded pretty quickly that it plenty of feedback. Hartford to Kansas City to Los Angeles. would be good to work closer with our We had clear direction on things we We held our first one in June of reps and improve our communication do well—and things we don’t do so well. 2016, and our last one 14 months later, with them. We also had a long list of things we in August of 2017. Our purpose was to But the question was this: How ought to do together to make business set the stage for more communication could we work better with our reps? work better at the local level. between local company presidents and What would we need to do differently? Once again, this Rep Council was reps at the local level. After all—let’s face it—there’s often eye-opening! Day 1 was for reps, and Day 2 was a lot of baggage between distributors And—just like the reps did during for local company presidents. Our and reps. It can happen with any dis- our first meeting back in 2014—they message on both days was basically the tributor and any rep, anywhere. shared with us another comment that same, because we wanted both groups We knew from talking with local once again changed our thinking about to hear the same things. company presidents and with reps working with reps. We had two goals for the summit:

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• To begin removing the barriers An interesting thing happened Earlier this year in March, we had that were getting in the way of building during our third Rep Summit in another Rep Council meeting in Nash- a closer relationship between reps and Richmond, Virginia. After it was over, ville. This time, 10 of the 20 reps on local companies. a rep said to us, “We had a falling out our council were new, and as usual, our • And to begin asking each other hard with one of your presidents five years agenda was a little different. questions about value and relevance, ago. He has been successful, and I We sent out a survey ahead of time, and where we fit into the other’s plans. have been successful—but I think we and asked reps to email us their most We wanted to be completely trans- may have been more successful if we’d burning questions. Then, during our parent. have worked together. I’m going to Rep Council meeting, we’d have a Take on tough issues. give him a call.” panel of senior executives from Win- And begin tearing down walls so we Michael and I didn’t say a word. supply address these questions. could begin building bridges. We kept that information to our- We talked about everything—from We talked about the Winsupply selves. And then the next day, the very sales projections … to the rep’s role in business model, including operations, same president that rep was talking our digital commerce strategy … to how ownership, finances and marketing, about said to us, “I get the message. we decide to add new lines in our distri- as well as Vendor Relations and our I’m going to give my old rep a call. bution centers … to pricing and rebates. distribution centers. We’ll go to lunch.” For the most part, no question In the end? Both reps and local And before long, that actually hap- was off limits, and every question was companies learned what each of us ex- pened! answered. pects of the other, how to be more pro- But how many other reps and presi- Some of the newer reps on our fessional and how to treat each other dents would do that? council told us they’d never sat down with more respect. As Michael pointed How many other reps and presi- with a distributor our size to talk about out: The things we were talking about dents would take the next step? issues like this. Even reps who’d been would work for ANY distributor. We did not know at the time. on our council for a couple of years Many of our vendors got wind When our Rep Summits were over, said it was the best council meeting yet! about what we were doing. 450 reps and 300 local company presi- Everyone got a better understanding One of these was Rob McDonald, dents from the east coast to the west of each other so they could work closer president and CEO of A.Y. McDonald. coast had heard our message. Some of together in the field. Rob said our Rep Summits were a you were there! To us, the 9 Rep Sum- One rep said, “This information is great idea—and that a lot of distribu- mits seemed like a huge step forward. really going to help us when we call on tors could benefit from opening that If felt like we’d laid the right founda- local companies.” kind of dialogue with their reps. tion for building a better relationship Another rep who’s been in the At Winsupply, we were finally shar- between reps and local companies. business for more than 30 years said, ing critical information directly with But all we could do now was wait. “No one in the industry is doing what the people on the front lines: local reps Meanwhile, we kept talking with you’re doing—being this open and this and local company presidents. They our key vendors, and kept educat- transparent with reps.” could get good and important informa- ing our National Account Managers More than four years has passed tion from us. And we could get good about the issues. since our first Rep Council meeting, and important information from them. In fact, right now we’re in the pre- and our Rep Summits wrapped up a At the end of each Rep Summit, we liminary stages of planning our next year ago last month. left both reps and local company presi- Vendor Summit to update our Nation- So what has changed? dents with this challenge: “Guys, we’ve al Account Managers, and the regional A lot! set the stage. What you do with all this managers from our top vendors. Because we took new steps and information is up to you. The ball’s in We also took action on other ideas showed interest in our reps by hosting your court.” from our reps. For example, we built a Rep Councils and Rep Summits, reps It was an important moment for dedicated website—just for reps—with have shown more interest in us. reps and local companies that had trust information reps told us they want and I can speak for myself and for Mi- issues in the past. need to know. Things like news from chael Souders: We both get more phone They had to decide whether they Winsupply on acquisitions, new local calls, emails and text messages from reps wanted to pick up the phone, have a con- companies and new presidents; what than we ever have before. We’re getting versation and agree to bury the hatchet. our product managers and area leaders information from reps that we did not If they did, then they could finally sit are responsible for; and our vendor and get in the past. And as vendors make down together. Really talk. And decide rep expectations. changes? We’re hearing things sooner how to start pulling the rope in the same We also kept our regular Rep Coun- than we used to, and learning their direction, together. cil meetings going. potential effects on the local market.

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All of this is helping us guide our lo- ning to build deeper, more personal “Are you just an order taker? Or are cal companies so they can make better relationships. you working every day to sell some- decisions in their markets. You can see what I’m talking about thing on purpose?” But we also wanted to know: here in this picture of one of our local Because to be relevant, you don’t What’s changed in the field? company presidents and his customers. have to be the biggest in your market; What’s changed for reps? [slide] you just need to deliver value, and we What’s changed for local companies? Some of you may recognize Bob feel you do that by having a growth So earlier this summer, we sent out Mycoff of Harry Warren in the middle. strategy and executing on it. an informal survey, and asked 28 of our (I suspect there’s one reason Bob has And reps? You need to ask your- current and former Rep Council mem- the biggest smile: He’s thinking about selves similar questions about what it bers to tell us—in their own words—if the new relationship he’s going to have means to bring value. What it means to anything was different in the field. with the money from all those other be relevant. And how our local compa- Here’s what they said. gentlemen at the end of the round!) nies and other distributors might help First—reps and local companies But back to our survey results. you achieve that. seemed to understand each other better. One rep told us: “We’ve spent At the end of the day, here are the One rep said: “I’ve explained to our more time training local company questions that distributors and reps team that the local company president employees—so now they know a lot must be able to answer: needs to be personally involved in con- more about our products.” • If you did not exist tomorrow, versations with our agency.” Another rep said: “Our level of trust would your customers notice? Another rep said: “The local has increased. We now share more • Would your key vendors notice? company we work with wants to grow proprietary information related to job Would your partners notice? market share the right way by provid- tracking and specification writing.” • If you weren’t around, would they ing better service. They don’t want to We also heard this from a rep: “Our say, “What in the heck am I going to be a low-cost wholesaler.” new mutual trust and alignment has al- do now???” We also heard this from a rep: “In lowed us to partner with a local com- Make no mistake: Changes in our in- the past, we were always perplexed pany and win a lot of new business with dustry will continue to disrupt tradition- about how to really partner with local a developer’s national hotel chain—and al channels in wholesale distribution. companies in our area. Knowing the there’s much more to come. This would What we don’t know is how these nuts and bolts of their world has made not have happened without the new, changes will play out, and the im- this much easier.” closer relationship we share.” pact of those changes on traditional Second—reps and local companies It all adds up to more trust. relationships in the supply chain that have improved their communication. One rep told me this: “Your out- involve us: distributors and reps. One rep said: “Now we tell local reach to reps is working. I can’t say it We can’t predict the future. companies which products of our any other way.” But we know this much is true: manufacturers are being stocked at So what’s next at Winsupply in our Vendors that aren’t meeting their Winsupply’s distribution centers. This journey to help our reps and local com- sales goals through reps and distribu- is working! Our sales and market panies build better relationships? tors now have OTHER channels that penetration of several products are up The conversations we’re having will will allow them to make their numbers tremendously year-to-date over sales continue. They’ll happen at our future by reaching around and going direct. at your competitors.” Rep Council meetings, which are now In fact, we learned about a vendor do- Another rep said: “We decided to a permanent fixture for us here at Win- ing that just this week. revisit local companies where we have supply. We’re planning our next one for As time goes on, there are more traditionally underperformed. In almost the first quarter of 2019. chances for reps and traditional distribu- every case, the results have been positive. And we continue to encourage more tors to be eliminated from the picture. Local companies have been more trans- conversations in the field. Reps and So the real question is this: parent about their go-to-market strate- local companies need to continue talk- What are we going to do about it? gies and the exact areas to partner on.” ing about delivering value and being Clearly both of us need to maintain We also heard this from a rep: “We relevant in their markets—and where close working relationships with our usually have annual planning and they can mutually align. key vendors. And we need to know strategy meetings with some local When we talk about value to local what vendors expect of us so that we companies in our area—but since the companies, we mean this: can meet those expectations. summits, we’ve held these with the “Are you doing the things your cus- Some vendors tell me that they majority of locations.” tomer needs or expects you to do?” expect their reps to be specialists in Third—the survey told us that And when we talk to local companies very niche products. They want reps reps and local companies are begin- about being relevant, we mean this: to do more solution selling to move

VSOTD.COM 17 higher margin products out the door. Here’s some advice: If you work “I want to make sure everyone in And they need reps to work every day with our local companies, make sure the room understands: Winsupply is with engineers and builders to get their that the local company presidents un- on our side. These guys are the best branded products specified. derstand where THEY fit into YOUR advocates for reps that we have in the Right now, at this moment, your plans—and always ask them where industry.” key vendors are meeting to figure out YOU fit into THEIR plans. Tim, we really appreciate that ac- where their growth and their profits Now is the time for both distributors knowledgment, so thank you. will come from in 2019 and beyond. and reps to redefine our roles so we can And to everyone here, let me say: Are YOU a part of these plans? secure them for the future. All of us at Winsupply believe that Do you know EXACTLY where you To do this, we need to have deeper YOU—our independent reps—are a fit into your vendors’ businesses over conversations so we can figure out key ingredient to the success of our the next one or two years? The next new ways to provide more value and 600 local companies. three to five years? be more relevant in our markets by A rep responding to our recent sur- Because vendor expectations are working together. vey about the Rep Councils and Rep changing! It doesn’t make sense to go it alone. Summits told us this: Distributors like Winsupply are Whether you’ve been around for 20 or “Eddie, we apreciate the local na- influencers with strong contractor 30 years—or even more than 62 years ture of your organization, and the op- relationships. like Winsupply!—there’s no guarantee portunity to deal directly with decision So what can WE do to help YOU you’ll be around next year. makers. As it’s been said many times: meet your vendors’ expectations? Tim Morales—past president of We have a lot in common!” What role can WE play to help you AIM/R and Supply House Times Rep Indeed, we do. create more awareness of your new of the Year in 2014—is a member of And with that, I’d like to thank Mike products in the marketplace … train our Rep Council. Mullen for inviting me to speak to your more local company employees … and In November 2016, during our sixth group today. help you get access to contractors ready Rep Summit in Atlanta, Tim stood up Thank you. to buy your higher margin products? and said this: WINNER: EDUCATORS “Kent State Beyond the Shootings: Journey of the Wounded Healer”

By Tom Farmer for Beverly Warren, Delivered at the Chautauqua Institution, President, Kent State University Chautauqua, New York, Aug. 15, 2018

ood morning. It is such a plea- so proud, We have very special guests campus, the events leading up to May Gsure to be with you today in this among us, including Tom Grace, John 4th did not seem like a major protest. beautiful, idyllic environment. This is Cleary, Chic Canfora, Laura Davis and Demonstrations broke out nationwide my first time at Chautauqua, and I feel Mark Seaman. So, it is wonderful to be starting on May 1st, in reaction to the I have been transported to a magical here to share the Kent State story in sudden American invasion of Cam- place. It’s really great to see so many true Chautauqua spirit. bodia. Other colleges and universities people interact with such respect for Meet Dean Kahler had bigger shows of dissent with more each other, even when we differ. And The first thing I want to do is tell you media coverage. don’t you know, we need that more about a friend of Kent State University Kent State had two predominantly today than ever before. named Dean Kahler. Dean is a senior peaceful rallies. But there was van­ I am deeply honored to have this citizen. Warm, funny. He laughs a lot. dalism in the city of Kent, and on opportunity to share my reflections He has lived a life of consequence, and May 2nd, the campus ROTC building on this week’s theme: “The Forgot- in Dean, you see no trace of bitterness. was set on fire. Ohio Governor James ten: History and Memory in the 21st He radiates peace. In May 1970, Dean Rhodes mobilized 850 members of Century.” was a Kent State freshman. A six-foot- the Ohio National Guard. The Gov- It is also my deep pleasure to say three, 190-pound athletic farm boy from ernor was running for Senate thank you to the many Kent State East Canton, Ohio. that year, and the primary election alums, who are in the audience today. He was curious to see his first rally was set for Tuesday, May 5. He vowed You warm my heart. You make me feel against the Vietnam War. To many on to restore law and order to Kent

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State, in his words, “by any means The Challenge of the Wound Today, I will share my thoughts necessary.” about how the university I lead can use Now tanks and armed members Like the students we lost, Kent State suf- its history as a healing force. For our- of the National Guard were rolling fered a terrible, indelible wound. Since selves and the world, we are called to through the city of Kent and onto 1970, we have seen every emotion on assume the role of the wounded healer. university grounds. This was new. This the spectrum, from rage and despair to The presentations at Chautauqua was disturbing. perhaps unaccountable serenity. this week remind us that we must all en- Monday, May 4, 1970 Frankly, we have not always honored gage in the hard work of remembering. Still, on Monday morning, May 4th, all those honest reactions. We have seen Where Were You? the core group of protesters numbered the impulse to erase history, to move on. One way to begin is by considering only around 500. There was tension. We have seen the high price of remain- our own individual relationships with Rocks were thrown. Tear gas canisters ing chained forever to one terrible history. When we gather to do that, to were fired, picked up by protesters and minute. But now, we approach the 50th trade stories, we tend to start with one thrown back. There was angry shouting. commemoration of the shootings in question. Where were you? For the Pearl Around noon, it was time to change 2020. My community is setting out to Harbor bulletin? When JFK was killed? classes, and more students came to the seize the day, so to speak, to remember When Apollo 11 landed on the moon? Commons. Perhaps 1,500 more. Some May 4, but also to move forward. We have in our history a few seismic were curious to see what was happen- Kent State is the reluctant custodian events … events recalled vividly by ing. Many were merely passing by or of an indelible mark on the American everyone alive at the time. We always going to lunch. Dean Kahler would landscape. The Commons at Kent ask: Where were you? remember thinking: I expected a big- State, and the Prentice Hall parking The trouble is, as time passes, ger protest. lot, are in that awful pantheon along there are fewer who can answer. Our At 12:24 p.m., shots were fired. with Dealey Plaza and the Lorraine incoming class of 2022 cannot answer 67 shots. Motel. Watts and Selma. And Jackson the “Where were you?” question for Four students were killed. Allison State, where two student protesters 9/11. The attacks were 18 years ago Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Lee were killed just 11 days after the Kent next month. Most of our freshmen Scheuer, and William Schroeder. State shootings. were not yet born. Dean was 300 feet from the Na- We live with our wound. The ques- Many of you in this room may tional Guard—the full length of a tion we ask today is: What do we do remember where you were on May 4, football field. When he heard the rifle with it? 1970, but not all. The average Ameri- fire, Dean hit the ground. Lying prone, In prior times, we saw it mainly as can is 37 years old. The Kent State he was shot in the lower back. He was the atrocity it was. A horror. Today, a shootings occurred 48 years ago. So among nine wounded. Tom Grace fell new generation asks: Can our wound remembrance is vital. nearby, hit in the foot. Alan Canfora also be, somehow—a gift? What might I know where I was on May 4, went down, shot in the wrist. John the experience of May 4 equip us to 1970. I was a senior in college in Cleary, shot in the chest, and five more. accomplish? North Carolina. I was keenly aware of Faculty marshals pleaded with We are not the first to contemplate Vietnam protests nationwide. I had an students to leave the Commons, and the duality of wounds. older brother destined for a low draft with the Guardsmen to cease fire. The Persian poet Rumi wrote about number. The night of the Kent State Without their intervention, it might pain and sorrow. He said, “The wound shootings we had a curfew on our cam- have been worse. is the place where the light enters you.” pus. There was tension, anxiety and Now, as a Boy Scout, Dean had And the modern essayist Robert Bly fear. I thought about those Kent State learned first aid, and as a Kent State tells us: “Wherever the wound appears students, and realized, “That could freshman, he was taking zoology. He in our psyches... that is precisely the have been me.” knew a thing or two about spinal cord place for which we will give our major A deep sadness washed over me injuries. As he lay there, Dean knew he gift to the community.” about where we were going as a coun- had walked his last steps. Any great university, of course, try. We had torn ourselves apart over How did that strapping freshman wants to deliver major gifts. Since I Vietnam; lost Bobby Kennedy and Dr. athlete—body damaged and life dis- assumed the presidency of Kent State King; had a divisive election in ‘68; rupted by a random bullet and a griev- in 2014, I have thought deeply about invaded Cambodia, which ignited the ous wound—become the serene and this. I have devoted much of the power May 1970 protests; and now this. peaceful man in our midst in 2018? I of my office to the stewardship of May What happened at Kent State on will come back to Dean’s journey in a 4, 1970 for this new century. It is a mo- May 4 sparked national outrage. Fresh moment. In many ways, it mirrors the ment in history, yes, but it is also a call protests shut down hundreds of cam- journey of Kent State University itself. to action. puses coast to coast. Public opinion

VSOTD.COM 19 turned against the invasion of Cam- homes, and at local libraries, to ensure They took over the job of remember- bodia. Nixon staffer H.R. Haldeman the senior class could graduate, on ing, of commemoration. would later say Kent State marked time, in June. And then, in 1977, there was another the beginning of the end not only of Over the next few years, university effort to consign May 4 to the past. The the Vietnam War, but of the Nixon leadership continued to struggle with university announced it would build an presidency. the impact of the tragedy. The wound annex to its athletics facilities on the site Kent State would stay closed for remained raw. The university was hurt- where our students fell. Activists occu- six weeks and has grappled with the ing on many sides, including financial- pied the space with a Tent City. There shootings ever since. I could not have ly. May 4 had become too difficult. were nearly 200 arrests. Strong opposi- foreseen fate leading me to the presi- In early 1975, President Glenn tion continued for almost two years, and dency of Kent State University or Olds said it was time to end official actually continues to this day. It taught that the upcoming 50th anniversary commemorations. Perhaps everybody an important lesson in the power of of the shootings would take place dur- would forget May 4, but no one for- proactive remembering. ing my tenure. got—especially not the artists. Then, in the 1990s, official attitudes This anniversary is more than a Only a few weeks after the shoot- began to change. A courageous and chance for a retrospective. It is an ings, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young forward-looking Kent State president, exceptional, maybe final, opportunity released the powerful protest song, Carol Cartwright, finally opened the to connect original witnesses to a new “Ohio.” The refrain cut through door to official acknowledgement. -Un generation. Think about it. On the America all that summer, and for years der President Cartwright, a small but 75th anniversary in 2045, there may to come: “This summer I hear the meaningful step was taken. be few remaining for whom May 4th, drumming. Four dead in Ohio.” The four students killed—Allison, 1970 was a personal experience. I may That was us they sang about. Sandy, Bill, and Jeff—fell in or near the have no more important mission as The shootings produced art in even Prentice Hall parking lot. Until the year leader of Kent State University than more direct ways. In the crowd on 2000, you could park your car on the getting this right. the Commons on May 4 was a Kent very spots where they lost their lives. To me, remembering is only part of State student named Chrissie Hynde. Under President Cartwright, those the challenge. As the date recedes into She dropped out soon after, moved to spaces finally received the recogni- history, as the event grows less vivid in England, and founded the Pretenders. tion lacking for so long. They are now our communal memory, we have to do Hynde became one of the strongest marked off with illuminated pillars. more than ask: Where were you? We rock-and-roll voices of her generation. If President Cartwright cracked the risk allowing May 4 to become one Also in the crowd was 20-year-old door to official remembrance, her suc- more dusty, abstract date in history, Mark Mothersbaugh. He soon formed cessor, Lester Lefton, opened it wide. and we are determined to avoid that. the band Devo with his friends Jerry In 2013, Kent State opened a visitor’s We have to keep it relevant. Make Casale and Bob Lewis, who were also center on the ground floor of Taylor it mean more. Put our wound to work. there that tragic day. Mark, Jerry, and Hall, the epicenter of the shootings. So the task we have set for ourselves Bob said Devo was their reaction to Dr. Lefton and his team worked hard is to not only remember, but reflect, Kent State. to tell the story with down-the-middle and renew. Jerry said, “We challenged illegiti- objectivity. You can tour the exhibits, mate authority.” watch a powerful film—and then step Remembering Devo had a string of Top 40 hits, outside into what was, on May 4, 1970, pioneered music videos, and influenced the line of fire. Let’s talk about the hard work of countless other bands committed to President Cartwright made it all remembering. social commentary. Jerry and Mark right to remember. President Lefton All people and institutions have had 40-year creative careers. Mark is made it all right to memorialize. Today, episodes in their past they might prefer not only still working today as a musi- I work to honor all the people affected to forget. For many years after 1970, cian, composer, author, and artist. He and all their views and emotions, across that was how Kent State coped with its remains a friend of Kent State. the spectrum. wound. More music came. More writing, If Presidents Cartwright and Lefton At first, of course, the community more books, more gestures of remem- flung the door open, my role is to turn rallied to deal with the political, emo- brance, more voices. the lights up and invite everyone across tional, and logistical crises. In 1975, when Kent State an- the threshold. As I mentioned, the campus closed nounced the end of official remember- Here is one way we continue to keep for six weeks after the shootings. The ing, a self-organized group of students, that promise today. Every year, on the faculty stepped up in extraordinary alumni, citizens of Kent, and other evening of May 3, we hold a candle- fashion—holding classes in their activists formed the May 4 Task Force. light vigil. Hundreds of marchers,

CICERO 2019 20 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS their small flames bobbing in the dark, Bill Schroeder, an Eagle Scout and Reflecting retrace the protesters’ steps around an ROTC student, was also killed on campus. We end at midnight in the his way to class. When we reflect, we consider what the Prentice Hall parking lot. Our candles The National Guardsmen were not Kent State experience can mean for are set around the spaces where our all eager to engage; many later pro- the current moment in American life. students fell, and caring people keep fessed, themselves, to be against the One way to view the shootings is as silent watch until noon on May 4. war in Vietnam. a terrible product of missed signals and Some marchers are alumni. A few wear We still do not know for sure who failed communication. That doubles the same clothes they wore on that gave the order to open fire, or why as a fair description of the environ- fateful day. Some are students. Some, those rifles had live ammunition. ment we find ourselves in today, where residents of Kent. And some of us are And not everyone mourned our our leaders talk past each other. Our university officials. But few words are losses. Not all citizens; not all law rhetoric is top-volume and polarized. spoken, few introductions made. In enforcement. Outrage is normal. Insults and mock- the flickering darkness—in the weight During the shootings Laura Davis, ery blow away civility and compromise. of the moment—we all look the same. at the time a freshman student, took As we learn to live with the wound Together, we invest in remembering. shelter in a nearby building. When the of May 4, 1970, we at Kent State strive Much more has changed in the past campus closed she returned home, for different values. Values that Chau- four years. On May 4th this spring, we where Laura’s father told her, “They tauqua in particular may recognize and commemorated the designation of the should have shot them all.” appreciate. 22 acres where the protests and shoot- Laura replied, “Don’t you know The most tangible, institutional ings occurred as a National Historic that one of those people would have reflection of that goal is Kent State’s Landmark. The Interior Department been me?” School of Peace and Conflict Studies. granted us that status after years of Laura’s father was far from alone. In My university has learned much, in lobbying in Washington, thanks to the the aftermath, a Portage County Ohio costly ways, about conflict manage- tenacity of members of our community grand jury was convened. A special ment and resolution. like Laura Davis, Carol Barbato, Mark prosecutor, Seabury Ford, told them As a culture, we pay a high price Seaman, Jerry Lewis and many others. the Guardsmen “should have shot all today for practicing angry politics. If Dividends of Remembering the troublemakers.” all we do is hunker down in bunkers All this is the story of an institution It is a messy narrative. But as consci- alongside like-minded people, attacking facing up to the hard work of remem- entious stewards of the story, we can- the opposition, our divisions only grow. bering. I think this hard work pays two not aspire to neat resolution. Because it So we reflect on what May 4 teaches dividends. Two insights I want to share. is inconclusive, some of this remember- us, and these are the lessons we try to First: remembering, however ing hurts, even now. Which brings me pass on about the world at large. fiercely and conscientiously done, does to my second insight: this wound has We understand that dehumanizing not resolve all questions, nor calm not healed. others, particularly political foes or any all critics. Whatever you think you I talk with victims and their families. cohort “not like us,” is a slippery slope know about the Kent State shootings Many continue to feel searing pain, that can lead to tragedy. After all, it is is likely incomplete. Nearly fifty years and so does the university—a universi- easier to hate from a distance. later, we still lack one authoritative ty that could not keep its students safe, We have learned that violence never narrative for the shootings. There are and out of harm’s way. provides an answer. Violence never de- thousands of unique perspectives and What I wish for them is healing, escalates tension. We have also learned voices, and they often conflict. We ac- closure peace. I know we do not have how to be more thoughtful about knowledge all the shades of gray that the power to bestow it, but my presi- managing crises that carry potential for color the narrative. dency does have the power to honor violence—how to back away from the Some protestors were aggressive, their perspectives and acknowledge brink. Civility is the best foundation for shouting obscenities or throwing tear their loss. human interaction. gas back at the National Guard. But So if we are to truly move forward The School of Peace and Conflict our dead and wounded were not, by together, there is limited solace, and lim- Studies bears in mind the words of and large, subversive radicals. They ited power, in remembering. We must Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “It is no were students first and foremost, exer- find another way. Travel another path. longer a choice between violence and cising their First Amendment right to You will recall I talked about remember- nonviolence in this world: it’s nonvio- assemble and protest. ing, reflecting, and renewal. I believe we lence or non-existence.” Sandy Scheuer was not even protest- must embrace all three for Kent State Kent State has another way to ing. She was killed walking to her next to tread the ground between memorial- reflect on May 4 that is perhaps a little class. izing and forward motion. less tangible—but just as important

VSOTD.COM 21 and effective. We are a community that with us this morning. Some of David’s was coaxed back into the political pro- defends our First Amendment right poetry is inspired by the shootings. He cess by others, including his dad and to self-expression but also encourages tells us that clear voices are the best Arthur Krauss, the father of Alison people to share their voices respectfully. mechanism for real change, and he has Krauss, killed that day. We attract students who want to find helped give voice to feelings we have Today, Alan believes again. He looks their purpose and use their voice to had trouble articulating. at today’s landscape, frayed and full make a life of meaning. Echoing the ancient poet Rumi, and of lost faith, and reminded me, “The We at Kent State feel called to play Robert Bly, David Hassler says when system works if we make it work.” the role of convener—to broker con- we speak through the wound of May After all this time and all his pain, versations that are more civil, braver, 4, in all its complex pain, we acquire Alan believes again. Remembrance, and more productive. We are called to unique power. reflection—renewal. challenge conversations and practices, Face the wound, urges David. Un- For any individual, or any institution in or out of politics, that have a dehu- derstand it. Remember: one hallmark that suffers a terrible loss, a philosophi- manizing effect. We oppose rhetorical of trauma is silence. Victims of abuse cal question comes around, sooner or violence. But it is possible to do that can silence themselves. later. When the worst, most debilitating without suppressing or demonizing op- But we have the capacity to heal grief finally subsides, the question be- posing points of view. each other, not only with strong voices, comes: What will you do with this? You In April of this year, just a few days but through the quality of our listening. still have a life to live, changed though before the shooting anniversary, there Kent State has progressed from it may be. How will you make your was an on-campus demonstration in trying to forget the shootings to own- trauma part of a productive life? support of Ohio’s open-carry gun laws. ing that horrific moment—and honor- May 4, 2020 gives us a unique Second Amendment defenders came to ing the whole spectrum of emotions opportunity for renewal. A unique van- campus with handguns in holsters and they inspire. tage point for looking backward and rifles slung casually across their backs. We can make art out of it, as David forward simultaneously. We hope the Given our history—our wound—you and others have done. In the Wick Po- date will be an opportunity for renewal might predict tension, confrontation, etry Center up on Bestor Plaza, you can and not just on the Kent State campus. raised voices. If so, you would be off visit the Traveling Stanzas interactive We are developing mobile museum base. The Kent State convening spirit exhibit—and create poetry in response installations to send across the country, was on full display that day. to each Chautauqua theme of the week. for this is a moment for all to embrace. There were bright and respectful You can share your poem on the We will distribute teaching materials students on both sides of the open- spot—either digitally, through videos, for middle and high schools. At Kent carry issue. For hours, they engaged the or on postcards printed right there. As State itself, we are planning a teaching outside demonstrators. They listened part of your reflection this morning, I workshop, and a forum for diverse per- as hard as they talked. Opposing points would love for you to visit the Travel- spectives. No one, and no one’s pain, of view drove meaningful conversation. ing Stanzas exhibit and share your will be forgotten. And we will bestow The spirit of the discourse was per- thoughts. our Voices of Change awards on some haps not so different from what is done We can make a healing force of the exceptional people who affect posi- right here at Chautauqua. shootings in our history. We find power tive and peaceful change in our world. On the grassy plaza at the center of in the archetype of the wounded healer. Which is, after all, our ultimate aim. campus, they shared space with other And for an institution to function as a If you have history with Kent State, students playing games or drinking wounded healer is a great thing. A great I want to invite you back. If you do not their Starbucks. The demonstrators gift to our community and the world. have history with us, I think your affili- stuck around until twilight. They told ation with Chautauqua matters. Your us afterwards they felt respected and Renewal commitment to civil discourse, explor- appreciated. Perhaps they also felt ing all sides of an issue in peaceful ways, surprised; it may not have been the After remembering and reflection comes aligns beautifully with Kent State’s reception they were expecting. Against renewal, but how do you get there? values and goals. I think you, more than many peoples’ expectations, there was Alan Canfora, shot in the wrist, many people, may also appreciate our no rancor. No raised voices. That is the had his lowest moment, not on that journey. You, too, are invited to come power of convening. That is reflecting day, but years later—when he saw see how we honor the past and how we on May 4 as well as remembering. the justice system he grew up trusting are building for the future. David Hassler is a Kent State pro- would ultimately render little justice for So there is a good deal of renewal fessor and author who directs our Wick him. Alan himself was charged with under way. Tom Grace, the student Poetry Center, which has a storefront second-degree rioting. For years, he did who almost lost his foot after the here at Chautauqua. And David is here not register to vote. But over time, Alan shooting, felt awkward and a bit re-

CICERO 2019 22 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS sentful about being known mainly for with a little bit of effort, a little bit more powerful voices around the globe, getting shot. of work, you, too, can do something to rise up and drive change. “That”, he says, “is not an accom- about the political environment.” Kent State itself intends to lead. plishment.” Dean Kahler is a man renewed. That is our destiny: To emerge as the But he is more at peace now. Tom’s That is the kind of energy, the kind of wounded healer. To use the wound path to renewal comes with a focus on future, we aim to have for Kent State at our core to help create a brighter other achievements, in arenas beyond University itself. future for the world. politics. He says he’d rather be known We want noble, inspiring, productive Let me close with a question em- as a great teacher and scholar than things to arise at Kent State thanks to bedded in a poem that forms a chal- a Kent State gunshot victim. But he the wound of May 4, 1970. lenge for us all. Especially those of us knows he will always be the product of concerned, as we are today, with “the his experience. As will we all. The Wounded Healer Forgotten”—being stewards of history, And finally, there is the story of memories, stories. Dean Kahler, friend of Kent State. Yes, the country today suffers from bro- The Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oli- The strapping freshman farm boy we ken politics and vast challenges, but we ver has a poem called “The Summer left lying on the ground with a bullet also have hope. In many ways, today’s Day,” in which she asks this beautiful in his lower back. Dean did not walk young people are even more likely than question: again. He had to get used to a wheel- the Vietnam protest generation to fight “Doesn’t everything die at last, and chair. His life plans changed. Yet he for worthy causes, demand corporate too soon? woke up in the hospital feeling grateful. responsibility, and seek change. At Tell me, what is it you plan to do He was thankful to be alive and to have Kent State, we have young people who With your one wild and precious life?” a chance at a future. have joined the May 4th Task Force. Kent State will not merely remem- Dean had some right to be con- And obviously, they weren’t even born ber May 4, 1970, in an endless loop sumed with anger. But as he says, in 1970. In some cases, not even their that never satisfies, the wound rubbed “Hatred has a way of changing the parents were born, but they’ve stepped raw over and over again. We choose to dynamic. Of making things go in the up to this role. remember, reflect, and renew. wrong direction.” Around the country, today’s young We will remember vividly, but not Dean went in a different direction. activists are speaking their truth with live in the past; we will honor the emo- Even his rehabilitation—the challenge confidence. In a time that cries out for tions that forever resound around us, of exercising and staying in shape engagement and change, they are un- but be consumed no more by anger or without working legs—was, he insists, a willing to remain silent. They exercise grief; and we will raise our voices—us- fun challenge. Dean finished his degree their First Amendment rights. They are ing the lessons of 50 years to convene and pursued a life in politics. He was not out to shut down the American po- people, heal conflict, and create a more elected to public office, but made his litical process. They are out to register inclusive, more peaceful future. biggest mark pushing for wheelchair- more young voters. If we do that, we and Kent State are accessible public spaces across Ohio. Alan Canfora admires that about transformed. That, then, is our plan for When he went to a county courthouse the Parkland generation. He says he making our history forever meaningful, and couldn’t find a way inside, he wishes his generation had done what and to make the most of our “wild and called the officials he came to see to these kids are doing in 2018. Alan said, precious lives.” join him outside on the lawn. His ad- “We gave up trying to make the system Having spent time here at Chau- vocacy led to accessibility ramps, which work for us. We didn’t stay involved, tauqua this week, I see you share these meant access to social services and vot- and we should have.” values. You are perhaps uniquely ing places and many daily rituals most What is happening today is inspiring. attuned to what we seek to do at Kent of us take for granted. The youth revolution we anticipated in State. Our 48-year journey goes on. I Today, Dean is retired, but people the 1960s may actually be happening invite you to join us. still come up and want to shake his now. Kent State will be there—calling hand. Dean told me, “In this country, on both the voices in our midst, and

VSOTD.COM 23 WINNER: ENERGY “Changing in a Time of Change”

By Lech Mintowt-Czyz for Ben van Beurden, Delivered at CERAWeek, CEO, Royal Dutch Shell Houston, Texas, March 7, 2018

adies and gentlemen, This means Shell will aim to bring Meeting the ambition could mean L Time flies. It seems like only down the net carbon footprint of our switching the company’s product mix yesterday that I was on this stage. energy products by around half by of oil and natural gas from 50% gas to But it is good to be back here, to see 2050. In other words, about 50% fewer 75%. It could mean selling the energy Dan [Yergin] again, to see all of you greenhouse gases per unit of energy from 200 large offshore wind farms. again… even if that does mean I am when used by our customers… and That is equivalent to more than nine another year older… around 20% less by 2035. times the amount of offshore wind in As time flies, some things change This covers not just emissions from the world today. and some things stay the same. Today, our own operations but also those Just to emphasise, I am not talking I would like to mention three things. produced by our customers when they about building 200 windfarms. Shell Something that has changed since I use the energy products we sell. And doesn’t have to own the kit to sell the was last with you… something that will we will do so in step with society, re- electrons to customers, we can buy always stay the same… and something viewing and reporting on our progress them and sell them on… just like Shell I hope that will never change. every five years. doesn’t have to own the oil well to sell They touch on Shell’s answers to The crucial thing is this: the ambition the gasoline, we can buy the crude in. the big questions I believe we are all is about the products we sell, not just the The ambition could also mean selling facing. And in that sense, I hope they facilities we operate. We do still need to some 50 billion litres of biofuel a year, offer a helpful perspective on the address our operational emissions… but which is enough to fill up every vehicle future of our industry. the ambition goes far beyond improving in the US about three times over. There are plenty of questions facing our own energy efficiency. It could mean selling enough our industry. The ongoing impact of Focusing on the use of the products electricity on Shell’s forecourts to meet shales. OPEC. The debate on LNG does make the challenge bigger for us. the power demands of Australia and supplies. Geopolitical shifts. Plenty of Because, of all the greenhouse gases Argentina combined… storing over 20 questions. But I believe the biggest of associated with each unit of energy, million tonnes of CO2 each year using them is climate change. less than 15% comes from bringing carbon capture… and the planting of There may not be total unity behind it to the market. The rest come from forests that, if you put them together, the Paris Agreement any longer, but customers using the products. would cover the whole of New Mexico there is no other issue with the poten- So, it is through our products that and Oklahoma. tial to disrupt our industry on such a we can make the biggest difference That’s not a shopping list, it is an deep and fundamental level. on emissions… what we actually sell illustration. But I do not just mean one In response, I think we have to within society. Because what matters of these… I mean Shell doing all of change… and that is what Shell is go- is the effect we have on the world… them by 2050. ing to do. and most of that is down to the Maybe that sounds like a lot of In November Shell announced an products our customers rely on to change… and it is. But change is op- emissions ambition. In a nutshell, it live their lives. portunity too. And it is also the scale comes down to this. Of course, our customers, like your of the change needed across the world If society is to meet the aims of customers, rely on oil and gas… and to meet the aims of Paris. That is the Paris, we believe it will have to stop oil and gas will continue to be core to reality… and the reality is change. adding greenhouse gases to the atmo- Shell for many decades. If that wasn’t But this is not the only question fac- sphere by 2070. That path is likely the case we wouldn’t be investing in oil ing our industry. We are businesses, not to require society to roughly halve and gas, such as the new petrochemical charities. For me, the second big ques- the amount of greenhouse gases facilities we are building in Pennsyl- tion is how our industry can succeed produced for each unit of energy used vania and Louisiana. But, over time, through all this change. by 2050. Shell’s net carbon footprint this net carbon footprint ambition will And that is why I also want to men- ambition is aimed at keeping the com- transform the company’s product mix. tion one thing that will always stay pany in step with society’s progress I cannot tell exactly how, but I can give the same. It is the vital importance of towards Paris. you an idea of the scale. financial strength and resilience. At

CICERO 2019 24 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

Shell we express it as our drive to be Shell’s next strategic ambition is to And we also have to be known for a world-class investment case. That thrive through the coming changes to the care we take with our products. means financial discipline of the sort the energy system. If we cannot do Unless, for example, we ensure action that delivered our strong results last this, the company will not be a world- on the overall methane emissions of year… the end of the scrip dividend… class investment over the long-term. the entire natural gas system, the argu- and is bringing us close to a share buy- The net carbon footprint ambition ment that natural gas is a lower-carbon back programme. is about exactly this: thriving as the fuel is undermined. But how does this drive to financial world’s energy system changes by being Finally, being valued by society success sit alongside the drive to a both financially and environmentally means being a good neighbour. Pay- lower-carbon future? In my view, they sound. Not by abandoning oil and gas, ing billions in tax, providing jobs are inseparable… the world will still need it, but by find- and training for thousands, enabling Becoming a world-class investment ing business opportunity in the changes supply chains that spread economic case is the first of Shell’s three strategic taking place. It is about making excel- well-being. Yes. All that, and more. ambitions. That has meant, and con- lent returns by doing the right thing… Providing more energy with less car- tinues to mean, discipline in operation- selling the right things… by being in bon. Contributing to the communities al expenditure and in capital expendi- step with society… by being in step in which we operate. ture, as well as a successful programme with our customers. Creating viable business models that of divestments and the ramping up of And this brings me to the third big provide access to cleaner, affordable, new projects. question facing our industry… how reliable energy for those who do not It means ensuring a continual pipe- can we secure society’s support for have it. Access to energy. And by that, line of opportunity for the company, what we do? I do not just mean providing energy which we manage through our seven Having a strong societal licence wholesale in the expectation it will strategic themes. They are designed to to operate is Shell’s third, and final, reach those who need it. That is not address the energy system of today, the strategic goal: being valued for making wrong but it is not enough. It is about energy system that is coming soon and a real contribution to people’s lives. access for individual families who need the energy system of the future. First Achieving it means dealing with the the energy. It is about establishing busi- there are the three cash engines of challenges that drag our reputation nesses that deliver energy to them. It is conventional oil and gas, integrated gas down… such as those connected to about customers. and oil products. These provide strong Nigeria. Not just managing the impact Is this? All of this? The future of and reliable returns and free cash flow on our reputation… but dealing with our industry? Thriving from a position today and well into the next decade. them in a way that brings them to reso- of financial and social strength? I hope Then there are the two growth lution. It means getting into a position so. I believe it should be. priorities of deep water and chemicals. which allows us to put these challenges And this brings me to the final thing These should become cash engines in behind the company for good. I mentioned right at the start… some- the next decade. They should provide This is complex… I am not pretend- thing that I hope will never change. improving returns and cash flow as the ing it will be easy. But we have to build It is the pride I feel, and I hope we investment made now flows through up trust. And to do this I think we must all feel, for what we do as an industry. into production. And finally, the two also refocus on our products. Quite simply, our products improve emerging opportunities of shale oil and I feel that we, as an industry, have people’s lives. gas and new energies which should be- let this point slip. I confess, it is true of But the energy landscape is chang- come significant growth areas for Shell. Shell. As engineers, we love speaking ing fast. Being a world-class investment about our achievements in deep water, So we must change, where change means strong free cash flow, high re- our sub-surface modelling skills, our is what the world needs. We must stay turns on investment and lower debt. All ability to drill sideways. But most cus- financially strong so we can make that of these add up to a financial strength tomers don’t care how clever we are. change. And we must walk in step with which maximises distributions to share- Instead, we have to remember society… and make a real contribution holders. And achieving the best total that we enable modern life, we bring to people’s lives… so that the pride we shareholder return in the sector is what together families and friends, we help feel in what we do… is pride we have Shell is aiming for. Sustaining that over people improve their living standards. every right to feel. time should result in Shell becoming We have to remember this, and to Thank you. and remaining the most valuable com- remind people of it… because if we do pany in the sector. not, nobody else will do it for us.

VSOTD.COM 25 WINNER: GOVERNMENT “Never Be a Bystander”

By Lieke Hagebeuk for Hugo de Jonge, Delivered at Remembrance Day Commemorations, Deputy Prime Minister, the Netherlands Camp Amersfoort, the Netherlands, May 4, 2018

our Excellencies, deployment, who were imprisoned not resign themselves to the hatred, Y Ladies and gentlemen, here for brief or longer periods dur- the inequality and the injustice that And how marvelous to see so many ing World War II. Prisoners who were triumphed in this country during the boys and girls here today, humiliated because of who they were. war. Here were people who refused to For Edmund Wellenstein, Thursday Tortured because of what they thought. be bystanders. People who resisted, and March 12, 1942 began just like any And starved by way of reprisal for other tried to save lives. other day. At least, just like any other people’s acts of resistance. Edmund In the history books, that role has day he’d spent so far in Scheveningen was one of the prisoners who refused to mainly been attributed to young men, prison, where he’d been held for the stand by and watch others suffer. but the reality was more diverse. When past two months, during World War II. This evening we are gathered to the transports from Amersfoort to Ger- Several weeks earlier, Edmund had remember the sacrifice these 35,000 many stopped in the town of Zwolle been arrested by the police in the Dutch people made. And the sacrifice of for the night, an eight-year-old girl— town of Delft. They suspected him cor- the more than 1,300 war dead buried her hair in two blond pigtails—would rectly of being a member of the Dutch here at Rusthof cemetery and at the sneak up, together with her mother, resistance. Edmund had gone on strike adjacent Russian war cemetery. Pilots, and bring them a milk can filled with when the Nazis barred Jewish professors soldiers, civilians. Young and old. soup. Real, nutritious soup, made using from his university. He did not want to Every one of them someone’s father. bones that a butcher stole from the be a bystander, looking on while history Every one of them someone’s son. Germans he was forced to work for. unfolded before his eyes. They died for freedom back then, and And when, as a propaganda exercise, During his interrogation, Wellen- for our freedom today. 101 unkempt, emaciated and abused stein was able to spin the Germans a Those sacrifices were immense. prisoners of war from the Soviet Union yarn. But still they didn’t let him go. Some of you experienced the suffer- were marched—stumbling and stagger- And on a frosty Thursday, March 12, ing first-hand. The endless, grueling ing—through the center of Amersfoort, he was driven by truck into the woods roll calls, in all kinds of weather. The the population’s response was primarily somewhere between the towns of Leus- humiliation. The torture. The gnawing, one of sympathy. To the amazement of den and Amersfoort. all-consuming hunger. You saw fellow the SS officers, several people refused Wellenstein had no idea what to prisoners eating tar from the roofs and to stand idly by and watch this terrible expect. Above all he was impressed by earth from the ground. You saw fellow suffering. Instead they ran back into the beauty of the area. ‘A country lane, prisoners taken from their barracks to their houses to get the poor souls some- with woods on either side covered in be shot in the woods or on the firing thing to eat, even though the Germans snow, stretches ahead of the vehicle,’ range. And you saw prisoners leave on ordered them not to. he later wrote. ‘It looks glorious.’ trains to camps in Germany—Neuen- And here too, even some SS officers But beyond that peaceful landscape, gamme, Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald. quietly rebelled against the degrading where the only sounds were birds Only a handful returned. Prisoners treatment of the prisoners. For instance chirping and the wind rustling through might not have had their numbers tat- by giving them some bread or sausage the trees, lay a living hell. Like hun- tooed on their arms in Camp Amers- when no one was looking. dreds before him and thousands still to foort, but what they went through was In the fall of 1942 Edmund Wellen- come, Wellenstein had arrived in the etched on their souls for life. stein was released from the camp, ‘guilty landscape’. A landscape where Tonight our entire country pauses having served his time. Reduced to skin a life was worth nothing more than an to remember the people who lost their and bones, but unbroken, he resumed identification number, a bowl of watery lives in World War II, and in the fight his resistance work. Once again, he soup, and a quarter-pound of bread a for peace since then. We remember chose—despite the many dangers—not day—less than two slices. the people—the children—who didn’t to be a bystander. Edmund Wellenstein was one of the survive the war. Who didn’t stand a And after the war, he continued to 35,000 resistance members, hostages, chance against the cruelty of others. fight for freedom, peace and democra- Jews, ‘antisocial elements’ and people Imprisoned here in Leusden and cy. Together with Max Kohnstamm—a who’d tried to escape forced labor Amersfoort were people who would student he’d met in the prison camp—

CICERO 2019 26 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

Edmund stood at the cradle of the tion, prohibit hate speech and affirm opinions a little less, and listening to European Coal and Steel Commu- that we can say what we think, and one another a little more. nity—the predecessor of the European believe what we want. And by telling the stories of Ed- Union. The idea was that, if you But laws do not make our society. mund Wellenstein and all the other depend on each other for your income, People do. Therefore, it is up to all people who witnessed World War II. the last thing you’ll want to do is go to of us, together, to shape and defend Stories that show us that evil, that war with each other. And this proved the freedom to be who you are, to injustice, that hate, are given a free rein true, for there has never been another believe what you want and to say what if good people just stand there with war between the countries that joined you think. their hands in their pockets and their the European Community. Our freedom still needs protection. eyes looking away. 2018 is the Year of Resistance, and And protecting that wonderful value is Thankfully those stories also show us today is a particularly fitting moment a task that starts anew every day. In the that there will always be people who do to reflect on that. Edmund Wellen- schoolyard, in the street, in the House not look away, but step up in the face of stein’s story encourages us to ask our- of Representatives. It starts with me, injustice. Together with those people, selves, what would I have done, what with you, with all of us. We can all take we can go a long way. And that is the would we have done, in his situation? responsibility for the values that seem path we must choose every day anew. And although we no longer live un- so self-evident nowadays, but are in Only then can we carry our freedom der occupation, but in an open democ- fact so very fragile. and democracy aloft. Only then can we racy governed by the rule of law, that And it doesn’t take much effort. do justice to all those people—here and question remains relevant, because the We can do it by not excluding elsewhere—who gave their lives so that fight for freedom never stops. people, but embracing them. By not we might live in freedom today. Today, our freedom remains fragile. magnifying our differences, but empha- Thank you. Of course, our laws ban discrimina- sizing our similarities. By spouting our WINNER: MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION “2018 State of Manufacturing Address”

By Mark Isaacson for Jay Timmons, President and CEO, Delivered at Automation Alley, National Association of Manufacturers Troy, Michigan, Feb. 21, 2018

ood morning, and thank you, On this beautiful, frigid morning, The NAM team was proud to be a GTom, for the introduction. It’s a we couldn’t ask for a better place to get part of the opening of Mahindra’s new great day to be here in Michigan to our blood pumping! facility last November, the first new kick off the 2018 National Association To get started, I’d like to salute a few auto plant in the region in 25 years. of Manufacturers’ State of Manufac- folks who are with us today: Many tremendous educational insti- turing Tour. Chuck Hadden, president and CEO tutions are also represented here today. Over the next two weeks, we’re of our partners at the Michigan Manu- And best of all, it is great to have going to barnstorm this incredible facturers Association the students who are here with us country of ours, going from here to Oakland County Executive L. today. I am so excited for you because Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, New Brooks Patterson you are the ones who get to live the York, Kansas, California and Missouri. Irene Spanos, for championing future of modern manufacturing and Our goal is simple: to spend time Oakland County manufacturing and see it in action. with the amazing men and women for being instrumental in bringing us But before we get too far ahead of who make things in America so that we here ourselves into the future, ladies and can be their voice as we tell the story of I also want to thank Bruce McDon- gentlemen, let’s talk about the present. modern manufacturing. ald from Adient for being part of our What is the state of manufacturing And there’s no better place to start panel this morning. today? than right here in Michigan, where And it’s good to see our friends Today, manufacturing in America is America’s manufacturing roots run from American Axle & Manufacturing, a confident industry. We are growing, deep and where manufacturing work- DENSO International America, GM, investing, hiring and raising standards ers are building our future like no Magna International, Meritor—and a of living in communities all across our place else. special shout-out to Mahindra. nation. That is a very different place

VSOTD.COM 27 than just a few years ago. And it didn’t Alley, you’ve added more than 19,000 How could blockchain revolutionize happen by chance. manufacturing jobs since the Great the supply chain? This success is thanks in large part Recession. That’s growth of more than We can’t answer those questions just to the work of leaders in the White 40 percent. yet. But there is no question that reach- House and Congress who have made Innovation is changing the way our ing our potential and harnessing tech- the American manufacturing worker a industry looks. But it doesn’t change nologies for good will require lifelong top priority. what’s at our core: men and women learning and technical literacy. For manufacturers, it’s not about who have lent their talents to build The nature of work is changing, so politics or personality or process. It’s something bigger than themselves— we have to rethink models of learning about policy. The policies of the last people finding purpose in making as well. year have produced tremendous results things that matter. We were very encouraged last year for manufacturers. That’s a fact. So, the challenge today isn’t a short- when the White House and the Labor But most importantly, it’s about the age of manufacturing jobs. Far from it. Department announced they would people who make things—and providing The challenge is that the type of prioritize apprenticeships in America. the best environment for their success. work in manufacturing is shifting. It’s It’s a model that has served other As the business climate improves, not about white collar or blue collar. countries well. It gives people the the need to fill jobs grows. So, there’s It’s about “new-collar” jobs—jobs that chance to earn while they learn—both another challenge before us: building are high-tech, 21st-century, rewarding, on the job and in the classroom. the modern manufacturing workforce. well-paying—many that don’t require a At the NAM and The Manufac- The work that happens here at Au- four-year degree. turing Institute, we’ve been asked to tomation Alley is mission critical to the But, ironically, if I ask a roomful of partner with the Trump administra- continued success of manufacturing parents if they want their kids to go tion to create a new, NAM-recognized in America. You are developing talent into manufacturing, the best I usually system that promotes flexibility and and forging partnerships to accelerate get is a couple of raised hands. participation. job-sustaining innovation. At the NAM, we launched our The demand is there, but we are Today in America, manufacturers “Creators Wanted” campaign last year nowhere close to having the number need to fill some 364,000 jobs. Over for exactly that reason: to have real of apprenticeships or the robust system the next seven to eight years, we’ll need people from real manufacturing jobs we need in this country. to fill around 3.5 million, according to talk about what their jobs really mean. According to Oakland County’s a study from Deloitte and the NAM’s Manufacturers are making life- skills assessment survey, almost half, Manufacturing Institute. saving medicines and life-changing 48 percent, of manufacturers say they But 2 million of those jobs could go technologies, revolutionizing food need more trained engineers and de- unfilled because we haven’t upskilled production, making our societies more signers on their teams. enough workers—2 million! sustainable and transforming the way An apprenticeship program is one Now, outside this room, there are we commute and communicate. You of the ways to help fill that need. probably people who will wonder: How don’t have to be a politician or a law- We often talk about “workforce is- can you talk about job creation at a yer to make a difference. sues” as though they exist in a vacuum, place called “Automation Alley”? If you want to create change, be a detached from other policies that also But here’s what you might not manufacturer. You might work for an impact day-to-day operations and the read in the news: automation and job iconic brand or maybe an upstart small business climate. creation are not at odds—not in the business, but the opportunity is there, But the fact is, all policies that man- least. American workers and American whether you’re unemployed or under- ufacturers care about are workforce technology are not enemies. Innovation employed, looking for a new career or issues—all of them. They’re about get- and automation are expanding what your first career. ting workers bigger checks, better jobs, American workers can do, making the Today looks different from yester- better technology and more opportuni- impossible possible and transforming day. Tomorrow will look far different ties to sell the products they make. this industry for the better. still and in ways we can’t imagine. So, taxes, infrastructure, regulations, We’ve seen, for example, how How will artificial intelligence energy, trade, immigration—all of automakers use technologies like further augment the jobs of a talented these will determine the success of the augmented reality to test new assembly workforce? modern manufacturing worker. methods and improve ergonomics for How will augmented reality en- Over the last year, leaders in their workers, improving both health hance a worker’s ability to solve com- Washington, driven by the vision from and efficiency. plex problems? the White House, have transformed Automation means jobs. Here in How will quantum computing the business climate in America in Oakland County, home of Automation power a quantum leap into the future? rapid fashion.

CICERO 2019 28 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

They made 2017 “The Year of that America doesn’t lead the world economic growth can go hand the Manufacturer,” not just with their on infrastructure. Not anymore. Not in hand. words, but with their actions. Manu- even close. But it’s not just about consumers. facturers and manufacturing workers That has big consequences. Ship- It’s also a national security imperative. haven’t had a President or administra- ments delayed, customers inconve- To restrict our ability to develop our tion so focused on our success in quite nienced, work hours lost. Above all, it’s domestic energy resources is equivalent a while. a risk to our families when we’re rely- to subjecting our national economy to For instance, it is not possible to ing on infrastructure built for another the whims of hostile regimes. overstate how much tax reform matters generation. A bygone era. Today, thanks to new technol- to the future of manufacturing. The NAM released our Building ogy and a more balanced regulatory For decades, we weren’t playing on to Win plan more than a year ago, an climate, the United States is on track to a level playing field. While we assumed agenda that was warmly embraced by be a net exporter of energy for the first America’s economic engine couldn’t be the Trump campaign and administra- time in our lifetimes. challenged, other countries got smart. tion and used as a guidepost by them Energy manufacturers aren’t alone They lowered their rates so they could and Congress. in wanting to increase exports. Indeed, win jobs, win business. But now, manu- It’s estimated that until 2025, fami- much of the manufacturing growth facturers are empowered to compete lies will lose $3,400 every year because we’ve achieved in recent years is a direct and win. of deficient infrastructure. By 2026, result of our existing trade relationships, In fact, in our latest Manufacturers’ just eight years from now, that cost which support more than 6 million Outlook Survey: will rise to a staggering $5,100 wasted manufacturing jobs in our country. 63 percent said they would spend every year. U.S. exports of manufactured goods more on their facilities and equipment The administration has already to Canada and Mexico alone support because of tax reform; delivered on some important permit- the jobs of more than 2 million people 54 percent said they would hire ting reforms. To get projects back on at more than 43,000 manufacturing more workers; and track, now the President is calling for a companies across the United States. Half planned to increase wages and substantial $1.5 trillion investment. It’s Let’s be clear: manufacturers benefits. the kind of leadership manufacturers always want America to negotiate the We’ve seen a lot of great headlines have wanted for a very long time…and best deal possible. After all, 95 percent and stories of businesses investing in it could help us reclaim our rightful of the world’s customers live outside their workers and communities. That’s place as a global leader on true 21st- the United States. just the beginning. century infrastructure. So, as our negotiators are work- We want to look back 10, 20 years Manufacturers are ready to work ing to update NAFTA and challenge from now and be able to see what a with Congress and the Trump admin- harmful market distortions in China difference tax reform made in the lives istration to deliver a tremendous plan and elsewhere, we need to do so with of working families. that will literally get America moving an eye to securing strong tools to en- We will create more jobs and hire again.” force the rules. more skilled workers. We will invest Infrastructure is also a critical part The goal must be to ensure manu- in more plants and attract more of improving manufacturers’ access to facturers and manufacturing workers investment to our shores. And we will reliable, affordable energy. Over the in America are not forced to bear new enhance pay and benefits. last year, the administration has taken costs or burdens that would make us less For now, the most important fact bold steps to expand energy develop- competitive. We know that can be done. is that the manufacturing economy in ment in the United States. Oakland County is a perfect America—from Michigan to Mississip- That’s game-changing for manufac- example of the benefits of trade in a pi, Maine to California—is on a more turers because we’re an energy-inten- global economy. In just the last four solid foundation. sive industry, though at the same time, years, you’ve seen more than a billion “You may have also heard about the we have made great strides in efficiency dollars of foreign investment from 13 breaking news coming this morning on and sustainability. countries—accounting for nearly 6,200 the White House plan for investment in Over the past decade, the United new or retained jobs. infrastructure. States has made greater reductions in We want more of that. And we And no doubt, for manufacturers, greenhouse gases than any nation on want more chances to sell our products infrastructure is the next big thing. earth. Manufacturers have reduced outside America so that we can create Roads, bridges, ports, pipes, pipelines, emissions by 10 percent in that time, more good jobs right here in America. waterways, broadband and the electri- even as our value to the economy has America is a trading nation, and cal grid. You name it, it’s time to build increased 19 percent. We’re proving we are also a nation of immigrants. it and re-build it. The painful truth is that environmental stewardship and And those immigrants, our friends

VSOTD.COM 29 and neighbors, are part of our work- manufacturing in America, who want enterprise, competitiveness, individual force. They lead some of our greatest to profit at our expense. liberty and equal opportunity. companies. They founded some of our There’s a growing trend, an alliance That’s our history, and that’s our biggest brands. of activists, plaintiffs’ attorneys and mission for the future. If you want to For manufacturers, getting im- politicians going after manufacturing learn more and join us in this work, migration reform passed—and, most companies with frivolous, misguided text MFGJobs to 52886. urgently, finding a solution for the lawsuits. The lawyers want to make Manufacturers build better lives “Dreamers”—is a moral issue and an money; the politicians want to make with the products we make, and we economic issue. We cannot rob people headlines. provide good livelihoods with the jobs of the only country and communi- At the NAM, we’re not letting this we create. ties they know, and we cannot rob our attack on our companies and our work- We give people work that provides country of some of the hardest-work- ers go unchallenged. We launched the meaning and purpose, that offers not ing people we know. Manufacturers’ Accountability Project just a paycheck, but the satisfaction of And so, I join manufacturers across to hold the bad actors accountable. having created something that matters. this country who have united to say We’re going to fight back because Anyone can imagine the future. to Congress: stop playing politics with there’s too much at stake. Jobs, com- Anyone can be a visionary. And people’s lives. munities, the economic might of our America has been blessed with some of Get this done, so we can build an country—it’s all potentially in jeopardy. the best minds the world has ever seen. immigration system that rightly ensures Ultimately, the goal of manufac- But while anyone can imagine the fu- our security, while also welcoming turing in America is to improve the ture, it takes a manufacturer to build it. hardworking people who want to con- human condition. So, we are determined to do every- tribute to this country. Manufacturers want to be in the thing in our power to ensure manufac- Now, with all that in mind, there’s business of lifting everyone up, leaving turers are ready to build the best future a lot of opportunity ahead of us. But no one behind, of advancing the values anyone can imagine. there also are those who want to hurt that make America exceptional: free Thank you so much. WINNER: MEDIA “What Can a Women’s Magazine Teach Beltway Insiders?”

By Gary Forman for Susan Spencer, Delivered at Elevate Summit: Bringing Women Together to Find Editor-in-Chief, Woman’s Day Solutions, Newseum, Washington, D.C., Nov. 27, 2018

know that polls are near and dear We don’t often hear from or about Who are these women? Let’s start I to many of your hearts, so let’s start them. They’re not newsmakers, they’re with some demographics: with a quick poll: not the rich and famous, and they’re Her median age is 59. She’s a mem- Raise your hand if you’ve read an not especially powerful. ber of the sandwich generation and issue of Woman’s Day in the past year… But they deserve to be heard and is likely to be caring for both children Looks like less than 10%. I’m not sur- understood, particularly by people and parents. prised that our readers are underrepre- in the Beltway. Because even as our Her median household income is sented in this group. Fortunately for me, national politics are bogged down in $63,000. That means she’s always look- each month some 17 million people read partisanship, Woman’s Day readers have ing for ways to stretch her dollars. For Woman’s Day, making us the 9th largest found ways of getting things done in example, shopping at mass retailers like magazine in the nation. If you add up their communities. Walmart and Target. the circulation of all the women’s service So I’ll do my best in the next She’s not a coastal elite—2 out of 3 and lifestyle titles, you get 46 million few minutes to represent our readers, readers live in the south or Midwest women, which is 36% of adult females. and to share what we’ve learned at And finally, she loves magazines So while most of you might not be Woman’s Day about who these women and TV, especially HGTV, cooking browsing a magazine like Woman’s Day are, what they value, and how to earn shows, pro football, and most of all, on a regular basis, more than a third their trust. Hallmark movies! of all woman in the country are. And Demographics alone can’t capture for the most part, these women are *** the full story. So we’ve made it a point overlooked by the political class. over the past several years to get closer

CICERO 2019 30 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS to our readers. We’ve done that through Our recipes include a cost-per- to the attention of her state depart- research, including a series of dinners serving estimate, because so many of ment of health. at which we brought small groups of our readers need to manage a house- We covered the opioid epidemic our subscribers together for informal hold budget. through the story of Melissa Wilson conversations with our editors. You won’t find designer kitchen and her husband Rob, an Army vet- Here’s what we know… renovations in our Home section. eran who was wounded in Afghanistan. The typical Woman’s Day subscriber Instead, we’ll run a piece on painting Melissa recounts the heartbreak of is a positive and resilient woman. ideas to refresh a room. discovering that Rob was addicted to She has a sense of openness and We won’t just highlight the latest painkillers, as well as the hope repre- tolerance of others. developments in heart health research; sented by his recovery and volunteer She values kindness and has a strong we’ll also provide clear how-to’s for pre- work helping other veterans. sense of faith. venting and managing heart disease. We waded into the issue of gender She’s not that interested in global At the top of the Contents page in identity with the first-person story of issues; those aren’t problems she feels every issue is a short bible quote. And Gina Kentopp, a mother coming to she can impact. lest you wonder about how readers feel terms with her child’s decision to tran- But when it comes to issues that about the bible quote, I’ll tell you that sition from female to male. directly impact her family or commu- the most frequent comment we get in Woman’s Day approached this story nity, she gets things done. For exam- letters is “thank you” for including it. with some trepidation: how would ple, she probably doesn’t know who readers react to a story about such Betsy DeVos is, but she knows what’s *** a hot-button topic? We were careful working and what needs fixing in her about our approach. We stayed away local schools. We have a section called “Inspire” from the legal and political aspects of Where does she stand politically? that features stories of seemingly ordi- transgender rights and focused exclu- My guess is that our readers are split nary women who have accomplished sively on one mother’s journey. pretty evenly between red and blue. extraordinary things. It also includes It’s a beautiful story, the highlight of But in reality, we don’t know. And we our Kindness Project column, in which is the author, a devout* Chris- will never, ever ask. which readers share first-hand stories tian, discovering a line in a memoir Because one thing that Woman’s Day about acts of kindness they’ve wit- written by a woman in a similar posi- readers have made abundantly clear is nessed or experienced. tion. That line was, “Instead of asking that they DON’T want our magazine We try to reflect their lives accurate- God to change your child, why don’t to go anywhere near politics. ly. That means providing ideas for ev- you ask Him to change your heart?” We respect their wishes: when it eryday tasks like cooking, cleaning, and Gina took that suggestion and found a comes to politics, we don’t go there. staying fit. But our readers’ concerns path forward. It meant changing her And it makes for a remarkably good don’t stop there, and neither do we. own beliefs and changing churches. But relationship! At the core of that rela- I’m proud of the fact that over the it brought her to a place of acceptance tionship is trust. Our readers count on past several years, we’ve stepped be- and support for her child. us to respect their values and priorities, yond the normal purview of women’s We braced ourselves for reader and we do. We focus on the things that service magazines and taken on some blowback, but it never came. In fact, matter to these women, bringing them serious issues that impact readers’ Woman’s Day received widespread praise content that helps simplify and enrich lives. In doing so, we can’t entirely on this feature, including an Eddie their lives. avoid getting into issues that have Award from Folio Magazine. The sections are what you’d ex- political implications. But we always In our October 2018 edition, Wom- pect in a women’s service magazine: approach the issues from a personal an’s Day took the leap into the topic of food, home, health and so on. It’s our perspective. By focusing on how wom- gun violence. It was a big leap for us. approach to these topics that makes en are dealing with these challenges, Our approach centered around Woman’s Day unique. We’re guided we humanize the issue and steer clear school safety. We featured the story of a by a core principle: lead with joy and of partisanship. student survivor who supported giving positivity. We work hard to enhance One example: we featured the story teachers the option of being armed…a our readers’ lives in meaningful and of an unlikely environmental hero, teacher who survived Columbine as practical ways. Cheryl Lumsden Josza of Bradenton, a student and founded a network of We aim to be inspiring, not aspi- Florida. After her sister died of leu- online support groups for school shoot- rational. You won’t find $250 shoes kemia, Cheryl began researching the ing victims and survivors…and one of featured in a fashion spread. Instead, high death rates among other alumni the first responders to enter Marjorie we include items that can be found at of her local high school. Cheryl’s work Stoneham Douglass High School after Kohl’s, Walmart, or J.C. Penney. helped bring this long-overlooked issue the Parkland shooting.

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In my letter to readers that month, other beltway folks. And who knows, We see broadcast media being I invited them to weigh in on the topic. maybe it’s not… splitting off into red and blue camps, a And they took me up on it. We re- But I know we’re doing something trend that started with talk radio and ceived a record number of responses right at our magazine. We’ve found a has spread not only into cable news but on the school safety story. way to connect meaningfully with 17 into late night and primetime shows, Most of the letters included posi- million women every month. They some of which are happy to wear their tive comments about the stories. Some have choices, and they vote with their political bias on their sleeve. readers included their own ideas on dollars. I’m particularly proud of the And then there’s the internet. We improving school safety. One reader fact that for two years running, Woman’s know that social media is fueled by a wrote, “It was so nice to read the differ- Day has been the top selling monthly business model that rewards sensation- ent point of views that were not filled magazines on newsstands. If purchases alism and extremism. That formula with a political agenda.” are votes, we’re winning elections on a may work for Facebook’s bottom line, Another reader saw it very differ- monthly basis! and it often works for politicians who ently, writing “Please do not ruin the If you were to ask me to translate are willing to divide the public in magazine by bringing your own political my experience at Woman’s Day into order to secure victory. But it certainly issues into the magazine…I beg you.” political advice, I would try desperately doesn’t work for the readers of Woman’s Taken together, the responses indi- to wiggle out of it. And if you really Day, or for our nation as a whole. cated that we found the right tone. We pressed me, I’d encourage you to take a contributed to an important conversa- few pages from our approach: *** tion. We struck a balance that seemed First, Know your audience. Speak fair to most readers. with them. And listen carefully. There is one piece of advice that I can I’ll share one more letter we got Second, find practical ways to make offer with complete confidence: go to on this, from a woman named Paula, their lives a little better. amazon.com and get a subscription who wrote, “What a fantastic idea for Third, respect their values, which to Woman’s Day. A year’s subscription a section! What this country needs include kindness and civility. will set you back a whopping $6. Each more of right now is to find common Fourth, think locally, because that’s time a new issue arrives, take a few ground. Thank you for leading the how these women think. They were minutes to browse through it. You’ll way on that. I’m also loving your Hal- into localism long before David Brooks probably find a few things that catch loween décor ideas!” started writing Op-Eds about it. your interest, so maybe you’ll spend I love that letter because it captures Fifth, remember that trust is your a little more time with the maga- a central truth about our audience: greatest asset: don’t do or say things zine. More importantly, you’ll have a they are more than just one thing. The that will violate that bond. window into the lives of millions of same woman who wants to decorate Lastly, when it comes to the heated women who have so much to offer and her house for Halloween is eager to en- issues that divide us, to whatever are too often forgotten. gage in a respectful conversation about extent possible, don’t go there. I know To sweeten the deal, we’re giving the most pressing issues facing our sometimes that’s not possible, but I each of you a copy of our December country. She can be both those things can tell you that what these women issue. It includes our usual mix of with no contradiction. want is to come together around prac- practical tips and uplifting stories. tical solutions. You’ll also find some great holiday *** decorating ideas! *** I’m so grateful to be part of this I have to confess, when I was initially event, and I look forward to working invited to speak at this conference, I find it interesting that the oldest with you on solutions that will empow- I wondered how my experience at mass medium—print—is able to bring er women and elevate our politics. Woman’s Day could possibly be relevant people together in a way that other Thank you very much. to a group of political strategists and media can’t.

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WINNER: MILITARY “Where Are the Leaders?”

By Hal Gordon for Tom Stewart, Retired New York Investment Banker Delivered at the University of Oregon, and Former Naval Attack Commander Eugene, Oregon, May 18, 2018

ood evening. I’m going to begin swer to that question. He said: “They I would have an even easier time than Gby springing a pop quiz on you. were people Mr. Rumsfeld did in giving an answer. Who can name the man who became … whose names we had never heard, All I would have to do would be to the youngest U.S. Secretary of De- … who were being paid a few thou- point a finger in your direction and say, fense—and then, some years later, be- sand dollars a year, “There they are, they are sitting came the second-oldest U.S. Secretary … who were posted in dry, unpleas- right in front of me.” of Defense? ant forts across the country and the I’m not flattering you. I can say that Here’s a hint: He was an ROTC world, in all sincerity because I was once sit- grad, a member of the U.S. Congress, … moving their families every few ting where you are myself. a naval aviator, and a flight instructor. years, I know what I and my fellow ROTC Anyone want to venture a guess? … bringing up children in difficult cadets were made of in our day, and He was Donald Rumsfeld. Mr. circumstances, I’m willing to bet that you’re made of Rumsfeld served as this country’s young- … stuck in the same rank for eight, the same stuff that we were. est Secretary of Defense under Presi- 10, 12 years, Like you, we were young, we were dent Ford from 1975 to 1977. Then, … neglected by Congress, and adventurous, and we were patriotic. We from 2001 to 2006, he served as the … whose patriotism, dedication were green, of course, but we had po- second-oldest U.S. Secretary of Defense and service were at great cost to them- tential. And it was ROTC that started under President George W. Bush. selves, and to develop our potential and turned us But tonight I’m going to talk … were essentially without apprecia- into soldiers and leaders. about something Mr. Rumsfeld did tion by the people, whom they served.” Each generation has its own story to in between those two spells at the “It was not until World War II, tell about how it qualified for the chal- Defense Department. In 1984, he was when the need was urgent, that the lenges it faced. awarded the prestigious George C. people discovered that the great leaders For the great commanders of World Marshall Medal by the Association of were there.” War II it was the story of dry, unpleas- the U.S. Army. And what leaders they were! ant forts across the country and around On receiving the Marshall Medal, Because it was from this small pool the world, bringing up their families un- Mr. Rumsfeld gave a speech that I of nameless, selfless, and neglected der hardscrabble conditions, being stuck have long admired, and that I think patriots that our country was able to in the same rank for years, doing their is particularly appropriate to quote call forth a Dwight Eisenhower, an duty faithfully while being underpaid from tonight. Omar Bradley, a Patton, a MacArthur, and unappreciated. Those experiences Mr. Rumsfeld said that throughout a George Marshall and all the other hardened them, sharpened their abili- his career in public life he was asked larger-than-life commanders who led ties and instilled in them the discipline, again and again, our forces to victory in the greatest war fortitude and self-denial they needed to “Where are the great leaders? the world had ever known. prevail in the great struggle to come. Where are the giants today?” Mr. Rumsfeld concluded that it says My generation’s story started with To that question he always answered, a lot about the U.S. Army that it can being brave enough to sign up for “They are there, and they will be “attract, develop, foster, retain, encour- ROTC in the first place. When I was there when they are needed. Let there age and motivate individuals of that your age, it was at the height of the be no doubt.” brilliance and stature.” Vietnam War. In fact it was just after He added that people had asked And it does. the Tet Offensive, when soldiering was that same question in the 1920s and Was it simply good fortune that we held in contempt by many of our fel- 30s—the decades between the two had all these great leaders when we low students. To wear a uniform was to world wars. Where were America’s needed them? I don’t think so, and I’ll be called a “hired killer” by our more great military leaders then? tell you why. Because if someone were left-wing peers. In reply, he said that it was only to ask me right now “Where are the Our story started at a time when in hindsight that we learned the an- great leaders? Where are the giants?” about 200 Americans a week were

VSOTD.COM 33 being killed in Vietnam. So we had no what that something gross might be, but when I found myself in fierce combat, illusions about what we were signing up hunger usually overcame our misgivings fighting for my life. for. We knew that we were putting our and we ate the stuff. A moment ago, I quoted the Duke of lives on the line. We knew that we had Our realistic training approach also Wellington. Now, since we’re on a uni- a real chance of dying in action. included infiltrating the camps of “en- versity campus, I’m going to get really And if we ever needed reminding emy” units—gathering intelligence and fancy and quote one of his contempo- of that grim fact, we had US Army taking prisoners. Being taken prisoner raries--a guy named Karl von Clause- instructors who had recently served in one of these exercises meant being witz. Clausewitz was an 19th Century in combat in Vietnam. They made it subjected to periods of tight bondage, Prussian general and military theorist. very clear that they were not prepar- sensory deprivation, relentless interro- He had a famous maxim of his own. ing us for Boy Scout camp. They were gation techniques and other battlefield He said that “War is the continuation of preparing us for war. captivity scenarios. diplomacy by other means.” And we rose to their challenge with I recall that I was on both ends of And it is. That’s why I needed my willing and eager hearts. those experiences. Once, I managed ROTC foundation of training—even I was a member of a core group of to sneak into an “enemy” camp and on peacekeeping missions. about 30-40 cadets who called our- make off with as many of their boots Being taken captive in ROTC selves the “Marauders.” That’s right— as I could carry. That was amusing exercises helped me not to give way to the Marauders. How’s that for being mischief for me, but given the rocky panic when I was taken captive for real politically incorrect? and sometimes muddy terrain, it was in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. I was We deliberately chose to make our no fun for them. able to stay cool because I had expe- ROTC training as tough on ourselves It was also a warning for me not to rienced this situation in training. And as we could. We went out into the field get too cocky. my cool head enabled me to extricate as often as possible: Day and night, all Because the guys in that ‘other’ myself from captivity in short order. weathers, and in as many different ter- camp got their revenge when they I was an operations and administra- rains as possible. took me captive the next day. And tive officer for the U.N. in the Golan We practiced small-unit tactics, when they discovered that I was the Heights, with liaison responsibilities in going out on patrols, staging ambushes joker who had stolen their boots, they Damascus and Beirut. This was a dan- and learning how to repel ambushes. hit on a particularly nasty way of pay- gerous area during a violent time. I was Sometimes we stayed awake for 36 ing me back: They used their muddy directing a group of military observers hours at a stretch—basically all week- socks to gag me—stuffing those socks and I was investigating reports of un- end, Friday evening through Sunday into my mouth. That day still cracks friendly activity, and a potential threat afternoon return. me up—I took that sock episode as a to my personnel. It was as realistic as we could make badge of honor. The reports proved accurate. I was it. We couldn’t use live ammunition, but Yes, we were kids, and we did have traveling alone when my vehicle was the blanks we used in our weapons had fun, but we all took this training very ambushed by some very ugly characters the loud noise of an engagement and seriously. I learned some very valuable with their AK’s. I was hit on the back the cardboard wads in the blanks were lessons about how to cope with brutal of the head, knocked to the ground and powerful enough to destroy a beer can, confinement and how to keep a cool quickly beaten under the muzzles of and this was at a time when beer cans head in high-pressure situations. AK-47’s. I remember thinking at the were a lot tougher than they are today. The Duke of Wellington once fa- time, “This could be interesting.” Speaking of cans. Our efforts to get mously remarked that the Battle of Wa- I refused to stay down, but there as close as we could to actual com- terloo was won on the playing fields of I was. I had four men pointing their bat conditions meant that we ate the Eton. I don’t go back quite that far, but AK’s at me—with others in the back- army’s leftover Combat Rations—or I have no doubt that he was right. The ground. One thug attempted to clear “C-Rations” as they were called. They mental discipline I learned in ROTC my throat with the muzzle of his AK. were in use from 1959 to 1980 and stood me in good stead later on. Not very good odds. Training does not were nowhere near as appetizing as Ironically, when my actual combat prepare you for every single situation today’s Meals Ready to Eat or MREs. experience came it wasn’t in Vietnam. that you will encounter, but it gives you The C-Rations came in these little Rather, it was in the Middle East in the some general principles to follow that brown cardboard boxes. Inside these late 1970s and early 1980s, serving on will enable you to improvise effective little brown cardboard boxes were these U.N. peacekeeping missions. responses on the spur of the moment. little dented cans. Sometimes the cans But just because they were called These include: Keep cool; if you’re leaked, which suggested that something peacekeeping missions didn’t mean afraid, don’t show it. Be resourceful really gross was happening inside. We that my ROTC training was any less and look for ways of narrowing the used to speculate among ourselves as to valuable. There were still occasions odds or reversing the situation.

CICERO 2019 34 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

I did keep calm in this case and, tals, combined with ingrained mental had an impact on the rest that I didn’t perhaps because they thought I was discipline, enabled me to improvise a expect. They not only fled, but I ended a successful capture, the background response on the spot. up chasing them. thugs barked some orders in Farsi and In this case, I would say that my Does that make me Captain Amer- suddenly departed. training had prepared me in a number ica? I didn’t think so at the time, and I Now don’t laugh, but I was able of useful ways. Yet again, it helped me still don’t. As I saw it, I was just doing to divert a couple of the terrorists by to keep a cool head. It gave me a sixth my job. I was trained to be a warrior, pointing to some Marlborough ciga- sense concerning danger. It sharpened and when the time came, the training rette cartons in the back of my truck. my peripheral vision and it helped me paid off. I was ready. Two of the four bad guys made for to perceive those elements of the situa- That’s the advice I would give to the cigarettes—thus reducing the odds tion that I might be able to turn to my you tonight. Be ready. Learn as much against me from four to one, to two to advantage. as you can. Sharpen your instincts. one. Luckily, I was then able to distract I edged towards a stone wall where Broaden your skills and your experi- one of the other terrorists long enough my back would be protected. I wound ences. Challenge yourselves on every to grab his weapon. That enabled me my jacket around my left hand and point. The more experience you have to regain control of the situation and forearm as a shield. I kept my distance in getting close to the real thing, the get on my way. and retreated towards the stone wall, better prepared you will be, and the My point is this: maintain your and then, I pulled out my own knife. As more resourceful and self-confident you mental toughness. Don’t give up, no I did, I drew on the self-confidence my will be during those real-world situa- matter how difficult the odds against training had instilled in me. I looked tions when it’s life or death. you may seem. Keep thinking. Keep for mental advantages. I reminded We were ready when the time came, looking for alternatives. It is never over myself that though I was outnumbered and I have no doubt that you will be until it’s over. I was a good deal taller than any of my ready as well. On another occasion I was suddenly adversaries. Also, I was probably more Let me end where I began, with a confronted with number of terrorists fit and better trained. Finally, I had a question and an answer. armed with knives. I was allegedly longer reach—something that really Question: Where are the great lead- in a safe area and so I was unfortu- mattered in a knife fight. ers today? nately without a firearm. The bad guys Bottom-line, I didn’t discount my Answer: demanded that I surrender to them. I ability to make these thugs pay a I’m looking at them—all present didn’t. price—even if I went down. and accounted for. This again was a situation that I First, I moved quickly to lower the Thank you, good luck and God hadn’t rehearsed in ROTC training. odds. I attacked—and disabled the ter- bless you all. But once more the training fundamen- rorists who were closest to hand. That WINNER: CONTROVERSIAL OR HIGHLY POLITICIZED “#MenToo: Breaking the Silence of Male Trauma Survivors”

By Megan Pope for Debra Warner, Professor, Los Angeles Campus Delivered as a TEDxTalk, of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology San Antonio, Texas, Sept. 15, 2018

ello everyone, thank-you for being abuse and assault. This is important, ~Now, before I go much further, I Hhere today. I want to bring up a the #metoo movement is long over- want to give a trigger warning. This difficult topic, but an important one. due. But, when we think of victims of talk will discuss graphic topics of sexual It seems the news is littered lately with domestic violence or rape, we probably assault, physical and emotional abuse stories of sexual assault. think of a male perpetrator and a fe- so if you feel uncomfortable, please feel Harvey Weinstein, Roy Moore, Bill male victim. But there is another popu- free to leave the room. (Care) Cosby. (Pause). When you picture these lation that is incredibly overlooked... ~ I am a Forensic Psychologist and a men in your head, I’m sure you think male survivors of trauma. Statistics professor in Los Angeles. My research of news articles about the accusa- show that 1 in 6 men will experience focuses on violence and trauma related tions women have made against them. sexual abuse in their lifetimes. And it to males, and I use psychology in the Women have been stepping out of is my work with that population that I legal environment to help with offender the shadows, and talking about their would like to share with you today. treatment. Some days I teach, but

VSOTD.COM 35 other days I go into prisons and evalu- speak up. Our culture does not validate However, this is dangerous because ate offenders. Because of my experi- men who speak out, but silences them. it teaches boys that they can only be ences in this field, I am able to speak Perhaps the reason why lies in how we one way, tough. So, when 1 in 6 men for these male survivors, because I have indoctrinate our children. are abused, they literally don’t know been witness to many of their stories. ~Who has ever heard someone say how to tell anyone about their trauma ~In 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Justice to a little boy, “Don’t hit girls!” By sin- because admitting vulnerability would Statistics stated that men have an gling out little girls in this way, we are bring too much inner shame. This is equal chance as women of experienc- teaching our little boys that women are why Robert didn’t say anything for ing a violent crime. (pause) Does that weak. Why don’t we just say, “Don’t hit years about his abuse, and why many shock you? It shocked me, and yet anyone?” Men are conditioned to pro- men stay silent, and in the shadows. after hearing hundreds of stories from tect women and think of them as less ~ Here is another story that greatly male trauma victims, I am no longer in powerful than men. However, we never impacted me. It is about how male disbelief. Let me tell you the story of a (draw this out) think of our men as trauma affects men and their spouses. man I interviewed. His name is Robert. needing protection. We think of them I am changing the name and a few ~Robert is 49 and stands 6 feet tall as powerful. (pause) Robert’s mom details to protect the man involved. I and weighs 300 pounds. His size makes thought of him as a strong grown man, was called to a prison once to evalu- him sound tough, right? Well, even the not the 15-year-old child he was. In our ate Marco, who was incarcerated for biggest and strongest men can be vic- culture, men are some of the MOST domestic violence. The day before tims. As a child, Robert was molested silent victims of physical, emotional, he had slit his own throat from ear to by several perpetrators at 3 different and sexual abuse because we rarely ear in his cell. When I evaluated him, points in his childhood. At 4, at age believe they can be the victims. (pause) I could not understand why he was 7, and lastly by his maternal aunt by Remember, research gathered from the incarcerated, and in so much internal marriage when he was 15. Each time 1 in 6 organization shows that on aver- pain. He seemed like a gentle soul. His he was abused, he stuffed his pain age, 1 in 6 men are sexually abused. 1 wife visited weekly and he had no other down, because he was taught to “suck (pause) in (pause) 6. history of depression or violence that it up” and “be a man.” On the last ~Richard Gartner, a psychologist would make him more likely to slice occasion his aunt convinced him they who treats men with trauma histories, his throat. It takes a lot of depression were to get married and live happily says that our society holds the false and self-loathing to do such a thing. I ever after. Sometime afterward, he was belief that men cannot be victims of thought “there has to be a trauma or so distraught he slit both his wrists. At sexual abuse. But men CAN and Rob- something that caused him to act out.” this point he told his mother about her ert is far from alone. Male sexual abuse So, when I interviewed him, I sat across sister-in-law’s abuse. Imagine if your happens more than it should. from him, and softly asked, “So what 15 year old daughter told you that (get ~Perhaps another reason why, is happened to you” (make us feel the angry) her older uncle was touching illuminated in the documentary “The gentleness in your vocalics and body). her. Would you believe her? Of course Mask You Live In.” The documentary His eyes widened in surprise, and he you would! And you would be beyond sheds light on why we rarely hear men answered “nothing, nothing,” but then furious! Cops would be called, arrests discuss their abuse. The film discusses he averted his eyes and looked down. made, and families split. But how do how men cannot live up to society’s After 2 minutes of sitting in silence and we respond when a 15-year-old boy traditional masculine expectations. No him looking at the floor, (pause) he told tells us he was sexually abused? Rob- man can be all the things society says me an uncle raped him when he was 5 ert’s mother didn’t call the police, and are masculine: the star athlete, (pause) years old. He was raped again when he she wasn’t outraged. She told him that financially successful, (punch), the top was 21 by rival gang members. (pause) no woman could force a teenage boy executive. Television and the cultural Many survivors of sexual assault have to have sex if he didn’t want it. (Put on narrative of societal gender norms Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, a bit of a different voice…) “You can- encourages men to be masculine and (pause) like veterans coming home from not take sex from a teenage boy.” His strong. Societal gender norms are the war. But instead of being triggered by mother assumed he had consented. But unspoken rules of what it means to be loud noises, sexual assault survivors can he was just 15 years old when his aunt masculine and feminine. When men become triggered by words, scenarios, started molesting him. Such (pause) is cannot be “strong,” their perceptions or touching. (pause) Marcos says the the injustice of what (pause) has been of themselves might be painful and day he was arrested, he and his wife done (pause) to our men. (huge pause). self-rejecting. We teach little boys to were in the shower, and she touched his While women are applauded as the not cry, be tough, “suck it up” and “be butt. It triggered his PTSD, and sud- heroines they are when speaking up a man.” These responses teach little denly, he wasn’t with her anymore in about assault, men are not believed, are boys a blueprint or an interpretation the shower, he was back in the moment ostracized, or are called weak if they of what it means to be masculine. with his perpetrators.

CICERO 2019 36 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

~His PTSD, and those trauma assault, we can break the culture of Her Story, and it’s written for spouses memories materialized in his mind, silence, and free men to come out of of male survivors of sexual abuse and all spawning from that touch. He felt the shadows. But for men to feel com- trauma. (pause) Remember Robert? I victimized, and in that moment he fortable disclosing, they need support. interviewed him for my book. assaulted his wife. He had never told Think about all the funding that goes ~Once, he and his wife and their her about his rapes. As he sat there re- into creating shelters and programs for son were spending her birthday in Or- calling his story, he cried and violently abused women, but there is very little ange County, California. Robert hated shook with emotion. Once he was for abused men. And why would there Orange County, but he never really done with his story, I told him what I be funding for it when even our media told anyone how much he disdained say to all my survivors, “This assault ostracizes male assault survivors? it. As the family was driving back to was not your fault” and “thank you ~ A few years ago, I was watching their home, the normally calm Robert for telling me your story.” Like many a popular news pundit tell a satirical became angry when a car cut him off. men, he had guarded his story because news story of a female teacher who Instead of calmly allowing the driver to men have been taught to protect like had had sex with a male child in her pass, he revved on the gas and seemed a dragon protecting their gold. Later, school. The comedian joked how like he was going to hit the other car. Marco called his wife at my prompting “lucky” the young man was. Lucky? His wife, freaking out, yelled “STOP and shared his history of the sexual Lucky? (indignant). Why was he lucky? IT!” (pause) before the near accident. assaults. He had never told anyone be- Consent does NOT change because of He looked at his wife and yelled, cause he felt ashamed and feared being your genitalia. It’s this very dichotomy, “Don’t tell me what do!!!” with disdain viewed as less than a man. of favoring female victims over male and resentment. Terrified, she started ~Men like Marco often do not victims, that creates so much shame sobbing and stayed silent the rest of disclose their abuse for years. Research- for male trauma survivors. This shame the way home. She was so fearful for ers O’Leary and Barber found 44% usually turns to pain, which men never her son in the car or he would see his of men wait more than 20 years to disclose because of the stigma about father arrested. disclose child sexual abuse. Imagine manliness and strength. ~Robert’s wife could not under- carrying that kind of shame and pain, ~Because of men like Marco and stand what had happened to put alone, inside of you for all those years. Robert, I created an annual conference Robert in such a rage that day. In time Men often feel responsible for their to help bring awareness to this issue: Robert began to disclose to her more sexual assault because they believe they the Summit on Community Resilience, of his childhood. She finally real- should have been able to stop it. Those Intervention, Prevention, and Training ized that the Robert’s rage in the car gender roles kick in, and Marco’s (SCRIPT). Every year in July, in Los that day was triggered by spending blueprint for masculinity told him that Angeles, we celebrate the resiliency the day in Orange County. You see, he was to blame for his assault, that of men who have experienced male Orange County is a wealthy area, and it was somehow his fault. He felt that violence and trauma. This conference Robert grew up incredibly poor. His he should have been “man enough” is open to the public and was created mother had to work, which left him to stop it. Our society allows women so we come together as a community to with minimal supervision at times and to be vulnerable, but it does not allow discuss all issues related to trauma and vulnerable to sexual predators. He used men that same luxury because of the leave the conference with something to to dream of a life of privilege so he stigma of being sexually assaulted as implement in our own individual envi- could feel not alone. Being in Orange a man. It is this atrocity of men not ronment. So far, the conference has had County reminded him of his child- being encouraged to speak up that has over 800 attendees and provides a place hood, the solitude and the abuse he inspired my research of working with for male survivors to tell their stories. sustained from a lack of supervision. male trauma survivors. Hashtag metoo This last year, we had four brave sur- His wife yelling at him to STOP! made is important, but what about hashtag vivors disclose their abuse for the first him feel he had no control, reminding mentoo? (Pause) time. They were immediately embraced him of how he had been abused, and ~While some male survivors do with love, support, and put in touch no one had helped him. Robert had come forward, it is very few. One such with resources that will help them. stuffed his pain down so deep, it had brave man that I had the pleasure of ~The rest of the year, I continue my fallen into the shadows. Over time, his hearing speak was Greg Holtmeyer, work, going into prisons, and work- wife learned his story, and it troubled an educator at Lincoln University, and ing with male trauma survivors. I have her how he still felt so much pain from a male survivor himself. He discussed realized something sadly profound: very his molestations. And I should know his how disclosure can be a freeing ex- few people are researching or talking or pain, because I am Robert’s wife. (long perience for men and can help them writing, about male trauma victims. Be- pause) He is here today, supporting me. not feel so invisible in the world. By cause of this, I wanted to write a book ~If I could dream up a world encouraging men to talk about their about this issue. It’s called His History, where wonderful men like my hus-

VSOTD.COM 37 band were never abused, I would. But them up for failure. Stop limiting the with the full range of emotions he is until we get there, let’s listen and pay emotional expression of our men and allowed to express, in his pocket, and attention to how we socialize our boys boys, creating an expectation of mas- his ideas on gender are not set. Let’s and adolescents. Let’s get rid of tradi- culinity they cannot live up to. This allow men to be vulnerable. Let’s al- tional gender roles and teach boys that is my mission, to stop the culture of low male trauma and violence victims being vulnerable is not weakness. Let’s silence. My mission started with love, to come into the light, and not have stop tying emotions to genders. It’s not love for the men who suffer in silence, to suffer alone. Let’s listen. Let’s love. feminine to cry, it’s human. By limit- and love for my husband. Let’s break the silence together. ing the range of emotions boys and ~My experiences mean I raise my men can safely express, we are setting son, who is also in the audience today, WINNER: DIVERSITY “The Power of Singlemindedness”

Written and Delivered by Janet Stovall, Delivered at TED@UPS, Manager, Executive Communications, UPS Atlanta, Georgia, July 19, 2018

verybody has that one friend—you too long, because out of 1,200 stu- However, the change did happen, Eknow, the single-minded one, the dents, only 52 of us were black. There and today, there are 185 black stu- one who, no matter what the question was one black professor and one black dents, there are 16 black or multiracial is, always finds a way to make the an- assistant dean. Things weren’t a lot bet- professors, there are four black deans, swer whatever it is she’s single-minded ter on campus. and there’s an entire degree-granting about. I’m that friend. Well, I wasn’t OK with this. And Africana Studies Department. And the thing that I’m single-minded so, I started writing things. And then I Project ‘87 changed Davidson. But about is racism. If someone were to ask started yelling things. And after about it also changed me, because what it me, “So, Janet, got any plans for the 4th three years of that, I got tired. So I de- taught me was there’s a lot of power in of July?” I’m subject to answer, “Yeah, cided to write one more thing; I wrote single-mindedness. I’m going to binge-watch ‘Roots.’“ something called “Project ‘87.” Well, today, I’m an executive Or if they said, “Janet, I’ve got a Project ‘87 was really just a challenge speechwriter for one of the biggest joke for you: Why’d the chicken cross to Davidson: in three years, by 1987, companies in the world. It’s a pro- the road?” “Uh, was it a black chicken? enroll 100 black students, hire 10 black fession that is 92 percent white and Probably gentrification.” professors, create five Black Studies predominantly male, which makes But for me, single-mindedness is classes and hire one black dean. It didn’t me a little bit of a unicorn. But I’m a not just caring about something. It’s seem particularly revolutionary, but single-minded unicorn. caring about something enough to do what was different about it was, we also The thing about speech writing is, something about it. It’s not just think- challenged Davidson to say that if you it’s very personal. So I spend a lot of ing, it’s doing. It’s not just praying, it is don’t do this, we will question your com- time in deep conversation with the moving your feet. And the reason I’m mitment to diversity. It was a real prob- CEO and senior executives, and a single-minded about racism is because lem. We put some real numbers to it. lot of times those conversations turn I know single-mindedness can destroy We gave them some real consequences. to diversity and inclusion, which, of it. I learned that many, many years ago. Well, the campus went absolutely course, I’m always happy to talk about. Back in 1984, I was a junior at nuts. But fortunately, in the middle of But after quite a few of these conver- Davidson College in Davidson, North this, Davidson got a new president, sations, I’ve come to a conclusion: I Carolina. Now, Davidson is a little-bitty and that president was single-minded believe that business is in a position town, Southern town, split by railroad about racism, too. And so, he created to do something that no other entity tracks, with white Davidson on one a task force to address the issues in can do. Business can dismantle racism. side, black Davidson on the other side, Project ‘87. And several months after Now, colleges can’t do it. There aren’t and, as black students lived on the that, we produced a 77-page report. but 5,000 of them in the United States white side of the tracks, we got used to That report was the foundation for all and only 20 million students enrolled. being stopped in downtown and asked the change that came after it. Now, Church can’t do it, either—only 35 for ID, until the police memorized our I wasn’t there to see that change, be- percent of us go on a regular basis, and faces. But fortunately, that didn’t take cause, actually, in 1985, I graduated. when we do, eleven o’clock Sunday

CICERO 2019 38 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS morning is “the most segregated hour” in 2018, and there are only three black willing to set real numbers, then maybe in America. But business? There are a CEOs in the Fortune 500. And if your you’re not real serious about diversity 162 million people in the US workforce name is Molly or Connor, you’ve got a and inclusion. alone—people of all races, united in 14 percent better chance of getting a That brings me to my third point: the spirit of wanting a paycheck and callback on your resume than if your real consequences. Think about this: having to show up to get it. name is Shanice or DeShawn. And all when salespeople forget what they’re Now, I’m aware that diversity is of this, despite the fact that by 2045, doing and don’t come up with their bigger than race, and racism is bigger America is projected to be a minority- numbers, what do we do? We give than America. But racial discrimina- majority country. them a little time, maybe we give them tion is the most prominent form, and Here’s the thing: the business case some training. But then if they don’t Lord knows America is the absolute for diversity, as it stands today, doesn’t hit those numbers eventually, we fire best at it. So what if, though, what if really speak to any problem. And them. However, when you start talking we worked in diverse and inclusive the only way business is going to get about diversity and inclusion, we use environments that we had something single-minded about racial diversity terms like “accountability.” And maybe to do something with? And since we is if it has a problem that is urgent we scold, and maybe we hold back an spend one-third of our lives at work, and relative to somebody other than incentive or two. But you know what what if we did that with people who people of color. I got one: How about the best incentive is? A job. And you didn’t look like us? I think the world employees and customers? Because no know what the best disincentive is? would be a totally different place out- matter what business you’re in, you’re Losing it. Accountability should be a side of work. That can happen if busi- going to need those, right? given. Consequences are what happen ness gets single-minded about racism. Well, let’s talk about some real when you don’t do what you’re ac- But the question is: How is that sup- numbers. If you have employees and countable for. posed to happen? customers, wouldn’t it make sense if Imagine this: imagine a place where Well, I think there are three things they looked a little bit like the people people of all colors and all races are that business can borrow from Project that work for you? So if that’s the case, on and climbing every rung of the ‘87: real problems, real numbers, real maybe your employee base should be corporate ladder; where those people consequences. Like it or not, diversity 13 percent Black and 18 percent His- feel safe—indeed, expected—to bring is not really a problem for business— panic, because that’s what the popula- their unassimilated, authentic selves to yet. I mean, it’s a nice thing to have, it’s tion looks like. Maybe that’s what your work every day, because the difference the right thing to do, but for decades, customer base looks like. that they bring is both recognized and we’ve been trying to make the case that But let’s be clear: diversity and inclu- respected. And imagine a place where diversity fuels innovation and customer sion are not the same things. Diversity the lessons we learn about diversity at insight. I mean, at this point, it’s kind is a numbers game. Inclusion is about work actually transform the things we of a no-brainer, a little bit like hearing impact. Companies can mandate diver- do, think and say outside of work. a smoke alarm going off and standing sity, but they have to cultivate inclusion. That is what happens if we all work with your hand on the hot door, wait- And if inclusion is what you’re after, together to fix what’s broken. ing for some data to tell you that your you’ve got to calculate some slightly dif- That is what happens if we stop house is on fire. Because the data is ferent numbers. How about 30 percent? praying for change to happen and already there. Ethnically diverse com- Because that’s the point that research actually start moving our feet to mak- panies perform 33 percent better than shows at which the voices of minorities ing it. the norm. Forbes’s best workplaces actually begin to be heard. If you want That is the power of single-mind- for diversity enjoy 24 percent higher a real problem, you’re going to need edness. revenue growth. And yet, here we are real numbers to fix it, and if you’re not Thank you.

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WINNER: EDUCATION “The Bystander Effect: Why Some People Act and Others Don’t”

By Soness Stevens for Kelly Charles-Collins, Delivered at TEDxOcala, Lawyer Ocala, Florida, Nov. 3, 2018

hen I was in law school, a friend this boy lay there bleeding. He had but mostly they had just accepted this Wcame to my apartment. She was blood gushing out of his neck. And is who he is, ignoring his behavior and wearing a long sleeve turtleneck sweater. what did the crowd do to help stop the the potential consequences. I thought that is strange; it’s almost 80 bleeding? Nothing. They just screamed Normalization equals acceptance. degrees outside. Then as she moved her at him to run to the hospital—Know- In our silence lies complicity. head I saw a bruise on her neck. She ing the hospital was blocks away. This same normalization occurs told me that her husband is beating her. Nobody stood up for him. No at- every day on the internet. She made me promise to keep her se- tempts to stop the bleeding. Not even We probably all agree that cyberbul- cret. Contrary to my morals and values, help to get up. Instead, he staggered lying is wrong. Yet, research shows that I complied. I stood by and did nothing. on his own blocks to the hospital, only we rarely intervene—especially online. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who to collapse in front of the emergency Social media allows us to interact, knew the secret and did nothing. room and later die. but also to victimize. I was just another example of the What if that was your child or loved Researchers estimate that between social psychological phenomenon called one? How would you want people to 10-40% of adolescents are victims the bystander effect: When everyone is respond? As a mom, I, unfortunately, of cyberbullying. And 70% of adults waiting for the other person to act, we know the answer firsthand. have witnessed some form of online just keep waiting. My son, Jordan, was in a crowded harassment. It’s when we all think, “Someone restaurant when he was put in a head- And then there are situations like this: else will pay the bill.” lock, lifted off his feet, and slammed to A high school girl witnessed her The truth is: The opposite of action the ground...by a police officer. One friend being raped by a 29-year old is not inaction, it’s indifference. young woman, a complete stranger, man they met the day before at the For me—that realization changed witnessing the whole incident, despite mall. Instead of intervening or call- the direction of my life. being threatened with arrest and re- ing for help, she just live-streamed the Why do some people act, and others peatedly cursed at, she stood up for my rape, allegedly to help stop the attack. don’t? Studies show what we choose to son and challenged the officer. But then, viewers encouraged her to do is based on many factors, including She moved past her own fear, put- keep filming. Giggling, she got lost in fear, ambiguity, affinity, and diffusion ting my son, a stranger, above her own “likes,” foregoing her friend’s safety of responsibility. personal safety and wellbeing. But not for her own popularity. And this isn’t As an officer of the court, a lawyer, a just right then and there, she also spoke isolated to teens, recently a 36-year-old trainer on bias and harassment for over up at the internal investigation. With woman did the same thing! 20 years, and personally, I wonder... her help, Jordan also challenged the People just watched a girl get raped How often do we just stand by and officer in court. And won. on social media. How many viewers do do nothing when we know we should Being a bystander is not limited you think did something? One. A friend something? to witnessing an event on the street. of theirs happened to see the video and Are we allowing fear of judgment or There are bystanders in the workplace called 911. It took, just one person to retribution to compromise our morals and on the world wide web. act. Like the one young woman who and values? As a lawyer, I worked on a case stood up and spoke up for my son. Fear breeds inaction. And inaction is where a female employee claimed the Social media promotes a psychologi- what? __ Indifference. owner sexually harassed her. It turns cal need for approval, a way to gauge Lemme tell you about … out this was the best kept “non-secret.” self-worth, that may outweigh empathy. A 15-year old boy was dragged Although almost everyone, from ex- These bullying, physical violence, rape, out of a store in the Bronx. He was ecutive management on down, knew and suicide videos get views, com- repeatedly stabbed by gang members about the owner’s behavior with her ments, likes, and shares. Seriously, wielding a machete. As he fought for and others, they did nothing to stop it. when did we become numb to all his life—a crowd of bystanders watch- Not even one person spoke up. Yeah, this? When crimes and cyberbullying ing—did nothing. As the attackers fled, partly, they were afraid of retaliation, become entertainment, victim empathy

CICERO 2019 40 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS declines. This group voyeur mentality people to stand up, speak up, and We can determine that regardless lends perfectly to the bystander effect act up without fear of retribution of what everyone else is doing, it IS online: we don’t feel pressured to in- or judgment we STAND in our our responsibility to act. tervene because nobody else is. This is power. And once we determine there is a pluralistic ignorance gone viral. Whether it’s witnessing violence, need for some kind of action, we have The next time you get the urge to or—in my bias training in the work- the power to choose how we will act like, share or comment on one of these place, discrimination, bullying, illegal and to what extent we are capable of videos, ask yourself should I or could I activities, the METOO movement, the doing so. be doing more? circumstances for us to act are vast. I’m not saying it’s easy. I under- Hashtag:”Likes” don’t save lives. We want to intervene but don’t stand feeling helpless, our instinct for They say, there’s strength in num- know if we should or even how. Ambi- self-preservation, or simply just not bers, but not so when it comes to the guity, insecurity, our past experiences wanting to get involved. bystander effect--the more people there may creep in. We notice things are There are risks to getting involved: are in-person or online, the less likely we happening. time, effort, workplace issues, personal are to act. We diffuse our responsibility. Do we interpret the situation by ask- safety, and maybe even death. Bystanders are not just those who ing ourselves, “Is this an emergency? So, in that moment, you may won- witness and don’t intervene. Bystand- Do they need help?” Are they deserv- der, should I fight, flee, or freeze? ers include those who are told and ing of help? I know we can’t all fight, but in don’t intervene. And those who heard We often look at others to see how times of need, we also can’t all freeze. it through the grapevine and don’t they are responding to decide whether There’s a spectrum from “Doing intervene. it’s our responsibility to act. Is there Nothing to Doing Something”: ask In this day and age of “empow- someone more qualified to help? Are someone to get help, report it, call for erment,” why do we give away our they intervening? help, create a distraction, intervene. power? Our values guide us in decision Honestly, I’m not ready to die for When we allow others to make deci- making. If we decide based on follow- causes I believe in. But I’m also not sions for us, we give away our power. ing the flock, we might end up compro- willing to just stand by and do noth- When we defer to someone else to mising our own values. Here’s where ing. There’s so much room for action take action, we give away our power. we need self-reflection. between nothing and death. When we fail to act when we know Who am I? What would I want Knowing this, as you do now, we should, we give away our power. done for me or those I love? What are You will spring into action. But … when we create safe and my values? How will my taking action Stand up. Speak up. Act up. inclusive environments that encourage change the outcome? IT’S TIME. WINNER: ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY/SUSTAINABILITY “In Our Hands: Let’s Launch a Satellite to Track a Threatening Greenhouse Gas”

By Amanda Holt for Fred Krupp, President, Delivered at TED2018, Environmental Defense Fund Vancouver, British Columbia, April 11, 2018

e have a big problem on our dent in the problem of climate change will change the course of global warm- Whands with global warming. and live to see it. ing in our lifetimes. A lot of people, probably many I want to give you a vision of what Maybe that’s a lot to take in. I’ll of you, are watching that destruction that looks like. back up. happen, wanting to help, but feel- This is the first time we’ve shared First, let me introduce myself. ing little hope for real change in our this publicly. You are the first audience I’m Fred. lifetimes. to hear it. I’ve been an environmentalist since I You’ve seen the floods, the droughts, We’re going to launch a rocket. was a kid, when I watched the fish and the storms, the fires. On that rocket is a satellite. frogs in my neighborhood pond die When I leave the stage today, I don’t That satellite will gather data about from a chemical spill. want you to have hope. a pollutant that’s warming the planet. That bothered me. I want you to have certainty. We’ll put that data in the hands of Later, a college professor inspired Real certainty that we can make a people who can make simple fixes that me to think about environmentalism

VSOTD.COM 41 differently—he told me that solutions transported across America, methane We’ve seen that when we present come when you answer people’s aspira- escapes from wells and pipes and other them with hard data, many oil and gas tions for prosperity. equipment. companies will cut the pollution. Aspirations like being safe and It gets up into the sky and contrib- Citizens will be empowered to healthy and thriving in this world. utes to the disasters we’re experiencing. take action, governments will tighten When you align that with business That doesn’t have to happen. regulations and because all of our data and science, you get solutions that scale. But nobody had paid much atten- will be free and public, there’s trans- So I joined the Environmental tion to it, until we launched a nation- parency. Defense Fund to build those kinds of wide effort to understand the problem. We’ll all know how much progress is solutions. We collected data with drones, being made, and where. And I’ve worked my whole career planes, helicopters, even Google Street That leads me to our goal: cutting for a moment like this. View cars. these emissions 45% by 2025. The moment when we stop fighting Turns out, methane pollution is That will have the same near-term headwinds and start to have the wind far higher than what government is climate benefit as shutting down 1,300 at our backs because of the power of reporting. coal-fired power plants. information. It also turns out that when we find That’s one-third of all the coal Information from technology that is where the gas is being vented or leaked, plants in the world! coming down in price and going up in most of the sources can be fixed easily Nothing else will have this kind of precision. and inexpensively, saving natural gas near-term impact at such a low cost. You see, there was something we that would otherwise be wasted. The fact that a single satellite can didn’t grasp about climate change just It’s that simple. actually move the dial on global warm- a decade ago. We published our research and ing is remarkable. There’s been so much focus on car- shared it with everyone. This is our chance to create change bon dioxide that the world overlooked And we learned that when you get in our lifetimes. another important gas. information like that in people’s hands, And we can do it now. We didn’t appreciate methane. they act! Thanks to generous giving by The Methane pollution creates a quarter Leading companies replaced valves Audacious Project we’re on a path of the global warming we’re experienc- and tightened loose-fitting pipes. toward liftoff. ing right now. Colorado became the first state to My time is almost up and I prom- Pound for pound, its immediate im- limit methane pollution. ised you a vision of what a critical pact is far greater than carbon dioxide. California followed suit. piece of the solution could be. Eighty-four times greater over a And the public joined in. Can you see it? twenty-year period. Tweets started flying. #plugtheleaks! Can you see how this satellite lever- So we need to keep cutting carbon Everyone’s paying more attention. ages the best of science and technology dioxide for the long term and start We’re doing it because we can’t wait and data? tackling methane to slow warming for Washington—especially not now. Can you see we’ve entered an era right away. In fact, it’s time to take what we’ve of innovation that is supercharging The oil and gas industry is one of done and aim higher. progress? the biggest sources of methane. To the sky. Can you see that it’s in our hands? But it’s not obvious, because meth- The U.S. has only about one-tenth We have an aggressive target of ane is invisible. of this methane pollution, so we need three years to launch. Take a look at this natural gas stor- to go global to find the rest. And when the satellite is ready, we’ll age facility near Los Angeles. Remember that rocket I mentioned? have a launch party. A literal launch Do you see methane here? It will launch a compact satellite, party. Neither do I. called MethaneSAT to do what no one Imagine a blue-sky day. How about now? has done before: measure methane Crowds of people. We shot this with an infrared cam- pollution from oil and gas facilities Television cameras. era at the same spot, exposing one of worldwide with exacting precision. Kids staring up at a thing that will the worst methane leaks in US history. Its data stream will let us map the change their future. That’s a very different picture. pollution so people can see it. What an amazing day that will be. On the one hand, natural gas de- Then it’s about turning data into What a big opportunity we have. creases our dependence on coal, which action by getting it into the right hands, I can’t wait. emits far more carbon dioxide. just as we did in the U.S. But natural gas is mostly methane That means oil and gas companies, and as it’s produced, processed and governments and citizens.

CICERO 2019 42 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

WINNER: HEALTHCARE “The Hardesty Lecture: Patients I Will Never Forget”

Written and Delivered by Norman E. Sharpless, M.D., Delivered as the Hardesty Lecture, West Virginia University, and the NCI Office of Communications and Public Liaison Morgantown, West Virginia, Oct. 18, 2018

ood afternoon. First off, I would back to see you, and they are healthy how these two worlds work together. To- Glike to add my congratulations and happy—the joy is profound. day, I’ll honor my commitment to share to David and Susan Hardesty. What But you also see patients at their information. I will tell you about three a wonderful event. I can tell your sickest. Staring death in the eye. And patients who changed the way I think fingerprints are all over it. A round of they an astonish you with their sense about the field of cancer research. applause for them. of humor and dignity under the most The first patient I’d like to talk There is a palpable sense of mo- terrible circumstances. about is someone I met in 1997, when mentum around cancer research and I once took care of a patient with I was an oncology fellow at the Mas- cancer care here, and this is a state leukemia who was treated heavily with sachusetts General Hospital in Boston. that has a large burden of cancer. West chemotherapy. She was eventually I’d done my internal medicine training Virginia University is bringing in great cured of her disease, but physically, she for three years, and now I was a would- leadership with the goal of developing went through hell first. The treatment be cancer specialist. And those of you a world-class cancer institute. That’s a ruined the taste of all food, so she who remember the late 1990s, that was wonderful vision that the NCI shares developed chemotherapy-induced an- the height of the AIDS epidemic. with this university. orexia. As a result, she lost weight, and It’s hard to explain to young doc- Being here on campus reminds me became very weak and debilitated. We tors today what it was like back then. of my last day of school, 25 years ago. tried lots of stuff to help her regain her Half of an internal medicine service If I close my eyes, I can recall the day appetite, and nothing really worked. in those days, in a big city like Boston, I graduated from the University of She looked so frail and I was con- would be patients dying of AIDS, in North Carolina School of Medicine. cerned about her. I said, “How are you the most baroque, Gothic ways imag- There were family members, hugs doing?” She said, “Well, Dr. Sharpless, inable--with these terrible infections, and tears, and buckets of dubious I would really like to thank you for this with organisms we’d never heard of. fried chicken. My peers and I recited highly effective weight loss program And normally harmless microbes, like the Physician’s Oath. This is a modi- you put me on.” I was awe-struck that bread mold, could make them sick. fied version of the Hippocratic Oath, despite the circumstances, she was try- It was an unbelievably difficult time, which is about 2,500 years old. The ing to make other people laugh. because AIDS was so new. Physician’s Oath includes solemn com- But not every patient is healed. You Constantly, there were new clinical mitments to certain principles of being take care of some patients for a very situations that we’d never encoun- a good physician. long time, you get to know them, and tered. We learned how important the We committed to treat not just a you get your hopes up that you can immune system is to keep all these disease, but the whole patient. help them. You use the best research infections at bay, and there were a lot We committed to ask for help when you can find. But despite your best of young patients and a lot of patients we need it. efforts, sometimes there are terrible from vulnerable populations. It was a That part has served me well in outcomes. There are no answers why. dark time in American medicine. federal government. There is no joy and no healing. There I remember one young man, an We committed to the sharing of are some terribly dark and difficult artist, who had not thought of himself knowledge. We committed to teaching days for both patients and physicians. as sick. He’d never been ill, and he our peers and our patients. Eventually, I felt that the needs of came to the hospital because he was And then there’s the last line that my patients outpaced the information having trouble breathing. He did not I’ve always kept with me. It is: “May that was available. So, the pursuit of know he was HIV-positive at that I long experience the joy of healing the joy of healing drew me back to time. He went from being someone those who seek my help.” the lab so I might get closer to finding who thought of himself as a well The joy of healing. the answers that my patients, my col- individual to being critically ill in just The joy of patient care is really leagues and I so desperately needed. a moment. He was rapidly diagnosed what drove me to practice medical on- So as both a clinical oncologist and a with this disease called pneumocystis cology. When a former patient comes cancer researcher, I’ve been able to see pneumonia. It’s this weird organism

VSOTD.COM 43 that didn’t really cause illness until the After about a month of therapy, our for lung cancer--carboplatin/Taxol. AIDS epidemic. He needed a breath- patient’s immune system was shot. He She was sent back home, where she was ing tube, so he couldn’t even talk with developed sepsis and shortly after that, going to get cyclic chemotherapy. Every us. We treated that disease, and he got he died. three weeks, she’d come in and get a bit better, and he was extubated. He It doesn’t really benefit someone if another round of treatment. could finally tell us about the terrible we make their cancer go away, and we I met her a couple of months into headaches he was having. don’t make them better. Sometimes the her therapy, when she came in for her He then had a lumbar puncture treatment is worse than the disease. fifth cycle of this regimen. I was doing and turned out to have a disease called I learned another lesson from this what we called the “Doc of the Day,” cryptococcal meningitis, which was patient that only becomes obvious in the which meant that I would see the another AIDS-defining illness nobody context of time. When I think about this patients who were getting established had ever really treated before. So, he patient I took care of 21 years ago, and therapy, and make sure they were do- had been diagnosed with two extreme- what would happen with him today, I ing okay, and then give them their next ly rare conditions within two days of realize how much times have changed. round of therapy. each other. We treated those, and he We have drugs like rituximab that are A young oncologist-in-training came started feeling better. much better. We have a regimen called to me and said, “Yeah, here’s this pa- Then, we noticed he had enlarged EPOCH, that was developed by Wyn- tient who is getting treated for lung can- lymph nodes. One of these was biop- dham Wilson at the NCI—that’s better. cer, and she’s 24, and she never smoked, sied, and it turns out he had non-Hodg- We would sequence his tumor and mo- and sign here.” He handed me the kin’s lymphoma, an AIDS-defining lecularly characterize it. We know now chemotherapy orders, and I said, “Wait, illness as well-- at least this subtype of it. that these tumors are largely caused by wait. Did you say 24 years old?” He The oncology service was called Epstein-Barr virus. said, “Yes.” And I said, “Did you say, in so that’s how I became involved. I We know a lot more about the can- ‘Never smoked?’” And he said, “Yes.” remember that I had never taken care cer, but most importantly, this patient And I said, “Well, that’s really unusual. of such a patient. There wasn’t a lot of would probably never get lymphoma What do you think is going on? Did literature on how to treat lymphoma in in the first place, because we have you sequence her for this gene called patients with AIDS at that time, and I highly-active antiretroviral therapy. So, EGFR?” And he said, “Yeah, we did was a fellow-in-training. we have all these treatment options that. She didn’t have that, so, you know, From an academic perspective, this which didn’t exist back then that have she’s getting this regimen.” Also, it was was a fascinating educational chal- made HIV lymphoma really rare in also clear the chemotherapy that had lenge. I read up on HIV lymphoma. the United States now. We have made worked for a while, and helped her, was I talked to one of the greatest lym- an unbelievable amount of progress in not working anymore. So, it was time phoma doctors I’ve ever worked with, that area in just 21 years. We’ve totally to start thinking about what to do next. Mike Grossbard, who was, at that transformed that disease, and its thera- I asked, “Well, did you sequence the time, my attending. py, and its prognosis. It shows how fast other genes, like ALK, and ROS-1?” We discussed it a lot, and we cancer research can go. We can make And the fellow looked at me and said, decided that this patient was way too great progress in short bits of time. “What’s ALK?” I said, “Oh, well, let me sick for standard cancer therapy. We The next patient I’d like to talk tell you, because I’m a scientist. I’m in couldn’t give him the heavy doses of about is someone I took care of at the the lab a lot.” I had just been in a meet- drug we normally would in this situa- University of North Carolina Medical ing a week before and heard a talk by tion, so we found this unusual regi- Center in Chapel Hill in 2010. She Jeff Engelman, a prominent lung cancer men. We cut the dose in half, and we was a Hispanic woman who didn’t researcher and doctor at the time. gave him this therapy. speak much English. She was about Jeff was one of the people who was As a result, his cancer melted away. 24 years old and she had a few young starting to use ALK inhibitors for a It was marvelous. Mike and I felt so children. She came to our emer- rare lung cancer called ALK-translo- self-congratulatory. We were already gency room for chest pain and trouble cated lung cancer. It’s only a couple of figuring out how we were going to breathing. She had a scary-looking percent of patients, but they tend to be write this guy up as a case report. We chest x-ray. She got a biopsy, and it young women who have never smoked. thought we were really clever. turned out that she had lung cancer. This patient had the demographics Well, there was a lot we didn’t This was very odd, because this was for ALK-translocated lung cancer, but know back then. About retrovirology, a young woman, 24 years old, and she we would need to sequence her tumor immunology and biomedical research. never smoked cigarettes. It was a strange again to find out for sure. The AIDS epidemic was a tremen- presentation for lung cancer. She was This kind of sequencing was not dous teacher, but we learned those stabilized on the inpatient service, and routinely available at the time, but we lessons in the worst way. then started on routine chemotherapy did it. We sent a tumor specimen to

CICERO 2019 44 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS a special lab, and we were told that it pathologist wouldn’t have to think about Another thing I learned from her would take five or six weeks to get the it. They would just test for EGFR, and is that we can’t accept the status quo. results back. ALK, along with some other genes that When patients like this present to us, In the meantime, our patient’s indicate a cancer subtype. we have to fight for them. We have to treatment stopped working. She got Also, over the course of a few years, advocate for them. We have to continu- sicker and sicker, and finally, she de- Neil and I developed a protocol called ously work for them, to provide the cided to stop treatment and enroll in UNCSEQ. This is a panel of about best care possible, and not be satisfied hospice care. 300 genes we would sequence in can- with the standard of care if it’s not Coincidentally, that very same day, cer patients. We went on to sequence good care. And we have to do this for we got the lab results back. She had a 3,000 patients, and we followed them all our patients. We have to do this for classic defining mutation that showed to find out what happened to them. our rich VIP donors, but we also have what I suspected: she had ALK-trans- In addition, we did something that to do this for patients who are poor, located lung cancer. was considered really innovative at the and don’t speak English. At the same time, a clinical trial for time- we shared the results with the The third patient I’d like to talk an ALK-inhibitor drug was taking place patients and their doctors, so if there about is someone I took care of just a just a few hundred feet from the emer- was a meaningful event, the therapy few years ago, in 2016, at the University gency room door where this patient first could be changed. of North Carolina. As Richard men- entered. We did not know then, but we This allowed us to learn a lot, sci- tioned, I used to treat acute leukemia on know this now: an ALK-inhibiting drug entifically, and publish a lot of papers. the inpatient service, and this was a very can give patients with ALK translocated We created new resources that helped charming 60-year-old African-American lung cancer about four more years of patients with cancer, but it was all insti- man who lived in Durham. He was a fa- good quality life as opposed to a few gated by a bad outcome in a patient. ther, a husband, and a journalist, and he weeks. She’s exactly the kind of patient So, what did this patient teach me? was diagnosed with acute myelogenous they were looking for. If you think about our options in 2010 leukemia—AML. AML in a 60-year-old The molecular diagnostics would versus 2018, again, you will realize is generally a pretty bad disease. I had have helped her, but we got this infor- how fast cancer progress can be. If this not seen his bone marrow biopsy results mation about five weeks too late. patient came in today, to virtually any yet, but I assumed he was going to have This was not even a result of hospital in the United States, she’d get an incurable cancer. I was preparing to malpractice. She didn’t get bad care. sequenced automatically for, not three tell him and his wife about how this was She got standard care. She got what genes but, hundreds of genes, for 10 or a really tough disease. He was going to she would’ve gotten at most any other more driving events that all have thera- need very aggressive therapy. If he was institution in the country at that time. peutic implications in lung cancer. lucky, we might be able to get him into a But the point is that sometimes the What’s more—the government will bone marrow transplant, which was the standard of care is not very good. now pay for this testing. CMS has decid- only chance at a cure, and that was a That was one of the worst days of ed they cover next-gen sequencing for very slim chance. my career. I was frustrated and upset. this for all Medicare patients. Some of So, the bone marrow is tested for the I remember thinking that this was these mutations and tests were unheard cytogenetic abnormalities that drive the going to happen again. These patients of in 2010. In 2018, they are standard cancer, and in someone who’s 60, most are going to come here. They’re going of care. That was only 8 years ago. of the news you get from cytogenetics to have mutations that we can treat, Plus, the results of these new tests is bad—adverse cytogenetics. A few but we’re not going to identify them will come back in three days, not two patients will have intermediate cyto- in time. We’re going to give them the months. The treatments that are done genetics, and rarely-- very rarely--will standard of care, which may not be after identifying these genes are so someone have good cytogenetics. good. How are we going to prevent much better now. In some types of We got the results of the bone mar- that from happening? lung cancer, we believe we are curing row biopsy, and to all our surprise, he At that time, I also had a leader- some of these patients in the metastatic came back with what’s called “good ship role at the UNC Cancer Center, setting with immunotherapies. So, cytogenetics.” This meant the disease and I was in a position to make some our ability to treat non-small cell lung is actually very curable, and he would changes. I went straight to one of the cancer has improved markedly in the need much less therapy. I remember cancer geneticists at my cancer center, last eight years. the day told his family that the results Dr. Neil Hayes. We hatched a plan to So, I don’t think we would’ve were surprisingly good. His two adult implement some changes. been able to cure that woman, had daughters were crying and happy, and Almost immediately, we made this she come in today, but we certainly his wife was crying and happy, and the kind of sequencing a reflex. If a patient would’ve been able to do much better patient was a little overwhelmed. It was had a new diagnosis of lung cancer, the than we did. a moment of joy for all of us.

VSOTD.COM 45

We treated this patient with stan- But the other thing it taught me is So, I’ll sum up what I learned from dard chemotherapy, and it wasn’t ter- that sometimes things turn out much them: ribly difficult. And then he promptly better than you expect in cancer. This I’ve learned that cancer progress went into remission. Most of his was a patient where I expected the happens really fast. treatment was out of the hospital, and worst, and he’s doing great. I’ve learned not to accept the status he’s in remission now. I had coffee And that surprised me and motivated quo. with him a few weeks ago when he me and continues to motivate me now. I’ve learned that the standard of came to visit me at the NIH and he’s I have shared stories of three patients care might not be good care. doing well. who have had an impact on my career I’ve learned that we have to keep This story makes a point about and my life. Every one of these patients pressing and fighting, and I’ve learned molecularly-precise therapy. Our clini- would have had a better outcome if that sometimes, we’ll be pleasantly cal decision-making can be informed they needed care today instead of 1997, surprised, and that we should always by having the diagnostic molecular or 2010 or even 2016. Options and out- keep hope. information. That is a real movement comes continue to improve with every I will close today with that special in cancer. We need to understand passing day. Every patient benefits from line from the physician’s oath again. the molecular biology of everybody’s the discoveries that came before. “May you long experience the joy of cancer to treat them right. No two And tomorrow will be better than healing those who seek your help.” patients are alike. today in the fight against cancer. Thank you. WINNER: PHILOSOPHY/RELIGION “Meaning”

Written and Delivered by Jeffrey Flint Delivered at Crownmasters Speaking Club, San Francisco, California, Dec. 13, 2018

he great William Shakespeare, Shakespeare say that (1) We (human- nothing to believe in; today I want to Tthrough his character Macbeth, ity) don’t know what we are doing, that convince you that nihilism is defined declares: collectively we are the idiot; and when by believing too much and that more “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and Macbeth adds that we, the idiot telling meaning can be found by believing less. tomorrow, this tale, is, “full of sound and fury,” Let’s begin with the well-known Creeps in this petty pace from day Shakespeare is adding, (2) Yet, we think allegory of the dog chasing a car, to day we do know what we are doing; so that albeit with a self-aware dog. Full of To the last syllable of recorded time, therefore, (3) Life is meaningless and sound and fury, the dog chases the car, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools pointless. Life signifies “nothing.” barking, yelping, pleading. And then The way to dusty death. Out, out, Most of us are not MacBeth. Most the dog catches it. The dog did not brief candle! of us do not receive and pursue a expect that. What to do now? Can I Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor prophesy to be king. Still, many of us mate? No. Can I tear it with my teeth? player can feel at times that our grand plans, No. Can I join the car’s pack? No. It That struts and frets his hour upon our expectations and dreams, our lives, is at this point the dog realizes that he the stage like MacBeth’s, have been reduced to does not know what he is doing. When And then is heard no more. It is a pablum. We go to the same job. We he was chasing the car, full of sound tale sleep in the same bed. We kiss the same and fury, the dog knew exactly what Told by an idiot, full of sound and spouse. Our garbage cans go out the he wanted. But now that he has it, fury, same day. And when we look across he is confronted by the unknown, the Signifying nothing.” the street, our neighbors are doing the perplexity of a dog’s life. Despairing, Shakespeare points here to the van- same thing! Wash, Rinse, Repeat. And the dog yearns for meaning. Hearing ity of humanity, our hubris. But more then we die. What is the point? another car coming, the dog finds it. than that, my take is that Shakespeare In my talk today, I intend to confirm The dog quickly chases, again full of highlights the great potential of human that my take of Shakespeare is correct, purpose, again full of sound and fury. beings to realize meaninglessness. that our lives can be reduced to pablum, We see this pattern of pursuit all over For when Macbeth states that life, but maybe not in the way you expect. the human world. The Perfect Mate. “is a tale told by an idiot,” I hear Most people define nihilism as having The Perfect Job. The Perfect Vacation.

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That person seems like my mother. And The difference is humility. It took hu- I brace for this event? I begin telling he my father. I’d like that to be right. mility to take this photograph. To turn myself some plausible stories about And that wrong. When confronted with the lens around. We feel that humility this upcoming stranger. “She is rich.” what we do not understand, we choose when we look at this photo. The si- “She is poor.” “Seems to be a little out to perceive so that we do understand. lence. The complete lack of sound and of shape.” “Sort of hot.” “Her dog is We remake the world by creating shiny fury. I propose that it is this moment annoying.” What happens, when by beliefs to pursue, perfections that if only of humility that gives life its meaning, chance, the stranger is in line behind we possess them, our lives will have because it is the moment when we can me at the coffee shop at the end of my meaning. It is that difficult for us not to choose to let go of the car. walk, and we actually meet? I’m totally know. And if and when possession oc- For it is not belief that makes life surprised by the mystery of who she curs, and we are exposed to the fact of worth living, not certainty. It is mystery. actually is, and my life is richer for it. I our ignorance, we risk despair and de- Check out for yourselves what you enjoy did not expect that. pression unless we quickly find another doing. When we like them, what is it My other example has to do with shiny belief to pursue. about road trips, new jobs, and love we cell phones. Who here has a cell People want to believe. Something. like? We like them not because we know phone? With a cell phone, we have People need to believe. Something. exactly what is going to happen. Rather, access to the entire quantity of hu- Even if it causes them despair. we like them because we are excited by mankind’s knowledge, knowledge that I remember I was very excited when the prospect of what we cannot expect, has been built over the centuries, in a few years back the New Horizons of what we cannot know. the palm of our hand. Are we dumb- spacecraft was due to fly by Pluto. Similarly, why do we like the rituals struck? Full of awe? No, we want to Would there be rings? Would its moon of our lives? When we like them, why know why it takes so long for the Uber Charon have an atmosphere? Would do we like yoga, lighting candles, or to get here. As with all of our tools, there be more moons? And when the feeding pigeons? When we like them, they are tools because we do not need spacecraft got there, there were no rings, we find comfort in them because with to know how they work to get work no new moons; the photos that came them we reveal the silence and stillness, done. Most of us do not know how back were of ditches and hills, and I re- the mystery, in our midst. With a focus our cars work either. Even physicists member feeling, “Hey, Pluto is a rock!” on simplicity, rituals reduce our river don’t know what gravity is, but they We flew all that way for a rock! The of thought, reduce our sound and fury do know how to launch a space probe same thing happened when the Europe- of belief, to produce this relief. It is not to Pluto. We know how to push stuff an Space Agency landed on a comet to because we are precisely faithful to how around, but we have no idea why check it out. Would there be water? The we practiced them previously. we can or what it is we are pushing. foundations of life? The probe crash We do mistakenly conflate the goal When a phone is a rock, all it takes is landed. It crashed behind some sort of of our doing with the doing itself, the for the cell network to go down for us overhang so that its cameras couldn’t excitement we feel in the chase for to realize that we don’t know what we see too much. Just plain, flat desert. So certainty with the certainty we chase, are doing. It is at this moment that we ordinary. Another rock. It’s a rock! Just because we can more easily admit that can choose to believe a little less, and like what the dog felt when it reached which we do not know, when in pursuit so choose then to experience stress, a the car: it reached a meaningless, lifeless of that which we do not yet know. little less. rock. So depressing. What’s the point? The only certainties in this world, Getting back to our Shakespeare I was being unfair to Pluto. the only things we can know for sure, analysis. It is logical that if (1) We Of course it is fantastic that we are our thoughts and our feelings. But don’t know what we are doing, and, launched the New Horizons satellite; it our thoughts and our feelings are not (2) We think we do know what we are is fantastic that we crashed on a comet. the world. When we peer solely into doing, that (3) Life seems pointless. But what made it fantastic in each case our minds it is easy to feel righteous But Shakespeare here has given to us wasn’t our expectations and dreams and certain; our hearts harden and we the architecture of our dilemma and of what we might have found on Pluto lose our sense of mystery and wonder. hence the architecture of the solution. or the comet. What made it fantastic, When we peer into the infinity of space The way out: Ease up on #2 by being what makes it fantastic, is captured it is much easier to admit the mystery. less steadfast in your beliefs, and you’ll in the photograph of Earth taken by We soften and our hearts open. never get to #3! Try to practice that the Voyager spacecraft as it heads out I’d like to wind down with a couple you do not know. Look for the mo- of the solar system. The Earth is a of examples from our ordinary lives. ments when you reach the car. Wed- tiny, tiny blue dot in a vast vacuum of Imagine that I am walking down dings, funerals, and little babies are blackness. We didn’t expect that. the sidewalk in San Francisco all good places to look. Nihilism is just a This photo also coincides with the by myself. Eventually, I see another name for having little humility. It is the moment when the dog catches the car. person walking toward me. How do lack of humility that turns the world

VSOTD.COM 47 into a rock; it is certainty that makes us to fresh breezes, vast expanses of level back and scamper faster, tied our hats depressed. Beauty has no name. greensward, bright sunlight, an impres- on to keep our hair from blowing away, I’d like to end with a favorite pas- sive solitude utterly without visible and leveled an outlook over the world- sage of mine. It’s from Mark Twain’s human beings or human habitations, wide carpet about us for things new “Roughing It”. In it, Twain describes his and an atmosphere of such amazing and strange to gaze at. Even at this experience waking up with a compan- magnifying properties that trees that day it thrills me through and through ion (his brother, I believe) on a stage- seemed close at hand were more than to think of the life, the gladness and coach in motion. For me, it is a great three miles away. We resumed undress the wild sense of freedom that used to expression of the enjoyment of life. uniform, climbed a-top of the flying make the blood dance in my veins on “Another night of alternate tranquil- coach, dangled our legs over the side, those fine overland mornings!” ity and turmoil. But morning came, by shouted occasionally at our frantic Thank you. and by. It was another glad awakening mules, merely to see them lay their ears WINNER: PUBLIC POLICY “The Mysterious Intersection of Media and Criminal Justice Policy”

By John Patterson for John J. Cullerton, Delivered at Illinois Justice Project and McCormick Foundation Illinois Senate President Journalism Seminar, McCormick Foundation, Chicago, Oct. 25, 2018

want to thank you for inviting me to Next thing you know, Bruce even as there are unfortunately fewer I be part of your event. Rauner has issued an amendatory and fewer of you doing the work. I’ve been asked to talk about an is- veto rewriting the entire bill and, out Your success is measured by clicks sue I find fascinating and, frankly, often of the blue, proposes bringing back on posts, subscription numbers, ad times frustrating. the death penalty. sales that you have nothing to do with, It’s that mysterious intersection of All because somewhere, one man bit and, of course, ratings. the media and criminal justice policy. one dog, it made a headline, politicians Let’s face facts. Policy discussions As the old newsroom saying goes ... wanted attention, and, after all, report- don’t tend to generate viewers and “dog bites man” is not news. ers have to write about something. readership. But, “man bites dog,”—that’s news. Too far-fetched, you say? If information and data were What few know, however, is the (I’ll let that “fetch” pun sink in for a enough, textbooks would be best sellers. journalistic adage doesn’t stop there. moment, it’s still early.) Sure, lawmakers and the media And that’s what we’re here to Of course I made up this scenario, should be more policy and data driven. discuss. and then took it to a seemingly illogical But asking the media to be boring Because, if in indeed “man bites extreme just to make a point. with its coverage is like recommending dog” makes headlines, it means it is But is it really that far off from what politicians show restraint with their pr. inevitably followed by ... we see all the time? As I mentioned, I It’s just not in our DNA. “Local lawmaker vows to crack was invited here to discuss the impact of Look, you can get a room full of leg- down on dog biting.” And when the headlines and data on criminal justice islators to all agree that there are better legislative session begins ... legislation. Let’s start with headlines. alternatives than incarceration for ”proposed law would put dog biters I don’t think I’m revealing any Many crimes and that money we behind bars” secrets when I tell you that pub- spend on prisons could be better uti- and one side can’t get all the atten- licly elected politicians tend to have a lized and better prioritized. tion, so this, in turn, spurs an uprising ... natural desire to see their names in the That same group will then vote, “conservative groups defend dog bit- news—unless it’s bad news. without hesitation, to increase penalties ing as constitutional right” And part of an elected official’s on any given crime. and now we’re off and running job is to respond to things happening Why? with a full-blown media frenzy of locally. That’s how voters know they’re Who here remembers the Willie competing interests, news conferences, doing something, which is vital if you Horton ad? Raise your hand. headlines and before long gubernato- want to get re-elected. For those of you who don’t, Willie rial candidates and mayoral hopefuls Reporters operate under the pres- Horton was a convicted murderer are asked to state their positions on sure of needing to justify their exis- serving a life sentence in a Massa- increased penalties for dog biters. tence every single day, all day long, chusetts prison in 1986 when he took

CICERO 2019 48 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS advantage of a weekend furlough transition back to society and reduced “Great idea,” I tell the lawmaker. program. He walked out of prison repeat incarcerations. The benefits “but if we take this misdemeanor and and didn’t report back. outweighed the risks, which were elevate it to the worst felony possible He broke into a suburban Washing- deemed acceptable. right now, skipping all steps in between, ton D.C. couple’s home, stabbed the And here’s what the husband who what are you going to do next year? husband and raped his wife. was stabbed and whose wife was raped Are you only seeking one term?” Massachusetts governor Michael Du- by Willie Horton said to that: It’s been known to cause some be- kakis supported the furlough program. ‘‘Whoever said I was an acceptable wilderment for freshman lawmakers. In 1988, Dukakis was the demo- statistic?’’ The idea is to get the lawmaker to cratic nominee for president of the Data doesn’t win that argument. think beyond their own self-interest United States. As an elected official, you are poten- and hopefully consider the big picture Republicans turned the situation tially putting your career in the hands ramifications of what he or she was into one of the most controversial cam- of a criminal and hoping that nothing proposing. It’s a polite, passive aggres- paign ads of the modern era. goes wrong. sive way of suggesting they do a little It played on thinly veiled racism If something does go wrong, you more work and come back with some- and, unfortunately, was quite effective risk being portrayed as an accomplice thing a little more practical. in painting Dukakis as soft on crime. to that crime. Ideally, they would then be open to It didn’t just help George Bush win. Just watch any newscast, or scan any discussing the underlying problem and That blunt, crude ad has come to front page. how we might go about addressing it define political communication on When a crime happens, there are in an effective manner that might not criminal justice issues, and not in a emotional demands for justice. explode the prison population for the good way. From a media and political perspec- sake of a headline back home. In 2009, the Boston Globe Sunday tive, that emotion carries a lot more I’m not alone in my thinking on magazine took a look at the impact of weight than policy reports and data this issue. that ad. The article began with these regarding prison budgets, prison condi- A little more than a decade ago, two sentences: tions, incarceration rates and so on. people like Paula Wolff were growing “more than two decades ago, a gov- So, just as emotion spurs headlines, increasingly concerned with the ever- ernor showed a prisoner leniency with those emotional headlines spur leg- growing criminal code, chock full of horrifying results. Our justice system islation that potentially becomes law headline driven enhancements. hasn’t been the same since.” regardless of policy and data. In response, we created the clear From a political standpoint, it’s a Ok, what do we about it? commission and gave it the task of lot easier to vote to be tough on crime How do we flip the scenario and get sorting it all out and restoring com- than it is to step back, look at the data, data to influence the headlines? monsense to our laws. evaluate the costs to taxpayers and con- Admittedly, that’s something we It’s full name is the criminal law sider reducing penalties or deferring struggle with. edit, alignment and reform commis- incarceration for people who—don’t But I would suggest that it begins sion, or clear commission. It was estab- forget—are criminals. with a recognition that good policies lished in 2005 to revise, restructure and U.S. senator Dick Durbin men- can make good politics, which can then reform the Illinois criminal code. tioned the Willie Horton factor in a drive a different type of media coverage. It pulled in people from a variety of New York Times article two years ago From a legislative standpoint, the criminal justice interests. There were in explaining why a popular, bipartisan challenge is finding a balance, being lawmakers, judges, prosecutors, defense criminal justice reform plan was stuck mature and professional enough to attorneys and law enforcement. in limbo in congress. show restraint, and creating a mecha- Commission members were tasked It’s still in limbo in congress. nism to enforce or police all of this. with sorting through the voluminous Now, someone here is undoubtedly Personally, I’ve always invoked the criminal code for needed revisions. thinking, “but the data says reform plans so-called “Cullerton rule,” which is a They looked for little things, like are needed and rehabilitation and defer- somewhat tongue-in-cheek check on whether the laws did what they were rals save taxpayers money and reduce overzealous lawmakers. For those of intended to do? recidivism and crime. Willie Horton was you unfamiliar with the Cullerton rule, In 2012, based on the commission’s a statistical anomaly and you shouldn’t it works something like this: work and recommendations, the general base policies on anomalies.” Freshman lawmaker files legislation assembly approved 12 new public acts All true. making some low level crime a Class reforming the Illinois criminal code. I That’s why Massachusetts had a X felony, touts it in press releases and sponsored or cosponsored most of them. furlough program in the first place. then brings that bill to the senate judi- Since then, two things continue to Research showed it helped inmates ciary committee. keep alive the work of the commission.

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One is the Illinois sentencing policy Trust me, these are things the politi- It was an external undertaking the advisory council, or, SPAC. cal side of me wants to exploit but the likes of which we’d not previously SPAC was created to collect, analyze policy side of me finds deeply troubling. done in my office. And while that and present data from all relevant So, what can we do to improve the specific deal wasn’t approved, I’d like sources to more accurately determine situation? to think the time and effort we spent the consequences of sentencing policy Well, we can all hope and wish for a providing information to the public decisions and to review the effective- resurgence of statehouse reporting. But and media helped build pressure to ness and efficiency of current sentenc- I’m not going to hold my breath. finally end the impasse. ing policies and practices. If I had the answer, I wouldn’t be We all get caught up in the inside It previews sentencing proposals to here, I’d be meeting with Jeff Bezos. baseball of our interests and issues. analyze the cost to the state and society. From a practical standpoint, there Someone on your team needs to be The other is the senate’s subcom- are steps that we on the policy side, aware of how things look to the outside mittee on clear compliance. those of us with data, to learn how to world. Someone needs to be able to cut As proposals are filed with the senate communicate better. through the inside baseball and explain and the criminal law committee, this These are lessons learned from to the real world what you are doing group reviews them to make sure they my efforts with former republican and why it’s important. comply with the commission’s standards leader Christine Radogno to end Make good policy into good politics. of constitutionality, neutrality, clarity, the state’s budget impasse last year Be open with your data, but that consistency and proportionality. through a proposed deal we called data needs a message. And you need If they don’t, we try to make sugges- “the grand bargain.” to be able to distribute that message tions to the sponsor on how to better No, this doesn’t have to do with yourself if needed. address whatever concern they are criminal justice, but I think the lessons Can you boil the point of a new trying to address and strike a balance learned still apply. criminal justice report down to a between what are often media-driven The grand bargain consisted of tweet? efforts to change criminal laws and the workers comp reforms, a property tax You better, or you better employ actual issue at hand. freeze, pension reform and additional someone who can. Ok, so we’ve got some mechanisms revenue to balance the budget. We Because if you can’t, the media, in place. But that’s not enough. dealt with a lot of complex, intricate or your critics will. Or even worse ... Somebody has to tell people what things, things that are tough to explain You’ll be ignored. we’re doing and what it means. to the public. Things that too often You can’t just send around spread- And that’s not nearly as easy as it aren’t properly explained to the media sheets and hope everyone sees the sounds. or public until after it’s been voted on. numbers the way you do and finds When I first went to Springfield, So, on the day we announced our them interesting. there might be 50 reporters working at partnership we also gave details to the Like it or not, this is the world we the capitol. media. We constantly updated report- find ourselves in. Today, on any given day, I might ers on the information. We went to It is a fast-paced, ever-evolving, have as many people on my staff with media outlets to talk about the details, fractured society in which ease and statehouse reporting backgrounds as the policies and the politics. speed of communication makes instant there are reporters at the capitol. And We took the time and tried to distill winners and losers. for the record, i have three. our policy proposals into language that But there’s no reason policy and What we’ve lost are media gatekeep- made sense to those who don’t follow data can’t win in this world. ers who have practical experience, the this kind of stuff on a daily basis. We just need to get better at making people who can spot press release bills In my opinion, we were able to de- small talk about big data. when they see them and aren’t so quick fuse the political conflicts by providing Thank you for the opportunity to jump on proposals that might not be information. This allowed us to have to speak to you this morning and serious in nature or policy. You lose a a more mature policy debate. It got I’d be happy to try to answer some level of professional skepticism with the people talking about solutions rather questions. downturn in journalism. than knockdown soundbites.

CICERO 2019 50 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

WINNER: TECHNOLOGY “What Kind of Society Do We Want to Be?”

By Jennifer Bowles for Alan Finkel, Delivered at the Human Rights and Technology Conference, Chief Scientist of Australia Sydney, July 23, 2018

few weeks ago I took my mother their employers and report anything For four years she lived in hiding in Aand her best friend, whom I fondly deemed suspicious. Lithuania, a young Jewish woman per- call Aunty Rosa [not her real name], It’s amazing, I said, how much secuted for the crime of being alive. both in their nineties, to Saturday lunch. information we’re willing to give up in And as I drew my little pictures of They love to hear about the state of exchange for a bit of convenience. the future, she saw only the brutal truth the world and what the Chief Scientist Think, for example, about all the of the past. is up to, so I decided to tell them about photos we upload to Instagram and A life lived in fear of being watched. Artificial Intelligence. Facebook. All those photos can be By neighbours. By shopkeepers. By First, I pulled out my iPhone and used to train algorithms to recognise bogus friends. demonstrated how I can use Siri to human faces. And to this day, her fear was so over- place a phone call. And in China, this technology has whelming that she would not consent Then I explained that Siri was just taken off. to let me use her real name, in sharing a plaything compared to Google’s new Do you know, I told them, that facial something of her story with you today. tool, called Duplex. scanning in China is used for everything She didn’t know at the time, and Duplex will place your call, perhaps from dispensing toilet paper—so you I’m not sure if she would want to know to a restaurant, or a hair salon, and then can’t go back multiple times in a day— now, but it was data that made a crime speak in a natural voice to the human to picking out individual people in the on the scale of the Holocaust possible. who answers, to make your booking. crowd in the streets and at concerts. Every conceivable dataset was turned What sort of natural voice? they In some cities in China, people are to the service of the Nazis and their cro- wondered. assigned what’s called a Social Credit nies. Census records. Medical records. Any voice! I said. You could stick Score. And you gain or lose points de- To the eternal shame of scientists, even with one of Google’s—or maybe, in pending on your behaviour, including the data from scientific studies. the future, you could give Google your any bad behaviour caught on camera With a lot of data, you need a sort- voice-print, so the voice could sound and then picked up by AI, like littering, ing technology. just like yours! or jaywalking. And the Nazis had one. Not com- I told them about an email I’d re- If your score gets too low, you might puters, but their predecessor: tabulat- ceived from a personal assistant named not get a job, or a bank loan, or per- ing machines using punch-cards. “Amy Ingram”. Initials: A.I. Artificial mission to leave the country. Little pieces of stiff paper, with Intelligence. And maybe, I said, we could use AI to perforations in the rows and columns, Just think, I told my Mum, right go one step better: not just to punish the marking individual characteristics like at this minute, Amy and her brother offenders, but to pre-empt the crimes. gender, age… and religion. robot, Andrew Ingram, are emailing Police and security agencies in And that same punch-card technol- and setting up meetings on behalf of some countries are already using AI to ogy that so neatly sorted humans into tech-savvy people all over the world. pinpoint the people most likely to make categories was also used to schedule the Top executives! People in research labs trouble, so they can place them under trains to the death camps. and hospitals and schools and maybe closer surveillance. So Aunty Rosa suffered from data even government departments! And welfare agencies are using algo- plus technology in the hands of ruth- Amy and Andrew have access to rithms to work out which children ought less oppressors. all their contact lists and diaries and to be separated from their parents. But she survived the war and she emails! As I talked, Aunty Rosa grew tense. came to Australia. And here she found Whoa! Alan. Slow down, I said to Tears welled in her eyes. a society where people trusted in gov- myself. I told them that there would I don’t like to make my mother’s ernment, and in each other. be consequences if Amy and Andrew friends cry—so I asked her what was She saw the same technologies that were hacked to reveal financial secrets the matter. had wrought such terrible crimes in and identities… or if we passed a law But of course, I should have known. eastern Europe used here for the col- requiring Amy and Andrew to spy on Aunty Rosa was a Holocaust survivor. lective good.

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Yes, data in a humane society could daughter from living in a world in which People thought that it was un- be used to help people: to plan cities we are constantly monitored?” natural. That the babies would be and run hospitals and enrol every child “How, dear Alan, will you protect deformed or somehow less than fully in school. our liberty?” human. Or that we would start making You could get a driver’s licence with- Aunty Rosa’s question to me is, in humans in batch lots, in factories. out fear. You could carry a Medicare my words, my challenge to you. But here in Australia we listened to card, and feel grateful. You could live What kind of society do we want the patients and the clinicians who saw quietly in your own house, free from to be? the real promise of this technology. surveillance, and safe. I look around the world, and it No-one could hand us a readymade People weren’t perfect. But for seems to me that every country is pur- rule-book. There wasn’t one. So we the most part they lived peacefully suing AI its own way. had to create one. And we did. together, in a society governed by It’s true: there are some questions We were the first country to collate manners and laws, using technology that we can only resolve at the level of and report on birth outcomes through to make life better. global agreements—like the use of AI IVF. And in that kind of society, artificial in weapons of war. We built a regulatory model that intelligence could surely be put to the But the way that we integrate AI kept our clinics at the leading edge service of human rights. into our societies will be determined by of the science, whilst keeping their I think of the right to ease of travel. the choices we make at home. patients safe. What might self-driving cars mean Governments decide how companies We published the first national ethi- for the elderly, or people living with are allowed to use data. Governments cal guidelines on IVF, anywhere in the disability? decide how to invest public funds in AI world. I think of the right to freedom from development. Governments decide how We harnessed the Medicare system slavery and forced labour. they want to harness AI, for policing to help families to meet the costs—and Border security agencies are using AI and healthcare and education and social clinics worked closely together, so that to find the victims of human trafficking. security—systems that touch us all. success rates improved steadily, right They can collect the images of And that means nations like Austra- across the country. women reported missing, and com- lia have choices. And so IVF became a mainstream pare them to the faces of women We are capable technology inno- procedure, getting better over time. crossing national borders, or appear- vators, but we have always imported There are lessons here for the ap- ing in any of the millions of advertise- more technology than we develop. proach we take to AI. ments posted online. That’s inevitable, given our size. The first and most important: don’t I think of the right to found a family. However, that doesn’t mean we have expect a single answer or a one-shot, Researchers based here in Sydney to accept the future we’re handed by set-and-forget AI law. are using AI to improve the outcomes companies in China, or Europe, or the That wasn’t the secret to adopting of IVF. United States. IVF. In the standard procedure, embryos To the contrary, we can define our No: we had a spectrum of approach- are assessed by the doctors to choose own future by being leaders in the field es that worked together and evolved in which ones to implant to maximise the of ethics and human rights. line with the state of the technology, and likelihood of a successful pregnancy. And that is my aspiration for Austra- the levels of comfort in the community. AI can make that choice far more lia: to be human custodians. There were laws and regulations, swiftly and reliably. In my mind, that means showing there were industry codes and prac- So we can spare families at least the world how an open society, a liberal tices, and there were social norms. some of the trauma and expense of democracy, and a fair-minded people We will need to develop a similar IVF cycles that fail. can build artificial intelligence into a spectrum of responses to AI—so that A caring society could not possibly better way of living. we can strike the balance between op- turn its back on all that potential. Am I asking too much? Perhaps. portunity and risk. I know that my mother and Aunty But let’s not forget: we’ve been pio- I’ve been thinking in particular Rosa would agree. neers of progress, with ethics, before. about the low-risk end of the spectrum. As I told them about the power of I’ve been reflecting this week on IVF. By this I mean products like smart- AI, they wanted only to know that a Tomorrow, the world’s first IVF phone apps and digital home assis- future Australia would still be the place baby, Louise Brown, will celebrate her tants that promise to make your life a they had grown to cherish. Where you fortieth birthday. bit easier. could be happy, and safe, and free. It’s fascinating now to look back at What if we had a recognised mark “How,” Aunty Rosa asked, “will you all the things that were written and said for ethical technology vendors: like the protect me, my daughter and my grand- when she arrived. Fairtrade stamp for ethical suppliers?

CICERO 2019 52 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

In my mind, it’s called the Turing I point you to the public sector. conversations with leaders in many Certificate. We have a cohort of leaders right agencies, that they are looking to The standards would be developed across government squaring up to their the Australian Human Rights Com- by a designated expert body, in close responsibilities as AI adopters and hu- mission to help them interpret that consultation with consumer groups and man custodians. custodianship. industry. Just last week, the secretary of the Today we are launching a three Then companies that wanted to Department of Home Affairs, Michael year process to consider these issues. display the mark would submit both Pezzullo, went on the record with his To identify the manners, ethics and the specific product and their company agency’s approach to AI. protections that will work for all of us, processes for an ethics audit, by an And he went further, proposing not just the early adopters. independent auditor. a line in the sand not just for border I applaud the initiative of Human So you as a consumer could put security but for every decision made in Rights Commissioner Ed Santow and your purchasing power behind ethi- government that touches on a person’s his colleagues. cal developers—and developers would fundamental rights. We must all be involved in this know what they need to do to make the He called it “the Golden Rule”. national discussion. ethical products that people want. No robot or artificial intelligence And every time we come to a This could be an idea that Australia system should ever take away some- decision point about the technologies could pilot and help to spread. one’s right, privilege or entitlement in we allow into our lives we must ask But I emphasise: this voluntary sys- a way that can’t ultimately be linked ourselves: tem would be suitable only for low-risk back to an accountable human deci- What kind of society do we want consumer technologies. sion-maker. to be? What about technologies that touch To me, this Golden Rule is a partial To start, let’s be a society that never more directly on our freedom and safety? answer to my question. It is the mark forgets to ask that question. Where else could Australia be influ- of a public sector fit to be an ethi- ential? cal custodian. And I know, from my WINNER: ANALYST CALL/INVESTOR MEETING “Lunch with the Chancellor”

By Amanda Todd for Rebecca Blank, Chancellor, Delivered to the University of Wisconsin’s Boards of Visitors, University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin, Oct. 18, 2018

hank you Sarah. Good afternoon first time and I want to say a special over the year so if you see a few ‘150s’ Tand welcome. It’s wonderful to see welcome to: around campus, you’ll know why. you all. • The Cooperative Extension Board We’re just past mid-terms here at UW. of Visitors I. Introduction We had more than 3,000 parents and • And the boards of directors of: family members in town last Saturday - Friends of Wisconsin Public Two years ago, I gave you all a quiz at for Parents’ Weekend. Badger hockey Television the beginning of my remarks to test your opened last Saturday as well…both - And the Wisconsin Public Radio Badger knowledge. People seemed to men and women…and football has a Association like that so much that we did it again last homecoming game on Saturday against Welcome back to UW-Madison! year. By popular demand, here is this Illinois. The leaves are peaking in Madi- Thanks to all of you, for being year’s quiz to test your Badger loyalty. son and it’s the usual busy fall semester. here today and all that you do for this Please grab a piece of paper and a Over the summer, as many of university. And let me again congratu- pencil from the middle of your table. you know, we welcomed back two late our Distinguished Alumni Award You’ll have 5 questions to answer. major units that were split off from winners. It’s an impressive group! Ready? UW-Madison more than 50 years An anniversary you should all know 1. Give yourself a point if you’ve ago: Cooperative Extension and Wis- about: 2019 marks the 150th year been to see Alumni Park since it consin Public Radio and Television. since women first earned undergradu- opened a year ago. The members of their advisory ate degrees at the University. We’ll be 2. Give yourself a point if you’ve boards are joining us today for the celebrating that in a number of ways made a donation to UW in the past year.

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3. Give yourself a point if you’ve • We just welcomed the largest and cuts, combined with a tuition freeze, talked with a current UW student since most diverse freshman class in our his- put us $87 million in the hole. We dealt the semester started in September. tory—6,800 students selected from a with that, but you don’t stay competi- 4. You’ll get a point if you can cor- record-setting 43,000 applicants. tive for very long if you focus only on rectly identify the year that UW was o Applications were up 20% this what to cut rather than where to grow. founded. year. It’s clear that if we want investment 5. You’ll get a point if you can cor- o Our new students come from revenue at UW, we have to generate rectly identify the building in which the 43 countries outside the U.S. … 47 it ourselves. So I told our deans and de- Chancellor’s office is located. U.S. states (missing Mississippi, West partment chairs that they had to start Finally, I have an extra credit op- Virginia, Wyoming—so if you know thinking like entrepreneurs (and I tried tion. Two years ago I asked this and someone from one of those states, send to be clear that I meant the kind of not everybody got it right, so I’m going them our way) … and 71 Wisconsin entrepreneur that makes money). to see if you learned from that experi- counties (missing Iron). We have been implementing a series ence: Give yourself a point if you are • I also have great news to share of strategies to grow revenue. We’re wearing something red. about our research enterprise. After expanding the summer term and creat- falling for 3 years in a row, our federal ing new degree programs for working *** research dollars have increased by professionals. The current fundraising 11% in the past 2 years. That’s not by campaign is part of this effort, as is our II. Good News from Campus chance…we’ve been working hard to work to right-size tuition for out-of- put our research funding on a strong state and professional-school students. A couple of weeks ago we received the growth path. .Let me tell you what we’re doing in latest data on our educational out- o Our faculty have brought in some 2 key areas. comes from last year. record-setting research grants. First, we’re investing in our students. I am delighted to tell you that they o And our research was featured I told you earlier that we’ve just en- look great. more than 100 times last year in major rolled the largest freshman class in our • More than 95% of our freshmen national news outlets including the history. We take more incoming fresh- return to us for sophomore year—that Washington Post, the New York Times, men every year than Harvard, Chi- is one of the best retention rates in the and the Wall Street Journal. cago, Yale and Princeton combined. country among public universities. • Finally, no highlights list would be But creating access is a whole lot • Time to graduation has fallen complete without a mention of Badger more complicated than just accepting again, and has been falling steadily for athletics. students. We have to make it possible a number of years. It now averages 4 o The NCAA has announced that for those students to come here, and we years and 4 days. five UW teams posted academic results haven’t always done a great job of that. • And over half of our students in the top 10% of their sport last year, So we’ve launched two new pro- graduate with zero student-loan debt. earning NCAA Public Recognition grams to create affordable pathways to Let me repeat that, because people usu- Awards. Those teams are Wisconsin a UW-Madison degree for Wisconsin ally don’t believe it—over half of our football, men’s soccer, men’s tennis, students. students graduate with no student debt. women’s golf, and women’s hockey. You might have heard about these. These numbers would be impres- o Our football team has joined a Badger Promise started last year and sive in any year … but they’re even small group of elite schools—Duke, it’s serving about 150 students this year. more impressive this year, because we Northwestern, and Stanford—as the It provides tuition funding to first-gen- also awarded the highest number of only Division One football programs to eration students who transfer into UW. degrees in our history. And, by the earn these academic awards for 5 years Bucky’s Tuition Promise started way, more than half of our degrees in a row. this fall. It provides four years of free last year were in STEM and health- o I am very proud of our com- tuition to any student whose family care fields. mitment to ensuring that our student income is below $56,000…the median So we’re improving our quality while athletes are successful both on and off income in Wisconsin. Bucky’s Tuition increasing our numbers at the same the field. Promise is already covering about 17% time. That’s a reflection of the invest- In short, we continue to be an excel- of our freshman class. ments we’re making in great teaching lent educational institution. One reason we can offer these pro- … better academic and career advising grams is that we’ve more than tripled … and outstanding out-of-classroom III. A New Chapter the number of our own dollars we’re experiences. making available for grants and schol- So it’s no surprise that we continue Most of my first four years here were arships—from $17 million in 2008 to be a ‘hot school’ nationally. spent dealing with budget cuts. State to $62 million this year. Much of this

CICERO 2019 54 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS comes from our campaign efforts. in areas where we can make a pro- believe it or not, it was not our gor- In just the past 5 years our alumni found difference. geous weather. have created 3,400 new scholarships Over five years, we want to hire It was two things, and we hear this for all groups of students across the 70-75 new faculty as part of these again and again: campus. new clusters, each focused on building First, the presence of big, expansive That’s the impact of the All Ways depth in important areas of research research projects that take decades to Forward campaign, and it wouldn’t be and teaching. build … that attract world-renowned happening without you. Thank you! The investments we’re making are scholars … and that simply don’t exist Second, we’re investing in our designed to make UW an even better at most universities. Faculty place for a student or a faculty or staff And second, the opportunity to be The reputation and the quality of a member. surrounded by, and collaborate with, university rests on its faculty. As any business person knows, first-rate scientists with interests related Many departments are smaller now investments are much more effective to his own. than they were a decade ago, due to when they build on areas of strength. We’re also working to grow our reduced budgets. But as I’ve told you, And we have a LOT of strengths industry connections as well as our our student body has not shrunk. We around UW. Federal research dollars. Our partner- have a number of departments such as Our students testify to our quality. ship with Foxconn is good example. Computer Science where the growth in faculty hasn’t begun to keep up with *** *** the growth in majors. So we’re going to need to make Hannah Lider Foxconn some significant investments in faculty if we’re going to be a top university. One of our Fulbright scholars who Many of you saw the announcement We’ve made three important steps in graduated last May tells the story of in late August that we’ll be working the right direction this year. how reluctant she was to come here. with Foxconn on a number of research • First, we hired 112 new faculty this She grew up in Appleton. Her mom’s projects in engineering, health care, year… the largest number we’ve hired a hairdresser and her dad works in a and computer and data science. in 6 years. And thanks to the invest- factory. She was the first in her family They’re making a gift of $100 ment revenue we’ve been able to gener- to go to college and she wanted to go million to UW-Madison—the largest ate, we’ve made money available to our out of state, but the family couldn’t investment a research partner has ever schools and colleges to hire additional afford it. made in our university. The majority faculty in high-demand areas. She says the thing that surprised her of that will go toward a jointly funded • Second, we launched a new pro- most about UW is how very small it building on the Engineering campus. gram this fall to recruit faculty from actually felt, and how she could get to They’ll pay around $75 million and historically underrepresented groups. know her professors, and how—every we’ll need to raise an additional $75 It’s called TOP, for targets-of-opportu- time she needed help, she found it. million to get the building built. nity. It’s going to give departments new And that’s no accident. We’ve The remaining $25 million will go tools to go after the people they’d like been very intentional about building into some combination of support for to recruit who represent groups that programs that allow our students to faculty, students and research in engi- aren’t well-represented within their grow and thrive here without getting neering, computer and data science, discipline. overwhelmed. and human health. We’re also working to leverage Our faculty testify to our quality as This partnership will open up some one of our biggest advantages at this well. wonderful opportunities for our faculty university: A tradition of collaboration and our students. and interdisciplinary research. *** Let me give you another example of Cluster Hires a very different interdisciplinary project. To address the big scientific and social Mikhail Kats questions facing our society, we need *** teams of people with multiple skills and One of our newer faculty members in multiple perspectives. So we’ve restart- engineering is a great example. Mikhail Functional Ice Cream ed our Cluster Hire Program. Kats came to us from Harvard. He was A cluster is a joint hire of 3-4 faculty recently named to the Forbes ‘30 under Our Center for Dairy Research is who work on similar scientific issues 30’ list of rock-star young scientists. bringing scientists from multiple but from different academic disciplines. We asked him what it was that at- disciplines together with trainers The idea is to build research strength tracted him to UW-Madison … and from the Athletic Department to

VSOTD.COM 55 figure out how to make what they § If full $25 million is approved, our Midwest. During my talk, I mentioned call a ‘functional’ ice cream—an ice share will be about $9 million that more than half of our undergrad- cream that will help athletes recover • Capital Budget uates graduate with zero student debt, faster. High protein … anti-oxidants o The System is also requesting $1.4 and that those who do take out loans … probiotics … less sugar. And it has billion for construction projects — pay them back. to taste good. mostly renovation and maintenance I told the audience that our student They’ve tried a lot of flavors that o UW-Madison projects include the default rate is just over 1%, compared to haven’t gone over so well. But now badly needed Vet Med renovation and a national average of more than 11%. they think they have a winner with expansion The reaction was interesting. a combination of hibiscus and tart After the governor introduces his The people who didn’t go to school cherry … so keep an eye on our play- budget in February, the legislature will here were surprised and impressed. ers at the game this weekend. If their deliberate through spring/early sum- The people who did go to school performance kicks up after half-time mer, and send a final version back to here weren’t surprised at all. you’ll know they got some of this ice governor around July 1. One of our alums who was present cream in the locker room. You will be hearing from us at criti- runs a multi-national firm based in I told you about the revenue we’re cal times in this process, and I hope Chicago. He said: generating that’s helping to give us a you’ll be willing to advocate for UW. That’s the way Badgers are. That’s margin of excellence. But we are still Legislators and the Governor hear how I was as a student. They’re hard- a public university and we need the from university administrators all the working, dependable, and they’ve been support of the state to remain a world- time—they need to hear from people trained as problem-solvers. class institution. like you about the important role UW- That’s why I’ve hired so many of Madison plays in keeping Wisconsin’s them. *** businesses and communities strong. That’s why my daughters are there Here’s one easy way to help. The now. IV. Budget Wisconsin Alumni Assocation is cir- And that’s why my friends want culating an online petition that they’ll their kids to go to UW-Madison. Right now, we’re spending a lot of deliver to the governor in November There are lots of reasons why I en- time preparing for the new state budget asking for continued investment in UW. joy being on this campus every day. But cycle that will officially begin in Febru- It will also appear in newspaper ads. I think the best part of my job is the ary when the governor releases his Whether you live in Wisconsin or not, opportunity to see all of these amaz- spending plan. I hope you’ll go online and add your ing students launched into whole new • The UW System submitted a signature to demonstrate the breadth worlds of learning and opportunity. request to the governor last month of support for the university. Thank you for the work you do to requesting $107.5 million more in state You will find a handout in the gift make all of this possible. funding over the next two years. bag you’ll receive on your way out You are the best ambassadors for the o Most of this will be tied to achiev- today that will tell you how to find the value of this great university. Thank ing certain outcomes such as gradua- petition on the web. you for your dedication to UW, for your tion rates, for example. work on advisory committees across o But $25 million is for Capacity V. Conclusion campus, and for the many ways you Building Initiatives to get more stu- support this university and our students. dents into high demand fields Let me leave you with a story. I hope to see you all at the game on § We submitted proposals for fund- A couple of weeks ago I spoke at a Saturday. ing for Engineering, Computer Sci- meeting of business leaders we hosted On Wisconsin! ence, Business, and Nursing from across the state and around the

CICERO 2019 56 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS

WINNER: COMMENCEMENT/CONVOCATION ADDRESS “5 Lessons in Life”

Written and Delivered by Eydna Skaale, Delivered at graduation ceremony at Glasir College, Rhetorician Tórshavn, the Faroe Islands, Denmark, June 28, 2018

adies and gentlemen, You say: 3 years—I raise you 12! 15 I am not saying this to spread LDear guests, years have gone! Like a snap. doom and gloom on this day of cel- and most of all, dear students. So, the first lesson I have learned, ebration. Finally, the hour has arrived. which I want to pass on to you is this: But this ought to remind us to enjoy This is actually a day that will be Time just slips through our fingers like our days, our moments. Moments of written into history since it is the very sand. We have it—and then it’s gone. celebration, like this one today—but last time the graduates from “Studen- Never to return. certainly also the little moments, which taskúlin í Hoydølum” will have their at the time may seem insignificant, commencement in this traditional *** but which later remain in the palm of manner. Next year the fusion of the your hand like pearls—when time— different schools will be a reality and And this leads me to the second piece like sand—has slipped through your the graduates to follow will create tra- of advice, I would like to give to you. fingers. We just need to notice them. ditions of their own. Because time flies by, and that means To value them. However—this is your graduation, that all things come to an end. The fact that things come to an end and I would like to take the opportu- Today is the last time you will be often means that room is made for new nity to give you 5 pieces of advice. standing here, united as a class. With beginnings, which is good. I will tell you about 5 lessons life this ceremony, you are made very But it is nevertheless bittersweet to has taught me since I stood here as a aware of that fact. accept that some things have gone and graduate myself. But that also means that many other will not come back—even swings into “last times” have already gone by— the canteen Tuesday mornings in the *** perhaps without you noticing them rain—because suddenly, they are not passing at all. an option any longer. I am going to ask you to think of the The last great discussion in class has day when you started as freshmen. gone by—but perhaps you did not know *** The very first day of school. Do you at the time that it was indeed the last remember the feeling? one. The last swing into the canteen— And that leads me to the third lesson Before you, three long years were you have probably been there a million life has taught me. waiting. Three years! It seemed infi- times these years, but suddenly one day, As these facts of life sink in, they nitely long. But now, as you stand here it was the last time. And you were prob- ought to serve as a reminder to look at on the other side of those three years, ably unaware of it in that very moment. the big picture. I’m guessing they flew by. Am I right? And I’m sure your parents know this I know that right now your minds Because time flies. all too well. Maybe they used to scoop are occupied by questions of the future And the velocity of time only in- you up onto their lap and read you and dreams of higher education. What creases with the years. stories—or they would lie down on the will you become? Which path should Last summer, I received an invita- floor and play with you. Suddenly, one you choose? tion. It read: Hi—we have a special day, it was the last time they did so; but To that question, I will answer this: anniversary this year—let’s have a they didn’t know it—at the time. In the big picture, it does not matter so reunion this summer for all of us in the And anyone who has experienced much, WHAT you are! class of 99. loss is familiar with the merciless very- On the other hand, what is essential, And I turned to my husband and last-time. You talked to someone dear is HOW you are—WHO you are. said—I cannot believe it has been 10 to you, or hugged someone you knew I know that recently you have been years already, since I graduated from well—and afterwards you realised that working very hard on getting your high school. it was in fact the last time. QUALIFICATIONS. Which is good, And he started laughing. If you would have known, perhaps of course. But what’s much more im- 10 years? he said. No, my dear—that you would have said or done some- portant is that you also work on your would be 15 years! thing different. QUALITIES.

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I am not referring to examina- at us, it is our relationships with others You are not the future. You are tion grades here but to your personal that hold us above water. They help us the present! You should not go and character—your personality. That you through. To regain our footing and to stand in line behind “the grown-ups” consistently work on improving your see the beauty in life once more. and wait your turn—sometime in the attitude, your awareness of values and The Golden Rule, which tells us, future. what is meaningful. that we are to do unto others what Your time is now. Be aware of it, This is a life-long job. we would have others do unto us can use it. Because the title—what you may easily be sharpened and rephrased to: The Faroe Islands in 2018—indeed, call yourselves by virtue of your edu- whatever we do unto others, they will the world in 2018—desperately needs cation—is nothing compared to what also do unto us. you, the youth; your thoughts, your others may call you—by virtue of And the only tool we have to build plans, and your perspectives. We need your behaviour. our relationships with is time. Mo- you to value and choose what is right, And therefore, you need to contem- ments. To stop and talk. Knock on good, and true. plate what you wish to stand for. Who their door, remember to call or provide you want to be. a helping hand when needed. In other *** Also—or perhaps especially—when words, it’s essential that we respect and no one is looking. treasure others by spending our own So, to sum up: That you may call yourself a rhetori- time on and with them. 1: Time flies. cian, a captain, a carpenter, or a doctor 2: That means that all things come in a few years, is fine. It’s great. *** to an end, and therefore it is vital Just remember that it is more that we notice and appreciate the consequential if others may call you And this leads me to the fifth and last small, valuable moments—as well as reliable, for example—or engaged— lesson I will mention today. the big ones. hard working—loyal—helpful— Because if we are to build relation- 3: That all things come to an end honest—kind. ships with others—if we are to help should remind us to look at the big and support them and be helped and picture and ponder over HOW we are *** supported in return—we must be and WHO we are rather than WHAT present. We must be aware. We must we are. Think of the qualities rather And this leads me to my fourth piece turn off the screen and the noise from than the qualifications. of advice: the web. 4: Because life has its ups and These personal qualities are what And the advantage is that it’s only downs, and it is our relationships with makes us fellow humans rather than when we lock out the noise that we others that will save us when we are mere individuals. also truly can listen to our hearts. As down. Therefore they have the most And that is significant because first corny and naïve as it may sound, it is important significance—and therefore and foremost, life is about relations. when we listen to our hearts that we we need to help others when we can. About community. About the relation- are happiest. So be kind and respectful towards oth- ships we have with other people. This is It is only then we discover whether ers; be decent, reliable, present. without comparison the most essential we are on track or not. Whether we 5: And only when we are present, thing in life. really love what we are doing or not. can we hear the advice coming from Not titles, not recognition, salary, or It the answer is not—then we need to our own heart. I promise you: this is likes. make a change. the best advice you will ever be given. Because we, as human beings, so But if we love what we do, we also Your time is now. Take it and use it often fall through. become skilled. And if we are skilled well. Maybe we do not get accepted to on top of having good personal quali- Congratulations to all of you—and the university we want to attend. May- ties, well, then we are the employee of best wishes for your future. be we don’t win the heart of the person any CEO’s dream. Lastly, I would like to speak for all we love. Maybe we get a diagnosis that But to be present and live in the the graduates that have come before changes the course of our life; maybe moment is hard. I know the future is you the last many decades—and ex- there are social conditions, that we can- tugging at you. press our deepest gratitude for all the not change. You have probably also heard many good that has come from our school in And I have learned that when life times that YOU ARE THE FUTURE. Dalurin Fagri, (the Fair Valley). or destiny throws these dirty hurdles But I say: forget it! Thank you!

CICERO 2019 58 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS WINNER: EMPLOYEE MEETING “The Keys to Our Collective Success”

By Teresa Zumwald for Richard W. Schwartz, Delivered to Advisory and Support Services Staff at Winsupply Town Chairman of the Board, Winsupply, Inc. Hall Meeting, Dayton Masonic Center, Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 28, 2018

he other day I was browsing the At Winsupply, our fundamentals are clear nor explained to me. Often, they Tweb and came upon an interesting found in our philosophy, business were downright confusing! article about the Wright Brothers and model and key principles, which you Since I’d just transitioned from the their inventions. see here. [slide] military after serving in the Air Force Most people say offhand, “The These fundamentals—outlined in and the Reserves, hierarchy and top- Wright Brothers invented the air- Procedure B-815—are based on free down management were very familiar plane!” enterprise capitalism, which has fueled to me—although that was not the But in reality? That’s not quite true. our company’s philosophy, our business culture here. The Wright Brothers invented a model and our collective success. Like anyone who’s been in a top- flying machine they could control in Since 1956, free enterprise capital- down structure like the military or at a the air. Their invention was all about ism has made it possible for hundreds private company, I wanted to think of control. of people to own a Winsupply location, this organization like it was a big and They did it by figuring out the fun- create jobs and add value to our soci- growing wholesaler. damentals of flight. ety. Free enterprise capitalism sparked I wanted to believe that whatever • They had to roll the wings right or the Spirit of Opportunity. we did for local companies would left. I believe this: flow down and back up, just like in a • They had to pitch the nose up or That your ability to master the normal company. Just like in a branch down. fundamentals at Winsupply will free operation. • And, they had to “yaw it” from you to innovate—and contribute to our So I kept trying to “normalize” what side to side. collective success. I was hearing from Dick Schiewetz, Once they mastered these three fun- It sounds easy—but the fundamen- our co-founder. damentals, the Wrights flew in 1903. tals here are unique and different. I made plenty of mistakes. I tried And then they began to innovate. You won’t find them in any textbook to do things that I was told later on They perfected their invention so on business or business management. wouldn’t work—or that I couldn’t do. they could fly longer, farther, higher, And—as the Wrights discov- Dick used the Socratic method to faster—even carry a passenger. ered!—mastering the fundamentals of teach young employees like me the These and many other innovations anything unique and different is hard fundamentals. allowed the Wright Brothers to achieve work. We learned the hard way: by des- collective success—for themselves and It took Wilbur and Orville more perately trying to answer hundreds of for the world. than seven years before they were able Dick’s questions—one right after the Think how the world changed after to discover and apply the fundamentals next! the Wrights applied the fundamentals of flight! His teaching method was slow and of flight! I remember my own experience try- sometimes painful—but the learning Suddenly, aviation became possible ing to understand what our organiza- stuck. and practical! tion was all about. Over time, I began to appreci- Over time, the fundamentals of I was just 23 years old—younger ate WHY our fundamentals are so flight allowed us to operate Space than most of you!—when I was hired important. Shuttles … navigate satellites … pilot here in 1972. And exactly HOW they lead to the International Space Station … Back then, we had about 38 local innovation and collective success— program robots … even create 3D companies, and we were adding more. the chance for all of us to pursue the animations. I’d been asked to help grow the Spirit of Opportunity, and claim the This idea—that our ability to master group services companies. That way, American Dream. a set of fundamentals leads to innova- our investment company Primus could tion and collective success—is what I scale and expand the number and size *** want to talk to you about today. of our local companies. Yes, I had rules to follow. But the The structure of Winsupply is no *** reasons for those rules were neither accident.

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You may not know it, but our com- substantial part of it. And it all starts vendors, their products and their pany’s founding purpose in 1956 was the day a new president buys stock to customers. not wholesale distribution! invest in their local company. • They choose their employees. Instead, we started up for a differ- We invite a new president to own • And they choose the level of ser- ent reason: to eliminate obstacles and 30 to 40 percent of the equity in their vice they’ll deliver to their customers. provide support to help courageous, company, while Winsupply invests in They even get to choose which of capable, hardworking entrepreneurs the remaining 60 to 70 percent. our additional support services they succeed. • On that day, the president and want to use and pay for—like whether Wholesaling just happened to be the sometimes a few key employees be- they want to buy products from our first and best opportunity that excited come minority shareholders. distribution centers, or not. our original investors! • Our majority shareholders include Local decision making empowers So we’re in the business of helping people outside the organization as well local owners. And it lets them control entrepreneurs. The business of grow- as the Winsupply Inc. management their own destiny. ing people. team, area leaders and many of you in • As they make their own decisions, This idea of helping people is our advisory and support services. they get training on best practices to philosophy. It’s our purpose. And it’s All of us have the opportunity to be help them succeed. These are listed in the reason we exist. co-owners in this business—and many the Procedure Manual. Because when we invest in coura- of you are. • They also receive oversight, guid- geous, capable, hardworking entrepre- So as equity partners, our interests ance and approvals from their local neurs, we help people earn their own are common! company board of directors—and not success. Because we share ownership, we from Winsupply Inc. THIS is what we stand for! share the risk, and we share the rewards. Local owners are responsible for the And THIS is what differentiates us Winsupply is always willing to enter outcomes of every decision they make. from every other competitor in our into new equity partnerships. That’s why it’s so important for every- markets. We are always willing to offer new one to honor local autonomy. entrepreneurs the Spirit of Opportu- Because unlike the top-down man- *** nity—whether they want to take over agement and decision-making you see an existing local company, or open a every day at most companies, there Supporting our philosophy is our busi- new one. IS no alternative manager or decision ness model with three pillars, which The second pillar of our business maker at Winsupply to make the deci- you see here. [slide] model gives local owners local au- sions we expect local owners to make. The first pillar is equity partnerships. tonomy. The third pillar of our business model The entrepreneurs we help are That means we place maximum describes how we deliver on our promise equity owners of their own wholesaling authority, flexibility and responsibility to eliminate obstacles and provide sup- location, with Winsupply as the major- at the local company level. port to hardworking entrepreneurs. ity owner. So there’s a “local owner and deci- And that’s by providing high-quality, So when I talk about equity partner- sion maker under every roof.” low-cost, centralized support services. ships, I’m really talking about shared And that’s big! These services exist for one reason: ownership. Because it reflects our trust in local to help local companies succeed. It’s Like our philosophy, it’s something owners, and captures the spirit of free one more thing that makes us unique else that makes us unique and different. enterprise capitalism. and different. Think about it: Again, it makes us unique and dif- Most everyone here today is in- We’re not a franchise. We’re not ferent. volved in advisory and support services. family-owned. And we’re not a typical We have two beliefs: So you know that local companies pay organization with a headquarters and • That decisions to support and a small fee to Winsupply for things like branches that share little—if any!— serve customers are best made by local accounting, marketing, training and IT. equity or stock ownership. owners … This lets local companies spend Instead, almost every wholesaling lo- • And that local owners must control more time making sales and serving cation is a separate business with a local the major decisions that affect their their customers. owner: the local company president. company’s success. This idea to provide support came Each location has a separate Profit & Unlike branch managers in top- about in our earliest days. Loss statement, a separate balance sheet down organizations who take orders, After Dick and our other founders and a separate board of directors. local owners of local companies are invested in their first local companies, Our local owners take pride in their free to make many decisions: they saw the entrepreneurial spirit alive local company because they own a • They choose their markets, their and well!

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So they wanted to protect that spirit Supporting our business model are their own company like an indepen- by developing a support organization five key principles, which you see here. dent entrepreneur. that was innovative and entrepreneurial. [slide] The president would then become • They wanted it to be a profit cen- Our first key principle says that less responsive to local customers and ter, with the same ownership and bo- because we are equity owners in an the local marketplace. nus incentives as the local companies. equity partnership, we must maintain Ultimately, that would threaten the • They wanted to create efficiencies. a fair balance of interests between the local company’s success. That meant specializing and standard- majority and minority shareholders at Third, to maintain fair balance, we izing processes to help local companies. Winsupply. have to pay attention to the quality and • They also wanted to use “pattern That means the risks and rewards cost of our support services. management” to evaluate and compare for both equity partners must remain Because if quality deteriorates, or how local companies were progressing. in balance. costs become too high, then fair bal- These same three aspects of support If one equity partner takes on too ance is disrupted. are still true today: much risk, then things get out of balance. If this happens, the support services • While other wholesalers operate And when things get out of balance, become a burden on the local compa- their support services as cost centers, sustaining our philosophy and our busi- nies instead of a benefit to them. we still run ours as profit centers. If ness model becomes a lot more difficult. So we can’t make mistakes here. We you work in a support services compa- Our need to maintain a fair balance have to make sure we are investing in ny, we expect your expenses to be less of interests makes us unique and dif- local companies—not subsidizing them. than your income. ferent compared to other companies. We know from experience that any • Since support services can’t behave That’s because we have to make sure investment in support services that like “headquarters overhead,” all of you our local company presidents AND our won’t provide future returns shouldn’t have incentives to control costs, increase majority shareholders each feel reward- be made, because it disrupts the fair efficiencies and innovate. You know very ed for the level of risk they assume. balance of interests. well that any investment you make in First, we have to maintain a fair and Our second key principle says timely people or equipment—which increases balanced compensation structure for and accurate financial information your expense!—must make local com- both equity owners. must be available to all equity owners panies more competitive and profitable. • Local company presidents are and employees. That’s because your income grows only compensated through their modest base These financials include balance when the organization’s income grows. salary, growth in their equity investment sheets, Profit & Loss statements, and You also know well that you have to en- and their unlimited bonus potential. comparative ratios for each local tice local companies to buy or subscribe • Majority owners—which include company. to anything new—just like an outside most of you!—are compensated through When we say “timely,” we mean consulting company has to do. growth in your equity investment, and that financial statements are ready in • A minute ago I mentioned pat- increases in your dividend income. three or four days after month-end. tern management. One early outcome With this structure, local company That’s unique and different, since of this was the managing ratio sheet, presidents receive dividends based on our competitors take 10 to 15 days or which our area leaders and local com- their ownership level, and majority more to issue the same reports. pany board members still use today to shareholders receive dividends based Getting the monthly financials out provide coaching and counsel to local on their ownership level. within a few days is a game-changer company presidents, and advice for All this is fair balance. because local companies can respond continuous improvement. And it’s a fair deal: faster—as trends emerge. Without pillar three of our business Winsupply contributes most of the When we say “accurate,” we mean model—this ability to offer high- capital, and local companies put in the that financial statements show what quality, low-cost, centralized support sweat equity. happened last month—as precisely as services—we could not have achieved Second, to maintain fair balance, we possible. And, we expect proper ac- the efficiencies or applied the patterns have to protect local company decision counting that eliminates all year-end needed to scale our philosophy and making. adjustments—as much as possible. business model. That means Winsupply Inc. can- This way, local company presidents We would not have been able to not make decisions that violate local can trust the reports they receive, along repeat our process—and infuse the company autonomy. with their company’s share price and Spirit of Opportunity in hundreds of The minute this happens, fair bal- profit sharing calculations. entrepreneurs over 62 years. ance is disrupted! Key principle three calls for a flat, Any overreach by Winsupply would matrix organization for free and open *** threaten the president’s ability to run communication.

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That means we allow and expect And we believe ownership drives And they’ve led us to innovate: communication to go across, up or results. • In the 1970s, we wrote custom down the organization freely and As owners, local company presi- accounting and other business software openly. dents are responsible for their own that worked with our unique and dif- Instead of being a hierarchy with company’s Profit & Loss statement ferent business model. top-down reporting, Winsupply de- and balance sheet. So it doesn’t matter • In the ‘80s and ‘90s, we developed cided from the beginning to organize how other local companies perform, and expanded WISE, and opened dis- in a matrix. It’s another example of or what the earnings of Winsupply tribution centers to help local compa- how we are unique and different. Inc. are, because none of that affects nies accelerate their growth. A matrix has horizontal structures a president’s equity investment or • In the 2000s, we launched our and teams. “Chain of command” and bonus potential. first online system for customers, and “lines of authority” are all but discour- As a result, local company presi- built our first local company websites. aged. So instead of plowing through dents are free to achieve without limits! • And recently, we began offer- layers of bureaucracy, anyone here can There’s no cap on their compensa- ing new services—like Shared Office go directly to the source to get what- tion, because they’re rewarded for Solutions and Shared Purchasing ever help they need. results. Solutions—so local companies could Today, our matrix lets us deliver The better their results, the more offload more back-office work to focus help, services and advice to 600 local money they earn to reinvest or redis- even more on customers. companies. tribute. Our fundamentals have allowed us We do it as trusted advisers—by pro- And not just to themselves as own- to achieve collective success. viding the kind of help that entrepre- ers—but also to their hardworking em- Since 1956, we’ve never had a year neurs might get from their hometown ployees—in the form of profit-sharing when we lost money. CPA, financial manager, IT consultant checks. But more importantly? or any other confidant. Key principle five says we follow In six decades, we’ve applied our And we do it by exercising a code of conduct based on honesty, fundamentals to change the lives of influence—not authority. Because at trust and accountability. nearly 1,000 entrepreneurs … thou- Winsupply, we can’t use command and We also make this covenant: sands of their employees … and hun- control to get things done! That would That our word is our bond to cus- dreds of people like you, in advisory require another layer of management tomers, fellow employees and share- and support services. that we don’t have. holders. I said it earlier: The goal is to keep the organization Quite simply—we do what we say That mastering our fundamentals as flat as possible, and focus everyone we’re going to do. will free you to innovate—and ulti- on maximizing service and value to mately contribute to our collective customers. *** success at Winsupply. Flat organizations can move fast be- Your ability to master these funda- cause they have fewer layers to manage. This overview of our fundamentals mentals will sustain the future of this That reduces complexities and costs. that I’ve shared with you today is really organization. Monte Salsman, for example, has a 60,000-foot view. Because staying true to these funda- only one layer of management between Right now I’m working on a book mentals is the only way to deliver the himself and local company presidents. with the details behind our philosophy, American Dream to a lot of people. Likewise, most local company business model and key principles— That includes everyone at our local presidents have no more than one layer among other things. companies—and all of you. between themselves and their custom- Once I finish it, you’ll be the first to But first we have to acknowledge ers. That empowers people on their know! that building entrepreneurs is a com- team to make immediate decisions— But in the meantime, I have to tell plex business—a whole lot harder than and respond faster to customers. you: The fundamentals of this organi- the very simple and repeatable business Key principle four says we will zation haven’t changed in 62 years. of wholesaling. reward owners with generous compen- All you have to do is ask people At Winsupply, we pride ourselves on sation, but only for results. who’ve been around here for a while— building an “entrepreneurial machine”: Many organizations pay people for like Monte, Roland, John or Vickie. • One that combines capital from hard work, longevity, advanced degrees And our fundamentals shouldn’t our shareholders … and titles. change. • With sweat equity from our local But again, we’re unique and different! Because they’ve kept us strong. companies … From the beginning, Winsupply has They’ve allowed us to differentiate • And help from all of you in advi- always paid for results. ourselves. sory and support services.

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YOU are a big part of delivering the game—the more all of us share a If the Wright Brothers had not value to local companies! common purpose and goal. mastered the fundamentals of control, YOU are a big part of this entrepre- It’s a way for you to earn your own the airplane would have never been a neurial machine! success, just like our local company safe or practical means of transporta- We could not do what we do with- presidents do. tion—across the country … around the out you. world … and into space. We could not deliver services as *** And if the first and second genera- systematically, or as fast. tions at Winsupply had not mastered And we could not continue to scale Last month, we announced a restruc- the fundamentals of our unique and this organization. turing of Winsupply. different philosophy, business model Now and in the future, our collec- One reason we did it was to rein- and key principles—we would have tive success depends on how good we force this fundamental—the Winsupply never been able to create and sustain are at: philosophy!—that says we’re in busi- an organization where opportunity ex- • Embedding Winsupply’s funda- ness for one reason: ists for everyone. mentals into the fabric of this organi- To eliminate obstacles and provide THIS is the genius of our culture. zation … support to help courageous, capable, THIS is what we are here to do. • Keeping them intact … hardworking entrepreneurs succeed. Because what we do at Winsupply • And then passing them on to the We’re all in this together. changes lives—just like Wilbur and Or- next generation, so more people like When you help local companies ville changed people’s lives with their you can continue to innovate. succeed, you succeed—and indeed, we flying machine back in 1903. Because this organization will al- all succeed. Orville once said: ways need more good ideas to achieve That is what we mean by collective “The desire to fly is an idea handed even more efficiencies and more scale. success. down to us by our ancestors who, in Like our local company presidents, I like this quote from Peter Drucker, their grueling travels across track- you are entrepreneurs, too! the famous management consultant, less lands in prehistoric times, looked Because of the advantages you give who said: enviously on the birds soaring freely to local companies, you help them “The best way to predict your future through.” become more competitive and more is to create it.” Likewise, I believe: profitable. As people in advisory and support The desire to build entrepreneurs And every time you do? services, that’s your job: to create the is an idea handed down to us by our You contribute to our collective future at Winsupply by continuing to co-founders who, more than anything, success. innovate. wanted to help people earn their own Many of you are Winsupply Inc. But you can’t do that unless you success and claim the American Dream. shareholders. master the fundamentals of our phi- As our third and fourth generations Every time you see growth in your losophy, our business model and our take the reins at Winsupply, what hap- equity investment, and increases in five key principles. pens next is your hands. your dividend income, you’re getting It’s up to YOU to protect and de- a piece of the collective success you’re *** fend this unique and different oppor- helping to build. tunity—the Spirit of Opportunity!— That’s the ONLY reason we offer In that article about the Wright Broth- that’s been handed down to you. stock to Winsupply Inc. employees— ers that I found on the web, Darrel Col- It’s up to YOU to master the funda- because we want to share a piece of lins of the U.S. Park Service said this: mentals. the American Dream with you. “Before the Wright Brothers, no one It’s up to YOU to continue to in- We don’t do it for the money, be- working in aviation did anything fun- novate. cause we’d do better financially if we damentally correct. Since the Wright It’s up to YOU to work hard … simply borrowed from a bank! Brothers, no one has done anything together, as equity partners! … to build We do it because we know the fundamentally different.” collective success—now and in the more people here who own stock—the Mastering the fundamentals makes future. more people here who have skin in all the difference. Thank you.

VSOTD.COM 63 WINNER: EULOGY/TRIBUTE SPEECH “The Japanese Hell Ships”

By Leonoor Russell for Admiral Rob Bauer, Delivered in Bronbeek, the Netherlands, Sept. 8, 2018 Chief of Defence, the Netherlands

e will always bear witness You can’t even begin to imagine… gers sank. And there, on board the W To what the sea is still telling us. Unbearable heat. HNLMS De Ruyter, we laid a wreath We must never yield. Hardly being able to breathe. on the water. To injustice and violence. Raging thirst… up to the point Five surviving relatives were present Ladies and gentlemen, where you can’t even eat the little food at that ceremony. These are the final words of the that is given to you. And what makes this very special beautiful song that musician Wouter Disease spreading like wildfire. is that one of them—the person who Muller just played for us. All around you, you see men crum- initiated that commemoration and who And they are the first words I want bling, physically or mentally. also designed the monument here in to address to you. It’s impossible to comprehend… Bronbeek—is present here today: Ms. Because they sum up perfectly what The term ‘hell ships’ basically says Anneriet de Pijper. the commemoration of the Japanese it all. So from that day on, I knew of the Hell Ships is about. In addition to the appalling condi- hell ships’ existence. Today we commemorate a dark, tions on board, the prisoners of war And the more I hear, the more sinister part of history. had to deal with yet another danger. surprised I am that this remains such We commemorate events that only a A danger that came from the Allied an unknown and unrecorded piece of few people are still able to recount. forces themselves… history. Events that—once you’ve heard about The Hell Ships were also frequently Only a few people are alive to tell them—will never escape your mind. targeted by bombs or torpedoes. the tale… They leave an imprint on your soul. With horrific consequences… When I say this, I am reminded of It baffles you… Many prisoners of war went down the words Wim Kan spoke in his 1973 When you learn of the evil people with the ship. New Year’s eve performance. are capable of. And many of those who were able I’m sure many of you still remem- And of the strength that was mus- to jump ship died in the water… ber how he sang (or more accurately: tered by the prisoners of war, to bear … by drowning… spoke) with a quavering voice: the pain that was inflicted on them. … through exhaustion… “Only few people are left, who went In a time span of three-and-a-half … or by Japanese bullets… through it. years, 185 Hell Ships transported over All of this took place between May Only few people are left, to tell the 100,000 prisoners of war and Asian 1942 and August 1945. tale. forced labourers (the rōmusha). We know a lot about what happened Who remember everything that took Among the prisoners of war were in those years in the Netherlands and place back then. British, American, Australian and Europe. Through books, through films What happened here, no one could Dutch people. and through everything that is passed have ever predicted.” Mainly military personnel. And a on to new generations at school. Thousands of our fellow country- small number of civilians. So how is it that we know so little of men suffered the Japanese Hell Ships. Over 22,000 prisoners of war and what took place during those years in The vast majority did not survive thousands of rōmusha did not survive Southeast Asia? them. these transports. How is it that we know so little Or died soon afterwards, as a result This was mainly due to the abomi- about what our own countrymen went of forced labour. nable conditions on board. through there? And of those who did return to the “We lived like animals” observed a I personally only heard of the Japa- Netherlands—as far as we know—only soldier in his diary. nese Hell Ships in 2000, when I was a few dozen are still alive. But he could not say so out loud… sailing south of Sumatra with a Dutch- I am truly honoured—and I say this for fear of being beaten. Belgian squadron. from the bottom of my heart—that The prisoners were packed together We were sailing past the place three remaining survivors of the Japa- so tightly, that there was hardly enough where the famous Hell Ship ‘Junyo nese Hell Ships are present here today: room to sit or lie down. Maru’ and her thousands of passen- Mister Willem Punt.

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Mister Dick Buchel van Steenbergen. Mister Maurits Baal passed on his Or wants to. And mister Maurits Baal. story directly to new generations. In oth- There is much unspoken misery. All three of them are helping us—in er words, to his children and grandchil- And that is why I realise how valu- their own way—to pass on knowledge dren. Of whom his son, daughter-in-law able the words of these three men are. about this dark piece of history to and grandson are present here today. There are questions that will always future generations. His son told me that the family used remain unanswered. Mister Willem Punt does this to gather around the radio (and later Our past will never be ‘past perfect through the book his grandson’s wife the television) on Sunday evenings, to tense’. wrote about him, so lovingly. This book listen to G.B.J. Hiltermann. So it is up to us—the new genera- tells us his incredibly moving life story. And every time Hiltermann had fin- tions, the children of freedom—to make Mister Dick Buchel van Steenbergen ished discussing ‘the state of the world’, sure we pass on their words. To keep does this through the various interviews the family would have a discussion that telling each other what we do know. he has given to national and regional resulted in mister Baal telling them That is the value of remembrance. media, and to the Veterans’ Institute. about the war. And that is also an important func- In his interviews, he describes how One of the most gripping stories he tion of Bronbeek: remembering our the prisoners were crammed into the told was how he heard that an airstrike history, together. hold of the ship, like sardines in a can. was about to happen when he was on And we have every reason to do so. Fearful of what was to come… board a hell ship. Because even now, there is much Not knowing where the journey Suddenly everything went quiet. injustice in the world. would take them… The engines stopped. People are still capable of meaning- Or how long it would last… The lights dimmed. less cruelty. And whether they would survive… And for a moment, there was a Even now, peace can all too easily His way of dealing with that pres- deafening silence. turn into war. sure was to let it all wash over him. The ship’s passengers heard and saw The men and women of our armed Almost apathetic. the planes flying over them. forces work day in and day out to pre- Because he knew that if he really let And after what seemed like forever, vent that from happening. it sink in, he would be beyond salvation. a loud reassuring voice informed them To protect our freedom. And he managed to live through it. that they had been spared… And to bring peace and freedom to Eventually, he was transferred to The sound of that voice has always areas where almost all hope is gone. Nagasaki to work in the Mitsubishi stayed with him… We will always bear witness factory. There he witnessed how the Mister Baal has experienced the To what the sea is still telling us. atomic bomb destroyed an entire city horrors of war in many guises. We must never yield. in one fell swoop. And luckily he was able to cope with To injustice and violence. It beggars belief that he managed to that. Those words say it all. live through all that… He was able to talk about it. We must never forget. And that he is in our midst here today. Not everyone is able to do that. WINNER: HEARING TESTIMONY “Statement of Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, before the California State Senate Joint Committee on Rules Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response”

By Martha Frase for Johnny C. Taylor, President and Delivered at Hearing on Best Practices for Changing Culture on CEO, Society for Human Resource Management Sexual Harassment, Sacramento, California, Jan. 24, 2018

hairwoman Friedman, Chair- HR professional society, representing people management, including creat- Cwoman Mitchell, and distin- 290,000 members, including 25,000 ing workplaces that foster a culture of guished members of the committee, I in California. Our members, in turn, respect. We are committed to elimi- am Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and influence the lives of over 100 million nating all forms of harassment in the Chief Executive Officer of the Society individuals in the workforce—about workplace including sexual harassment, for Human Resource Management one in three Americans. educating our members not only on (SHRM). I appear before you today on For nearly 70 years, SHRM has complying with the law, but on build- behalf of SHRM, the world’s largest been leading organizations in their ing a positive and productive workplace

VSOTD.COM 65 culture. We believe that creating and enthralled by powerful, often older, damage is done on a daily basis that maintaining a harassment-free work- people. This culture creates perfect changes people’s lives and changes place is not just a legal priority, but a conditions for sexual harassment, people’s careers.” business one that all employees share. but one that is also ripe for positive This is why I urge that you not be I am pleased to have the opportu- transformation. It’s time for a cultural lured by the cottage industry spring- nity to be here today to discuss how transformation in your legislative work- ing up around sexual harassment these concepts apply to high-profile places. And as a leader in workplace compliance programs. Consider that and dynamic workplaces such as the change, California must start right 94 percent of U.S. workplaces have California State Senate and Assembly. here, right now. sexual harassment policies, and yet, Most importantly, I will address the here we are. role of workplace culture in prevent- Culture Always Trumps Let me be clear: Rules, education ing and addressing sexual harassment Compliance and training are necessary. In fact, in all workplaces. SHRM is working with the National SHRM’s perspective is unique because Conference of State Legislatures Power-Driven Workplaces at Risk we represent not just one segment of (NCSL) to cohost a free training for the employment sector, but a profes- NCSL members on harassment and Exactly 20 years ago this week, we sion that spans all industries, including establishing a culture of respect in their watched this country divide itself over companies and workforces large and legislative offices. Last week, we con- an ethical crisis involving a U.S. Presi- small. Our members have seen it all, ducted a similar webinar with EEOC dent and a young intern. Fast forward and they let us know what works—and Acting Chair Vicki Lipnic. SHRM to today, and we find ourselves still what doesn’t. also provides numerous programs at struggling with the same issues around Here’s what doesn’t work: relying conferences throughout the country sex, power and consent—all of which solely on compliance—rules, education on creating and maintaining a ha- intersect in the workplace. and training—to prevent or address rassment-free workplace, including in Let’s remember that even after sexual harassment. In its 2016 Select California through our State Council, impeachment, that President finished Task Force Report on Harassment, CALSHRM, and our 17 chapters. his final term with the highest end-of- the Equal Employment Opportunity But rules, education and training will office approval rating since World War Commission (EEOC) recognized that, never be enough. Even zero-tolerance II, and he continues to rank high in “Even effective training cannot occur policies have no effect when people popularity among Americans. Clearly, in a vacuum—it must be part of a don’t feel safe to report harassment, we have a long way to go as a country holistic culture of non-harassment that when there is no mechanism to protect before our aspirational words are con- starts at the top.” people who report, and when there is sistent with our collective actions. Compliance is a key component of no trust in what will eventually hap- Like Hollywood and Wall Street, the a harassment-free workplace, but in pen to the person who reports. These legislative environment is uniquely sus- reality, we could demand that every individuals are too often marginalized, ceptible to sexual harassment situations. employee take 10 hours of sexual distrusted, bullied and even forced What they all have in common is that harassment training every week, and out. Manuals and training are useless these workplaces are driven by complex accusations would still happen. By in workplaces where bad behavior is power dynamics. A few people hold the the same token, we could enforce the silently tolerated. It is culture, not com- careers and futures of many others in strictest policies forbidding workplace pliance, that guides workplace conduct. their hands. Some of those people are relationships, but office romance would Understand that an organization’s deemed “too big to fail.” still happen. You simply can’t legislate culture is more than being a nice place Also, these workplaces tend to be human behavior. to work, where everyone is engaged male-dominated. I want to be clear that We have also seen case after case and happy. We must take the concept sexual harassment is not a woman’s where problematic behaviors and far beyond that, to where culture—not issue alone. Not by a longshot. Men are situations never rise to the legal defini- HR policies—represents who we are also victims, and women are also per- tion of harassment. Professor Kim and what we believe as an organiza- petrators. Sexual harassment is about M. Cobb of the Georgia Institute of tion. The bottom line is: Culture will power and is committed by whoever Technology, who is active in helping always trump compliance. is in control. It just so happens that in more women advance in the sciences, many workplaces, much of the power said it perfectly in her recent interview Culture Steps in Before belongs to men—at least for now. with the Chronicle of Higher Educa- Compliance Is Needed Another commonality among tion: “There’s a big gray zone between Now, let’s bring this discussion here high-power workplaces is a wealth of legal sexual harassment and a culture to this state and this legislative body. young, aspiring, competitive employees of inclusion…. In that gradient, real Both the State Senate and the As-

CICERO 2019 66 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS sembly have an ethics committee and dishonesty and secrecy. If they are dis- That takes courage, but there is no standards for reporting sexual harass- covered, you are faced with the choice other choice anymore. ment; however, these standards are of firing one or the other, or both, and How do you know your culture not aligned, are unclear and obviously you have lost key talent. is working? When it mostly runs on didn’t work. Instead, you could follow a policy of its own. Healthy cultures self-police Employers in California with more disclosure when two coworkers become bad behavior, self-select good people, than 50 employees must provide two involved. Think of it somewhat like a self-regulate effective policies and self- hours of anti-sexual harassment train- conflict of interest disclosure. Allowing perpetuate—no matter who comes in ing every two years to supervisory them to come forward without fear of or out. employees and must distribute infor- reprisals gives them another pathway— mation to all employees. New supervi- honesty. And honesty is a key element Conclusion: Culture Is a sors must engage in this training within of a healthy culture. Competitive Gamechanger six months of taking their position. Yet, Two other elements in establishing according to the Department of Fair a healthy culture are swift action and In the end, a healthy culture is a com- Employment and Housing, 554 sexual transparency. Claims of harassment petitive gamechanger, allowing you to harassment claims were filed in 2016. should be investigated immediately, get and keep the best people to meet In any case, none of this would have quickly, and ideally by an independent your mission of serving the people of mattered if the culture had been the panel. If a behavior is found to violate this great state. Isn’t that why you are right one. Situations would have been the culture of the organization, that all here today? averted or resolved long before getting individual should be subject to progres- Sexual harassment in the workplace to the level of committees and claims sive disciplinary procedures up to and wreaks havoc on your ability to do your being filed. including firing. jobs as legislators. Even if a situation The organizational culture is like This brings up a critical point, never reaches the level of a complaint, a human body. When it is working however. In the zeal to root out sexual but it pushes good people out or down, properly, viruses and toxins are natu- harassment, organizations must not you have lost the talent game. With rally expelled. In a healthy workplace swing too far in the other direction, California’s unemployment rate down culture, when sexual harassment is creating a culture of “guilty until to 4.9 percent and falling, this is a risk observed or experienced, the com- proven innocent.” Many sexual ha- you cannot afford. munity takes over and shuts it down rassment allegations are found to be This body now has the opportunity collectively, with a message that such unsubstantiated and, in some cases, to transform its culture, and as the bell- behavior will not be tolerated by outright untrue. A trustworthy due pro- wether state for the country, the nation anyone at any level. Ideally, sexual ha- cess should protect the accused until beyond. As you go about this critical rassment doesn’t occur at all, because he or she is found either responsible or work, I urge you to remember that the “body” is inoculated with healthy innocent of wrongdoing. I recommend compliance matters, but that healthy norms, expectations and standards. that you take every allegation seriously, culture staves off sexual harassment. investigate it promptly and adjudicate Cultural change is the most impor- Let’s Be Practical it fairly, quickly and appropriately, tant thing you can do—all of us can always maintaining the highest possible do—to make sure that all people in One way to get to a healthy culture that standards of confidentiality. the workplace are respected, valued will not tolerate sexual harassment is by SHRM has developed many best and empowered to succeed. SHRM, choosing to be practical about people. practices and resources for sustaining a CALSHRM and our members stand Let me ask you, what is your policy healthy workplace, including a member with you in putting an end to sexual on workplace relationships? Here in toolkit for understanding and devel- harassment at work and in building the Capitol, you employ a lot of young oping organizational culture. Chief better workplaces for a better world. people—many of them single, most of among these practices is having a strong SHRM pledges to work with the them ambitious. They will pursue each statement of values. But mainly, they committee as it addresses this impor- other or their mentors and role models. come down to people—who you bring tant issue. I thank you for the oppor- That’s just human nature. in, who you retain, and who you allow tunity to appear before the committee, If workplace relationships are for- to move up. You must be willing to get and I look forward to your questions. bidden, the “outlaws” will go under- rid of bad actors, no matter where they ground, contributing to a culture of rank, with no second chances.

VSOTD.COM 67 WINNER: MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH “Someday Is Today”

By Kate Devlin for Lucy Kalanithi, Delivered at the International Association for the Study of Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Lung Cancer World Conference on Lung Cancer, Stanford University School of Medicine Toronto, Sept. 24, 2018

am so honored and happy to be here But there’s only one question that Frankl shared the stories of fellow I among this community of clinicians, really scares me. Well, other than being prisoners whom he counseled while researchers, advocates, patients and asked, “So, who would play you in the in the camps. For example, one was a families. While I would never have movie?” The most difficult question scientist with a series of books still left chosen the circumstances that brought I’m ever asked is point-blank is: “So, to write. Another was the parent of me here, being part of the lung cancer what is the meaning of life?” a young child who awaited him in a community has brought such meaning It’s a question, like many others, foreign country. into my life. And that meaning is what that I wish Paul were here to answer, Frankl came to believe that for a I want to speak about this morning. too. But lately, I’ve considered this person to maintain even the slightest I am a physician, but I’m here today question for myself—and especially for chance of survival while living in the in a different role—because in 2013, myself as a physician. camps, she had to hold on to her sense my husband, Paul Kalanithi, was Reflecting on the moment of his of meaning. And he hypothesized that diagnosed at 36 with stage IV EGFR- initial diagnosis with lung cancer, Paul there are three main sources of mean- mutant non-small cell lung cancer. wrote, “The future I had imagined, ing in our lives. The first is work: in Paul and I had met twelve years ear- the culmination of decades of striv- other words, the deeds we do, the things lier as medical students. He was smart ing, evaporated.” we create. The second is love—the love and kind and super funny. I fell in love Until that moment, I hadn’t quite that we feel for our experiences and, of with Paul in part because he used to realized how much of our identities course, for our fellow human beings. keep a gorilla suit in the trunk of his are tied up in our imagined futures, in One of my favorite book reviews of car, and he’d say he kept it there, “you who we plan to become. When you’re When Breath Becomes Air says that know, just for emergencies.” faced with a life-threatening illness, the book crackles with life. Paul lived with lung cancer for 22 the perennial question “How long If you had seen Paul at the time months. During that time, he finished have I got left?” can also mean “Who that he wrote it, the phrase might have his training as a neurosurgeon, I gave am I still?” And the question “What’s seemed preposterous because he had birth to our daughter Cady, and Paul the meaning of life?” becomes both become physically debilitated. But Paul wrote the manuscript for When Breath urgent and quotidian: “What’s the was crackling with life. He had nurtured Becomes Air, a memoir about his trans- meaning in my life?” those first two sources of meaning— formation from physician to patient. For Paul, that crisis of identity was work and love--in his growing manu- In his writing, Paul reflected on his almost as great as the challenge of script and in our growing family. In a own life and on what makes human life facing mortality. He was fighting for sense, he was thriving. As Nietsche said, meaningful, even in the face of death. survival and fighting to rediscover a and Viktor Frankl believed, “he who has To keep a promise to him, I shep- purpose and the meaning that would a why to live can bear almost any how.” herded the book to publication after sustain him through illness. Though we had always planned to he died, and it has since become a #1 So what exactly is meaning, and have children toward the end of Paul’s New York Times bestseller translated how do we create it? Well, one of the residency, it wasn’t part of our plan for into more than 40 languages. best answers I’ve come across is by Dr. Paul to become ill at the same time. When your husband writes a book Viktor Frankl. After his diagnosis, we wrestled with like When Breath Becomes Air, you get Dr. Frankl was a psychiatrist and whether to try have a child. asked a lot of questions like: neurologist living in Austria who, in I remember asking Paul, “Don’t • Has doing a book tour helped you 1942, was arrested and transported you think having to say goodbye to a through grief ? Yes, definitely. to a Nazi concentration camp. Three child would make dying more painful • Has this experience changed how years later, he was one of the few who for you?” you practice medicine? Yes and no. survived to see the camp liberated, His answer astounded me. He said, • How’s your daughter doing? and he reflected on his experiences “Wouldn’t it be great if it did?” Great! She is feisty and funny, just like in his book titled, Man’s Search for I really wish I knew what Paul her dad. Meaning. thought about Viktor Frankl, and I

CICERO 2019 68 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS don’t. But I imagine they might have to work and then tailored his therapy And you didn’t just choose to work in agreed on this last thing: around that. And she focused his care health care. You chose oncology and Dr. Frankl believed that the most not only on survival but on the things lung cancer, which requires its own significant way we create meaning in that mattered to him: maintaining the special kind of grit. My guess is that our lives is through the way we respond physical energy to work, the mental you didn’t choose this field because it to unavoidable suffering; he believed focus to write, and the agency to make was easy. Perhaps you chose it, in part, that suffering ceases to be suffering at his own choices. because it was hard. the moment it finds a meaning and Scientific progress made that I know some of you chose it because that the pure fact of enduring hard- possible. Today’s first-line therapies it was personal. ship can be intrinsically triumphant. hadn’t existed when we graduated On behalf of your patients and I saw that in Paul as he set out to face from medical school just a decade their families, thank you. You are his mortality and put it to paper. The prior, and those novel therapies made lengthening lives and expanding them. task was immensely rewarding, in part it possible for Paul to simultaneously I know this because I am now rais- because it was so hard. be both a stage IV lung cancer patient ing Cady, a fierce, funny—and, at long Just like having a child. Just like and a practicing neurosurgeon. I’m so last, potty-trained—four-year-old girl working in medicine. At its best—and thankful to the scientists and patient- who already has a rock-solid moral especially when we focus on patients advocates speeding that progress. compass, just like her dad. And while I first—working in health care connects Finally, I’m grateful to Dr. Wakelee used to think that above all I wanted to us to all three sources of meaning: for another reason, too—because even raise a happy child, I realize now that work and love and suffering. when treatments stopped working, she what I want more is to raise a resilient When Paul died in 2015, I received didn’t leave our side. Neither did Team child. My biggest task in doing so is probably a dozen floral arrangements Draft or the Bonnie J. Addario Lung teaching Cady how to take on these big in sympathy, and I also sent one in Cancer Foundation or many more of concepts—life and love and loss and thanks—to Paul’s oncologist, Dr. you. And I’ve come to believe that be- suffering—and make meaning out of Heather Wakelee. ing witnesses to each other’s hardships, it all. I was grateful to Dr. Wakelee not even and maybe especially when we In the end, though, I think she’ll be just because she gave Paul state-of-the- can’t completely fix them, is one of the the one who teaches me—just like her art treatment for lung cancer—though most important things we do for each dad did. she did—but because she made sure other. Thank you so much for what you that his time was meaningful. She We have chosen a profession that do. I’m so glad to join you. convinced Paul that he could return provides us this challenge and privilege. WINNER: STATE-OF-THE-INSTITUTION SPEECH “That Is What a 21st Century Public University Does”

By Alex D. Solis for Rodney K. Rogers, President, Delivered at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2018

hank you, Chair Keller. And to the be here because I wanted to make On November 10, 1910, a small TBoard of Trustees and Directors sure that at least two people showed rural community was selected as home of the BGSU Foundation, we are very up today. But, I am humbled that in for one of these “normal” universities— grateful for your leadership and com- fact we have so many here with us. To Bowling Green. mitment to Bowling Green State Uni- our students, faculty, staff, alumni and Since our founding, BGSU has versity. I would like to take a moment friends, thank you for being here today. been no stranger to innovation. We’ve to recognize Bowling Green Mayor In the early part of the 20th century, made substantial advances in the way Dick Edwards, who is here. Thank you The Ohio General Assembly passed we teach, conduct research, recruit for your continued partnership. I also The Lowry Normal School Bill—leg- and engage students, leverage technol- appreciate that my wife, Sandy Earle, islation to establish two institutions of ogy and approach collaboration and is in attendance, along with my son higher learning to serve the northern partnerships. Isaac. My other son is watching the part of the state, meet teacher training However, one thing has remained live stream in New York. Hi, Spencer. needs and expand educational oppor- constant—we’ve always aspired to be a I requested that both Sandy and Isaac tunities in Ohio. vibrant learning community.

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In recent years, we’ve accomplished We have recently reaffirmed our We face a stark reality. Beginning much. strategic plan, and I want to thank in 2024, there will be a significant Throughout the first phase of our the hundreds of individuals who decline in the number of high school campus master plan, we constructed participated in that shared process. I graduates across the state and in the and renovated more than 30 build- am pleased to announce the creation Midwest, a student population that ings, representing a half-billion-dollar of the President’s Advisory Board for has been the historic mainstay of our investment. Strategic Plan Implementation, led by university. That is a dramatic shift in For the sixth consecutive year, we our newly appointed Vice President demographics, and we must adapt and have admitted the most academically for Partnerships and Chief of Staff, differentiate our educational experi- prepared class to date. Sue Houston, and Vice President for ence so that it is clear why a degree We have developed new programs Faculty Affairs and Strategic Initia- from Bowling Green State University such as software engineering, mecha- tives, Bill Balzer. My office will begin is one of value for both traditional tronics, data science, forensic science, fielding nominations and recommen- and post-traditional students. PPEL, health services administration dations for this group and it will be Along the way, and though it was and many more. responsible for guiding our progress. never our intention, I fear, higher We have increased our research It is our plan that I wish to share with education has lost the trust of a large productivity and the level of exter- you today. percentage of the public. Many think nally funded initiatives. As I reflect, eleven of my pre- college is too expensive and that student We have invested in faculty and decessors have led this institution debt is insurmountable. They don’t see staff, ensuring our salaries and benefits before me. Presidents like Mary Ellen the impact of our research. Some won- are more competitive. Mazey, Carol Cartwright and Sidney der if college is even worth it. Recently, Business Insider ranked Ribeau have pushed us forward and There are people who question our Bowling Green State University Ohio’s positioned BGSU for success. I thank purpose. Is it to prepare graduates for No. 1 university for quality and afford- them, as well as former faculty, staff their careers and thus drive productiv- ability. and students who have made this ity? Is it to produce a broadly edu- The American Association of institution what it is today. However, cated person to support democracy Public and Land-Grant Universities it is our immense responsibility to and create a vibrant society? Is it to named BGSU as an Innovation and lead BGSU to be the institution for educate and move the human condi- Economic Prosperity University. We tomorrow. I am reminded of a speech tion toward creating a more just soci- are one of 63 institutions to earn this given by our fifth president, Dr. Ralph ety? I believe the answer to all those recognition. Harshman. He said: questions is yes. Bowling Green State We rank 10th in the NCAA for our “Thousands have passed through University needs to act to support a student-athletes’ graduation success these halls of learning. Thousands productive society, a good society and rate in Division 1 programs. And the upon thousands want the same op- a just society. If we do that, we will women’s soccer team won the MAC portunity. We must not fail those who regain the public trust by demonstrat- regular season and conference tourna- have passed this way. We must not fail ing why higher education matters and ment title and competed in the NCAA those yet to come.” why we matter. If we do that, we will tournament this fall. Our Head Coach There is no question that, today, we create public good. Matt Fannon was named MAC Coach live in the most challenging time that Now, more than ever, we must not be of the Year. higher education has ever seen. timid. As a public university in the 21st That success has also spread to our We are in a period of great change century, we must embrace our role to club sports. Our women’s bowling and disruption—a moment that will act in the public interest and create pub- and men’s rugby club teams both won define the future of higher education lic good. We must prepare our gradu- national championships this past year. and Bowling Green State University. ates to live meaningful and productive Most importantly, we are achieving However, throughout history, in pe- lives. We must empower them to control the highest levels of student success riods of great change come great op- their destiny. And that starts with the in our history, including our four- and portunities. Institutions that embrace quality of our academic programs. six-year graduation rates. these challenges and disruptions make For years, there has been this tired, The state of our university is immense strides and achieve new old debate on how we must prepare strong. It is strong indeed. Thank you and higher levels of success. Bowling students. Is college for the discovery for coming. Green has that same opportunity, if and pursuit of thought, or for career We could end today’s talk there, be- we can come together and harness the preparation? Is it one or the other? cause we are indeed in a strong position, creativity, diligence and imagination The answer must be both. but we must never be complacent or of our students, faculty, staff, alumni If we are not preparing our stu- satisfied—we must focus on our future. and friends. dents for their careers, they will not be

CICERO 2019 70 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS prepared to live productive lives. If we As our students graduate, they should Earlier this fall, Bowling Green don’t broadly educate them, they will be able to demonstrate their ability to State University and Mercy Health not be prepared to lead meaningful share, apply and create new knowledge. announced the intent to explore a lives. We must always remind ourselves Today, it is more than active learning, partnership involving Mercy College that our work is not simply awarding it is discovery-based learning that will of Ohio. degrees based upon a series of required position our students for success. As Ohio’s largest health care courses, but it is to intentionally create The bottom line is that degree provider, Mercy Health will allow us and design educational programs that completion is absolutely necessary, but to expand our educational offerings empower our students to achieve suc- not sufficient preparation for life after in the health care arena, create ad- cess after they leave here. college. We must integrate academic ditional clinical sites at various Mercy To be a university of first choice, and career advising to provide our Health locations and broaden our Bowling Green State University must students with a holistic and intentional educational reach to meet the critical redefine student success. This will only approach to their education. Their advi- demand for nurses and other health happen if we continue to transform sors and career mentors will work with care professionals. what we are teaching, how we are them individually to review and update In January, Dr. Joe Whitehead will teaching and where we are teaching. their life and career plan starting when assume the role of provost and senior Without a doubt, our students face they first arrive at Bowling Green. vice president for academic affairs. He the most complex world and work envi- Now, that addresses what we teach will help lead these initiatives. I would ronment ever. To ensure each of them and how we teach, but we cannot like to thank Dr. John Fischer for serving is positioned for success, we must target afford to leave out where we teach. in the interim provost role since the start our learning outcomes to be focused We need to continue to learn from of this year. His leadership and counsel not only on knowing, but also on do- BGSU Firelands and build upon the have been invaluable to me, and John, ing. We must move from a learning strength of existing programs so adult, we are very grateful for your work. model of the past that was built upon part-time and other post-traditional As a public university, we have a memorization of facts and choose to students feel supported. Dedication to duty to be open to all who are willing put value in our students’ ability to the success of these students means to work hard and who have the desire construct and deconstruct knowledge. taking a step back and assessing to control their destiny. It is our com- We say we are educating lifelong learn- services, academic policies, advising mitment to meet those students where ers, so we must intentionally focus on roles, mobile technology and even our they are and take them where they the mastery of competencies that allow hours of operation. We must remove strive to go. We want our university students to learn…to learn. any barriers that obstruct post-tradi- to be home to Ohioans, out-of-state, Together, as a university com- tional students from learning at Bowl- international, underrepresented and munity, we’ve had great success with ing Green State University. first-generation students alike. high-impact practices that, when our Knowing the demographic chal- We will strive to be representative students engage in them, they do bet- lenges we face, we need to reach these of the global community we reside ter. These practices share common new student populations if we want to in. Gone are the days where society ground—they all exemplify doing. thrive in the future. It is our commit- and students come to universities for Education abroad, internships and ment to identify, grow, and maintain knowledge. We must go to them. It co-ops, undergraduate research, learn- robust enrollments in 25 to 30 online is on us to develop pathways to serve ing communities and service-learning and hybrid programs to meet the all students—those who want to start all have a positive impact on students needs of post-traditional students. at Owens Community College or who choose to participate. Graduate education needs to another two-year partner, those who With almost 20,000 students, we remain a strong component of our feel the Honors College is for them, have to increase accessibility so these academic portfolio. We must focus on or those working professionals seeking hands-on educational practices can be several key programs that can achieve graduate degrees. Our message to our for all, not just the few. Our challenge national and international recognition prospective students is that we have a is to continue to support and develop for excellence to position us for our pathway for you and we are commit- programs such as these—but, most future. We must also be more creative ted to your social mobility. importantly, to involve more students. and innovative on how we meet the That is what a 21st century public However, to take these practices to needs of working professionals. There university does. the next level, we must expand on these are just countless opportunities for us Our faculty’s reach goes beyond the educational experiences. It is essential to provide graduate education to allow classroom. Their research and creative that we require every student to com- these individuals to move their careers activities enhance BGSU’s reputation, plete an interdisciplinary signature proj- forward or change professions while attract strong faculty and staff and lead ect that addresses an important issue. balancing family and work life. to a better education for our students.

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As a comprehensive public research today. We must support each other to It is our efforts with Mercy Health, university, we have a responsibility to enhance our learning community so it Cedar Fair and other institutions that conduct research and creative activities fosters diversity and inclusion, col- enrich Bowling Green State Univer- that create public good. laboration, creativity and excellence. sity. Whether it is establishing a new It is research that demonstrates our To do that, it starts with invest- bachelor’s program in resort and relevance to the public and rebuilds ing in our people. I am calling today attraction management, or renew- trust. In October, we announced that for a university-wide strategic diver- ing a 50-year-old agreement with the our faculty received a $5.2 million sity plan—a plan that is intentional, University of Salzburg, these mutually grant from the National Science comprehensive and outcomes-driven. beneficial partnerships are essential Foundation and the National Insti- That plan will need to focus on the because with each of them come op- tutes of Health to create the Lake Erie recruitment, retention and success of portunities to enhance the quality of Center for Fresh Waters and Human a diverse student body, faculty and our programs, support research and Health. This is a new federally funded staff. Jennifer McCary, assistant vice creative activities, develop and im- research center that will allow us to president for equity, diversity, and prove facilities and serve the interests better understand and prevent toxic inclusion, will lead this university-wide of our region, nation, and world. algal blooms that plague portions of task force, and work will begin in the Just as our faculty are seeking new the Great Lakes and impact freshwa- coming days. streams of funding, we are count- ter sources around the world. Teaching and learning evolves. ing on additional support from our This major research grant shows There will always be new technologies alumni, friends, donors, corporations that our faculty and students are com- and new approaches that we must em- and foundations. We are in the public mitted to leading the national research brace and leverage. But, here is what phase of the Changing Lives for the effort to address a major public health I know—some things simply don’t World campaign. I want to share just crisis. The Center will bring together change. We must always implement what that means for us. the best minds in the nation, and their student-centered initiatives, which In this campaign, we have raised research impacts not only the com- include setting clear expectations, pro- more than $141 million. With that munities in our own backyard, but viding appropriate levels of support, have come 158 new scholarships. throughout the world. intellectually engaging and involv- There have also been additional gifts I would like to recognize and thank ing students in the learning process, to support endowed professorships, the new director of the Lake Erie and providing meaningful and timely chairs, coaches and leadership posi- Center for Fresh Waters and Human feedback. While this is not easy and it tions. We received transformational Health, Dr. George Bullerjahn, along is hard work, we must ensure that this gifts to renovate facilities like the with Dr. Tim Davis, who are driv- is done in every course, in every class Maurer Center, the new home of the ing these efforts. Our Department of meeting, in every interaction, by each College of Business. In this campaign Biological Sciences, Department of one of us. alone, 37,442 people have donated to Chemistry, and the School of Earth, We will coordinate and improve Bowling Green State University. And Environment and Society are work- systems and programs that support the of those donors, 10,915 made their ing to provide answers to one of our mental and physical health and well- first gift. They committed for the first region’s most pressing problems. being for our community. It is on us to time to our mission to change lives. This is one example of our ability support and care for one another. I previously shared my thanks to to articulate how our research is con- That is the type of society that Mike Kuhlin at a recent donor event. nected to creating public good. In a we wish for all members of our learn- But, I would be remiss if I didn’t little bit, we will be hearing two musi- ing community. We must help create thank Dr. Bill Balzer for his interim cal selections from Voices at BGSU, it here. leadership during the advancement a student organization. This is an That is what a 21st century public transition. Bill stepped up in a time example of how creative activities are university does. of need. Not only did he keep his vice embraced by every member of our To truly position Bowling Green president responsibilities with faculty community and enrich the social and State University for future success, we affairs, he gave more of himself than cultural vitality of our community. cannot do it alone. We are a national what was asked and led University That is what a 21st century public leader in public and private partner- Advancement. Because of both of university does. ships and we need to come together them, we were able to keep moving The strength of Bowling Green to work with anyone who shares our forward aggressively. State University is that of its people— vision. We cannot be the closed-off In October, we welcomed Pam our students, faculty, staff, alumni, monasteries of the past. We will seek Conlin to our campus. She is our friends and partners. It is you who out and be supportive of external or- newly appointed vice president for make Bowling Green what we are ganizations who are willing to partner. university advancement and president

CICERO 2019 72 CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS of the BGSU Foundation. Pam will Center builds the next generation of together to dream of the second marshal our alumni and develop- leaders and supports and engages our phase. There is more work to be done ment efforts. We have so much to be students. It is also currently working in transforming our facilities. proud of in raising $141 million, but with the College of Education and BGSU’s infrastructure is only as to reach our goal of $200 million, her Human Development on a major and good as our willingness to sustain it. leadership will be essential. We will minor to integrate leadership theory We have a responsibility to make the develop strategies to creatively engage and application inside the classroom. right choices so generations after us our more than 183,000 alumni and We are excited to announce that upon are in a better position. We will reaf- our friends to increase annual giving approval from the Board of Trustees, firm our participation in the Ameri- and provide them opportunities to we will name the C. Raymond Marvin can College and University Presidents’ support our students. Center for Student Leadership. Climate Commitment. This compre- I want to share a story about a Because of alumnus Ray Marvin’s hensive plan will inform our sustain- student and scholarship recipient commitment and generous contribu- ability actions and will ensure that we named Remey Schneider. Remey is a tion, we are able to expand the Cen- are doing all that we can do. sophomore and has majors in envi- ter’s reach and impact even more stu- Value drives universities, and it ronmental policy and analysis and dents. Gifts like these will ensure that drives student success. It is connected international studies. He is a member BGSU students are prepared to lead in to the public trust and should remain of the Sidney A. Ribeau President’s their careers and in their communities. at the core of everything we do. Leadership Academy. He is involved Our students never cease to amaze That is what a 21st century public in the Center for Community and me. This next generation is intelligent, university does. Civic Engagement, along with many bold and selfless. To the students here It was on November 10, 1910, that other areas on campus. today, we see you wanting to make a we started writing the first chapter of I met him during his freshman year difference. Time and time again, you our story. through PLA. Like many of our stu- put others ahead of yourselves—it is Today, we are nearly 110 years old. dents, Remey is making the most of his in your DNA. And the Marvin Center When we glance backward, it’s only to BGSU experience. He wants to work for Student Leadership is our state- catch a glimpse of where we started, for a global non-profit that focuses on ment that we believe in you. We will reflect on how far we have come, and environmental issues in developing always believe in you, and we will to gauge how far we still have to go. nations. Simply put, his education is support and empower you to be the Bowling Green State University has the preparing him to achieve his dreams. future leaders. opportunity to drive the social, eco- You see, growing up in Cincinnati with That is what a 21st century public nomic, educational and cultural vitality parents who are both social workers, university does. of our region, nation, and world. Remey has two great examples of We have our sights set very high. If you don’t believe me, take a look people who live purposeful lives, people And no matter what we do, we must around. It’s our students, it’s our fac- who care about their communities, and remain a great value. ulty, it’s our staff, and it’s our alumni people who create public good. And he To accomplish that, we must think and friends who are changing the wants to keep it going. creatively and differently, but never world. It’s you. If you had asked Remey his compromise quality. If there were no Bowling Green thoughts about college before coming To me, value is where quality and State University, what would that to BGSU, he would have said that he affordability meet. We need to address mean for Ohio? What would that didn’t know if it was possible due to the cost of a BGSU education and mean for the nation? And what would his family’s ability to afford it. But be- implement practices and systems to that mean for the world? It is on us to cause of scholarship support, Remey become more efficient in all areas of answer those questions. is here with us today. I speak to his our campuses. And we must do ev- We are fortunate that our homes are story, because as President, I have seen erything possible to address the rising in the communities of Bowling Green firsthand the impact of scholarships. student debt. It is our goal to ensure and Huron. We are proud of the town- It is more than just dollars raised. It is that the issue of affordability never gown relationships we have built and our promise to graduate more Re- deters a student from learning. recognize that there is always more meys. Remey, it is great to have you at It will require us to reimagine and work to be done to improve. It is that Bowling Green State University. eliminate some academic and non- same spirit that we will take to our state It doesn’t stop there. I mentioned academic programs so that we can be and federal officials and agencies to that he is a member of the Sidney more effective and efficient to better improve community and governmental A. Ribeau President’s Leadership serve our students. relations, increase awareness of BGSU, Academy. That is just one component While we’ve made great progress gain access to resources, enhance our of our Center for Leadership. This in our campus master plan, let’s come public relevance, and tell our story.

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Today was our first step toward de- tively, we do. I am asking you to woven into the fabric of its region, its fining our mission as a public univer- join me in writing the next chapter nation and its world. We will be seen sity—creating public good. in our story. as absolutely essential in creating a Whether you are a student, faculty, With a deep sense of humility, I productive society, a good society and staff, alumnus or friend, I am asking stand before you as President. I see a a just society, because we are a public for your help in implementing our university community that is vibrant university for the public good. We are strategic plan. I recognize that I don’t and relevant today and will continue Bowling Green State University. have all the answers, nor does a single to be in the future. It is the role of a Thank you. person in this room. However, collec- 21st-century public university to be

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