Free Food For Thought

“The kind of climate that is being created in our country right now, I think, is going to negatively affect in terms of people coming forward and reporting those [human trafficking-related] crimes.” Skip and Zach sat down Maria Trujillo, CMC alumna and Human Trafficking Program Manager at the Colorado Department of Public Safety, about her experiences abroad and the fight against human trafficking today. Biography: Maria A. Trujillo ’01 serves as the Human Trafficking Program Manager at the Colorado Department of Public Safety in the Division of Criminal Justice, specifically the Office for Victims Programs. In this role, Trujillo coordinates the efforts of the Colorado Human Trafficking Council. Trujillo spent the previous six years in Houston as the executive director of the non-profit organization United Against Human Trafficking, whose mission is to prevent and confront human trafficking by raising public awareness, training front-line professionals and empowering the community to take action. Trujillo

“Art and business are central to democracy. What does that mean?” Author, artist, and entrepreneur Amy Whitaker sat down with Zach and Jackie to talk about the intersections of art, life, creativity, and democracy. Biography: Amy Whitaker is an author, artist, and entrepreneur who is currently an assistant professor of Visual Arts Management at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She teaches at the intersection of business, creativity, and everyday life and thinks that art and business are both vital to democracy. Quote Preview: “The whole idea that art has to be big and bold, to me, is part of the myth of artistic genius.” (5:10) “Everyone was dealing with what I was dealing with, just in a different way… Most people had a duty-bound sense of being practical but also a creative life” (8:36) “I basically explained the conceptual basis of the market economy to my classmates (at an art school).” (10:40) “You go to college, you have to invest a lot in your education,

“The polling industry is one of the most collegial. Like everything to do with 2016, there were conspiracy theories galore, and I can tell you because I know all these people, they were just trying their best to get things right. The idea that they were spinning the results to try to hurt or help a candidate is just ludicrous.” Polling expert Larry Rosin sits down with Wes and Skip to discuss the nature of the polling industry and its role in the 2016 election. Biography: Larry Rosin is the president of Edison Research, which he co-founded in 1994. Edison is best known as the company that performs exit polls for all U.S. Elections for the National Election Pool (a consortium of ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC and the Associated Press). Rosin has been a primary force in building the company into one of the world’s most respected survey research companies, with a particular specialization in media and election polling. Rosin is a graduate of Princeton University, where he majored in Public and International Affair

“The agency had no problem having me working 12- or 13- or 14-hour shifts as an analyst, but would not allow me the opportunities to lead, because ‘my loyalties would be divided [as a mother]’.” Fran Moore, a retired CIA senior officer, spoke with FF4T about her experience cracking the glass ceiling in the CIA, sorting though vast amounts of data in the internet age, and her personal definition of success. Biography: Fran Moore is a retired Central Intelligence Agency senior officer with 32 years of leadership and intelligence analysis experience. She served in a number of senior positions at the agency, including most recently as Director for Intelligence from 2010 to 2014. Fran now runs FPM Consulting, LLC, and serves on the board of Threat Deterrence Capital, guiding businesses that support US intelligence, security, and law enforcement needs. Quote Preview: “I was told, 'We think your loyalties will be divided between home and family and work, and we’d rather have someone who we know can give 100%.

“When [one guy we tested] got these results he literally started crying. He said, “Now I know why I feel connected to these different groups. It really gives me a sense of belonging.’” Spencer Wells, population geneticist and former explorer in residence for National Geographic, wants to create an app for people to discover their genetic makeup. Hear Wells’ thoughts on DNA sequencing, his Emmy award, and the future of consumer genomics. Biography: Wells is a population geneticist and former explorer in residence for National Geographic. He directed the Genographic Project, which tells the story and tracks the movement of humans since their origin. His other titles include adjunct professor at UT Austin, author, and entrepreneur: using his expertise to help and found consumer genomic companies. Quote Preview: “We’re so diverse as a species, different skin colors and hair types, and shapes of our noses and all these things. How did those differences arise? How do they connect us in some way?” (10:

Amnesty International’s Adotei Akwei sat down with Melissa and Shiv to discuss making human rights about human beings, the power of “click activism,” and his life path. Biography: Adotei Akwei is managing director of government relations for Amnesty International USA. Since 1988, he has worked with a focus on human rights and U.S. foreign policy toward Africa, working at CARE USA, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the American Committee on Africa, and The Africa Fund. Description: How can activists personalize human rights abuses to garner the attention of the world? Akwei discusses the influence of Nelson Mandela on his life path, the role of journalism and social media in exposing truth, the role of NGOs and government, and his personal definitions of success. He touches upon universal trends in human rights work as well as Trump's Muslim ban and the role of social media activism in this round of cabinet nominations. Quote Previews: “The power of journalism to make things very immediate i

Wes and Kate sit down with author and journalist Linda Hervieux to hear about her backstory and research on African-American soldiers in World War II.

In a “post-truth” era, how can we make sure to rely on credible information grounded in empirical evidence? Dr. Lee Jussim sits down with Zach and Wes to discuss the dangers of relying on unsubstantiated claims -- for example, how do we know that stereotypes really are inaccurate? -- and his journey from public housing in Brooklyn to the forefront of social psychology research.

Skip and Kate sit down with Cornell Brooks, President and CEO of the NAACP, to discuss his beginnings as a social justice advocate, racial progress made in the Obama years, and how to channel energy from the Women's March into a sustained political movement.

Skip Wiltshire-Gordon '19 sits down with Kim Munoz (Class of 2010) to talk about her time at CMC, the Silicon Valley Program, and her current work with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Check it out!

Shivani and Kate sit down with Brandi Hoffine, a CMC alum and assistant press secretary and spokesperson for the White House.

Shivani and Kate sit down with Michael Shear, White House correspondent for The New York Times’ Washington bureau.

Shivani and Skip sit down with Peter Wagner, Executive Director of the Prison Policy Initiative, to chat about prison policy reform and mass criminalization.

Shivani and Zach sit down with Eddie Huang, a celebrated author, chef, and restaurateur (among other things), to chat about conscious consumerism and food representation.

Kate and Skip sit down with Professor Jack Rakove, the William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies and professor of political science at Stanford University, to chat about his thoughts on pressing constitutional questions.

Shivani and Melissa sit down with Paul Zak, founding director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, to talk about his work with oxytocin (the "moral molecule").

Nisha and Melissa sit down with Professor Stephen Macedo to talk about the future of marriage.

Lauren and Janine sit down with damali ayo to talk about her art and favorite forms of storytelling.

Shivani and Melissa sit down with human-rights activist John Prendergast to talk about peace in Africa.

Shivani and Lauren sit down with Naomi Tutu, daughter of Desmond Tutu, to talk about her work in race & gender in South Africa.