Click HERE or the image above to watch the event
TEMPE, Ariz. – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) hosted Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) in Tempe, Arizona, on Wednesday for a conversation with John S. McCain Democracy Fellow Sofia Gross entitled, “Courage in American Leadership: Conversation with Congresswoman Liz Cheney.” The conversation focused on leadership and civic engagement as part of the McCain Institute’s Defending American Democracy series with support from the Knight Foundation.
“Congresswoman Cheney shared honest and substantive insights about integrity, running for office, and the importance of defending democracy. She exemplifies political courage, and it was an honor to have her participate in the McCain Institute’s Defending American Democracy series,” said McCain Institute Executive Director Evelyn Farkas.
“Senator McCain believed in our obligation as Americans to defend freedom and democracy. It’s important to carry that legacy forward, just as the McCain Institute is doing today. I’ve seen firsthand how fragile democracy is and the sacrifices people are willing to make for it around the world. We cannot be the generation that lets democracy slip away here in the United States,” said Congresswoman Cheney. “The young people in our nation and at ASU give me tremendous hope. We need more young people to understand what the Constitution is and why it’s important, to vote for substantive candidates, and to run for elected office. Our country depends on it.”
“It was a true honor to conduct this conversation with Congresswoman Liz Cheney on behalf of the McCain Institute. As we face a continually critical moment in American history, it’s important for young Americans to hear her story and principles. I hope that everyone in the room walked away with a greater appreciation for public service and the important role each of us plays in the trajectory of our country,” said John S. McCain Democracy Fellow Sofia Gross.
The conversation with Congresswoman Cheney was the fifth event in the McCain Institute’s Defending American Democracy series, which is partially funded by the Knight Foundation. Previous events have focused on the decline and disappearance of local journalism endangering our democracy; the implications of physical and verbal threats against election officials; how to protect our electoral systems and infrastructure against cyber-attacks; and how to counter hate in America today. The McCain Institute also released a video to kick-off the series which features Senator McCain.
About Congresswoman Liz Cheney
Elected in 2016, Liz Cheney serves as Wyoming’s lone member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives. She sits on the House Armed Services Committee and serves as the Vice Chair for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol. Prior to her election to Congress, Cheney worked at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) where she promoted democracy across the world including in Kenya, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and a number of other countries. She also practiced law at White & Case and at the International Finance Corporation before returning to public service at the State Department as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East. A specialist in national security and foreign policy, she was also a Fox News analyst, and is the co-author – along with her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney – of “Exceptional: Why The World Needs a Powerful America.” Cheney received an undergraduate degree from Colorado College and a law degree from the University of Chicago. She and her husband Phil Perry have five children and live in Wilson, Wyoming.
About Sofia Gross
Sofia Gross was recently named the McCain Institute’s inaugural John S. McCain Democracy Fellow. Gross most recently served as head of Social Impact and Policy Partnerships at Snap Inc. where she led civics and democracy efforts that helped 1.2 million Snapchatters register to vote and over four million Snapchatters learn more about running for local office. She was recognized as a Forbes 30 under 30 for Policy and Social Impact and recently commissioned as a public affairs officer in the Navy Reserves.
About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
Inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s legacy, the McCain Institute at Arizona State University is non-partisan and fights to secure democracy and alliances, defend human rights, protect the vulnerable and advance character-driven leadership in all communities around the world.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.