White House Correspondent, PBS NewsHour & CNN Political Analyst
Discussion Group Topic: The 2024 Story: Threats to Democracy
Laura Barrón-López is the White House Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, where she covers the Biden administration and national politics for the nightly news broadcast. She is also a CNN political analyst where she reports on news of the day. Previously, Barrón-López was a national politics and White House reporter for POLITICO from 2018 to 2020. Before that, she covered both the House and Senate, policy and national politics since 2013 for multiple publications, including The Hill, HuffPost and the Washington Examiner. Her work has been published in The Oregonian, OC Register, E&E Publishing, and Roll Call.
Former Chief of Staff, Speaker Kevin McCarthy
Discussion Group Topic: What’s the Constitution Got to Do With It? Law and Politics in the Modern Era
Machalagh Carr is a trusted and strategic counselor with decades of private sector and government experience. She has nimbly navigated the intersection of congressional investigations and oversight, law, geopolitics, and policy, most recently as the top staffer in Article I as Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Prior to her role as Chief of Staff, she served as General Counsel for the Speaker and Office of the Republican Leader and in key leadership roles at three committees. Before her Hill experience she served in an international energy company and practiced litigation and white collar defense in a large law firm. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three sons.
Former United States Representative (D-FL)
Discussion Group Topic: Leadership and Politics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Val Demings represented Florida’s Tenth Congressional District from 2017-2023. She chaired the House Homeland Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. She was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Women’s Caucus, and New Democratic Caucus, a member of the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Review Board and the Elections Security Taskforce, and served as Assistant and Regional Whip for the House Democratic Caucus, Co-Chair of Candidate Recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. A lifelong public servant, Demings also served 27 years in the Orlando Police Department and in 2007 was appointed to serve as the city’s first female Chief of Police.
In 2022, Demings ran for Senate in her home state of Florida. A graduate of Florida State University and Webster University, Demings holds an honorary doctorate of laws from Bethune-Cookman University, as well as honorary doctorates from Florida Technical College and City College Fort Lauderdale.
Pentagon Correspondent, The Washington Post
Discussion Group Topic: War and Politics
Dan Lamothe is a national security writer at The Washington Post focused on covering the U.S. military, its people, and its operations. He has covered military affairs for more than 15 years, traveling extensively, shadowing senior U.S. defense officials at home and abroad, and embedding with U.S. troops everywhere from the battlefields of Afghanistan to the ice floes of the Arctic Ocean. Lamothe has been with The Washington Post since 2014, and previously reported for Foreign Policy magazine and the independent Military Times newspaper chain. He began his career in 2004 with The Republican, the major daily newspaper in western Massachusetts. Lamothe is a native of Chicopee, Mass., and a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University of Maryland, College Park.
Former Chief Economic Advisor, Office of Vice President Kamala Harris
Discussion Group Topic: Corporations as Advocates: The Role Corporations Play in Advancing Social Issues
Deanne served as the Chief Economic Advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris and previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for then-Senator Kamala Harris. Deanne has also had roles in both the House and the Senate, as well as Deputy Legislative Director for Mayor Rahm Emanuel for the City of Chicago. Deanne began her legal career at the law firm, Jenner & Block LLP.
Former White House Legislative Director, Trump Administration, Former Chief of Staff, Office of Vice President Mike Pence
Discussion Group Topic: Not Your Parents’ Parties: Political Party Realignment in the Modern Era
Marc Short served as Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative Affairs at the White House for President Donald J. Trump and Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence. Prior to joining the Trump – Pence campaign, Marc was president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the largest free-market business league in the U.S. Marc also served as Chief of Staff for the House Republican Conference and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX). In his early career, Marc was the executive director of the Reagan Ranch. Marc graduated from Washington and Lee University and received his master’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Virginia. He lives in Arlington with his wife and their three children.
The GU Politics Fellows offer students a rare peek behind the curtain into the way politics and public service actually work. Students will be challenged, informed and inspired through weekly discussion groups, office hours and small group conversations. Opportunities to engage are open to all Georgetown students.
Want to get involved with our Fellows?
- Attend their discussion groups | For eight weeks, our Fellows host weekly 90-minute, off-the-record discussions with members of the Georgetown community. You’ll talk about big ideas and the specific details needed to put them into practice… and be shocked by the special guests and experts they’ll bring. Discussion groups begin the week of February 5. Read their discussion group topics.
- Visit them in office hours | Imagine being mentored by politicos at the top of their field. Hang out with our Fellows one-on-one to chat about news of the day and how to get your start in public service or answers to your burning questions about behind-the-scenes moments in politics you can’t hear anywhere else. This opportunity is open to all Georgetown students and faculty. Office hours begin the week of January 22.
- Join their Student Strategy Teams | Collaborate closely with one of the Fellows by joining their team of five students who craft discussion group topics, help with research and campus outreach, and partner with the Fellow to brainstorm fresh ideas to make politics work better. Learn more and apply.
Mark your calendar for our Meet the Fellows Open House — the first chance to meet these leaders in person, learn more about their backgrounds and hear what they have planned for the semester. The Fellows open house will be held on Thursday, January 18, 2024, from 4:00-5:30 pm in Copley Formal Lounge.
