This Notre Dame Forum event is co-sponsored by the Office of the President and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, part of the University’s Keough School of Global Affairs.
Featuring Danielle Allen, the James Bryant Conant University Professor, Harvard University; Director, Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Professor Allen is a renowned professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy. She is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, tech ethicist, distinguished author, and mom.
Allen's work to make the world better for young people has taken her from teaching college and leading a $60 million university division to driving change at the helm of a $6 billion foundation, writing as a national opinion columnist, and advocating for strong public health policy, democracy renovation, civic education, and sound governance of and with new technology. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, her leadership in rallying coalitions and building solutions resulted in the country’s first-ever Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience; her policies were adopted in federal legislation and a presidential executive order. She was the 2020 winner of the Library of Congress' Kluge Prize, which recognizes scholarly achievement in the disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prize. She received the Prize "for her internationally recognized scholarship in political theory and her commitment to improving democratic practice and civics education." She was a lead author on the Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy, a framework for securing excellence in history and civic education for all learners, K-12, released in 2021.
The annual Hesburgh Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy, established by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies in 1995, honors the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., president emeritus of Notre Dame, a global champion of peace and justice, and the founder of the Kroc Institute. Each year a distinguished scholar, policymaker, and/or peace advocate is invited by the Kroc Institute director to deliver a major lecture on an issue related to ethics and public policy in the context of peace and justice.
Originally published at forum2024.nd.edu.