Two political and principled statesmen, Mayor MICHAEL NUTTER and Senator JEFF FLAKE come together in this program to give audiences an insider's analysis of the current #political landscape playing out on the national and local levels.
During an incredibly competitive Presidential election year, where Congressional redistricting is on the line and can impact industries domestically and globally, understanding what's playing out in politics is more important than ever for businesses.
Groups that bring this duo in to speak appreciate their balanced approached to hotly contested issues and leave informed and ready to take meaningful actions to positively impact their business and community.
Michael Nutter served as the 98th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, his hometown. He served 22.5 years as an elected official in Philadelphia, serving 14.5 years as a City Council member, and then 2 four year terms as Mayor, leaving office on January 4, 2016 due to term limits.
Mayor Nutter was considered one of the foremost leaders in innovation, tackling challenges of public safety, increasing funding for educating children, revitalizing the economy and spurring economic growth, restoring ethics and integrity to city government, ensuring fiscal discipline and making Philadelphia one of the great green and sustainable cities in America.
Known for keeping an active and engaged schedule as Mayor, Michael Nutter is doing the same as a private citizen. He's a Professor at Columbia University, a Senior Fellow with Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Program, Chair of the Mayors Advisory Board for Airbnb, and holds numerous Fellowships and Advisory positions in academic, political, non-profit and corporate entities. Mayor Nutter is actively engaged in the work of cities and trying to make them work better on behalf of their citizens.
Former U.S. Senator and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Ambassador Jeff Flake’s experience representing America overseas, combined with nearly two decades of knowledge and experience on Capitol Hill, make him a truly unique asset to companies and organizations trying to navigate through complex global developments, topics, and trends. Known for his genial nature while in Congress, Senator Flake was confirmed unanimously by his former colleagues for his current ambassadorial post. Before his Ambassadorial appointment, Ambassador Flake served on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, as a Distinguished Fellow at Arizona State University, and at the Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership at Brigham Young University. He also served on the board of Directors of Taylor Morrison, the nation’s fifth-largest homebuilder. Ambassador Flake is the author of the New York Times best-seller Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle. He is also the recipient of the Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage from the University Philosophical Society at Trinity College, Dublin. He offers a timely and unique perspective on U.S. foreign policy and the geopolitics of Europe and the Middle East. Senator Flake engages with audiences without partisan rancor or vitriol, making him capable and competent without being controversial.
A sought-after speaker, Senator Flake delivered a commencement address at Harvard Law School. He has been a frequent guest on NBC’s Meet the Press, ABC’s This Week, CBS’s Face the Nation, FOX News’ Sunday, and CNN’s State of the Union. He has guest lectured at Stanford, Princeton, and Yale, was a Resident Fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, and is the board chair for World Trade Center Utah.
After serving almost 15 years in the Philadelphia City Council, Michael A. Nutter was elected the 98th Mayor of his hometown in November 2007 and took office in January 2008. At his inaugural address, Mayor Nutter pledged to lower crime, improve educational attainment rates, make Philadelphia the greenest city in America and attract new businesses and residents to the city. He also promised to lead an ethical and transparent government focused on providing high quality, efficient and effective customer service.
With the support of an experienced, professional staff, Mayor Nutter made significant progress on every pledge: homicides were at an almost 50 year low at the end of his tenure; high school graduation and college degree attainment rates increased significantly; Philadelphia added hundreds of miles in bike lanes and trails and launched the first low-income friendly bike share system in America, called Indego; and Philadelphia’s population grew every year since 2008, including the largest percentage of millennial population growth in the nation. He actively recruited businesses to set up shop in Philadelphia, both domestically and internationally with tax reforms, better business services and international trade missions. And, despite the damaging impact of the Great Recession, Philadelphia’s economy demonstrated significant growth – since January 2014, more than $11.5 billion of economic development projects have been completed, are under construction or announced.
Mayor Nutter made a commitment to strong financial stewardship, vigorously managing the City through the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. As a result, Philadelphia’s credit rating was upgraded to the “A” category by the three major credit rating agencies for the first time since the 1970s.
In 2013, Philadelphia City Council passed his Actual Value Initiative, the City’s first ever property assessment system overhaul, transforming a broken and corrupt system into a fair, accurate and understandable system.
In affiliation with the National League of Cities, Mayor Nutter and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu launched Cities United, an initiative aimed at creating partnerships between cities, non-profits, and other stake holders to combat violence and crime among African-American men and boys. He also serves on President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council.
In June 2013, Mayor Nutter concluded his tenure as President of the United States Conference of Mayors, which is the official non-partisan organization of almost 1,300 U.S. cities with populations of 30,000 or more. As President, Mayor Nutter represented the Conference by strengthening federal-city relationships and promoting the development of effective national urban policy. In June 2015, Mayor Nutter completed his year of service as President of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, which brings together municipal government officials from across the Commonwealth to advance policy initiatives state-wide.
In 2011, Esquire magazine named Mayor Nutter to its Americans of the Year list and in 2014, he was named Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine. During his tenure, Philadelphia City government received more than 150 awards for innovative programs, good government practices and excellence.
Since leaving public service on January 4, 2016, Mayor Nutter has remained active in public policy, government, and civic life. Since leaving office this year, a series of announcements were made demonstrating his continued commitment to public service and civic engagement. In January, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Mayor Nutter accepted an appointment to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Also in January, Columbia University/SIPA announced his appointment as a Professor, and in March, the Board of Trustees voted to appoint him as the Inaugural David N. Dinkins Professor of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Policy. Also in February, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced his appointment as a Senior Fellow and national spokesperson for the What Works Cities program, working with Mayors all across the United States. In April, Drexel University announced that Mayor Nutter joined the Lebow College of Business as an Executive Fellow in Leadership, working with the Institute for Strategic Leadership (ISL). In July, Airbnb announced that Mayor Nutter will chair their first ever Mayor’s Advisory Council, an international group of former Mayors providing strategic advice on local government issues and public policy. In August, the University of Chicago Urban Labs announced that Mayor Nutter had been appointed to the position of Executive Fellow, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia announced his appointment as a Member of the Economic and Community Advisory Council and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs announced his appointment as a Distinguished Fellow. In November, The Brookings Institution announced that Mayor Nutter had been appointed as a Distinguished Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program. In December, Code for America announced that Mayor Nutter became a Board member. On January 3, 2017, Mayor Nutter became an Independent Director and Board member of the new publicly traded company, Conduent Corporation, the spin-off firm from Xerox Corporation. Mayor Nutter maintains active involvement in critical areas of education, media, public policy, political campaigns, the corporate community, and academic institutions across the country. He is active in the social media environment, and can be reached on Twitter @Michael_Nutter, or through his website WWW.MikeNutterLLC.com.
Mayor Nutter is a life-long Philadelphian, born and raised in West Philadelphia and educated at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been dedicated to public service since his youth. Mayor Nutter is happily married to his wife Lisa, and. a proud parent to Christian and Olivia.
Ambassador Flake currently serves as the United States Ambassador to The Republic of Türkiye. He was confirmed to this post without opposition by the United States Senate in October 2021.
Prior to his ambassadorial service, Ambassador Flake represented Arizona in the United States Senate from 2013 to 2019. He also represented Arizona in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013.
Prior to entering Congress, Ambassador Flake served as Executive Director of the Goldwater Institute in Arizona. He also directed the Foundation for Democracy in Namibia during that nation’s transition to independence. Ambassador Flake holds a BA degree in International Relations and an MA degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University.
Ambassador Flake has been a contributor to CNN and CBS News, where he partnered on a series called “Common Ground.” He has guest lectured at Stanford, Princeton and Yale, and he was a Resident Fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics.
Ambassador Flake delivered the 2018 commencement address at Harvard Law School. He has been a frequent guest on NBC’s Meet the Press, ABC’s This Week, CBS’ Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday and CNN’s State of the Union.
Prior to his Ambassadorial appointment, Ambassador Flake served on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, as a Distinguished Fellow at Arizona State University and at the Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership at Brigham Young University. He also served on the board of Directors of Taylor Morrison, the nation’s fifth largest homebuilder.
Ambassador Flake is the author of the New York Times best seller Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle. He is also the recipient of the Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage from the University Philosophical Society at Trinity College, Dublin.
Ambassador Flake and his wife, Cheryl, are the parents of five children.
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