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Together, seasoned political strategist and commentator Symone Sanders Townsend and former Representative and prominent bipartisanship advocate Carlos Curbelo team up for an insightful program illuminating how things get done in Washington, D.C., and the impacts of policies and partisanship on the American people.
Seasoned political strategist and commentator Symone Sanders Townsend offers an in-depth analysis of today’s most important issues with authenticity, humor, and unparalleled insight. Drawing on her White House experience as a Senior Advisor, Sanders Townsend shares her expertise in communication and political strategy, in-depth analysis of key political issues, and the challenges and possibilities for radical change, offering vitalizing takeaways that engage as well as inform.
During his time in Congress, Carlos Curbelo courageously sought to move his party’s platform and took a lead on climate policy, immigration reform, and gun safety. With his experience serving on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and getting a pulse on our nation’s needs from membership in the Transportation and Infrastructure, Education and Workforce, and the Small Business committees, Carlos Curbelo knows the challenges facing businesses first-hand.
With their breadth of expertise and passion for creating change, Sanders Townsend and Curbelo offer a vital dialogue about the challenges and opportunities of today’s complex political landscape.
Seasoned political strategist, former CNN political commentator, and author Symone Sanders Townsend is a gifted communicator with a passion for problem solving, social justice, and in-depth analysis of today’s most important issues. Sanders Townsend previously served as the national press secretary for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, the youngest person to ever hold that title. She served as a senior advisor for President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign and was appointed as a senior member of the Biden-Harris administration, and will now bring her nuanced and critical insight to MSNBC as the host of SYMONE, as well as serving as an anchor and hosting a show on The Choice, MSNBC’s digital streaming arm. In her book No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America, Sanders Townsend shares her take-no-prisoners approach to life, politics, and career success, advocating for a new generation to be powerful in their own right. A rousing call to leadership, Congresswoman Maxine Waters raved, “Symone’s honest and profound reflection on standing up and speaking out is sure to inspire young people across the country to become the change agents the world needs.”
Sanders Townsend is a highly sought-after commentator and speaker, from her TED Talk Stop asking permission!, to an invigorating conversation at SXSW, Politico’s 2019 Women Rule Summit, the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, and many more. She served as the National Chair of the Coalition of Juvenile Justice Emerging Leaders Committee, a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice, and in her role as principal of the 360 Group, Sanders Townsend worked on leading-edge solutions to tough political and social problems. Sanders Townsend shares her expertise in communication and political strategy, in-depth analysis of key political issues, and the challenges and possibilities for radical change with authenticity, humor, and insight.
U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo is building bridges to heal our country’s deeply divided politics. With the experience from serving on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and getting a pulse on our nation’s needs from membership in the Transportation and Infrastructure, Education and Workforce, and the Small Business committees, Representative Curbelo knows the challenges of unification first hand.
In his time in Congress he courageously sought to move his party’s platform and took a lead on climate policy, immigration reform, and gun safety. He co-founded and co-chaired the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, and served in a leadership role in the Problem Solvers Caucus. In 2017, Curbelo was honored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation with the New Frontier Award for his work promoting bipartisan cooperation on environmental policy. In 2018 he filed the landmark Market Choice Act, ambitious legislation that would invest nearly a trillion dollars in American infrastructure while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by pricing carbon. Also in 2018, he led a discharge petition initiative that forced the U.S. House to debate and consider comprehensive immigration reform legislation - including a path to citizenship for Dreamers - for the first time in a decade. Curbelo was ranked 4th most bipartisan member of the 435 members of his district according to the he Lugar Center and Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.
A respected bipartisan voice out of Washington, Carlos Curbelo is a sought after commentator for numerous appearances on Bloomberg Politics, MSNBC, PBS, and as a regular contributor on NBC.
Symone Sanders Townsend is an author and seasoned political strategist.
Sanders Townsend rose to prominence in 2016 as the national press secretary for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’s then-presidential campaign. At 25, she became the youngest presidential press secretary on record and was named to Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of 16 young Americans shaping the 2016 election. At 29, she published her first book, No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America and served as a senior advisor for President Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. At 31, Sanders Townsend was appointed as a senior member of the Biden-Harris administration serving as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris.
A communicator with a passion for problem solving and social justice, Sanders Townsend served as the national chair of the Coalition of Juvenile Justice Emerging Leaders Committee and a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice before joining Senator Sanders’s campaign. There, she worked to raise the profile of young voices in the fight for juvenile justice reform and brought millennial perspectives to policy conversations. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration, Sanders Townsend was principal of the 360 Group where she helped clients find sound solutions to tough political and social problems.
Sanders Townsend is a former political commentator for CNN and resident fellow of both Harvard's Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School and the University of Southern California's Center for the Political Future.
She is a native of North Omaha, Nebraska and currently resides in Washington D.C. with her husband, Shawn.
Not yet 40 years of age, Carlos Curbelo has had quite a number of interesting life experiences. He started a media and public relations firm fresh out of college and ran it successfully for over ten years. At the age of 29 he became senior staff for a U.S. Senator and a key advisor on Latin-American policy. Just a year later he was elected to the Miami-Dade County School Board and was part of a historic leadership team that took America’s fourth largest school district from bankruptcy to excellence. During his tenure on the board, Miami-Dade County Public Schools expanded choice, cut administrative costs, and gave teachers raises resulting in the District receiving the prestigious Broad Prize for Education.
In 2014, Carlos was elected to represent his community in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Education and Workforce Committee, the Small Business Committee, and the powerful Committee on Ways and Means where he co-authored the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 - comprehensive tax reform legislation that delivered historic tax relief, drove investment to challenged communities, and made American businesses more competitive. While in Congress Curbelo also led on climate policy, immigration reform, and gun safety. He co-founded and co-chaired the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, served in a leadership role in the Problem Solvers Caucus, and led the Brazil Caucus to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Latin-America's leading economy. In 2017, Curbelo was honored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation with the New Frontier Award for his work promoting bipartisan cooperation on environmental policy. In 2018 he filed the landmark Market Choice Act, ambitious legislation that would invest nearly a trillion dollars in American infrastructure while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by pricing carbon. Also in 2018, he led a discharge petition initiative that forced the U.S. House to debate and consider comprehensive immigration reform legislation - including a path to citizenship for Dreamers - for the first time in a decade.
Curbelo has consistently advocated for decency, sobriety, and civility in politics, and more broadly, in American society. Just weeks before leaving Congress he made news for holding a press conference with a young man who threatened his life where he publicly forgave him and announced he would not press charges. He was ranked the fourth most bipartisan Member of the House where he represented South Florida until returning to the private sector in 2019.
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