Meeting America's key challenges

Nisha Biswal is a partner at The Asia Group with experience in U.S. foreign policy, international trade, and economic development in the public and private sectors. She previously served as deputy CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and before that she was the senior vice president for international strategy and global initiatives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where she led the U.S.–India Business Council and the U.S.–Bangladesh Business Council. She also served as assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and she held senior roles at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and on Capitol Hill, including positions on the Appropriations and Foreign Affairs Committees in the U.S. House of Representatives. Biswal holds a BA from the University of Virginia.

Robert B. Blair is a principal at WestExec Advisors. He was previously the general manager of national missions and emerging technology at Microsoft. During the Trump 45 administration, Blair served as director of policy and strategic planning at the U.S. Department of Commerce and as U.S. special representative for international telecommunications policy and senior advisor to the chief of staff. He was also the associate director for defense programs at the Office of Management and Budget and served for 14 years on the staff of the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Blair holds a BS from Cornell University, an MA in urban and environmental policy and planning from Tufts University, and an MA in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Maggie Jo Buchanan is the managing director of Demand Justice and an expert advisor with the Ripples of Hope Project. She has extensive expertise in legal theory, particularly in the field of women’s rights and health and in the federal judiciary overall. Her experience includes work in the U.S. House and Senate, leadership positions with national advocacy organizations and think tanks, including several years leading the women’s rights department at the Center for American Progress, and work at the state level in Texas. Buchanan has helped to author and pass several pieces of legislation on a bipartisan basis in a variety of political settings. Her research has been cited by policymakers and in legal journals, academic publications, and the media, including appearances in the Washington Post, Vox, The New Republic, NPR, and PBS News Hour. She received a BA from the University of North Carolina and a JD from the University of Texas.

Arnab Datta is managing director of policy implementation at Employ America, overseeing and integrating policy and legal analysis across Employ America's advocacy portfolio. His past experiences include roles with the Senate Judiciary Committee, the office of Senator Michael Bennet, and the law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP. His writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, Slate, and Business Insider, and he has been interviewed on such as Bloomberg’s Odd Lots, The Weeds, and Pitchfork Economics. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Calgary, a MS in foreign service from Georgetown University, and a JD from the George Washington University Law School.

Everett Eissenstat, a James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center, is a partner in the public policy practice group at Squire Patton Boggs and a global trade expert. During a distinguished government career spanning more than two decades, Eissenstat served as deputy assistant to the president for international economic affairs and deputy director of the National Economic Council. He previously held key roles in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, including twice serving as chief international trade counsel to the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He holds a BS from Oklahoma State University, an MA from the University of Texas at Austin, and a JD from the University of Oklahoma.

Mara Rudman is a professor of practice at the Miller Center, where she directs the Ripples of Hope Project, aimed at identifying practical approaches to help democratic leaders resolve key challenges. She previously served as a Miller Center Schlesinger Distinguished Professor and on the 2022 National Defense Strategy Commission. She serves on the Howard University College of Arts and Sciences board of advisors and consults for Democracy Forward. She was previously executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress, and her government positions have included serving as deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs in the Obama and Clinton administrations; deputy envoy for the Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace at the U.S. Department of State; assistant administrator for the Middle East at the U.S. Agency for International Development; and chief counsel to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She received an AB from Dartmouth College and a JD from Harvard Law School.