Events

'Year Zero: The Five-Year Presidency'

White House after dark

The White House in Washington, D.C., at night

'Year Zero: The Five-Year Presidency'

Martha Joynt Kumar, Chris Liddell, David Marchick, William Antholis (moderator)

Tuesday, January 23, 2024
1:00PM - 2:00PM (EST)
Event Details

Critical to the success of any presidency—and to democracy in the United States—is designing and operating an effective White House. Christopher Liddell, former White House deputy chief of staff under President Donald Trump, offers a strategic approach to building a strong and successful presidency in his new book, Year Zero: The Five-Year Presidency. Liddell demonstrates that action must be taken early, comprehensively, and visibly, starting in what he calls "Year Zero," the year before governing. His book lays out concrete nonpartisan steps and recommendations to improve how the White House functions and rebuild trust in one of our most fundamental institutions.

Liddell will be joined in conversation by David Marchick, dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University and the former director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, and Martha Joynt Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project.

This event is co-sponsored by UVA Press, which is publishing Liddell's book as part of the Miller Center Studies on the Presidency series.

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When
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
1:00PM - 2:00PM (EST)
Where
The Miller Center
2201 Old Ivy Rd
Charlottesville, VA
&
ONLINE
Speakers
Martha Kumar headshot

Martha Joynt Kumar

Dr. Martha Joynt Kumar is the director of the White House Transition Project and an emeritus professor of political science at Towson University. Her most recent book is Before the Oath: How George W. Bush and Barack Obama Managed a Transfer of Power (2015). Her 2007 book, Managing the President's Message: The White House Communications Operation, won the 2008 Richard E. Neustadt Award for the best book on the presidency from the American Political Science Association. Kumar holds a BA in government from Connecticut College and an MA and a PhD in political science from Columbia University.

Chris Liddell headshot

Chris Liddell

Chris Liddell was assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy coordination during the Trump administration. Before that, he served as assistant to the president and director of strategic initiatives, overseeing the administration’s efforts to streamline the federal government’s regulatory process and modernize its technology systems. Liddell also served as senior vice president and chief financial officer at Microsoft and vice chairman and chief financial officer at General Motors, where he led global finance operations and managed the company’s $23 billion IPO in November 2010, which, at the time, was the largest public offering in history. In 2012, Liddell was the executive director of the Romney presidential transition planning team. 

David Marchick headshot

David Marchick

David Marchick is the author of The Peaceful Transfer of Power (2023) and dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University. A prominent leader with decades of experience in global finance and public policy, he most recently served as chief operating officer and senior Biden appointee at the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). He previously spent 12 years as managing director at the Carlyle Group. He also served as director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership for Public Service, where he interviewed presidential transition experts for the podcast 'Transition Lab' and assisted on a nonpartisan basis with the 2020 presidential transition.

William Antholis headshot

William Antholis (moderator)

William J. Antholis has served as director and CEO of UVA's Miller Center of Public Affairs since January 2015. In that time, the Miller Center has strengthened its position as the leading nonpartisan research institution on the American presidency and worked with scholars across the University of Virginia to deliver vital research to policymakers and the public. Before coming to the Miller Center, Antholis served as managing director at the Brookings Institution from 2004 to 2014, working directly with Brookings's president and vice presidents. Antholis is the author of Inside Out India and China: Local Politics Go Global (2013) and co-author (with Strobe Talbott) of Fast Forward: Ethics and Politics in the Age of Global Warming (2010). He has published articles, book chapters, and opinion pieces on U.S. politics, U.S. foreign policy, international organizations, the G8, climate change, and trade.