We heard, again and again, how the 2008 election was historic. This is a reference to the social and cultural impact it had, and may continue to have - and that makes it time for us to undertake a little analysis of the Obama presidency and its potential to change the way we see the world. Our analysis will be guided by popular TV journalist Andrea McCarren '85, who will moderate the presentations of two pre-eminent experts on the topic, Chip Reid and Lenny Steinhorn of the Class of 1977.

Thursday, June 25, 2009 National Trust for Historic Preservation
1785 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC (Metro: DuPont Circle, Red Line)

A reception begins at 6:30 pm, followed by a very brief business meeting and the program at 7:00 pm.
CLICK HERE or call 301-299-4855 to reserve your space.

Before that, he was embedded for seven weeks with a lead unit of the U.S. Marines during the initial march of U.S troops from Kuwait to Baghdad. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Reid reported from Ground Zero and from the Pentagon, and followed that with stories on the war on terror from datelines around the world, including Afghanistan, Israel, Uzbekistan and Egypt. He also covered domestic stories in the western U.S., including wildfires and politics. While based in Washington, D.C. for NBC (1996-2000), he covered Al Gore's 2000 Presidential campaign--and the fallout from the voting irregularities--and the impeachment of President Clinton, as well as many other Beltway stories. His career in broadcast journalism began at ABC News as a field producer in Washington (1988-89).

Previously, Reid practiced law, first as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (1982-86) and then as a litigation and lobbying specialist at a major Washington, D.C. law firm (1986-88). Reid was born in Wilmington, Del. He was graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College in 1977 with a degree in psychology, from Princeton University in 1982 with a Master's of Public Affairs and from Columbia Law School in 1982 with a law degree. He lives in Washington D.C. with his wife.

Leonard Steinhorn, Professor in the School of Communication, Affiliate Professor of History, and Director of the Public Communication program, has taught at American University since 1995 and is recognized as a leading expert on American politics, culture, and media. He teaches political communication, media studies, public relations strategy, and courses on the modern presidency and recent American history.

In 2007 Steinhorn was named Political Analyst for the Washington, DC FOX News affiliate, where he appears regularly commenting on politics and elections. He is quoted and interviewed regularly in both print and broadcast media, with appearances on the CBS Evening News, NBC's Today Show, ABC's 20/20, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, BBC TV, Canadian TV, PBS and NPR, among others. Before joining AU, he spent nearly 15 years as a political consultant and speechwriter for various campaigns, non-profit organizations, and members of Congress.

Andrea McCarren is a veteran television journalist, whose reporting has earned the Edward R. Murrow Award, 7 Regional Emmys and dozens of local and national honors. In 2006, Andrea was awarded the prestigious Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, where she developed and taught the first broadcast journalism courses in Harvard history.  This fall, she will teach multimedia journalism at Georgetown University. She is currently writing her first book.

Andrea's career includes covering the Clinton White House for ABC News, where she  frequently traveled with the President on Air Force One. She has served as a D.C.-based correspondent for NBC News, and has been a local reporter and news anchor in Miami, Portland, OR, Wichita, KS and Savannah, GA. Andrea has been reporting in Washington, D.C. for the last 17 years, most recently with WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate.

Andrea's award-winning investigative work has led to changes in state law, been shown in Congressional hearings and state legislative sessions, been used nationwide to train law enforcement and has even helped federal authorities capture a wanted fugitive.

She has traveled twice to El Salvador, documenting the MS-13 gang pipeline between the U.S. and Central America. Last year, she reported extensively on the flow of illegal immigrants from El Salvador to the Washington, D.C. area.

Andrea is a cum laude graduate of Vassar and the London School of Economics in England. She was honored with the KCBS-TV Fellowship for graduate study at the University of Southern California School of Journalism. Andrea is married to Bill McCarren, the General Manager of the National Press Club. The couple has three children.