Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

J.D. Rackey is the associate director of the Structural Democracy project at the Bipartisan Policy Center where he leads their work on governing institutions and electoral systems reform. His research focuses on the politics and procedures of the U.S. Congress with an emphasis on congressional capacity and modernization. Rackey’s work has appeared in scholarly journals such as Political Science Today and Social Science Quarterly and has been published or cited in popular press outlets such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and CQ Roll Call. He also currently serves as president of the National Capital Area Political Science Association.

Rackey previously served as professional staff with the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. He has also been an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma and is a former American Political Science Association Public Service Fellow.

Rachel Fenning, Professor of Psychological Science and Director of The Claremont Autism Center at CMC, is a licensed clinical psychologist with particular expertise in assessment and intervention for individuals with neurodevelopmental differences, including autism. Her research examines child and family contributions to social emotional development, biobehavioral regulation, and clinical outcomes in children with autism and related intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She also develops and tests interventions designed to promote physical health, adaptive behavior, and well-being in underserved autistic children and their families. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration. She is a former President of Division 33 (IDD/ASD) of the American Psychological Association, and she serves on the Editorial Board of Psychological Assessment and Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology.

Chloe Martinez, Associate Director for Programming at the Center for Writing & Public Discourse and Lecturer in Religious Studies at CMC, is the coeditor, with Lisa Van Orman Hadley, of Chaos, Creativity, Completion: New Approaches to Writing and ADHD (University of Chicago Press, 2026); translator of Blue Like My Beloved: Poems of Mirabai (New Directions, October 2026); and author of the poetry collection Ten Thousand Selves and the chapbook Corner Shrine. Her research on religion has appeared in journals including The Medieval History Journal and South Asia​, and has been funded by organizations including the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, AIIS, and SSRC-Mellon Mays. A 2026 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow in Translation, she is assistant editor at Beloit Poetry Journal and poetry editor at the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion.

Zach Ingrasci '12 is a film director and the co-founder of the twice Emmy-Nominated film studio Optimist, a production company committed to making documentaries that nurture optimism and create impact. Best known for directing the feature documentaries Living On One Dollar, Salam Neighbor, This Is Not Financial Advice and Five Years North, Zach’s films have been released by Netflix, Amazon Prime, National Geographic, PBS and HBO. Every Optimist film is accompanied by an impact campaign to create measurable outcomes. His projects have raised over $119 million for the films’ causes and have changed over 606,869 lives.

But this isn't just a career story. Shaun believes the West is in the fight of its life — culturally, geopolitically, and technologically — and that the decisions being made right now in boardrooms, dorm rooms, and on college campuses will determine whether Western civilization thrives or retreats. This is a conversation about optimism with teeth: the idea that building the future requires not just great technology, but moral clarity, intellectual courage, and the willingness to say hard things out loud.

Jason Rosenthal is an Operating Partner at a16z crypto. Jason has spent more than 25 years as an internet entrepreneur and executive, including more than 10 years as a startup CEO, and his career has been dedicated to the development of transformational new platforms. Jason works closely with the CEOs and founders in our crypto portfolio to provide leadership guidance, help them plan for and react to the aspects of running companies in rapidly-changing markets, and generally help them become the best version of their professional selves.

Whether you're thinking about starting a company, joining one, you aspire to become a world class investor, or are simply trying to figure out what you stand for — this is the conversation you don't want to miss.

This event is sponsored by the Open Academy at CMC.