LobbyComply Blog

Here is our October/November calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please say hello!

October 3   Akron Roundtable 40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, Akron, Ohio

October 19-21   Public Affairs Council Fall Board Meeting, Laguna Beach, California

October 20   Akron Roundtable, Akron, Ohio

November 10   Professional Women in Advocacy Conference, Washington, DC

November 16-18   NABPAC Biennial Post-Election Conference, Breakers Palm Beach, Florida

November 19-22   SGAC Leaders’ Policy Conference, Dana Point, California

Here is our September/October calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please say hello!

September 8-9   Practising Law Institute, Corporate Political Activities Seminar, Washington, DC

September 15   Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH

September 26-28   PAC State and Local Government Relations Conference, Alexandria, VA

October 3   Akron Roundtable 40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, Akron, Ohio

October 19-21   Public Affairs Council Fall Board Meeting, Laguna Beach, California

October 20   Akron Roundtable, Akron, Ohio

Here is our August/September calendar. If you are attending any of these events, please say hello!

August 8-11   NCSL 2016 Legislative Summit, Chicago, IL

August 18   Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH

September 7-9   Practising Law Institute, Corporate Political Activities Seminar, Washington, DC

September 15   Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH

September 26-28   PAC State and Local Government Relations Conference, Alexandria, VA

On July 21, Akron, Ohio, welcomed Patrick J. Kennedy as the keynote speaker at Akron Roundtable. Kennedy is a former U.S. congressman and a powerful voice in recognizing mental illness and addiction as a serious concern.

Kennedy spent his 16-year eventful career in Congress fighting to stop the discrimination against mental illness and change societal opinions about those diseases. The fight for change eventually led to Kennedy being the lead sponsor for the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

“The youngest congressman from the smallest state was the lead sponsor of that act,” said Kennedy. “The other congressman didn’t want their names associated with mental illness.”

Kennedy wrote an inspiring book about his struggle with addiction and how he overcame it. He made it a point to explain that the book broke the “Kennedy silence” and destroyed his relationship with his brother, but being open about his addiction was crucial to his recovery.

Kennedy also spoke about his frustration with the lack of philanthropy for mental illness. “Philanthropists are fine donating a wing at the local hospital around cancer,” said Kennedy. “But when it comes to mental illness, a disease that often affects their family more than anything else, they aren’t ready to put their money behind it.”

The point that mental illness is overlooked and pushed aside was very powerful coming from a former addict. As an audience member sitting in a packed ballroom at the John S. Knight Center, I could feel his passion toward ending the medical discrimination of mental illness. I saw the anger he feels toward nonprofits that could care less about mental illness research. In the end, I could feel the respect he has for someone with a mental illness and his mission to help them recover.

Akron Roundtable has been bringing the world to Akron, Ohio, for forty years and has hosted countless prominent speakers that educate, inspire, and excite the diverse audiences.

Photos by Elysabethe Anderson.

Patrick Kennedy is coming to the John S. Knight Center for Akron Roundtable on Thursday, July 21 at 12:00 p.m.! He will be signing his new book, A Common Struggle, and we are ready!

Here is our March calendar:

March 2   Ohio Birthday Celebration, Washington, DC

March 7-10   National PAC Conference, Miami Beach, Florida

March 9   NCSL Foundation Luncheon, Washington, DC

March 10   Women’s Endowment Fund Annual Dinner, Akron, OH

March 16   PLEN Mentor Awards, Washington, DC

March 17   Akron Roundtable, Akron, OH

March 20-22   NASPO: How to Market to State Governments Meeting, Atlanta, GA

March 30-April 2   ACES National Conference, Portland, OR

March 31, 2016   Akron Press Club hosts State of Summit County Speech, Akron, OH

Today’s Akron Roundtable featured Dr. Danielle Sarver Coombs, Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kent State University. In her presentation, “Come to the Party, Leave the Flip-Flopping at Home: Essential Lessons from the 2012 Republican Primaries,” Dr. Coombs  analyzed the 2012 presidential campaigns from the perspective of a communications expert and talked about what lessons 2012 might hold for the 2016 campaigns.

Elizabeth Bartz, President and CEO of State and Federal Communications presented the questions from the audience. You can listen to a recording of the talk on WKSU next Thursday at 8 p.m.

Last week, State & Federal Communications attended the monthly Akron Roundtable luncheon at Quaker Square. Previously, Akron Roundtable welcomed Michael Morell, former Deputy Directory of the CIA to talk about his new book, The Great War of Our Time. This week, the host of NPR’s Morning Edition, David Greene talked about his experiences with NPR from his time as one of the White House Correspondents to hosting Morning Edition. After speaking at the luncheon, State and Federal Communications hosted a reception in the office for Greene and WKSU.

Enjoy more photos from this great event on our Facebook.

State and Federal Communications, Inc. will host a reception for David Greene, host of NPR’s Morning Edition, on June 18. The reception in honor of the nationally renowned journalist and commentator will take place at the State and Federal Communications offices located at 80 South Summit Street, Suite 100 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Immediately prior to this event, Mr. Greene will address attendees of the Akron Roundtable Luncheon.

Since 2012, Mr. Greene has been host of NPR’s Morning Edition along with Steve Inskeep and Renee Mantagne. Prior to this role he was an invaluable NPR foreign correspondent based in Moscow covering the region from Ukraine and the Baltics, east to Siberia. During President George W. Bush’s second term he served as NPR’s White House correspondent, detailing White House visits across the globe.

Mr. Greene has proven himself to be an extraordinarily talented professional in his field, covering historic events such as the 2008 Presidential election, Hurricane Katrina, and the NATO bombing of Tripoli – just to name a few.  He has received the 2011 Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize from WBUR and Boston University for his coverage of the Arab Spring, and the White House Correspondents Association 2008 Merriman Smith award.