Connecting People to Policy

Macon Phillips discussed how American Space and programs like the Young African Leadership Initiative have leveraged digital tools to build communities and further U.S. foreign policy goals. He was joined by moderator Gabriel Kahn, Professor of Practice of Journalism at USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism.

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About Macon Phillips

Mr. Phillips is the Coordinator of IIP, a position he assumed in September 2013. For the past five years he was Special Assistant to President Obama and Director of Digital Strategy at the White House. Previously he ran the new media program for the Presidential Transition Team and served as the Deputy Director of the Obama campaign’s new media department. Prior to the campaign, Mr. Phillips led Blue State Digital’s strategy practice, working with clients like the Democratic National Committee and Senator Ted Kennedy. A proud Americorps *VISTA alum, the Huntsville, Alabama native is a graduate of Duke University.​

About Gabriel Kahn

Gabriel Kahn has worked as a newspaper correspondent and editor for two decades, including 10 years at The Wall Street Journal, where he served as Los Angeles bureau chief, deputy Hong Kong bureau chief and deputy Southern Europe bureau chief in Rome. His work has appeared in Slate, Mother Jones, Salon, The New York Times Magazine among other publications. He joined USC Annenberg in 2010, where he jointly runs the Media, Economics and Entrepreneurship program. In addition to his teaching and reporting work, Kahn studies the economic models of the news industry and consults with startups and established news companies on strategy. 

View photos from the event below.