Convention 2008: "America's Town Hall" To Answer Questions Directly From American Voters

Today through Wednesday of Convention week, Americans from across the country will have the opportunity to have their questions answered live from the Convention Hall through “America’s Town Hall,” a nightly segment designed to make the Convention more open and accessible to more people than ever before.

Elected leaders, national policy experts and other Convention speakers will respond directly to the questions of American voters on critical issues. Questions were submitted online by text and video and through a series of “open calls” in eight cities across the country.

Tonight’s Town Hall will focus on the economy. Moderator Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and panelists Ned Helms, Director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice; first-time Nebraska delegate Lisa Olivares; Dr. Laura Tyson, former Chief Economic Policy Advisor to President Bill Clinton; and John Schnur, former Senior Education Advisor to Vice President Gore, will answer questions from the podium.

Laura Tyson
Laura Tyson is the former Chair of the President's Council of Economic Advisers in the Clinton Administration. She also served as Director of the National Economic Council. She is currently a professor at the Haas School of Business of the University of California, Berkeley.
 
From 2002 to 2006, Tyson was the first female Dean of the London Business School. From 1998 to 2001, she was Dean of the Haas School of Business. She served in the Clinton Administration as Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers from 1993 to 1995 and Director of the National Economic Council from 1995 to 1996.
 
Lisa Olivares
First-time deLisa Olivares works for a community health center in Lincoln, Nebraska serving people who are uninsured and underinsured. She is the Lincoln for Obama chairwoman running for the 1st Associate Chair, 1st CD.
 
Ned Helms
Ned Helms serves as Director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice at the University of NH. He served as the former Legislative and Administrative Assistant for Health Policy within the US Senate and as Commissioner of Health and Human Services for New Hampshire. Ned was also the chief administrative officer for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Hampshire. He is a member of the New Hampshire Health Care Community for Obama and a Co-Chair of our campaign in New Hampshire. In addition he has worked on 10 presidential campaigns and ran for office himself.
 
John Schnur
John Schnur has been advising Barack Obama on education policy since he became U.S. Senator and was senior education advisor to Vice President Gore and special assistant to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley.  Jon also serves on the national education advisory panel for the Clinton Global Initiative.  Jon has founded and led non-profit efforts to improve urban public schools in New York, Illinois, California, Wisconsin, Maryland, Tennessee, the District of Columbia and most recently in New Orleans.   He has drafted education policy related to preschool education, teacher and principal quality, afterschool programs, and charter schools and public school choice. Jon was born, raised, and  attended public schools in Shorewood, Wisconsin.