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The Center for Effective Lawmaking is marking an extremely successful year with the release of its annual report. Founded in 2017 as a joint venture between UVA Batten and Vanderbilt University, the center’s trusted methodology and analyses have been cited in hundreds of news articles across the U.S., and widely used by lawmakers and their staffs.

For today’s UVA Batten Hour, students with the Center for Politics “Hoos Vote” initiative presented on ways to vote tomorrow Election Day. Third year foreign affairs majors Ella Doddridge and Zoe Shook shared key points:

Nick Bloom is internationally renowned for his research on working from home, which became a worldwide phenomenon during the Covid pandemic. Bloom, the William Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University, was our guest speaker at this year’s Merrick Lecture, hosted in partnership with the UVA Department of Economics.

UVA Batten student Hana Bakhit (MPP '25), who is from Sudan, organized and moderated a panel of experts to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis occurring in the country. The panelists included representatives of the World Food Programme-Sudan, DT Institute and USAID.

As an elected official in Maricopa County, Arizona, in 2020, Bill Gates saw first-hand the troubling impacts of election conspiracies, experiencing intense pressure to alter the county's elections process, even facing threats of violence. Since then, he's been an outspoken advocate for election workers and democracy; he spoke at Garrett Hall for this week's Batten Hour.

UVA Batten Professor Daphna Bassok and her team were awarded a $1.2 million federal grant for a new project to accurately measure the number and quality of childcare options in communities across Virginia – a critical first step towards improving childcare access.

The Federal Executive Institute, part of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, hosts senior executives from across the federal government for immersive programs on leadership at its residential facility in Charlottesville. UVA Batten's Andrew Pennock teaches several courses as part of the its core program, Leadership in a Democratic Society.

Common Ground USA CEO Nealin Parker, a national and global leader in identifying solutions to polarization and political violence, led an interactive workshop on how to engage in conversation across divides at this week’s Batten Hour.

UVA Batten is thrilled to announce the appointment of Professor Christine Mahoney as our first Chief Innovation Officer. A seasoned entrepreneur, Mahoney launched Social Entrepreneurship at UVA (SE@UVA) which introduced new courses on social entrepreneurship, a minor, concept competition, and scholarships to work with social enterprises. Mahoney also hosts a variety of student activities that provide hands-on experience in social innovation.

Phil Potter, UVA Batten professor of politics and public policy, will lead the new National Security Data and Policy Institute, a partnership between the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the University of Virginia to help address the country’s most pressing national security issues.

Finding balance was an overarching theme of Monday's Batten Hour speaker, Under Secretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security Kenneth Wainstein, who discussed election security and the role of his organization in bridging information gaps among all levels of U.S. government.

Jonathan Eig was at UVA Batten recently to accept the 2024 Edwards Book Award for his new biography, “King: A Life,” given by the Rodel Institute in recognition of work that contributes to the understanding and practice of democracy and American politics.