Speakers

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Join KCA as we welcome the 2026-27 Club Leadership and learn more about plans for the coming year!

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Pablo Montagnes is an Associate Professor of Data and Decision Sciences and Political Science at Emory University, where he co-directs the Center for Civic Reasoning and co-teaches its flagship course, Policy Debates: Left and Right. The Center prepares students for democratic citizenship by teaching them to understand why thoughtful people disagree and to engage that disagreement constructively. He also serves as President of the Emory College Faculty Senate.

His research is in political economy: how institutions, incentives, and information shape accountability and behavior, with work on elections and ideology, courts, lobbying, bureaucracy, and the governance of firms and public institutions. He holds a PhD in Managerial Economics from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, and his work has appeared in the American Economic Review, the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Politics, Management Science, and PNAS.

Zachary Peskowitz is the Masse-Martin NEH Professor of Political Science at Emory University, where he co-directs the Center for Civic Reasoning and co-teaches its flagship course, Policy Debates: Left and Right. The Center prepares students for democratic citizenship by teaching them to understand why thoughtful people disagree and to engage that disagreement constructively.

His research is on elections and public policy in the United States. He received his PhD from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2012 and spent 2020-21 as the W. Glenn Campbell and Rita Ricardo-Campbell National Fellow and Starr Foundation Fellow at the Hoover Institution. His work has appeared in the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, the Journal of Public Economics, and the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and his analysis has been covered in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Oct. 15 at Noon.

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John Trainor is President of Four Technologies, a rapidly-growing AI-first FinTech company. His previous roles include CTO of Wahoo Fitness and CIO of Aaron's.  John holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Georgia Tech, was awarded as Georgia CIO of the Year (Global) in 2014, and has been a leader in a number of technology industry organizations in Atlanta. An avid endurance athlete, he enjoys running marathons with his wife Heather.  But, his favorite thing to do is spending time with his 2 grandchildren.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Oct. 22  at Noon.

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Cliff Graubart is the founder of the Old New York Bookshop in Atlanta, which he started in 1971. The shop became famous for its legendary invitation-only book parties and its most famous customer and Cliff’s best friend, Pat Conroy. 

 

Born and raised in New York City, he attended the University of Toledo and is a graduate of Georgia State University. He has boxed in the Golden Gloves, sold furs in Manhattan in his father’s store, and once parachuted out of a perfectly good airplane in celebration of his fortieth birthday—all material for his book of short stories, The Curious Vision of Sammy Levitt and he is now working on a memoir about life with his best friend. Graubart lives in Atlanta with his wife, cookbook author Cynthia Graubart.

Debra Lam is the Founding Executive Director of the Partnership for Innovation (PIN) at Georgia Tech, a regional public–private partnership advancing innovation, talent, and economic opportunity. Under her leadership, PIN has delivered more than 300 projects across 300 communities and has launched the PIN Fund, an evergreen investment vehicle making early-stage investments in high-potential, research-derived startups advancing community infrastructure, economic opportunity, and locally driven innovation. Formerly Pittsburgh’s first Chief of Innovation & Performance and a global consultant with Arup, she has worked across the U.S., UK, and Asia. Debra is a nationally recognized author and speaker on innovation and public–private partnerships and co-editor of a leading volume on community-centered smart cities. She holds degrees from Georgetown University and UC Berkeley and serves on several civic boards, including the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

Michael McPherson is a Municipal Services Consultant with the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). He supports the 70 cities in the Metro Atlanta region, and serves as staff lead for both the Metro Atlanta Mayors Association (MAMA) and the GMA Member Servies Advisory Council. He joined the GMA Governmental Relations department in January of 2013 as lobbyist in charge of Revenue and Finance Policy, eventually taking on Environment and Natural Resources, and Community Development Policy, while mentoring new members of the team. Michael has served as GMA field service representative for multiple areas of the state including Southeast Georgia, and East Georgia. He lobbied the Georgia General Assembly during 15 legislative sessions on behalf of local governments and clients in the fields of mental health, affordable housing, healthcare, higher education, and the courts.

 

Michael is a graduate of Georgia State University, where he studied Anthropology and Political Science. He is the single father of a 10-year-old daughter, Katherine Louise, and 8-year-old boy, Winfield Alton. Michael serves on the board of directors of the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta, and as Vice President of Mission: POW/MIA—a international non-profit seeking the recovery of missing American servicemembers. He has served several different neighborhood associations, large festival committees, and is a native of Atlanta. He is a member of the BEST EVER Regional Leadership Institute Class of 2025. Michael enjoys reading histories and biographies, skateboarding, tennis, and making connections that strengthen the Metro Atlanta core.  

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, January 7 at Noon.

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Nick Zeller is a senior program associate and lead researcher for The Carter Center's China Focus initiative. In additional to leading China Pulse, a twice annual survey of Chinese public opinion conducted with Emory University, he is editor of the English-language U.S.-China Perception Monitor blog and newsletter. Prior to joining The Carter Center, Nick was a Visiting Assistant Professor of World History in Kennesaw State University’s Department of History and Philosophy, Visiting Assistant Professor of Asian History in the University of South Carolina’s Department of History, and an NSEP Boren Fellow at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He received his Ph.D. in modern Chinese history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.