We bring public policy experts to the Steamboat community.

“The Supreme Court 2022: Institutional Shock and Constitutional Change,” by Garrett Epps.

Garrett Epps is a novelist, journalist, and legal scholar.  He has taught Constitutional Law, First Amendment, and Legal Non-Fiction at American University, the University of Baltimore, Boston College, Duke University, and the University of Oregon.  He is currently Professor of Practice at the University of Oregon School of Law and Legal Affairs Editor of the Washington Monthly.   From 2011 until 2020, he covered the Supreme Court for The Atlantic, filing weekly during the Court’s Term. 

 “America’s Dysfunctional Housing Market,” by Christopher Ptomey, The Urban Land Institute.

Christopher Ptomey is Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute’s Terwilliger Center for Housing, a leading authority on housing issues. The Center promotes residential development and housing affordability through research programs, local and national conferences, partnerships with private and public sector organizations and leaders, and the development of practical tools to help developers of affordable housing.

“Cryptocurrency: The Future of Money or All Hype?” by Lee Reiners, CFA, Global Financial Markets Center, Duke University.


Lee Reiners joined the Duke Global Financial Markets Center as executive director in 2016. At Duke Law, Reiners teaches FinTech Law and Policy as well as seminars relating to financial policy and regulatory practice. His research focuses on how new financial technologies fit within existing regulatory frameworks and he writes frequently on FinTech and other financial regulatory matters. Prior to joining Duke Law, Reiners worked for five years at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY), first as a supervisor of systemically important financial institutions and then as a senior associate within the executive office.

“U.S.-China Strategic Competition,” by Dr. Scott Kennedy, Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

Scott Kennedy is a leading authority on China’s economic policy and global economic relations. He has been traveling to China for over 30 years and has interviewed thousands of officials, business executives, lawyers, nonprofit organizations and scholars. His specific areas of expertise include industrial policy, technology innovation, business lobbying, multinational business challenges in China, global governance, and philanthropy. He is currently at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.

“Deeply Divided and Closely Divided: Why the Temperature Has Been Rising in American Politics,” by Dr. William Galston, The Brookings Institution. 

William A. Galston has written 10 books and more than 100 articles on political theory, public policy, political and moral philosophy, and U.S. politics. He also writes a weekly column on Politics & Ideas for the Wall Street Journal. He is currently a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and holds the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in the Brookings Institution’s Governance Studies Program.