The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents:

The Roots of Today’s Populism with Oren Cass

Online via Zoom

Confused by what’s happening in American politics? You’re not alone – but there’s a deeper logic to the disruption. Oren Cass, the founder and chief economist of American Compass, a leading conservative think tank that works closely with national political figures including US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will explain the ongoing political realignment through a broader lens of economic frustration, cultural change and institutional failure. He helps audiences make sense of issues once considered fringe that now shape the national agenda.

Oren Cass is the founder and chief economist of American Compass and editor of The New Conservatives: Restoring America’s Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry. He is a contributing opinion writer for the Financial Times and the New York Times. His 2018 book, The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America has been called “absolutely brilliant” by New York Times columnist David Brooks and “A brilliant book. And among the most important I’ve ever read” by Vice President JD Vance.

From 2005 to 2015, Oren worked as a management consultant in Bain & Company’s Boston and Delhi offices. During this period, he also earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was elected vice president and treasurer of the Harvard Law Review and oversaw the journal’s budget and operations. While still in law school, Oren also became Domestic Policy Director for Governor Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, editing and producing the campaign’s “jobs book” and developing its domestic policy strategy, proposals, and research. He joined the Manhattan Institute as a senior fellow in 2015 and became a prolific scholar, publishing more than 15 reports for MI and editing its popular “Issues 2016” and “Issues 2020” series, testifying before seven congressional committees and speaking on dozens of college campuses. He founded American Compass at the start of 2020.

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Ticket information:

Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC members and $15 for the general public.

Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.