Abigail Spanberger: Congress—a Cornerstone of Democracy
Abigail Spanberger, Jayme Swain (Moderator)
The founders called Congress the “first among equals,” signifying its importance as a democratic institution. Representative Abigail Spanberger of Virginia’s seventh congressional district joins Jayme Swain, president and CEO of VPM, to reflect on the important role Congress plays in meeting Americans’ needs. What steps must be taken to accomplish that goal and invigorate trust among citizens?
Stay tuned for more Karsh Institute conversations on this topic with leaders from both sides of the aisle.
Speakers
Abigail Spanberger
U.S. Representative, Virginia's Seventh Congressional District
Abigail Spanberger
U.S. Representative, Virginia's Seventh Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is proud to represent the people of Virginia's Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House. Spanberger's career has been defined by public service—first serving as a federal agent with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, working money laundering and narcotics cases. She then served at home and abroad as a CIA case officer, focusing on counterterrorism and nonproliferation efforts.
First elected to the U.S. House in 2018, Spanberger serves on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and the U.S. House Intelligence Committee. The nonpartisan Lugar Center has consistently ranked her as the most bipartisan member of Congress from Virginia.
Spanberger and her husband, Adam, have three school-aged children.
Jayme Swain (Moderator)
President & CEO, VPM and the Virginia Foundation for Public Media
Jayme Swain (Moderator)
President & CEO, VPM and the Virginia Foundation for Public Media
Jayme Swain is president & CEO of VPM and the Virginia Foundation for Public Media. At a transformational time in its history, Swain oversees VPM, a network of PBS and NPR stations across Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley that connects nearly 2 million people to insightful programming in arts and culture, history, science, news, and education.
Under her leadership, VPM has strengthened its position as a trusted source of information for Virginians and a powerhouse distributor of multi-platform, award-winning content for national and international audiences. Swain is a media executive with more than 20 years of experience in broadcast, print, and digital media. Prior to joining VPM in January 2019, Swain served as senior vice president of strategy and operations at PBS, where she was a trusted advisor to the CEO and COO, led strategic planning, managed organization-wide projects, and developed solutions on behalf of the entire public broadcasting system.
Swain is a graduate of the University of Virginia.