Restoring Bipartisanship: A Conversation with Former U.S. Senator Mark Kirk
Please join HCC VP Steve Schaumberger and Mark Kirk on Tuesday, March 30th at 5:30pm as they chat about restoring bipartisanship. The former senator will be discussing his experiences in Washington over nearly 20 years and how he and fellow members of Congress found success working together across divides. He will also discuss his thoughts on how to approach solutions with bipartisanship as we move forward in these challenging times. In this spirit, HCC will continue to bring in voices from both sides of the aisle in our programming. We hope you join us!
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Time: 5:30 - 6:30pm CENTRAL
VIRTUAL
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The Honorable Mark Steven Kirk represented the State of Illinois in the U.S. Congress. After serving 10 years as a Republican centrist in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kirk brought his coalition building approach to the U.S. Senate where he rallied consensus on issues ranging from human rights to sanctions against Iran. Having traveled to more than 40 countries, Kirk made foreign policy, national security, and international trade and finance cornerstones of his public service.
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Senator Kirk graduated from Winnetka’s New Trier High School and attended Blackburn College and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México before earning a B.A. (cum laude) in history from Cornell University. Senator Kirk also earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown University, and served as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve from 1989 until 2013, when he retired with the rank of commander.
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Senator Kirk worked as a staff member for Congressman John Porter before moving to work at the World Bank and later the State Department. He practiced law at Baker & McKenzie before serving as a counsel to the House International Relations Committee. In 2000, Mark was elected to the House of Representatives where he served five terms before his election to the U.S. Senate in 2010.
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In January 2012, Senator Kirk suffered an ischemic stroke and underwent several surgeries at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to save his life. After nearly a year of intensive rehabilitation to re-learn how to walk, with the help of talented physical therapists at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Kirk climbed the 45 steps of the U.S. Capitol and returned to work in the Senate where he was a passionate advocate for brain and stroke research and the rights of persons with disabilities.
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He retired from the U.S. Senate in 2017 as the Appropriations’ subcommittee Chairman of Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and as the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs’ subcommittee Chairman of National Security and International Trade and Finance. Senator Kirk also served on the Appropriations’ subcommittees of Commerce, Justice, and Science, and State and Foreign Operations. In addition to the Senate Committees on Appropriations and Banking, Kirk served on the HELP (Health, Education, Labor & Pensions) and Aging Committees.
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Senator Kirk is currently a UN Foundation Arthur H. Vandenberg Distinguished Fellow and a board member of the International Republican Institute, the National Defense University Foundation, and the African Middle Eastern Leadership (AMEL) Project.
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EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Time: 5:30 - 6:30pm CENTRAL
VIRTUAL
Cost:
Harvard Alums & HCC Members: Complimentary
General Public: $20
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Harvard Club office:
Phone: 1-847-256-1211