Matsui Lecturer
Victor H. Fazio
The 2009-10 Matsui Lecture
"How Congress Works: Lessons from the Health Care Debate"
The Honorable Victor H. Fazio
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009
Recordings of this event are available at webcast.berkeley, YouTube, and iTunes-U (part 1, part 2).
Former California Congressman Victor H. Fazio will serve as the Matsui Lecturer for the 2009-10 academic year, spending a week in residence at Berkeley and delivering the Matsui Lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in the Lipman Room in Barrows Hall.
"Congressman Fazio will bring to Berkeley the lessons learned through a unique and varied blend of experiences. He served 20 years in Congress, served in the state Assembly, was a member of local government agencies in Sacramento, and even founded California Journal, a magazine of political journalism," said Ethan Rarick, Matsui Center Director.
"Bob Matsui was a colleague and friend, and I'm pleased to be asked to deliver a lecture in his honor," Fazio said. "Bob was a wonderful public servant, working for the good of his constituents at home and the country as a whole. I hope today's students will be inspired toward a life of public service."
Fazio's Matsui Lecture will discuss the state of Congress, citing lessons drawn from his own long career and using the current health care debate as a lens through which to examine the institution.
Fazio is currently a Senior Advisor in the Washington office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, advising clients on a range of public policy and government relations issues.
During his tenure of distinguished public service, he was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, serving as a subcommittee chairman or ranking member for 18 years. He was also a member of the Armed Services, Budget, Ethics and House Administration committees. In addition to his role on the Appropriations Committee, Fazio was active in the Democratic leadership of the House, holding several appointive and elected positions. He served as the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus from 1989 until 1994, when he was elected chairman, the third-ranking position in the House. He was the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of the House Democrats, for four years in the early 1990s. He also was a majority whip-at-large and served as a regional representative on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
Before his election to Congress, Fazio served in the California State Assembly. Prior to being elected to public office, he was a senior assistant to the speaker of the California Assembly. He also served as a member of both the Sacramento County Charter Commission and the Sacramento County Planning Commission. As a journalist, he was a founder of California Journal.
After his retirement from Congress in 1998, Fazio served as the co-managing partner of a strategic communications consulting firm, Clark & Weinstock, in Washington.
Fazio is a graduate of Union College in Schenectady, New York. He serves on numerous boards, including the California Institute, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, the Campaign Finance Institute, Northrop Grumman Corporation and the National Parks Second Century Commission and Committee for a Responsible Budget. In addition, he is a member of the board of visitors of the University of California at Davis School of Medicine, a member of the UC-Davis Foundation Board, and a former member of the board of the Fund for the Capitol Visitor Center.
2008 Lecturer: James Leach
Congressman James Leach came to campus during the 2008 school year to serve as the Inaugural Matsui Lecturer. Congressman Leach served 15 terms representing Iowa's 1st and 2nd districts from 1976-2007. After 30 years as a Republican Congressman from Iowa, Representative Leach broke party ranks and endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for the presidency.
If you missed the event, or would like to watch it again please visit one of the following sites:
The Berkeley Webcast
Berkeley on Youtube
Berkeley on iTunes
The full text of Congressman Leach's Inaugural Matsui Lecture is available here [PDF].
James A. Leach
Matsui Lecture
"The State of American Politics: Obama, the New Presidential Dynamic, and the Dilemma for the GOP." Wednesday, March 18, 2009 A recording of this event is available from UCTV. Cosponsored by Institute of International Studies & Graduate School of Journalism |
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While on campus Congressman Leach was interviewed by the Executive Director of the Institute of International Studies, Harry Kreisler, for his series "Conversations with History." The interview can be viewed here.
