Senator Dick Ackerman is a longtime Southern California resident. Born in Long Beach, he is a graduate of Bellflower High School. In 1964, Ackerman earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley, and three years later he earned his Juris Doctor Degree from Hastings School of Law. He has practiced law for over three decades.
Ackerman was a member of the Fullerton City Council for twelve years, twice serving as the city's mayor. From there he went on to the California State Assembly where he...
Director of Business Operations and Government Affairs, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Matsui Center Advisory Committee: 2025
Janou Gordon is the Director of Business Operations and Government Affairs at Lightspeed Venture Partners, where she helps shape the firm’s engagement at the intersection of innovation and public policy. Previously, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the CEO at the Obama Foundation, and served several roles in the Obama Administration, including White House Office of Political Strategy and Operations, White House Legislative Affairs, and Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs at the Department of the Interior. Janou began her...
Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean is the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at DoorDash, leading the company’s global public policy, communications, sustainability, and social impact initiatives for DoorDash and Wolt. Previously, she built and led Airbnb's global public affairs and corporate communications teams and has overseen strategic communications at pioneering companies, including Tesla Motors, healthcare technology startup Nuna, and data science firm Civis Analytics. Liz helped shape and drive research, rapid response, and messaging for both of...
Justice Goodwin Liu is an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. He was confirmed to office by a unanimous vote of the California Commission on Judicial Appointments on August 31, 2011, following his appointment by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. on July 26, 2011. The Governor administered the oath of office to Justice Liu in a public ceremony in Sacramento, California on September 1, 2011.
Before joining the state’s highest court, Justice Liu was Professor of Law at the UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). His...
Brian Matsui is a partner in Morrison & Foerster’s Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group. He represents clients from a diverse set of industries in appellate litigation in both federal and state appellate courts in appeals involving the Patent Act, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the Securities Exchange Act, and the preemption of state laws under federal banking statutes and regulations, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994. He also has substantial experience in cases...
Norman Ornstein is a long-time observer of Congress and politics. He is a contributing editor and columnist for National Journal and The Atlantic and is an election eve analyst for BBC News. He served as codirector of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project and participates in AEI's Election Watch series. He also served as a senior counselor to the Continuity of Government Commission. Mr. Ornstein led a working group of scholars and practitioners that helped shape the law, known as McCain-Feingold, that reformed the campaign...
Clint Reilly was a former seminary student drawn to underdog political causes when he founded Clinton Reilly Campaigns in the 1970s and helped pioneer a new profession of campaign and political consulting in California.
At Clinton Reilly Campaigns, Mr. Reilly combined science and creativity to craft superior political strategy and deliver sophisticated messages to targeted audiences using award-winning advertising and communication techniques.
Today, Mr. Reilly, who ran his last campaign as a professional political consultant in...
Julie is an Executive Vice President at Cassidy & Associates, providing clients key insight on how Washington works from her more than 20 years of experience in government, politics and the private sector. She joined Cassidy after serving 11 years as chief of staff to Congresswoman Doris Matsui where she earned a reputation as one the hardest working and most effective senior staff members on Capitol Hill.
She distinguished herself as a leading presence on a diverse set of issues from energy to...
Mr. Rosenthal is a partner in Kelley Drye's Washington, D.C. office and co-chair of the Government Relations and Public Policy practice group. He has more than 35 years of experience in international trade and government relations matters. Mr. Rosenthal assists a wide variety of companies and industries, including manufacturing, technology, and food and agriculture. He has appeared before all of the U.S. trade agencies and courts of jurisdiction. He also has represented clients in disputes involving the World Trade Organization (...
Michael L. Shenkman is a litigator at Bailey Glasser, LLP, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. Until 2024, Michael was the Deputy Counselor to the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court of the United States. He initially joined the Counselor's Office as a Supreme Court Fellow in 2013-14. Previously, Michael was a Fellow and Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School, where he designed the school’s federal government externship program in Washington, D.C., and taught the accompanying courses. He also...
