2008 Gaudino Dialogues: Failing to Succeed
Janet Brown ’73, Executive Director of the Commission on Presidential Debates
Brown has held her current post since the Commission, a bipartisan nonprofit, was established in 1987 to sponsor the presidential and vice-presidential debates during each general election period. Before that, Brown served in appointed positions in the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Labor under the Reagan administration. She was also press secretary to Senator John C. Danforth.
As executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, Brown is pivotal in the meticulous determination of format, rules, and moderators for each debate. Among the innovations her Commission initiated during 2008’s highly anticipated debate season was the web site Mydebates.org, which allowed users to submit questions for the Oct. 7 town meeting-style debate though a partnership with social networking portal Myspace.
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