The Pursuit of Happiness: Is America Still the Land of Opportunity?

We live in a land of unprecedented wealth and success. Yet, America is plagued with economic disparities and despair – a place where our “happiness” ranks only 24^th among developed nations. Our Founding Fathers built a land of remarkable opportunity that elevated the lives of billions globally. Is the American dream alive today? What does it look like? How can we elevate it to foster happiness in generations to come?

Jeff King serves as the executive vice president of the Rodel Institute, where he founded and runs fellowships for judges of all ideological persuasions, as well as bipartisan groups of elected officials, to explore ways that leaders can transcend differences to promote judicial independence and cross-party dialogue. A former Kansas Senator (R) representing southeastern Kansas, Jeff worked extensively on criminal justice issues, pension reform, education finance and tax policy as chair of the Senate Judiciary, Pension, and Rules committees. A former Tenth Circuit clerk and president of the Appellate Section of the Kansas Bar, Jeff has handled over 60 appeals across the country on issues of school finance, trust, state government and constitutional law. He holds degrees from Brown University, Yale Law School, and the University of Cambridge.

Mark McCormick is a New York Times bestselling author with nearly 30 years of experience as a reporter, editor, and columnist. He most recently served as the inaugural executive director of the Kansas Black Leadership Council and deputy director of the ACLU of Kansas. He also served for a total of six years as executive director of The Kansas African American Museum. An alum of the University of Kansas, McCormick is a trustee of the William Allen White School of Journalism at KU, served as a professional in residence at the University of Oklahoma, and was appointed by Governor Laura Kelly to two Kansas state commissions, including the Kansas African American Affairs Commission. He has earned numerous awards and recognitions over his career and was inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame last year.