In his 45-year career as an engineer, executive, consultant, coach and investor, David Ritter has consistently helped to build successful teams, products and companies. He enables organizations to adopt collaborative, outcome-driven ways of working that create differentiated results – and allow all stakeholders to have good days at work.
David is currently a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group. He resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We are experiencing a national civics moment like none other in my lifetime. Americans are seeing why our institutions and political systems matter.
Increasing political divisions and distrust have separated Americans from one another, and our young people wonder about their place and purpose in our civic life. Too many are losing confidence in our country — and in democracy itself. We risk losing a generation’s desire to help build “a more perfect union.”
To meet this moment and seize possibilities to protect, preserve, and strengthen our constitutional democracy, I am excited to provide this update about iCivics’ vision and plans.
At iCivics, we know that the best way to strengthen our democracy is to teach it. Building young people’s faith in our democracy starts with teaching them how to participate in it.
That matters now more than ever.
We need civic education that is relevant, meaningful, and engaging for each new generation. Civic education that not only inspires a belief in our nation, but also instills in youth a sense of belonging and a confidence to shape the world around them and work with others to solve problems together.
As we head toward our nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026, iCivics is continuing to expand its vision and mandate by
We empower educators and lead the movement to make civic education a nationwide priority so all young people have the confidence to shape the world around them and believe in our country’s future.
Through iCivics Education, we are providing a wide variety of high-quality civic education resources and tools that are nonpartisan, standards-aligned, and inclusive of all learners.
Through our leadership in the civic education field and CivxNow, we are joined by more than 300 organizations working to make civic education a nationwide priority and provide the research, policy, and institutional practices that empower educators, administrators, students, parents, and community members to help all young people build confidence in themselves, each other, and our country’s future.
And we know that building confidence extends beyond the classroom. Students who experience high-quality civic education are more likely to:
In short, when young people see their role in helping to shape our country, they believe in its future.
As our nation prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, our most urgent charge is to ensure the next generation has the confidence and character to engage in our democracy for the next 250 years and beyond.
Now is a moment of great consequence. By joining together, committing to our youth, and transforming civic education for all of us, we will step up to meet it.
Let’s get to work!
Judge Ann Claire Williams (Ret.), a trailblazer and leader, heads Jones Day’s efforts in advancing the rule of law in Africa. Devoted to promoting the effective delivery of justice worldwide, particularly in Africa, she has partnered with judiciaries, attorneys, NGOs, and the U.S. Departments of Justice and State to lead training programs in Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. She also has taught at the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
President Ronald Reagan nominated her in 1985 to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, making her the first woman of color to serve on a district court in the three-state Seventh Circuit. In 1999, President William Clinton’s nomination made her the first judge of color to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the third woman of color to serve on any federal circuit court. She brings her vast experience on the bench to serve as a resource for the Firms leading trial and appellate practices.
Judge Williams has served on many judicial committees and, as treasurer and president of the Federal Judges Association, was the first person of color to become an officer. Committed to public interest work, she helped found Just The Beginning — A Pipeline Organization, the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Chicago, Minority Legal Education Resources, and the Public Interest Fellowship Program for Equal Justice Works. She serves on the boards of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, iCivics, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Weinstein International Foundation, Museum of Science & Industry Chicago, University of Notre Dame (emeritus), and National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) (emeritus), the Board of Counselors for Equal Justice Works, and chairs the Advisory Board of the International Law Institute-South African Centre for Excellence. She is also chair of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary for 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024.
Pri provides advice and strategic counseling on the intellectual property, data privacy and technology aspects of transactions including commercial and licensing agreements, mergers, acquisitions, JVs, financings, restructurings and collaboration arrangements. He advises companies in numerous industries, as well as private equity and other investors.
He negotiates and advises on bespoke agreements in commercial matters, including software, algorithm and mobile apps; data monetization; artificial intelligence and machine learning; brand and franchise licensing; programming rights; manufacturing, supply and distribution; payment services, e-commerce and IT outsourcing; and mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and IoT connectivity. Pri also advises clients on IP and commercial issues related to generative AI, the metaverse, NFTs and blockchain-related platforms.
Pri is one of Davis Polk’s two hiring partners and serves on the boards of iCivics and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
Lindsay is a strategic philanthropist and impact investor. She has served on iCivics’ Governing Board since 2017. She has served on several committees and now chairs the Program Committee.
Prior to joining iCivics, she served with several organizations, including Horizons National Board of Directors, Teach for America-Connecticut’s Advisory Board, and Social Venture Partners-Connecticut. She also served on the Fairfield County Community Foundation’s (FCCF) Board of Directors. At that time, she was co-Chair of the Fund for Women and Girls, the largest women’s fund in Connecticut, where she co-authored a study of women and girls in the county and helped found a public–private community college partnership.
Lindsay holds a BA from American University and a Masters of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In 2014, Lindsay attended Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI), a year-long executive level program designed to help leaders address significant social problems.
Ms. Ravel is a former Fellow at New America working on issues of Civic Engagement, as well as adjunct Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Law. Former Commissioner Ann M. Ravel was nominated to the Federal Election Commission by President Barack Obama on June 21, 2013. After her appointment received the unanimous consent of the United States Senate, Ms. Ravel joined the Commission on October 25, 2013. She served as Chair of the Commission for 2015 and Vice Chair for 2014.
From March 2011 until her appointment to the Commission, Ms. Ravel served as Chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), to which Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. appointed her. At the FPPC, Ms. Ravel oversaw the regulation of campaign finance, lobbyist registration and reporting, and ethics and conflicts of interest related to officeholders and public employees. During her tenure at the FPPC, Ms. Ravel was instrumental in the creation of the States’ Unified Network (SUN) Center, a web-based center for sharing information on campaign finance.
Before joining the FPPC, Ms. Ravel served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Torts and Consumer Litigation in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice. Ms. Ravel also worked as an attorney in the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office, ultimately serving as the appointed County Counsel from 1998 until 2009. Ms. Ravel represented the County and its elected officials, provided advice on the state Political Reform Act, and initiated groundbreaking programs in elder abuse litigation, educational rights, and consumer litigation on behalf of the Santa Clara County government and the community.
Ms. Ravel has served as an elected Governor on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California, a member of the Judicial Council of the State of California, and Chair of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation. In 2014, she was named a California Attorney of the Year by California Lawyer magazine for her work in Government law, and in 2007, the State Bar of California named Ms. Ravel Public Attorney of the Year for her contributions to public service.
Ms. Ravel received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Arnold B. Peinado, III is a retired partner of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, an international law firm headquartered in New York City. He was a senior member of the firm’s Capital Markets Group.
During his 35 year tenure with Milbank, Arnold advised on general securities law matters, and a wide range of domestic and international debt and equity capital markets offerings. He also specialized in global aircraft and satellite finance transactions.
In addition to his work at Milbank, Arnold has substantial experience with nonprofit entities. He has been an advisor to boards on corporate governance policies, conflicts of interest, and financial statements and internal controls. He currently serves as a Director of the Urban Justice Center, an organization which provides legal advocacy services to homeless and disadvantage groups in New York City, as well as a Director of the Alleluia Fund of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, New Jersey which directs grants to nonprofit entities in New Jersey. Arnold also serves as a Trustee of The Nature Conservancy, New Jersey Chapter. Arnold is a graduate of Harvard College as well as both Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.
Tom Lue is General Counsel & Head of Governance at Google DeepMind. Founded in London in 2010, DeepMind was acquired in 2014 by Alphabet, where Tom previously held senior roles. At Waymo, Tom was Deputy General Counsel, overseeing regulatory, product, litigation, and employment matters for Alphabet’s autonomous driving technology company. As Senior Counsel at Google, he advised emerging technology teams on legal issues regarding AI and machine learning.
Tom has also served in the federal government in various key roles, including as Acting and Deputy General Counsel at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Attorney-Advisor at the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) at the U.S. Department of Justice. He was a law clerk for Judge Gerard E. Lynch on the Southern District of New York, Judge Reena Raggi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to his government service, Tom worked at the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Tom has taught courses as a Lecturer in Law at Stanford and Columbia, and is a member of the American Law Institute.
Mary C. Henry spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs, primarily as a communications technology analyst in the Firm’s Investment Research Division. A top-ranked analyst for many years, she was named a Partner and Managing Director of the Firm in 1996. During her tenure at Goldman Sachs, Mary was personally involved in company financings that totaled tens of billions of dollars and well as strategic projects. She collaborated with research, investment banking and private equity colleagues to evaluate companies in technology and communications services worldwide and worked extensively with major institutional investors around the world. She retired from the Firm in 2004. Since then, she has served on corporate and educational boards and has devoted time to education philanthropy. She is on the Investment Committee and the Retirement Plan Advisory Committee of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton and active with the Woodside High School Foundation. Mary graduated from Northwestern University with an undergraduate degree in economics and a graduate degree in journalism.
Chuck Harris planned and oversaw the execution and advancement of Blue Meridian Partners’ strategy and operations while leading efforts to engage new philanthropic Partners and to support their engagement. In his previous role as an EMCF Portfolio Manager and its Director of Capital Aggregation, Chuck managed relationships with various grantees and oversaw the Foundation’s capital aggregation activities, notably the True North Fund. Before joining the Foundation, Chuck co-founded and served for five years as Executive Partner of SeaChange Capital Partners, a financial intermediary designed to enhance the flow of capital to outstanding nonprofits serving children and youth in low-income communities in the United States. Chuck spent 23 years in the banking business before retiring in 2002 from his position as a partner and managing director at Goldman Sachs, where he served as co-head of Corporate Finance in the Americas. He has served extensively on the boards of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations as well as privately held and publicly traded for-profit corporations. He is a graduate of Harvard College and holds a master’s degree in finance from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
