Faith in Politics:
Does Faith Make a Difference?
3:10 PM
The modern concept of athletics is inseparable from competition. This view is even presented in the Bible, where the Apostle Paul writes “In a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Winning occurs at the expense of the competitors, and one study indicates that the most successful athletes view their opponents as temporary enemies. Yet such a mindset seems to conflict with Jesus’ urging to be humble, his promise that the meek shall inherit the earth, and his directive to love our enemies. These panelists have experienced successes—and failures—at the highest levels of athletics. They will offer their insights on how they reconcile their faith with the demands of their sport, and how they live out their faith in an industry with different priorities.
Moderator
The Hon. Gregory Slayton, D’81
Adjunct Professor, The Tuck School of Business
The Honorable Gregory Winston Slayton is an author, diplomat, professor, businessman, and philanthropist.
Born in Ohio, Slayton now resides in Hanover, New Hampshire with his wife and children. His next book "Be A Better Dad Today!" is being published by Regal Publishing for Father's Day 2011. Slatyon continues to work as a venture capitalist through his firm Slayton Capital and is the lead US Director for BioMass Capital. He is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership at UIBE Business School in Beijing. He also teaches on occasion at Dartmouth College, the Harvard Business School and Stanford's GSB.
Slayton was appointed by President George W. Bush as the US Chief of Mission to Bermuda, a position he held for four years from August 15, 2005 until August, 2009. Slayton was extended twice by the Obama Administration. He also received the Distinguished Foreign Service Award from members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the only Republican Ambassador in US history to be so honored.
Slayton is an angel investor via his privately held investment company Slayton Capital. He has served on the Board of Advisors of Google, Salesforce.com and other high tech leaders. Slayton and his wife, Marina, founded the Slayton Family Foundation in 1999. They also jointly co-authored and edited the Bermuda bestseller "Four Centuries of Friendship: US/Bermuda Relations 1609 – 2009" and donated all proceeds from the sale of the book to local Bermuda charities.
Panelists
Matt Dunne
Head of Community Affairs, Google, Inc.
Matt Dunne has focused his life’s work on bringing together the worlds of entrepreneurship, service and politics. Elected to the Vermont House at the age of 22, he served 7 years before joining the Clinton Administration as the Director of AmeriCorps*VISTA overseeing 6000 full-time people working in the fight against poverty. In 2002 he returned home to Vermont and was elected to two terms in the Vermont Senate. Outside of the legislature, he worked in high-tech marketing and before joining Google was the Associate Director of the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College, creating programs to support students who wish to pursue careers in the nonprofit and public sector. Now the Head of Community Affairs at Google, Matt supports the company’s local corporate social responsibility activities in the 25 communities where Google has an office or data center as well as helping guide larger corporate partnerships with the nonprofit and public sector. Matt lives on the small farm where he grew up in Hartland, VT with his wife Sarah Taylor and his sons Judson and Abraham and daughter Cora.
Kevin H. Smith
Candidate for NH Governor, 2012
Kevin H. Smith is the President of Smith Enterprises, a public affairs consulting firm. He is also currently a Republican candidate for governor in New Hampshire.
Kevin has served as a legislator in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, in addition to also having served on the staff for former US Senator, Bob Smith, as well as former NH Governor, Craig Benson. In 2007, Kevin was appointed Deputy Director of NH's Juvenile Justice Department where he started the State's first Office of Faith-based and Community Services.
Kevin was also the Executive Director of Cornerstone-Action, a center-right non-partisan advocacy organization from 2009-2011. For his efforts, in 2010, he was named by Business NH Magazine as one of the 10 Most Influential People in NH.
Kevin currently serves on the the State Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights. He and his wife Suzy reside in Litchfield along with their three children, Colby, Lindsay and Tommy.
Ingrid Gustavson Hill, D’82
History Teacher, Boston Trinity Academy
Ingrid Gustavson Hill has been happily married to her husband Dave (D ’79), pastor of Abundant Grace Church of Boston, for over 30 years. Together they have raised six children. A homeschooling mother for 22 years, she now teaches Civics, History, and English at Boston Trinity Academy. She enjoys supervising the children’s ministry at her church and serving in her community through outreaches such as Vacation Bible School and Project Angel Tree. Her life goals include raising up her own children and many other youth to know the Lord Jesus Christ and make an impact for His kingdom in their generation. Though a strong conservative, she is a registered Democrat and loves a vigorous political discussion whether around the family dinner table, in the classroom, or at the State House.
