Executive Branch
Presidential Cabinet
Dear Distinguished Members of the Cabinet,
Hello and welcome to Washington! We are thrilled to be working with you this spring as we tackle some of the most pressing issues facing our country today. As Cabinet officials, you will be advising the president and providing important testimony to Congress on the most pertinent national concerns. Get excited: the Presidential Cabinet is a dynamic, fast-paced simulation that we are sure you will find extremely enjoyable!
Mate is a junior Economics and Government concentrator at Harvard living in Dunster House. He was born in Budapest, Hungary and has been living in Germany for most of his life. This international upbringing has not stopped him from developing a knack for American politics. This is his third year with Harvard Model Congress, and he also staffs the HMC Europe conference as well as directs the HMC Asia conference. Besides preparing for ultimate testimony marathons for HMC, his interests include politics, business, squash, and tennis.
Irene Yuan is a senior in Mather House. She is studying English and American Literature and Language with a secondary field in Economics. From Northern California, Irene can’t say that the weather is what drew her to Harvard. A Presidential Cabinet veteran, Irene is returning for her second year to the Cabinet. She also will travel to Brussels, Belgium over spring break for HMC Europe, where she will serve as the Chair of the Press Corps. She is so excited to be back in committee with some of the most powerful figures in the US government!
Of course, we are excited to meet and engage with you in February. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to us at any time before the conference as you are preparing. We anticipate hearing inspired and thoughtful proposals when we sit down in committee – the Cabinet works best when everyone has thought carefully about all the issues at stake. We encourage you to invest yourself in becoming an expert in your field and dedicating your time to issues of national importance. We’ll see you at the conference!
Sincerely,
Mate Pencz
mpencz@fas.harvard.edu
Irene Yuan
iyuan@fas.harvard.edu
National Security Council
Dear Members of the National Security Council,
Welcome to the NSC, the most exciting committee at Harvard Model Congress! You have been hand-picked to participate in the most rigorous and rewarding program that HMC has to offer. Prepare to assume the roles of cabinet secretaries, intelligence officials and top military brass as you confront security threats facing the United States. Before we give you some tips on how to prepare for your duties, we’d like to introduce ourselves.
Chris Miller is a senior studying history, focusing on international affairs and political philosophy. In addition to chairing the NSC, he is the director of HMC Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. This will be his tenth HMC, including two as a delegate.
Tom Brennan is a junior studying history, focusing on modern Europe. In addition to Harvard Model Congress, he works for Harvard's radio station and was a member of the crew team. This is his fourth Harvard Model Congress, including one year as a delegate on NSC.
A junior, Annie McNerney is concentrating in economics and plans to get a minor in either government or psychology. Outside of Harvard Model Congress, Annie is a member of the Women's Varsity Soccer Team and Crimson Key Society. This will be her sixth year of participating in Harvard Model Congress and she looks forward to returning to the National Security Council.
Read your briefings carefully. They will introduce you to the complexity of thinking about national security and give you tools so that you can deal with security crises. Later on in the year, you will receive updates on the state of US national security, as well as more information about your roles. When questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Chris Miller
crmiller@fas.harvard.edu
Tom Brennan
tbrennan@fas.harvard.edu
Annie McNerny
mcnern@fas.harvard.edu
West Wing
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the West Wing! We are so excited to meet you all and look forward to working together to solve the nation’s most pressing problems. As members of the White House and Democratic National Committee, you will be responsible for setting the agenda of the Democrats and Republicans, crafting the parties’ messages, and shaping and pushing for legislation that reflects your parties’ ideals. You have the opportunity to direct the course of the conference.
If you haven’t already figured it out, West Wing is by far the best, most gratifying, and empowering experience at Harvard Model Congress. As your committee chairs, we are here to make sure you have the resources and support you need to successfully serve on the West Wing and have an incredible time. (We’re also the most fun chairs).
Elyse Schoenfeld is a senior economics concentrator and government minor from Woodbridge, Connecticut. She has worked on both gubernatorial and presidential campaigns and spent this summer interning for the Chief of Staff at City Hall in New Haven. In addition to chairing the West Wing, Elyse is developing an HMC alumni board, has served on the board of HMC Europe, and serves on the Student Advisory Committee at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. Elyse has served as White House Chief of Staff for the past two years.
Tyler Hall is a sophomore psychology concentrator who hails from Washington, DC. In addition to being a Harvard Model Congress staffer, Tyler is a member of the Harvard Mock Trial Team, an avid pianist, and a licensed Emergency Medical Technician. When not working with HMC, he enjoys long walks on the beach, bubble baths, and candlelit dinners. This will be Tyler’s fourth HMC Boston conference, including two as a delegate, and he is excited to work with all of you in the West Wing!
As the conference gets closer, we will assign your specific roles on the committee and provide you with helpful tips for accomplishing some of the West Wing’s major objectives. We hope that you spend the next few months researching your roles and the prevalent issues to the White House and the Democratic National Committee-- remember, with great power comes great responsibility. We are always available to help you prepare for the conference, so please email us with any questions you have.
See you in February!
Elyse Schoenfeld
Chief of Staff
emschoen@fas.harvard.edu
Tyler Hall
Chief of Staff
thall@fas.harvard.edu
Joint Cabinet Committee
Dear Delegates,
Congratulations and welcome to the Joint Cabinet Committee (JCC) at Harvard Model Congress 2009! You will be working on one of the most innovative, dynamic and fast-paced committees at this year’s conference.
As you may know, the JCC is a bipartite cabinet committee unlike any other at HMC 2009. Over the course of the conference, an ongoing crisis situation will unfold in which you will be required to incorporate your prior research on the topic and new information that we will be providing to determine an appropriate course of action. Moreover, because the JCC is comprised of two opposing cabinets, you will have to take into account the decisions and actions of your rival as well. In the end, the cabinet with the best preparation and strongest grasp of the developing crisis will come out on top.
Our topic this year is timely and relevant; it deals with one of the most pressing yet elusive threats to international security in recent history – the escalating nuclear crisis in North Korea. The JCC will thus consist of the opposing United States National Security Council and North Korean National Defense Commission. The NSC will be faced with neutralizing the threat posed to national and international stability by the KP NDC, one of the most volatile and formidable entities to emerge from the eastern hemisphere, while the North Korean officials will face up an uphill battle to establish their international reputation and justify their nuclear development. Before we meet you at the conference, let us take a moment to introduce ourselves.
Cortni Nucklos is a sophomore concentrating in government, with a secondary field in the anthropology of human rights. Born in Anderson, South Carolina, she grew up in a very small nearby town. When not in class, she is often doing work for the Harvard Events and Information Center or the Student Organization Center. In addition to Harvard Model Congress, Cortni is also involved with Harvard Model United Nations, Model Security Council, and the Law Society. She loves curling up with a new book or old movie, and rambling about on nice days, a habit she picked up during her summer abroad in England. This is her second year in HMC.
Grace is a senior biochemical sciences concentrator originally from Portland, Oregon. At Harvard, she divides her time among classes, doing cancer research at the Harvard Medical School, and various on-campus activities. Grace is also a senior staffer for HMC Europe, a junior executive on the Harvard Crimson newspaper’s photography board, and a vice chair in the Harvard College in Asia Program. She loves to travel, having spent a summer abroad in Venice, Italy, and can’t spend enough time outdoors, whether it’s hiking, wakeboarding, or surfing.
We are so thrilled to have you on board with the JCC this year, and cannot wait to meet you in person in February. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact either Cortni or Grace with any questions you may have regarding either the JCC or the conference. Best of luck in your preparations and school year, and we’ll see you in Boston soon!
Sincerely,
Grace Lee
gmlee@fas.harvard.edu
Cortni Nucklos
cnucklos@fas.harvard.edu
Committee Assignments
HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS 2009
Pre-Conference Written Assignment
Delegates in the Cabinet are expected to become familiar with the background and position of their assigned role. Shortly, delegates will be notified of their assigned topics among those being debated in Congress at HMC 2009. While the list is not exhaustive of the topics on which delegates should be well-read, the assigned topics are those for which the delegate will be directly responsible. Each delegate will submit a one page single-spaced memo stating his/her expert opinion on the topic (from the perspective of the assigned role) and explaining his/her recommendation to the president. In addition, each delegate should prepare a two-minute presentation on each topic outlining its importance to the national agenda and his/her department’s perspective on it. These brief speeches will be delivered both to the committee and in testimony to congressional committees.
Committee Assignments
HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS 2009
Pre-Conference Written Assignment
NSC delegates are expected to complete research and reading on the four issues addressed in the confidential briefings. Delegates are responsible for writing four Policy Review Memoranda (PRM), one each on Russian Imperialism, Nuclear Proliferation, China’s Rise, and Islamic Extremism. The PRM serve as policy recommendations based on the delegate’s role’s perspective and responsibilities. See the section “Preparing to Assume Your Role” in the Guide to the NSC for explicit instructions.
Committee Assignments
HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS 2009
Pre-Conference Written Assignment
West Wing delegates are expected to become comfortable with the role that they will assume in committee. As part of this preparation, delegates should prepare a brief speech to deliver introducing themselves (their roles) and proposing their strategy (strategies) for approaching the White House/RNC agenda. Note: West Wing staff will be in touch with delegates to clarify and expand this assignment shortly.
Committee Assignments
HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS 2009
Pre-Conference Written Assignment
In preparation for the conference, each member of the JCC is expected to prepare a brief speech to deliver at the beginning of the proceedings. In this speech the member is expected to introduce their role and understanding of the situation at hand.
speech
Hello!
For the speech, are we supposed to have it typed and prepared ahead of time? And if so, is it supposed to be in the drop box? Thank you!
Danielle Mustico
