dr. defrancesco soto. [applause] jamal simmons you may have seen before. he emerged in the 2008 presidential elections as one of the new voices on a political analysis. with an extensive background in democratic politics and international affairs, he was a strong supporter of barack obama's campaign and became a fixture on cnn's political coverage, or his opinions distinguished him as one of the freshest commentators in media. previously, he was a senior aide to several democratic political campaigns. he has been featured in major national news outlets, including "the new york times" and "politico." jamal simmons. [applause] the way this is going to work is each of them are going to talk to you for 10 to 15 minutes, and then jeff will moderate a panel with invigorating and rocket of discussion -- and provocative discussion on the media. thank you so much. >> good afternoon. i guess this is the invigorating part. it's an honor and pleasure to be here, and greetings to my fellow board members and all of you regarding what role in class you are part of with i