We are delighted to announce that our first speaker of the 2026-27 season will be the Hon. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who will speak on U.S. relations from the perspective of a former Member of Congress and senior educator.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell was born in Ecuador and immigrated to the United States at age 14 with her family. Her parents worked tirelessly to ensure she and her sister had access to educational opportunities, believing strongly that it was the key to a better future.

She began her academic career at Florida International University (FIU), where she served as director of development for the College of Health and Urban Affairs. She later became associate dean for advancement at FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the first public medical school in South Florida. There, she helped raise $100 million to support first-generation scholarships, research initiatives and endowed faculty chairs.

In 2018, she was elected to Congress as a Democrat, becoming the first South American-born member to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. During her tenure, she championed environmental protection, immigration reform and education policy. She served on the Judiciary Committee, was vice chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Women’s Task Force.
After leaving Congress, she continued her advocacy as a senior official at Giffords, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing gun violence, a cause that has impacted her personally.

As Executive Director for GWU’s Graduate School of Political Management, Mucarsel-Powell provides strategic leadership for the nation’s foremost school dedicated to applied politics, preparing students for careers in politics, advocacy, communications, and public affairs.