Evening at the Square 2025

American Public Square, along with Host Committee co-chairs, David & Cynthia Westbrook and Frank Lipsman & Janet Mark, will host its annual event, Evening at the Square, on Monday, December 8th at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

This year’s event will feature former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu in conversation with APS National Steering Committee Member, Margaret Talev, Axios Senior Contributor and founding Director of Syracuse University’s new Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship in Washington, DC, who will moderate the discussion.

The 2025 Founder’s Civility Award will honor community leader and American Public Square Board Member, Susan Seidler Nerman.  Additionally, American Public Square will remember its friend and long-time champion, Bill Kort, by establishing the Volunteer of the Year Award in his name.

Gov. Chris Sununu

Christopher T. Sununu served four terms as the 82nd Governor of the State of New Hampshire, and after choosing not to seek a fifth term, he returned to the private sector in January 2025.

As one of the most popular governors in the country and host of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, he is recognized as a national leader in his common-sense approach to government and balanced political navigation of otherwise polarized political waters.

Governor Sununu has appeared in over 1,000 nationally televised interviews, including multiple appearances on shows like The View and Real Time with Bill Maher. He has spoken to hundreds of organizations across the country, including corporations, think tanks, universities, conferences, and political organizations. Governor Sununu worked closely with both the Trump and Biden administrations.

Under his leadership, his state was ranked as one of the best states for business and growth in the United States, #1 state in the country for both personal and economic freedoms, and most notably, #1 for best return on taxpayer investment – the most efficient government in America.

Chris grew up in Salem, NH. He graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) with a BS in Civil/Environmental Engineering in 1998. Chris completed a five-month through-hike of the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia. He lives in Newfields, NH, with his wife, Valerie, and their three children.

Margaret Talev

In 2023, Margaret Talev became Kramer Director of the Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship, a joint effort of the Newhouse School and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She is based in Washington, D.C.

Talev joined Syracuse University following a 30-year career covering American politics and the White House. A graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, Talev served as senior White House correspondent for Bloomberg News and McClatchy Newspapers, where she won the Scripps Howard Raymond Clapper Memorial Award as a part of a team that exposed the politicization of the Justice Department.

As a White House correspondent, she covered President Trump, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns, and President Obama’s two terms in the White House and Congress.

She has held positions at the Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee and Tampa Tribune. She is a past president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and the Washington Press Club Foundation, and has taught courses at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Most recently, Talev was the managing editor for politics at Axios.

In addition to her role at the Newhouse School, Talev is also a senior contributor at Axios and a CNN political analyst.  She also serves on the American Public Square National Steering Committee.

Susan Seidler Nerman

Susan (Sue) Seidler Nerman exemplifies the spirit of civic engagement and community leadership that American Public Square celebrates. Her strong belief in the values of truth, education, and the civil expression of ideas among every member of the community made her one of the founding Members of American Public Square, where she has served on the Board of Directors and Evening at the Square Host Committees. She credits APS programming and interactions with her fellow APS Board Members as having enriched her own life.

Sue’s leadership extends across numerous organizations that strengthen our community. She is entering her 16th year as a Trustee for the Kansas City Art Institute, is a former Board Chair, and remains actively involved as a volunteer, supporting the institution’s mission to nurture creative talent. She co-chaired KCAI’s $25 million capital campaign for the campus extension that was completed during the height of Covid.

Her additional philanthropic work spans decades and includes serving as a Lead to Read volunteer at the Academy for Integrated Arts, and involvement with the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Harvesters, and Johnson County Community College.  Sue also serves as vice chair for her family business board of directors and co-leads her family foundation.

As Amb. Allan Katz (ret.), for whom the Founder’s Civility Award is named, observes, “Sue gives generously of her time, talent, and treasure to causes she cares deeply about. She does not wait to be asked – instead, she jumps in and intentionally seeks to make a marked difference for people and for the community. Her dedication and involvement with American Public Square has directly improved the tone and quality of civil, fact-based discourse on topics ranging from education to healthcare to truth in media.”  Though characteristically modest about her contributions, the Founder’s Civility Award recognizes not just her accomplishments, but her embodiment of the values that make democratic discourse possible.

The Bill Kort Volunteer of the Year Award

This year, we will remember our friend and long-time American Public Square champion, Bill Kort, by establishing the Volunteer of Year Award in his name.  Details coming soon.  Should you wish for your gift to be allocated to support this initiative, please contact Alana Muller at Alana@AmericanPublicSquare.org or (816) 601-1001.

The Amb. Allan J. Katz Internship Fund

The “Amb. Allan J. Katz Internship Fund” was established in 2024 to honor the accomplishments of our founder, Allan Katz.

Today, APS operates a highly-sought internship program through its Civics Engagement Initiative.  During the academic school year, collegiate interns participate in and oversee the APS Student Committee with support from the APS Civics Education Associate. Students work together to increase civic engagement throughout their student body by hosting events and offering their peers opportunities to convene and discuss pressing local, regional, and national issues. Additionally, summer interns partner with APS staff in hands-on work that spans a number of aspects of organizational operations, including marketing, program planning, development, and more.

The Internship Fund will ensure the continuity and growth of this valuable program, providing opportunities for students while supporting the mission of American Public Square.

Through the Evening at the Square campaign, our goal is to raise money to help cover intern stipends for the next several years.  Should you wish for your gift to be allocated to the Internship Fund, please contact Alana Muller at Alana@AmericanPublicSquare.org or (816) 601-1001.

Presenting Sponsors

McDonnell Foundation

Susan Seidler Nerman & Lewis Nerman

David & Cynthia Westbrook

Jack and Glenna Wylie Foundation

Presenting Partner

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Platinum Sponsors

Michelle Bartlett

Stacy & William Pratt

Leslie M. Westbrook & Paolo Frigerio

Gold Sponsors

Health Forward Foundation

Irv & Ellen Hockaday**

Amb. Allan Katz (ret.) & Nancy Cohn

Jan & Tom Kreamer

Frank Lipsman & Janet Mark*

Rubin, Turnbull & Associates Inc.

The Seidler Foundation

Silver Sponsors

Mary & Tom Bloch**

Larry Jacob & Stephanie Guerin

Ann & Bob Regnier

University of Saint Mary

Bronze Sponsors

Sarah & Jon Baum

Irv Belzer & Sue McCord Belzer*

Ryan Bernsten & Chad Staatz

Claire & Denton Bishop

Mike Gerken & Debra Schmidt Gerken

Ron & Nancy Jones**

Mary & Mark Jorgenson**

Harvey & Michele Kaplan

Rachel Krantz & Edward Goldstein*

Alana Muller & Marc Hammer*

Mary & Terry Putney

Jeannine Strandjord

In-Kind Sponsors

Hotel Kansas City

zTrip

Special Event Hosts

Irv Belzer & Sue McCord Belzer

Benny & Edith Lee

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* Denotes philanthropic funds from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
** Denotes philanthropic funds from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.