Since 2012, the Penn Program on Regulation has organized an annual Distinguished Lecture on Regulation, bringing to campus prominent government officials, legal scholars, regulatory practitioners, and business leaders, all with deep experience in regulatory law and policy, who share their insights with students, faculty, and others within the Penn Law community.
The 2026 Distinguished Lecture on Regulation will be delivered by Jeffrey Rosen, the CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center, a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School, and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. Rosen’s lecture, “The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America,” will draw on his recently published book of the same title.
CEO Emeritus, National Constitution Center
Drawing on his recently published book, Jeffrey Rosen’s lecture will explore the clashing visions of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson about how best to balance liberty and power in U.S. politics and society. Jefferson championed states’ rights and individual liberties, whereas Hamilton pushed for a strong federal government with a powerful executive. The debate they started has percolated throughout the history of the United States and continues even today to define—and divide—the country.
Chair, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (2021-2025)
Former SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s lecture focuses on the theme of presidential supremacy over federal agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve. Since assuming office in January 2025, President Donald J. Trump has taken actions to consolidate executive power and try to bring all federal agencies under tighter White House control. President Trump’s assertions of power draw on the “unitary executive theory.” In his remarks, former Chair Gensler takes a closer look at the unitary executive theory. He onsiders how empowering the President to remove the heads of independent agencies would carry significant economic as well as political implications.
Administrator, U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
AnBryce Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
As Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) during the Biden Administration, Richard L. Revesz has led the component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States charged with coordinating the review and analysis of significant federal regulations. In this lecture, Revesz examines the history of centralized review of agency actions in the U.S., describes current challenges to centralized review that OIRA has had to confront, and highlights ways in which the Biden Administration has sought to implement important reforms to the regulatory process.
Board Member, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
Former Commissioner, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
In this lecture, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Member Kara M. Stein considers the regulatory implications of the rapid technological changes that are rippling through today’s economy, especially with the introduction of new forms of artificial intelligence. She argues that in an increasingly digital world, the U.S. “regulatory paradigm” must shift from “Regulation 1.0,” in which regulatory agencies primarily have required and processed paperwork and targeted people, to “Regulation 2.0,” in which regulators themselves not only make use of AI technologies to enhance their work, but also participate in determining how government can best oversee the dramatic technological advances that are disrupting the economy.
Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Former Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
Large institutions, financial or otherwise, have been shown to repeatedly violate the law and past orders. These entities face a low probability of detection of violations and consumer abuses, and even when violations and abuses are detected, ensuing government orders rarely deter future misconduct. Instead, according to CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, big corporations view such orders as a “cost of doing business”—and American consumers are not only harmed, they also are left to subsidize corporate malfeasance. In this lecture, Director Chopra shares how the CFPB will sharpen its focus on repeat offenders in an effort to deter such behavior.
Charles Ogletree, Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
In this lecture, Professor Guy-Uriel Charles explains how recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have weakened the Voting Rights Act and undermined its race-based model for protecting voting rights, exploring what the implications are for the future of voting rights in today’s politically polarized and racially stratified society, where many states are considering changes to voting rules. Professor Charles’s lecture also was part of the 2021-2022 Lecture Series on Race and Regulation.
Professor of Practice and Distinguished Scholar in Residence, New York University School of Law; Former Administrator, U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Every day, regulations affect our lives—helping to keep roads safe, water clean, electricity running, and so much more. In this lecture, Sally Katzen reflects on how these regulatory benefits are too often “hidden in plain sight.” Many people not only fail to recognize these benefits, but they disparage the very idea of regulation as costly, bothersome, and damaging to their economic interests. Professor Katzen, who served in the Clinton Administration as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and then as deputy assistant to the president for economic policy and deputy director of the National Economic Council, suggests why this neglect occurs, discusses its consequences, and explains what all of us can do to make regulation and regulatory benefits less hidden.
Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service, New York University
Between December 22, 2018 and January 25, 2019, the U.S. experienced the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history. For those 35 days, operations across nine executive departments were severely curtailed or ground to a halt entirely, disrupting critical federal services and diminishing public trust in government. In this lecture, Professor Paul C. Light sees a possible silver lining in that ordeal, and offers a vision for how it could inspire long-overdue reforms of the federal civil service system.
Former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Gina McCarthy, who headed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the second term of the Obama Administration, reflects on efforts of the Trump Administration to roll back environmental rules and commitments such as the Clean Water Rule, the Clean Power Plan, and the Paris Agreement. Former Administrator McCarthy also discusses the important role that states, cities, businesses, and citizens can play in sustaining progress on environmental protection.
Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Associate Justice, California Supreme Court
Chairman, Administrative Conference of the United States
Vice President, Environment, Health & Safety, General Electric
Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard Law School
Partner, Venable LLP
