Northwestern Intersections

Since she was a student at Northwestern, University Trustee Jane S. Hoffman ’86 (’21 P) has been interested in how messages and media are constructed and consumed. And found she could help others understand complex subjects through storytelling and accessible language, and through public service. As Commissioner of Consumer Affairs in New York City, Hoffman found herself never tiring of hearing people's problems and finding solutions. During her run for Lieutenant Governor of New York she describes how she had the opportunity to tour the entire state and listen to her potential constituents and understand the issues impacting them and their communities. Hoffman tell us how she later founded the Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy to help force politicians and their policy makers to talk about the existential threat of climate change in a public forum. And subsequently introduce language around climate change into common discourse. Helping others understand complex subjects such as data, privacy, money, and