Join us for a COSSPP Alumni Talk with U.S. Representative Jason Altmire on Wednesday, October 29, at 4:30 p.m. in the Starry Conference Room in Rovetta B (RBB 214). The talk will be preceded by a reception at 3:30 p.m.
An FSU Political Science graduate and three-term congressman from Pennsylvania, Jason Altmire, D.B.A., is the author of “Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About It.” His book chronicles his experiences as a moderate in increasingly polarized times, while exploring the root causes and offering solutions to the problem.
Before graduating in 1990, Dr. Altmire was a walk-on member of the school’s 1988 football team, where as a scout-team member, he frequently lined up in practice against legendary Seminole defensive back Deion Sanders.
Upon graduation, he served as a congressional staffer in Washington, DC, working six years for the congressman who represented the Tallahassee area at that time. He earned a master’s degree in health administration from George Washington University, then spent several years as a health care executive in his home area of western Pennsylvania.
In 2006, he ran for Congress against an incumbent who had been in public office for 16 years, defeating her in one of the most watched congressional races in the nation. During his three terms in office, he established a reputation as a bipartisan centrist willing to work with both sides of the aisle, so much so that the nonpartisan publication National Journal ranked Dr. Altmire as the having the most centrist voting record in the entire House of Representatives. He has been profiled in every major newspaper in the country and is a frequent guest and commentator on political podcasts and national cable news programs.
Today, Dr. Altmire is CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities, the national association representing America’s trade schools. He has served on more than two dozen boards and civic organizations at local and international levels, including serving as a member of the U.S. State Department’s Speakers Program, which designates American leaders to represent the country at overseas engagements.
He and his wife have endowed Florida State University’s Jason and Kelly Altmire Civil Discourse Fund, established to convene programs that allow students to gather, share ideas, and engage in bipartisan discussions.
This talk is brought to you by the College of Social Sciences & Public Policy Student Leadership Council and FSU’s Student Engagement Board.