Ricardo Rosselló is teaching a new Schar School of Policy and Government course aimed at “aspiring change agents or reformers,” he said. “The idea is to give students a bird’s-eye view of reform and the obstacles they face in democracies.”
The aptly named Reform in Democracies is taught by a George Mason University adjunct faculty member with firsthand experience at the top of government. Rosselló, the former governor of Puerto Rico, led the U.S. commonwealth from 2017 to 2019 as a member of the New Progressive Party.
The class begins with a wide-angle view of institutional reform before zooming in “to what I call the ‘human software’ and talk a little bit about the current political environment.” From there, he said, “I introduce concepts of the incentive systems that, even with good intent, seem to be landing on things that are harmful to ourselves collectively.”
Guest lecturers will bring their own brand of expertise, including former U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-VA), once chairman of the House Government Reform Committee; a former CIA analyst who will run a hands-on workshop; and a TED Talk veteran who will explore how shared culture and identity can shape a country.
Rosselló draws on his crisis leadership experience—steering financial reforms and coordinating recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria—and on insights from his new memoir, The Reformer’s Dilemma and the Need for a Radical Middle, which has earned national notice for its unvarnished take on political polarization, leadership under fire, and meetings with global figures including President Donald Trump.
A governor at 37, the youngest to serve in the United States, Rosselló also holds a PhD in biomedical sciences and continues work in regenerative medicine, stem cell therapies, and personalized biological diagnostics. He is also comanaging partner at a venture fund where he has leveraged his experiences in policy, business, and science.
And since the professor has managed a fiscal crisis, a Category 5 hurricane, and watched the effects of climate change on Palominitos Island firsthand, chances are class discussions won’t be hypotheticals.