North Park Invites Adam Phillips MDiv ’06 to Campus for Fourth Annual Van Der Meid Lecture

North Park University (NPU) invites its community to attend the fourth annual Ted Van Der Meid Lecture in American Politics, featuring alumnus Adam Phillips MDiv ’06 as this year’s speaker. His lecture is titled “America 250: A Call for Courageous Leadership for the Common Good.”

Phillips previously served as CEO of Interfaith America, a nonprofit organization that aims to unite the country by bridging diverse faith communities. He also served in the Biden-Harris administration as executive director of local, faith, and transformative partnerships at the United States Agency for International Development.

Phillips will discuss the themes of his upcoming book, Power: Leadership for the Common Good. These themes include reframing how power is viewed in public life and moving away from the idea that there are winners in this sphere. Instead, Phillips argues that power is something to be “shared rather than hoarded and given rather than grasped.”

“He is a frequent writer and commentator on faith and public life, and he has been featured in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, CNN, and NPR,” said Dr. Jonathan Peterson, a professor of politics and government at NPU. “As such, he models Ted Van Der Meid’s dedication to causes greater than himself, his love of government and democracy, his mentorship to others, and his service, leadership, and devotion to North Park.”

The event will take place from 7:00–8:00 p.m. on October 28, in Anderson Chapel.

NPU’s annual Van Der Meid Lecture explores civility in politics and the pursuit of the common good, named after Theodore “Ted” Van Der Meid BA ’79, who served in various senior congressional roles and sought to bring people together across the political aisle. He was a member of the North Park Board of Trustees before his passing in 2018.