Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Meet the change leaders: Mark Gerzon

Mark Gerzon headshot

Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

Mark Gerzon, president and founder of Mediators Foundation, has specialized in leadership that bridges divides. His concern about the increasing polarization in America led him to devote the past three decades to working on the ideological frontier between the left and right.


In speaking of his work Gerzon, commented:

“Mediators Foundation serves as a lighthouse. It is here to serve not only our own projects but a wider community of common work. Having passed the landmark age of 70, I’m more aware than ever that it is our common, cross-generational work that gives us faith in our future.”  

He co-designed and served as the head facilitator for bipartisan congressional retreats in the late 1990s and has spent the following years catalyzing deeper dialogue across the political spectrum. This work led to his most recent book, “ The  Reunited States of America, ” which inspired the film “ The Reunited States, ” now playing on Amazon Prime.

As an experienced facilitator in high-conflict zones, he has advised a wide variety of organizations including Congress, multinational corporations and the United Nations Development Program. He is also a leading author of books in the field of conflict transformation, including “ A House Divided ” (1996), “ Leading Through Conflict ” (2006) and “ Global Citizens ” (2010).

Gerzon lives with his wife, Melissa, in Boulder, Colo., and has three sons and eight grandchildren.

To hear Gerzon speak, check out his TedTalk in Vail and another TedTalk in Saltillo, Mexico.

I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Gerzon in late July for the CityBiz “Meet the Change Leaders” series. Watch to learn the full extent of his democracy reform work:

The Fulcrum interviews Mark Gerzon, President and Founder of Mediators Foundationwww.youtube.com

Read More

Senator Maggie Hassan Tops National Rankings for Cross-Party Work

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Labor Department, greets Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) as she arrives for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on February 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla

Senator Maggie Hassan Tops National Rankings for Cross-Party Work

Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) is the most bipartisan member of Congress per the rankings of multiple organizations.

According to the Pew Research Center, 61 percent of Americans in 2023 stated that having political conversations with those who have different political beliefs are “stressful” and “frustrating,” a 10 percent increase from 2016. But Sen. Hassan said the best way she finds common ground with her colleagues, regardless of political affiliation, is to discuss what they are hearing from their constituents since she finds Americans across the country are experiencing many problems.

Keep ReadingShow less
What if We Fired the Parties?

"They want us divided sign" that represents partisanship among democrats and republicans.

Getty Images, Jena Ardell

What if We Fired the Parties?

Like many Americans, I have been increasingly disappointed by the candidates promoted by political parties because they tend to back candidates who are ultimately focused on personal gain and/or only advancing issues predetermined by party priorities while moving further away from responding to the needs of their constituents. According to The Guardian, in the 2024 election, the number of eligible voters who did not cast their ballot is more than the total of those who voted for either of the party candidates. So, maybe the real issue is that our political party system just isn’t working for most Americans anymore. Assuming this is even partially true, what if, instead of just complaining about the parties or holding our noses and voting for the "lesser evil" every November, we actually fired the parties—took away their grip on our democracy and built something better.

For decades, we've been told we only have two choices. But more and more Americans don't feel truly represented by either major party. We're exhausted by the noise, the blame games, the endless culture wars that solve nothing and only serve to increasingly marginalize portions of our citizenry. Americans want real solutions on housing, healthcare, education, wages, and the future we're leaving for the next generation. And we're not getting them. So, maybe it's time to ask a radical but necessary question: What if the problem isn't just the candidates but the political party system that keeps producing them?

Keep ReadingShow less
A Stunning Verdict: A Shared Vision of Justice Unites Americans

A gavel and handcuffs.

Getty Images, -Oxford-

A Stunning Verdict: A Shared Vision of Justice Unites Americans

America’s political landscape is deeply divided. The shouting matches, the name-calling, the constant finger-pointing—it's easy to feel like unity is a pipe dream. But every so often, something remarkable happens. Something that cuts through the noise and reminds us that, despite our differences, we might still agree on some of the most important things.

That’s exactly what occurred when a group of unlikely allies—staunch conservatives and progressive advocates—came together to craft a new declaration of principles for criminal justice policy.

Keep ReadingShow less
How Veterans, Plane Travel, and Sausages Lead to Less Partisanship

The United States Capitol building.

Getty Images, bloodua

How Veterans, Plane Travel, and Sausages Lead to Less Partisanship

It’s no secret that partisanship is more intense than at any other time in recent history. And these intense political feelings don’t just play themselves out through gridlock in Congress. The threats of political violence have increased dramatically. Politics seeps into the workplace, resulting in coarse relations with colleagues (and, according to research, reduced productivity). And polls show that we’re just not “hanging out” with friends like we used to.

This makes it even more important to celebrate the discovery of examples of collaboration and strategies for improving our collective national character. One recent event revealed such examples. The nonprofit group Business for America recently held an event in Washington D.C., “ Across the Aisle: How Leaders Find Common Ground in a Divided Era.” The event featured elected officials and staff discussing the recurring factors in finding common ground in partisan times.

Keep ReadingShow less