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Nancy Pelosi

Speaker Emerita, United States Congress
Nancy Pelosi
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Nancy Pelosi served as the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House.  She made history again in January 2019 when she regained her position second-in-line to the presidency – the first person to do so in more than six decades. Pelosi is the chief architect of legislation under two Democratic administrations, including the Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan.  She led House Democrats for 20 years and previously served as House Democratic Whip.  In 2013, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the American women’s rights movement.  In 2024, she was awarded by President Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Pelosi has represented San Francisco in Congress for 38 years.  She currently serves as Speaker Emerita of the House and as the Representative for California’s 11th Congressional District.

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Cascade PBS Ideas Festival

The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival is a full-day event featuring live podcast recordings and studio television tapings by The Atlantic, NPR, The New Yorker, CNN, PBS, Wondery, Pushkin, and more. Watch live as journalists, newsmakers, and thought leaders from around the world discuss the biggest issues of our time. Plus, community meetups, speaker meet-and-greets, micro-sessions, food trucks, DJs, and artists. Join us on June 6th at Fremont Studios, Picklr and Hidden Hall in the heart of Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.

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The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival offers a program that provides a spectrum of viewpoints, experiences and affiliations, and welcomes members of many communities. As a public media organization, we are responsible to act as a neutral mediator. We believe that the best way to bridge our divides is to hear from people with whom we might disagree, and to ask each other hard questions.

2026 Speakers

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