The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs is pleased to announce that alumnus Andrew Thompson will deliver the keynote address at the school's Celebration of Student Achievement ceremony.

The celebration will take place at GW's Charles E. Smith Center, 600 22nd Street, NW, on Friday, May 14, at 2 p.m. Thompson received a B.A. from the Elliott School in 1985 and has a long record of public service to his hometown of Tiburon, Calif.

He was a member of the Tiburon Town Council from 1992 to 2003 and was elected in 1995 and 2001 to serve as the town mayor. Thompson also has served as chairman of both the Marin Economic Commission in Marin County, Calif., and the Richardson Bay Regional Agency. We are delighted that Andrew will be returning to the Elliott School to speak at this year's celebration, said Elliott School Dean Harry Harding.

His dedication to public service is an excellent example for our graduating students as they prepare for the next phase of their lives.

Celebration of Student Achievement Address
The Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University May 14, 2004

by Andrew Thompson, BA '85

"the success of our democracy is dependent on the quality of our participation".

Thank you Dean Harding for that introduction. It's great to be back at GW with so many familiar faces, and on such a special day. Today is a great day. It's a great day for you. It's the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, long nights at the library, exams, term papers. And I hope it marks a major stage in your personal development, as well, as you're about to depart to a new life, launch a career, travel and explore the world.

This is a great day for me. It's a great day because I get to come talk to you. And I know what you're thinking, because I was sitting where you sit not so many years back. I had similar hopes, concerns, opportunities, and challenges. And it's because I've been where you are that Dean Harding has invited me to talk today.

I don't fit the mold of a "traditional" commencement speaker — I'm not a head of State, author or congressman. In fact, my business card says I'm a commercial real estate broker in San Francisco. But what I want to talk about today isn't, you'll be happy to know, leasing contracts. I'd rather talk about something else. something I got involved in after I left GW. And, to be honest, it's something I never thought I'd be doing at that time. It's about my interest in local and regional government and, more importantly, leadership. OK, so now you're thinking. I just spent four years (or more!) learning about international relations, and they got a guy up here talking about town hall meetings. What gives?

Dean Harding asked me to give you some words to live by. So I'd like to try and do this. When I sat where you're sitting, I knew exactly what I was going to do. I wanted to be a diplomat and work at the the State Department. I had already studied overseas; trekked across Spain on horseback for three months following the route of Don Quixote; interned at the White House and the Exim Bank. That was the plan — two blocks down to State on C Street.

But things didn't work out quite as I'd planned. Life intervened. I'd lost my dad as a kid and my mother got cancer soon after I graduated from GW, so ended up back in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eventually, I ended up living in the house where I grew up. This wasn't where I thought I'd be. But I lived in an incredibly beautiful area, with a great quality of life. As I became more involved in my community I began to question major decisions that would impact the town for years to come. I wondered how the citizens, my friends and neighbors, could sit by and let these things happen. And I realized that something had to be done about it.

Then it hit me — I had to do it. If I didn't like something that was going on in my community, I should stand up and say it. So, in 1992, in my late 20s, I ran for the Tiburon Town Council. As I prepared my "campaign," it struck me how many really smart people with so much to bring to the community were not actively participating. I came to realize thoughtful participation was the key. I coined the phrase: "the success of our democracy is dependent on the quality of our participation". I want to underline the word "quality" because that's what makes the real difference. Anyone can punch a ballot based on the influence of TV ads or campaign signs, but that doesn't improve the quality of our decision-making.

So I got out there and encouraged participation. I met as many citizens as I could and urged them to get involved. This paid off, and I was elected on my first try, the youngest town council member Tiburon had ever had. Early on, I learned some important rules that make a lot of sense in both politics and business. Here are the rules to live by that I promised to Dean Harding. They're pretty straightforward, and you've probably heard them before. But knowing them and living them are two very different things.

First: Don't promise anything you can't deliver. You can get away with being a flake in high school and college, but let me tell you, it's OVER. In business, government, or anywhere else, it'll take you years to build a solid reputation. But make one promise you can't deliver, and you'll be back to square one. Be honest with yourself and others.

Next, the most important rule in politics: Listen. You don't have to agree with someone, but you do need to listen. The most important thing is to make sure your audience knows that you fully understand their point of view. If they do, and you vote against them, they will still respect you. If your constituents think you didn't listen and understand them, they will hate you forever!! Everyone deserves to be heard and understood.

Next: The ends don't justify the means. How you do things is as important as the goal you're trying to reach. The right way isn't always the easy way, but it's the right way. To illustrate this in my work, I refuse to take special interest money or endorsements even from organizations I support. I don't belong to a political party, and I impose my own campaign finance reform by (self) limiting my campaign spending. I chose to do this because I'm a leader first, a politician second. Call me crazy but I really believe that good guys CAN finish first and I've proven it in my two successful campaigns for mayor.

This leads to my final rule: Stay true to your core values. Don't do things because it's the corporate culture, because other people are doing it, because you saw it on reality TV. When you see something wrong, stop it. Think Enron, Tyco, or, at a local level, a colleague or classmate who's pushed the limits on, say, harassment or racism, and doesn't see it yet.

So why am I explaining all these rules?

It gets me to the real message I want to leave with you today. It involves politics and leadership. This is appropriate, since we're in the middle of a Presidential campaign shaping up to be one of the nastiest in memory.

The bottom line is, I hate politics. I know that sounds strange based on what I've just told you about my career, but it's the truth. Why? Because politics is about power and control, not about doing the right thing.

You go to school in Washington, DC. You know what I mean. Politics is divisive when it should be inclusive. It's about whatever it takes to win.

Look back at what I said a few minutes ago on the rules to live by. Don't promise what you can't deliver; listen; the ends don't justify the means, stay true to core values. It's pretty hard to find a politician today who lives by these rule.

On the other hand, this is what defines a leader. A leader does what he says, listens to others, cares about how objectives are achieved, and operates with integrity. So, which would you rather be? Fairly easy choice, right, well, guess what? You don't have the choice. You are leaders whether you like it or not.

Before you entered college, you were judged by your peers. As college graduates, you've entered a distinguished minority and, society will now look to you for guidance. Every action you now take will require some degree of leadership. This sounds like a big responsibility but it's really not. Being a leader isn't difficult. It's easy. Because it's about being true to yourself and your convictions, about doing what's right in any situation. About living by the rules I've just talked about.

Embrace the responsibility of leadership. Realize that it's not about power or position, as in politics, but about standing up for what we believe in and inspiring others to do the same. It's about our actions and the positions we take. Take the right positions.

As we look at the world you're entering as graduates of GW, it's clear that we need more good leaders. I'm not just talking about in government, although that's the obvious case. I'm talking about in business, education, and in the non-profit sector. We need leaders, real leaders, to move the world forward. You have the tools, you have the education, and you have the ability. Now go and discover your passion.

And, remember your responsibility as a leader.