with Bärbel Hestert-Vecoli,

Managing Director Corporate Reputation, Edelman Deutschland

 

Frederick J. Riley,

Executive Director, Weave: The Social Fabric Project, Aspen Institute

 

Prof. Dr. Jared Sonnicksen,

Professor for Political Systems, RWTH Aachen University

 

On both sides of the Atlantic, trust in institutions – ranging from governments and political parties to the media and science organizations – is declining. Democratic decision-making becomes harder and populist forces gain ground. In Germany, confidence in the federal government has fallen to just over a third of the population, while in the United States, trust in Congress, the courts, and the media has reached historic lows. This crisis of trust fuels grievances and polarization, threatening democratic norms and social cohesion. How should we interpret these transatlantic trust trends? What are the root causes of this loss of confidence in institutions? How do the dynamics differ between Germany and the United States, and where do we see common patterns? And what innovative approaches offer hope for bridging divides and restoring trust?

We are looking forward to discussing these and further questions with:

 

Bärbel Hestert-Vecoli is Managing Director of Edelman Germany’s Corporate Reputation Practice and, since January 2025, also serves as Corporate Affairs Lead in Italy. Edelman publishes the annual Trust Barometer, a global study measuring public trust in institutions such as business, government, media, and NGOs. With more than 20 years of experience in strategic communication and corporate reputation, Hestert-Vecoli advises companies and institutions on positioning, public engagement, and building trusted relationships with stakeholders. She has extensive sector expertise in healthcare, nutrition, energy, and technology, as well as in sustainability communications. As an expert in integrated corporate campaigning, she has overseen numerous award-winning campaigns. Previously, she headed the Public Affairs business at Burson and held senior leadership roles at Weber Shandwick. She studied philosophy and literature in Münster, Rome, and Berlin.

 

Frederick J. Riley is the Executive Director of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. He previously served as the Chief Advancement Officer for the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati where he provided strategic leadership in financial development, advancing the YMCA mission through annual giving, government and foundation grants, endowment bequests, along with gifts and capital campaigns. Before joining the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, he served as the National Director of Urban Development for YMCA of the USA, the Y’s national resource office. There, he served as the principal thought leader and strategist for programs and services impacting over three million teens around the country. He has also served in similar leadership roles for the YMCA of Southwest Illinois, Metro Atlanta YMCA and the National Conference of Black Mayors. He is passionate about the development of communities and people. He has spent almost two decades ensuring the positive life trajectory for youth with a focus on urban, under-served communities and poverty.

 

Prof. Dr. Jared Sonnicksen is Professor of Political Systems at the Institute of Political Science at RWTH Aachen University. He studied German and Political Science at Wabash College in Indiana, USA. In 2001, Sonnicksen came to Germany on a Fulbright scholarship and pursued studies in Political Science, Modern German Literature, and History at the University of Bonn. In 2013, he earned his doctorate at the University of Bonn with a dissertation on the political system of the European Union and its democratization. From 2013 to 2019, Sonnicksen was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Political Science at Darmstadt University of Technology, where he completed his habilitation on tensions between federalism and democracy in the United States. His research and teaching focus on the analysis and comparison of political systems—particularly in Europe and North America—federalism and multilevel governance, as well as the challenges of democratic governance under conditions of complexity.

 

This event will be held in English.

 

 

 

This event is held in cooperation with the Aspen Institute Germany and Edelman and is kindly supported by the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia.