The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy is thrilled to welcome Steven Olikara as our new Senior Fellow for Political Transformation. A nationally recognized leader in post-partisan politics, Olikara will bring his expertise in bridge-building and democratic reform to the Institute, helping to inspire the next generation of policymakers at USC.
“Our country urgently needs to strengthen its bridge-building muscles and terminate toxic polarization,” says Olikara. “I’m thrilled to join forces with Arnold and the entire Schwarzenegger Institute team to transform our politics for the better.”
In 2013, Steven Olikara founded Future Caucus (formerly Millennial Action Project), the largest nonpartisan organization of young elected leaders in America. He became the first South Asian candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin in 2022. Steven’s political analysis has been featured on numerous news outlets including CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and the Washington Post. He’s spoken at the Harvard Institute of Politics, SXSW, and the White House. He now leads Bridge Entertainment Labs, a storytelling effort that harnesses the power of entertainment and culture to transform the divisions in America.
Olikara is no stranger to the Schwarzenegger Institute. Last year, he moderated the Bipartisan Youth Leaders Roundtable, leading a conversation among young environmental policy advocates from both sides of the aisle. As a Senior Fellow, he will continue to moderate Institute events, convene policymakers and thought leaders, and bring new voices and perspectives into the conversation. He will focus on four critical areas of political transformation: helping leaders work together across lines of difference, empowering young people to reinvigorate our politics, advancing pro-democracy reforms to incentivize better public leadership and policy, and creating narrative change through media and popular culture.
“Steven did a fantastic job moderating the Bipartisan Youth Leaders Roundtable that the Schwarzenegger Institute hosted last year,” said Conyers Davis, Global Director of the Schwarzenegger Institute. “Like Governor Schwarzenegger, Steven has a unique ability to bring people together, especially around good public policy, and I look forward to the important conversations he will lead and the solutions he will create as a Senior Fellow.”
The Schwarzenegger Institute is excited to welcome Steven Olikara to the team and looks forward to the impact he will make in his new role.