Join the ACG and the Aspen Institute for an insightful virtual discussion on March 20 between German and U.S. state legislators to highlight the role of states, cities, and local governments in fostering innovation, addressing AI-related challenges, and promoting cross-border cooperation. The conversation will include Senator Lashrecse Aird (D), Senate of Virginia, Nina Eisenhardt (Alliance 90/The Greens), State Parliament of Hesse, and Franziska Müller-Rech (FDP), State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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The Future of Artificial Intelligence and Technology
March 20 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT
Senator Lashrecse D. Aird (D) was sworn into the Virginia State Senate in 2024. She previously served three terms (2016-2022) in the Virginia House of Delegates where she held the distinction as the youngest woman ever elected to that body. Senator Aird helped Virginia make history with the passage of Breonna’s Law, prohibiting the use of no-knock search warrants. Her legislation also led Virginia to become the first southern state to declare racism a public health crisis, to declare access to water a human right, and to make Virginia a leading state in combating maternal and infant mortality. She currently serves on the Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee, the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, the Behavioral Health Commission, the Fentanyl and Heroin Enforcement Task Force, and the Joint Commission on Technology and Science.
She earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia State University and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Political Leadership Program, and a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Minority Political Leadership Institute. As a result of her policy efforts, in 2020 Senator Aird was invited to serve as a Congressional European Parliament Initiative (CEPI) Fellow with the Bertelsmann Foundation.
A tireless and trusted community leader, Lashrecse Aird is actively engaged in numerous civic boards and organizations. She is the Virginia State Social Action Coordinator for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She serves on the Global Advisory Board for the Presidential Precinct. She also serves on the boards for Chippenham Johnston-Willis Hospital, the Sorensen Political Leadership Institute, Sports Backers, and the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood. She is also a member of the Responsible Leaders Network for the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt. Professionally, Lashrecse works in higher education administration at Virginia State University.
Nina Eisenhardt (Alliance 90/The Greens) is a member of the Hessian State Parliament and the spokesperson for universities, science, and artificial intelligence for the BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN parliamentary group. She studied political science at the Technical University of Darmstadt and later earned a master’s degree in International Studies: Peace and Conflict Research at Goethe University Frankfurt. She also worked at KfW Development Bank, focusing on international cooperation.
Her political journey started early—she was elected to the city council of her home town Renningen at the age of 19. A member of BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN since 2012, she has been active in various committees pushing for fairer education and science policies. She had various leading positions in her party, including serving her party’s board as state treasurer for BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN in Hesse.
On January 18, 2019, she was elected to the Hessian State Parliament, representing Groß-Gerau County and Main-Taunus County. She is member of the parliamentarian committees for science and art as well as digitalization and data protection. She focuses on future-oriented policies in science, digitalization, and higher education.
Franziska Müller-Rech (FDP) has been a member of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament since 2017. She joined the Free Democrats in 2006 during her studies. In 2015, she became deputy district chairwoman of the FDP. Since March 2018, she has succeeded Joachim Stamp as district chairwoman of the FDP in Bonn. In March 2018, she was elected to the Cologne district executive committee at the district party conference in Leverkusen.
In Bonn, Ms. Müller-Rech is a member of the school committee of the city of Bonn as an expert citizen and has been the spokesperson for school policy there since 2014. She was also a spokesperson for school policy in the FDP state parliamentary group. In the 2017 state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, Ms. Müller-Rech won a seat on her party’s state list. On January 27, 2023, she replaced Joachim Stamp in the State Parliament after leaving it in 2022 due to loss of FDP seats.
After graduating from the Erzbischöfliche Liebfrauenschule in Bonn in 2003, she studied at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences (specializing in insurance). She successfully completed an apprenticeship as an insurance saleswoman and a degree in business administration (FH). Before she entered the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament, she worked as a team manager in customer service for company pension schemes at Talanx. Ms. Müller-Rech studied “Communication & Leadership” at Quadriga University Berlin and graduated with a Master of Arts in summer 2024.