A-Team at Furman links policy-minded students with decision-makers

As members of the Riley Institute at Furman University’s Advance Team, students can be in the room where it happens, learning how the game gets played, the art of the trade, how the sausage gets made.   

The A-Team, a group of students passionate about politics, gather twice a month to discuss current events and potential policy solutions. They’re the Riley Institute’s event ambassadors, handling logistics at many events on and off campus and networking with the movers and shakers of local, state and national politics. Each year they plan a Cultural Life Program event, inviting students and the community to a panel discussion about important policy debates. 

This year’s CLP, “Controversy and Curriculum: Exploring Culture Wars in South Carolina’s Schools,” brought three education policy experts to campus to discuss how cultural disagreements affect education: Michigan State University professor and author Josh Cowen, OnTrack Greenville Executive Director Edward Anderson and former South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. This CLP was hosted March 12 at the Trone Student Center. 

“The students select the topic and speakers, so we have a couple brainstorming sessions and we vote on a few ideas that rise to the top,” said Kendall Gallagher-King, director of student programs at the Riley Institute. The whole team submits ideas, and a smaller CLP committee takes their input to craft questions for the panel discussion. The committee is responsible for creating and sending invitations to prospective guest speakers. 

The group isn’t just for politics majors. “We have students from more than 20 different majors on the team,” said Anna Hicks ’25, a politics and international affairs major from Alpharetta, Georgia and the Advance Team lead. Their diversity of knowledge and experience keeps the discourse varied and provides students of all backgrounds the chance to network with influential community leaders.

“Being a part of a group like the Advance Team is incredibly inspiring and pushes me to find new and inventive ways to engage others in policy discussions,” Hicks said. “The community we have built through the team has encouraged and empowered me to effectively communicate my opinions about important policies and issues.” 

One of the most rewarding experiences the A-Team offers students is attending the annual Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative and Civic Awards Dinner in Columbia. The Riley Institute’s dinner brings together state legislators and business and community leaders to honor two people for exemplary achievements and commitment to people’s wellbeing statewide. “It always reminds me how important the work we do is and showcases great leadership from South Carolina for the members of the Advance Team to look up to,” Hicks said. 

Emilee O’Brien ’17 is now the director of policy and advocacy for United Way of Greenville County, but she fondly remembers her days in the A-Team, mixing and mingling at the Riley-Wilkins dinner with people engaged in drafting state and federal policy. 

Each year the Riley Institute at Furman University’s Advance Team organizes a CLP event featuring a panel discussion on public policy, inviting guests from campus and beyond, like this discussion on controversy in South Carolina’s schools on March 12, 2025. Photo by Jeremy Fleming.

Talks she had with politicos in various settings “opened my eyes to potential career paths and areas of study that I would otherwise not have had exposure to,” she said. “The A-Team taught me not to be intimidated by people’s titles or experiences, and to have a sense of curiosity in every interaction with political stakeholders.” 

O’Brien said the team built her confidence and has made her more comfortable in her current role with public speaking and meeting political players. “Looking back now, it’s no surprise that I pursued a graduate degree and professional role in advocacy and state-level policy after my time in the A-Team,” she said. 

The connections students make through the team can and have kickstarted careers, Gallagher-King said. But team members have the chance to be role models to one another. Hicks said the team’s previous leaders, Lily Meyer ’24 and Madison Wyman’23, were among her most inspirational mentors. 

“They have been great examples of what true leadership looks like and how to encourage more community engagement,” Hicks said. 

To learn more about how to get involved with the Advance Team and be in the room where it happens, or the Riley Institute’s other programs, visit furman.edu/riley.