I just returned from a quick trip to Washington for Third District Day, an event hosted by Congresswomen Niki Tsongas which brought several hundred people from the Congressional District she represents here in Massachusetts to the US Capitol to hear from top elected officials and policy makers from Massachusetts and from around the country. It was an excellent and informative event and will be the basis of a number of blog posts in the coming days as I recount the remarks of each of the speakers who included:

Congressman Adam Smith (Wash. – 9th)
– Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee

Edward Davis
– Former Boston Police Commissioner
– Former Lowell Police Department Superintendent
– WBZ/CBS News Homeland Security Correspondent

Ted Leonsis
– Founder and CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment
– Owner of the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Verizon Center
– Lowell (Mass.) High School Alumni Hall of Fame

Holly Petraeus
– Director of Servicemember Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Congressman Richard Neal (MA – 1ST)
– Senior Member of the House Ways and Means Committee
– Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Self Revenue Measures
– Dean of the Massachusetts House Delegation

Congressman Joseph Kennedy (MA – 4TH)
– Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
– Member of the House Committee on Science and Technology

Senator Edward Markey (MA)
– Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
– Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
– Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
– Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA)
– Massachusetts Senior Senator
– Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
– Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
– Member of the Senate Committee on Aging

Luke Russert
– Television and Radio Journalist
– Correspondent for NBC News

General James F. Amos
– Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps
– Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: US Department of Defense

Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH-10TH)
– Member of the House Armed Services Committee
– Chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee
– Senior Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
– Co-chair of the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus

Congressman Michael Capuano (MA-7TH)
– Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
– Member of the House Financial Services Committee