Fifth Round of Exchanges 2025
The transformation of societies and decline of social cohesion is a shared challenge across the Atlantic. Where social erosion prevails, societies fail. To address these issues, the Laboratories of Democracy Initiative provides a platform for state and provincial legislators from Germany, the U.S., and Canada to exchange innovative ideas and best practices which are necessary to mitigate negative impacts and positively shape policy-making. In addition to questions of state leadership, subnational diplomacy, and transatlantic cooperation, the fifth round of exchanges is centered around the core issue of social cohesion and the power of belonging.
Aspen Institute Germany hosted two 5-day in-person meetings between German, U.S., and Canadian state and provincial legislators as part of its annual “Laboratories of Democracy” program. The first of the delegation trips took place from February 25 to March 1, 2025, in Dresden, Saxony, Germany, and the second trip took place from May 13 to 17, 2025, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Between December 2024 and July 2025 a range of interactive virtual sessions were held.
Click through the slideshow below to view some impressions from the 2025 cohort’s trip to Dresden and Toronto:
Meet the State and Provincial Legislators of the 2025 Cohort
State and Provincial Legislators of the 2025 Cohort:
Senator Lashrecse D. Aird (D), Member of the Senate of Virginia; MLA Benoît Bourque (New Brunswick Liberal Party), Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick; MPP Stephanie Bowman (Ontario Liberal Party), Deputy Third Party House Leader in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; Tom Brüntrup MdL (CDU), Member of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia; Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R), Majority Caucus Vice-Chair of the Wisconsin Senate; Senator Stephanie Chang (D), Member of the Michigan Senate; MLA Tyler DesRoches, (Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Party), Member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island; MHA James Dinn, (Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party) Party Leader in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly; Sabine Enseleit MdL (CDU), Member of the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; MLA Wayne Ewasko (Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party), Interim Leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba; Delegate Mike Griffith (R), Member of the Maryland House of Delegates; MLA Suzy Hansen (Nova Scotia New Democratic Party), Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly; Thomas Huber MdL (CSU), Chair of the Committee for Labor and Social Affairs, Youth, and Family in the Bavarian State Parliament; MLA Margaret Johnson (Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick), Critic for Social Development and Seniors Affairs in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick; MLA Lisa Lachance (Nova Scotia New Democratic Party), Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly; Mike Lynch (R), Former Member of the Colorado House of Representatives (2021-2025); Representative Zach Mako (R), Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; Katja Meier MdL (Alliance 90/The Greens), Member of the Saxon State Parliament; Lena Nzume MdL (Alliance 90/The Greens), Member of the State Parliament of Lower Saxony; Representative Sam Park (D), Whip of the Democratic Caucus in the Georgia House of Representatives; Katrin Rehak-Nitsche MdL (SPD), Member of the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate; MLA Nicole Sarauer (Saskatchewan New Democratic Party), Opposition House Leader in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan; Delegate Stephanie M. Smith (D), Chair of the Education and Economic Development Subcommittee of the Maryland House of Delegates; Representative Joanne Stehr (R), Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; Jessica Steiner MdL (CDU), Member of the Saxon State Parliament; Dr. Simone Strohmayr MdL (SPD), Member of the Bavarian State Parliament; Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D), Chair of the Community Development and Women’s Affairs Committee of the New Jersey General Assembly; Lena Teschlade MdL (SPD), Member of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia; MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos (Ontario Progressive Conservative Party), Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; Björn Wohlert MdA (CDU), Member of the Berlin House of Representatives.
The project is supported by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany, funded by the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).
