NGA, Dignity.Us Launch Center for Dignity in Politics to Strengthen Democratic Leadership and Promote Civil Discourse

New bipartisan center will equip governors with tools to foster respect, reduce political polarization and strengthen democratic culture

Thirty-nine gubernatorial elections will be held this November, with 18 incumbent governors running for reelection, and 21 incumbent governors either term-limited or not seeking reelection. The Center for Dignity in Politics will provide newly elected governors and their offices with strategies for leading through disagreement while maintaining respect, discipline and a shared commitment to public service. Through tailored training, cross-partisan dialogue, facilitated problem-solving and public engagement, the center will help governors strengthen relationships, navigate complex challenges and foster greater civic trust.

NGA CEO Brandon Tatum will serve as the president of the center, and Dignity Index co-creator Tim Shriver will serve as founding chair.

"I want to thank the National Governors Association for their leadership in inviting our team to join in founding the Center for Dignity in Politics," said Tim Shriver, Co-Founder of UNITE.Us, Chairman of Special Olympics International, and Founding Chair of the Center for Dignity in Politics."This new center stands to call on our elected leaders to treat each other with dignity while also providing practical strategies and resources to help our nation's governors act and lead in ways that honor the profound dignity inherent in every human being. The work of NGA's new center is timely, needed, and stands to help transform politics and our country for the better."

Four interrelated outcomes will serve as the center's North Star:

• Create Culture Rooted in Dignity by supporting governors and their teams in modeling leadership that reflects respect, discipline and humanity across disagreement, crisis and public service. Tools and materials that the center will provide will include the Dignity Index; skills training for reducing contempt and strengthening dialogue; models for gubernatorial problem solving, strategies for responding to violence and disaster with dignity; models of reducing dehumanization in communication and speech making; and case studies in legislative and political problem solving. The center will also partner with major American universities to develop certification and credentialing offers for those who develop expertise in these areas.
• Define and Advance Dignified Leadership by establishing dignity as a visible, measurable, and repeatable standard for public leadership and civic engagement. The center will also localize and expand a tracking poll known as the Dignity Barometer, which will enable governors to monitor the responses and cultural shifts taking place within their states.
• Measure the Impact of Dignity by researching changes in leadership language, civic trust, public discourse and indicators of democratic health to better understand the role dignity plays in effective governance. The center will also uplift the voices of Democratic and Republican governors who disagree with dignity and will hold convenings around the country and amplify the power of disagreeing with dignity.
• Develop a National Cohort of Leaders by cultivating a cross-partisan network of governors who serve as national models for dignified leadership, constructive engagement and respectful governance. The center will establish new communities of practice, including collaborations among speechwriters, press secretaries, legislative directors, political directors, communications directors and others who want to deepen their own capacity to lead with dignity while spreading the message that their governors are committed to dignity in politics, too. The center will also develop creative activations for citizens who are willing to join the dignity in politics movement, offering them opportunities to meet across divides, connect across state lines and become advocates for dignity in politics.

The initiative will build on Disagree Better, the influential NGA chair's initiative that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox launched in 2023 to improve discourse by modeling productive disagreement between all Americans, including elected leaders. Now an independent nonprofit, Disagree Better is expanding nationwide through bold campaigns and partnerships with athletes, artists, influencers and political leaders to show what respectful disagreement looks like in action.

"I'm grateful to the National Governors Association for starting the Center for Dignity in Politics to promote a unifying way of thinking that reflects the deep truth that we're all equal in the eyes of the Lord," said NGA Chair Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt. "Research shows Americans agree all people deserve to be treated with dignity, and polling continues to show Americans are concerned by political division and divisive discourse. NGA is helping offer practical, actionable tools and resources to address these concerns, and I hope my fellow governors will work closely with NGA's new center so we can find more effective ways to work together rather than tearing each other down or diminishing each other."

"Governors are committed to delivering for the people of our states - and delivering results is not a partisan issue," said NGA Vice Chair Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. "The Center for Dignity in Politics bring us all together; and, when we work together in a bipartisan way, we work towards solutions on the issues that matter to the communities that need it most."

"Since launching Disagree Better, I'm more convinced than ever that there is an exhausted majority ready and able to change our political culture. I've been grateful that so many governors from both parties have joined the campaign," said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. "Working together, we really can change the trajectory of our country, and NGA's new Center for Dignity in Politics will build on many of the principles behind the Disagree Better movement to help my fellow governors and their staff members have the tools and resources needed to continue the work to restore trust in our democracy and our fellow Americans."

Related to the center's work, NGA is also partnering with Matter Neuroscience to relaunch The Party Line project, an initiative that connects two public phones in different U.S. cities to invite real conversations between strangers. The project is designed to create a direct, unmediated human encounter between strangers who are separated by geography, culture and presumed politics, offering a unique opportunity to examine how curiosity, dignity and human connection can emerge from political division. NGA will continue to draw insight from the conversations to inform the center's programming; the project will relaunch later this year.

"NGA and Gov. Cox started the Disagree Better movement as a nonpartisan effort to demonstrate what respectful disagreement looks like in action, and it is fitting that NGA is building on its longstanding commitment to bipartisan leadership with the creation of the Center for Dignity in Politics," said Marianne Viray, executive director of Disagree Better. "Through this center, NGA will do the critically impactful work of engaging directly with governors to strengthen the relationships and skills that effective leadership requires. This is a significant step toward rebuilding the civic trust that a healthy democracy requires. When leaders from both parties engage one another with respect, they are better equipped to find common ground, solve problems and deliver meaningful results for the people they serve."

"Our North Star has always been to bring frontier science to help people build emotionally and molecularly rich lives," said Ben Goldhirsh, chairman and co-founder of Matter Neuroscience. "We also see clearly that we depend on each other to thrive and we each affect each other's happiness. That's what makes this partnership with the National Governors Association so meaningful. Together, we're helping bring the science of well-being into the national conversation as an important lens for public leadership while creating opportunities for people to connect across differences with curiosity and dignity."

The Ibis Group, a nonprofit organization committed to providing students with access to high-quality civics education to help them make informed decisions, contribute to their communities, and uphold the values of democracy, is the founding supporter of the Center for Dignity in Politics.

"We're honored to support the launch of NGA's Center for Dignity in Politics. At a time when our organization is looking to invest in dynamic leaders and organizations that demonstrate a proven ability to foster dignity and ensure a lasting impact, we recognize NGA is uniquely positioned to start a new center that will work directly with governors and their staff members to elevate the national discourse and strengthen our democratic values," said Chi Kim, Ibis Group Board Chair. "We're grateful to NGA for their vision to create the Center for Dignity in Politics, and we believe this new center will help elevate principled leadership and public discourse in ways that strengthen our democracy."

Govs. Stitt and Moore announced the launch of NGA's Center for Dignity in Politics during a conversation with Tim Shriver and NBC News "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker about restoring civility to political discourse. The discussion was part of NGA's first-ever governors "Common Ground" town hall, a national media event to discuss the issues that matter most to Americans.

To learn more about the Center for Dignity in Politics, visit NGA's website.