Penn Government and Politics Association hosted 2016 College graduate and Solicitor General of Missouri Louis Capozzi for a Thursday fireside chat.
The April 9 event, held at the Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics, was co-hosted by The Federalist Society and The Andrea Mitchell Center. Capozzi — valedictorian of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s class of 2019 — discussed his time at Penn and lessons learned throughout his career.
Capozzi, who was also the co-founder of GPA, expressed that “it’s a special joy to be invited to speak to an organization that you founded” in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian.
“I love connecting with up-and-coming people and providing support and advice and mentorship where I can,” Capozzi added.
The event was part of the programming for GPA’s inaugural Government and Politics Week, which is dedicated to the application of public policy expertise.
Capozzi, who was appointed the solicitor general of Missouri in July 2025, discussed his work during the event — including handling appeals, special litigation, and significant legal cases. Capozzi also reflected on the balance of power in the American government and the “important role” state solicitor generals play.
“I think that part of the responsibility of being in government and being a state solicitor general is to get out and educate people,” Capozzi told the DP.
Edward Ghoul, a second-year student at Penn Carey Law and event attendee, highlighted Capozzi’s “wealth of knowledge, perspective, and advice.”
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“In general, Lou is very good about mentorship, giving advice, and just being a leader of the community,” Ghoul said. “That’s something that everybody can learn from at Penn.”
Capozzi highlighted the “timely” nature of the event, emphasizing that “having free and open debate is just as important as ever.”
College sophomore Ferenc Brezo, president of GPA and chief coordinator of the organization’s Government and Politics Week events, noted the impact of hosting an alumnus who works in politics.
“I think the Penn community could gain a good example of how they can utilize this school’s resources to achieve something interesting and spectacular in fields of government.” Brezo told the DP.
Capozzi also offered advice to undergraduates interested in pursuing politics, highlighting the importance of critical thinking skills.
“Being able to take ideas seriously, and being able to charitably understand opposing points of view is extremely important,” he told the DP. “That will make you better able to work with and negotiate with people of different perspectives, and it’ll make you a better advocate in support of your own position.”
The fireside chat was moderated by College first-year Peter Kennedy, who is the vice president of membership at GPA and a DP staffer.
During the event, Capozzi discussed GPA’s evolution since its founding in 2012 — when the first events were hosted in his first-year dorm room. While he was involved in GPA, the club hosted notable figures including Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Supreme Court of the United States associate justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Penn professor Cam Gray, an event attendee who knew Capozzi as a Penn undergraduate, expressed appreciation for GPA’s mission to be “really self-consciously nonpartisan or bipartisan."
“I always appreciated Louis as a deeply thoughtful, intellectual conversationalist,” Gray told the DP.
