Lecture Schedule

Veteran political watchmen

James Stavridis is a retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral, former supreme allied commander of NATO, author, columnist and chief information security analyst for NBC News. Fareed Zakaria is a best-selling author, journalist and political commentator who has been called “the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation” by Esquire magazine. David Gergen is a professor of public service and founding director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School who actively works with a rising generation of new leaders.

Intrepid innovation driver

Chris Urmson’s pioneering spirit and academic training in engineering and robotics coalesce in Aurora. He’s a co-founder and CEO of the startup accelerating self-driving technology across industries that transport goods and people. Urmson has been instrumental in catalyzing and advancing the development of self-driving vehicles and the industry for the last 15 years. Prior to launching Aurora, he helped build Google’s autonomous driving program as the group’s chief technology officer from 2009 to 2016.

*rescheduled from 2022–23 season

Journalist and television personality

Lisa Ling was just 21 years old when she covered the civil war in Afghanistan, corresponding for Channel One News. She went on to become a co-host of The View; the first female host of National Geographic’s flagship show, Explore; a field correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show; a contributor to ABC News’ Nightline, the executive producer and host of multiple shows; and co-author of multiple books. Ling’s daring journalism is known to address pressing issues that are too often ignored.

Writer, activist and comedian

Baratunde Thurston is a multi-platform storyteller and producer with a unique ability for integrating and synthesizing themes of race, culture, politics and technology to explain where our nation is and where we can take it. Thurston is the host of America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston, creator and host of How to Citizen with Baratunde and a founding partner of the media startup, Puck. His memoir, How to Be Black, is a New York Times bestseller.

Filmmaker, photographer, mountain sport athlete

Jimmy Chin is a professional mountain athlete, National Geographic photographer, Academy Award-winning film director, and New York Times bestselling author. His career is without precedent; in his multiple roles as an athlete, storyteller and artist, he is equally respected for groundbreaking climbing and skiing achievements in the mountains as he is for his stunning photography and filmmaking. Chin’s passion for exploration and storytelling has taken him on breathtaking and cutting-edge expeditions around the world.

Neuroscientist and acclaimed author

Lisa Genova is a neuroscientist and acclaimed author whose extensively researched fiction focuses on people living with neurological diseases and disorders who tend to be ignored, feared or misunderstood. Genova describes the journeys of those affected by brain diseases and conditions with passion and accuracy, thereby educating, demystifying, destigmatizing and inspiring support for care and scientific research. She has written novels about Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, autism, Huntington’s disease and ALS and travels worldwide speaking about the neurological diseases she writes about.

Jeopardy! co-host and author

Ken Jennings rose to fame after a record 75-game streak and $2.52 million winnings on Jeopardy! In the wake of this life-changing experience, Jennings has appeared on various TV shows, was named one of the 10 most fascinating people of the year by Barbara Walters and signed on as permanent co-host of Jeopardy! in 2022. He is the author of several books, including New York Times bestsellers Maphead and Because I Said So.

The New Yorker writer and bestselling author

David Grann has been called “the man Hollywood can’t stop reading.” Whether crossing the ocean or trekking through the Amazon, the New York Times bestselling author and award-winning staff writer at The New Yorker magazine digs deep to give his stories a pace and intensity unlike any other. In addition to writing, Grann is a frequent speaker who discusses the art of writing, as well as topics ranging from the importance of historical memory to the dangers of complicity in unjust systems.

Member of Parliament, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Theresa May served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019, the second female in British history to hold the position. Currently, she serves as a Member of Parliament, a position she has held for over two decades. In 2005, May co-founded Women2Win, an organization dedicated to increasing the number of Conservative women in Parliament and in public life. During her time in Downing Street, the UK’s national debt fell and taxes were cut for 32 million people.