Baltimore Speakers Series

James Comey
October 2, 2018

Comey was appointed Deputy U.S. Attorney General by President George W. Bush. Appointed FBI Director in 2013 by President Obama, he served until 2017 when fired by President Trump amidst political storms regarding the investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Lisa Genova
October 23, 2018

A neuroscientist who received her Ph.D. from Harvard, Genova talks about the human brain and neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's, and what we can do to prevent them. She has written several books, including the best-selling novel Still Alice, which was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film.

Gloria Steinem
January 15, 2019 

Steinem is a nationally recognized icon of the women's liberation movement. A journalist and political activist, she was a columnist for New York magazine and co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972. Steinem has co-founded many organizations to advocate for women’s issues, including the Women's Media Center.

Jeb Bush 
January 29, 2019 

Florida’s first ever two-term Republican governor, Bush served in that position from 1999-2007. In 2016, he was candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Bush serves as Chair of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national nonprofit organization he founded to transform education in America.

Ian Bremmer
March 5, 2019 

Founder of Eurasia Group, the leading global political risk research firm, Bremmer provides analysis and expertise to diplomats and heads of state on how political developments and national security dynamics impact financial markets across the globe. He is regularly seen on CNN and the BBC, and is a foreign affairs columnist for Time.

Bryan Stevenson
March 26, 2019

As founder of the Equal Justice Initative, Stevenson has challenged bias in the criminal justice system and helped achieve court decisions that prohibit sentencing children to death or life imprisonment without parole. His memoir, Just Mercy, was on Time magazine's "10 Best Books of Nonfiction."

Jay Leno
April 23, 2019 

After performing stand-up comedy for years, Leno became host of NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after Johnny Carson’s retirement in 1992. Leno dominated the late night TV ratings for more than two decades. He hosted his last episode of The Tonight Show in 2014. He currently hosts Jay Leno's Garage on CNBC.