2022 Speakers & Topics

  • Andrew Delbanco, Ph.D., “The Future of the Humanities, The Future of Our Country”
  • Ben Hecht, “The Power of Personal Agency: Social Change in 2021 and Beyond”
  • Heather Walsh-Haney, Ph.D., “Assessing Life by Investigating Death as a Forensic Anthropologist”
  • Myiah Hutchens, Ph.D., “Political Polarization: Our National Divide”
  • Matthew Hauer, Ph.D., “Sea Level Rise and Human Migration”
  • George Day, “Preparing for What’s Next: How Vigilant Organizations Stay Ahead”
  • Albert Keidel, Ph.D., “China and the U.S. – Mirroring Our Times”
  • Frank Verpoorten, “Turnaround of a Venerable Arts Institution – Naples Art”
  • Daniel Markovits, Ph.D., “Meritocracy: The Human Resource Curse”
  • Jennifer Sandoval, Ph.D., “Diversity: More than a Buzzword. The Real Story”
  • German Consul General Andreas Siegel, “Navigating the Crisis in Ukraine: The German Perspective.”

2021 Speakers & Topics

  • Mark Schulman, Ph.D., “Election 2020: A Pollster Takes a Deep Dive into Where We Stand”
  • Marissa J. Levine, MD, MPH, “COVID-19 Adapting to Change (with a capital “C”)”
  • Adrian Bardon, Ph.D., “The What, How, and the Why of Science Denial”
  • Gregg Tolley, Ph.D., Michael Saverese, Ph.D. and Michael Parsons, Ph.D., “The FGCU Water School: Who We Are and What We Do,” “Coastal Resilience & Climate Change Preparedness SWFL,” and “Water Quality & Harmful Algae Blooms: What Do We Know & What’s Being Done in Our Current Environment?”
  • Theodore Bridis, “The Importance of Investigative Journalism in Our Current Environment”
  • Robert Bertini, Ph.D., “The Future of Mobility: Transportation Tomorrow”
  • Sandra Kauanui, Ph.D., “Teaching Entrepreneurship: Creating An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in SWFL by Making the Possible Real”
  • William Felice, Ph.D., “The Ethical Dimensions to International Relations and American Foreign Policy”
  • Sandra Schneider-Wright, Ph.D., “How We Make Decisions: Hidden Influences; Why Some Decisions Are Not What They Seem”
  • Darrell Slider, Ph.D., “Russia and Putin: Why Can’t We Work with Putin? U.S. – Russian Relations and Our Elections”

2020 Speakers & Topics

  • James Carroll, “A HISTORY OF HATE: From Antisemitism and Islamophobia to White Supremacy and Contempt for Immigrants”
  • Dr. Don Chambers, “Climate Science, Sea Level Rise”
  • Dr. Martine Extermann, “Personalized Oncology: Age, the tumor, and the patient”
  • Gene Healy, J.D., “Executive Power and the Role of the Presidency”
  • Dr. Mark Schulman,  “Election Polling”

2019 Speakers & Topics

  • Eileen Connolly-Keesler & Mary Beth Geier, “Community Assessment”
  • Dr. Michael Martin, “How FGCU Makes Naples More Successful”
  • Dr. Lawrence (Larry) Hall, “Artificial Intelligence (AI)”
  • Dr. Clay Calvert, “The 1st Amendment, Hate Speech on College Campuses”
  • Dr. Mosely, MD, MHA, FACEP “The Future of U.S. Healthcare and a focus on Florida and SWFL”
  • Dr. Mohammed Al-Hakim & Larry Dublin “Ethics”
  • Dr. Stephen Ligett,  “Genomics, Personalized Medicine”

 

2018 Speakers & Topics

  • Jeffrey Haut, Gregg Scasny & Paul J. Vitchock, “Cyber Security, Is there any? Exploring established Norms in Cyberspace”
  • Nick Penniman & Nick V. Penniman, “What’s Real About Fake News, And How To Fix It”
  • Rob Moher, “The ECOnomics of Southwest Florida’s Environment”
  • Dr. Jaclynn Faffer, “The Golden Years, Contract of Silence”
  • Sandy Parker, “Public Education in Florida and Why Collier’s 2018 School Board Election is Important to You”
  • Kristen Coury & Jeff Binder, “The Importance of the Arts in a Healthy Community”
  • Dr. Nicola Foote,  “Pirates, Darwin, & Ecotourism: Histories of Human Settlement in the Galapagos Islands”

2017 Speakers & Topics

  • Mitch Hutchcraft, “Balancing Growth and Conservation: The Eastern Collier Multi Species Conservation Plan”
  • Tarik Ayasun, “Turkey in Search of her Identity, Islamic Republic or Secular Democracy”
  • John Woolschlager, Neville Williams & Mike Vergona, “Can we have Solar and Renewable Energy for Florida and the World?”
  • Ms. Annette Klein, “Germany’s Perspective on the Shifting World Order”
  • Mark Strain, “The Future of Collier County: Outlook for Growth, Infrastructure and Service Needs”
  • Kris De Welde, Mohamad Al-Hakim, Sachiko Tankei-Aminian, Roger Green & Glenn Whitehouse, “Diverse Views on Diversity”
  • Adria Stark, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Leaving a Legacy: Will you Leave a Mess for your Spouse?”

2016 Speakers & Topics

  • Jack Boorman, “The World Economy”
  • JoAnne Creighton, Dennis Smith, Jim Jacobs & Glenn Whitehouse, “What is College for Anyway?”
  • Nicola Foote, “Cuba and US”
  • Lewis Booth, “The World Auto Industry: What’s on the Road Ahead?”
  • Four Foreign Military Generals, “Our World: What’s It All About, Alfie?”
  • Frank Verpoorte, “A Treasure Trove of Art at Our Fingertips”
  • Ray Judah, “Climate, Water, and Us”

2015 Speakers & Topics

  • Dr. Allen Weiss, “The Blue Zones Project: What it’s All About”
  • Susan MacManus, “Florida Politics: Looking Back at 2014 and Forward to 2016”
  • Bruce Zellner, “Economic Inequality: What is the Problem?”
  • Jennifer Hecker & Nicole Johnson, “Land Use, Drilling & Mining in Eastern Collier County”
  • Phil Reid, “The FBI and Pan AM 103, the story of a remarkable agent”
  • Carrie Kerskie, “Identity theft, More of a Financial Risk?”
  • Dr. Stephen Schwartz, “Macular Degeneration Update 2015 & Beyond”

2014 Speakers & Topics

  • David Schimmel, “Behavioral Health & You”
  • Jack Boorman, “The Economy”
  • William Mitsch, “Wetlands Can Protect the Gulf & the Everglades”
  • Judge R. Mañalich, “Domestic Violence and Criminal Courts in Collier County to Include 2012 Florida Innocence Commission Findings”
  • Barbara Coombs Lee, “The Crisis of Care and Choice of Life’s End”
  • Robert R. Jones, “Edison State College, Serving an Evolving Role in Collier County and SW Florida Higher Education”
  • Eileen Connolly-Keesler, “What is a Community Foundation and How will it Affect the Largest Transfer of Wealth Ever?”

2013 Speakers & Topics

  • Brad Gordon, “U.S. Foreign Policy & Nuclear Issues”
  • Michael Ciresi, “Financial Institutions – Can You Spell ‘Fiduciary’?”
  • Kathleen VanBergen, “The Phil, Values and New Directions — Quality,
    Transparency, Collaboration”
  • Mei-Mei Chan, “The American dream: overcoming the roadblocks to success”
  • Nick Penniman, “Florida’s Water Wars:  How could a state receiving fifty-five inches of rainfall every year possibly run out of drinking water?”
  • Paul Woods, “Growing Ethanol in our Backyard: Alternative Energy
    Prospects & Problems”
  • Leon Hesser, Ph.D., “How Many More People Can the Earth Feed?”

2012 Speakers & Topics

  • Tarik N. Ayasun, “Turkey: An Emerging Power and Player”
  • Jack Boorman, Ph.D.,  “The World and US Economies”
  • David Shepard, M.B.A. & Leonard Ferenz, Ph.D., “Medical Device Developments & Ethical Issues”
  • Gary Jackson, Ph.D., “The Florida & SWFL Economies & Concerns”
  • Ronald Riner, M.D., “The Medical & Medicare Crisis. Who Will Provide Our Care?”
  • Todd Foege, M.B.A., “The Naples Wine Festival and its Support of Our Children”
  • Peter Bergerson, Ph.D., “The 2012 Elections. Winners & Losers”

2011 Speakers & Topics

  • Edward A. Morton, M.B.A., M.S., “The Politics and Economics of Healthcare”
  • Ronald Goldfarb, JSD: “Legal Issues of Privacy”
  • Joe Cox, Executive Director, C’MON, Merlin Lickhalter, FAIA, FACHA, Maestro William Noll, Rose Mary Everett, VP ArtsNaples World Festival: “New Attractions Coming to Town”
  • Kenneth P. Walker, Ph.D. and Jeff Allbritten, Ph. D., Edison State College: “A New Educational Paradigm”
  • Mitch Hutchcraft, VP, King Ranch and Andrew McElwaine, President, Conservancy of SW Florida: “Land Issues in Southwest Florida”
  • Thomas Storrar, Director of Fusion Center, Collier County Sheriff’s Office & Rich Worms, FBI Special Agent: “Post 9/11—Guarding Against the Threat of Terrorism in Southern Florida”
  • Lyn Millner, MFA, Assistant Professor, FGCU: “Given the Changing Face of Journalisn, Can the Quality of Journalistic Reporting be Maintained?”
  • Brian Holley, Executive Director, Naples Botanical Garden: “Nature, Beauty and Learning”