THE ASPEN INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES ITS 2022 SUMMER SPEAKER LINE-UP 

Speakers include Lawrence Summers, Fiona Hill, Rev. Jim Wallis, David Gergen, US Rep. Joe Neguse, a virtual appearance by Ken Burns 

ASPEN, CO, June 17, 2022 – The Aspen Institute is pleased to announce its lineup of distinguished guests who will be featured this summer in the Hurst Lecture Series, McCloskey Speaker Series and Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series. These series are made possible by generous donations from the Hurst Family Foundation, the McCloskey Family Charitable Foundation, and Gina and Jerry Murdock, respectively. 

Tickets for each event are $30 and will be available for purchase two weeks prior to each event at www.aspenshowtix.com, by calling (970) 920-5770, or in person at the Wheeler Opera House. Early ticket purchase is encouraged, as full-capacity audiences are expected for these events. Doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of each event, and any unsold or unclaimed tickets will be sold at the door. New this year, an event pass is available for purchase which allows passholders to attend all events in the three series at a discount.  More at www.aspeninstitute.org/community.  

The 2022 schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, July 6

McCloskey Speaker Series 

What to Expect from the Midterms and the Remainder of the Biden Presidency 

Featuring US Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO 2nd District) in conversation with Washington Post Congressional Correspondent Jacqueline Alemany. The conversation will explore Rep. Neguse’s views on the critical issue that his district, and the nation at large, are facing leading up to the November midterms and what he hopes President Biden will focus on for the remainder of his term. 

Paepcke Auditorium, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Friday, July 8

Hurst Lecture Series 

The Supreme Court of the United States: How Today’s Decisions Will Shape Our Future

Featuring Neal Katyal, Georgetown University Paul Saunders Professor of National Security Law and former Acting Solicitor General of the United States, and Ruth Marcus, Deputy Editorial Page Editor and Op-Ed Columnist, The Washington Post, and author of Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover, in conversation with Aspen Institute Executive Vice President Elliot Gerson. Katyal and Marcus will discuss the confirmation of Justice Kentaji Brown Jackson, the leak of the Roe v. Wade draft opinion, and other prominent Court cases of the day. 

Greenwald Pavilion, 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Thursday, July 14 

McCloskey Speaker Series

The Changing Nature of Cartoons in America 

Featuring The New Yorker Cartoon Editor Emma Allen in conversation with Artnet News National Art Critic Ben Davis. Since Emma Allen’s tenure began as The New Yorker’s fourth-ever cartoon editor in 2017, she has brought in a multitude of new voices. Though cartoons appeared in the magazine’s very first issue, in 1925, a lot has changed in the past century of cartooning and humor. Allen and Davis will discuss the many shifts in those fields from taste and style to following the lightning-speed news cycle. 
Paepcke Auditorium, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Wednesday, July 20

McCloskey Speaker Series

Russia and Ukraine: Expert Analysis on the Latest Developments 

In collaboration with the Aspen Security Forum

Featuring Brookings Institution Senior Fellow and former Trump White House NSC Russia official Fiona Hill, and the Director General of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service Mikk Marran. The first conversation will explore the US and allies' response to Russia’s assault on Ukraine, what more can be done to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its fight against Russia, and whether President Putin's power might be threatened from within the Kremlin. This session will be moderated by New Yorker columnist Susan Glasser. Anti-Corruption Foundation Executive Director Vladimir Ashurkov will then give his perspective on the Russian invasion of Ukraine in a fireside chat. To close out the evening, senior officials from the Treasury and Justice departments will team up to discuss the United States’ unprecedented sanctions and export controls on Russia. Yachts may steal the headlines, but our panel will also discuss how limiting Russia’s access to critical technology and sanctioning Russia’s defense-industrial base is a crucial part of the sanctions strategy.

Greenwald Pavilion, 5:00 – 6:30 pm

Thursday, July 21

Hurst Lecture Series

In collaboration with the Aspen Security Forum 

Speaker(s) to be announced.

Greenwald Pavilion, Time to be announced

Monday, July 25 

Hurst Lecture Series

Faith and Justice: Progress in a Secular Democracy

Featuring Rev. Jim Wallis, Chair of the Center on Faith and Justice in the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy in conversation with Elaine Pagels, Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University; Trustee, The Aspen Institute. Wallis and Pagels will explore the role of faith in today’s deeply divided country. 

Paepcke Auditorium, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Sunday, July 31

McCloskey Speaker Series 

The US and the Holocaust: Making Ken Burns’ Latest Film 

Featuring a discussion with Florentine Films documentarians Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein on how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 20th century, and how this struggle tested the ideals of our democracy, the topic of their new film with Ken Burns premiering on PBS in September. The discussion will include scenes from the upcoming documentary and a special virtual appearance by Ken Burns. 

Paepcke Auditorium, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Monday, August 1

Hurst Lecture Series

Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made 

Join David Gergen, Professor of Public Service and Founding Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School; Lifetime Trustee, The Aspen Institute, and Dan Porterfield, Aspen Institute President and CEO, as they discuss Gergen’s recent book, Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made,which highlights the fundamental elements of effective leadership through the lives of iconic leaders past and present. 

Greenwald Pavilion, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Wednesday, August 3

Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series 

The Awakened Brain: The Neuroscience of Health, Healing, and Resilience 

Featuring Lisa Miller, Ph.D., Professor of Clinical Psychology and Founder of the Spirituality and Mind-Body Institute at Teachers College of Columbia University and New York Times bestselling author. Dr. Miller will present the findings of her groundbreaking research in her newest book, The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life, which combines cutting-edge science (from MRI studies to genetic research, epidemiology, and more) with practical tools for navigating the challenges of everyday life.

Paepcke Auditorium, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Thursday, August 4

McCloskey Speaker Series

Partisan Politics, Social Disruption, and Living Under a Pandemic: America in 2022 

Featuring New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Michelle Goldberg and Tim Miller, a former Republican National Committee spokesman and communications director for the 2016 Jeb Bush Presidential campaign and currently a Writer-at-Large at The Bulwark and author of Why We Did It (2022).

Greenwald Pavilion, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Wednesday, August 10

McCloskey Speaker Series 

Inflation and the US Economy: Is a Soft Landing Still Possible? 

In Collaboration with the Aspen Economic Strategy Group 

Featuring Neel Kashkari, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and former US Secretary of the Treasury and Harvard University President Emeritus Lawrence H. Summers, in conversation with chief economics commentator and deputy economics editor for The Wall Street Journal Greg Ip. The panel will discuss current US inflation and whether a return to the Fed’s 2% target is still possible while maintaining a strong labor market.  

Greenwald Pavilion, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Thursday, August 11

Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series 

Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society 

Featuring john a. powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, in conversation with Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield. Their talk will explore the newly published Structural Racism Remedies Repository, an archive of policy-based recommendations for addressing structural and systemic racism and advancing racial equity.

Paepcke Auditorium, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Thursday, September 29 

Hurst Lecture Series

Building Alliances for Resilient Mountains 

In collaboration with the United Nations Mountain Partnership Global Meeting 

Join the United Nations Mountain Partnership for a keynote address and panel discussion with high-level experts and leaders in mountain and climate issues from throughout the globe. Speakers to be announced. 

Doerr-Hosier Center, 2:00 – 4:00 pm 

Wednesday, November 23 

Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series

Mountain vs. Human Nature: Sustaining Alpinism as a Way of Life 

Featuring Italian high-altitude mountaineer, rock climber, and adventurer Reinhold Messner, in conversation with rock climber, BASE jumper, and wingsuit flier Steph Davis. The conversation will explore the confrontation between mountain and human nature and will share Messner’s quest for protecting the ideals of traditional alpinism. 

Paepcke Auditorium, 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Important Note
All attendees at Aspen Institute in-person events will be required to show they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or if they are exempt from this requirement, take an on-site COVID-19 rapid test and show a negative result before entry. For questions, please email [email protected].  

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world.

Based in Washington, DC, and Aspen, CO, the Institute also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

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