Past Speakers
Bringing
Influencers
From The World Stage
To Our Stage In Sarasota
Ringling College of Art and Design's TOWN HALL is where the world's biggest and most influential names take the stage. Since our beginning in 1981, over 200 prominent influencers have participated in the TOWN HALL Speaker Series.
While the world continues to be more complex and divisive than ever, TOWN HALL is an opportunity to find intersections between these unique times and the interests of our diverse patrons. Our goal each year is to bring together friends and strangers alike, expand horizons, stimulate conversation and enlighten our community.
We hope you will join us for another thought-provoking year.
Anderson Cooper
Monday
January 11
Rt. Hon.
Justin Trudeau
Monday
February 1
Andrew Ross
Sorkin
Monday
February 22
Radhika Dirks
Monday
March 1
Katie
Ledecky
Monday
April 5
2026
Ken Burns
Laura Coates
Joel Sartore
Hank Azaria
Secretary Antony J. Blinken
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Steven Johnson
2025
Ron Howard
Rob Gronkowski
Dr. Moiya McTier
H.R. McMaster
Dr. Anthony Fauci
2024
Congresswoman Liz Cheney
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch
Stanley Tucci
Nir Eyal
Misty Copeland
2023
President Carlos Alvarado Quesada
Michael Phelps (with moderator Rowdy Gaines)
Admiral James Stavridis
Thomas Friedman
José Andrés
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Erin Brockovich
2022
Gov. Chris Christie
Dave Barry
Ronan Farrow
Karen Gordon Mills
Tony Dungy
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Liza Donnelly
2020/2021
General John F. Kelly
Rick Steves
Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman
Sam Quinones
Lisa Genova (Postponed to Nov. 1, 2021)
2019
Shaquille O’Neal
James Comey
Jimmy Wales
Caroline Kennedy
Ian Bremmer
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Reuben Margolin
2018
John Brennan
Jon Meacham
Michael Lewis
Dr. Sidhartha Mukherjee
Ali Wentworth
2017
Dick Cheney
Geena Davis
Jared Cohen
James Balog
Felipe Calderón
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Liz Murray
2016
Michael Eisner
Jim Messina and Karl Rove (with moderator Sharyl Attkinson)
Sir Ken Robinson
Robin Roberts
General David Petraeus
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Amy Tan
2015
Dr. Charles Krauthammer
Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Dan Buettner
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (with moderator Katty Kay)
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Dr. Ben Bernanke
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Justice Antonin Scalia
2014
President George W. Bush
Platon
Raymond Kelly
Wes Moore
Leon Panetta
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Jenna Bush Hager
Special, One Night Only Event: Michael Bloomberg
2013
Walter Isaacson
Dr. Robert Gates
Dr. Benjamin Carson
Captain Mark Kelly
Tom Brokaw
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Jacqueline Novogratz
2012
Laura Bush
Roland Fryer
Gen. Stanley McChystal
Steven Levitt
Bill O’Reilly
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Tina Brown
2011
Greg Mortenson
George Will
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Elie Wiesel
Malcolm Gladwell (with moderator Adom Gopnik)
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Cherie Blair
2010
Fareed Zakaria
Peggy Noonan
Dr. Condoleezza Rice
President Pervez Musharraf
Philippe de Montebello
President Bill Clinton
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Sen. Bill Bradley
2009
Rep. Newt Gingrich
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dr. Robert Ballard
President Mikhail Gorbachev
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Sec. Madeleine Albright
2008
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Spike Lee
Charlie Rose
Gov. Mario Cuomo and Sen. Bob Dole
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Paul Klugman
2007
Sam Donaldson
Prime Minister Ehud Barak
Daniel Pink
Jane Goodall
Quincy Jones
Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Rudy Giuliani
2006
Bill Moyers
Maya Angelou
Sec. Robert Reich
Amy Chua
Sec. Colin Powell
2005
Tim Russert
Homer Hickam
HRH Prince Edward
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
David Halberstam
2004
Jeff Greenfield
David Gergen
Mary Matalin
James Carville
Thomas Friedman
Frank McCourt
2003
Richard HOlbrooke
Carl Bernstein
Christopher Buckley
Richard Reeves
Gail Sheehy
2002
Cokie and Steve Roberts
David Kennedy
Lawrence Kudlow
Liz Smith
Gregory Stock
2001
Michael Beschloss
Linda Ellerbee
Arthur Golden
Dr. Story Musgrave
2000
Ken Burns
Scott Ritter
Sally Quinn
Thomas Hoving
1999
Rita Moreno
Ralph Nader
Ian Wilmut
David McCullough
1998
Stuart Varney
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Gregory Hines
Richard Preston
1997
Yuli Vorontsov
Bob Woodward
Aileen Bridgewater
P.J. O’Rourke
1996
Cathy Rigby
Frank Capiello
Capt. James Lovell
Jehan Al Sadat
The Capitol Steps
1995
William Bennett
Georgie Anne Geyer
Hope Mihalap
Jean-Michel Cousteau
1994
Terry Anderson
Chai Ling
Dennis Weaver
Irving Levine
1993
James and Sarah Brady
Robert Kennedy, Jr.
Judith Viorst
Boris Notkin
1992
William Buckley
Jane Bryant Quinn
Calvin Trilling
Susan Eisenhower
Roald Sagdeev
1991
Daniel Schorr
Madame Nien Cheng
John Powers
Ellen Goodman
1990
Alex Trebek
Arnaud De Borchgrave
Helen Thomas
Senator William Proxmire
Lewis Grizzard
1989
Edwin Newman
Roberta Peters
Georgia Anne Geyer
David and Julie Eisenhower
1988
Mark Russell
Art Linkletter
John Stossel
Jayne Meadows
1987
Douglas Edwards
Virginia Graham
Stansfield Turner
William Safire
1986
Nancy Dickerson
Patrice Munsel
George Plimpton
Drew Middleton
1985
A.M. Rosenthal
Richard Valeriani
Arlene Francis
Malcolm Forbes, Jr.
1984
Jack Anderson
Marvin Cetron
John Houseman
Joan Fontaine
1983
Heloise
Paul Duke
Allison Leland
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
1982
James Kilpatrick
Kitty Carlisle
Tom Wolfe
Earl Nightengale
1981
Stanley Marcus
Peter Duchin
Countess of Romanones
Pre-Town Hall Special Speaker Event
March 9, 1978 Vincent Price