Ringling College Announces 2027 Town Hall Speakers
What do two journalists, an AI expert, an Olympic gold medalist and the former prime minister of Canada have in common?
They're all slated to speak in Sarasota as part of Ringling College's 2027 Town Hall lecture series.
Returning next January, the 2027 lineup includes journalists Anderson Cooper and Andrew Ross Sorkin, former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, AI expert Dr. Radhika Dirks, and history-making swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky.
Broadcast journalist Cooper, anchor of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°, kicks off the series on Jan. 11. In addition to his weeknight anchor duties, Cooper has also played a pivotal role in CNN’s political and election coverage, anchoring from political conventions and moderating several presidential primary debates and town halls. Since the start of his career in 1992, Cooper has worked in nearly 80 countries and has covered major news events around the world, often reporting from the scene. He's also the author of several books: Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune, Postcards From the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disaster and Survival, and, with his mother Gloria Vanderbilt, The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love and Loss. For the past nine years, he's also been the host of the popular "New Year's Eve Live from Times Square" television special with Bravo's Andy Cohen.
@cnn Amid the revelry in Times Square, Anderson shares a personal memory with viewers who have lost someone or are feeling lonely. Watch All There Is and join the conversation at cnn.com/allthereis #cnnnye ♬ original sound - CNN
On Feb. 1, Canada’s 23rd prime minister, the Right Honorable Justin Trudeau, will take the stage. Trudeau led the Liberal Party of Canada to a historic majority government in 2015 and set about delivering an agenda that included appointing Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet, lifting more than 435,000 children out of poverty through the Canada Child Benefit, launching a national $10-a-day childcare program, advancing Indigenous Reconciliation, and fighting climate change through policies that attracted investment in clean economic growth and jobs.
Journalist and author Andrew Ross Sorkin will appear on Feb. 22, 2027. Sorkin is an award-winning journalist for The New York Times and a co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC’s signature morning program. He is also the founder and editor-at-large of DealBook, an online daily financial report published by The New York Times that he started in 2001, and the author of Too Big to Fail: How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—and Themselves, which chronicled the events of the 2008 financial crisis.
Image: Courtesy Photo
On March 1, AI expert Dr. Radhika Dirks will be the third speaker in the 2027 Town Hall Series. Named one of Forbes' "'Women in AI’ to Watch," as well as one of the top 30 women building advanced AI, Dirks is CEO of Icons AI, where she advises Fortune 500 executives and international organizations on AI. She is the author of The AI Laments, in which she marries AI-generated art with human-generated poetry, and explores how these new tools are shaping society and culture.
Katie Ledecky—the most decorated U.S. female Olympian in history— closes out the series on April 5, 2027. Ledecky holds 14 Olympic medals and 23 World Championship titles and has shattered world records and set new standards of excellence. When she was 15, she won her first gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics; most recently, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she won four additional medals and held the 30 fastest times in the women’s 800-meter freestyle and the 20 fastest times in the 1500m freestyle.
“TOWN HALL continues to be a key part of Sarasota’s cultural and educational landscape,” says Dr. Larry R. Thompson, outgoing president of Ringling College of Art and Design. “We’re proud to offer thought-provoking programs that inspire respectful dialogue and broaden perspectives around today’s most relevant topics.”
All five lectures will be presented at Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, 777 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Morning lectures begin at 10:30 am and evening lectures begin at 7:30 pm.
The Town Hall series is sold by subscription; sales will open for members in May and for the general public in June. To learn more, go to www.ringlingcollegetownhall.org
