Past Speakers
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 November 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. Siddhartha 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 Attkisson)
- 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 McChrystal
- 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 Adam 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 Krugman
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 Cappiello
- 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
- Georgie 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 Nightingale
1981
- Stanley Marcus
- Peter Duchin
- Countess of Romanones
Pre-TOWN HALL Special Speaker Events
- March 9, 1978 Vincent Price