Ringling College Library Association

Ringling College Library Association

Past Speakers

Click here to download Speaker List PDF

 

2023

  • President Carlos Alvarado Quesada
  • Michael Phelps (with moderator Rowdy Gaines)
  • Admiral James Stavridis
  • Thomas Friedman
  • José Andrés
  • Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Erin Brockovich

2021/2022

  • Gov. Chris Christie
  • Dave Barry
  • Ronan Farrow
  • Karen Gordon Mills
  • Tony Dungy
  • Platinum Appreciation Speaker: Liza Donnelly

2020

  • 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