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Innhold levert av Carleton College. Alt podcastinnhold, inkludert episoder, grafikk og podcastbeskrivelser, lastes opp og leveres direkte av Carleton College eller deres podcastplattformpartner. Hvis du tror at noen bruker det opphavsrettsbeskyttede verket ditt uten din tillatelse, kan du følge prosessen skissert her https://no.player.fm/legal.
The Carleton College convocation program is a weekly lecture series that bring fresh insights and perspectives from experts in a variety of fields. The program has a rich history, dating back several decades. The selected convocation speakers assist the liberals arts mission of centering thoughtful conversation within education and beyond.
Innhold levert av Carleton College. Alt podcastinnhold, inkludert episoder, grafikk og podcastbeskrivelser, lastes opp og leveres direkte av Carleton College eller deres podcastplattformpartner. Hvis du tror at noen bruker det opphavsrettsbeskyttede verket ditt uten din tillatelse, kan du følge prosessen skissert her https://no.player.fm/legal.
The Carleton College convocation program is a weekly lecture series that bring fresh insights and perspectives from experts in a variety of fields. The program has a rich history, dating back several decades. The selected convocation speakers assist the liberals arts mission of centering thoughtful conversation within education and beyond.
Scott Wopata, executive director of the local Community Action Center (CAC) and recipient of the City of Northfield’s 2024 Human Rights Award, delivered the Carleton convocation on Friday, May 9, from 10:50 to 11:30 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. This convocation — titled, “Can we all agree to address food insecurity?” — coincides with Carleton’s annual Empty Bowls event, a community fundraiser for the local food shelf, which is run by the CAC. In his more than twenty years living in Northfield, Wopata has worn many hats. His roles include community collaborator, economist, soccer coach, carpenter, youth pastor, trail runner (he is the fastest Minnesotan to run the Superior 100-mile trail race), and parent of four children. With this diverse range of experiences, Wopata now uses his skills at the CAC, a social justice organization serving more than 16,000 residents in Rice County that addresses needs ranging from food insecurity to accessing hygiene products. As the CAC’s executive director, Wopata emphasizes building community systems through partnership and collaboration with the very individuals who access them. He oversees a variety of programs, including food shelves, emergency shelters, environmental justice efforts, net-zero energy construction, and economic development. The CAC has received several honors, including the 2024 Minnesota Climate Adaptation Award for Climate Justice Leadership. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Attorney Anna McGinn ’18 delivered this week’s convocation address at Carleton titled, “In Defense of the Innocent” on Friday, May 2, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. McGinn’s work as a staff attorney at the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) includes screening, investigating, and litigating cases involving claims of actual innocence in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Since joining GNIP in 2022, McGinn has played a key role in five cases in which individuals secured their freedom after being wrongfully convicted. Collectively, those individuals spent 62 years in prison. McGinn originally joined GNIP as a Bank of America legal fellow, a prestigious honor supporting scholars dedicated to working in social justice. In addition to her legal work, McGinn leads innocence clinics at law schools in Minnesota and South Dakota, helping train the next generation of legal professionals committed to justice. Founded in 2001, GNIP has dedicated itself to analyzing cases in which newly discovered evidence offers clear and convincing proof of actual innocence. To date, GNIP’s team of legal professionals has helped exonerate 13 individuals who collectively served 173 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. Originally from Minnesota, McGinn graduated from Carleton in 2018 with a major in religion and minor in philosophy. She also competed on Carleton’s swim team. She went on to earn her JD from Notre Dame Law School. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Award-winning author David Wright Faladé ’86 delivered the Carleton convocation address — titled, “My 4-color Bic and the Constitution” — on Friday, April 18 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Wright Faladé is the author of the novel Black Cloud Rising (2022) and most recently The New Internationals (2025), as well as the co-author of the young adult novel Away Running (2016) and the nonfiction book Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers (2000), which was a New Yorker notable selection and a St. Louis-Dispatch Best Book of 2001. Wright Faladé was also a recipient of the Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award, a prestigious award recognizing Black writers for their achievements. He is a professor of English at the University of Illinois and the 2021–22 Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center Fellow at the New York Public Library. He has also written for The New Yorker , Village Voice , Southern Review , Newsday , and more. Wright Faladé graduated from Carleton in 1986, completed nine months in Brazil as a Fulbright scholar, and later earned his MFA from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Artist and puzzle maker Wyna Liu delivered the Carleton convocation on Friday, April 11 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Her address is titled, “A Bit About Connections.” Liu is best known for her work as the writer of The New York Times ’s iconic word game Connections, and often writes crosswords for The New Yorker . An avid puzzler and creator, Liu began constructing crossword puzzles in 2018 and published her first crossword in 2019 for the American Values Club Crossword, where she now serves as assistant editor. A year after her first publication, she became a games editor with The New York Times . In 2023, she was chosen by The New York Times to produce Connections for the newspaper’s games section. When Liu isn’t working on a puzzle to confuse and intrigue the masses, she enjoys her artistic work. She exercises her talents through jewelry-making and creating sculptural, yet wearable clothing in her living room. Liu has taken classes in neon-making and puppetry, and has started experimenting with making wax molds. Liu earned her bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College and went on to earn her master’s degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Chance York delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, April 4 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Among his many distinctions, York is a regional Academy Award-winning entertainer, co-founder of the program Peace in Practice, yoga instructor, rapper, student, and teacher. York has studied yoga for over 20 years, viewing it as an “art science,” which he studies in tandem with personal development. Through this line of work, York co-founded Peace In Practice , a nonprofit working to promote access and services to yoga, as well as wellness and mindfulness practices for the Black and brown communities of the Twin Cities area. When he’s not working in yoga, York has a prolific entertainment career. Beyond playing in two bands, York has had serious success in the Twin Cities arena, and has opened for Chance the Rapper, DRAM, Saba, Chester Watson, and more. Furthermore, York boasts a notable career as an entertainer and on-camera personality. He is the host of the PBS Twin Cities show Outside Chance , which was awarded a regional Academy Award. The series emphasizes a growth mindset and explores activities and communities outdoors. A student at Brown University, York is a qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor and teaches at the University of Minnesota’s Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Syrian-American violinist Mariela Shaker delivered Carleton’s convocation address on Friday, February 28 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Her address is titled, “Tragedy and Triumph: My Bow Bends for Peace.” An internationally recognized violinist and motivational speaker, Shaker was named a Champion of Change for World Refugees by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2015. Shaker strongly believes in music as a tool to bring people from different backgrounds together and to foster peace and love in the world. She uses her music to build bridges, promote peace, and raise awareness for the plight of refugees and vulnerable children around the world. She strives to inspire her students to express themselves freely and to find their own unique voice as performing artists. Shaker discovered her love of violin in 1999 after joining the Arabic Institute of Music in Aleppo, Syria. After graduating with distinction in 2004, Shaker taught violin at the Institute for five years while earning her degree in business administration at Aleppo University. Shaker received a full scholarship to Monmouth College, a nationally ranked American liberal arts college located in central Illinois, in 2013 for music performance, where she graduated with the highest honor of Excellence in Music Performance. She realized while she was studying at Monmouth that she would not be able to return home to Syria due to the country’s ongoing conflict. After completing her degree at Monmouth, Shaker received a full tuition scholarship to acquire a masters in music performance at Chicago’s DePaul University, from which she graduated in 2017. While in the U.S., she taught violin at Knox College as well as Monmouth, where she also served as the concertmaster for the College’s chamber orchestra. In 2020, Shaker founded the Highams Park Music Academy in London, where she serves as director. Shaker’s musical accolades are extensive. Her debut as a soloist was on June 20, 2015, at the Kennedy Center, to commemorate World Refugee Day, organized by the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR). She has performed as a soloist with Mesopotamian Symphony Orchestra at the California Theatre, and before Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan. In 2016, Shaker was invited by Cate Blanchett to perform in London, and by the first Scottish Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, at the Beyond Borders International Festival in Scotland. In 2017, she was appointed a UNHCR High Profile Supporter and honored with the Anne Frank Promise Keeper Award in New York City. Shaker has also performed at various programs for the United Nations, the White House, the Aspen Ideas Festival, Harvard University, MIT, Yale, Northwestern University, King’s College Chapel, and Georgetown University, among other prestigious venues. She has given recitals and masterclasses at more than 200 international venues, including venues in the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, the U.A.E., Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the U.S. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Comedy writer and performer Claire McFadden ’13 delivered Carleton’s convocation address on Friday, February 21, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Her talk is titled, “Make it Yourself: How to Pursue a Creative Career After Carleton Even If You Majored in Something Completely Unrelated Like ENTS and the Path Forward Seems Shrouded in Mystery and Fear (A Convocation Speech).” McFadden has performed her improv and sketch comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest performance arts festival; San Francisco Sketchfest; Out of Bounds; and Chicago Sketchfest. She has also starred repeatedly in the Mainstage Revue at The Second City in Chicago. McFadden’s short romantic comedy, Kim’s Big Date , which she wrote, directed, and edited, premiered in 2019 at the Windy City International Film Festival, where it won Best Chicago Comedy. After its premiere, Kim’s Big Date was screened at 12 more film festivals across the U.S. McFadden wrote the film in celebration of friendship, saying , “I wanted to make a movie that celebrates how deeply my friends and I have been involved in each other’s lives, especially when navigating choppy, unknown romantic waters. They psych me up, calm me down, ghostwrite my texts, and lint-roll my pants.” McFadden also created and acted in the improvised web series Framed (2018) based on her year of working as a custom picture framer. Framed gained recognition through its inclusion on the Official Selection of the 2018 New York Television Film Festival. Previously, McFadden was a managing editor and staff writer for Jackbox Games , where she pitched the games Blather ‘Round and Quixort, and wrote for the popular games Quiplash, Drawful, and Trivia Murder Party. McFadden graduated from Carleton in 2013 with a degree in environmental studies. She was a proud member of student organizations Lenny Dee and Cujokra. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Dr. Bryant Simon, an American historian and professor at Temple University, delivered the convocation address at Carleton on Friday, February 14 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His speech, “The history of public bathrooms: A story of American inequality,” is based on a book he is currently writing on the topic, which is set to be published by University of Chicago Press. Simon has previously published four books — The Hamlet Fire: A Tragic Story of Cheap Food, Cheap Government, Cheap Lives (2017); Everything But the Coffee: Learning about America from Starbucks (2009); Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America (2004); and A Fabric of Defeat: The Politics of South Carolina Millhands (1998). Simon has also produced three co-edited collections as well as numerous essays that have appeared in media outlets ranging from The Washington Post to the Christian Science Monitor . Beyond writing, he has appeared as a talking head in documentaries about Starbucks, the history of American food, blue jeans, the Jersey Shore, the board game Monopoly, and the Alabama-based rock and roll band Drive-By Truckers. The academic chair of the University Honors Program at Temple University in Philadelphia, Simon is also Laura H. Carnell Professor of History and the 2020 recipient of Temple’s Great Teacher Award. Simon founded and runs the Temple history department’s Global U.S. Studies Program, which features graduate exchange with the University of Erfurt, the University of Cologne, and Sorbonne University. Beyond his teaching, Simon’s academic work is widely recognized in his field; he is an Organization of American Historians Distinguished Speaker, an elected member of the Society of American Historians, and the previous president of the Southern Labor Studies Association. Simon earned both his BA and PhD from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Printmaker Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. delivered the Carleton convocation on Friday, February 7, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His address is titled, “A Tirade Against Boomers.” Visit the convo website for an introductory poem Kennedy provided before his address. As a self-described “humble negro printer,” Kennedy harnesses his printmaking abilities to produce social and political commentaries, often through posters. Kennedy’s passion for books and letters began at the age of four, yet it wasn’t until the age of 40, when Kennedy visited the living history museum of Colonial Williamsburg, that he was captivated by an eighteenth-century bookbinding and printmaking demonstration. This was the spark that inspired Kennedy to learn printmaking at a community-based letterpress shop in Chicago. Within a year, Kennedy made the leap and quit his job of nearly two decades as an AT&T systems analyst to further his education, and continued with the master book designer Walter Hamady at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduating with an MFA in 1997. Today, Kennedy owns a letterpress print shop in Detroit, Michigan. Kennedy’s work is motivated by his understanding of Black identity formed through his upbringing during the Civil Rights Era, witnessing the rise of Black Nationalism in the 1970s, and living in the current Post-Civil Rights Era. Using a blend of social commentary, folk art, and graphic design, Kennedy embraces his unique style to address violence, oppression, and dehumanizing stereotypes that the Black community faces, among many other issues. He is recognized as a Glasgow Fellow in Crafts (2015) and an Individual Laureate of the American Printing History Association (2021), and he received the Outstanding Printmaker Award from the Mid Atlantic Print Council (2022), among other honors. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Screenwriter and producer Bob Daily ’82 delivered convocation at Carleton College on Friday, January 31 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Through his address “On Creativity: Nine lessons I’ve learned, stolen and ignored,” Daily highlighted his path from Carleton to the entertainment industry. Daily began his television career as a writer and producer on the famed NBC series Frasier , for which he was awarded back-to-back Writers Guild Awards for Outstanding Script in Television Comedy in 2003 and 2004. Daily wrote 15 episodes of Frasier — one of which was included in the book, Very Best of Frasier — over the course of five seasons. During his time on the show , he also received an Emmy nomination, and is currently working as a consulting producer on the latest Frasier series for Paramount Plus. Beyond his work on Frasier , Daily served as an executive producer and eventual showrunner for Desperate Housewives from 2006 to 2012, earning him a Golden Globe nomination. Daily is also the co-creator of Superior Donuts and served as its executive producer and showrunner for two seasons. He served as executive producer on the ABC/Hulu series The Wonder Years, which won the Peabody Award in 2021 and was nominated for a 2023 NAACP Image Award. His other executive producer credits include B Positive, Perfect Harmony , and The Odd Couple. Daily is currently working as an executive producer on the new hit ABC/Hulu series Shifting Gears while working as a consulting producer on the reboot of King of the Hill for Hulu. Daily graduated from Carleton with a BA in English, and later earned an MA in English from University of Chicago. Before working in entertainment, Daily worked as a journalist, writing for a variety of publications including Chicago Magazine , Spy , Men’s Journal , the Chicago Tribune , and The Boston Globe . He has also published six children’s books. He is married to Janet Kerrigan Daily and has two children, Emma and Owen. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Noah Tarnow ’97 delivered convocation at Carleton College on Friday, January 24 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Tarnow detailed his unique path from Carleton alum to senior quizmaster in an address titled, “The Trivial Benefits of a Carleton Education (or, How One Alum Made Himself a Game Show Host),” which, of course, included trivia questions throughout. Originally a biweekly nightlife event, Tarnow’s The Big Quiz Thing (BQT) evolved from a DIY quiz program into the nationwide customizable trivia event company that it is today, for which Tarnow serves as CEO, creative director, and senior quizmaster. In the two decades of its development, BQT has entertained hundreds of thousands of people across the country through its innovative take on classic bar-style trivia. BQT has even been adapted to television, as the world’s first bar-trivia-style TV show. During his Carleton experience, Tarnow — a lifetime lover of obscure facts and habitual devourer of quirky reference books — became determined to study popular culture, despite the College’s then-lack of classes on the subject. Majoring in American studies with a media studies concentration, Tarnow managed to overcome some faculty doubts to write his comps about the history of Batman as a pop culture icon, carrying that knowledge and novelty to New York City as a magazine editor. By his late 20s, the novelty had worn off — his magazine career was stagnant, and a diversion into stand-up comedy was utterly unremarkable. Yet undeterred, Tarnow repurposed his love of being on stage (in some capacity) and formulated the DIY quiz program that became BQT. Tarnow now lives in San Francisco, where he also co-hosts the podcast I Don’t Get It: The Pop Culture Get-Off-My-Lawn Cast, and returns to Carleton when he can to check up on the Libe’s ever-growing section of graphic novels. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Political scientist Lawrence R. Jacobs delivered convocation at Carleton College on Friday, January 17 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Jacobs’ address, “American Democracy in Fractured Times,” stemmed from his expertise in American political science and was informed by the content of his latest book, Democracy Under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History . Jacobs is the founder and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG) at the University of Minnesota. He also serves as the Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and holds the McKnight Presidential Chair — one of the highest faculty honors at the University of Minnesota — for his research work and contributions to the advancement of the university. In 2020, Jacobs was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Beyond that, Jacobs has written or collaborated on over 100 scholarly articles, 17 books, and numerous media essays and reports. Jacobs is a specialized expert in national and Minnesota elections, Midwestern swing states, presidential and legislative politics, political communications, health care reform, economic inequality, Social Security, and third party politics. Jacobs earned his BA in history and English from Oberlin College in 1981 and his PhD in political science from Columbia University in 1990. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Abby Kiesa, deputy director of CIRCLE , delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, November 1 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Her talk was titled, “Including youth in ‘we the people’: Youth voice in U.S. democracy.” CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) is part of Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life. The Center conducts research and collaborates on systems change initiatives to build what’s needed for more young people and young adults in the United States to have a voice in community decision-making and democracy. Kiesa joined CIRCLE in 2005 after working with students across the country for several years to build more support for youth and student civic engagement. As deputy director of CIRCLE — and throughout her over 15 years of work on this issue — Kiesa has specialized in how research and data insights can influence policy and practice for stronger democracy and thriving communities. Well-versed in the wide range of youth civic and political engagement efforts and practice, Kiesa brings a broad view of the institutions and interventions that can make up ecosystems for civic development among all youth. She is most interested in how to effect change in community, institutional, and political systems to reduce inequality. Kiesa has been cited by news outlets such as The New York Times , CSPAN, NPR, and PolitiFact . Her publications include, “ Getting Young People to Vote: Seven Tips for the Classroom ” and “ A Civic Imperative for Media Literacy .” She has a BA in sociology from Villanova University and an MA in American studies from the University of Maryland. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University, delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, October 25 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Skocpol’s work addresses a broad spectrum of questions about socio-political change, including health care reform, public policy, and civic engagement amid shifting inequalities in American democracy; currently, she is probing partisan polarization and Republican Party radicalization. An internationally recognized scholar, Skocpol has received multiple honorary degrees — most recently from Oxford University in 2022 — and has been elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences. In 2007, she received the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science for her “visionary analysis of the significance of the state for revolutions, welfare, and political trust, pursued with theoretical depth and empirical evidence.” Awarded annually by the Skytte Foundation at Uppsala University in Sweden, the Skytte Prize is one of the most prestigious in political science. In addition to her teaching and research at Harvard, Skocpol also serves as director of the Scholars Strategy Network , an organization with dozens of regional chapters that encourages nonpartisan public engagement by university-based scholars, building ties between academics and policymakers, civic groups, and journalists. Skocpol herself speaks regularly to community groups and writes for blogs and public-interest magazines. Among Skocpol’s major books are two multiple-award-winners — States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia, and China and Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States . Other books include Diminished Democracy: From Membership to Management in American Civic Life , Health Care Reform and American Politics , and The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism . Her most recent books are Upending American Politics: Polarizing Parties, Ideological Elites, and Citizen Activists from the Tea Party to the Anti-Trump Resistance (co-edited with Caroline Tervo) and Rust Belt Union Blues: Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party (co-authored with Lainey Newman). Although she has lived for many years in Cambridge, Massachusetts — and in Maine during the summer — Skocpol was born and raised in Michigan and received her BA from Michigan State University in 1969. She and her husband, Bill Skocpol, a retired Boston University physics professor, celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on June 10, 2017. They have one son, Michael, a graduate of Stanford Law School, who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor in 2018–19 and now works for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Skocpol does not work all the time! She loves to visit antique malls, looking for various kinds of Americana — including old membership ribbon badges from unions and fraternal associations. She is also a devoted football fan who closely follows all NFL teams, but above all, the New England Patriots . Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Pat Sukhum ’96, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities , delivered the Carleton convocation address for Family Weekend on Friday, October 18 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. After 25 years in the bustling world of health tech startups, Sukhum found himself — somewhat unexpectedly — as the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities, the largest Minnesota arm of the nationwide nonprofit youth mentoring organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. While the timing might have seemed sudden, the journey leading him there was anything but. It all began 25 years ago when he became a mentor (a “Big”) in the very program he now leads. A Minnesota kid, Sukhum was born in St. Paul to first-generation Thai immigrant parents. During his teenage years, his family moved to central Minnesota, where he graduated from high school, adding a “small-town twist” to his story. Sukhum’s career in health tech startups saw its fair share of highs and learnings, co-founding companies which flourished with acquisitions by UnitedHealthcare and Virgin Pulse, as well as others that didn’t go quite as planned. He also managed to squeeze in four fabulous years at Carleton, scurrying late to classes in Willis, trying to learn a forehand flick, and, once in a while, dozing off in the back of the Chapel at convo. Sukhum loves that everyone has a story to tell. He’s returning to Carleton to share his. As he notes, “maybe you’ll take something away from it, maybe you won’t.” Either way, Sukhum’s “pretty psyched and incredibly grateful for you showing up”… and if you happen to nod off in the back of the room? No judgment — he’s been there. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Francis Su, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and former president of the Mathematical Association of America, delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, October 11 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His address was titled, “Seeing the unseen: the enchantment of mathematical beauty.” In his talk, Su tackled multiple questions, including: What is the nature of beauty? How does it make us feel? Surprisingly, he says, mathematics can help us understand beauty, because math is about seeing the unseen, and such beauty can draw us to experiences of joy in much the same way that art or music can stir the soul. For those who have never glimpsed this beauty, Su tried to describe what experiences of mathematical beauty feel like. As beauty comes in many forms, and experiences of beauty contribute to a flourishing life, mathematics holds something for everyone, Su says, “even those of us who have not seen ourselves as ‘math people.’” Su’s research in geometric combinatorics includes many papers co-authored with undergraduates. His work has been featured in Quanta Magazine , Wired , and The New York Times . His book, Mathematics for Human Flourishing (Yale University Press 2020), was the winner of the 2021 Euler Book Prize and has been translated into eight languages. It offers an inclusive vision of what math is, who it’s for, and why anyone should learn it. In 2013, Su received the Haimo Award for distinguished teaching of college-level mathematics, a nationwide prize for college math faculty. In 2018, he won the Halmos-Ford Award for Mathematical Writing from the Mathematical Association of America. Three of his articles have been featured in Princeton Press’ “Best Writing on Mathematics” list in 2011, 2014, and 2018. He authors the popular Math Fun Facts website and is the creator of MathFeed , the math news app. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Patricia Torres Ray — a former member of the Minnesota Senate, where she represented District 63 — delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, October 4 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Her address was titled, “Immigration as Statement of Conscience.” After working in public service for 20 years, Torres Ray ran for office in 2006 and became the first Latina elected to the Minnesota Senate. She held multiple leadership roles there, including majority whip, chair of the Parks and Trails Legacy Committee, chair of the New Immigration Policy Commission, chair of the Education Policy Committee, and chair of the State and Local Government Committee. In 2010, Torres Ray was the first woman of color to run as lieutenant governor with Senator John Marty for governor. She is a recognized local and national leader and has received multiple awards recognizing her contributions to eliminating disparities and opening opportunities for women, low-income people, and communities who live on the margins. Torres Ray decided not to run for re-election in 2022 after serving in the senate for 16 years. She opened her own firm, PTR Associates, to assist small organizations in managing political and public policy strategies centered around the needs and assets of Indigenous communities, people of color, and immigrant communities. Torres Ray is a native of Colombia, a public affairs graduate from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, and a parent of two boys. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Deborah Appleman — Hollis L. Caswell Professor of Educational Studies, associate program director of American studies, and chair of educational studies — delivered the address for Carleton’s annual Argument & Inquiry (A&I) Convocation on Friday, September 27 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. In her address, “Academic Freedom and Necessity of Discomfort: The Trouble with Cancel Culture and Content Warnings,” Appleman drew from her most recent book, Literature and the New Culture Wars . Appleman taught high school English for nine years before receiving her doctorate from the University of Minnesota. She has been a visiting professor at Syracuse University and at the University of California–Berkeley. She is the author of more than a dozen books on literacy education, including Critical Encounters in Secondary English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents (winner of the Richard A. Meade Award); Adolescent Literacy and the Teaching of Reading: Lessons for Teachers of Literature ; Teaching Literature to Adolescents; Uncommon Core ; and Reading Better, Reading Smarter . Her 2019 book, Words No Bars Can Hold: Literacy Learning in Prison , draws from her experiences teaching creative writing and literature classes in a high security men’s prison, where she has taught since 2007. Her most recent book, Literature and the New Culture Wars , examines current political challenges in the teaching of literature. At Carleton, Appleman teaches courses such as Educational Psychology, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, and Teenage Wasteland. She also mentors and supervises student teachers. She was Carleton’s second Posse mentor, and has served on a variety of elected committees including College Council, the Faculty Affairs Committee (as chair), the Faculty Personnel Committee, and the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Dean Phillips, U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, delivered the address for Carleton's Opening Convocation on Monday, September 16 starting at 3 p.m. in Skinner Chapel. Phillips was raised in Edina, Minnesota, attended Brown University, and earned his MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business. After being employed at a variety of small startups, he worked his way up and eventually led his family’s business, Phillips Distilling, in addition to starting other small businesses. Phillips is active in the philanthropic community in Minnesota through the Edward J. Phillips Family Foundation, which supports education, medical research, and children and youth services. The Phillips Scholars program, run through the Minnesota Private College Council, provides scholarships to Minnesota college students who are interested in community service. In Congress, Phillips is focused on collaboration in Washington, pursuit of common ground for the common good, and ending the corrupting influences of special interest money in American politics. In 2020, he authored the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, bipartisan legislation that helped many small businesses keep their doors open despite the pandemic. Phillips has led the Problem Solvers Caucus in negotiations with the White House and Congressional leadership to provide bipartisan solutions to pressing challenges. Phillips has been recognized for his bipartisanship, including receiving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship in the 116th and 117th Congress. Phillips has said: “My journey to public service began the morning after the 2016 election, when I faced the reality that democracy requires participation — not observation.” At a critical time for our democracy, his emphasis on participation, choice, and action provides an important model for civic engagement that is particularly relevant for first-time voters in a consequential election. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
The Carleton community gathered in Skinner Chapel on Friday, May 24 at 3 p.m. for Honors Convocation, a celebration of Carleton students’ academic excellence and the culmination of the 2023–24 academic year. Honors Convo is the final event in the convocation program . Honors Convo also features the Bubble Brigade at the beginning and end of the program, where Carleton seniors blow bubbles from the Chapel balcony over the faculty’s processional and recessional. Read the full program from the event at carleton.edu/convocations/honors/ Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Jill Conklin, director and strategic officer of the international nonprofit Food for Soul, delivered the Carleton convocation address titled, “Feeding the Future” on Friday, May 10 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Food for Soul was founded by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore to cultivate a more just and sustainable food system by saving food from waste and reducing barriers to food security. Conklin directs the organization’s global advocacy efforts, including the Refettorio project expansion and coordination of the Refettorio Network of Partners, whose collective impact has helped transform more than 2,100 tons of food waste into 3.591 million nourishing meals. Food for Soul developed its first Refettorio project in 2015 during the World Expo in Milan, Italy. The project began as a cultural initiative to raise awareness of food waste’s correlated effects on the planet, social isolation, and the hunger crisis. Since then, the Refettorio project has evolved into a community-based model centered around civic engagement that brings together eco-conscious design, beauty, and hospitality to enable social, environmental, and economic change. Each week, the Refettorio culinary team rescues surplus imperfect foods from landfills, transforming ingredients into nutritious menus that return the economic value of food back into communities. Conklin joined the team officially in 2019 after guiding the organization’s expansion research in San Francisco and Oakland, California, which led to the launch of Food for Soul’s nonprofit 501(c)3 United States arm. As a former restaurant and research chef and business development executive, Conklin possesses a dynamic set of skills, knowledge, and experience that cuts across the sectors of gastronomy, culinary arts, technology, public health, and strategic development. As a graduate of Johnson and Wales University, her culinary degree in food applied science and nutrition has led her to a career of accomplishments, including a decade of research and cookery of the Mediterranean spice trade routes and Italian Sephardic Jewish diaspora in Italy. She has held positions in public policy and civic leadership, working to improve domestic and global child nutrition and school food programs. Prior to joining Food for Soul, Conklin specialized in bringing healthy foods to market through environmentally conscious technology and packaging solutions, improved USDA commodity processing, menu development, and marketing conceptualization. She has led food safety and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) training programs across commercial and noncommercial markets, and worked eight years in food start-up ventures with a focus on sous vide technology. Conklin’s personal passion for giving back began at the age of 12, when she worked as a camp counselor for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She was inspired by the resilience of the young people in the camp and the overwhelming gratitude they had for volunteers and helping hands. Every year thereafter, Conklin has dedicated time to support those most vulnerable. Over the last 34 years, she has found a unique path that blends her passion for food and culture with her commitment to improving food security, nutrition, and wellness around the world. Conklin is also acting program advisor to SuperChefs Cookery for Kids in British Columbia, Canada, helping to advise on the nonprofits’ summer cooking programs and international Westin “Kids Eat Well” menu. Aside from her nonprofit philanthropic work, Conklin has also acted as chair of the Kids in the Kitchen interest section of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP); chair of The Culinary Trust; chair of the Chef’s Table Committee for the School Nutrition Association (SNA); ad-hoc member of the SNA Industry Advisory Board; public relations co-chair for the USDA and Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move, Chefs Move to Schools” campaign; chair of the IACP’s Awards of Excellence; chair of the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) Forum for Ethiopia; and part of the Acting Nominations Committee for GCNF’s Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award. A few of Conklin’s culinary experiences and accolades include: sous chef at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina; executive chef and culinary educator for Walters Restaurants and ICC education programs in Rhode Island; chef trainer for Kids in the Kitchen and Kids First in Rhode Island; trainer with USDA National School Food Safety and HACCP; U.S. domestic sales manager for Winston Industries, a leading manufacturer of precision temperature cooking equipment; and food development incubator for VC investments for a series of top-tier food manufacturing and processing companies as well as hospitality and cruise brands, including culinary development with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Carla Hall. Conklin is the recipient of a 5 Star Dining Award, Euro-Toques Nomination, James Beard House Event Recognition, and food and recipe styling recognition for Flavors + Knowledge . She is also an Emmy winner for PBS New England’s Holiday at the Breakers , Marian Esposito’s Ciao Italia , and the Food Network. She received the 2011 Industry Member of the Year award from SNA. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Pipo Nguyen-duy ’83, professor of studio art and photography at Oberlin College, delivered the Carleton convocation address titled, “A Dust of Life,” on Friday, May 3 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Nguyen-duy was born in Hue, Vietnam. Growing up within thirty kilometers of the demilitarized zone near the 18th parallel, he describes hearing gunfire every day of his early life. He immigrated to the United States as a political refugee. Nguyen-duy has taken on many things in life in pursuit of his diverse interests. He has competed as a national athlete in table tennis, spent time living as a Buddhist monk in northern India, and majored in economics at Carleton. While living in New York City’s East Village, where he worked as a bartender and later as a nightclub manager, his interests turned to art after meeting people such as musician Don Cherry and artist Keith Haring. He then earned an MA in photography, followed by an MFA in photography, both from the University of New Mexico–Albuquerque. Nguyen-duy has received many awards and grants over the years, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography; a National Endowment for the Arts grant; an En Foco grant; a Professional Development Fellowship from the College Arts Association; a National Graduate Fellowship from the American Photography Institute; a fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission in Salem, Oregon; a B. Wade and Jane B. White Fellowship in the Humanities at Oberlin; and two Individual Artist Fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council in Columbus, Ohio. Nguyen-duy has been an artist-in-residence at Monet’s Garden through the Artists at Giverny Fellowship from Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund as well as at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California through the Light Work Artist-in-Residence Program. He has also lectured widely and his work has been exhibited and is in public collections in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Teaching artist Brian Sostek ’90 delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, April 26 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His address, “Fear, Failure, and Catastrophe: How To Talk with Strangers,” pulled from his experience as a writer, choreographer, director, performer, and teacher who brings the best practices of his performing arts career to bear on academic research, writing, and interpersonal communication. Currently, Sostek works with undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota through faculty members in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, the School of Nursing, the School of Medicine, the University Honors Program, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, among many other departments, schools, and programs. In every context, Sostek teaches his students how to talk with strangers. In 2023, Sostek was recognized by the University of Minnesota for Outstanding Faculty Contribution to Honors Education, and was nominated for the John Song Distinguished Mentoring Award for exceptional contributions to the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. With his wife and co-creator Megan McClellan, he has received numerous accolades for their work on stage, the coolest of which — according to Sostek — might be the one and only Ivey Award for playwright and choreographer for their two-person show Trick Boxing . Sostek graduated from Carleton in 1990 with a BA in English. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Foreign policy expert Fiona Hill delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, April 19 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Her address, “Navigating a World in Turmoil,” pulled from her years of experience, extensive research, and multiple publications on issues related to Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, regional conflicts, energy, and strategic issues. Hill is a senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe in the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution, and in November 2022, was appointed chancellor of Durham University, U.K., a high-profile ceremonial and ambassadorial role. Hill is also currently a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin. She served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the U.S. National Security Council from 2017 to 2019, and as national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia on the National Intelligence Council from 2006 to 2009. In October and November 2019, Hill testified before Congress in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. She is the author of There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century and a co-author with Clifford Gaddy of Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin . Prior to joining Brookings, Hill was director of strategic planning at the Eurasia Foundation in Washington, D.C. From 1991 to 1999, she held a number of positions directing technical assistance and research projects at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, including associate director of the Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project, director of the Project on Ethnic Conflict in the Former Soviet Union, and coordinator of the Trilateral Study on Japanese-Russian-U.S. Relations. Her first book with Gaddy, The Siberian Curse: How Communist Planners Left Russia Out in the Cold , was published by Brookings Institution Press in December 2003, and her monograph, Energy Empire: Oil, Gas and Russia’s Revival, was published by the London Foreign Policy Centre in 2004. Hill holds a master’s in Soviet studies and a doctorate in history from Harvard University, where she was a Frank Knox Fellow. She also holds a master’s in Russian and modern history from St. Andrews University in Scotland, and has pursued studies at Moscow’s Maurice Thorez Institute of Foreign Languages. Hill’s Reith Lecture on “ Freedom of Fear ” for the BBC was broadcast in December 2022 to an audience of over 200 million. That same month, Hill was awarded the Insignia of Knight First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Françoise Baylis CM, ONS, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS, FISC delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, April 5 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Her address, “Altered Inheritance: The Era of Designer Babies,” discussed the ethics surrounding human genome editing and delved into her work on the subject. Baylis is distinguished research professor, emerita at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is a philosopher whose innovative work in bioethics, at the intersection of policy and practice, has stretched the boundaries of the field. Her work challenges people to think broadly and deeply about the direction of health, science, and biotechnology, and aims to move the limits of mainstream bioethics and develop more effective ways to understand and tackle public policy challenges. Baylis is the author of Altered Inheritance: CRISPR and the Ethics of Human Genome Editing , which won the 2020 PROSE Award in Clinical Medicine. In a review of the book for The New York Review , Natalie de Souza wrote, “She offers an authoritative, comprehensive guide to the ethical issues around CRISPR, and her central message is clear: heritable human genome editing shouldn’t be treated as inevitable, and the decision to undertake it should be a collective one.” In a review of the book for Science , Adam Hayden wrote, “Commitments to justice, responsibility, accountability, and consensus building are features of a socially just science and bioethics. Toward this end, Altered Inheritance is a foundational tool in the path ahead.” Baylis was a member of the planning committees for the first and third International Summit on Human Gene Editing (2015 and 2023), a member of the WHO Expert Advisory Committee on Developing Global Standards for Governance and Oversight of Human Genome Editing (2019–21), and a member of the WHO Working Groups on a Global Guidance Framework for the Responsible Use of the Life Sciences (2021). She is a member of the governing board for the International Science Council and vice chair of its Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science. Baylis is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia, as well as an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and the International Science Council. In 2022, she was awarded the Killam Prize for the Humanities, Canada’s most distinguished award for humanities scholars. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Inspirational speaker Steve Hanson delivered the first convocation address of spring term on Friday, March 29 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His address, “Your Time is Now,” is a reminder that everyone has the power to affect positive change and make a difference. Centered around the concept that time is both an asset and a commodity, Hanson’s work emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and encourages his audience members to consider how they can spend their time to live meaningful lives. In his address, he shared personal experiences of pain, struggle, and joy in order to empower and uplift his audience. As a self-described “man on a mission,” he is determined to open a dialogue that welcomes candid conversations about the challenges everyone faces and how those challenges impact esteem and abilities at school, in the workplace, and even at home. Hanson’s life experience motivates his work as an inspirational speaker. As a young child, he experienced severe bullying, which resulted in anxiety and low self-esteem. As an adult, Hanson was able to transform his life through a journey of self-discovery that taught him self-acceptance and vulnerability. In his work, Hanson shares the wisdom he has gained through that journey to encourage his audiences to change their lives for the better. Hanson provides his audience members with tools to combat fear, guilt, shame, and self-doubt in order to let go of what is holding them back from embracing their unique gifts. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Jaylen Smith, the youngest African American mayor in U.S. history, delivered the final winter term convocation at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, February 23. Smith was elected as mayor of Earle, Arkansas in December 2022 at just 18 years old, making him one of a select few teenagers to take office in U.S. history, and the youngest African American to ever become a mayor. A lifelong resident of Earle, Smith based his campaign on revitalizing the economy and infrastructure, in particular attracting a supermarket to the small city and increasing safety resources throughout the police and fire departments. Smith’s trailblazing career has attracted attention from national media, including appearances on CBS News , ABC News , The Jennifer Hudson Show , The Towanna Murphy Show , and a feature in The New York Times , among many others. Prior to his term as mayor of Earle, Smith was president of Earle High School’s student government, class president, and was involved with the community and high school in numerous other ways. Smith graduated from Earle High School in 2022 and now attends Arkansas State University Mid-South online after completing his mayoral duties each day. Smith was also recognized with a President’s Award at the King Kennedy Awards of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus in 2023. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Actress and author Gin Hammond ’93 delivered convocation at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, February 16. Hammond’s address, “Returning the Bones,” covered her award-winning play turned novel by the same name. In its theatrical format, Returning the Bones is a one-woman show, with the protagonist inspired by the extraordinary life of Hammond’s aunt, Carolyn Beatrice Hammond Montier, whom she affectionately refers to as Bebe. In the play, Hammond portrays the ups and downs of Bebe’s life as a pioneering Black doctor in the mid-twentieth century, facing racism and prejudice to pursue her passion for helping others. In an interview with The Seattle Times , Hammond revealed that it took her a decade to interview her aunt and collect the “jaw-dropping” information about her life that inspired the play. Returning the Bones has received significant praise from critics as well as nominations for the Gregory Awards, including Outstanding Play, Outstanding Performance, Outstanding Director, and Outstanding Sound Design. Hammond’s book adaptation of the play was published in 2023 and will be available for purchase before the start of her convocation address. Beyond her work on Returning the Bones , Hammond is an award-winning actress who has performed at venues including The Guthrie, Arena Stage, The Longwharf Theatre, The Pasadena Playhouse, the ART, The Berkshire Theatre Festival, and The Studio Theatre in Washington D.C., where she won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance of The Syringa Tree . Hammond has also received a Kathleen Cornell award and Washington state grants from Allied Arts, the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Artist Trust, and 4 Culture, as well as from the NEA, and has recently been nominated for a Washington State Governor’s Arts & Heritage Award. She has also performed internationally in Russia, Germany, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, and Belgium. Hammond has taught voice, voice-over, public speaking, dialect coaching, and has appeared on commercials, in audiobooks and radio plays, and in video games including BattleTech , Dota 2 , State of Decay and its sequel, and Halo 3: ODST . She was also the director and dialect coach for the video game Post Human W.A.R. and has begun working in the field of motion capture. After earning her BA at Carleton, Hammond went on to earn her MFA at Harvard University/Moscow Art Theater. She is also a certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework™ . Hammond currently lives in the Seattle area, where she is deeply involved in the city’s theater scene, including with ACT Theater, Seattle Children’s Theater, Book-It Repertory Theater, Washington Ensemble Theater, 5thAve. Theater, Seattle Rep, Taproot, Village Theater, and various Sandbox Artists Collective productions as well as various film projects. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations .…
Dudley Edmondson—nature photographer, filmmaker, author, and advocate for nature—delivered the convocation address, “My Career Working with the Natural World,” at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, February 9. His talk detailed his unique personal experiences sharing and living in nature. Edmondson has spent more than three decades as a photographer of nature and wildlife. His passion and love for the outdoors motivated him to create his groundbreaking book, Black & Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places (2006), which profiles the lives of many African Americans who are deeply connected to nature. Edmondson’s work highlighting Black outdoor role models contributes to his goal of helping more people of color explore the outdoors. Edmondson’s belief that nature has an innate ability to heal the mind and the body has led him on a life path of sharing his love and passion for nature with others. He has worked with a multitude of communities across the country in order to help urban youth and youth of color to experience the beauty of the natural world. His first-hand experience watching the ways that young people’s lives are changed for the better with exposure to nature has reinforced his desire to inspire people to discover their personal understanding and respect for everything that nature has to offer. “In wilderness the ability to embrace freedom and be your true self is the healing medicine the mind needs,” Edmondson explains on his website . Edmondson is also the author of What’s that Flower: A Beginner’s Guide to Wildflowers (2013) , which breaks down the most common wildflowers of the eastern United States. Over the course of his career, his work has been featured in over 100 publications and his photographs have been showcased in a plethora of national galleries. Edmondson attended Ohio State University and now calls Duluth, Minnesota home, where he is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying several recreational activities including birdwatching, mountain and fat biking, fly fishing, and trail running, among many others. About Black & Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places : Written after four years of crisscrossing America, the book contains interviews with people from all walks of life. In speaking with a spectrum of people from private citizens to working biologists and even national park rangers, Edmondson fulfills the book’s purpose to create a set of “Outdoor Role Models” for the African American community. Readers can identify and connect through seeing someone who reflects how they look but also be inspired through reading about their passion for nature and love of the outdoors. Each copy of the book includes a children’s version on the inside back cover, for sharing with a child in your community or household. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations .…
Environmental journalist, researcher, and filmmaker Ben Raines delivered the convocation address, “Finding Clotilda – The Last Slave Ship,” at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, February 2. Raines’s talk detailed his discovery of Clotilda, the last known slave ship carrying enslaved Africans to the United States, and how the histories of those on the ship continue to be profoundly important. His presentation is connected with his book, The Last Slave Ship – The True Story of How Clotilda Was Found, Her Descendants, and an Extraordinary Reckoning (2022), which stems from his discovery of the wrecked remains of the slave ship in 2018. While the Atlantic slave trade was legally abolished in the U.S. in 1808, the slave trade continued illegally for decades. In 1860, a group of plantation owners organized for the Clotilda to smuggle 110 captured African people between the ages of 12 and 30 across the Middle Passage to Mobile Bay, Alabama. After the ship’s journey, it was set on fire and sunk to hide the evidence. The Clotilda ’s story is particularly impactful as its survivors provided some of the best-recorded, concrete first-person accounts of the Atlantic slave trade, surviving the Middle Passage, and memories of Africa. Raine’s discovery of the wreck of the Clotilda in 2018 fueled his re-examination of the stories of the enslaved people and the enslavers, whose lives were all intertwined with the last known slave ship in America. Raines has also won dozens of awards for his coverage of environmental issues. He is the author of the book Saving America’s Amazon: The Threat to Our Nation’s Most Diverse River System, about the looming threats to the unparalleled biodiversity of the rivers of Alabama. It was actually his knowledge of the river systems of Alabama that led to his discovery of the Clotilda, according to The New York Times . Raines is also the co-author of Heart of a Patriot with U.S. Senator Max Cleland, which follows Cleland’s journey from veteran and triple amputee to the U.S. senate. Raines is also the writer and director of the award-winning film The Underwater Forest about exploring the 70,000 acre cypress forest off the Alabama Coast. He is also the writer and producer of America’s Amazon, a PBS documentary that has been aired on stations around the country, among others. His film work has appeared on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic TV. Raines has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The Today Show, Good Morning America, the BBC, England’s Channel 4, NBC Nightly News, and CBS Evening News. Raines has also written news coverage on environmental issues that has appeared in The New York Times , Los Angeles Times , and The Washington Post . Raines earned a degree in filmmaking from New York University. He lives with his wife in Fairhope, Alabama aboard the Suzanne , an 82-year-old river boat moored on the Tensaw River. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations .…
Stanford professor and author Francis Fukuyama delivered the convocation, “The Global Challenge of 2024,” at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, January 26. Fukuyama’s talk addressed the major setbacks the world has seen to liberal democracy, including the outbreak of two large wars, and asked the question: What are possible global outcomes that will emerge in the year 2024? Fukuyama is best known for his scholarship and his work advancing political theory. His book, The End of History and the Last Man (1992), argued that Western democracy and free-market capitalism could indicate the end of sociocultural evolution. The book has been met with much debate over the years and has been translated for over twenty different foreign editions. Fukuyama has also written a variety of other books on development and and international politics, including Trust (1995), The Great Disruption (1999), Our Posthuman Future ( 2002), State Building (2004), Nation Building (2005), America at the Crossroads (2006), Falling Behind (2008), The Origins of Political Order (2011), Political Order and Political Decay (2014), Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018), and most recently, Liberalism and its Discontents (2022). Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and a faculty member of FSI’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). He is also the director of Stanford’s Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy and a professor (by courtesy) of political science. He is a non-resident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and at the Center for Global Development. He also serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the Pardee RAND Graduate School and the Volcker Alliance, a member of the Board of Trustees of the RAND Corporation, and a member of the American Political Science Association and Council on Foreign Relations. Fukuyama was also previously a member of the political science department of the RAND Corporation, and the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State. From 1996–2000, he was Omer L. and Nancy Hirst Professor of Public Policy at the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. From 2002–2010, he was Vernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University. Fukuyama received his BA from Cornell University and his PhD from Harvard. He is married to Laura Holmgren and is the father of three children. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations .…
Award-winning dancer, writer, model, and disability rights advocate Jerron Herman delivered the convocation address, “EMBRACE: On kinship,” at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, January 19. Herman’s artistic process is supported by his personal history with disability as well as the social legacies of disability aesthetics; this process leads him to create art that undermines notions of production—the simple facts of how the art is made—in favor of creating something welcoming. Herman views art as a form of empowerment, reflecting in a feature video by Great Big Story that he has “always been an advocate for those to pursue the antithesis of the thing that is their limitation.” Herman has performed, collaborated on, and choreographed many original works, including his most recent piece, “ VITRUVIAN ,” which premiered in 2022 as a modern interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Virtruvian Man. Through Herman’s expert expression, the Virtruvian Man is portrayed as a Disabled Black Man. Herman received the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in 2021 and the Grants to Artists Award from Dance/NYC’s Dance and Social Justice Fellowship Program in 2020. His writing on art and culture has been published in the U.S. and internationally and his play “3 Bodies” was published in Theater Magazine in 2022. He has also featured as a cover story of Dance Magazine . As a model and disability rights advocate with hemiplegia cerebral palsy, Herman has partnered with brands including Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, The Jewelry Library, FFORA, Samsung, and Google. Herman is a trustee and vice chair of Dance/USA . In the spring of 2022, he became an Artist/Scholar in Residence at Georgetown University. He earned his BA in Media, Culture and Arts from The King’s College in 2013. Herman’s convocation talk coincides with the Perlman Teaching Museum’s exhibition Towards A Warm Embrace by artists Ezra Benus and Finnegan Shannon ’11. Open January 11–April 14, 2024, the exhibition explores disability justice and accessibility practice with the underlying premise that access is something everyone has a responsibility toward. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Lis Frost ’99 delivered the convocation address at Carleton College on Friday, January 12 in Skinner Chapel. Frost is a lawyer with expertise in voting and constitutional law, particularly protecting and defending voting rights. In her talk, “Fighting for Democracy in Court: The Rise of Election Litigation, and Some of the More Hidden Threats to Voting Rights,” Frost spoke on the threats to American democracy present in 2024, and shared her experiences on the front lines protecting and expanding the right to vote in the U.S. Frost’s work played a significant role in the 2020 election cycle through her endeavors to uphold the voting rights of millions of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later in the 2020 cycle, she also managed a coordinated defense against the “unprecedented attacks in courts across the country,” which sought to cast doubt on the outcome of the presidential election. Frost has also appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court in several seminal redistricting cases—often referred to as “gerrymandering”— four of which were won in favor of her clients. In 2021, Frost formed the nation’s largest democracy-focused law firm, Elias Law Group , with several colleagues. Frost serves as the chair of litigation. Elias Law Group’s mission is to help democrats win elections, protect and promote voting rights, and help progressives make positive change. After graduating from Carleton College in 1999, Frost received a degree from the University of Washington School of Law, where she operated as the editor-in-chief of the Washington Law Review. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Staffan Ingemar Lindberg is a professor of political science, one of five principal investigators for Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), and the founding director of the V-Dem Institute through the University of Gothenburg. He delivered the convocation address, “Democracy and Autocracy Worldwide: 3rd Wave of Autocratization Escalating,” at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, October 27. His address focused on threats to democracy in the world and in the U.S., based on data analysis of current trends and the spread of far-right, anti-pluralist/liberal parties around the world. V-Dem is a highly utilized source of democracy data thanks to its extensive and holistic collection of indexes from around the world. Lindberg is also the founding director of Demscore , research infrastructure which provides free access to some of the world’s largest data sets on democracy, environment, migration, social policy, conflict, and representation. Lindberg has co-authored the books Varieties of Democracy (2020) and Why Democracies Develop and Decline (2022) and was the editor of Democratization by Elections: A New Mode of Transition (2009) . His book Democracy and Elections in Africa (2006) was awarded “Outstanding Title” by Choice Magazine in 2007. Lindberg is also the author of over 60 articles on democracy, accountability, elections, autocratization, democratization, clientelism, sequence analysis methods, women’s representation, and voting behavior, which have been featured in a wide array of journals, including AJPS, World Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Journal of Politics, Political Science Quarterly, World Development, Party Politics, European Journal of Political Research, and many more. Lindberg has also conducted a variety of research projects focused on Ghana and published on a variety of topics focused through that lens. He is an experienced consultant on development and democracy, and has worked as an advisor to international organizations, ministries, and state authorities. Currently, Lindberg is leading several sizable research projects, including “The Case for Democracy,” “Varieties of Autocratization,” and “Failing and Successful Sequences of Democratization,” all through the University of Gothenburg and V-Dem. Lindberg earned his PhD at Lund University in Sweden. His dissertation was awarded the American Political Science Association’s Juan Linz Award for Best Dissertation in 2005. He was previously a professor at Kent State University, and an assistant and associate professor at the University of Florida. He has been at the University of Gothenburg since 2010 and is a Wallenburg Academy Scholar. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Bloomberg Opinion columnist and author Adam Minter delivered the convocation address, “How We Think About Waste is a Waste,” at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, October 20. Minter predominantly writes on technology, emerging markets, and waste, among other topics. Over the course of his career, Minter has been a correspondent across the globe. From 2004 to 2014, he was based in Shanghai, where he covered transatlantic recycling. He continued his correspondence on the issue while in Kuala Lumpur from 2014 until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from Bloomberg, Minter’s work has been published in a variety of publications, including ArtNews and The Atlantic . Minter’s first book— Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, published in 2015—is acclaimed for its thorough insider’s look at the world of globalized recycling. Junkyard Planet has received praise from The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Financial Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Brooklyn Bugle, and Slate. His second book— Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale , published in 2019—takes the reader through the secondhand economy that thrives around the world. Secondhand has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including NPR and The Guardian, and has received praise from a wide array of perspectives, including the Associated Press, Nature, Foreign Policy, Science, Sierra, Recycling International, and Library Journal. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Gregg Colburn P ’26, associate professor for the Runstad Department of Real Estate at the University of Washington College of Built Environments, delivered the Family Weekend convocation address at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, October 13. He spoke about the book he recently co-authored, Homelessness is a Housing Problem , which looks to statistically examine the conventional beliefs about what drives homelessness. Colburn’s work is primarily focused on topics related to housing and homelessness. He is a member of the National Alliance to End Homelessness Research Council —an organization dedicated to the eradication of homelessness and a key provider of data and research on the topic to inform policy. He also co-chairs the University of Washington’s Homelessness Research Initiative . Colburn plays an active role in community efforts to address the critical housing shortages in the Puget Sound region. Colburn earned his BA from Albion College, his MBA from Northwestern University, and his PhD from the University of Minnesota. Before his work in academia, he was an investment banker and private equity professional. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez , environmental activist and hip hop artist, delivered convocation at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, October 6. He spoke on how climate change is influencing the migration of people in South and Latin America. Martinez is known for his talent for connecting people through popular culture and sharing the message of his Indigenous roots in order to protect the planet and re-imagine the future of the next generation. He is also a founder of Earth Guardians , an organization for empowering and organizing youth to protect the future of the planet. Since the age of six, Martinez has stood on the front lines of the climate and environmental movement. He has addressed the general assembly at the UN multiple times and spoken on panels with Bernie Sanders, Van Jones, Shailene Woodley, Bill McKibbens, Pharrell Williams, and many others. He has stood to protect sacred land from pipelines and performed all over the world. His music is known to push the envelope of hip hop for what the genre can look and sound like; his lyrics are informed by his Mexican roots and his experiences growing up in the environmental justice movement. Recently named one of the TIME100 Next, Martinez has been a guest on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and Real Time with Bill Maher. He has also appeared multiple times on PBS, Showtime, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Upworthy, The Guardian, Vogue, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, CNN, MSNBC, HBO, Netflix, and VICE, and has been photographed by Annie Leibovitz. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Jazz Hampton is CEO and general counsel at TurnSignl, a Minnesota-based company that provides real-time legal guidance and de-escalation from attorneys to drivers who have been stopped by law enforcement or were involved in a car crash. Hampton delivered the convocation address at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, September 29. TurnSignl is a proudly Black-owned tech company with an app that allows users to initiate a video call with an attorney at the moment of a traffic stop or car crash. The app also features automatic front-camera recording of the interaction, which is stored and encrypted in the user’s cloud. TurnSignl’s mission is for everybody to get home safe, including drivers and law enforcement. Launched in 2021, TurnSignl was created in the wake of the murders of Philando Castile, George Floyd, and Daunte Wright as a solution to bridge the gap between law enforcement and drivers. In his TurnSignl introduction , Hampton said, “We want everyone to be safe and to be empowered.” TurnSignl has been featured by NBC segments Top Story and Nightly News with Lester Holt and on MSNBC . Hampton was named one of Minneapolis–St. Paul’s 40 Under 40 for his work at TurnSignl and in the Twin Cities community. He also sits on the Board of Directors at the Minneapolis Foundation and Catholic Charities Twin Cities and is a Philanthropic Advisory Council member for the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain. Before joining TurnSignl, Hampton was a practicing attorney and the director of DEI at the national law firm Foley & Mansfield , as well as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law . Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Dr. Susan Jaret McKinstry, Helen F. Lewis Professor of English, delivered the Argument & Inquiry Convocation on Friday, September 22. The A&I convocation is a key aspect of the first-year A&I seminars—a class crafted for first-year students to get a grasp of college-level classes through the lens of a liberal arts school. In her address, “The Whole Story,” Jaret McKinstry highlighted the nature of liberal arts and the liberal arts approach to learning. Over the course of her time at Carleton, Jaret McKinstry has taught courses on a variety of subjects, from prose to poetry, memoir, and journalism. She has also directed Carleton off-campus study programs in London and Ireland, Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) programs in London and Florence, and taught visual studies as a Fulbright scholar in Moscow. Her adventures also include a poetry retreat in Galway, Ireland and leading Carleton Alumni Adventures trips in Ireland, Scotland, England, and Norway. Jaret McKinstry’s scholarly work has mainly focused on a group of radical nineteenth century British artists and writers who saw art as a way to spark social change. She co-edited the book Feminism, Bakhtin, and the Dialogic , and has published articles on Dante Rossetti, William Morris, Jane Austen, Emily Brontë, Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Ann Beattie, and others. Her own poetry pinpoints the intersections of place, history, and story, and has been published in Plain Songs I & II, Crosswinds Poetry Journal, Willows Wept Review, Red Wing Poet Artist Collaboration, and the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Her first chapbook, Tumblehome , will be published in 2024 . Jaret McKinstry received her BA and MBA from Miami University in Ohio, and her PhD from the University of Michigan. Carleton was her first full-time academic position and her introduction to a liberal arts college, and she has been fervent advocate for the beauty and use of the liberal arts ever since. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson is the Michael and Denise Kellen ’68 Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. Her research focuses on slavery and abolitionists, violence as a political discourse, historical film, and Black women’s history. Most recently, she has written and spoken on political threats to academic freedom. She is the author of the award-winning book Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence , which won the James Broussard Best First Book Prize, was a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize and the Museum of African American History Stone Book Prize, and was listed among 13 books to read on African American History by the Washington Post. Her essays have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe, among many others. She has also been featured in Apple TV’s highly acclaimed docuseries Lincoln’s Dilemma as well as other documentaries for Netflix, MSNBC, and PBS. She is the host and executive producer of You Get a Podcast! The Unauthorized Study of the Queen of Talk and co-host of the Radiotopia podcast This Day in Esoteric Political History . Carter Jackson serves as a Historian-in-Residence for the Museum of African American History in Boston and is commissioner for the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Her next book, The Remedy: A Forceful History of Black Resistance to White Supremacy , will be out in spring 2024 with Basic Books. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Community activist, civil rights lawyer, and writer Arjun Singh Sethi delivered the convocation address at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, May 12. Sethi works closely with Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and Sikh communities and is an expert in policing and counter terrorism reform, racial and religious profiling, and the best practices to combat hate violence. He is also actively involved in domestic and international surveillance issues and pre-arrest police civilian encounters, which include consensual stops, location tracking, predictive policing, biometric data collection, and countering violent extremist programs. Sethi is co-chair of the American Bar Association’s National Committee on Homeland Security, Terrorism and the Treatment of Enemy Combatants and has served as a legal observer around the world. He previously served on the National Legislative Council for human rights and national security related affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union . Sethi is also an adjunct professor of law at both Georgetown University and Vanderbilt University. He also serves as an adviser for nonprofits and foundations on public policy, advocacy campaigns, and rapid-response organizing. In 2018, Sethi published American Hate: Survivors Speak Out , which documents through testimonials the hate that impacted many people before and after the 2016 presidential election. It was named among the Best Books of 2018 by NPR. Sethi’s other works have appeared in many national outlets including CNN, The Guardian, Politico Magazine, USA Today, and The Washington Post. He has also been widely quoted on television, radio, and in print, including BBC World Radio, NPR, The Independent, and The New York Times. Based in Washington D.C., Sethi is a graduate of New York University and the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Steven Levitsky delivered the convocation address at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, May 5. Levitsky is the David Rockefeller professor of Latin American studies and professor of government at Harvard University. Levitsky also serves as director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard, which works to increase awareness of the histories, cultures, economics, and environment of contemporary Latin America. His research focuses on democratization and authoritarianism, political parties, and weak and informal institutions. Levitsky is an award-winning author and has written or edited 12 books, published guest essays, and featured in media publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. In 2018, he published How Democracies Die with David Ziblatt, which focuses on the potential death of democracy in the United States, in particular after the election of Donald Trump. How Democracies Die was a New York Times Bestseller and has been translated into 25 languages. It was recognized as one of the best non-fiction books of 2018 by The Washington Post, Time, and Foreign Affairs. Other books by Levitsky include Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America: Argentine Peronism in Comparative Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2003), Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War with Lucan Way (Cambridge University Press, 2010) and Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism with Lucan Way (Princeton University Press, 2022). Levitsky received his BA in political science from Stanford University and his PhD from the University of California–Berkeley. He currently lives in Massachusetts with his family. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Award-winning creator Diana Fraser ’14 delivered the convocation address at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, April 28. Fraser values critical thinking, social dialogue, and uplifting systemically marginalized and excluded communities. She leads savvy, relevant content creation for audiences with effective, streamlined, data-informed systems. Fraser manages and designs multimedia projects, documentaries, digital series, broadcast programs, and advertising spots for PBS Digital Studios, where she drives a $5.5 million grant portfolio that creates original digital-first series, workshops, and events. She previously served as a line producer for Twin Cities PBS, where her programs received 20 Midwest Regional Emmy Award nominations and nine wins. Her directorial debut, Patient No More , is an Emmy-nominated documentary that narrates the barriers that LGBTQ+ women face across healthcare systems and how the never-ending hunt for affirming care affects their lives. Focused on centering the experiences of queer and female-identifying people, the film features the voices of 17 LGBTQ+ women as both experts and patients. Fraser’s portfolio includes more than ten award-winning short and feature films and screenings with Harvard University/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, World Professional Association for Transgender Health, UCLA–Iris Cantor Women’s Health Center, the City of West Hollywood government, and Boston School of Public Health. Her films have featured at the 2022 Big Sky Film Festival, the 2018 and 2021 Twin Cities Film Festival, and 2018 INPUT. Fraser also won the 2013 Princess Grace Honorarium Award. Fraser is a 2021 Online News Association Women’s Leadership Accelerator cohort member and a 2018 Minnesota State Arts Board grant recipient. She earned her BA in cinema and media studies from Carleton College in 2014. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Violinist, songwriter, and disability rights advocate Gaelynn Lea delivered the convocation address at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, April 14. Lea is a renowned public speaker and advocate for disability rights and accessibility in the arts. She has shared her perspective on many platforms, including PBS NewsHour , On Being with Krista Tippett , The Moth Radio Hour , NowThis , The Science of Happiness Podcast , and through two TEDx talks . Most recently, Lea composed and performed the music for Macbeth on Broadway starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga, which was nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Sound Design. Lea is also the co-founder of RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), which connects music, entertainment, and event industries to a global network of established music professionals with disabilities. This fast-growing, disability-led coalition played a crucial role in making the 64th GRAMMY Awards accessible and in 2022 was named a Zero Project Honoree for its dynamic solutions. An internationally touring recording artist, Lea has captivated audiences around the world with her haunting original songs and traditional fiddle tunes. In 2016, her music gained popularity after she won NPR Music’s second-annual Tiny Desk Contest . Lea has opened for artists like Wilco, The Decemberists, LOW, and the industrial rock supergroup Pigface. Lea is also currently working on a memoir detailing her adventures on tour and with disability advocacy. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
Matthew MacWilliams—scholar, award-winning practitioner of American politics and recognized expert on authoritarianism—delivered the convocation address at Carleton's Skinner Chapel on Friday, April 7. Among MacWilliams’ more prominent works are his articles published in Politico, the London School of Economics Blog, and Vox, which sparked an international political debate that defined Donald Trump and his political tactics as authoritarian. Before a vote had been cast in the 2016 presidential primaries, MacWilliams warned liberals, moderates, and conservatives alike that his polls revealed the near-unstoppable nature of Trump’s political campaign, attributing its power to Trump’s appeal to authoritarianism. MacWilliams has conducted qualitative research on issues surrounding the global rise of authoritarianism. He has also discussed the future of democracy implicated by his research with political officials and civil society members across the United States, Eurasia, and Europe. A long-time political professional, MacWilliams established a campaign and media strategies firm, MacWilliams Sanders Communications, over two decades ago. MacWilliams’ work has been cited and reprinted in leading media around the world, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, Der Spiegel, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and MSNBC. He is the author of the 2020 book, On Fascism: 12 Lessons From American History , which centers his work on authoritarianism and Donald Trump, highlighting the authoritarian strain found throughout United States history. MacWilliams earned his BA at the University of Pennsylvania as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and his PhD in political science from the University of Massachusetts. He lives in Baltimore with his wife and dog. Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations…
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