Past Speakers

The Boston Speakers Series presents some of the world’s most celebrated and influential personalities of our time, a virtual Who’s Who of National and global figures - heads of state, political leaders, newsmakers, innovators and cultural icons, each sharing their unique experiences and perspectives as they challenge your mind, enlarge your world and make you laugh. These are our past speakers:

2022-2023

Loretta Lynch
John Brennan
Maria Ressa
Erik Larson
Tom Friedman
Scott Kelly
Anthony Ray Hinton

2021–2022

John Bolton
Platon
Walter Isaacson
Mara Liasson
Jamie Metzl
Theresa May
Bill Nye

2019–2020

John Kerry
Zanny Minton Beddoes
Bob Woodward
Douglas Brinkley
Peter Diamandis
Susan Rice
Jason Alexander

2018–2019

James Comey
Lisa Genova
Gloria Steinem
Jeb Bush
Bryan Stevenson
Jon Meacham
Ian Bremmer
Jay Leno

2017–2018

David Cameron
Jon Meacham
Cokie Roberts
Robin Wright
Rick Steves
Mark Kelly and
Gabby Giffords
Paul Nicklen

2016–2017

Justice Stephen Breyer
Ehud Barak
Rita Moreno
John Cleese
Martin Dempsey
Ted Koppel
Michele Norris, Jason Riley
and Morris Dees

2015–2016

Leon Panetta
Sanjay Gupta
Michio Kaku
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Diana Nyad
John Irving
Dennis Ross

2014–2015

Madeleine Albright
Julia Gillard
Ken Burns
Olympia Snowe
David Gergen
Ishmael Beah
Dan Rather

2013–2014

Bill Bryson
George Papandreou
Robert Gates
Steve Wozniak
Billy Collins
Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Doris Kearns Goodwin

2012–2013

President Bill Clinton
Jeannette Walls
Lisa Ling
P.W. Singer
Erskine Bowles
Vicente Fox
Nando Parrado

2011–2012

David McCullough
Michelle Rhee
Valerie Plame Wilson
and Joe Wilson
Michael Pollan
Azar Nafisi
Frank Abagnale
Tom Brokaw