Presenting the World Up Close®
Presenting another outstanding season of influential speakers that will broaden your perspective and deepen your understanding of the world around you.
Former US Transportation Secretary
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2021–2025), Pete Buttigieg led federal transportation policy during implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2020, his historic campaign won the Iowa caucuses and finished second in the New Hampshire primary. He previously served two terms as… Learn more
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2019–2022), Boris Johnson led the country through Brexit, the UK’s exit from the European Union, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He previously served as Leader of the Conservative Party, Foreign Secretary, and twice as Mayor of… Learn more
Pulitzer-Winning Historian
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian renowned for in-depth explorations of US presidents and pivotal historical events. Her books include Team of Rivals on Abraham Lincoln and No Ordinary Time on Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. A sought-after commentator, Goodwin is often called upon to provide historical context for current day events. Goodwin’s… Learn more
Financial Journalist & Bestselling Author
Andrew Ross Sorkin is an award-winning journalist for The New York Times and a co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC’s signature morning program. He is also the founder and editor-at-large of DealBook, an online daily financial report published by The New York Times that he started in 2001. Sorkin is the author of Too Big to Fail:… Learn more
12th NASA Administrator & Astronaut
Former NASA Administrator (2009–2017), Charles F. Bolden Jr. is a retired Marine Corps Major General who led the United States’ civilian space program through the retirement of the space shuttle program and the transition to commercial and deep-space exploration. Appointed by former President Barack Obama, Bolden became only the second… Learn more
Former US Ambassador to China & NATO
Nicholas Burns served for more than three decades in the United States government under six Presidents and nine Secretaries of State of both parties. From 2021 to 2025 he was U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, where he led the U.S. Mission to China, including the embassy in Beijing… Learn more
Award-Winning War Photographer
Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist who has been covering conflict, humanitarian crises, and women’s issues across the Middle East and Africa on assignment for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and National Geographic for more than two decades. Since September 11, 2001, Addario has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Darfur, South Sudan,… Learn more