James DeCamp
As The New Albany Lecture Series enters its 13th season, new speakers bring unique insights to community-selected topics including health and wellbeing, civil discourse and debate, national security and mental health.
Each topic stems from community interest, from educators talking about navigating conversations involving mental health between students and families, to the foundation looking to connect with veterans and active military personnel on national security and foreign affairs. But, how did the Lecture Series itself start?
The initial idea for the Lecture Series, as long-time president of the New Albany Community Foundation Craig Mohre recalls, can be traced back to his start as president and the 2002 A Remarkable Evening event with two-time Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner David McCullough.
The event not only went on to raise more than one million dollars towards opening the New Albany Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, it also highlighted the community’s excitement and engagement with the topics McCullough had brought forward, especially students.
“It occurred to me that the real core to lifelong learning is curiosity… and that if we could bring leaders to the community routinely, they could meet with the students and their parents and their grandparents, and it could be a multigenerational endeavor and really bring the community together,” Mohre says.
The community reception of this event inspired the joint community Lecture Series and Student Lecture Series.
Both series reach more than just the local community. The Student Lecture Series alone has welcomed more than 35,000 students from roughly 50 local high schools to watch student moderators talk with speakers.
With the draw of local and national experts across a variety of fields and professions, The New Albany Lecture Series is set to bring meaningful discussions around community topics this season.
Opening conversation
This season welcomes several new guests as well as a few familiar faces.
Returning for his third time as an interviewer, Vice Chair of Pelotonia Doug Ulman opens the series with Good Morning America host and fellow cancer survivor Robin Roberts – as they discuss health and wellbeing.
Both Ulman and Roberts are vocal about their journeys with cancer and advocate for providing more support to cancer patients, which will be a core topic of their discussion.
“She has a very great, open way of authentically sharing what she went through, the highs and lows, but also with this unbelievable attitude and approach, so I think that will be both authentic for the audience but also inspiring,” Ulman says.
“I never think the goal is to sugarcoat or gloss over the human sort of aspects of a diagnosis and treatment and recovery and survivorship, so my hope is that we’ll be able to dive into the emotion of what that journey was like for her because every journey’s different,” he adds.
As he prepares for his conversation with Roberts, Ulman read several of her books and looked at her history as a journalist and athlete, a trait they share.
Roberts was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame for her contributions to the game through her strong collegiate career at Southeastern Louisiana University and her broadcasting coverage. Ulman was also an athlete as a Division I soccer player at Brown University.
“I feel like one of the best things that sports teach us is how to set goals. Being part of a team is a very impactful experience,” Ulman says. “One of the things that Robin talks about is creating this team (of friends, family and colleagues) when she had her diagnosis, and I think that came naturally to her because of her athletic background.”
Ulman is looking forward to learning more about Roberts’s personal journey as well as diving into conversations about cancer and more for the community.
Roberts and Ulman kick off the Lecture Series on Thursday, Oct. 9.
More about Doug Ulman and Robin Roberts
Now a Columbus resident with his wife and two kids, Doug Ulman is also a three-time cancer survivor and is involved in many cancer-related organizations, such as his co-founded Ulman Foundation and Pelotonia. He has previously served in many executive leadership roles at The LIVESTRONG Foundation, among others organizations, and has shared his story and message widely to raise awareness nationally.
He is an experienced speaker and interviewer, as a speaker at conferences such as Inc. 500 | 5000 Conference and TEDxAUSTIN and an interviewer at two Lecture Series presentations — with Dr. Sanjay Gupta about health and wellbeing in 2018 and Michael Phelps about mental health in 2021.
Robin Roberts, based in New York with her wife, is a two-time cancer survivor.
Her career as a journalist includes more than 20 years as a news anchor-turned-co-host on GMA, 15 years as a sportscaster with ESPN SportsCenter and more. Over the years, she has received numerous awards for sharing her health journey, including the 2017 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Daytime TV Hosting Team as well as the 2013 Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY's.
She has worked with organizations such as Be The Match to encourage people to become bone marrow donors, and she uses her platform to share information and optimism around health topics as well as advocate for more equity in healthcare.
“I think it’s so critical for people to be willing to share their experience, because it can do a number of things. It can inspire others to get screened, ... It also just gives human connection. So many people have been through something, whether it’s a health scare or experience or a family member diagnosis, so it’s relatable and relevant. I think we call all takeaway a lot from hearing somebody else’s journey.” — Doug Ulman, Vice Chair of Pelotonia
Catch these speakers later this season
Jan. 28, Civil Discourse & Debate: Former White House Chief of Staff and Republican National Committee Chair Reince Preibus will discuss civil discourse and debate with Democratic political consultant and campaign strategist James Carville.
From high school campaign volunteer to national chairman of the Republic National Committee (2011-2017) and the 27th chief of staff in the early months of the 2017 administration of Donald Trump, Preibus is now the president, chief strategist and board chairman of law firm Michael Best. He is also a naval officer as a lieutenant for the Bureau of Naval Personnel.
Carville has worked as a Democratic political consultant and campaign strategist across states, nations and public offices, working on gubernatorial, senatorial, presidential campaigns and more, including Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign as lead strategist and consultant. Carvis was previously enlisted as a Marine Corps corporal as well. Now, he works as an attorney, and publishes political work, from nonfiction novels to podcast Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt.
The conversation will be moderated by host and correspondent for World News Tonight Sunday, ABC News Live Prime and more, coverage anchor for presidential debate and election, and Lecture Series regular Linsey Davis.
Mar. 3, National Security: Retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster will speak on national security with Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State, director of the CIA and retired politician.
As a three-star lieutenant general and doctor with a Ph.D. in American history, McMaster has extensive knowledge on military history, leadership and strategy. Involved in several conflicts including the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom and more, McMaster was also an active-duty officer during his year as the 26th national security officer under the first Trump administration. He then resigned and retired from the military to accept an academic appointment at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and he now holds positions as a senior fellow, visiting fellow and lecturer at numerous universities.
Previously the 6th Director of the CIA, 70th Secretary of State and member of the House of Representatives for Kansas, Pompeo has a vast history of involvement in American politics and discussions surrounding national security. Pompeo served on numerous House committees and subcommittees, including the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Intelligence Subcommittee on the CIA.
The conversation will be moderated by CNN Anchor, Chief National Security Analyst and returning Lecture Series moderator Jim Sciutto.
May 11, Mental Health: Award-winning actor and mental health advocate Christian Slater will be interviewed by Neda Ulaby, a reporter for NPR’s Arts Desk and returning interviewer for the Lecture Series.
A Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning actor who has done film, television, Broadway and voice acting, Slater has been in films and movies such as Interview with a Vampire and Blink Twice as well as television series including Mr. Robot. With him, he brings experience with child stardom, parental mental health struggles, addiction and recovery.
Jane Dimel is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at jdimel@cityscenemediagroup.com.
