We were pleased to offer the 2026 Aspen Community Programs summer lecture series free to the public, with speaker receptions and reserved seating as an exclusive Aspen Society membership benefit (please contact [email protected] for more information). Thanks to all of our community members who attended and supported our events this summer!
The 2026 summer speaker schedule was as follows (with links to watch online):
Thursday, June 18 | 5:30–6:30 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
Food, Culture, and the Craft of Cooking
Celebrity chef, restaurateur, and best-selling cookbook author Bobby Flay joins Corby Kummer, food writer and executive director of the Food & Society program at the Aspen Institute for a lively conversation about the evolution of American cuisine.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Wednesday, July 8 | 5:30–6:30 pm
Aspen Society members-only reception with speakers | 4:30-5:15 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
America at 250: Liberal Education, Self-Government, and the Future of the Republic
Shilo Brooks, president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and professor of practice in the Department of Political Science at Southern Methodist University, joins Todd Breyfogle, senior advisor for humanistic studies and practices at the Aspen Institute, for a conversation about the ideas and institutions that shape American democracy.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Thursday, July 9 | 5:30–6:30 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
The Global Economy at a Crossroads: Leadership in an Uncertain World
Distinguished economist and former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. joins Nancy Lazar, chief global economist at Piper Sandler, for a timely conversation about the forces shaping the global economy.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Tuesday, July 14 | 4:30–6:30 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Assessing Today’s Security Landscape
Presented in collaboration with the Aspen Security Forum
Featuring 66th US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, 38th US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, and other panelists to be announced. The program also includes conversations with Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle; CSIS Aerospace Security Project Director Kari Bingen; Vantor CEO Dan Smoot; and additional speakers.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Thursday, July 16 | 6:45-7:15 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
A Panel Discussion and Film Screening: Antidote
Presented in collaboration with the Aspen Security Forum
Following the screening of award-winning film Antidote, investigative journalist Christo Grozev joins The Wall Street Journal’s Yaroslav Trofimov for a discussion on the global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism, the role of investigative journalism in strengthening democratic resilience, and the personal risks faced by those who expose abuses of power.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Tuesday, July 21 | 4:30–5:30 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Governing a Changing America
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves join John Simpkins, senior moderator, the Aspen Institute, for a conversation on the challenges and opportunities shaping American governance today.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Wednesday, July 22 | 5:30–6:30 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History
Journalist Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA Today, who has covered eight White House administrations and twelve presidential elections, joins the Aspen Institute for a keynote lecture on the topic of her acclaimed book, The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Friday, July 24 | 1:30–3:00 pm
Panel Discussion and Book Signing
Is AI Checkmate for Humanity? Or Might It Just Help Save Us?
Presented in collaboration with the Aspen Global Leadership Network
Artificial intelligence is advancing at breathtaking speed. This speed is increasingly raising profound concerns about jobs, privacy, security, misinformation, and even humanity’s future. But AI also offers extraordinary opportunities to cure disease, accelerate scientific discovery, protect the environment, expand human creativity, and help us better see and understand ourselves. So which future will we choose? Join entrepreneur and author Brett Hurt and futurist and bestselling author Jamie Metzl for a wide-ranging conversation moderated by Chadia El Meouchi, exploring one of the defining questions of our time. All three panelists are Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellows, bringing to the discussion a shared commitment to values-based leadership in addressing society’s most pressing challenges.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Monday, July 27 | 5:30–6:30 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
Democracy, Diplomacy, and the New World Order
Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and professor of political science at Stanford University, joins Elliot Gerson, senior fellow at the Aspen Institute, for a conversation about the evolving landscape of international relations.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Thursday, July 30 | 5:30–6:30 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
American Democracy in Historical Perspective
Historian Sean Wilentz joins the Aspen Institute for a keynote lecture exploring the enduring debates that have shaped American democracy. A professor of history at Princeton University and one of the country’s leading scholars of American political history, Wilentz reflects on the political movements, constitutional traditions, and historical forces that continue to influence American public life today.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Wednesday, August 5 | 1:30–2:30 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
The American Economy in a New Era
Presented in collaboration with the Aspen Economic Strategy Group
Erik Brynjolfsson, professor at Stanford University, and Peter Orszag, CEO of Lazard, join the Aspen Institute for a conversation moderated by Melissa S. Kearney, director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group and professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame. Together, they explore how policymakers and business leaders can promote broad-based domestic growth and strengthen America’s global economic competitiveness in this new era.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Thursday, August 6 | 5:30–6:30 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Science, Public Health, and the Politics of Truth
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, joins the Aspen Institute for a keynote lecture on the intersection of science, medicine, and public trust. A leading authority on vaccines and neglected tropical diseases, Hotez reflects on the challenges facing public health today, the growing politicization of science, and what it will take to rebuild trust in scientific institutions in the years ahead.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Monday, August 10 | 5:30–6:30 pm
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
Can We Talk? How Linguistic Style Can Make or Break Relationships
Linguist and best-selling author Deborah Tannen joins the Aspen Institute for a keynote about the power of language in shaping our relationships, workplaces, and public life. A distinguished university professor in the linguistics department at Georgetown University and author of You Just Don’t Understand, Tannen explores how subtle differences in conversational style can lead to misunderstanding or conflict—and how awareness of these differences can strengthen relationships and help us communicate more effectively across divides.
WATCH ONLINE HERE
Tuesday, August 11 | 5:30–6:30 pm
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
Happier Hours: Rethinking Time and Well-Being
Behavioral scientist Cassie Holmes joins Carolyne Heldman, host of the “Behind the Lens” podcast, to explore one of life’s most pressing questions: how can we spend our time to experience greater happiness and meaning in our days and to look back on our years without regret?
WATCH ONLINE HERE
