Panetta Lectures Feature National Leaders and Policy Thinkers

“This is our country at its best – thinking out loud, comparing ideas, caring about our nation and the world.”

Lecture attendee
Topsy N. Smalley

“[The lecture series] enriches all of our lives and sets the stage for generations to come to be engaged in public policy locally and beyond.”

Lecture attendee
Janet Perlmutter Lesniak

Each year the Panetta Institute hosts a highly acclaimed lecture series, bringing national leaders, policy experts and journalists to the Monterey Peninsula. They speak before live theater as well as television audiences. During that afternoon the speakers meet with students from the Central Coast area high schools, colleges and military installations.

To see a timeline of past speakers, click here.

Below are the dates and speakers for the 2012 series. If you would like information about tickets for the series call the Panetta Institute at 831-582-4200.

The theme for the Panetta Institute 2012 Lecture Series is “Revolutions of the 21st Century: Changing Our Way of Life.”

Speakers and dates for the series are as follows:*

Monday, March 19, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
Discussing foreign policy were Dennis Ross, counselor at the Washington Institute, former special assistant to President Obama for the Central Region and National Security, and former special advisor on Iran to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Fran Townsend, former assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, national security issues contributor, CNN, and senior vice president at MacAndrews & Forbes. Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, and former CNN Washington bureau chief moderated.
Monday, April 9, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
Discussing the economy were Robert Reich, professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, author, advisor to presidents and former Secretary of Labor and Alan Simpson, former U.S. Senator and co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Ron Insana, contributor CNBC, served as moderator.
Monday, May 7, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
Discussing the presidency were Michael Beschloss, award-winning presidential historian and best-selling author and Douglas Brinkley, professor of history, Rice University and best-selling author. Judy Woodruff, co-anchor of PBS NewsHour, served as moderator.
Monday, May 28, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
Discussing the Internet will be Vinton Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google; Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of the AOL Huffington Post Media Group; and Larry Magid, CBS News and KCBS technology analyst. Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, and former CNN Washington bureau chief will moderate.