George T. Hunter Lecture Series
Education reform advocate Michelle Rhee will be the debut speaker of the 2011-2012 George T. Hunter Lecture Series on September 20th, 2011. Now in its fourth year, the lecture series is sponsored by the Benwood Foundation, in partnership with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies, and CreateHere. Following Rhee's lecture, the remaining three speakers in the lecture series will be community planning expert Armando Carbonell on November 1st; former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky on February 7th; and award-winning author and food system expert, Michael Pollan on April 19th.
All lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.benwood.org.
Speaker Biographies:
Michelle Rhee * Education * September 20th * Tivoli Theater
Former Chancellor of DC Public Schools and founder of Students First, Michelle Rhee is a fierce and sometimes controversial advocate for reform, improvement and innovation in public education. At the core of Rhee's mission is the belief that all students can achieve at high levels and that teachers are the most powerful force behind student achievement in our schools.
Lecture Topic. Putting Students First in Public Education Reform
Armando Carbonell * Community Development * November 1st * Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC
Author of the book, Regional Planning in America, Armando Carbonell is a nationally-recognized expert on land use planning for growing metropolitan regions. He teaches planning at Harvard and is the Chairman of the Department of Planning and Urban Form at the Lincoln Institue of Land Policy. Mr. Carbonell is also the co-chair of America 2050, a national initiative focused on developing a framework to meet the infrastructure, economic development and environmental challenges of the nation in the face of rapid population growth and development.
Lecture Topic. Planning for Increased Growth, Livability and Economic Vitality in the Chattanooga Region
Robert Pinsky * Arts & Culture * February 7th * Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC
Having served three terms as the US Poet Laureate, Robert Pinsky has dedicated his career to identifying and invigorating poetry's place in American culture. He is currently the poetry editor for the online magazine, Slate, and regularly appears on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. His poems are frequently published in the New Yorker and the Atlantic Monthly. He holds the distinction of being the only member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters to have appeared on the Simpsons and the Colbert Report.
Lecture Topic. Placing Value on the Arts in Tough Economic Times
Michael Pollan * Environment * April 19th * Tivoli Theater
Michael Pollan's books and articles focus on the places where the human and natural worlds intersect - primarily food and agriculture. He is the author of the bestsellers In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto and The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, which was named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. His most recent book is Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, which was an immediate # 1 New York Times bestseller upon publication. Michael Pollan was chosen by Time Magazine for the 2010 Time 100 in the Thinkers category. This lecture is co-sponsored by Gaining Ground, www.growchattanooga.org.
Lecture Topic. How to Eat: Making Food Choices That Nourish Your Body and Your Community
Hunter Museum