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THE MPSF SPEAKER SERIES: 

A HISTORY OF THOUGHT-LEADERSHIP

Since 1990, we have provided the Bay Area with the best in speaker events. From President Barack Obama to Dr. Sanjay Gupta to Ken Burns to Bill Nye (The Science Guy!), you can see the rich history of who has lectured on our stages over the years in our timeline below. Our mission is to continue to enrich the local community with exciting events that stimulate the mind and prompt insightful conversations and connections. We'd love for you to become part of the long history of wonderful audiences we get to share these experiences with!

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2021-2022

President Barack Obama

Nicola Perlroth

Dambisa Moyo

Thomas Friedman

Joel Sartore

Janet Napolitano

Niall Ferguson

Peninsula, Oakland, and Marin Speaker Series 2023-2024

Dr. Anthony Fauci

John Brennan 

Marlee Matlin & Henry Winkler

Dr. Michio Kaku

Mara Liasson

Kobie Boykins 

Liz Cheney 

Peninsula, Oakland, and Marin Speaker Series 2022-2023

Dr. David Eagleman

Fareed Zakaria 

Adm. James Stavridis USN (Ret.)

Al Franken

Dr. Kathryn Sullivan

Lynsey Addario

Judy Woodruff

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2020-2021

Jane Goodall

Wynton Marsalis 

W. Kamau Bell 

Kara Swisher

Rick Steves

Theresa May 

Michael Pollan 

Michael Collopy

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2019-2020

Walter Isaacson

Dr. Robert Sapolsky 

Donna Brazile & Michael Steele

Fmr. Gov. John Kasich

Bill Nye 

Nina Totenberg 

Ian Bremmer 

Samin Nosrat & Yotam Ottolenghi

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2017-2018

Gen. Martin Dempsey 

Robin Wright 

Bob Beckel & Cal Thomas 

Ian Bremmer

Theresa Payton 

Scott Kelly 

David Cameron 

Anderson Cooper 

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2018-2019

Annie Griffiths

James Comey 

John Chambers 

Vice President Joe Biden 

Ken Burns

Cecile Richards 

Lisa Genova 

Jon Meacham 

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2016-2017

Madeleine K. Albright 

Paul Begala 

Michael Beschloss 

Paul Nicklen 

​

Ayaan Hirsi Ali 

Alan Alda 

Bill Bryson 

Michael Lewis 

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2015-2016

Ray Kurzweil 

Diana Nyad 

Jill Bolte Taylor 

Henry M. Paulson, Jr.

Julia Guillard 

Louise Richardson 

Ross Stein 

Malcolm Gladwell

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2014-2015

Robert Mueller III

Austan Goolsbee 

Jon Huntsman Jr. 

Steven Chu  

​

President Bill Clinton

Olympia Snowe 

Gloria Steinem  

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2013-2014

Bob Woodward 

Gwen Ifil 

Leon Panetta 

Steve Wozniak 

Platon 

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Charles Best 

Mark Kelly & 

Gabrielle Giffords

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2012-2013

Howard Dean & Karl Rove 

Lisa Ling 

Douglas Brinkley 

Evening of Satire 

​

Robert Gates 

Jeb Bush 

Zanny Minton-Beddoes

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2011-2012

Spencer Wells 

Thomas Friedman 

David Brooks 

David Axelrod

Richard Haas 

Michelle Rhee 

Simpson and Bowles 

Gordon Brown 

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2010-2011

David Brooks 

Mark Halperin & 

John Heilemann

Willie L. Brown Jr. 

Bob Newhart 

​

Jeannette Walls 

Robert Ballard 

Arianna Huffington 

T. Boone Pickens

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2009-2010

Pervez Musharraf 

John Hofmeister 

Laura Tyson 

Condoleezza Rice 

Paul Krugman 

Steve Kroft 

Ted Koppel 

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2008-2009

Sylvia Earle 

Newt Gingrich

Robert Reich 

Ann Compton

Dick Cavett

​

Fareed Zakaria 

Andrew Weil 

Jeffrey Toobin 

Charlie Rose 

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2007-2008

Reza Aslan 

Carly Fiorina 

Bill McDonough 

Frank Abagnale 

David Gergen 

Christiane Amanpour

Ken Burns 

The Capitol Steps 

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2006-2007

Robert Redford 

Richard Myers 

Jim Lehrer 

Jared Diamond 

​

Stuart Varney 

Maya Angelou 

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Dave Barry

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2005-2006

Terri Gross 

James Carville 

Mary Matalin 

Colin Powell 

James Burke 

Tom Daschle 

Bill Moyers 

Brian Greene 

Tim Russert 

Peninsula, Oakland, Marin, and Marin II Speaker Series 2004-2005

Ari Fleischer 

Tommy Franks 

Mark Russell 

Janet Reno 

​

Robert Ballard 

Christie Todd Whitman 

Michael Beschloss 

Tom Brokaw 

Peninsula, Oakland, and Marin Speaker Series 2003-2004

Judith Miller 

Salman Rushdie 

Rudy Guiliani 

Johnathan Winters

Thomas Friedman 

Karen Hughes 

David & Julie Eisenhower

Garrison Keillor 

Peninsula, Berkeley, and Marin Speaker Series 2002-2003

Henry Hugh Shelton 

Richard Holbrooke 

William J. Clinton 

Tim Conway 

​

Gail Sheehy 

Jane Bryant Quinn 

David McCullough 

Robert Woodward

Peninsula, Berkeley, and Marin Speaker Series 2001-2002

Nina Totenberg 

Bill O'Reilly 

Madeleine Albright 

Carl Reiner 

Ken Burns 

Bruce Babbitt 

Mike Wallace 

Mark Shields 

Peninsula, Berkeley, and Marin Speaker Series 2000-2001

Frank McCourt 

Wesley Clark

Beck Weathers 

Doris Kearns Goodwin

​

Samuel Berger 

Neil Armstrong 

George Mitchell 

Lily Tomlin 

Peninsula, San Francisco, and Marin Speaker Series 1999-2000

Mike McCurry 

Bill Cosby 

Beverly Sills 

Shimon Peres 

Mario Cuomo 

Alan Simpson 

Desmond Tutu 

Sylvia Earle 

Peninsula, Berkeley, and Marin Speaker Series 1998-1999

Ian Wilmut 

Mikhail Gorbachev 

Chris Patten 

Alice Walker 

​

Benazir Bhutto 

C. Everett Coop 

Bill Bradley 

Chris Patten 

Peninsula, San Francisco, and Marin Speaker Series 1997-1998

Tom Wolfe 

George Will 

Colin Powell

Bill Moyers 

Lea Rabin 

Molly Ivins 

Lawrence Eagleburger 

Jane Goodall 

Peninsula and Marin
Speaker Series 1996-1997

FW de Klerk 

Walter Cronkite

Carl Sagan 

Doris Kearns Goodwin 

​

Cokie Roberts 

Arthur Laffer

Jim Lovell 

Leon Panetta

Peninsula and Marin
Speaker Series 1995-1996

Margaret Thatcher 

Colin Powell 

Calvin Trillin 

Ann Richards 

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 

William Safire 

Charles Kuralt 

Maya Angelou 

Peninsula
Speaker Series 1992-1993

Terry Anderson 

Helmut Schmidt 

Erma Bombeck 

Mario Cuomo 

Hugh Sidey 

Abba Eban 

Jane Bryant Quinn 

Andy Rooney 

William F. Buckley, Jr. 

Peninsula 
Speaker Series 1993-1994

Jimmy Carter 

Lynn Martin 

Bill Moyers 

Lesley Stahl 

Richard Leakey 

Richard Cheney 

Robert Bork 

Mark Russell

Peninsula and Marin
Speaker Series 1994-1995

James Baker 

Capitol Steps 

Allistair Cooke

Hedrick Smith

​

Ken Burns 

Alan Dershowitz 

James Carville 

Robert Novak 

Peninsula 
Speaker Series 1991-1992

Henry Kissinger 

Leon Lederman 

Jack Anderson 

David Halberstam

Jean Kirkpatrick 

Louis Rukeyser

Jean Michel Cousteau 

Peninsula
Speaker Series 1990-1991

Malcolm Forbes, Jr. 

Beverly Sills 

Zbigniew Brzezinski 

Art Buchwald 

Sarah Weddington

Phyllis Schlafly 

Gerald Ford 

George Will 

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Where our legacy of influential voices began.

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experience the MPSF Speaker Series?

We'd love for you to join us this season!

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