Distinguished Lecturer Series Board Site
Nominated Speakers:
Politics
Gov. Glenn Youngkin
Governor Glenn Youngkin is the 74th governor of the great Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a man of humble roots who is devoted to his family, highly accomplished in business, and now, a dedicated and passionate public servant committed to making Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family.
Glenn was born in Richmond and grew up in Virginia Beach. When his father lost his job, Glenn pitched in to help by getting a job washing dishes and frying eggs at a diner in Virginia Beach. Taking his hard work and determination to the basketball court, he earned an athletic scholarship to Rice University, where he received an engineering degree. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
After college and business school, Glenn worked his way to the top of the Carlyle Group as co-CEO, playing a key role in building Carlyle into a leading global investment firm. Now as the 74th governor of Virginia, Glenn implements the best practices he used in business to ensure government works better for Virginians.
During the 2021 gubernatorial campaign, Glenn brought together Virginians from all corners of the Commonwealth. The 2021 Youngkin winning coalition wasn’t just Republicans, but also Democrats, Independents, suburban voters, rural voters, Latinos, women, veterans, Asian Virginians, Black Virginians and, most importantly, parents.
On his first day in office, the Governor signed eleven executive orders enacting his Day One Agenda. In just a few months, Glenn has delivered for Virginians by empowering parents, strengthening our law enforcement, and signing the largest tax cut in Virginia history – four billion dollars.
Married for 28 years to his amazing wife Suzanne, Glenn is a dedicated father of four wonderful children.
You can view the entire YouTube video by clicking here.
John Yoo
Click here to review an excellent summary bio for speaker nominee, John Yoo. In addition, he is a celebrated alumnus of Philadelphia’s Episcopal Academy of which we have some alumni on DLS, I’m fairly sure.
The video below captures his intellect, wit, authenticity, and moderation in his views that the back drop might not suggest.
The topic I’d suggest would be the Supreme Court decision expected in June on his argument recently presented to the Court on affirmative action in (Ivy League) college admissions.
I think the topic is timely, relevant to our audience and provides variety to other categories. I also think his relative youthfulness is a plus.
You can watch the complete video of John Yoo's talk at the National Conservatism Conference by clicking here.
His fees are estimated at $5-$10k.
-- Kate Freeman
Shannon Bream
I would like to nominate Shannon Bream as a speaker for the 2024 Lecture Series. Shannon Bream is the anchor of Fox News @ Night and Chief Legal Correspondent for the Fox News Channel.
Shannon is also the author of two best selling books: Finding the Bright Side and The Women of the Bible Speak. Both debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Before entering the world of media Shannon was an Honors graduate of the Florida State University College of Law and obtained her B.S. in Business Management magna cum laude from Liberty University.
Shannon is an attractive candidate for us because she can discuss subjects other than politics ie: the media, the Supreme Court, and Inside Washington. Her total fee would be about $50,000.00. That plus the fact that she is a well regarded female and we are always searching for good female speakers.
You can watch the complete YouTube Video by clicking here.
-- Ben Bailey, III
Rep. Liz Cheney
Regarded as a leading ideological conservative in the Bush–Cheney-era tradition. Cheney is a neoconservative, known for her focus on national security, support for the U.S. military, a pro-business stance, hawkish foreign policy views, and fiscal and social conservatism. She is considered one of the leaders of the Republican Party's neoconservative wing and was critical of the foreign policy of the Donald Trump administration, but simultaneously voted steadfastly in support of Trump's overall agenda.
Cheney supported the second impeachment of Donald Trump for his role in the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol. Because of her stance on the Capitol riot, her impeachment vote and opposition to Trump's false stolen-election narrative, pro-Trump Freedom Caucus members of the House Republican Conference attempted to remove her from party leadership in February 2021. That effort failed, and Cheney remained conference chair until mid-May, when pro-Trump members of the House again pushed for her removal. With House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy supporting the effort, Cheney was removed from her position.
In July 2021, Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Cheney to the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. Two months later, she was made vice chair of the committee.
On August 16, 2022, Cheney lost renomination in Wyoming's Republican primary to Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman in a landslide, garnering just 28.9% of the vote. Her term will expire on January 3, 2023. Cheney has said that she intends to be "the leader, one of the leaders, in a fight to help to restore our party" and that she may be interested in a presidential run.
You can see the full YouTube from which the clip below was taken by clicking here.
-- Ron Rosner
Amb. Nikki Haley
I have heard Nikki speak, she is dynamic, articulate, energetic, and a compelling speaker. Her story is extraordinary, from her somewhat humble beginnings to her stint as Governor of SC to her role as US Ambassador to the UN under President Trump. She is young, about 50, and energetic and I’ll be a force in the GOP in the future. She embodies all the best of conservative values and is an extraordinary leader. She would be well received.
You can watch the complete YouTube Video by clicking here. An additional YouTube showing Haley's views on Ukraine can be viewed by clicking here.
-- Debbi Peniston
Judy Woodruff
Judy Carline Woodruff is an American broadcast journalist who has worked in network, cable, and public television news since 1976. She is the anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour. Woodruff has covered every presidential election and convention since 1976. She has interviewed several heads of state and moderated U.S. presidential debates.
After graduating from Duke University in 1968, Woodruff entered local television news in Atlanta. She was named White House correspondent for NBC News in 1976, a position she held for six years. She joined PBS in 1982, where she continued White House reports for PBS NewsHour, formerly The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, in addition to presenting another program. She moved to CNN in 1993 to host Inside Politics and CNN WorldView together with Bernard Shaw, until he left CNN. Woodruff left CNN in 2005, and returned to PBS and the NewsHour in 2006. In 2013, she and Gwen Ifill were its named official anchors, succeeding founding presenter Jim Lehrer. Woodruff and Ifill shared managing news gathering duties until Ifill's death in 2016. Woodruff succeeded Ifill as the program's sole main presenter. In May 2022, Woodruff announced that she will step down as the NewsHour's anchor at year's end.
In a year of our next presidential election, I believe Judy Woodruff would provide interesting insights to the election and the candidates. She can call on her rich history of interviewing Presidents and host presidential debates.
In addition, her position as lead news anchor for PBS, she can provide insights into current domestic and world events and leaders.
She is well spoken and insightful and one of the lead woman journalists in the world. I believe she would relate to our audience and provide some
interesting insights.
-- Chris Johns
Peter Schweizer
Peter Franz Schweizer is an American political consultant and writer.
He is the president of the Government Accountability Institute, senior editor-at-large of far-right media organization Breitbart News, and a former fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution. In 2018, Harper Collins published Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends. This book covers both Hunter Biden, Elaine Chao, Paul Pelosi and numerous other political figures who have benefitted from their relationship with foreign governments. It also exposes various corporations that have greatly benefited from the Chinese connection; allowing the Chinese to get valuable informational technology and much information on individual Americans.
You can watch the entire YouTube video by clicking here.
-- Faris Chesley