Socrates Seminars and Moderators
Socrates Seminars and Moderators
2025
January
DC Alumni Dinner – January 9, 2025; Washington, DC
February
El Paso Hunt Salon – February 2, 2025; El Paso, TX
Socrates Central Europe – February 27th – March 1st, 2025; Liblice Castle, Czech Republic
March
Socrates Spring 2025 Seminars – March 28th-31st, 2025; Aspen, CO
2024
Socrates Winter 2024
| Our National Purpose | Eric Liu |
| The Year that Broke Politics: What the 1968 Election can teach us about 2024 | Luke Nichter |
| Artificial Intelligence – Are We at an Inflection Point? | Cara LaPointe |
Socrates International Seminars 2024
| Socrates Mexico, Valle de Bravo - Dystopia or Democracy? Rethinking Technology’s Role in Society | William Powers |
| Socrates Central Europe, Poland, Warsaw - The Future European and Global Architectures: The Nexus between Resilience, Security & Innovation | Amb. Paula Dobriansky |
2023
Socrates Salons 2023
| Socrates Bay Area: The Great Leveler – Inequality and the Violent Demise of Wealth Gaps | Walter Scheidel |
| Socrates Bay Area: Oversight of Artificial Intelligence | Julie Owono |
Socrates Summer 2023
| The Geoeconomics of Sovereign Funds in an Age of Competitive Industrial Policies | Zongyuan Zoe Liu |
| A More Inclusive Republic: The LGBTQ+ Community from Clandestine Minority to Political Mainstream | James Kirchick |
| Taking the Stage: Ronald Reagan’s first term and the Cold War | William Inboden |
| The New Industrial Age: Technology, Resilience, and the Future of U.S. Global Leadership | Laura Taylor-Kale |
| 21st Century Leadership – How to Lead Authentically in Fractured Times | David Gergen & Christopher Gergen |
| From AI to Co-Creation: Democracy Now | Leigh Hafrey |
Socrates International Seminars 2023
| Socrates Romania Transatlantic Seminar, Brussels - The Future European and Global Architectures: The Nexus between Resilience, Security & Innovation | Paula Dobriansky |
| Socrates Spain, Ronda - From AI to Co-Creation: Democracy Now | Leigh Hafrey |
| Socrates Japan, Nara - Dystopia or Democracy? Rethinking Technology’s Role in Society | Bill Powers |
| Socrates Romania Healthcare Seminar, Comana - Financing Resilience Through Innovation in Healthcare: Is Having the Money Enough? | Kapil Parakh |
| Socrates Colombia, Medellin - Can Democracy Fix Democracy? | Charlie Firestone |
| Socrates Africa - One World in Tech: Reimagining the Digital Future, Nairobi and Nanyuki, Kenya | Bill Powers |
Socrates Winter 2023
| The American Presidency Under Fire: Lessons from Lyndon B. Johnson | Mark K. Updegrove |
| Can We Imagine a Future Beyond Race? | Thomas Chatterton Williams |
| Do Reproductive Rights Really Matter? | Michele Goodwin |
2022
Socrates Salons 2022
| Socrates Phoenix - Co-Creating Leadership: Who We Are, Who We Might Be | Leigh Hafrey |
| Socrates New York - Do Financial Sanctions Work? Examining their History, use in Geopolitics, and Future | Hagar Chemali |
EGL Seminar 2022
| Emerging Governance Leaders Seminar - Monticello | Colleen Shogan |
Socrates International Seminars 2022
| Socrates Romania - The Future of Public Health: Building a More Resilient Post Pandemic System | Katherine E. Bliss and Vlad Mixich |
| Socrates Romania Transaltantic Seminar - Societal and Democratic Resilience in the Era of Great Power Competition | Jodi Vittori and Radu Puchiu |
| Socrates Seoul - Everything Old is New Again: Digital Assets and Decentralized Finance | David Graff |
| Socrates Czech Republic - The Next Wave of Tech Innovation: What It Means For How We Live and Do Business | Wilson White |
| Socrates Israel - How Technology is Changing Us: How We Think, Relate, and Live | Stephen Balkam |
| Socrates Spain - Information Wanted to Be Free: Liberalism’s Tech Reckoning | Leigh Hafrey |
Socrates Summer 2022 – Aspen (In-Person)
| Contending with the Climate: Exploring How to Mitigate and Manage Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather | Costas Synolakis |
| Fixing the Fourth Estate: Rebuilding Trust in News Media | Kathleen McElroy and Sewell Chan |
| The Metaverse and Me: The implications of living, working and playing in alternate realities | Stephen Balkam and Julie Owono |
| Americanism: Confronting our History to Get to a Better Version of Ourselves | Ted Johnson |
| Thinking about Privacy and Surveillance | Dina Temple-Raston & Harvey Rishikof |
Socrates Winter 2022 – Aspen (Hybrid)
| The Supreme Court and Social Change | Theodore Olson and Melissa Murray |
| The Future of Warfare | Cara LaPointe and Meagen Nix |
| Critical Race Theory and James Baldwin | John Stauffer |
2021
Socrates Goes Digital Virtual Webinars 2021
| Post-Secondary Success in a Post-COVID World | Douglas Belkin and Ahnna Smith |
| Rewriting the Narrative on the American South: A Conversation with Mayor Steven Reed, Montgomery, AL | Steven Reed and Cordell Carter |
EGL Seminars 2021
| Emerging Governance Leaders Seminar - January | |
| Emerging Governance Leaders Seminar: Criminal Justice and Congress | Gloria Browne-Marshall |
| Emerging Governance Leaders Seminar - June | Colleen Shogan |
| Emerging Governance Leaders Seminar - December | Colleen Shogan |
Socrates International Seminars 2021
| Socrates Spain: Techno-narratives & Truth: Reshaping the Future | Leigh Hafrey |
| Socrates Mexico Digital Seminar: Masks, Currencies, and A Post-Pandemic Future | Leigh Hafrey |
| 2021 Socrates Romania Online Healthcare Seminar - The Future of Public Health: Building a More Resilient Post Pandemic System | Drs. Jennifer Lee and Vlad Mixich |
| 2021 Socrates Romania Online Transatlantic Seminar - Transatlantic Cooperation and Whole-of-Society Resilience:The Key to Fighting Disruption | Evelyn Farkas and Radu Puchiu |
Socrates Summer 2021 – Aspen (Hybrid)
| Political Divisions and Political Violence in America: What Happens Next? | Jack A. Goldstone |
| Crisis Communication in a Pandemic and Securing the Public’s Trust | Dr. Vin Gupta |
| The 2020 She-Cession- Unpacking the Factors that Shape Women in the U.S. Economy | Victoria DeFrancesco Soto |
| De-Institutionalizing Racism: How Did We Get Here/Where Are We Going? | Gloria Browne-Marshall |
| Communications and the Presidency | David Eisenhower |
Socrates Winter 2021 – Digital
| Disinformation, Hate and Social Media Platforms: The Future of Technology Regulation and Speech in America | Cecilia Kang |
| Learning from James Baldwin: Lessons for His Time and Ours | John Stauffer |
| Health at Our Fingertips: The Challenges and Opportunities of the Digital Age | Kapil Parakh |
2020
Socrates Summer 2020 – Digital
| Global Upheaval, Democratic Decline, and U.S. National Security | Rachel Kleinfeld |
| Content Moderation in the Digital Age | David Graff |
| The Business of Race –From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration– and the Need for an Inclusive Economy | Jay Coen Gilbert, Kesha Cash |
| Disruptive Reconstruction: Making the American Dream Real Again… and for All | Jim Shelton |
| “Happiness is the Aim of Life”: The Founders’ Guide to Living | Jeffrey Rosen |
| Vote by Design: Presidential Election | Lisa Kay Solomon |
Socrates International Seminars 2020 - Digital
| Socrates Spain | |
| Technology, Freedom, & Voice: On Being Human Today | Leigh Hafrey |
| Socrates Romania | |
| Friend or Foe?: How Tech Is Transforming Democracy | Cameron Abadi |
| The Future of Public Health: Building a More Resilient Post Pandemic System | Jennifer Lee |
Socrates Winter 2020 - Aspen (In-Person)
| Learning from Native Sons: The Pain, Rage and Hope of America’s Most Loyal Critics | Thomas Chatterton Williams |
| Wielding Power & Influence | Jose M. de Areilza |
| Thinking About Global Security | Dina Temple-Raston & Harvey Rishikof |
Socrates International Seminars 2020 - In Person
| Socrates Mexico, Los Cabos - The future of North America: A comprehensive look at the world's largest economic zone | Patrick Schaefer |
2019
Socrates Summer 2019 - Aspen
| What is Privacy and How Do We Protect It? | Harriet Pearson |
| Cat Herding 101: Leading Complex Organizations in Uncertain Times | Ana Mari Cauce |
| Intelligence, Espionage and American Foreign Policy | Amb. John Negroponte & Edward “Ted” Wittenstein |
| Learning from Lincoln: The Business, Politics and Art of the Nation's Greatest Leader | John Stauffer |
| Lies, Bots and Social Media: The Lost Promise of the Internet and How We Can Restore It | Karen Kornbluh |
Socrates Winter 2019 - Aspen
| The Evolution of Warfare | Cara LaPointe & Gayle Tzemach Lemmon |
| Learning from Frederick Douglass: The Business, Politics and Art of a Great American Activist | John Stauffer |
| The Spiral of Immigration & Nationalism | Justin Gest |
Socrates International Seminars 2019
| Socrates Colombia Seminar, Cartagena - Order Amid Chaos: Major Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Business, Culture and Society | William Powers |
| Socrates Colombia Seminar, Cartagena - Can the Market Fix the Market? | Sonal Shah |
| Socrates France Seminar, Annecy - Binding Values and Society in a Polarized World | Leigh Hafrey |
| Socrates Spain, Ronda - How Technology is Changing Us: How We Think, Relate and Live | Stephen Balkam |
| Socrates Japan, Nara - Order Amid Chaos: Major Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Business, Culture and Society | William Powers |
| Socrates Japan, Chiba - How Technology is Changing Us: How We Think, Relate and Live | Stephen Balkam |
| Socrates Romania, Fundata - Friend or Foe? How Technology is Transforming Democracy | Mischa Thompson |
| Socrates Romania, Pitaru - Technology, Breakthrough Medical Research, and the Future of Healthcare | Kapil Parakh and Arian Bot |
| Socrates UK, Oxford - Leadership in Flux | Leigh Hafrey |
| Socrates Kyiv - Unlocking the Potential of Artificial Intelligence | Wilson White |
Socrates Emerging Governance Leaders Seminar 2019 - Wye
| Socrates EGL Wye - Leadership and the Role of Congress | Colleen Shogan |
| Socrates EGL Wye - Leadership and the Role of Congress | Mischa Thompson |
2018
Socrates Summer 2018 - Aspen
| Illegal is Not a Noun | Maria Hinojosa |
| Blockchain and the Rise of the Open Sector | John Clippinger & Peter Hirshberg |
| Has Conservatism Failed? | Bill Kristol |
| Fulfilling the Promise of Capitalism: The B Corp Way of Leadership | Jay Coen Gilbert |
| The US, Israel and the Middle East: Past and Present | Dennis Ross |
Socrates Winter 2018 - Aspen
| Geopolitical Ramifications of China's Belt and Road Initiative | Terry Cooke & Wing Woo |
| Age of Disruption: The Changing Role of News Media in America | Amy Walter |
| Learning from Lincoln: The Business, Politics and Art of the Nation's Greatest Leader | John Stauffer |
Socrates International Seminars 2018
| Socrates Spain, Ronda - Brave New World: Change and Opportunity in Technology | Leigh Hafrey |
| Socrates Japan, Tokyo - Unlocking the Potential of Artificial Intelligence | Wilson White |
| Socrates Japan, Nara - Democracy in the Digital Age | Charlie Firestone |
| Socrates Mexico, Puebla - Change and Opportunity: The Future of Work and Learning | Connie Yowell |
Socrates Salons 2018
| Socrates Chicago - American Values in a Global Age | Evelyn Farkas |
| Socrates Washington DC - The Words and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King | Jennifer Bailey |
| Socrates New Orleans - Change and Opportunity: The Future of Work and Learning | Pablo Castellanos & Cordell Carter |
| Socrates New York - Balancing Act: Free Speech, Regulation and the Responsibility of Tech Platforms | Cecilia Kang |
Socrates Emerging Governance Leaders Seminar 2018 - Wye
| The Role of Congress | Basil Smikle & Ron Christie |
Inclusive Republic Summit 2018 - Denver
| Becoming an Inclusive Republic | Cordell Carter, Cherie Harder & Theo Brown |
2017
Socrates Summer 2017 - Aspen
| America’s National Security Toolbox: Tools of Diplomacy in the Digital Age | Madeleine Albright & Tara Sonenshine |
| The New Capitalism: Leveraging Social Enterprise and Impact Investing for Change | Seth Goldman & Eric Letsinger |
| Sacred Ground: Religious Pluralism and Prejudice in the American Experiment | Eboo Patel |
| As a City Upon a Hill:' On Becoming America | Leigh Hafrey & Russ Muirhead |
| How Do you Know?: Finding the Truth in a Post-Truth World | Ray Suarez |
Socrates Winter 2017 - Aspen
| Global Security and America’s Role in the New World Order | Dina Temple-Raston & Harvey Rishikof |
| The Motivation Divide in the Global Economy | Amanda Ripley |
| The Influence of the Corporation | Judy Samuelson |
Socrates International Seminars 2017
| Socrates Spain, Ronda - Change and Opportunity: The Future of Work and Learning | Connie Yowell |
| Socrates Ukraine, Kyiv - Order Amid Chaos: Major Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Business, Culture and Society | William Powers |
| Socrates Japan, Otsu - Changing How We Change: Major Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Education, Business and Society | William Powers |
| Socrates Mexico, Puebla - U.S.- Mexico Relations: Leadership for the 21st Century | Welby Leaman & Dan Restrepo |
Socrates Salons 2017
| Socrates New York - Empathy and Anger in Politics | Larissa MacFarquhar |
Senate Socrates 2017 - Wye
| Political Civility and the Role of Congress | Dan Glickman & Bill Hoagland |
White House Fellows Custom Seminar - September 2017
| The Role of Government in the Economy | Bradley Belt & Martha Coven |
2016
Socrates Summer 2016 - Aspen
| Democracy in the Digital Age | Charlie Firestone |
| The Good Story: Inspiring Leadership | Leigh Hafrey |
| Artificial Intelligence | Neil Jacobstein |
| Who Is "Us"? Reimagining American Civic Identity | Eric Liu |
| Changing Leadership in the Middle East | Robin Wright |
Socrates Winter 2016 - Aspen
| Over the Horizon: Five Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Education, Business, and Society | Bill Powers & Connie Yowell |
| Who Are Cities For? Opportunity, Access, and Hope in the American City | Jennifer Bradley |
| The Sharing Economy | Andrew Ross Sorkin |
Socrates International Seminars 2016
| Socrates Spain, Ronda - Changing How We Change: Five Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Education, Business, and Society | William Powers |
| Socrates Ukraine, Kyiv - Privacy and Transparency | Jeffrey Rosen |
| Socrates Mexico, Puebla - The Future of Work in a Digital Economy | Sonal Shah |
| Socrates Serbia, Vršac - How Technology is Changing Us, How We Think, Relate, and Lead | Stephen Balkam |
2015
Socrates Summer 2015 - Aspen
| The Future of Privacy and Transparency | Jeffrey Rosen |
| How Technology is Changing our Lives and Business | Sonal Shah |
| U.S. Policy on ISIS: Coping with Jihad 2.0 | James Traub |
| The Future of Work and Skills in the Digital Age | John Irons |
| Race and Cultural Identity | Lani Guiner & Susan Sturm |
Socrates Winter 2015 - Aspen
| Competition and Care: Reinventing a Kinder Capitalism | Anne-Marie Slaughter |
| Who is Us? Reimagining American Civic Identity | Eric Liu |
| Can Business Fix Government | Peter Orszag |
Socrates Salons 2015
| Socrates New York - Artificial Intelligence, Business, and the Future of Work | Neil Jacobstein |
Senate Socrates 2015 - Wye
| Congress and U.S. Foreign Policy: Invitation to Struggle | Philip Zelikow |
Socrates International Seminars 2015
| Socrates Ukrain, Kyiv - Heroes and Villains: Leading Business, Politics, and Civil Society in the 21st Century | Leigh Hafrey |
| Socrates Mexico, Puebla - The Next Wave of Tech Innovation: What It Means For How We Live and Do Business | William Powers |
| Socrates Spain, Ronda - How Technology is Changing Us: How We Think, Relate, and Lead | Stephen Balkam |
| Socrates Spain, Ronda - The Moral Limits of Markets: Can Markets Do Social Good? | Clive Crook |