Seminars, Meetups, Socrates After Dark, and the 2020 Socrates Annual Benefit Dinner

Join us this summer for a two-day virtual fundraising event, which will include virtual Socrates seminars, the 2020 Socrates Annual Benefit, and opportunities for meet-ups, conversations, and sharing. Donations will go to support the Socrates Scholarship Fund, which supports tuition for 200 emerging leaders in seminars each year. As our conversion to a virtual dinner will prevent from us supporting the local economy in Aspen, a portion of the proceeds with going to a foundation that supports the local service community in Aspen.

Depending on your level of donation, you will have access to different amounts of the virtual experience, but no matter how many activities you are participating in, we hope that you will use this opportunity to connect with old friends, make new connections, and have stimulating values-based discussions. Check out the full agenda of the event and see the full list of activities available:

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In a time of global crisis, creative solutions, critical questions, and international networks of leaders are essential. Socrates has a rich history of engaging diverse participants in collaborative dialogue around current, pressing global challenges. The 2020 virtual event will connect and activate the Socrates alumni community while supporting future scholarships, which are so fundamental to ensuring the diversity of thought that underpins Socrates seminars.

Donation Levels:

Donors at all levels will gain access to digital meetups and networking and the moderator panel discussions with Aspen Institute Executive Vice President Elliot Gerson.

Buttermilk ($50) – A virtual seat at the Socrates Annual Benefit Dinner program and Socrates After Dark

Highlands  ($100) – Socrates After Dark (DJ after-party co-hosted by Benefit Dinner Co-Chairs Terri and Lem Williams), plus all benefits listed above

Ajax ($250) – Fireside chat with Socrates co-founders Laura and Gary Lauder, plus all benefits listed above

Maroon Bells  ($350) – Admission to one virtual Socrates seminar, plus all benefits listed above

Buttermilk   Highlands   Ajax    Maroon Bells

2020 Socrates Digital Seminars

Global Upheaval, Democratic Decline, and U.S. National Security – Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Content Moderation in the Digital Age – David Graff, Google’s head of product policy and legal content moderation, and Vivian Schiller, the Executive Director of Aspen Digital. 

The Business of Race –From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration– and the Need for an Inclusive Economy  – Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab. Kesha Cash, founder of Impact America.

Disruptive Reconstruction: Making the American Dream Real Again… and for All – Jim Shelton, Chief Impact and Investment Officer at Blue Meridian Partners.

“Happiness is the Aim of Life”: The Founders’ Guide to Living – Jeffrey Rosen, President and Chief Executive Officer at the National Constitution Center.

Vote by Design: Presidential Election – Lisa Kay Solomon, Designer in Residence at the Stanford d.School.