Upcoming Events

New York, NY

Thursday, November 7: The 40th Annual Awards Dinner
7:00-9:00 p.m. ET. The Aspen Institute is delighted to welcome friends and supporters to the 40th Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday, November 7 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. It is a joy to applaud the significant work of the Aspen Institute and celebrate the work of Henry Crown Leadership Award honoree, Alice L. Walton, and Arts Leadership Award honoree Ava DuVernay. The evening will also feature a special appearance from Aspen Institute artist-in-residence Hank Willis Thomas, and other soon-to-be-announced speakers.
Purchase tickets here.

Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, September 18: Aspen Cyber Summit
9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. ET. Join Aspen Digital, a program of the Aspen Institute, in Washington, DC, on September 18 for the 9th annual Aspen Cyber Summit. The 2024 Summit is coming to the REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to put cybersecurity front and center for the government officials, business leaders, nonprofit advocates, future defenders, and everyday people who are crucial to creating a safer world, online and off.
Register here

Aspen, CO

Thursday, June 20 – Saturday, June 29
Aspen Ideas: Health & Aspen Ideas Festival
Visit Aspen Ideas for more information. Additional members-only opportunities to be announced soon.

Friday, July 5 – Monday, July 8
Socrates Summer Seminars
Five unique thematic seminars on subjects ranging from “Competition in the Commons: Oceans and Outer Space” to “Who killed the Chinese economy, how it can be saved, and what is at stake for the United States?”
Visit Socrates Program for more information.

Wednesday, July 10: Enhancing Brain Health and Mental Acuity, A Conversation with Mark D’Esposito
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 p.m. MT.
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring Dr. Mark D’Esposito, distinguished professor of neuroscience and psychology, University of California, Berkeley, in conversation with Pam Belluck, health and science writer for the New York Times. This event is at capacity; please email sof@aspeninstitute.org to join the waitlist, which we will monitor closely and regularly.

Thursday, July 11: “Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don’t Have To”
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring author Dr. David Sinclair, professor of genetics, Harvard Medical School. This event is at capacity; please email sof@aspeninstitute.org to join the waitlist, which we will monitor closely and regularly.

Friday, July 12: “The Hidden Brain: How our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives”
McCloskey Speaker Series
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 p.m. MT.
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring author Shankar Vedantam, host and creator of the “Hidden Brain” radio show and podcast on NPR, and New York Times bestselling author, in conversation with Betsy Fleming, Aspen Institute Trustee and early-stage investor. This event is at capacity; please email sof@aspeninstitute.org to join the waitlist, which we will monitor closely and regularly.

Sunday, July 14: “UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There”
Hurst Lecture Series
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. MT.
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. MT. Featuring author Garrett Graff, journalist, historian, and director of Cyber Initiatives, the Aspen Institute; with Vivian Schiller, executive director of Aspen Digital, the Aspen Institute.
Register here

Monday, July 15: Society of Fellows Salon, National Defense and Innovation
Open exclusively to members at President’s Society level and above. 
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring Walter Isaacson, bestselling biographer, professor of history at Tulane University, and former president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, with Jane Harman, former member of Congress and Chair of the Commission on the National Defense Strategy.
Separate registration link forthcoming. Email sof@aspeninstitute.org to upgrade your membership.

Wednesday, July 17: Jamala: Songs of Freedom
McCloskey Speaker Series
In collaboration with the Aspen Security Forum.
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. MT. The film follows Ukrainian singer-songwriter Jamala in the early hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Documentary screening followed by a panel discussion. Speaker(s) to be announced.
Register here

Sunday, July 21: Bauhaus Typography at 100
McCloskey Speaker Series
1) Bayer Center Open House from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. MT. View the newest exhibition at the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies and meet curator Rob Saunders, executive director and curator of Letterform Archive. Remarks by Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield and Bayer Center Executive Director Lissa Ballinger at 3:00 pm.
2) Exploring the Bauhaus Print Legacy and its Influence on Contemporary Typography from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. MT. Featuring Rob Saunders, executive director and curator, Letterform Archive; and Lorraine Wild, principal, Green Dragon Office, and consulting creative director, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; with Bayer Center Curator Adam Thomas.
Register here

Monday, July 22: Society Of Fellows Salon, Art As Advocacy
Generously underwritten by Christie’s
1) Art and Diplomacy Panel from 3:00-4:00 p.m. MT. featuring Ambassador Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress; and Ellen Susman, former Director of Art in Embassies. Elliot Gerson, Executive Vice President, Policy and Public Programs, International Partners at the Aspen Institute, will moderate a conversation that explores the transformative role art can play in society, highlighting cross-cultural dialogue and mutual understanding.
2) Art as Advocacy Panel from 4:15-5:15 p.m. MT. featuring Hank Willis Thomas, conceptual artist and 2024 Aspen Institute Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence; and Eric Gottesman, multimedia artist and teacher. Co-founders of For Freedoms, an initiative for art and civic engagement that won the 2017 ICP-Infinity Award and was named the “largest creative collaboration in United States history” by TIME Magazine, both artists will be in conversation with Ellen Susman, former Director of Art in Embassies, and Camille Benton, chief curator at Art in Embassies Program at the US Department of State, to discuss big vision art and advocacy.
3) Society of Fellows Cocktail Reception from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. MT. Join us for a cocktail to continue the conversation with our featured speakers on the Bass Terrace. Register here.

Friday, July 26: Society of Fellows Salon, From Thought to Action & the Journey of Global Leadership
Open exclusively to members at President’s Society level and above. 
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring David Langstaff, executive vice president, Leadership Division, the Aspen Institute; Dar Vanderbeck, vice president, Aspen Global Leadership Network, the Aspen Institute; and additional guests from the Resnick Aspen Action Forum.
Separate registration link forthcoming. Email sof@aspeninstitute.org to upgrade your membership.

Tuesday, July 30: From Sharecropper’s Daughter to Trailblazer, A Conversation with Ruth Simmons
McCloskey Speaker Series
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring Ruth Simmons, former president of Smith College, Brown University, and Prairie View A&M University; and author, “Up Home: One Girl’s Journey;” with Dan Porterfield, president and CEO, the Aspen Institute.
Register here

Wednesday, July 31: Strengthening America’s Economic Dynamism
Hurst Lecture Series
In collaboration with the Aspen Economic Strategy Group.
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 2:30 – 3:15 p.m. MT.
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. MT. Featuring Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus at Harvard University and former United States Secretary of the Treasury; and Robert B. Zoellick, Chair of Temasek Americas and former United States Trade Representative; in conversation with Melissa S. Kearney, director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group. Americans are facing an era of economic reconfiguration driven by rising global tensions, technological change, and a populist backlash to the economic status quo. What does this mean for America’s economic dynamism? What steps should US policy take to advance innovation/growth/economic prosperity?
Register here

Thursday, August 1: Leadership at the State Level: A Conversation with Democratic Governors
Hurst Lecture Series
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 p.m. MT.
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring New York Gov. Kathy Hochul; with Elliot Gerson, executive vice president, Policy Programs and International Partners, the Aspen Institute. Additional governors to be announced.
Register here

Thursday, August 8: “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present”
McCloskey Speaker Series
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 p.m. MT.
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring author Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history and Italian studies, New York University, in conversation with Carolyne Heldman, producer and host of “Behind the Lens,” a weekly podcast for the non-profit news organization The Lens in New Orleans. Dr. Ben-Ghiat will explore the pathologies of strongman models of leadership and governance, and how we can learn from the appeal authoritarians have to reimagine democracy for the 21st century.
Register here

Monday, August 12: Democracy at a Crossroads, A Conversation with the Honorable J. Michael Luttig
Hurst Lecture Series
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 p.m. MT.
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring the Honorable J. Michael Luttig, former judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Aspen Institute trustee.
Register here

Tuesday, August 13: Leadership at the State Level: A Conversation with Republican Governors
McCloskey Speaker Series
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. MT.
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. MT. Speaker(s) to be announced; with Elliot Gerson, executive vice president, Policy Programs and International Partners, the Aspen Institute.
Register here

Wednesday, August 14: “The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians”
Hurst Lecture Series
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 p.m. MT.
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. featuring author Carlos Lozada, opinion columnist, New York Times and co-host, “Matter of Opinion” podcast.
Register here

Friday, September 6 – Saturday, September 7
Great Books Mini Symposium: Exploring Eudemonia
Join us for an intimate, in-person roundtable symposium devoted to exploring the essence of eudemonia—the ancient Greek concept of human flourishing. This seminar will explore happiness in its most holistic sense, inviting participants to bring their unique perspectives and expertise to the traditional Aspen Institute seminar format. Through carefully moderated, text-based discussions, this select group will dissect the multifaceted nature of eudemonia: its roots in philosophy, its manifestations in contemporary psychology, and its social and political implications for modern society.
Register here

Thursday, September 12: Society of Fellows Salon, Local Philanthropy & Community Building
In collaboration with the Buddy Program.
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. MT. Featuring Greg Lewis, Emmy Award-winning journalist; and Leonard “Boogie” Weinglass, local philanthropist and development entrepreneur; with Frederick J. Riley, executive director, WEAVE: The Social Fabric Project, the Aspen Institute.
Register here

Virtual

Friday, June 21: Economic Opportunties Program: The Workers Behind Our Groceries: A Book Talk with Benjamin Lorr
1:00-2:00 pm E.T. Join the Aspen Institute’s Food & Society Program and Economic Opportunities Program for “The Workers Behind Our Groceries: A Book Talk with Benjamin Lorr,” on Friday, June 21, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. This is the third and final event in our series, “The Hands that Feed Us: Job Quality Challenges in the US Food Supply Chain,” in which we explore the challenges food workers face and opportunities to create a sustainable food system where workers, businesses, and consumers can thrive together. Register here

Monday, September 23: SOF New Member Orientation: Fall 2024
7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. ET. This will be an opportunity for you to meet members of our team, meet other members who have recently joined, and become better acquainted with the Society of Fellows. This conversation will take place on Zoom, so that all attendees can participate face-to-face. Register here

Thursday, January 9: SOF New Member Orientation: Winter 2025
7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. ET. This will be an opportunity for you to meet members of our team, meet other members who have recently joined, and become better acquainted with the Society of Fellows. This conversation will take place on Zoom, so that all attendees can participate face-to-face. Register here

Tuesday, April 29: SOF New Member Orientation: Spring 2025
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. ET. This will be an opportunity for you to meet members of our team, meet other members who have recently joined, and become better acquainted with the Society of Fellows. This conversation will take place on Zoom, so that all attendees can participate face-to-face. Register here