An Independent School • Grades 5-12

Lakeside Lecture Series

The Lakeside Lecture Series brings speakers of national renown and from diverse backgrounds to Lakeside’s campus to expose Lakeside students to differing perspectives on a range of topics. A goal of the series is to foster open and inclusive dialogue in order to learn about the world and about each other.

All lectures are free. RSVPs are appreciated; register at the links below.

2026-2027 Lecture Speakers

Dr. Ava Chin

Mark J. Bebie ’70 Memorial Lecture
Oct. 14, 2026

RSVP

Ava Chin is a journalist, poet, essayist, and award-winning book author. Her recent memoir, “Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming,” uncovers deep family secrets as it illuminates contemporary issues, including immigration, identity, discrimination, grief, and resilience. She is a Fulbright scholar and writing professor at the City University of New York.

Photo of Amy Walter

Dr. Bettina Love

Bernie Noe Endowed Lecture on Ethics and Politics
Jan. 27, 2027

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A national thought leader on education and a prolific author, Dr. Bettina Love is a professor at Teachers College at Columbia University. Her groundbreaking work, “Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal,” was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Photo of Melba Ayco

Dr. Meg Fisher

Dan Ayrault Memorial Lecture
March 17, 2027

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Meg Fisher, a doctor of physical therapy and athletic performance coach based in Missoula, Montana, has traveled the world as a professional cyclist and triathlete. At 19, she survived a tragic car accident that resulted in a coma and the amputation of her lower left leg. Her athletic achievements include 10 world championships and Paralympic gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2012 London games.  

School-day speaker

Tyler Cowen

Jerry St. Dennis Speaker on Economics
Dec. 9, 2026

An economics professor at George Mason University, Tyler Cowen has focused his research and writing on, among other topics, the economics of rich and poor — the winners and losers among companies, countries, regions, and industries. “Bloomberg Business Week” has called him “America’s hottest economist.”

Note: The economics lecture is a school-day visit for students only, with no evening lecture. 

Speakers are selected by a speaker selection committee that includes members drawn from the faculty, staff, parents/guardians, alums, students, and trustees. Have ideas about future speakers? Email the speaker selection committee at events@lakesideschool.org. 

Views and opinions expressed by speakers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Lakeside School.

The Lakeside Lecture Series is made possible through individual endowments established by members of the Lakeside community. Each series has a distinct mission.

  • The Bernie Noe Endowed Lecture on Ethics and Politics supports a lecture or debate on political, ethical, or philosophical subjects, with the intent of promoting open discussion. The lecture was renamed by the Belanich family in honor of Noe in September 2021.
  • The Mark J. Bebie ’70 Memorial Lecture sponsors speakers on topics related to the environment, technology, education, and other subjects that were of interest to Bebie.
  • The Dan Ayrault Memorial Endowed Lecture honors the memory of Dan Ayrault, head of school from 1969 to 1990. Honoring Ayrault’s passion for education, lectures are designed to foster a robust exchange of ideas.
  • The Jerry St. Dennis Speaker Series on Economics brings to campus nationally renowned speakers to address issues of economic relevance to the student body. Speakers represent the broad spectrum of economic thinking, both liberal and conservative, found in contemporary economic debate on a host of topics. The economics lecture is a school-day visit for students only, with no evening lecture. 

Time: Lectures begin at 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Location: St. Nicholas Hall, Upper School campus

Seating is limited. Contact us at events@lakesideschool.org to request special accommodations or for more information.

Lakeside Lecture Series speaker selection committee

Joshua A. ’27
Matthew K. ’28
Ella S. ’28
Ashley Z. ’27
Ava Erickson, faculty
Abby Cacho, faculty
Eleanor Long, faculty
Merissa Reed, faculty
Greta Block, staff
Carly Pansulla, staff
Allison Conkin, staff
Christine Lessard, staff
Jamie Zembruski P ’28
Brianna Reynaud ’96 Jensen
David de la Fuente P’16 ’23, trustee
Ryan Boccuzzi, head of school

Previous Lecture Series speakers

The Dan Ayrault Memorial Lecture

  • Megan Asaka ’99, scholar, author, and Lakeside alum
  • Melba Ayco, choreographer and storyteller
  • Matika Wilbur, social documentarian and photographer
  • Tess Rinearson '11, cryptocurrency and blockchain technologist
  • Monika Batra '92 Kashyap, immigration attorney and law professor
  • Naomi André, professor of Afroamerican and African Studies and Women's Studies
  • Bill Gates '73, co-founder of Microsoft and philanthropist
  • Sally Jewell, former secretary of the interior under President Obama and former CEO of REI
  • Emily Johnston '81, emergency room physician and mountain guide
  • Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, former astronaut and teacher

The Mark J. Bebie '70 Memorial Lecture

  •  Arlo Washington, entrepreneur and community banker
  • Nic Stone, author
  • Shankar Vedantam, NPR podcast host and social science correspondent
  • Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, author, activist, and scientist
  • Darcy Gaechter, author and adventure kayaker
  • Min Jin Lee, author
  • Jesmyn Ward, author and educator
  • Julie Lythcott-Haims, author and educator
  • Jelani Cobb, professor and director of Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut and staff writer for The New Yorker

Bernie Noe Endowed Lecture on Ethics and Politics (formerly the Belanich Family Speaker on Ethics and Politics)

  • Laurie Santos, psychologist, professor, and happiness researcher
  • Amy Walter, political journalist
  • Anne Applebaum, historian, journalist, and commentator on geopolitics
  • Michael Sandel, professor and philosopher
  • U.S. Marine Corp Gen. John F. Kelly, general and former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and White House chief of staff
  • Siddhartha Mukherjee, cancer doctor and author
  • Reza Aslan, religious scholar
  • Karl Rove and Howard Dean, deputy chief of staff for George W. Bush/former governor of Vermont, 2004 presidential candidate, and former chair of the Democratic National Committee

The Jerry St. Dennis Speaker Series on Economics

  • Raj Chetty, professor of economics at Harvard University
  • Darrick Hamilton, professor of economics and urban policy at The New School for Social Research
  • Per Espen Stoknes, director of Centre for Sustainability and Energy at the Norwegian Business School in Oslo.
  • Gregg Colburn, professor of economics at University of Washington
  • Lisa Cook, professor of economics at Michigan State University
  • Robert Frank, professor of economics at Cornell University
  • Richard Thaler, recipient of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Economics 
  • Heather Boushey, former economic advisor to Hillary Clinton, Chief Economist for the Center for Equitable Growth
  • Austan Goolsbee, professor at University of Chicago, chairman of President Obama’s Council on Economic Advisors