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.
Lectures are free of charge, and registration is required; register at the links below.
As part of Lakeside’s goal to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our community, in-person events may shift to a virtual format, be postponed, or canceled due to COVID-19. Thank you in advance for your flexibility.
2022-2023 Lecture Speakers
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
Mark J. Bebie ’70 Memorial Lecture
Oct. 19, 2022
Author of the bestselling book “What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City,” Hanna-Attisha is founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative and model public health program in Flint, Michigan. A pediatrician, scientist, activist, and author, she has testified four times before Congress and was awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. Most recently, Hanna-Attisha received the 2020 CDC Foundation’s Fries Prize for Improving Health.
Michael Sandel
Bernie Noe Endowed Lecture on Ethics and Politics
Feb. 9, 2023
Michael Sandel, a professor of political philosophy at Harvard, has been described as “the most relevant living philosopher,” a “rock-star moralist” (Newsweek), and “currently the most popular professor in the world” (Die Zeit). His writings — on justice, ethics, democracy, and markets — have been translated into 27 languages. His legendary course “Justice” is the first Harvard course to be made freely available online and on television. It has been viewed by tens of millions of people around the world, including in China, where China Newsweek named him the “most influential foreign figure of the year.” Sandel’s books relate the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of our time. His BBC programs “The Public Philosopher” and “The Global Philosopher” explore the philosophical ideas underlying news headlines around the world, including violence against women in India, corruption and everyday life in Brazil, and the global challenges of climate change and mass immigration.
Tess Rinearson ’11
Dan Ayrault Memorial Lecture
March 15, 2023
Lakeside graduate Tess Rinearson leads the newly formed crypto team at Twitter. She came to Twitter from the Interchain Foundation, where, as vice president of engineering, she led teams building open-source infrastructure for many leading blockchain networks, including Cosmos. Among other things, these teams were responsible for Tendermint Core, a popular proof-of-stake consensus engine, and the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol, a leading interoperability standard. As an engineer or a leader of engineering teams, Tess has been working since 2015 in the blockchain industry, developing new protocols and integrating cutting-edge cryptography. Rinearson studied computer science at the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University before leaving to join the early engineering team at Medium. A frequent panelist and presenter at both developer and blockchain conferences, she serves on the board of the Mina Foundation, which is building the world’s lightest blockchain protocol.
Speakers are selected by a speaker selection committee that includes 11 members drawn from the faculty, staff, parents/guardians, alumni, students, and trustees. The committee is happy to receive suggestions for future speakers. Email the speaker selection committee at development@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.