Influential figures in public health, Russian opposition, wildlife photography, and more will share their experiences as part of the Baltimore Speaker Series’ 2025-2026 season.
Presented by Stevenson University, the series will feature seven speakers from September 2025 through April 2026.
Anthony Fauci, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, 8 p.m.: Dr. Anthony Fauci served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 through 2022, as well as Chief Medical Advisor to the President during the Biden administration from 2021 through 2022. Fauci oversaw the public health research and response to HIV/AIDS, SARS, Ebola, and the COVID-19 pandemic. President George W. Bush awarded Fauci with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science. In 2024, he published a memoir titled “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service,” telling the story of his Brooklyn childhood to his career as a top public health official.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, 8 p.m.: Vladimir Kara-Murza served as deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party and was a candidate for the Russian Parliament. Kara- Murza helped several countries adopt sanctions against top Russian officials for human rights abuses and corruption — which resulted in him being twice poisoned and left in a coma. After opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kara-Murza was arrested in Moscow in April 2022, sentenced to 25 years for “high treason,” and held in solitary confinement at a Siberian prison. In August 2024, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange negotiated by the U.S. and German governments. Kara-Murza is a Pulitzer Prize-winning contributing writer for the Washington Post, vice president at the Free Russia Foundation, senior advisor at Human Rights First, senior fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, and the founding chairman of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom.
Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, 8 p.m.: Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster was National Security Advisor under the first Trump administration from 2017 through 2018. Prior to his retirement from the military in 2018, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for 34 years. He led soldiers and organizations in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, and in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. McMaster has published three books about foreign policy and his time in the Trump White House, and has co-authored several others.
Ken Burns, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, 8 p.m.: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has made more than 30 films and miniseries on topics ranging from the American Civil War to The Central Park Five, The Vietnam War to the Holocaust. Burns’ documentary work has earned 17 Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations, among other honors. His upcoming film “The American Revolution” is set to premiere on PBS on Nov.16, 2025. Some of Burns future projects include “Emancipation to Exodus” and “LBJ and the Great Society.”
Pippa Malmgren, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, 8 p.m.: Pippa Malmgren was an economic advisor to President George W. Bush and served on The National Economic Council, where she assessed post-9/11 terrorism risks to the economy and technology as a source of geopolitical competitiveness. Before working for the White House, Malmgren held leadership positions at Bankers Trust Asset Management and UBS. Malmgren is now a senior advisor to The Monaco Foundry and a special advisor to Avonhurst. She writes a Substack column about the world economy, has published five books, and is credited with coining the term “shrinkflation.”
Malcolm Gladwell, Thursday, March 12, 2026, 8 p.m.: In 2000, Malcolm Gladwell published his debut book, “The Tipping Point,” which stayed on the bestseller list for more than 400 weeks. Twenty-five years later, Gladwell has written a total of eight books, including “Revenge of the Tipping Point,” a sequel to his bestseller. His other titles include “Blink,” “Outliers,” “What the Dog Saw,” “David and Goliath,” “Talking to Strangers,” and “The Bomber Mafia.” Gladwell is a staff writer for The New Yorker, host of the podcast “Revisionist History,” and a former science and medicine writer for The Washington Post.
Cristina Mittermeier, Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 8 p.m.: Cristina Mittermeier is an award-winning National Geographic photographer known for her wildlife images that bring attention to climate change and conservation. Mittermeier is also a marine biologist and the co-founder of the ocean conservation organization SeaLegacy. She founded the International League of Conservation Photographers in 2015 to give a platform for environmental photographers, and coined the phrase “conservation photography.” In 2021, she was named one of the 100 Latinos Most Committed to Climate Action. In 2018, Mittermeier and her partner, Paul Nicklen, were named among National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year.
The speaking engagements will each take place at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, located at 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201.
Audience members can purchase tickets on the Baltimore Speaker Series website.
