New Speaker Series Begins In Greenwich With Former Obama Staffer

GREENWICH, CT — The India Cultural Center (ICC), a Greenwich-based 501(c)3 organization, is launching a new speaker series that will begin on March 8 at Greenwich High School with actor, writer and former Obama White House staffer Kal Penn.

The ICC is a non-profit organization that celebrates the arts and culture of India. According to their website, the ICC's mission is to foster inclusion by educating and engaging the community in Indian culture. Programs are targeted towards both the Indian American diaspora and the community at large.

The new speaker series will showcase the impact of South Asian Americans in the US and the world. Big names from entertainment, journalism, literature, business, medicine, the arts and other fields from Fairfield and Westchester counties will be featured.

Penn will be interviewed by Joya Dass, founder of the Women's Leadership Academy, and former business news anchor. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for the public, $10 for students. To register and purchase tickets click here.

Penn will discuss his new memoir "You Can’t Be Serious", which brings the reader a series of candid, hilarious, consequential and inspiring stories about his life.

Best known for his roles in the "Harold and Kumar" films and the hit TV show "House", Penn took a break from his entertainment career to serve as an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, where he was President Barack Obama’s liaison to young Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the arts community.

After his tenure in politics, Penn returned to acting, writing and producing. He has also served as an adjunct lecturer in sociology and film studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and in sociology and political science at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Penn currently stars on Disney Junior’s animated "Mira, Royal Detective", and "Money Hungry" for the Food Network/Discovery+.

Diane's Books in Greenwich will be selling copies of Penn's book at the event. The first 50 books sold will be hand-signed by Penn.

This new speaker series is made possible with the generous support of Blanca and Sunil Hirani, according to a news release.