Pittsburgh Speakers Series Announces Lineup for 2017-2018 Season

The Pittsburgh Speakers Series, presented by Robert Morris University and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), is preparing to welcome a stellar lineup of some of today’s most celebrated and influential personalities to Heinz Hall. Officially kicking off on Oct. 4, the series will offer seven evenings of thought-provoking discussion, opening with a presentation by former British Prime Minister David Cameron. The complete list of presenters, in order of appearance, includes:

• Oct. 4, 2017 - David Cameron, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010-2016)
• Nov. 1, 2017 – Jeffrey Toobin, Supreme Court expert and esteemed legal anaylst
• Nov. 15, 2017 – Jane Pauley, television journalist and author
• Jan. 24, 2018 – Robin Wright, Middle East expert, award-winning journalist and author
• Feb. 21, 2018 – Rick Steves, author, television host and European travel guide
• March 21, 2018 – Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the House
• April 11, 2018 – Mark Kelly, Astronaut, and Gabby Giffords, former Arizona Congresswoman

Tickets for the 2017-2018 Pittsburgh Speakers Series are available now by visiting www.PittsburghSpeakersSeries.o... or by calling 412-392-4900. As in years past, the series is being sold by subscription only, with subscribers guaranteed admission to hear all seven dynamic speakers. Subscriptions for the entire series range from $305 - $445. All presentations will begin at 8 p.m. and each is followed by a spirited Q&A period during which the speaker addresses questions from the audience.

“We’re very excited to welcome this spectacular lineup of speakers for seven memorable evenings at Heinz Hall,” said Dr. Christopher B. Howard, president of Robert Morris University. “With diverse backgrounds in politics, journalism, law and aerospace, these incredible speakers will offer fascinating perspectives and insight on some of the major issues facing our country and the world today.”
The 2017-2018 Speakers Series will kick off with a presentation by David Cameron, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. As the youngest British Prime Minister in two centuries, Cameron led a transformation of the U.K.’s economy through his work to remodel the Conservative Party with a modern, compassionate agenda. In 2016, Cameron resigned following the U.K. vote to leave the European Union.

On Nov. 1, Jeffrey Toobin will take the stage at Heinz Hall. Best known for his books, The Oath and The Nine, which chronicled the inner workings of the Supreme Court, Toobin began his career clerking for a federal judge and later served as an associate counsel to Lawrence Walsh during the Iran-Contra affair and Oliver North’s criminal trial. He has since provided legal analyses on high-profile cases for CNN and The New Yorker. His book on the O.J. Simpson murder case was adapted as a television series, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and aired in 2016 as the first season of FX’s American Crime Story, winning numerous Emmy awards.

In mid-November, the Pittsburgh Speakers Series will welcome television journalist and author Jane Pauley. Pauley is currently the anchor of CBS Sunday Morning. She is best known for her 13-year tenure on NBC’s Today, followed by 12 years as co-host of Dateline NBC. Her bestselling memoir, Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue, made public her diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Pauley also penned a second book titled Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life.

The Speakers Series will continue in January 2018 with a presentation by Robin Wright. As a joint fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson International School for Scholars, Wright has received numerous awards for her reporting for The New Yorker and other publications. She is also the author of many books on the Middle East. The most recent of these books, titled Rock the Casbah, was named the best book on international affairs by the Overseas Press Club.

Rick Steves will grace the Speakers Series stage on Feb. 21, 2018. In addition to authoring numerous European travel guides, Steves is the host of the public television series Rick Steves’ Europe and a public radio show called Travel with Rick Steves. He advocates for independent travel, encouraging Americans to become “temporary locals” by visiting cozy villages away from popular tourist routes, in addition to seeing major cities.

In March 2018, Pittsburgh Speakers Series guests will get to hear from Newt Gingrich. A congressman from Georgia for 20 years, Gingrich served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995-1999. In 2012, he sought the presidential nomination for the Republican Party. Gingrich was also the co-author and architect of the Contract with America in 1994. A historian by training, Gingrich has remained active as a political consultant.

The 2017-2018 Pittsburgh Speakers Series will conclude on April 11, 2018 as guests are entertained by Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords. As a former Gulf War naval aviator, Kelly became a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996. During his career, he flew four space missions, which included commanding the final mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Kelly will be joined briefly by his wife, Gabby Giffords, the former congresswoman from Arizona who was the target of an attempted assassination in 2011.

Presented by Robert Morris University in partnership with University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Pittsburgh Speakers Series is sponsored by KDKA Newsradio 1020 and the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.

For more information about the 2017-2018 Pittsburgh Speakers Series, visit www.PittsburghSpeakersSeries.org.

About Robert Morris University
Through more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across five academic schools, Robert Morris University (RMU) in Pittsburgh, Pa. enrolls more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 48 states and 39 countries. A nationally ranked, doctoral degree-granting research university, RMU offers fully online courses as well as a traditional residential college experience at its campus on 230 scenic acres 17 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The Colonials compete in 16 NCAA Division I sports, including football, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey, and lacrosse. See more at www.rmu.edu.