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Distinguished Voices Lecture Series

UNF is proud to partner with the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville to bring distinguished speakers to our campus. 
If you have any questions about the lecture series, please contact UNF Events.
For information about other campus events, please search in the online calendar of events.

2025-2026 Lecture Series Schedule

Jen Easterly headshot

Mon. Sept. 15, 2025

7 p.m. | Adam W. Herbert University Center

Jen Easterly:
"The Promise and Peril of Emerging Technology: Operating at the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity"

Jen Easterly is a globally acclaimed cybersecurity and national security leader, with deep expertise on cyber threats, emerging technologies, and organizational resilience. She most recently served as the Senate-confirmed Director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)—America’s premiere cyber defense agency. As the Director of CISA, she led the nation’s efforts to protect critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats, transforming the agency into a $3 billion operation with over 10,000 employees and contract personnel.

A combat veteran, cybersecurity pioneer, and former Wall Street technology executive, Jen brings decades of leadership experience at the intersection of technology, security, and risk. Before CISA, she served as Head of Firm Resilience at Morgan Stanley, where she built and led the company’s Cybersecurity Fusion Center, charged with protecting the Firm from cyber threats.

Her public service spans more than three decades, including multiple combat deployments in the U.S. Army, where she played a pivotal role in the creation of U.S. Cyber Command and commanded the Army’s first cyber battalion. She served twice at the White House, including as Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for Counterterrorism and earlier as Senior Policy Advisor to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. She also served as the Deputy for Counterterrorism at the National Security Agency (NSA) and as a senior leader in Tailored Access Operations, NSA’s elite hacking team.

A distinguished graduate of West Point and Rhodes Scholar, Jen is a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star as well as numerous awards, including the 2024 George C. Marshall Award in Ethical Leadership, the 2023 Champion of Internet Freedom Award, the 2022 Admiral Grace Hopper Award, and the 2018 James W. Foley American Hostage Freedom Award. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Jen is the recipient of the Aspen Institute Finance Leaders Fellowship, the New America Foundation Senior International Security Fellowship, and the Director, National Security Agency Fellowship.

A sought-after keynote speaker, Jen has provided dozens of presentations at events around the world and made numerous appearances on television and radio on topics including technology and emerging threats, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, national security, and organizational leadership and design. Beyond her professional achievements, Jen is a proud mom, mental health advocate, Rubik’s Cube enthusiast, and aspiring electric guitarist.
Amb. John J Sullivan headshot

Tues. Oct. 21, 2025

7 p.m. | Adam W. Herbert University Center

Amb. John J. Sullivan:
"Midnight in Moscow: Perspective from the Front Lines of Russia's War Against the West”

Ambassador John J. Sullivan, former US deputy secretary of state and former US ambassador to the Russian Federation, is a partner in Mayer Brown's Washington DC and New York offices and co-lead of  the firm's National Security practice. He is also a Distinguished Scholar at the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University and a Distinguished Fellow at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University. He serves as a Contributor to CBS News, is quoted frequently in international media as a leading authority on foreign affairs, and has written a book on his experiences as ambassador, Midnight in Moscow, which was published by Little, Brown and Company in August 2024.
 
Ambassador Sullivan is a member of the Board of Directors of the US Institute of Peace, after his nomination by President Biden and unanimous confirmation by the Senate. He also has been appointed by Congress to serve as a member of the bipartisan congressional Commission on Reform and Modernization of the Department of State.
 
At Mayer Brown, Ambassador Sullivan advises clients on global risk and foreign policy, as well as US sanctions and export controls, international trade disputes and regulation, foreign investment, and other sensitive issues at the  intersection of international commerce and national security policy. He is often consulted as an expert and has testified before Congress, including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in that capacity. In addition to his expertise in foreign policy and, in particular, US-Russia relations, he has worked extensively on trade issues important to multinational companies doing business around the world after serving as the US deputy secretary of commerce.
 
Ambassador Sullivan's career spans four decades in public service in prominent diplomatic and legal positions under five US presidents and in private law practice at Mayer Brown. Before rejoining the Firm in January 2023, he was the US ambassador to Russia from December 2019 to October 2022. During his tenure, he led the US Embassy through the most challenging period in US-Russia relations in generations.
 
Prior to his post in Moscow, Ambassador Sullivan served for almost three years as the deputy secretary of state after a bipartisan 94-6 confirmation vote in the US Senate in 2017. In this senior role, he was responsible for both the formulation and conduct of US foreign policy and the management of the State Department's global operations. He was the acting secretary of state in March-April 2018, among the longest tenures in history of anyone in that position.
 
In private practice at Mayer Brown, which he first joined in 1993, Ambassador Sullivan has been a member of the Supreme Court and Appellate practice and was a co-founder of the National Security practice. From 2010 to 2016, he served by appointment of the Obama Administration as chair of the US-Iraq Business Dialogue, a government advisory committee of business leaders on US commercial relations with Iraq.
 
Previously, Ambassador Sullivan held senior positions in the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Commerce in two prior administrations. Until January 2009, he was the deputy secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, following his service from 2005 to 2007 as the general counsel of the department. In President Bush's first term, he was appointed deputy general counsel of the Defense Department by Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. In the George H.W. Bush Administration, Ambassador Sullivan was counselor to Assistant Attorney General J. Michael Luttig in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel.
Brett McGurk headshot

Tues. Nov. 4, 2025

7 p.m. | Adam W. Herbert University Center

Brett McGurk:
"Unique Perspectives on Geopolitical Hotspots"

An instrumental figure in one of the most consequential peace negotiations of our time, Brett McGurk shares compelling insights drawn from his two decades serving as a top national security advisor under four presidents.
 
One of the longest-serving and most effective national security experts of his generation, McGurk has been deeply involved in Middle East military strategy, diplomacy and U.S. policy for more than two decades. He has served directly for the last four presidents, negotiated multiple hostage releases, built the international coalition that ultimately defeated ISIS, and engaged regularly and directly with leaders from across the Middle East and around the world.
 
McGurk offers insight into complex world problems, and how he built successful coalitions, advised four very different presidents, and acted as a steady and reliable leader to resolve seemingly insurmountable conflicts—earning strong bipartisan support in our divisive times. He shares his perspective on the current state of world affairs, the personalities who shape today’s headlines and their impact on industries such as energy, global financial markets, and the U.S. economy.
 
McGurk’s experiences have led him to some of the world’s most volatile regions. Serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan under President Bush, McGurk helped develop “The Surge,” a fundamental
 
and successful shift in Iraq war strategy. Under President Obama, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran, spearheading secret negotiations with Iran that led to the release of six American citizens from the notorious Evin prison. McGurk led sensitive negotiations with Russia on the Syria crisis and shuttled between global capitals to build the largest international coalition in history as well as local armies on the ground to defeat ISIS, serving as Special Presidential Envoy to both President Obama and President Trump.
 
For the past four years, McGurk has served as the top Middle East advisor in the White House, handling all aspects of regional policy for President Biden, including the management of the crisis in the region following the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, 2025. He was the lead negotiator on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks, which culminated in an agreement and the beginning of a ceasefire and hostage releases on January 19, 2025. In the final period of these talks, McGurk invited the incoming administration to participate in the talks, a historically unprecedented partnership.
 
President Bush described McGurk as part of a “band of brothers” inside the White House at a critical phase of the Iraq war. President Obama called him one of his “closest advisors” on the Middle East. Condoleezza Rice referred to him as the “consummate professional diplomat.” The New York Times cited him as “a doer” in high-stakes negotiations.
 
McGurk has also been a senior foreign affairs analyst with NBC News/MSNBC, and he is author of Command: Inside the Oval Office with Three Presidents, and the Wartime Decisions That Changed the World.
Andrew Sorkin headshot

Mon. Jan. 12, 2026

7 p.m. | Adam W. Herbert University Center

Andrew Ross Sorkin:
"1929 The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History"

Andrew Ross Sorkin is an award-winning journalist for The New York Times and a co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC’s signature morning program. He is also the founder and editor-at-large of DealBook, an online daily financial report published by The Times that he started in 2001.
 
Sorkin is the author of Too Big to Fail: How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System — and Themselves (Viking, 2009), which chronicled the events of the 2008 financial crisis. The book won the 2010 Gerald Loeb Award for Best Business Book, and was shortlisted for the 2010 Samuel Johnson Prize and the 2010 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award. The book spent more than six months on the New York Times Best Seller list in hardcover and  paperback. The book was adapted as a movie for HBO Films in 2011. Sorkin was a co-producer of the film, which was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards. His next book, 1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History, will be published in October 2025.
 
Sorkin is also co-creator of the drama series “Billions” on Showtime starring Paul Giamatti and Damien Lewis. He has several new film and television projects in development.
 
Sorkin is one the preeminent interviewers in the nation, known for his incisive, nuanced long-form conversations with the biggest newsmakers in the world, from Elon Musk to Lebron James to Kim Kardashian and Hillary Clinton. Just this year, he won the Emmy award for “Outstanding Live Interview.”
 
This fall, Sorkin will host a new limited streaming interview series for NBC that will be broadcast on NBC News Now and will be available on demand on Peacock, YouTube, NBCNews.com, as well as platforms like Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel and NBC News’ apps on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV.
 
Over the years, Sorkin has broken news of many major mergers and acquisitions in the pages of The Times and has been at the forefront of Wall Street news. He reported  extensively on the financial crisis of 2008, its aftermath on Wall Street and the government bailout of major investment banks, with coverage including the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, and the A.I.G. bailout. He has broken news of deals including Chase’s acquisition of J.P. Morgan and Hewlett-Packard’s acquisition of Compaq. He also led The Times’s coverage of Vodafone’s $183 billion hostile bid for Mannesmann, resulting in the world’s largest takeover ever.
 
As a leading voice about Wall Street and corporate America, Sorkin is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs, as well as a lecturer at universities across the country. He has appeared on NBC’s “Today Show,” PBS’s “NewsHour,” HBO’ “Real Time with Bill Maher,” NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and many others.
 
He won a Gerald Loeb Award in 2004 for breaking the news of I.B.M.’s historic sale of its PC business to Lenovo. He was also a finalist in the commentary category for his DealBook column. He also won a Society of American Business Editors and Writers Award for breaking news in 2005 and again in 2006. In 2007, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader.
 
Sorkin is co-chair of The New York Public Library’s Business Leadership Council and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Sorkin began writing for The Times in 1995 under unusual circumstances: he hadn’t yet graduated from high school. Sorkin is a graduate of Cornell University.
David Brooks headshot

Tues. Feb. 17, 2026

7 p.m. | TBD

David Brooks:
"Society in Focus"

David Brooks is a bestselling author, op-ed columnist at the New York Times, and recurring commentator on PBS NewsHour. He has a gift for bringing readers and audiences alike face to face with the spirit of our times with humor, insight, and quiet passion. He is a keen observer of the American way of life and a savvy analyst of present-day politics and foreign affairs whose columns are among the most read in the nation.

The author of six books with many bestsellers among them, Brooks seeks to further explore and explain humanity and the way we live with every addition to his critically acclaimed body of work. With intellectual curiosity and emotional wisdom, he underscores the value of community and the importance of nourishing both the inner self and the social self in our journeys to live fulfilling lives.

His latest release, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen, debuted on the New York Times and Amazon bestseller lists and has maintained spots on both for many weeks. It was deemed both “a hands-on guide to making meaningful human connections” and “yet another inspirational roadmap to building strong moral character and achieving authentic self-actualization” by Kirkus. Brooks makes the case that at the center of any healthy and thriving business, organization, community, or nation is the crucial skill of being able to see and value other people. Written to speak to audiences of all kinds, How to Know a Person is his attempt to repair America’s torn social fabric by giving us the tools we need to move beyond division and polarization and connect with others on an innately human level.

Brooks’s earlier books cemented his style of “comic sociology,” offering observations on how we live and “the water we swim in” that are as witty and entertaining as they are revealing and insightful. Bobos in Paradise, his first bestseller, is a comedic yet sincere reflection on the budding class of “bobos”—a generation of elites at the intersection of bourgeois capitalism and bohemian counterculture. On Paradise Drive explores what Brooks sees as a uniquely American “future-mindedness” that drives our frenzied work ethic and inability to relax.

In an effort to practice what he preaches in his writing, Brooks founded and currently chairs Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. Weave explores what it means to build connection and weave a rich social fabric in our schools, workplaces, and every other part of life. Weave’s mission is to invite everyone to start living like a weaver and shift our culture from one that values achievement and individual success to one that finds value in deep relationships and community success.

Beyond the New York Times, Brooks has also been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and NBC’s Meet the Press, as well as in the New Yorker, Washington Post, and Forbes, to name a few. Prior to joining the Times in 2003, he held positions at Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Newsweek, and The Weekly Standard. He has been awarded more than 30 honorary degrees from American colleges and universities, was a Jackson Senior Fellow at Yale, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

Amb. William Burns headshot

Tues. March 31, 2026

7 p.m. | Adam W. Herbert University Center

Amb. William. J. Burns:
“America in a Changing World”

William J. Burns is one of the most experienced and respected foreign policy minds of the modern era, with a career spanning nearly four decades in diplomacy, intelligence, and global security strategy. Having served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2021 to 2025, Deputy Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014, and a career diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service for 33 years, Burns has been at the forefront of U.S. national security, geopolitical strategy, and high-stakes international negotiations.

His tenure as CIA Director coincided with some of the most consequential geopolitical challenges of the 21st century, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, escalating tensions with China, cyber warfare threats, and the evolving landscape of Middle Eastern security. His deep understanding of foreign intelligence, diplomatic statecraft, and global power dynamics positioned him as a key architect of U.S. security strategy during an era of unprecedented global instability.

Burns’ has also served as President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (2015–2021), where he shaped global policy discourse on great power competition, nuclear security, and diplomatic conflict resolution. His bestselling 2019 book, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal, provides an insider’s perspective on some of the most critical foreign policy decisions of the last 30 years.

Having spent decades in direct negotiations with world leaders—including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese officials, and Middle Eastern heads of state—Burns offers an unmatched perspective on how global power players think and operate. His ability to assess political motivations, anticipate strategic moves, and navigate diplomatic crises has made him one of the most sought-after voices on international security, intelligence strategy, and geopolitical risk assessment.

His leadership in intelligence and diplomacy has earned him three Presidential Distinguished Service Awards and the highest civilian honors from the Pentagon and the U.S. Intelligence Community.
If you have a disability or require an accommodation for a lecture, please contact
University Development and Alumni Engagement at (904) 620-4334 five business days before the event to enable us to provide you with the appropriate accommodation.