Each year Penn State Behrend hosts a number of nationally recognized and accomplished individuals from a wide range of professions, industries, and areas of expertise for its annual Speaker Series, supported by the Student Activity Fee, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Harriet Behrend Ninow Memorial Lecture Series Fund.

2022–23 Speakers

  • Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
    October 12, 2022
  • Martina Edwards, One of Wall Street's First Black Women Traders & Chief of Strategic Partnerships, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs
    November 10, 2022
  • Brendan Hunt, Actor and Co-creator of Ted Lasso
    February 13, 2023
  • Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru, Environmental Justice Warrier, Rhodes Scholar & Founder of Black Girl Environmentalist
    March 23, 2023

2021–22 Speakers

  • Dr. Moogega Cooper, Engineer, a Real-Life "Guardian of the Galaxy"
    October 18, 2021
  • Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Physician and 23rd Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
    November 11, 2021
  • Ovilee May, Host of G4TV and Award-Winning Esports Journalist
    January 24, 2022
  • Sarah Thomas, NFL Official/First Female NFL Official
    April 5, 2022

2020–21 Speakers

  • Patrisse Cullors, Social Activist, Best-Selling Author of When They Call You a Terrorist, and Co-creator of the Viral Twitter Hashtag and Movement #Blacklivesmatter
    February 17, 2021
  • Mona Hanna-Attisha, Physician, Scientist, and Activist Who Exposed the Flint Water Crisis
    April 13, 2021

2019–20 Speakers

  • Gordon Bellamy, USC Professor and Game Designer for Madden NFL Football
    October 1, 2019
  • Abraham (Avi) Loeb, Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University
    (Co-sponsored by the Jefferson Educational Society)
    November 1, 2019
  • Greg Lukianoff, Co-author, The Coddling of the American Mind
    February 4, 2020

2018–19 Speakers

  • David Harbour, Actor, Stranger Things
    September 6, 2018
  • Elise Jordan & Howard Dean, Political Analysts
    November 13, 2018
  • Linda Bernardi, Former Co-lead of the Watson Team at IBM
    March 13, 2019
  • Tarana Burke, Social Justice Activist and #MeToo Founder
    April 17, 2019

2017–18 Speakers

  • Becky Hammon, First Female NBA Coach
    September 13, 2017
  • Lynsey Addario, Photojournalist
    November 9, 2017
  • Charlie Miller & Chris Valasek, Cybersecurity Experts
    February 22, 2018
  • Omar Johnson, Former CMO of Beats by Dre
    Thursday, March 22, 2018
  • Andrew Byrnes, Executive VP, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer of Presencelearning
    April 3, 2018

2016–17 Speakers

  • Pascal Dupuis and Mike Lange, Athlete/Sports Announcer
    "Champions! – An Evening with Pascal Dupuis and Mike Lange"
    September 19, 2016
  • Congressman Lincoln Davis, Congressman
    "Civility in Politics and the 2016 Election"
    October 3, 2016
  • Will Allen, Urban Farmer
    "The Good Food Revolution"
    November 9, 2016
  • Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark, Podcasters
    "Stuff You Should Know"
    February 23, 2017
  • Bree Newsome, Artist
    "Tearing Hatred from the Sky"
    March 22, 2017

2015–16 Speakers

  • Kunal Nayyar, Actor/Author
    "From New Delhi to Hollywood: Navigating Life through Humility"
    October 8, 2015
  • Briana Scurry, Athlete/Advocate
    "On Success and Following Your Passion"
    November 10, 2015
  • Benjamin Jealous, Former President and CEO, NAACP
    "The Forgotten Origins and Consequences of Race in America"
    February 15, 2016
  • Robbie Bach, Former Chief Xbox Officer, Microsoft
    "The Xbox Story: Lessons in Leadership, Strategy, and Team Management"
    March 23, 2016

2014–15 Speakers

  • Jamie Tworkowski, Founder, To Write Love on Her Arms
    "To Write Love on Her Arms"
    November 17, 2014
  • Laverne Cox, Actress/Advocate
    "Ain't I a Woman: My Journey to Womanhood"
    December 9, 2014
  • Derreck Kayongo, Founder, Global Soap Project
    "Tapping Your Power to Create Social Change"
    March 3, 2015
  • ​Danny Forster, Architecture Expert, TV Host, and Producer
    "An Evening of Extreme Engineering with Danny Forster!"
    April 16, 2015

2013–14 Speakers

  • Shawn Johnson, Olympic Gymnast/Author
    "Dream BIG and Keep a Winning Balance"
    October 3, 2013
  • Mike Lange, Radio Play-By-Play Announcer for the Pittsburgh Penguins
    "It's A Hockey Night with Mike Lange"
    October 23, 2013
  • Bill Nye, Scientist, Inventor, and TV Host
    "An Evening with Bill Nye The Science Guy"
    January 29, 2014
  • Laura Ling, Journalist/Author
    "Journey of Hope"
    April 2, 2014

2012–13 Speakers

  • Richard Stallings, an Idaho Democrat, and
    Steven Kuykendall, a California Republican
    "Congress to Campus: Civility in Politics and the 2012 Elections"
    September 17, 2012
  • Adam Lashinsky, Sr. Editor at Large, Fortune Magazine, and Commentator, Fox News Channel
    "Inside Apple"
    October 18, 2012
  • The Buried Life: Ben Nemtin, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn, and Jonnie Penn
    "What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?"
    November 15, 2012
  • Chef Jeff Henderson, Chef, Author, and TV Personality
    "From the Streets to the Stove: The Power of Potential"
    January 23, 2013
  • Peter Annin, Author
    "The Great Lakes Water Wars"
    February 18, 2013
  • Kohl Crecelius, CEO & Co-founder of Krochet Kids Intl.
    "Sustainable Social Entrepreneurship: Creating a Cycle of Success"
    March 20, 2013
  • Sapphire, Performance Poet and Author of Push
    "Issues of Adversity and Empowerment"
    April 4, 2013

2011–12 Speakers

  • Aron Ralston, Mountain Climber and Inspiration for the Film 127 Hours
    "Between a Rock and a Hard Place"
    September 22, 2011
  • Erik Qualman, Author of Socialnomics
    "Socialnomics: It's a People-Driven Economy"
    October 25, 2011
  • Jeff Johnson, MSNBC contributor and White House correspondent
    "Unclaimed Legacy: Who Will Be His Generation's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?"
    January 19, 2012
  • Jeannette Walls, Author, The Glass Castle
    "The Glass Castle: Demon Hunting and Other Life Lessons"
    February 15, 2012
  • Adam Davidson and Alex Blumberg, NPR's Planet Money
    "Planet Money LIVE: The Economy, Explained"
    March 13, 2012
  • Geneticist Spencer Wells, National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence
    "The Human Journey: A Genetic Odyssey"
    April 12, 2012

2010-11 Speakers

  • Bill Cowher, Super Bowl-Winning Former Steelers Head Coach
    "Blueprint for a Winning Team"
    September 23, 2010
  • Terry Jones, Founder of Travelocity.com, Chairman of Kayak.com, and e-Commerce Pioneer
    "Leadership in a Wired World"
    October 5, 2010
  • Betty Nguyen, CBS Morning News Anchor
    "Diversity: Don't Hide From It, Celebrate It!"
    January 20, 2011
  • Randy Cohen, Humorist and Emmy Award-Winning Writer
    "How to be Good"
    March 24, 2011
  • Jerome Ringo, Senior Executive for Global Strategies with Green Port and Pioneering Environmentalist
    "The Green Economy: America's New Frontier"
    April 20, 2011