PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIANS DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN AND JON MEACHAM ONSTAGE TOGETHER, DEI AUTHOR AND CEO OF HARVARD DIVERSITY PROJECT BRANDON FLEMING, MASSACHUSETTS SYSTEM PRESIDENT, MARTY MEEHAN, ALLAN C. GOLSTON, PRESIDENT, U.S. PROGRAM, BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION, AND WORLD-RENOWNED PHOTOGRAPHER PLATON CONFIRMED AS KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Boston, MA – May 24, 2022 Encoura, an educational data science and research organization, today announced the lineup of industry luminaries slated to address Eduventures Summit 2022 in Boston. The annual event, hosted by Encoura’s research division, Eduventures, will include Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham in a rare joint onstage engagement. Other confirmed keynote speakers include the President of the Massachusetts college system, Marty Meehan, social justice leader and advocate, Brandon Fleming, President of the U.S. Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Allan C. Golston, and world-renowned photographer, PLATON. Eduventures Summit will take place at the InterContinental Boston Waterfront Hotel, June 15 – 17, 2022.
The mission of Eduventures Summit is to inform, educate and inspire higher education leaders—from both public and private non-profit institutions—by equipping them with tangible ideas and best practices so they can improve in a wide array of areas spanning recruitment, program innovation, and student success. The evergreen program theme, Higher Ed Remastered, captures both the timeless qualities of higher education and the need for innovative models.
The annual event, which will sell out, is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for college and university leaders and the partners who serve them to come together to network with one another, share best practices, and engage in discussions about the future of higher education.
Confirmed keynote speakers include:
Doris Kearns Goodwin, world-renowned presidential historian, public speaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of seven critically acclaimed and The New York Times bestselling books, including The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism (November, 2013) and Leadership in Turbulent Times (September, 2018). Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln served as the basis for Steven Spielberg’s hit film Lincoln and was awarded the prestigious Lincoln Prize, the inaugural Book Prize for American History, and the Lincoln Leadership Prize. Doris will offer context for our current political climate showing how today leaders can learn from the past.
Jon Meacham, Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning Author. Jon is one of America’s most prominent public intellectuals. A contributor to TIME and The New York Times Book Review, Meacham is a highly sought-after commentator, regularly appearing on CNN and MSNBC. Known as a skilled orator with a depth of knowledge about politics, religion, and current affairs, Meacham brings historical context to the issues and events impacting our daily lives.
Brandon Fleming – Brandon P. Fleming is a nationally acclaimed Harvard educator and author of MISEDUCATED: A Memoir. His story of struggle, success, and service has inspired millions around the world. An at-risk youth and college dropout turned award-winning educator, Fleming is Assistant Debate Coach at Harvard University and Founder/CEO of the Harvard Diversity Project. Fleming was recruited to join the Harvard debate faculty at the age of 27. Harvard later approved Fleming’s proposal to establish a new department within the university system called the Harvard Diversity Project – an unprecedented pipeline program of the Harvard Debate Council. Fleming now leads an executive staff and board that has raised over a million dollars to enroll over 100 students of color into Harvard’s international summer debate residency on full scholarship.
Marty Meehan – the 27th president and the first undergraduate alumnus to lead the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. A former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he was elected to the presidency after eight successful years as chancellor of his alma mater, UMass Lowell, during which he led the university to top-tier national status, improving its performance in every sphere of activity, including enrollment, student success, fundraising and auxiliary revenue generation.
Platon – After working for British Vogue for several years, Platon was invited to NYC to work for the late John Kennedy Jr. and his political magazine, ‘George.’ Shooting portraits for a range of international publications including Rolling Stone, the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ and the Sunday Times Magazine, Platon developed a special relationship with Time magazine, producing over 20 covers for them. Platon is a communicator and storyteller. He has been invited to be a keynote speaker on leadership at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Chanel, Nike, Yale University, Oxford University, Wharton University, the National Portrait Gallery in London and International Center of Photography in NY. He has also appeared on a range of television media including Charlie Rose (PBS), Morning Joe (MSNBC), Fareed Zakaria’s GPS (CNN) and the BBC World News.
Allan C. Golston leads the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Program efforts to help all students graduate from high school, get to and through college and get a good job. This work spans early learning, K-12, postsecondary, and education pathways into the workforce, as well as economic mobility and opportunity efforts. It includes a deep focus on equity in education and emphasizes the use of data to make better-informed decisions that lead to greater, more equitable outcomes for students of all backgrounds. Having served as president since 2006, Allan believes education provides a bridge to opportunity unlike any other in America, and he is committed to ensuring that all young people have the education and opportunity they deserve.
In addition to keynote speakers, Eduventures principal analysts will present the latest research and proprietary market data on key higher education trends. The Eduventures research team will showcase Annual Innovation Award program winners, honoring higher education institutions, companies and other organizations that share Eduventures vision for a responsive, innovative higher education sector.
“2022 looks to be our most robust conference yet, with an impressive mix of mainstage headliners, featured speakers, research presentations and social events that make up our expanded agenda,” said Richard Garrett, Eduventures Chief Research Officer, Encoura. “Additionally, our esteemed keynotes and ‘Best in Class’ speakers will initiate meaningful conversations and inspire industry-wide action as they explore topics such Leadership, Social Justice, and the Current State of Higher Education. As in the past, our agenda highlights the need to provide access, fit and career success for all students. Our keynote speakers will emphasize the opportunities afforded by a higher education system that is available to all.”
To view the conference program, visit https://encoura.org/resources/eduventures-summit/