JON M. HUNTSMAN, JR.

U.S. Ambassador to China (2009-2011) and Governor of Utah (2005-2009)

October 1, 2012 – Monday, 8pm

Serving under four presidents, of both parties, in 2009 he was appointed by President Barack Obama as U.S. Ambassador to China. Prior to this, he served as the 16th Governor of the State of Utah, as the Deputy United States Trade Representative and as the Ambassador to Singapore. Most recently, he was a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

JEANNETTE WALLS

Bestselling Author of The Glass Castle

October 23, 2012 – Tuesday, 8pm

In her New York Times bestselling memoir The Glass Castle, this award-winning author describes the nomadic, dysfunctional and colorful family life of her childhood. After leaving her family and attending Barnard College, she worked as a journalist in New York for 20 years, writing for New York Magazine , USA Today andMSNBC.com.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE

U.S. Secretary of State (2005-2009) 

November 13, 2012 – Tuesday, 8pm

She served as Secretary of State during President George W. Bush’s second term. Prior to holding that position, she served in his first administration as National Security Advisor, the first woman to hold such a position. After leaving the State House, she returned to teach at Stanford University, where she was Provost from 1993 to 1999.

P. W. SINGER

21st Century Warfare Expert

January 22, 2013 – Tuesday, 8pm

Currently a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, he is the preeminent specialist on 21st century warfare. In his work he explores how science fiction, with its emphasis on robotics and other technologies, is now playing out on modern day battlefields, and the implications of these developments on war, politics, ethics and law in our time.

ERSKINE BOWLES

Co-Chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

February 26, 2013 – Tuesday, 8pm

Along with Sen. Alan Simpson, he was named by President Obama to co-chair the bi-partisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, commonly referred to as Bowles-Simpson. Former posts have included president of the University of North Carolina system, White House Chief of Staff to President Clinton and administrator of the Small Business Administration.

VICENTE FOX

President of Mexico (2000-2006)

March 12, 2013 – Tuesday, 8pm

The first president elected from an opposition party since 1910, Fox served as president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. Prior to running for the presidency, he served as governor of his home state, Guanajuato, from 1995 to 1999. Before entering politics, he worked for the Coca-Cola Company, rising from delivery truck driver to president of Coca-Cola Mexico.

NANDO PARRADO

Miracle Survivor of the Infamous Plane Crash in the Andes Mountains

April 23, 2013 – Tuesday, 8pm

On a flight from Uruguay to Chile for an international rugby tournament, he and 16 of his teammates survived for two months in the Andes Mountains, where their plane crashed at 18,000 feet. The story of their ordeal and his ten-day trek through the Andes that led to the group’s rescue was told in the book and ensuing motion picture, Alive.