We were pleased to offer the Aspen Community Programs summer lecture series free to the public, with speaker receptions and reserved seating as an exclusive Aspen Society membership benefit (please contact aspensociety@aspeninstitute.org for more information). Additionally, the Aspen Historical Society is offering tours of the Aspen Meadows campus and the West End in celebration of the Aspen Institute’s 75th anniversary. Tours take place Mondays from June through September. For more information and to register, click here.
To download our summer calendar, click here.
While attendance at these events was free and open to everyone, registration was required, and capacity is established on a first-come, first-served basis.
The 2025 schedule was as follows (with links to videos):
Thursday, June 12 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Advancing Women’s Health Series
The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts
Featuring Dr. Mary Claire Haver, board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and author of “The New Menopause,” in conversation with Soledad Hurst, philanthropist and former on-air reporter/anchor for Bloomberg TV.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Tuesday, July 8 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Breaking News, Breaking Barriers: Connie Chung on Journalism, Truth, and Legacy
Featuring Connie Chung, pioneering journalist, Emmy-winning news anchor, and the first woman to co-anchor the CBS “Evening News.”
Watch the video of this past event here.
Wednesday, July 9 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
The Escalation of Extreme Weather: How Climate Change is Fueling Superstorms, Deadly Heat, and Unprecedented Disasters
Featuring Porter Fox, climate journalist, Columbia University teacher, and author of “Category Five: Superstorms and the Warming Oceans That Feed Them,” and Jeff Goodell, award-winning environmental writer, in conversation with Carolyne Heldman.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Friday, July 18 | 4:00 – 5:00 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Homeland Security in a Changing World: Immigration, Threats, and the Future of US Policy
Featuring Jeh Johnson, former US secretary of Homeland Security and general counsel of the Department of Defense, in conversation with Peter Baker, chief white house correspondent for The New York Times and political analyst for MSNBC.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Monday, July 21 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work
Featuring Kyla Scanlon, financial educator, creator, and author of “In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work” in conversation with Rachel Wolfe, economics reporter at The Wall Street Journal.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Tuesday, July 22 | 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Aspen Society members-only reception with speakers | 3:30-4:15 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Leadership in Action: How Republican Governors Are Shaping Policy and Navigating Emerging Challenges
Featuring Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen in conversation with Karen Tumulty, chief political correspondent for The Washington Post.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Wednesday, July 23 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
Navigating Disruption: Technology, Business, and the New Economic Landscape
Featuring Scott Galloway, best-selling author, professor of marketing at NYU Stern School of Business, and host of “The Prof G Pod” and “Pivot” podcasts in conversation with Gillian Tett, columnist, and member of the editorial board at the Financial Times.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Saturday, July 26 | 11:00 am – 6:45 pm
The 75th Anniversary of the Aspen Institute, A Community Celebration
A Place Where the Human Spirit Could Flourish
An inspiring afternoon exploring the transformative power of place, people, and possibility. Highlights included:
11:00 am-12:00 pm | Panel Discussion – “Place, People, and Possibility: Reflections on Humanism and the Aspen Idea” featuring Todd Breyfogle and Paul Andersen. Watch the video of this past event here.
12:00-1:00 pm | Community Lunch – Music by Aspen Music Festival & School students and a picnic lunch in honor of the Institute’s 75th Anniversary.
1:00-1:45 pm | Panel Discussion – “Sculpting the Environment: The Three-Dimensional Art of Herbert Bayer” featuring co-curators Koko Bayer and Adam Thomas. Watch the video of this past event here.
5:00-6:45 pm | Keynote Discussion – “Humanism and the Possibilities of Renewal,” featuring David Brooks in conversation with Todd Breyfogle. Watch the video of this past event here.
Tuesday, July 29 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Reagan: His Life, Legacy, and the Shaping of Modern Conservatism
Featuring Max Boot, historian, foreign policy analyst, and best-selling author, in conversation with Elliot Gerson, executive vice president, Policy Programs and International Partners, the Aspen Institute. In his latest book, “Reagan: His Life and Legend,” Boot offers a definitive look at the 40th president of the United States—examining his leadership, policies, and the myths that shaped his legacy.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Thursday, July 31 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
The Future of Journalism: Trust, Truth, and Technology in a Changing Media Landscape
In collaboration with Aspen Digital
Featuring Meredith Kopit Levien, president and chief executive officer, The New York Times Company, in conversation with Vivian Schiller, vice president and executive director of Aspen Digital, the Aspen Institute.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Tuesday, August 5 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Aspen Society members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Citizenship, Democracy, and America’s Role in the World
Featuring Dr. Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens” in conversation with Wendell L. Willkie II, adjunct professor of law at New York University and adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Wednesday, August 6 | 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
Advancing America’s Prosperity
In collaboration with the Aspen Economic Strategy Group
Featuring Jason Furman, Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy at Harvard University, and Paul Ryan, Partner at Solamere Capital and 54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, in conversation with Melissa S. Kearney, Director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Thursday, August 7 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain
Featuring Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, renowned psychologist, neuroscientist, best-selling author, and University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University, in conversation with Jeff Aronin, Aspen Institute Trustee and founder, chairman, and CEO of Paragon Biosciences.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Tuesday, August 12 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America
Featuring Barbara McQuade, former U.S. Attorney, professor from practice at the University of Michigan Law School and best-selling author. Drawing on her experience in law, national security, and public policy, McQuade explores the origins of modern disinformation campaigns, how they’re weaponized, and what we can do to defend against them.
Watch the video of this past event here.
Wednesday, August 13 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
Food, Family, and Tradition: A Conversation with Lidia Bastianich
Featuring Lidia Bastianich, acclaimed chef, restaurateur, best-selling author, and Emmy-winning TV personality, in conversation with Corby Kummer, executive director of the Food & Society Program at the Aspen Institute. Lidia Bastianich is renowned for highlighting the rich connections between food, family, culture, and identity.
No video is available for this particular event.
Tuesday, August 19 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
Psychedelics and the Brain: Unlocking New Possibilities for Healing
Presented in collaboration with Aspen Public Radio
Featuring Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor in Neurology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, in conversation with Jon Hamilton, correspondent for NPR’s Science Desk.
Watch the video of this past event here.