by Nancy Gilson, for The Columbus Dispatch
Two former U.S. secretaries of defense, Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, will headline a Dec. 9 benefit event for the New Albany Community Foundation.
The conversation with Gates and Panetta, both of whom served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency in addition to their years as secretary of defense, will be moderated by journalist David Gergen, co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.
The event will be held at the residence of Leslie H. and Abigail Wexner. The event is underwritten by the Wexners and the New Albany Company.
The Foundation also has announced speakers for the 2015-16 Jefferson Series:
- Oct. 13: Mariel Hemingway, actress and advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention programs. With Oprah Winfrey, Hemingway produced Running from Crazy, the documentary focusing on the seven most recent suicides in the Hemingway family.
- Jan. 28, 2016: Michael Sandel, Harvard political philosopher and author of the book Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? Sandel’s “Justice” was the first Harvard course available online and on public television.
- May 11, 2016: Jon Meacham, journalist and author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. His book about George H. W. Bush is scheduled to be published in November. 2015. He is a contributing editor to Time magazine and a regular guest on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
- June 8, 2016: David McCullough, author of numerous historical books including his most recent, The Wright Brothers. McCullough was speaker at the first “Remarkable Evening” event in 2002.
All Jefferson Series events will be held at the McCoy Community Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin Granville Rd., New Albany.
Tickets ($10 to $35) go on sale Aug. 17 through Ticketmaster (1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com).