WLP Endowed Lecture Fund
Does your department or organization want to bring a high profile speaker to Virginia Tech? The Women in Leadership and Philanthropy Council would like to help you!
The Women in Leadership and Philanthropy (WLP) Council can provide funding for a prominent speaker, male or female, to come to Virginia Tech. To be considered for funding from the WLP Endowed Lecture Fund, please review the criteria and submit the Request for Funding Application.
Previous speakers sponsored, in part or in full, through the WLP Endowed Lecture Fund include:
2012
- Dr. Alexandra Schultheis Moore, associate professor in English at UNC-Greensboro, spoke about human rights featured in literature and film.
- Mike Reiss, Emmy Award-winning producer of the Simpsons and best-selling author, held a screening of his animated shorts and gave a presentation followed by a Q&A session to discuss Jewish history, culture and identity, while providing a dynamic and inclusive forum for exploration of the Jewish experience.
2011
- Dr. Johnetta Cole, educator and humanitarian, keynote speaker for the sixth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Virginia Tech.
- Dr. Z. Aziza Baccouche, blind African American theoretical physicist, founder and president of her own multimedia company, AZIZA Productions, presenting Seeking Vision, organized by the Department of Physics.
- Dr. Melanie Bonner, clinical and pediatric psychologist at the Duke University Medical Center at the Brain Tumor Center, and Virginia Tech alumnus from the Department of Psychology, speaker at the first annual Virginia Tech Cancer Research Symposium.
- Martin Sheen and Emilio Esteves, the father/son, actor/director duo present their movie, The Way, which portrays one man's journey on the Camino de Santiago.
- Lillie Paquette, documentary director and a specialist in international affairs focuses on mass media, public opinion, and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, presents "We Are Egypt - Voices Leading to Revolution."
- Dr. Marina Ranga, as part of the 2011 Innovation Based Manufacturing Workshop, CEO of Triple Helix Research Group in Belgium, presents ideas about innovation and increasing business competitiveness.
- Theda Perdue, UNC-CH professor, presents The Life and Legacies of Booker T. Washington, organized by Department of History.
- Kavitas Ramdas, international human rights pioneer who has made the Global Fund the largest grant making foundation in the world. Her talk will focus on the global perspective of quality of women's lives and the educational development of women.
2010
- Dr. Andrew Weaver, Nobel Peace Prize winner and one of the world's foremost climate scientists, keynote speaker at the 26th annual Graduate Student Association Research Symposium.
- Zev Kedem, a real-life "Schindler's List" survivor, was the keynote speaker for Jewish Awareness Month.
- Anne Hastings, director of Fonkoze in Haiti, presenting Accompanying the Poorest Out of Poverty: What Works? What Doesn't?, organized by the Department of Political Science.
2009
- Greg Mortenson, Nobel Peace Prize nominee and co-author of the best-selling book, "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Missions to Promote Peace... Once School at a Time," presenting Pennies, Pencils, and Peace, organized by the new Students for Non-Violence Club, the International Relations Organization, and the Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships at Virginia Tech.
2008
- Maya Angelou, poet, educator, historian, best-selling author and actress, keynote speaker for the third annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Virginia Tech.
- Mary Kim Titla, San Carlos Apache, presenting Leveraging the Power of Media: The Shift Toward Positive and Accurate Representations of Native American People, in celebration of Native American Heritage Month.
