Dr. Abiodun Williams is Professor of the Practice of International Politics at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and The Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. He was also Director of the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University from 2017 to 2022. Previously, he held leadership positions at thinks tanks in the United States and Europe. From 2001 to 2007 Dr. Williams was Director of Strategic Planning to UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon. He gained valuable field operational experience, serving with the UN from 1994 to 2000 in peacekeeping operations in North Macedonia, Haiti, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in senior political and humanitarian roles. He has held faculty appointments at the National Defense University, the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the University of Rochester. Dr. Williams has furthered his impact on international affairs and education through service on several boards. He served as Chair of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), and as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Justice, the Group of Senior Experts of the UN’s Human Rights Up Front Initiative, the International Board of Directors of the United World Colleges, and the Lester Pearson UWC College Board of Trustees. He is the recipient of several awards including the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University and the Constantine E. Maguire Medal from Georgetown University. He is the author or editor of five books, including Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations.
Foley & Lardner LLP
Rachel Slade spent a decade in the city magazine trenches at Boston magazine—first as the design editor, ultimately as executive editor. In 2015, she helped steer Boston to a top national award from the City and Regional Magazine Association. Her two-part story about Boston’s secretive planning and development agency won national awards and laid the groundwork for Mayor Michelle Wu’s sweeping reforms to the city's planning processes. In 2016, Yankee magazine ran Slade’s long-form narrative about the sinking of the container ship El Faro. A CRMA finalist for reporting, the story led to the national bestselling book, Into the Raging Sea. Into the Raging Sea earned starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly; the Maine Literary Award for nonfiction; the Massachusetts Honor Book Award; and the Mountbatten Award for Best Book from the Maritime Foundation UK. It was a NYT Notable Book, an NYT editors’ pick, an Amazon editors’ pick for Best History, and among NPR’s Best Books, Paste magazine’s best books, Longread’s best books, Inc. Magazine’s 7 Best Business Books, the Maine Edge’s favorite books, and Book Scrolling best history books. In 2021, Into the Raging Sea was adapted for a Harvard Business School case study. In 2023, Down East magazine named Slade’s book one of its top 25 “New Maine Classics.” Slade’s second book, Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the USA (and How It Got That Way), Pantheon/Penguin Random House, came out 1/9/24. Slade’s editing and writing have won national awards in civic journalism, reporting, criticism, and reader service. She earned her BA in political science from Barnard College and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. She splits her time between Brookline, Massachusetts, and Rockport, Maine. Michelle Tolini Finamore, Ph.D., is a fashion and design historian, curator, and author. She has curated numerous exhibitions, including the recent Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour, as well as the groundbreaking Gender Bending Fashion, #techstyle, Hollywood Glamour: Fashion and Jewelry from the Silver Screen, and Think Pink at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She has written numerous articles for both the scholarly and popular press on topics as varied as American fashion, menswear, contemporary fashion, sustainability, studio jewelry, and food history. Her books include Hollywood Before Glamour: Fashion in American Silent Film, Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour, Gaetano Savini: The Man Who Was Brioni, and Jewelry by Artists: In the Studio, 1940-2000. Michelle has taught courses on fashion/design/film history at Northeastern University, Rhode Island School of Design, Massachusetts College of Art, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She has also interviewed fashion luminaries such as Hamish Bowles, Fern Mallis, Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Goldwyn, Hussein Chalayan, Diane Pernet, Viktoria Modesta, Virgil Ortiz, and Rodarte on stage.
Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation
Greg Epstein
Virtual
Todd Balf writes for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and others, and is the author of several books including this summer’s “Three Kings” and “Major: A Black Athlete, a White Era, and the Fight to be the World’s Fastest Human Being.” He is an enthusiastic advocate for cycling and accessibility. Major: A Black Athlete, a White Era, and the Fight to Be the World's Fastest Human Being by Todd Balf tells the riveting and inspiring story of Major Taylor, an African American cyclist who defied the odds in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Amidst the deeply segregated society of his time, Taylor rose to become the world’s fastest cyclist and a global sports icon. Balf’s meticulously researched book not only captures Taylor’s athletic prowess but also highlights his struggles against racial prejudice and personal battles. This powerful narrative sheds light on a groundbreaking figure whose legacy transcends sports, symbolizing resilience and the fight for equality in a racially divided world. MAJOR: The story of Worcester’s world champion cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor and the race to build the world’s fastest bike
Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation
N/A
Boston Public Library - Rabb Lecture Hall
June Millington—guitarist and founding member of all-female rock band Fanny—will converse with Emm Gryner—independent singer/songwriter, bassist, and pianist—about Fanny, music, and activism. The main content will conclude with a musical performance. This program is part of the Boston Public Library's Lowell Lecture Series and their “Revolutionary Music: Music for Social Change” programmatic theme.
Boston Public Library - Rabb Lecture Hall
Dr. Dorthe Dahl-Jensen
New England Aquarium
Macy Lawrence is an animator based in Waltham, Massachusetts. She is currently an Art Director for Cengage/National Geographic Learning. In 2024 she will complete a master’s degree in Digital Media Studies from Harvard University's Extension School. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys learning about history and spending time on Cape Cod.
Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation
For the latest information regarding each event please contact the presenting organization.