Anthony Fauci, Rob Gronkowski, H.R. McMaster coming to speak in Sarasota lecture series
Former federal medical official during the COVID pandemic Dr. Anthony Fauci and former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster are among the speakers headlining the 2025 Ringling College Library Association Town Hall Lecture Series announced Tuesday.
Also speaking will be actor Glenn Close, four-time NFL Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski and Dr. Moiya McTier, an astrophysicist, folklorist and science communicator based in New York City.
“Town Hall 2025 will feature the best of the best from the diverse fields of acting, sports, science, national security, and global public health,” said executive director Lauren Kurnov of the lecture series' 44th season. “Our 2025 season promises to be not only entertaining but also thought provoking, informative and inspiring.”
Close, nominated for an Academy Award eight times, will launch the series in January, with the news release announcing the speakers citing her "iconic roles" such as the character Alex Forrest in the film "Fatal Attraction" and Patty Hewes in "Damages." She also won a Tony Award for stage performances in The Real Thing, Death and the Maiden, and her captivating portrayal of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
Gronkowski, who spent the final two seasons of his NFL career as a tight end with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 2022, will speak in February. He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and played nine seasons with the New England Patriots. Nicknamed "Gronk," he was tabbed the 2014 Comeback Player of the Year award at the 2015 ESPY Awards.
McTier will be the featured speaker in mid-March. She released her debut book, THE MILKY WAY: An Autobiography of our Galaxy, to critical acclaim in 2022. In 2023, the Human Artistry Campaign, a coalition formed to represent the interests of artists’ organizations in the realm of AI, hired her as their voice and lead advocate as she works to "help people understand the world around us better through science," the Ringling news release stated.
In late March, McMaster, who was the 25th Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for 34 years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018. He is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Distinguished University Fellow at Arizona State University and lecturer at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
Fauci became a controversial figure, especially to the political right, as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and advisor to former President Donald Trump when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. The Ringling news release noted his career was "bookended by the HIV/AIDs and COVID-19 pandemics" and his "spanned seven presidents, covered 50 years of public service, and touched billions of lives." His memoir, "On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service" is due to be released this summer.
Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design said the lecture series "provides an invaluable opportunity to hear from world-class leaders right here in Sarasota. There is truly something for everyone in our 2025 lineup, and we can’t wait to share another memorable season with the greater community.”
Previous speakers include two U.S. presidents: George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton; author Michael Lewis; ambassador Caroline Kennedy; travel personality, Rick Steves; Olympian Michael Phelps; British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Congresswoman Liz Cheney.
The five 2025 lectures will be presented at Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, 777 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Morning lectures begin at 10:30 a.m. and evening talks begin at 7:30 p.m. The series is sold by subscription.
Subscriptions sales will open for members in May and for the general public in June. Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a member or subscribing to the series, should visit www.rclassociation.org.