VERO BEACH — The Emerson Center, along with Presenting Sponsor Wilmington Trust, proudly announces the 2013 Celebrated Speakers Series.
The four person speaker series launches with Jeb Bush on January 12, 2013. Son of former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, Jeb served as Florida’s Secretary of Commerce under Bob Martinez, Florida’s 40th Governor.
He was elected the 43rd Governor of the state of Florida in November, 1998, and he ended his second term as Governor in January, 2007. During his tenure, Bush cut taxes every year, and Florida lead the nation in job growth.
His focus on reforming education led Florida students to achieve the greatest gains in the country. Additionally, Bush put Florida on the forefront of consumer healthcare advances by signing Medicaid reform legislation.
Bush is currently the head of his own successful consulting business, Jeb Bush and Associates, where his clients range from small technology start-ups to well known Fortune 500 Companies.
He is also the Chairman of Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national foundation focused on education reform. He co-authored “Profiles in Character”, which profiles 14 Florida civic heroes making a difference without claiming a single news headline.
Alice M. Rivlin follows on February 2, 2013. She is considered one of the leading economists in the United States. She is currently a member of the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange.
Rivlin was the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office (1975-1983), and the director of the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution.
She has also served as vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board and as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget under President Clinton. Rivlin is a frequent contributor to newspapers, television, and radio, and has written numerous books, including “Systematic Thinking for Social Action”, and “Reviving the American Dream”.
She recently completed her service on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, a commission to which she was appointed by President Obama to give her trusted views on solving the nation’s budget problems.
Rivlin has taught at Harvard, George Mason, The New School Universities and is a visiting professor at the Public Policy Institute of Georgetown University. She is married to economist Sidney G. Winter, a professor at University of Pennsylvania.
Next to the podium is Mary Matalin on February 23, 2013. Mary Matalin is one of the most celebrated and popular conservative voices in America.
She is a best-selling author, television and radio host, and widely sought after political contributor, pundit and public speaker noted for her straightforward manner and insightful political repartee.
She served under President Ronald Reagan, made her mark as George H.W. Bush’s Campaign Director and most recently was an assistant to President George W. Bush.
Since then, Matalin has co-hosted the political talk show “Equal Time” on CNBC, made numerous appearances on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, hosted CNN’s debate show “Crossfire”, and became one of “The Most Important Talk Show Hosts in America” for her own CBS Talk Radio show “The Mary Matalin Show”.
Today, along with Arianna Huffington, she co-hosts the nationally syndicated radio program “Both Sides Now”. Matalin also co-authored the best-selling political campaign book “All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President” with her husband, James Carville.
Ending on a high note on March 16, 2013, the final celebrated speaker is James A. Baker. James A. Baker, III served in senior government positions from 1975 to 1992 under three United States Presidents and led campaigns for Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush over the course of five consecutive presidential elections.
Baker’s record of public service began in 1975 as undersecretary of commerce to President Gerald Ford. From 1981 to 1985, he served as White House chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan, and subsequently became the 67th Secretary of the Treasury, as well as chairman of the President’s Economic Policy Council under President Reagan.
Finally, Baker served as the nation’s Secretary of State from January, 1989, through August, 1992, under President George H.W. Bush. A native Houstonian, Baker graduated from Princeton University in 1952.
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991, received many other awards for distinguished public service and published his memoir “Work Hard, Study”, and “Keep Out of Politics! Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life” in 2006.
Series tickets are $220. Remaining single tickets for $65 each go on sale December 1, 2012. Seats are available at either the 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. performances. Call the Emerson Center box office at (772) 778-5249 for tickets, or visit The Emerson Center itself.
Subscriptions will be available online after March 27, 2012, at www.TheEmersonCenter.org.
For best seating, new subscribers are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as seats will be assigned in the order requests are received.
The Emerson Center, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, is conveniently located at 1590 27th Ave., on the SE corner of 16th St. and 27th Ave.
The center offers more than 300 parking spaces, an auditorium that seats over 800 people in comfortable padded seating, has unrestricted views for all seats, and professional state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems.