OCTOBER 22, 2025
Andrew Ross Sorkin
Speech and debate changes lives.
A single speech can spark a lifetime of confidence. A single debate can shape a future leader.
By attending tonight’s special program, you’re doing more than engaging with new stories and perspectives — you’re helping the next generation find their voice.
All proceeds from tonight’s special program support the Richmond Forum Speech & Debate Initiative (RFSDI).
Your gift this evening will bring the power of public speaking and civil discourse to more students and educators across our region.
When young people learn to stand, speak, and be heard, the Richmond community grows stronger.
GIVE NOW
Andrew Ross Sorkin
1929: TARIFFS, TRADE WARS, & TODAY
OCTOBER 22, 2025
OPENING REMARKS
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
PRESENTATION
INTERMISSION
AUDIENCE QUESTIONS
Heather Mullins Crislip Executive Director The Richmond Forum
Maya Shuman
Richmond Forum Speech & Debate Alumna
Andrew Ross Sorkin
Submit your questions via Slido
Andrew Ross Sorkin with Jeffrey M. Lacker
Former President (2004-2017) Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
With support from
The Richmond Forum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization.
Tonight’s presentation may not be recorded or photographed by attendees by any means for any purpose. Tonight's opening video was produced by Cream Studio.
UN LIMITED POTENTIAL
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN
TONIGHT’S SPEAKER
TEMPTATIONHASDRIVEN HUMANFOLLYFORCENTURIES, WHETHERTHESERPENT INTHEGARDENOFEDEN ORTHEMARKETMANIAS OFCRYPTOCURRENCYOR ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE. EACHWAVESEDUCESUSINTO THINKING
THATWE'VELEARNED FROMHISTORYAND,THISTIME, WECAN'TBEFOOLED.
THEN
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ANDREW ROSS SORKIN is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and leading voice on Wall Street, corporate America, and global finance. He serves as a columnist for The New York Times and co-anchors “Squawk Box,” CNBC’s flagship morning program. He is also the founder and editor-at-large of the Times’ online financial news platform DealBook, which he launched in 2001.
Sorkin is the author of the 2009 bestselling book “Too Big to Fail: How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System — and Themselves,” widely regarded as the definitive account of the 2008 financial crisis. The award-winning book spent more than six months on The New York Times bestseller list. The HBO Films adaptation of “Too Big to Fail,” which Sorkin coproduced, received 11 Emmy nominations.
His newly released book “1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History” explores the decisions, delusions, and dramatic collapse that defined the 1929 stock market crash — and the striking parallels to today’s financial world.
Sorkin is also the co-creator of the Showtime drama series “Billions,” starring Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis. He has several additional television and film projects currently in development. In 2024, he won the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Live Interview” in recognition of his incisive, long-form interviews with influential figures. This fall, Sorkin will host a new streaming interview series for NBC.
Over the course of his career, Sorkin has broken major financial news stories, including Chase’s acquisition of J.P. Morgan, Hewlett-Packard’s purchase of Compaq, and IBM’s landmark sale of its PC division to Lenovo. He led the Times’s coverage of Vodafone’s $183 billion bid for Mannesmann — the largest takeover in history.
He is co-chair of The New York Public Library’s Business Leadership Council and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
JEFFREY M. LACKER
TONIGHT’S MODERATOR
JEFFREY M. LACKER served more than 12 years as president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, from August 2004 to April 2017.
He has been a senior affiliated scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University since 2023 and a fellow at the Global Interdependence Center College of Central Bankers since 2022. From August 2018 to May 2022, Lacker was a distinguished professor in the Department of Economics at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business.
Lacker joined the Richmond Fed in 1989 as an economist and later served as senior vice president and director of research. He was an assistant professor of economics at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University from 1984 to 1989. He has published research in monetary economics, banking and financial intermediation, financial contracts, and payment economics.
While at the Richmond Fed, he taught at The College of William and Mary from 1992 to 1993 and was a visiting scholar at the Swiss National Bank in 1997. Lacker received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Franklin & Marshall College in 1977. He joined Wharton Econometrics in Philadelphia after graduation and later earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1984.
?HAVE A QUESTION FOR ANDREW ROSS SORKIN?
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SPEECH & DEBATE IN RICHMOND
OUR INITIATIVE’S PROGRESS TO DATE
FROM BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND SHARPENING COMMUNICATION SKILLS to cultivating critical thinking and preparing students for college, speech and debate equips young people with tools that last a lifetime.
In 2018, The Richmond Forum launched the Richmond Forum Speech & Debate Initative (RFSDI) with a vision to empower students to find their voices and shape the next generation of leaders. What began with 10 high school teams — most of them in Chesterfield County — has grown into a flourishing, region-wide movement transforming classrooms, communities, and futures.
A Region Transformed
Today, 42 schools across Greater Richmond have speech and debate teams. Student engagement has more than quadrupled in just seven years , with students competing and performing in record numbers. Participation is not only growing in scale but also in depth, with teams more active and competitive than ever.
We’ve also broken new ground with middle schools, which went from no representation to several thriving teams. Local educators are coaching these teams in record numbers, supported by professional development and mentoring from RFSDI. With more adults investing their time and expertise in speech and debate, students are receiving the guidance they need to rise to the next level.
Our growth has attracted national attention and led to our selection as the host of the 2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament Typically held in the Midwest, the championship event will welcome more than 7,000 students from across the country this June.
RFSDI sends its first coaches to engage in professional development. (Pictured: Billy Waddel, Linda Moccio-Webb, Jessica Sanchez, and Angela Moore)
RFSDI sees its first batch of students qualify for the National Speech & Debate Tournament.
RFSDI partners with Virginia State University to host the National HBCU Speech & Debate Championship.
The Next Generation of Leaders
RFSDI turns inspiration into action by creating the infrastructure schools and students need to succeed:
Funding and resources to start and sustain teams.
A local tournament circuit to provide invaluable competitive experiences.
Judge recruitment and training to ensure fairness and quality.
Professional development for coaches to promote strong team leadership.
Support for teams to attend national competitions , which broaden horizons.
The results speak for themselves. Student participation jumped from 171 in 2018 to 926 in 2025. Last year, 24 students from the region qualified for the National Speech & Debate Tournament , an astonishing increase from zero in 2018.
The Ripple Effect
Behind every number is a story: a shy seventh grader who found her confidence in Impromptu Speaking; a high school sophomore who discovered his future career in law; a teacher who became a coach and now mentors dozens of young people.
10 32 HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS
0 10 MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAMS
171 926 STUDENTS
More than 4x the annual participation
348 1,386
TOURNAMENT ENTRIES
Nearly 4x more competitors annually
14 75 COACHES
More than 5x as many coaches on this year’s roster
SPEECH AND DEBATE IN RICHMOND HAS GROWN EXPONENTIALLY, AND WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED.
Speech and debate changes lives. Thanks to your support, it’s also changing the future of our region. IN ONLY SEVEN YEARS...
TO SUPPORT RFSDI'S CONTINUED GROWTH, PLEASE MAKE A GIFT TONIGHT.
RFSDI launches its Revolutionary Rhetoric tournament in partnership with Colonial Williamsburg.
DO YOU HAVE A TEAM?
HELP US GROW SPEECH AND DEBATE. Every public middle and high school in the region should have a speech and debate team, giving every student a chance to develop life-changing skills.
Schools WITH Teams
Appomattox Regional GS
Armstrong HS
Atlee HS
Bailey Bridge MS
Brookland MS
Clover Hill HS
Collegiate School
Cosby HS
Deep Creek MS
Deep Run HS
Douglas Freeman HS
Franklin Military Academy
Glen Allen HS
Godwin HS
Hanover HS
Henderson MS
Henrico HS
Hermitage HS
Holman MS
Huguenot HS
Hungary Creek MS
James River HS
John Marshall HS
L.C. Bird HS
Maggie L. Walker GS
Manchester HS
Matoaca HS
Meadowbrook HS
Schools WITHOUT Teams
Chesterfield Middle Schools
Carver MS
Elizabeth Davis MS
Falling Creek MS
Manchester MS
Matoaca MS
Midlothian MS
Providence MS
Salem Church MS
Tomahawk MS
Robious MS
Hanover Middle Schools
Bell Creek MS
Chickahominy MS
Liberty MS
Oak Knoll MS
Henrico High Schools
Highland Springs HS
J.R. Tucker HS
Henrico Middle Schools
Elko MS
Fairfield MS
John Rolfe MS
Pocahontas MS
Quioccassin MS
Short Pump MS
Tuckahoe MS
Wilder MS
Richmond Middle Schools
Albert Hill MS
Boushall MS
Dogwood MS
Lucille Brown MS
Martin Luther King Jr. MS
Petersburg Middle Schools
Vernon Johns MS
Mechanicsville HS
Midlothian HS
Monacan HS
Moody MS
Open HS
Patrick Henry HS
Petersburg HS
Richmond Community HS
Richmond HS for the Arts
River City MS
St. Catherine's School
Thomas Dale HS
Thomas Jefferson HS
Varina HS
CAN YOU HELP US?
Do you know a teacher, administrator, staff member, or student at one of these schools?
Please send a message to students@richmondforum.org.
We’d love to connect!
SHORT PUMP MS
POCAHONTAS MS
J.R. TUCKER HS
OAK KNOLL MS
CHICKAHOMINY MS
QUIOCCASSIN MS TUCKAHOE MS
ALBERT HILL MS
DOGWOOD MS
WILDER MS
BELL CREEK MS
FAIRFIELD MS
HIGHLAND SPRINGS HS
ROBIOUS MS
MIDLOTHIAN MS
TOMAHAWK CREEK MS
PROVIDENCE MS
LUCILLE BROWN MS
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MS
BOUSHALL MS
FALLING CREEK MS
MANCHESTER MS
MS
JOHN ROLFE MS
MS
MS
MS
MS
MS
ELKO
VERNON JOHNS
MATOACA
CARVER
ELIZABETH DAVIS
SALEM CHURCH
THE ROAD TO NATIONALS
MEET TWO-TIME NATIONALS COMPETITOR TAYLOR THOMAS
FOR TAYLOR THOMAS, speech and debate has been more than an extracurricular. It’s been a stage to discover her voice, her confidence, and her passion.
Now in her fourth year competing with the Crimson Wave Speech Team at Petersburg High School, Taylor has tried her hand at Poetry, Prose, Dramatic Interpretation, and Impromptu. Along the way, she’s earned three VHSL State Championship titles , including a first-place finish in Poetry in 2023.
But her journey hasn’t stopped at the state line. For the past two years, Taylor has qualified for the National Speech & Debate Tournament , traveling to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete against the very best in Dramatic Interpretation and Poetry.
Taylor describes Nationals as “a regular day of school times twenty.” The pace is fast and the competition fierce, but the friendships and connections unforgettable. “My favorite part is always going to new places, meeting new people,” she says. “This year, I even judged for the middle school national tournament. I didn’t expect it to be as wonderful and put together as it was, but it was a great experience overall.”
Her second year at Nationals brought a composure born of experience. She knew what to expect, how to prepare, and how to steady herself for the pressure of performing on the national stage.
For Taylor, the value of speech and debate goes far beyond medals and trophies. “It helps you get out of your comfort zone,” she explains. “It opens you up to opportunities and helps you make connections with new people.”
Perhaps her greatest takeaway is gratitude for the people who guided her. She credits her coaches, Terri Smith and Johna Vazques, as “mother figures” who pushed her to give her all, both in competition and in life. “I’ve learned to be a speaker, a better person overall, and to never cut myself short,” she says. “Always go for the gold , not the silver.”
As she prepares for graduation, Taylor is setting her sights on the next chapter. She plans to study mass communications with a minor in sports management, applying to North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, and Clark Atlanta University.
Whatever comes next, Taylor knows that speech and debate has given her more than titles and accolades. It has given her a voice and the confidence to use it.
Taylor Thomas (left) and Kyani Donahue (right) of Petersburg High School at the 2025 National Speech & Debate Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa
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1987
January Ted Koppel
RICHMOND FORUM SPEAKERS
February Hodding Carter and Larry Speakes with Paul Duke
March General Brent Scowcroft with Diane Sawyer
April Charles Kuralt
1988
January Oprah Winfrey
February Jeane Kirkpatrick and Vladimir Pozner with Marvin Kalb
March George Will
April Art Buchwald
1989
January Sam Donaldson
February Henry Kissinger with John Chancellor
March William Buckley and Charles Rangel
April Dr. Carl Sagan
1990
January Paul Duke, Howard Fineman and Charles McDowell
February Frank Carlucci, George McGovern, William Proxmire and William Rusher with Bettina Gregory
March Mike Wallace
April Alistair Cooke
1990–1991
October Chancellor Helmut Schmidt
January Admiral William Crowe, General Alexander Haig and Robert McFarlane with Edwin Newman
February H. Ross Perot
March Art Buchwald and Andy Rooney
April Captain James Lovell and Dr. Frank Drake with James Burke
1991–1992
October Barbara Walters
January PM Margaret Thatcher
February General H. Norman Schwarzkopf with Larry King
March Dr. Marc Micozzi and Dr. Victor McKusick with Patricia Cornwell
April Mark Russell
1992–1993
October Terry Anderson
January Hiroki Kato and T. Boone Pickens
February Dr. Joyce Brothers
March Dr. Bill Cosby
April President Mikhail Gorbachev with Cokie Roberts
1993–1994
November Senator Warren Rudman, Lamar Alexander and Dr. Marvin Cetron with Chris Wallace
January Frank Capiello and Michael Holland with Louis Rukeyser
February President George H. W. Bush
March Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
April Bob Newhart
1994–1995
November General Colin Powell
January Walter Cronkite
February Dave Barry
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April Jack Kemp and George Mitchell
1995–1996
November PM Brian Mulroney and Ambassador Carla Hills
January Neil Armstrong, Eugene Cernan and Dick Rutan with David Hartman
February Calvin Trillin
March Charles Kuralt
April David Gergen, Pierre Salinger, Sheila Tate and Bob Woodward with Ed Bradley
1996–1997
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January Paul Volcker with Ray Brady
February Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough
March Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with Sir David Frost
April Marcia Clark, Philip K. Howard, Dr. Rodney Smolla and Kym Worthy with Prof. Arthur Miller
1997–1998
November Bill Moyers
January Wynton Marsalis
February PM Shimon Peres
March Mary Tyler Moore
April Peter Lynch
1998–1999
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January Robert Bennett and Dr. William Bennett with Tim Russert
February Harry S. Dent, Jr. and Lou Dobbs
March Lily Tomlin
April Dr. Robert Ballard and Jean-Michel Cousteau
1999–2000
November Julie Andrews
January Todd Brewster and Peter Jennings
February John Krubski and Michael Connors with Ray Brady
March Archbishop Desmond Tutu
April James Carville and Newt Gingrich with Tim Russert
2000–2001
November Senator John Glenn
January Tom Brokaw
February PM Benjamin Netanyahu
March Frank McCourt
April Dr. William Kelso
2001–2002
November Hal Holbrook
January Rabbi Marc Gellman and Msgr. Thomas Hartman
February Dick Clark
March Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough
April Madeleine Albright and James Baker with Gwen Ifill
2002–2003
November Ken Burns
January Rudolph Giuliani
February PM Benazir Bhutto and Queen Noor with Gwen Ifill
March Louis Freeh
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2003–2004
November Cal Ripken, Jr.
January Robert Shiller and Jeremy Siegel
February Candice Bergen
March President Mary Robinson
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2004–2005
November General Tommy Franks
January Michael Beschloss and Walter Isaacson
February Tim Russert
March Dr. Fareed Zakaria
April Frank Gehry
2005–2006
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January Sherry Lansing
February General Colin Powell (Ret.)
March Tom Wolfe
April Rick Wagoner
2006–2007
November Burt Rutan
January Malcolm Gladwell and Alvin Toffler
February B.B. King
March Jim Lehrer
April Dr. Jared Diamond
2007–2008
November President Vicente Fox
January Carly Fiorina
February Michael Douglas
March Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
April David Brooks
2008–2009
November PM Tony Blair
January Reza Aslan and Jon Meacham
February Smokey Robinson with Daphne Maxwell Reid
March Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long
April Marion Nestle and Michael Pollan
2009–2010
November Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
January Greg Mortenson
March Steve Forbes
April Condoleezza Rice
May David Plouffe
2010–2011
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January Laura Bush
February Anderson Cooper
March Dr. George Church
April David Blaine
2011–2012
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January Robert Gates
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2012–2013
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February President Bill Clinton
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2013–2014
November Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Maajid Nawaz with John Donvan
January Dan Buettner
February President George W. Bush
March PM Gordon Brown
April Steve Martin and Martin Short
PAST PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
“An Evening with the Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve”
When Ben Bernanke took The Forum stage on March 21, 2015, he reflected on the razor’s edge between collapse and recovery during the 2008 financial crisis.
In conversation with economic journalist Paul Solman, the former Fed Chair compared the era with the events of 1929, underscoring how the effects of some decisions can reverberate for generations.
“The financial crisis [of 2008] was the worst in U.S. history — worse than the Great Depression,” Bernanke told the audience. “It was not pretty, but we were able to arrest this crisis within about six months … if the system had completely melted down we would still be trying to untangle it.”
It was a sobering reminder that markets rise and fall, but what matters most are the choices we make when confidence hangs in the balance.
2014–2015
November Diana Nyad
January Garry Trudeau
March Ben Bernanke with Paul Solman
April Dr. Daniel Levitin and Rosanne Cash
May General Keith Alexander and Robert Mueller with John Donvan
2015–2016
November Michael Sandel
January Alan Alda
February James Balog
March PM Julia Gillard
April Russell Wilson and Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
2016–2017
November Nate Parker
January Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham with Steve Inskeep
February Krista Tippett
March PM Ehud Barak and Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei with Robin Wright
April Ron Howard with Linda Holmes
2017–2018
November President Barack Obama
January Glenn Close
February Peter Diamandis
March Ambassador Samantha Power
April Joe Scarborough and Newt Gingrich with Mara Liasson
2018–2019
November Captain Scott Kelly
January Tina Fey with Linda Holmes
February Dr. Sanjay Gupta
March Ian Bremmer
April Dr. Temple Grandin with John Donvan
2019–2020
November Bob Costas
January Dave Isay, Catherine Burns and Brandon Stanton with John Donvan
February Peggy Noonan
2020–2021
November José Andrés
January Theresa May
February Esther Perel
March Bryan Stevenson
April Vijay Gupta
2022
January Bob Iger with Kara Swisher
February Gloria Steinem with Zainab Salbi
March Erik Weihenmayer
April Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates
May Rhiannon Giddens
June Michelle Obama
2022–2023
November Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster (USA, Ret.)
January Maria Ressa
February Ella Al-Shamahi
March John Lithgow
April Dr. Cornel West and Thomas Chatterton Williams
2023–2024
November Isabel Wilkerson
January Joel Sartore
February Liz Cheney
March Dr. Anthony Fauci
April Jan Crawford and Kimberley Strassel
2024–2025
November Baratunde Thurston
January Dr. Amber Straughn
February Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewzski
March Richard Reeves
April Martha Stewart with Soledad O’Brien
2025–2026
October Andrew Ross Sorkin
November Ted Koppel with Amna Nawaz
January PM Sanna Marin
February Joe Manchin, Andrew Yang, and Justin Amash
March Tracee Ellis Ross
April John Green
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Season 40
NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Ted Koppel with Amna Nawaz
40 Years: Moments That Mattered
Revisit the stories behind history’s biggest headlines with a legendary journalist who also happens to be The Forum’s first-ever speaker.
JANUARY 17, 2026
Sanna Marin
Europe’s Next Generation
Examine the future of a changing Europe with Finland’s former prime minister who boldly redefined her nation’s role on the world stage.
FEBRUARY 21, 2026
Joe Manchin, Andrew Yang, & Justin Amash
The Two-Party Problem
Rethink the future of America’s two-party system with a trio of voices disrupting the red-versus-blue paradigm.
MARCH 21, 2026
Tracee Ellis Ross
On Identity, Impact, and Joy
Step into the world of a creative force redefining representation and driving culture change with joy, power, and style.
APRIL 18, 2026
John Green
Perpetually Curious
Tug at the threads of a beautifully baffling world with a bestselling author who finds meaning — and magic — in life’s strangest corners.
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The National Speech & Debate Tournament is coming to Richmond!
Why Richmond?
THIS SUMMER, Richmond becomes the epicenter of speech and debate. Ten thousand competitors, coaches, judges, and families will fill our schools, the Richmond Convention Center, and our city with energy, talent, and ideas. Finalists will have the chance to perform right here on our stage at the Altria Theater.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Richmond. We need your help to make it unforgettable.
Help us roll out Richmond’s red carpet. Become a sponsor or join our team of volunteers by contacting sandra@richmondforum.org. JUNE 14–19, 2026