APRIL 18, 2026
John Green
PERPETUALLY CURIOUS
TONIGHT’S LEAD PATRON
At Dominion Energy, everything starts with our core mission: delivering the reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy that powers our customers every day. As we do so, we remain committed to serving our communities and operating as an employer of choice.
We’re making the grid stronger, more resilient, and even more reliable.
We’ve kept our rates below the national average, and we offer more than 40 energyefficiency programs to help customers save even more.
Through the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, as well as EnergyShare and other programs, Dominion Energy contributed $46.3 million in 2024 to community causes. The Foundation supports nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, promote education, and foster community vitality.
As we pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy, we’re extending the lives of our nuclear plants and exploring the potential of next-generation nuclear technology such as small modular reactors. We’re investing in solar, offshore wind, and storage. We have one of the largest utility solar portfolios in the country, and we’re building our offshore energy project, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, just off the coast of Virginia Beach.
We couldn’t do any of this without our employees — so we provide generous educational, training, and leadership opportunities so everyone can reach their highest potential. We’re growing in diversity and inclusion, and we’re committed to supporting small, local, and diverse suppliers.
We’re proud to support The Richmond Forum, which serves the Central Virginia community with civil, thought-provoking public discourse about the vital questions of the day. We hope you have enjoyed the season. To learn more, visit dominionenergy.com.
THIS SEASON IS ALSO MADE POSSIBLE BY THESE LEAD PATRONS
TONIGHT’S HOST PATRON
Helping clients solve complex legal challenges and achieve their business goals in Richmond and across the U.S. troutman.com
TONIGHT’S PRODUCER PATRONS
At Bank of America, our purpose is to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. bofa.com
Providing wealth management, trust administration, and estate services to individuals, families, and foundations. A trust is not required to utilize our investment expertise. tcvwealth.com
Trinity Episcopal School is an independent, coeducational school for students in grades 8 through 12, located in Richmond, Virginia, just south of the James River. trinityes.org
www.cwadvisorsgroup.com
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DEAR RICHMOND FORUM SPONSORS AND SUBSCRIBERS,
In 1987, a single speaker took the stage and ignited something extraordinary in our city. Tonight, as we welcome our final speaker of the 40th season, we close one remarkable chapter and begin imagining the next.
This season, we welcomed back the very speaker who launched The Forum, bridging our founding spirit to the present. We dove fearlessly into ideas that challenged and moved us. And we created genuine, lasting connections between Richmonders and the world’s most remarkable minds.
We also neared the finish line of a three-year endeavor. In two months, more than 10,000 visitors will descend on Richmond for the National Speech & Debate Association’s 2026 National Tournament, where top finalists will compete on this very stage. This is a profound testament to what we can accomplish together. Thank you to all who helped make this a reality and put Richmond on the map as a hub for speech and debate.We cannot wait to welcome the next generation of great communicators to our home.
At the close of tonight’s program, the Portal will open for season renewals. You have until Tuesday, May 19 to secure your seats or request upgrades.
When you renew, you’ll also have the chance to give the gift of The Forum to someone you love. Online gift subscriptions are a perfect choice for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or a graduation celebration. Recipients can stream the entire 2026–2027 season from anywhere in the world and upgrade to in-person seats through the Ticket Marketplace.
Since our founding, The Richmond Forum has been a place where intellectual curiosity is celebrated, where big ideas find a home, and where neighbors become part of something larger than themselves. It is a privilege to share it with you.
Have a wonderful summer. We will see you in the fall for a season that will challenge what we think we know and remind us why we keep coming back.
Sincerely,
John Green
PERPETUALLY CURIOUS
APRIL 18, 2026
OPENING MUSIC
OPENING REMARKS
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
Caroline Scruggs
Heather Mullins Crislip
Executive Director
The Richmond Forum
Corynne S. Arnett
Executive Vice President
Regulatory and Customer Experience
Dominion Energy
PRESENTATION
INTERMISSION
AUDIENCE QUESTIONS
John Green
Caroline Scruggs
Submit your questions via Slido
John Green with Rachel Beanland
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.
POWERED BY TOTAL CONCENTRATION AND BY ENERGY YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO THINK ABOUT.
Whether you’re building a business, running your household, pursuing a lifelong passion, or learning from powerful voices at The Richmond Forum, staying focused is easier when the energy you need is reliably right at your fingertips. It’s one more way we’re Powering Your Every Day.
JOHN GREEN
TONIGHT’S SPEAKER
TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE WORLD IS TO LOOK UP AT THE NIGHT SKY AND FEEL YOUR MIND SWIM BEFORE THE BEAUTY AND THE DISTANCE OF THE STARS. IT IS TO HOLD YOUR CHILDREN WHILE THEY CRY AND WATCH THE SYCAMORE TREES LEAF OUT IN JUNE.
JOHN GREEN IS THE NO. 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of “Looking for Alaska”, “An Abundance of Katherines”, “Paper Towns”, “The Fault in Our Stars”, “Turtles All the Way Down”, and “Everything is Tuberculosis”. He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of “Will Grayson, Will Grayson”. He was the 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s books have been published in more than 55 languages and over 24 million copies are in print.
Green’s latest book, “Everything is Tuberculosis”, was an instant No. 1 New York Times, Washington Post, and Indie bestseller. Regarded as a timely and “highly readable call to action” in a starred Kirkus review, the book is a deeply human social and scientific history in which Green illuminates the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, treatable infectious disease also to be the deadliest, killing 1.5 million people every year.
Film and television adaptations of his novels have reached wide audiences. The 2014 film version of “The Fault in Our Stars”, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, was a critical and box office success. “Paper Towns” followed in 2015, and a Hulu adaptation of “Looking for Alaska” premiered in 2019. Green’s short story was also featured in the 2019 Netflix holiday film “Let It Snow”.
In 2007, John and his brother Hank ceased textual communication and began to talk primarily through videoblogs posted to YouTube. Although the Greens have long since resumed textual communication, they continue to upload two videos a week to their YouTube channel, vlogbrothers, where their videos have been viewed more than 800 million times.
In 2011, the Green brothers co-founded the educational platform Crash Course, which offers video series on subjects ranging from history and literature to physics and economics. Crash Course has amassed more than 10 million subscribers and over 1 billion views.
He lives with his family in Indianapolis and is a graduate of Kenyon College.
Supporting visionaries
We proudly support The Richmond Forum and this evening’s speaker and bestselling author, John Green, as he explores the complexities of the human experience through storytelling, scientific insights, and historical perspective.
RACHEL BEANLAND
TONIGHT’S MODERATOR
RACHEL BEANLAND IS THE AUTHOR OF THREE NOVELS, including “The Half Life,” which will be released by Simon & Schuster this July.
Her second novel, “The House Is on Fire,” is based on the true story of the 1811 Richmond theater fire and was selected as an “Indie Next” pick by the American Booksellers Association (ABA), a “GMA Buzz Pick” by Good Morning America, and one of the best books of 2023 by NPR and The New Yorker
Beanland’s debut novel, “Florence Adler Swims Forever,” was selected as a book club pick by Barnes & Noble, a featured debut by Amazon, an “Indie Next” pick by the ABA, and one of the best books of 2020 by USA Today. It was also named a New York Times Editors’ Choice and was recognized with the 2020 National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction.
Beanland attended the University of South Carolina and earned her MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, and is currently the Donaldson Writer-in-Residence at the College of William & Mary.
? HAVE A QUESTION FOR JOHN GREEN?
Head to slido.com to submit a question for the Q&A. You can also endorse questions submitted by fellow audience members, both in the theater and online, to increase the chance of them being asked.
Your question is more likely to be selected when you include your name!
CAROLINE SCRUGGS
TONIGHT’S MUSICIAN
CAROLINE SCRUGGS IS A THEREMINIST, composer, and explorer of sound whose work often unfolds beyond the concert hall. Equally at home in symphonic and experimental settings, she collaborates with composers and ensembles across the U.S. Her theremin performances, captured both on stage and in nature, have reached over 15 million viewers on social media, bringing the rare and otherworldly instrument to a global audience.
Traveling the globe with her instrument, she performs in forests, deserts, mountains, and shorelines—places where the theremin’s voice meets the natural world. These performances are equal parts conversations and concerts, with the instrument responding to wind, silence, and space, creating moments that blur the line between human presence and the environment.
In 2024 she released her debut solo album, “Space,” which bridges acoustic and electronic sound worlds to reflect on the mystical and the everyday. Throughout her work, Caroline invites listeners to experience music as art and as connection to nature, to wonder, and to the unseen.
New places transport us beyond our ordinary lives. Inviting us to hear and see and taste and smell. Opening our minds. Lifting our hearts.
Enriching our souls.
Thanks to the generous support of Dr. & Mrs. Baxter W. Perkinson, Jr.,
students and faculty from Trinity Episcopal School have the opportunity to attend The Richmond Forum in a special program designed to connect the classroom, the community and current events. Trinity and The Forum are grateful to the Perkinsons for their continued support.
THE JOHN GREEN BOOKSHELF
THE STORIES HE’S TOLD, IN HIS OWN WORDS
“From the moment of its inception in my mind, the story was about whether (and how) one can live a thoughtful, hopeful life in the face of unresolvable ambiguity.”
“I worked as a student chaplain at a children’s hospital...I’ve known a lot of young people who were very sick but also very, very funny, and often in dark, dark ways.”
“‘Anthropocene’ is a proposed term for our current geologic age in which humans become a geologically significant phenomenon. I wanted to write a book about how weird it is in this historical moment, when we are at once hugely powerful as a species, unprecedentedly powerful, but at the same time, not nearly powerful enough.”
“We are powerful enough to light the world at night, to artificially refrigerate food, to leave Earth’s atmosphere and orbit it from outer space. But we cannot save those we love from suffering. This is the story of human history as I understand it—the story of an organism that can do so much, but cannot do what it most wants...The world we share is a product of all the worlds we used to share. For me at least, the history and present of tuberculosis reveal the folly and brilliance and cruelty and compassion of humans.”
UN DENIABLE PROOF
Virginia’s best orthopaedics hospital
As one of the best in Virginia, you can be assured that whoever you are, whatever brings you to us, we are unconditionally committed to helping you live your best life.
U.S. News & World Report ranked VCU Medical Center among the nation’s top 50 hospitals for orthopaedics
Helping Clients Achieve Sustainable Growth and Industry Leadership
Richmond isn’t just where we are headquartered—it’s where our roots run deep. As a leading provider of IT services and solutions, we draw strength from the innovation and community spirit of our hometown to help our Fortune 1000 and federal government clients achieve sustainable growth and industry leadership. ASGN is proud to invest in the Richmond community and again sponsor The Richmond Forum, an event that truly inspires, educates, and connects us all.
What do Virginia’s best brands have in common?
They’ve turned to Brand Federation for marketing research, branding and strategic planning. We’re proud to have advised The Richmond Forum, and many of its sponsors, to help turn their brands into fuel for growth.
FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
A CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE GUIDE TO JOHN GREEN
IN A FEW MINUTES, JOHN GREEN WILL WALK ONSTAGE and do what he’s done for 20 years: think out loud, in public, with enthusiasm bordering on urgency. From novels and YouTube channels to educational curricula and philanthropic communities, he has built an entire career on the conviction that curiosity is worth taking seriously. Follow your own curiosity to uncover the many layers of John Green.
CHOOSE YOUR PATH
If you first encountered him through his novels Go to A
If you found him on YouTube Go to B
If a Crash Course video taught you something in school Go to C
If you’re not sure why any of this matters Go to D
PATH A THE NOVELIST
Green’s novels have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide, but their success understates what makes them work. At their core, they are books about how people learn to see the world more clearly and what it costs them to do so.
“The Fault in Our Stars” follows two teenagers with cancer who can’t stop asking questions about oblivion and whether a short life can mean something. “Turtles All the Way Down” spirals through philosophy, biology, and the nature of the self. “Looking for Alaska” is built around Green’s own obsession with famous last words and how people attempt to make meaning at the very edge of their lives.
Want to know where his voice went next? Go to B Want to see what he built with it? Go to D
PATH B THE VLOGBROTHERS
In January 2007, Green and his brother Hank made a resolution: for one year, they would communicate only through video. Nearly 20 years later, they are still posting.
In a given month, John might explain why the U.S. healthcare system is uniquely inefficient,
reflect on returning to his childhood home, or argue passionately for why the FIFA World Cup matters more than Americans give it credit for. Where the internet defaults to ironic detachment, Green defaults to earnestness with videos that are fast, substantive, and disarmingly sincere.
Want to see how that energy moved into the classroom? Go to C
See what that community built together? Go to D
PATH C CRASH COURSE
Drawing on the same desire to explain the world that drives the Vlogbrothers channel, the Greens launched Crash Course, a series of fast-paced, rigorously researched video curricula that has become one of the most
widely used free educational resources in the world, covering more than 50 subjects from “World Mythology” to “Media Literacy.”
John hosts the humanities courses, like “World History,” which traces the rise of civilizations and the mechanics of colonialism, and “Literature,” which treats “The Great Gatsby” and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” as living arguments rather than monuments to be memorized.
Want to see the community built around that curiosity? Go to D
Need a crash course on John Green? Go to A or B
PATH D CURIOSITY
In December 2007, the Green brothers asked their viewers to spend a single day flooding YouTube with videos about the charities they cared about. The goal was to
take over YouTube’s front page, replacing the usual content with something that served a greater purpose. They called it the Project for Awesome.
What began as a one-day attention campaign has grown into an annual event in which creators, viewers, and the Green brothers raise money for a rotating slate of charities chosen by the community. To date, the Project for Awesome has raised over $14 million.
It is the clearest expression of something that runs through everything Green does. He has spent two decades modeling a particular kind of attention to history, literature, and the texture of daily life. The Project for Awesome is where that attention turns outward. A community that learned to care about ideas decided, collectively, to care about people. Curiosity, for Green, is never purely intellectual, it is a meaningful act.
Let’s talk
TUBERCULOSIS IN RVA
PINE CAMP: FROM SANITORIUM TO COMMUNITY CENTER
JOHN GREEN’S CURIOSITY ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS led him around the world in search of its stories, but one had been unfolding right here in Richmond. Pine Camp, originally more than 160 acres along the northern border of the city, has existed as a city-owned farm, an isolation ward for those with incurable diseases, a sanitorium for tuberculosis patients, and now a cultural arts and community center. The Valentine traced that remarkable journey, reminding us that the stories shaping our world are often woven into the places we know best.
By Laura Byrd Earle, The Valentine
Today, Richmond Parks & Recreation operates Pine Camp in the northern suburbs of Richmond. In the late 19th century, this area was known as the City Farm or City Jail Farm. It included a small house and a cemetery, and the crops grown there fed inmates in the jail and the almshouse from 1866 to 1909.
and living conditions in the industrial city made it easy for the disease to spread.
After the city government failed to address the issue, private citizens and local hospitals took on the responsibility themselves.
Frances Branch Scott, founder of Sheltering Arms Hospital, organized a meeting in her home in 1909 to address the lack of quality treatment for tuberculosis patients in Richmond. The Tuberculosis Camp Society was formed to bring awareness to the disease and create a place where patients could experience the latest open-air treatment plan.
As Richmond’s population began to dramatically increase during the industrial growth of the late 1800s and earIy 1900s, city officials looked for ways to stop the spread of contagious diseases within the densely populated city. In the early 1900s, the city used the original farmhouse at Pine Camp to isolate Richmonders with contagious diseases, including smallpox. In 1905, a new house was built on the property to house white patients while the old house became an isolation ward for Black patients. Both Black and white patients who died at Pine Camp were buried in the cemetery on the property.
In the late 1800s, tuberculosis, a contagious and often deadly lung disease, was a major problem in Richmond. The crowded factories
Frances B. Scott, 1878, V.87.72.03.30, McCray-ScottDunn Family Collection, The Valentine
The city gave the Tuberculosis Camp Society a portion of land in the northwest corner of the City Farm, and they built an administration building and another structure that could house 20 patients. Privately funded by the society, the Pine Camp Home opened in November of 1910 with Giles B. Cook as its chief physician and Florence Black as its chief nurse. The location for this “whites only” treatment center at the end of the Ginter Park streetcar line was ideal because it was easily accessible, but away from the city’s dirty air, allowing patients to breathe cleaner air.
THEOBJECTOFTHECAMPISTOPREVENTTHESPREAD OFTHEDISEASEASWELLASTOCURETHEAFFLICTED ANDPATIENTSWILLBETAKENREGARDLESSOFTHE ADVANCEDSTAGEOFTHEMALADY.
-RichmondNewsLeader,November10,1910
By 1916, the Tuberculosis Camp Society, now the Pine Camp Tuberculosis Hospital Association, could not raise enough money to support the facility, and they transferred the property to the city. The administrators of the city almshouse, City Home, became responsible for operating Pine Camp under the Richmond Department of Public Health.
The city asked local architectural firm Carneal and Johnston to design a plan to expand the Pine Camp facilities in the early 1920s to include several new buildings and a road that encircled the entire complex. The facility added a new administration building and two new infirmaries with 24 beds each as well as a heating plant and a garage/laundry building. By 1923, they had expanded their still segregated facility to serve 84 patients.
By 1930, the need for services at Pine Camp was growing, leading to plans for expansion to include care for children and Black patients. The Central Building, completed in 1932, increased its capacity to 150 patients. In 1936, the Works Progress Administration helped build an infirmary for 56 Black patients. This
addressed a critical need as only one other sanatorium in Virginia served Black patients at the time.
Pine Camp continued to grow, reaching a capacity of 220 beds by 1950. During this decade, the introduction of a new antibiotic treatment cut the time needed for tuberculosis treatment in half, leading to a decline in the facility’s need. By 1957, Pine Camp was closed, and existing patients were moved to the City Home.
After the closure, the city explored various options for the land, including a juvenile detention center, elderly housing, or selling the property. Ultimately, in the early 1960s, it was developed into a community recreation center.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Is there a building or landmark in Richmond or your hometown that holds a history most people walking past it would never guess? How did learning that history change the way you see or feel about that place?
Uncover more hidden Richmond stories at The Valentine Museum and online at thevalentine.org.
Pine Camp Patients Arriving at City Home, 1957, V.58.146.154, Richmond Times-Dispatch Collection, The Valentine
Creating vibrant communities
When we come together to build stronger communities, we give our time, energy, and ideas to help influence positive change. And as we watch progress take root, we grow as well.
The Richmond Forum, it’s an honor to recognize your commitment and service to the community.
MEET YOUR HEROES
NOW RECRUITING RICHMOND FORUM SCHOLARS
EACH YEAR, five of the Richmond region’s highest achieving and most impressive high school juniors are selected to work behind the scenes at America’s largest nonprofit speakers series as a Richmond Forum Scholar. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that showcases the best students in our region.
Scholars interact directly with the Forum’s visiting speakers, and meet and network with prominent local leaders in business, education, the arts, technology, and politics. They also serve as facilitators for the Student Room, introducing the speaker, moderating a Q&A, and providing on-screen remarks to the audience in the main theater and online.
Applications open at the end of tonight’s program and are due by June 21, 2026. Learn more and apply at www.richmondforum.org/scholars.
We are proud to support The Richmond Forum.
Thank you for bringing exceptional programs that enrich and educate our community.
Davenport & Company is an independent, employee-owned firm, founded in Richmond, Virginia in 1863. During our history, we have experienced nearly every kind of financial market and we have learned the importance of balancing stability and innovation in a dynamic environment. We know there is more to our business than delivering high-quality financial services; it is about building meaningful relationships.
COMMITMENT
Kaufman & Canoles is committed to strengthening our community. As part of that commitment, we are proud to support The Richmond Forum and the diverse guests they invite to inspire and inform our community. We CAN. And we will.®
COMMUNITY
Universal Corporation proudly supports initiatives that strengthen communities, foster connection, and inspire progress through collaboration and shared purpose.
2025-2026 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVECOMMITTEE
Teresa Downs, Chair Altria*
Andrea Lynn White, Vice Chair CareScoutInsurance*
William R. B. Hershey, Treasurer Davenport&Company*
Jonathan Brabrand, Secretary ProfessionalRestorationServices
COMMITTEECHAIRS
Kelly O'Keefe, Program Chair BrandFederation*
Janet Tope, Investment Chair Subscriber
Alison Rogish, Nominations & Governance Chair Deloitte*
Kevin D. Best, Education Chair VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity*
*SponsorofTheRichmondForum
PRODUCTION TEAM & STAFF
THERICHMONDFORUMSTAFF
Heather Mullins Crislip ExecutiveDirector,heather@richmondforum.org
Kathryn Blessing
DirectorofDevelopment&SponsorEvents,kathryn@richmondforum.org
Michael Brown
DirectorofSubscriberServices&Operations,michael@richmondforum.org
Maggie McVicar DirectorofCommunications,maggie@richmondforum.org
Sandra Wheeler
DirectorofStudentPrograms,sandra@richmondforum.org
Lucretia M. Anderson
AssistantDirectorofStudentPrograms,lucretia@richmondforum.org
2025–2026RICHMONDFORUMSCHOLARS
Jake Apelt, CollegiateSchool
Jake George, HenricoHighSchool
Ayani Milligan, MaggieL.WalkerGovernor'sSchool
Indira Mudinur, MaggieL.WalkerGovernor'sSchool
Birdie Weir, SaintGertrudeHighSchool
DIRECTORS
Chris Accashian
BonSecoursHealthSystem*
Corynne S. Arnett DominionEnergy*
Kristen Cavallo
MARTIN*/TheBranchMuseumofDesign
Anthony Conte WellsFargo*
Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher Subscriber
Eva Hartmann Subscriber
Steve Humble VPM*
Cynthia Joyce Sponsor*
D. Brennen Keene McGuireWoods*
A. Brent King PerformanceFoodGroup*
Rick Palmieri WilliamsMullen*
Susan P. Quinn
circleSstudio*
Celia Rafalko Subscriber
Daphne Maxwell Reid Subscriber
Lisa Sims VentureRichmond
Zack Smith PartnerMD*
Sally Tate Hourigan*
Ashley L. Taylor Jr. TroutmanPepperLocke*
Maria Tedesco AtlanticUnionBank*
Pient Tran CapitalOne*
Todd B. Waldo
HughHelen,LLC
Austin Welder BankofAmerica*
PRODUCTION
Jacquelyn Craig ProductionStageManager
Ray Bullock AssistantStageManager
Boitnott Visual Communications HDVideo
Ryan Marasco ProductionManager BoitnottVisualCommunications
Cream Studio OpeningVideo
Carlos Chafin Composer InYourEar
Heidi Winton-Stahle Makeup
Todd Waldo OnlineHost
ALTRIATHEATER
Steve Sweet TechnicalDirector
Thomas Vecchione ProductionManager
Angela Vivaldi AssistantProductionManager
Glenn Major GeneralManager
SUPPORT
Hope Scott
VIPGroundTransportation
JamesLimousine
Josée Covington AirTravel
CovingtonTravel
P. Kevin Morley
Photographer
Daphne Maxwell Reid
StyleConsultant
SPEECH & DEBATE
MEET SOME OF OUR NATIONAL COMPETITORS
RICHMOND HAS REASON TO CHEER! A standout group of local students has earned spots at the National Speech & Debate Tournament this year, and today we’re shining a spotlight on four of them. These competitors have brought pride to their schools and the broader community through hard work, dedication, and a passion for the art of communication. Whether they’re crafting a compelling argument or bringing a story to life, these young competitors have proven that Richmond’s next generation of leaders has a powerful voice and the whole region is behind them as they take it to the national stage.
Evelyn Gayle – 3x National Qualifier!
School: Senior at James River High School
Qualified Event: Informative Speaking
“This is my third year qualifying for Nationals and I’m grateful to have been able to attend and compete at such a prestigious event for multiple summers throughout my high school career. Even if you don’t place well or aren’t as competitive as other opponents, NSDA Nationals is an amazing opportunity to meet new people from across the country and broaden your knowledge about public speaking. I’m hoping that as “Virginia Ambassadors” during this year’s tournament, my local competitors and I will be able to foster an inclusive, memorable tournament.
Speech has been my favorite extracurricular throughout high school, and that's coming from a 6-year band veteran. The community that the NSDA fosters is so vibrant, and whether you win or lose, are content or disappointed with your performance, everyone is so supportive, and the memories you make at every tournament outweigh the medals you may win. Coach Sanchez has enabled me to learn so much through this program, and with her guidance, I have gained so many skills that I can use in my future.”
Connor Preciado
School: Senior at Cosby High School
Qualified Event: Congressional Debate (House)
“I love debating solutions to our nation’s biggest problems and find the whole process fascinating! I choose Congressional Debate because we get to talk about things that affect all Americans’ lives. One moment we are speaking about Iran, the next, Medicare.”
Elise Mackey & Ava Cordovana School: Seniors at Monacan High School
Qualified Event: Humurous Duo Interpretation
“Last year, our school started a speech team for the first time since 2000. I’ve always loved all types of performance and public speaking, so I was excited to see what speech was all about. I ended up loving it and this year our school was able to expand and include a debate team, too.”
My best friend and I joke and mess around all the time, so we decided to channel that energy into Duo Interpretation, or what my coach dubs “the best friends event.” We found a silly piece and were able to pretty much just be ourselves and have a lot of fun while practicing and performing it. We didn’t know how far we’d go, but just being able to work together and have a good time was enough of a win for us. Making it to Nationals was a huge surprise and an incredible honor, and just goes to show that with a good friend, even the most lighthearted pieces can be really special.
Speech opened a whole new world to me and taught me how expansive the world of public speaking could be. It helped me grow as a competitor, a performer, and a friend. It introduced me to dozens of talented teenagers, and allowed me to spend my weekends with amazing people. It showed me how to win and lose graciously, and also taught me how different pieces can impact different people. It gave me skills I know I’ll continue to use for the rest of my life, and I’m so glad I was able to try it.” – Elise
GET A PREVIEW OF NATIONALS!
The Richmond Forum, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and VPM invite you to attend a screening of the award-winning documentary “SPEAK.” followed by a Q&A with local speech and debate coaches, students, and alumni.
The film, by Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman, follows five speech students as they prepare for and compete at the 2024 National Speech & Debate Tournament.
Tickets are free, but registration is required.
Sunday, May 3, 2026 2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Virginia Museum of History and Culture 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA 23220
2025-2026 PATRONS
LEADPATRON
Altria Group
Davenport & Company LLC
Dominion Energy
Genworth Financial
Wells Fargo
HOSTPATRON
Capital One Bank
circle S studio
Hourigan Group
Troutman Pepper Locke
YouDecide
PRODUCERPATRON
Atlantic Union Bank
Bank of America
Boitnott Visual Communications
Bon Secours Health System
Covington Travel
Cream Studio
Deloitte Services LP
Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
McGuireWoods LLP
TCV Trust & Wealth Management
Universal Corporation
VCU Health
Virginia Commonwealth University
EDUCATIONPATRON
Dr. & Mrs. W. Baxter Perkinson Jr.
Trinity Episcopal School
MEDIAPATRON
VPM
MUSICPATRON
CW Advisors
PRESENTER
2nd Order Solutions
12 On Your Side
ASGN
Brand Federation
Buckingham Greenery, Inc.
Children’s Hospital of Richmond Foundation
Cobotiq
Columbia Gas of Virginia
DLG Strategic
Froehling & Robertson
Fulton Bank
Heritage Wealth Advisors
HHHunt
Hirschler
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
James River Carriers
Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.
KPMG, LLP
Lakewood
Lingerfelt
Marks & Harrison
MCV Foundation
Dr. Andrew J. & Mrs. Patricia Michael
Padilla PartnerMD
Performance Food Group Company
Richmond Ed Fund
Sage Wealth Advisors
Transact Capital
University of Richmond
Virginia State University
Westminster Canterbury
Woodfin Oil
Workshop Digital
CONTRIBUTOR/FRIENDPLUS
Actuarial Benefits & Design Company
COLAB
Cornerstone Realty Advisors
The Dana Foundation
EY
Henrico Economic Development Authority
In Your Ear Studios
J.P. Morgan
Mary & Ted Linhart Markel
Nelson Mullins
VCU School of Business
Williams Mullen
FRIEND
Anne & Roger Boevé
BrownGreer PLC
CEBCO
The Change Decision
Kevin & Sheila Clasbey, Platinum Premier
Drs. Betty Neal & Ronald A. Crutcher
Dr. Arpita DePalma, Thought Work MD
Endodontic Partners
Paulina Hidalgo & Edwin Huertas
Gregory Karawan
Blair & Bill Martin
The Martin Agency
Betty & Will McLean
Mike Mulvihill & Marcy Walsh
Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia
Judy & Dave Pahren
Mary Ellen Pauli
Lisa & Leon Roday
Allesandra L. Schroeder
Will & Lisa Sims
SingleStone
Ellen Spong & Gus Epps
Emily Smith
Tredway S. Spratley & Janine M. Collins
VAMAC, INC.
Warren Whitney
Wells Coleman
Adrienne Whitaker
Vanessa & James Wigand
Dr. Robert Winn
PREMIUMSUBSCRIBERS
Nupa Agarwal, Esq
Razi Ali and Sumayra Mohiuddin
Sherrie Armstrong
Corynne Arnett
Ginger Bacon
Sharon V. Baker
Melody Barnes
Kevin D. Best
Richard & Sidney Bland
Scott & Winn Bleicher
Gina Bond & Sandy Barnes
The Branch Museum of Design
Sonia Phipps Brokaw
Donna & Robert Brown
Don & Donna Burgess
Susan Caley
Jean Marshall Carter
Will Caudle & Dr. Leanne Yanni
Samantha & Jimmy Chou
Julie Christopher & Marge Connelly
Candace & Bob Cody
Angela & Ted Cox
Mr. & Mrs. John H. Cronly III
Tanya & Brad Cummings
Bill & Gale Cushing
Frances Daniel
Kimberly Daniel
Lucy Day
Ken & Sam Seeley Dye
Jack M. Enoch
Laura & Jay Erskin
Whitney Fero
Ellen Field
Patricia Fields
Whitney K. Forstner
Leah Fremouw & Jacob Powell
Susan & Steve Gaidos
Thomas Gallo
Mr. & Mrs. Garland
Michael & Kimberly Giancaspro
Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Giles
Sallie Gilliam
Maya & Stu Glaser
Nancy & Ches Goodall
Patricia Gordon
Greg & Gloria Gravlin
Dr. Ed Griggs
Pamela D. Harrell
Mary & Tom Harrison
James Head
Jay & Suzanne Hendricks
Phillip & Ellen Marie Hess
Jon & Trish Hill
Gregory & Deborah Hillman
John M. Holloway
Kathleen Maccio Holman
Patti Hughes
Steve & Wendy Humble
Bobbie Hunt
Lana Ingram
Otis & Machel Jones
Michael & Cindy Joyce
Liz Kastelberg
Kerry & Linda Keenan
Arthur Kellermann & Leila Taaffe
Bruce & Terri Kelley
Brent King
Jay & Janet Kraft
Jeffrey Lacker & Lisa Halberstadt
Evan Leslie
Dewey Litton
Anne & Preston Lloyd
Chris Lumpkin
Luna Innovations
John & Rhoda Mahoney
George L. Mahoney
Main Street Law Offices
Dr. Shailaja Malhotra
Paul Manno
Elizabeth & Michael Martin
Candace & Patrick Martin
Elizabeth Mason
Kevin & Nina McDonough
Mike McGinley
Jerry Miller
Michael & Benita Miller
Dr. Guru Mohanty
Charleen B. Moore
Lauren Moore
Ina Moses & Jeff Smyser
The Moten Team
Jan Nelson
Amy & David Nisenson
Suzanne & George Nyfeler
William O’Flaherty
Jeff & Paula O’Flaherty
Samantha & Steve Otero
Thomas & Courtney Perry
Cherry Peters
Michael & Laura Phelan
W. Paul Pitts
Therese Podgorski
Leslie Pridgen
Kee & Hugh Rabb
Celia Rafalko
Andi & Brian Redmond
Tim Reid & Daphne Maxwell Reid
Paul D. Reilly
Mollie Reinhart
Linda F. Rigsby
E.A. Ritter & Ethan Puryear
Grover C. Robinson
Penn & Laurie Rogers
Colin Ruh & JoAnn Adrales Ruh
Dr. Vipal & Jeanette Sabharwal
Diane Dorris Sanders
Paula Saylor-Robinson & Danny Robinson
Linda & Serge Schreiner
Lawrence Schwartz & Anne-Marie Irani
Robert Scott
Ben & Vivian Sillmon
John G. & Laine Sims, LCSW
Jessica Stankus Smith & Robert Smith III
Susan Snyder
Sarahbeth & Steve Spasojevich
Leslie Stack & Frank Rizzo
M. Stewart
Kenneth E. Stoner
Charles & Deborah Sutton
Nathan & Sally Tate
Technology Leasing Concepts, Inc.
Melodie Thigpen & Paulette Moncol
Ken Thomas
Doug & Janet Tope
VCI
Marc & Marnie Warner
Siri & Kyle Wiggins
Beth Williams
The Yaratha Family
Becky & John Young
Robyn L. Young
CW Advisors is a national, fee-only wealth management firm offering a full spectrum of financial strategy services with a holistic approach – investment management, financial planning, and concierge financial services. We are here for you through every phase of life, understanding your goals, and creating a plan unique to your circumstances. We act in your best interest, simplify your financial life, and bring you peace of mind.
CW Advisors is a proud sponsor of The Richmond Forum. We are grateful for the outstanding speakers and conversations it brings to our community.
PartnerMD delivers awardwinning concierge primary care with more time, same-day or next-day appointments, and 24/7 access.
Better healthcare for an even better you.
Richmond | Midlothian | Short Pump
1987
RICHMOND FORUM SPEAKERS
January Ted Koppel
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
March Tom Clancy
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
November Carl Reiner with Dick Cavett
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
November PM John Major
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
April Senator Fred Thompson
2003–2004
November Cal Ripken, Jr.
January Robert Shiller and Jeremy Siegel
February Candice Bergen
March President Mary Robinson
April Thomas L. Friedman
2004–2005
November General Tommy Franks
January Michael Beschloss and Walter Isaacson
February Tim Russert
March Dr. Fareed Zakaria
April Frank Gehry
2005–2006
November Robert Redford with Pat Mitchell
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
PAST PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
On January 13, 2007, The Forum brought together Malcolm Gladwell and Alvin Toffler for their first-ever joint appearance.
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
November President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
January Laura Bush
February Anderson Cooper
March Dr. George Church
April David Blaine
2011–2012
November Dr. Robert Ballard
January Robert Gates
February Quincy Jones with Tim Reid
March Charles Krauthammer and Robert Reich with John Donvan
April Sir Ken Robinson and Rafe Esquith
2012–2013
November Platon
January Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner and Doris Kearns Goodwin with Tim Reid
Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point,” explored the difference between puzzles and mysteries. Puzzles are solved with more information, while mysteries require sophisticated analysis of information already available. “These days it’s mysteries that take center stage in the intelligence world,” he said, citing Enron as an example.
Toffler, whose landmark book “Future Shock” made him a household name, described a rapidly expanding nonmoney economy in which people have no expectation of getting paid for much of what they do, like blogging, home-improvement projects, and Wikipedia online contributions. He predicted this parallel economy is “set to explode” as it becomes increasingly intertwined with the traditional money economy.
2007–2008
November President Vicente Fox
January Carly Fiorina
February Michael Douglas
March Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
April David Brooks
February President Bill Clinton
March Captain Mark Kelly and Gabrielle Giffords
April Dr. Jane Goodall
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
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 “Coack 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
Explore our past speaker archive and share your Forum memories at richmondforum.org/speaker.
Local expertise.
Global reach.
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS
AT THE RICHMOND FORUM MARCH 21, 2026
THERE IS A VERSION OF TRACEE ELLIS ROSS that the world tried to write for her: Diana Ross’s daughter, a type rather than a talent, a niche market not worth serving. What she has spent her career doing, she told a packed Richmond Forum audience, is refusing that script.
“I gave up trying to be who people think I should be,” Ross said. “It’s taken me years to become myself, to know myself, and have the courage to be that person.”
That sense of hard-won wholeness was the animating thread of a conversation moderated by fellow actress and trailblazer Daphne Maxwell Reid. From her eight-season runs on “Girlfriends” and “Black-ish” to the founding of Pattern Beauty, Ross traced a life built on the conviction that showing up fully as oneself is both a personal imperative and a radical act.
It started, she suggested, in childhood. Growing up as the daughter of Diana Ross meant learning early that the world’s attention wasn’t really about her. “People were paying attention to me because I was a piece of someone they loved. It wasn’t about me,” she said. Rather than shrink from that realization, she used it as a prompt for self-examination. “From a young age, I was
really trying to figure out who I was. What do I believe in? What do I want to do? How do I make people feel?”
Her mother modeled something essential. “The courage to be that kind of woman — to have elegance, to be smart and funny, and to own my intelligence with a sense of pride,” Ross said. “I grew up in an atmosphere where having my own point of view was celebrated. I think that was the beginning of having courage.”
That courage would prove professionally necessary. When Kenya Barris created
“Black-ish” and told Ross he had written the role of Dr. Rainbow Johnson for her. Once cast, she pushed to make Rainbow more than what she called “wife wallpaper.” When she noticed the character was perpetually doing laundry in scrubs after long hospital shifts, she and co-star Anthony Anderson quietly renegotiated the domestic labor on screen. “I do follow my heart,” she said, “but I would much prefer to fail knowing that I listened to what was true for me than to fail having played what other people wanted of me.”
The same instinct drove her into entrepreneurship. Pattern Beauty, which she co-founded after a decade of development, emerged from frustration with an industry that had long ignored those with curly or tight-textured hair. She tested more than 75 product samples on herself during the filming of “Black-ish,” videotaping her hair in and out of the shower to give feedback when she didn’t yet have the technical language to describe what she was seeing.
Building Pattern also changed how she understood her own artistry. “It has changed how I am an actor,” she said. “It makes me understand the other perspective of what the commodity is.”
Even fashion, she explained, became a site of that same negotiation between external pressure and internal truth. “I used to use clothing as armor, as a way to protect myself from the microaggressions of sexism and racism,” she said. “Fashion has now become a way that I wear my insides on the outside.”
Asked what she wants her next chapter to look like, Ross didn’t hesitate. “With the climate that we are in, I am aiming for more kindness, more joy, more connection, more community, more love.”
The most clarifying moment of the evening may have come when a young audience member asked how to navigate a multiracial identity. “The world is going to try to define you all the time,” she said. “You get to decide who you are.”
1) Tracee Ellis Ross on stage. 2) Daphne Maxwell Reid asks questions from the audience. 3) Ross visits the Student Room to talk with local high school students. 4) Andrea Lynn White of Genworth–CareScout introduces Ross and Reid. 5) Jonathan Paige Brown Jr. provides musical entertainment. 6) Guests of circle S studio, the Host Patron for the evening.
The National Speech & Debate Tournament is coming to Richmond! JUNE 14–19, 2026
THANK YOU TO OUR LOCAL SPONSORS
Herndon Foundation
Meta Richmond Debate Institute
SingleStone
Deloitte
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
THIS JUNE, RICHMOND WELCOMES 10,000 competitors, coaches, judges, and families for the 2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament and we need your help to make them feel at home.
We need hundreds of volunteers for hospitality, wayfinding, and site support. Competitions will span 11 venues across the city, including:
• Greater Richmond Convention Center
• Altria Theater
• Richmond International Airport
• Virginia Museum of History & Culture
• Schools throughout the region
Shifts are flexible, and high school students can earn service-learning hours. Volunteers can register as individuals or with community groups.
If you’ve ever left The Forum energized by a powerful idea, this is your chance to pass that spirit forward. Let’s show the country what Richmond is made of.
Register to Volunteer
Visit richmondforum.org/2026 or scan the QR code below to sign up for a volunteer shift.
NEXT SEASON AT THE FORUM
CAN
YOU FIND THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN OUR
SPEAKERS?
THINK YOU KNOW WHO’S TAKING THE RICHMOND FORUM STAGE NEXT SEASON? We’ve hidden clues about four of our five upcoming speakers in the grid below. Your job is to find the four clues that belong together. Each group of four points to a single mystery speaker. As the connections reveal themselves, the identity of each speaker will come into focus. The full 2026–2027 lineup will be announced at the end of tonight’s program, so stick around!
After the announcement, visit SUBSCRIBERS.RICHMONDFORUM.ORG to renew your subscription for next season. The deadline to renew and request seat upgrades is Tuesday, May 19.
Uncommon wondereR
“One of the strange things about adulthood is that you are your current self, but you are also all the selves you used to be …”
Just like John Green, VCU is powered by curiosity and shaped by complexity. Our researchers, makers, and thinkers follow their sense of wonder — asking the weird, hard, and human questions that lead to real discovery. Because understanding people — in all their past and present selves — is where innovation begins. And the future is written.
VCU. We are the uncommon.
