Maria Ressa at The Richmond Forum

TONIGHT’S LEAD PATRON

At Dominion Energy, our vision is to become the most sustainable energy company in the country.

That starts with making sure our customers have safe, reliable, affordable, and clean energy around the clock, while serving our communities and operating as an employer of choice. So we’ve grown our solar portfolio to roughly 2,200 megawatts — and are building the largest offshore wind farm on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. We’re slashing emissions, upgrading the grid, adding battery storage, improving storm-response times, and investing in clean technologies, including hydrogen and carbon-negative renewable natural gas. Since 2009 we’ve improved affordability 25% for the median Virginia electric customer. Last year we provided more than $14 million in energy assistance to those facing financial hardship, and we’re expanding energy efficiency and conservation programs.

As we work to protect the environment, we’re also sharpening our focus on social issues. Last

year we raised spending with diverse suppliers to more than $1 billion — a 22% increase yearover-year. More than half our new hires last year came from diverse communities, and we have set goals for further progress. We want all employees to come to work as their authentic selves and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. We’re also striving to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in our communities through efforts such as our HBCU Promise, Educational Equity Scholarship Fund, Building Hispanic Talent Initiative, and Social Justice Grants Initiative. Through jobtraining programs, meaningful dialogue with our neighbors, and grants to nonprofits, we’re investing in our communities — especially those that have been historically underrepresented.

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 enjoy the season. To learn more, visit dominionenergy.com.

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Capital One is on a mission to help our customers succeed by bringing ingenuity, simplicity, and humanity to banking. www.capitalone.com

TONIGHT’S PRODUCER PATRONS

Trinity Episcopal School is an independent, coeducational day school for students in grades 8 through 12, located in Richmond, Virginia, just south of the James River. www.trinityes.org

Preserving and restoring health for all people through innovation in service, research, and education. www.vcuhealth.org

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TONIGHT’S PROGRAM

Maria Ressa

THE INTEGRITY OF FACTS JANUARY 21, 2023

OPENING MUSIC & NATIONAL ANTHEM Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School Jazz Band

OPENING REMARKS

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

Heather Mullins Crislip Executive Director The Richmond Forum

Regina J. Elbert Vice President Human Resources Business Services Dominion Energy

PRESENTATION Maria Ressa

Fifteen-minute intermission for collection of audience questions via Slido

AUDIENCE QUESTIONS Maria Ressa with Melody Barnes

Tonight’s presentation may not be recorded or photographed by any means for any purpose. The Richmond Forum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization.

THERE’S ENERGY IN DIVERSITY.

With a talented workforce of over 18,000, we’ve found that bringing all kinds of people together makes us smarter and more innovative. Diversity and inclusion provide an opportunity to strengthen our team and hire from the communities we serve every day.

MARIA RESSA

ABOUT TONIGHT’S SPEAKER

A

FEARLESS DEFENDER

OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, Maria Ressa was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her work exposing the human rights abuses of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. She is a staunch advocate for independent journalism and co-founded Rappler, the top digital-only news site that is leading the fight for press freedom in the Philippines.

As Rappler’s president and CEO, Ressa has endured constant political harassment and arrests by Duterte’s administration. She has posted bail no fewer than 10 times in order to remain free. Ressa’s battle for truth and democracy is the subject of the 2020 awardwinning documentary “A Thousand Cuts,” which profiles her fearless reporting on the abuses of Duterte’s authoritarian presidency. The film also illustrates social media’s capacity to manipulate public discourse and entrench political power.

In response to Facebook’s role in disseminating and promoting “fake news,” Ressa co-founded the Oversight Board: an independent group of journalists, academics, and activists who aim to hold the tech company accountable for what content they take down, what they leave up, and why those decisions are made.

Ressa was named a TIME Magazine Person of the Year in 2018 and was among the publication’s “100 Most Influential People of 2019” and “Most Influential Women of the Century.” She was also listed as one of the BBC’s “100 Most Inspiring and Influential Women of 2019” and Prospect Magazine’s “World’s Top 50 Thinkers.” She has received many awards over her 36-year journalism career.

Her memoir “How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future” was released in November 2022 to critical acclaim. Amal Clooney, who is Ressa’s attorney, wrote the book’s forward.

Tonight, Ressa will share timely observations on social media’s impact on democracy and what lies ahead for press freedom if journalists do not hold the line.

“Kenny”

We are UNRELENTING.

We focus on improving health for all people. Our care for those with sickle cell disease — a painful blood condition mainly affecting Black people — goes beyond pain management and treatments.

It’s about impact. Offering a medical home — a place of comfort and hope that helps them tackle the everyday challenges of the disease. Here, we treat the big things, the little things and everything in between.

Welcome to VCU Health. A world UNLIKE any other.

Kendrice

Lane, resident of VCU Health’s Adult Sickle Cell Medical Home

MELODY BARNES IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, and the W.L. Lyons Brown Family Director for Policy and Public Engagement at the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ Democracy Initiative. She is the J. Wilson Newman Professor of Governance at the Miller Center and a senior fellow at the School of Law.

Barnes was Assistant to the President and director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under the administration of President Barack Obama. Prior to, she was executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress and chief counsel to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Barnes is an independent director on the boards of Ventas, Inc. and Booz Allen Hamilton. She also serves on several nonprofit and foundation boards, including the Hewlett Foundation, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello), and the advisory board of the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU.

Barnes earned her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated with honors in history, and her J.D. from the University of Michigan.

A native of Richmond, she was a member of the Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe High School speech and debate team. Barnes resides in the city with her husband Marland Buckner. They are supporters of The Richmond Forum.

MELODY C. BARNES

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.

MLWGS JAZZ BAND

TONIGHT’S MUSICIANS

MAGGIE

L. WALKER GOVERNOR’S

SCHOOL

GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FOR

(MLWGS) is a public magnet high school in Richmond, Virginia, drawing a diverse population of gifted students from 14 jurisdictions. Half of MLWGS students are enrolled in visual and performing arts courses.

Sixty-six students comprise the school’s concert band, from which tonight’s jazz ensemble was selected. Band is taught in three courses: Intermediate Band, Advanced Band, and Percussion Ensemble. The band program is highly accoladed; the jazz ensemble received excellent and superior ratings at jazz assessments in 2019, and the concert band received unanimous superior ratings at VBODA assessment in March 2022, marking the band’s first appearance at concert assessment in school history. Currently, the band is preparing for their 2023 assessment performance.

The Band is conducted by Nick Merillat. He holds a Bachelor of Music from James Madison University and a Master of Music from Ithaca College where he studied with Gordon Stout. Merillat is in demand as a clinician, performer, and composer.

DEMOCRACY IN THE PHILIPPINES

RAPPLER HEADLINES GIVE ADDITIONAL CONTEXT TO THE NATION’S RECENT HISTORY AND TONIGHT’S PROGRAM

June 30, 2016

Duterte takes oath as 16th President of the Philippines

ON JUNE 30, 2016, Rodrigo Duterte, a prosecutor and longtime mayor of Davao City, assumed the presidential office. While campaigning, Duterte “said what he thought” and “was prone to offensive, off-color jokes and flashes of cruelty.” Duterte focused his platform on combating corruption, drug abuse, and criminality.

Although his six-year stay in office was riddled with controversy and he left behind a legacy of government-sponsored killings, he was widely popular and had an approval rating above 70% for most of his term. Because the Philippine constitution bars presidents from running for a second term, Duterte stepped down from office in June 2022.

February 13, 2019

THROUGHOUT DUTERTE’S PRESIDENCY, many journalists and news outlets experienced harassment and intimidation from government officials. Critical coverage of the Duterte administration resulted in frequent detainments and/or arrests of Filipino reporters.

Maria Ressa was arrested by the Philippine government’s National Bureau of Investigation on February 13, 2019, in connection with a cyber libel case filed by the country’s Department of Justice. The charges against Ressa and former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. resulted from a story published in May 2012 that linked a businessman to illegal activities. She was convicted of cyber libel in June 2020. She is working to overturn her conviction at the Philippine Supreme Court and remains free during her appeals process.

Duterte targeted and attempted to shutter numerous news outlets, with varying success. One year before Ressa’s arrest, Rappler reporters were banned from Malacañang, the Philippine presidential residence and office. In May 2020, Duterte forced ABS-CBN, the country’s largest broadcast network, off public television and radio frequencies. Days before departing office, he ordered the shutdown of Rappler, which continues to operate, “business as usual.”

“The mission of journalism has never been stronger,” Ressa said in a public address to Rappler reporters. “Despite the online and the offline attacks against us, we find the courage to hold the line. We’re journalists, and we will not be intimidated.”

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa arrested for cyber libel

March 29, 2022

Lack of accountability paves way for more killings in Duterte drug war

AFTER TAKING OFFICE IN 2016, Duterte claimed that the Philippines had become a “narco-state” and launched a campaign against “illegal drug personalities.” What has been dubbed the “war on drugs” has led to the deaths of thousands of Filipinos.

Data from the Philippine government shows that 6,252 people were killed in police anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016 to May 31, 2022. However, data obtained by Rappler in September 2020 showed that the Philippine National Police had killed 7,884 drug suspects since Duterte assumed office.

This tally does not include victims of vigilante-style killings. The country’s Commission on Human Rights (CHR) estimated a total of 27,000 - 30,000 vigilante-style killings under Duterte. Organizations like CHR assert that Duterte’s calls to the public to aid in his efforts were persuasive. On his first day in office, Duterte addressed a crowd in Manila, “If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful.”

In “How to Stand Up to a Dictator,” Ressa states there were “daily reports of deaths: bodies found in the streets of poor neighborhoods, eyewitnesses whispering about killers descending upon homes in the night. Duterte’s drug war had begun turning Manila into a real-world Gotham City, without a caped crusader.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened a preliminary investigation into these deaths in February 2018. The following month, Duterte announced his intention to withdraw the Philippines from the ICC. The withdrawal became official in March 2019.

In December 2020, then-ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda stated that there was “reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity were committed” in the Philippines in connection with Duterte’s war on drugs. The ICC’s investigation was suspended in November 2021 and has yet to resume.

May 10, 2022

36 years after ousting Marcos, Filipinos elect son as president

FERDINAND "BONGBONG" ROMUALDEZ MARCOS JR. assumed office on June 30, 2022. He is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, who ruled under martial law from 1972 until 1981 and kept most of his martial law powers until he was deposed in 1986.

Marcos Jr.’s campaign centered on restoring national unity, upholding Duterte policies, and restoring what he claimed was the “golden age of his father’s rule.” He won the election with 59% of the vote, the highest count ever recorded in a Philippine presidential election.

All information sourced from Rappler.com. Information has been aggregated from multiple articles for clarity.

THE ART OF inspiration

Cultural institutions make our world more fascinating, inviting and should allow its residents to access cultural experiences and expressions that are relevant to them. From the stage to the screen to exhibition halls and education programs citywide, Altria takes pride in our longstanding support of local arts and all they do to bring people together.

Take a closer look at www.altria.com

© Altria Group, Inc. 2022

Neurosurgical Associates, P.C.

SPECIALIZING IN SPINE & BRAIN SURGERY

Ready to provide conservative and comprehensive care to all our patients

Celebrating 50 years of providing neurosurgical care in Richmond, Virginia www.neurosurgicalva.com

Challenging Our Thinking. Changing the World.

Genworth is proud to support The Richmond Forum in presenting a diverse spectrum of powerful voices that challenge Richmond to learn while empowering local voices of all ages that position Richmond to lead

As we strive to help families navigate the aging journey with confidence, we are pleased to promote dialogue and understanding that fosters an inclusive community for every generation.

DEMOCRACY VS. FAKE NEWS

What I have witnessed and documented over the past decade is technology’s godlike power to infect each of us with a virus of lies, pitting us against one another, igniting, even creating, our fears, anger, and hatred, and accelerating the rise of authoritarians and dictators around the world. - Maria Ressa

MARIA RESSA CO-FOUNDED RAPPLER, A DIGITAL-ONLY NEWS WEBSITE, IN 2012. Her ambition was to leverage social media platforms to create a new standard of investigative journalism in the Philippines. “At the time, I was the truest of true believers in the power of social media to do good in the world,” Ressa wrote in her memoir “How to Stand Up to a Dictator.” Platforms like Facebook allowed her team to crowdsource breaking news, find sources and tips, and inspire collective action.

However, within a few years, she saw firsthand the dangers that social media poses to democracy. “The Philippines is ground zero for the terrible effects that social media can have on a nation’s institutions, its culture, and the minds of its populace.”

The 2016 Philippine presidential election was a “watershed moment for the proliferation of fake news.” Rodrigo Duterte made powerful use of social media in his campaign which, according to Ressa, was the first time such platforms helped elect a president to office in the country.

FAKE NEWS (noun)

News articles that are intentionally and verifiably false, designed to manipulate people’s perceptions of real facts and events.

Duterte’s campaign established a network of paid agencies and volunteers to distribute targeted messaging to various online communities. After he was elected, this network “became weaponized.” Their messaging continued and transformed into

attacks against anyone who dared to speak out against the president. Fake accounts and bots were used to stifle dissent. The network distributed fake news, chipped away at facts, and sowed distrust, using “half-truths to fabricate an alternate reality.”

The dissemination of fake news did not subside when Duterte left office earlier this year. It reportedly shaped the outcome of the 2022 general election. According to a Philippine fact-checking coalition, nearly half of online disinformation found throughout the election cycle painted Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in a positive light while negatively targeting his opponent, Leni Robredo. Marcos Jr. experienced a “landslide” victory.

“We’ve seen the damage lies can do,” Ressa said in an April 2022 interview. “We know that it’s impossible to have integrity of elections when we don’t have integrity of facts.”

She and fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Dmitry Muratov, presented a 10-point plan to address the global information crisis at the Freedom of Expression Conference this September. Ressa believes that with collective action, “we can hold power to account.”

All information sourced from Rappler.com and “How to Stand Up to a Dictator” by Maria Ressa.

THE AGE OF (DIS)INFORMATION

SECRETLY Y’ALL is a Richmond-based organization that broadcasts people’s true stories to inspire, to create, and to invest in community.

Secretly Y’all embodies the belief that the power of a story is more than the sum of its words. Since 2010, Secretly Y’all has organized regular live storytelling events—providing a microphone and a safe space for those who have a true story that wants to be shared, as well as a welcoming space for those who come to listen. Each regular event partners with and promotes a local charity, raising both awareness and funds for the organization.

Every event features a unique and unifying theme. Anyone is welcome to submit a story proposal inspired by the theme. The first part of the event is dedicated to the Setlist, which is comprised of people who have been selected to share their story submission. The story must be true and told in less than seven minutes, without notes. During the second part of the evening, the audience is invited to throw their name in “The Hat.” A few more people are randomly selected from “The Hat” to share their stories on the same theme.

Over the past 12 years, Secretly Y’all has curated and recorded more than 65 live storytelling events and archived more than 600 stories. More than $16,000 has been raised and channeled back into the local community, emphasizing that all our stories can have a broad and significant impact.

TheAgeof(Dis)information

Monday, January 30 7 p.m. at Brambly

Park

Forum subscribers are invited to the next Secretly Y’all event, which is inspired by Maria Ressa’s work and tonight’s program.

Have a story you want to share?

Reach out to us at secretlyall@ gmail.com, and learn more about the event at www.secretlyall.org.

Riverstone Wealth Advisory Group is proud to sponsor The Richmond Forum.

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Private Wealth Advisor

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A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

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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.

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Supporting visionaries.

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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.

SPEECH & DEBATE

IT’S TIME FOR A MID-SEASON CHECK-IN WITH THE RICHMOND FORUM SPEECH & DEBATE

INITIATIVE! The 2022 - 2023 school year has been RFSDI’s most active year to date. During the first semester, the Initiative partnered with 28 teams and 42 coaches. More than 500 students have participated across four Initiative-sponsored scrimmages and tournaments, the largest tournaments being:

Cosby High School’s Clash of the Titans | October 22, 2022 287 student registrations

James River High School’s Veterans Day Invitational | November 11, 2022 202 student registrations

For comparison, the largest tournament in the 2021 - 2022 year had 160 competitors.

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY PATRIOT GAMES

RFSDI attended its first national circuit tournament at George Mason University in December and Richmond students crushed the competition!

Fifty-four students from Clover Hill, Collegiate, Cosby, Deep Run, George Wythe, James River, John Marshall, and Manchester High Schools competed, with seventeen students advancing to elimination rounds . Five students made it to the finals:

Cebastian Blot | Cosby High School

Placed 6th in Original Oratory

Grant Lee | Deep Run High School

Placed 9th in Student Congress

Maggie Matzen | Clover Hill High School

Placed 2nd in Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Mary Pepper | James River High School

Placed 6th in Oral Interpretation

Lily Waehner | James River High School

Placed 5th in Extemporaneous Speaking

THE SEASON AHEAD

The Groundhog Day Invitational will be hosted by Clover Hill High School on Saturday, February 4.

The Virginia High School League season kicks off in early February.

Statewide championship tournaments will take place in March and April.

The NSDA National Tournament qualifiers will be hosted by James River High School in March and April.

The Ronald Reagan Great Communicator Debate Series Mid-Atlantic qualifier will be hosted by Collegiate School on May 6.

RFSDI needs more judges to make all these events possible! Learn more and sign up to help out at richmondspeechdebate.org.

Cosby High School

George Wythe High School

NATIONAL HBCU SPEECH & DEBATE CHAMPIONSHIP

February 23-27, 2023, at Virginia State University

THE RICHMOND FORUM IS THRILLED to co-host the 2023 National HBCU Speech & Debate Championship with Virginia State University, February 23 - 26, 2023. Hundreds of students from HBCUs across the country will convene to compete for the championship in 12 different events, including:

• National Parliamentary Debate

• International Public Debate

• Dramatic Interpretation

• Duo Interpretation

• Poetry Interpretation

• Programmed Oral Interpretation

• Prose Interpretation

• Slam Poetry

• Extemporaneous Speaking

• Impromptu Speaking

• Interviewing

The National HBCU Speech & Debate Association aims to foster and grow speech and debate teams at all HBCU institutions by providing counseling and training for coaches and students. The Association is committed to providing students at HBCUs with the skills and training necessary to successfully compete in speech & debate.

Get involved as a sponsor or volunteer. For more information, contact Sandra Wheeler at sandra@richmondforum.org.

Ellen E. Spong & Augustus C. Epps, Jr.

Drs. Betty and Ron Crutcher

THE 2023 NATIONAL HBCU SPEECH & DEBATE CHAMPIONSHIP IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

Wiley College Speech & Debate Team

Virginia State University Speech & Debate Team

At Hunton Andrews Kurth, we alue ide as and innovation. We applaud The Richmond orum for its dedication to bringing together le aders from round the world to inspire the Richmond community.

We are proud o support The Richmond Forum

RICHMOND FORUM SCHOLARS

THE RICHMOND FORUM SCHOLARS PROGRAM is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for five of the region’s highest achieving and most impressive high school juniors to volunteer behind the scenes at America’s largest speaker series. Since 2013, these students have had the rare opportunity to interact directly with national and international speakers by playing essential roles in each Richmond Forum program evening.

Throughout the season, these Scholars will work closely with Forum staff to

in guests at sponsor receptions, escort speakers throughout the evening, work as runners backstage at the Altria Theater, and introduce speakers in the Student Room.

“I feel so privileged to have been accepted as a Richmond Forum Scholar this year,” Jada Oakcrum said in a Mechanicsville Local article that highlighted the program. “I’m excited to be exposed up close and personal to such a diverse group of speakers on topics that are of importance even to my generation while getting to serve and cultivate friendships with Scholars.” Use the QR code on this page to read the full article.

The 10th class of Richmond Forum Scholars is a remarkable group, both in their academic and extracurricular accomplishments and their demonstrated ability to go beyond the call of duty. Congratulations to the 2022 - 2023 Scholars on a wonderful start to the season!

Four of this season's Scholars with November's speaker, H.R. McMaster.

check

Nina Argel

MonacanHighSchool

Jada Oakcrum HanoverHighSchool

Lily Waehner JamesRiverHighSchool

Cameron Walker TrinityEpiscopalSchool

Tahlia Wright HighlandSpringsHighSchool

THE 2022-2023 CLASS OF RICHMOND FORUM SCHOLARS

Just add hope

Giving back to our community is more than just helping our neighborhoods grow and prosper. It is adding hope to community, and showing what’s possible when we all work together.

Thank you, The Richmond Forum, for your service to our community.

2022-2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVECOMMITTEE

Ellen E. Spong, Chair BlueEdgeCapitalLLC

Teresa Downs, Vice Chair Altria*

Jonathan Brabrand, Treasurer TransactCapital*

Steve Otero, Secretary CapitalOne*

Laura E. Kottkamp, Member-at-large VCUSchoolofBusiness*

Robert K. Beckler, Immediate Past Chair TemperPack

COMMITTEECHAIRS

Steve Humble, Program VPM*

Celia Rafalko, Investment CaryStreetPartners

Kelly O’Keefe, Nominations & Governance BrandFederation*

Betty N. Crutcher, PhD, Education Subscriber/Supporter

PRODUCTION TEAM & STAFF

THERICHMONDFORUMSTAFF

Heather Mullins Crislip ExecutiveDirector,heather@richmondforum.org

Dee A. Raubenstine DirectorofDevelopment&SponsorEvents,dee@richmondforum.org

Michael Brown DirectorofSubscriberServices&Operations,michael@richmondforum.org

Sandra Wheeler DirectorofStudentPrograms,sandra@richmondforum.org

Lucretia M. Anderson Speech&DebateInitiativeManager,lucretia@richmondforum.org

Maggie McVicar CommunicationsManager,maggie@richmondforum.org

Debbie Mangolas OfficeManager,debbie@richmondforum.org

2022–2023RICHMONDFORUMSCHOLARS

Nina Argel, MonacanHighSchool

Jada Oakcrum, HanoverHighSchool

Lily Waehner, JamesRiverHighSchool

Cameron Walker, TrinityEpiscopalSchool

Tahlia Wright, HighlandSpringsHighSchool

DIRECTORS

Makola M. Abdullah, PhD VirginiaStateUniversity*

Jimmy Chou SingleStone*

Regina J. Elbert DominionEnergy*

Eva Hartmann LunaInnovations

William R.B. Hershey Davenport&CompanyLLC*

Susan B. Horne LeadVirginia

Michael Joyce Agili—YourPersonalCFO*

A. Brent King PerformanceFoodGroup* Geoff T. Marlatt ProfitOptics*

Rick Palmieri WilliamsMullen*

P. Anand Rao, PhD UniversityofMaryWashington

Timothy L. Reid LegacyMediaInstitute

Rhodes B. Ritenour BonSecoursVirginia HealthSystem*

Linda V. Schreiner MarkelCorporation* Lisa Sims VentureRichmond

Ashley L. Taylor, Jr. TroutmanPepper*

Janet Tope WellsFargo*

Todd Waldo HughHelenLLC

Kevin A. White ButlerSnowLLP

Andrea Lynn White Genworth*

*PatronofTheRichmondForum

PRODUCTION

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PRODUCERPATRON

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Universal Corporation VCU Health

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H.R. MCMASTER

AT THE RICHMOND FORUM NOVEMBER 12, 2022

ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, THE RICHMOND FORUM KICKED OFF ITS 2022-2023 SEASON with former White House national security advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster (USA, Ret.). As a historian with a 34-year military career behind him, McMaster is expressly qualified to provide his insights into the past, present, and future of the geopolitical landscape.

“We need strategic competence now more than ever.” McMaster began the evening by explaining his motivation for accepting the national security advisor position under former President Donald Trump in 2017. “I felt that our strategic competence had atrophied. This was an opportunity to help a new president restore [that].”

“I wanted to take partisanship out of the process,” McMaster said. “We should not craft courses of action based on partisan political considerations.” McMaster explained that, while in the White House, he always presented multiple policy options to the president so that he, as the person elected by and held accountable to the American people, could make the ultimate decision.

McMaster discussed some of the administration’s strategic priorities from his time in the White House, emphasizing conflicts with North Korea, China, Russia, Afghanistan, and Iran.

A key issue underlying these conflicts, according to McMaster, is a lack of strategic empathy. He asserted that without accounting for another leader’s true motivations,

Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster discussed the “state of play” of the current geopolitical landscape and spoke on his time in the White House.

Top: Will Hershey, CEO, Davenport & Company, the Lead Patron for the evening, introduced General McMaster. Bottom: Lily Waehner, a Richmond Forum Scholar, had the pleasure of ushering McMaster throughout the evening.

we fall into cognitive traps like confirmation bias and mirror imaging. “Putin is driven by a sense of honor lost at the end of the Cold War and an associated obsession with restoring Russia to national greatness. He sees Ukraine as the main object of that ambition.”

For the U.S., McMaster believes the end of the Cold War caused leaders to become overly optimistic and, in some cases, hubristic. “That overconfidence was a set-up for the strategic shocks and difficulties that we encountered in the 2000s when the optimism shifted towards pessimism and resignation.”

Top:

enjoyed

Jada

Bottom:

“One of the biggest challenges we face today is that too many Americans, young Americans in particular, don’t feel a sense of agency [in our democracy].” The road forward could be through better teaching history and civics, without “some contrived, happy view.” He emphasized the importance of celebrating our nation’s triumphs while also acknowledging our pitfalls.

McMaster closed the evening with gratitude for The Richmond Forum. “By having meaningful, respectful discussions about the challenges we face, we can work together to build a better future.”

Forum Executive Director Heather Crislip asked McMaster audience questions.

Guests of Hourigan, the Host Patron for the evening,

dinner with H.R. McMaster. Middle: Forum Scholar

Oakcrum introduced McMaster in the Student Room.

Sweet Potatoes jazzed up the theater as the evening’s live musicians.

RICHMOND FORUM SPEAKERS

1987

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

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

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2010–2011

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2011–2012

November Dr. Robert Ballard

January Robert Gates

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2012–2013

November Platon

January Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner and Doris Kearns Goodwin with Tim Reid

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

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ELLA AL-SHAMAHI

Ella Al-Shamahi is an accomplished paleoanthropologist, National Geographic Explorer, and … a stand-up comic. AlShamahi takes personal risks to her health and well-being to work in hostile, disputed, and unstable regions of the world where she collects fossils from caves. The objective of her work is to tell a more complete geographical story of Neanderthals and early humans. As an imperative for developing human knowledge, she advocates to involve these regions in scientific exploration. She is the host of PBS’s 2018 series “Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors.” Al-Shamahi uses comedy as both a coping strategy for the darker side of her work, and as a way to communicate scientific knowledge to a broader audience.

(Format: Speech with Q&A)

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A Nobel Peace Prize winner. Named one of TIME Magazine’s Most Influential Women of the Century. A champion for truth, freedom of expression and human rights.

What we have in common is uncommon.

Because just like Maria Ressa, we are unwavering in our pursuit of a better tomorrow. By putting the needs of our students and patients first, our graduation rates have increased by 34% in the last decade and exceed the national average. VCU. A world unlike any other.

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