A possible 2028 presidential candidate, a former NASA astronaut, a war photojournalist, and other influential figures will be in the spotlight for the Baltimore Speaker Series’ 2026-2027 season. Presented by Stevenson University, the series will feature seven speakers from October 2026 thr ough April 2027. Former U.S. Secretary of Transporation Pete Buttigieg will be featured in the Baltimore Speaker Series on Oct. 1, 2026. (Courtesy photo) Pete Buttigieg, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026: The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana first captured the national spotlight as a Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election. In that cycle’s crowded field, Pete Buttigieg emerged as a younger voice within the Democratic party and would become the first openly gay candidate to win a state presidential primary when he led the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses. Buttigieg eventually dropped out of the race and endorsed Joe Biden. He was later nominated and confirmed as Secretary of Transportation under Biden, a role in which he oversaw the department’s response to the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge among other national crises. A Harvard graduate, Rhodes Scholar, and former naval lieutenant, Buttigieg often defended the administration’s policies during appearances on Fox News programs. Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Buttigieg was her “first choice” for her running mate in the 2024 election, but decided against him due to his sexuality. Buttigieg considered running for governor of Michigan or the state’s open U.S. Senate seat, but ultimately opted out of both races. Media reports say Buttigieg could be mulling a possible 2028 presidential campaign, though he has said he is focused on the 2026 mid-term elections as he travels the country in support of Democratic candidates. If he does choose to run and is elected, Buttigieg would be one of the youngest figures to serve as president of the United States. In addition to his public service, he is the author of “Trust: America’s Best Chance” and “Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future.” Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be featured in the Baltimore Speaker Series on Oct. 29, 2026. (Courtesy photo) Boris Johnson, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026: Boris Johnson is the former prime minister of the United Kingdom. During his leadership from 2019 to 2022, Johnson oversaw the U.K.’s exit from the European Union, colloquially referred to as “Brexit.” He also led the country through the COVID-19 pandemic and the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Johnson previously served as the Leader of the Conservative Party, Foreign Secretary, and a two-time mayor of London. An author and journalist, Johnson has written several books, including most recently “Unleashed,” in which he wrote about his time in politics. He also penned “The Churchill Factor,” a biography of former U.K. prime minister Winston Churchill, edited The Spectator magazine, and has written for the Daily Telegraph among other British publications. Johnson is a graduate of Eton College and the University of Oxford. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will be featured in the Baltimore Speaker Series on Nov. 12, 2026. (Courtesy photo) Doris Kearns Goodwin, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026: A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin is known for her work exploring the history of US presidents and pivotal events. She is the author of “Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream,” “The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning “No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II,” “Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir,” “Every Four Years: Presidential Campaign Coverage from 1896 to 2000,” “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” “The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism,” “Leadership in Turbulent Times,” and “An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s.” Goodwin served as a White House Fellow in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. A graduate of Colby College and Harvard University, she went on to teach at Harvard University. She also helped Johnson write his memoirs; worked as a sports journalist, during which time she became the first woman to enter the Boston Red Sox locker room; and was a regular guest on several news programs. Financial journalist and bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin will be featured in the Baltimore Speaker Series on Jan. 14, 2027. (Courtesy photo) Andrew Ross Sorkin, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2027: Andrew Ross Sorkin began writing for The New York Times in 1995 while still in high school. Today, the Cornell University graduate continues to write for The New York Times and also serves as a co-anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Sorkin has covered news about major mergers, acquisitions, company collapses, and government bailouts. In 2001, he founded the online daily financial report DealBook, which is published by The New York Times. Sorkin is the author of “Too Big to Fail: How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System — and Themselves,” about the 2008 financial crisis. The book was adapted as a movie for HBO Films in 2011, which Sorkin co-produced. He is also the co-creator of the Showtime drama series “Billions.” Charles F. Bolden Jr., the 12th NASA Administrator and a veteran astronaut, will be featured in the Baltimore Speaker Series on Feb. 18, 2027. (Courtesy photo) Charles F. Bolden Jr., Thursday, Feb. 18, 2027: Appointed by President Barack Obama, Charles F. Bolden Jr. led the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 2009 to 2017. During that time, he oversaw the retirement of the space shuttle program and the transition to commercial and deep-space exploration. He is the second astronaut to serve as NASA administrator, having logged more than 680 hours in space across four space flights, including aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (1986); Space Shuttle Discovery (1990), which deployed the Hubble Space Telescope; Space Shuttle Atlantis (1992); and Space Shuttle Discovery (1994). Bolden graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and earned a master of science degree from the University of Southern California. He has been inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to China and NATO, will be featured in the Baltimore Speaker Series on March 25, 2027. (Courtesy photo) Nicholas Burns, Thursday, March 25, 2027: During his more than three decades of service in the United States government, Nicholas Burns worked under six Presidents and nine Secretaries of State in both Democratic and Republican administrations. Burns was a spokesperson for the U.S. state department under President Bill Clinton. He would go on to serve as ambassador to Greece under Clinton as well as President George W. Bush. Continuing under Bush’s administration, Burns was an ambassador to NATO and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Burns retired from Foreign Service in 2008, during which time he worked for international business consulting firm Cohen Group, taught at Harvard Kennedy School, and served as an informal adviser to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and foreign policy adviser to Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. Under the Biden administration, Burns returned to Foreign Service as the ambassador to China. In 2025, he returned to Harvard as the Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics. Burns is a recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, and other honors. Award-winning war photographer Lynsey Addario will be featured in the Baltimore Speaker Series on April 8, 2027. (Courtesy photo) Lynsey Addario, Thursday, April 8, 2027: An award-winning American photojournalist, Lynsey Addario has covered war, conflict, humanitarian crises, and women’s issues across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and National Geographic. Her career spans more than two decades and has included reporting from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Darfur, South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, Syria, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Often traveling to dangerous and remote parts of the world, Addario has been kidnapped twice during her work. American Photo magazine in 2015 named Addario one of the five most influential photographers of the past 25 years. She published her New York Times bestselling memoir “It’s What I Do” in 2015, and a solo collection of photography, “Of Love and War,” in 2018. The feature documentary “Love+War” centers on Addario’s life and work. The speaking engagements will each take place at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, located at 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201. Audience members can purchase tickets on the Baltimore Speakers Series website. ...read more read less