UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents David Gergen, former White House adviser to four U.S. presidents, CNN analyst and founder of the Harvard Center for Public Leadership, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Granada Theater, at 1214 State St.
Gergen will draw from his experiences as a trusted voice on national issues to uncover the fundamental elements of effective leadership.
In his new book “Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders Are Made,” Gergen traces the journeys of iconic leaders past and present, including pathbreakers like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Lewis, John McCain and Harvey Milk; historic icons like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill and Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt; and contemporary game changers like Greta Thunberg, the Parkland High School students, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
A book giveaway of free copies of “Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made” will be available starting Tuesday, Sep 20 at Arts & Lectures’ Campbell Hall Box Office at UCSB; the Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St.; and Goleta Valley Library, 500 N. Fairview Ave. Books available while supplies last.
Free Event: Leadership Roundtable facilitated by Leading From Within: a guided conversation featuring select leaders from the community to share thoughts and reflections based on the Arts & Lectures’ event with Gergen from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 13 at 21 E. Canon Perdido St., Ste. 301; registration required (limited availability). Register at https://leading-from-within.org/events/leadership-roundtable/.
A true public servant, Gergen put his country above his personal politics, serving as an advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and then Clinton. Today he helps audiences break through ideological barriers to recognize simple and lasting political truths and to reflect on the practice of leadership.
Gergen’s unique vantage point — serving as an Oval Office insider to presidents from different political parties — provides him with insights that few others can match. For more than 30 years, Gergen has been an active participant in American political life.
Since leaving government, he has served as editor-at-large of U.S. News & World Report and as the founding director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Now, he is a professor of public service at the Kennedy School and a senior political analyst for CNN.
Gergen’s New York Times best-seller “Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton,” offers an inside glimpse into the corridors of power and the leadership challenges presidents face, bringing clarity to the most complex international and domestic issues.
In “Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made,” which was released in May 2022, Gergen calls for younger generations to pursue lives of service and public leadership and provides a practical playbook on how they can succeed.
David Gergen is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures in association with Leading from Within, Santa Barbara Public Library and Goleta Valley Library. Tickets are $31-$46 general public; and $11 UCSB students (includes facility fee; current student ID required
Event sponsor: Sara Miller McCune.
For tickets and more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 805-893-3535; buy online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu; or contact The Granada Theatre at www.GranadaSB.org, or 805-899-2222.