All events are free and open to the public; events are subject to change. Learn more about this year's event via the link below.
Virtual Conference on World Affairs tackles racism in the U.S., Gen Z, health care, more
Download a PDF Schedule of Events
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MDT
Keynote Address
Social Consciousness in High Tech: A Conversation with Microsoft’s Gavriella Schuster
- Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President, Commercial Partner at Microsoft
- Moderator: Jeff Dubois, Senior Executive Communications Manager at Microsoft
- Student Q&A Facilitator: Maria Nenova, BE Tech Scholars Student Director, University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business
- Facilitator: Dr. Janet Tsai, Instructor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Design, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado Boulder
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. MDT
Major Address
"America in the World"
CU President Mark Kennedy in conversation with former World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick
- Mark Kennedy, University of Colorado President
- Robert B. Zoellick, Former President, World Bank Group and Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. MDT
Data is Money
Personal data is now more valuable than oil. How is it economically evaluated? Which data is the most valuable? What are the repercussions of it being mishandled?
- Amy Giles Bhikha, Chief Data Officer, Colorado Governor's Office of Information Technology
- Andrei Khurshudov, Director, IoT Analytics, CAT Digital
- Moses Ma, Managing Partner, FutureLab Consulting
- Moderator: Jerry Michalski, Founder, Open Global Mind
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. MDT
Racism in the U.S. Theme
Racial Solidarity is a Verb
Leveraging privilege to make a difference
- John Biewen, Audio Program Director & Podcast Host, Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University
- Denise Lieberman, Civil Rights Attorney and Faculty Director, Voter Access & Engagement Initiative, Washington University
- Michael D. McCarty, Black Panther Party alumni and Multi-cultural story teller
- Moderator: Adrián Salazar, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. MDT
Performance
CWA Jazz Concert
Learn more about this year's concert on the CWA Jazz Concert webpage
- Brad Goode, CWA Musical Director and Associate Professor, Jazz Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
- Dawn Clement, Pianist; Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator, Jazz and American Music Department, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Aisha de Haas, Vocalist
- Ernie Watts, Jazz Musician & Composer
- Claire Daly, Baritone Saxophonist
- Ron Wilkins, Musician, Vocalist, Composer, Educator
- Mike Marlier, Director, Drum Set Studies, Newman Center for the Performing Arts
- Bijoux Barbosa, Instructor, Jazz Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. MDT
Africa on the Rise: A Continent Overcoming its Challenges
- David S. Bassiouni, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, The Bassiouni Group, Former Diplomat, South Sudan Government and Former UN and UNICEF Representative
- Michelle D. Gavin, Senior Fellow for Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations and Former U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, U.S. Department of State
- Pauline Vande-Pallen, Programme Officer, Gender and Economic Policy, Third World Network (TWN) Africa, Ghana
- Moderator: Thomas Gibb, Innovation Advisor with projects in South Sudan, Rwanda, Madagascar, Liberia and Mozambique
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MDT
Fighting Falsehoods with Facts: Challenges of Objective Journalism
- Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent at The Washington Post
- Ana Cabrera, Journalist & News Anchor at CNN
- David French, American political commentator, Former attorney and Senior editor at The Dispatch
- Moderator: Elizabeth Skewes, Department Chair of Journalism and Associate Professor, College of Media, Communication and Information at University of Colorado Boulder
2:00 - 3:15 p.m. MDT
White Boys and White Nationalism
The origins and growth of the movement and how the gaming industry is working to combat hate
- Daniel Kelley, Associate Director, Center for Technology and Society, Anti-Defamation League
- Jonathan Metzl, Director, Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, Vanderbilt University
- Christian Picciolini, Award-winning television producer, Author, Peace Advocate and Founder of the Free Radicals Project
- Kimberly Voll, Co-founder, Fair Play Alliance • Co-founder, Stray Bombay Company
- Moderator: Jason Marsden, Executive Director, Matthew Shepard Foundation
5:00 - 6:15 p.m. MDT
Performance
Performance Duet: Onye and Kinan
New York City clarinetist/composer joins forces with Florida dancer/choreographer to perform and discuss their work and process during this unusual year
- Kinan Azmeh, Clarinetist and Composer
- Onye Ozuzu, Dean, University of Florida, College of the Arts
- Moderator: Adam J. Griff Ph.D., CWA Arts Program Committee Co-Chair
5:00 - 7:00 p.m. MDT
Students Find Solutions to Social Problems
CU Boulder students are presented with a social problem and work together to brainstorm solutions. Experience the creative approaches of younger generations in solving the challenges of our future.
- CU Boulder student participants: Audrey Curtis, Taylor Hirschberg, Tamanna Talwar, and Tyler Strobel
- Judge: Wisdom Amouzou, Executive Director, Empower Community High School; Co-Founder, HadaNõu Collective
- Judge: Chris Gustavson, Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative
- Judge: Rebecca Komarek, Assistant Director, Idea Forge
- Moderator: Don Grant, Professor, Director of Social Innovation Program and Director of Care, Health and Resilience Program
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. MDT
Film Discussion
The Dawn Will Break
A film depicting the epic story of children escaping terrorism in South Sudan and ultimately residing in Boulder, CO. The film will be followed by a short discussion involving some of the women who fled, received formal education, and now live in Colorado.
- Micklina Kenyi, Executive Director & Head of School, Empowerment Through Education (ETE) Foundation
- Elizabeth Achulo, Director, ETE Foundation Board of Directors
- Stella Lunyaramoi, Director, ETE Foundation Board of Directors, Participant, The Dawn Will Break"
- Lawrence Wongo, Vice President, ETE Foundation Board of Directors; Associate Producer, "The Dawn Will Break"
- Moderator: Thomas Gibb, Innovation Advisor with projects in South Sudan, Rwanda, Madagascar, Liberia and Mozambique
9:00 - 10:15 a.m. MDT
Health Care Theme
Your Conscience and Health Care
- Jean Abbott, Faculty, Center for Bioethics and Humanities, CU Anschutz Medical Campus
- Margaret Pabst Battin, Distinguished Professor, Philosophy and Medical Ethics, University of Utah
- George Otieno, Critical Care RN and Storyteller
- Matthew Wynia, Director, Center for Bioethics and Humanities, CU Anschutz Medical Campus
- Moderator: Ben Keidan, Boulder Community Health Chief Medical Officer
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. MDT
Health Care Theme
Technology and Medicine
- Sandra Gollnick, Distinguished Professor of Tumor Immunology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Michael Jefferies, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Boulder Community Health
- Josef F. Schmid III, NASA Flight Surgeon; Aquanaut; Air Force Major General
- Jacob Segil, Senior Instructor at Engineering Plus, Managing Director at Center for Translational Research, Research Healthcare Scientist at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center
- Po Chi Wu, Adjunct Professor, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
- Moderator: Lauren Daniels, Pathways Intern at NASA and CWA Student Program Chair
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. MDT
Too Big, Too Bad
Which is in society’s best interest, innovative companies that dominate a service/product or smaller companies that compete for that service/market? Legal and economic perspectives provided.
- Jeffrey Blattner, Adjunct professor at University of Colorado Law School, Senior fellow at Silicon Flatirons Institute Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship, University of Colorado, Special Assistant Attorney General at Colorado Department of Justice
- Reza Ramazani, Professor of Economics at Saint Michael's College
- Moderator: Yongmin Chen, Professor of Economics and Provost’s Chair at the University of Colorado Boulder
5:00 - 6:15 p.m. MDT
Fixing Spaceship Earth: Our Past, Present and Future
Reframing the stories we tell ourselves about the earth and our responsibility to chart a course to the future
- Marcelo Gleiser, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth College
- Kevin Kling, Storyteller and Playwright
- Kim Stanley Robinson, Science Fiction Novelist
- Moderator: Maggie Fox, Founder, Global Biodiversity Narrative Project; Former President and CEO, Climate Reality Project
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. MDT
Performance
JustUs: Stories from the Frontlines of the Criminal Justice System
Motus Theater performance featuring the nationally recognized stories of three formerly incarcerated JustUs monologists about their experiences of racism and injustice in the criminal justice system. Two monologists will read aloud their own stories and Dean Williams, the executive director of Colorado’s Department of Corrections, will join a third formerly incarcerated monologist on the virtual stage and stand in his shoes by reading aloud his story and reflecting on the impact of doing so. The monologues will be woven together with healing and powerful musical responses by jazz musician Ernie Watts.
- Dereck Bell, Monologist at Motus Theater JustUs
- Tania Chairez, Co-Moderator and National Outreach & Education Director, Motus Theater
- Daniel Guillory, Monologist at Motus Theater JustUs
- Juaquin Mobley, Co-Moderator and Monologist at Motus Theater JustUs
- Dean Williams, Executive Director at Colorado Department of Corrections, Guest Performer at Motus Theater
- Ernie Watts, Jazz Musician & Composer
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MDT
Is Polarization Destroying America? Solutions to Narrow the Divide
Achieving common ground to solve challenges such as the pandemic, immigration, equality and climate
- Heather Hurlburt, Director of New Models of Policy Change, New America
- Rachel Kleinfeld, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Founding CEO, The Truman National Security Project
- John Harrison Nichols, National Affairs Writer at The Nation, Co-Founder of Free Press and Author
- Moderator: David Bearce, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Colorado Boulder
2:00 - 3:15 p.m. MDT
Businesses Doing Well by Doing Good
How businesses develop environmental and social harmony without damaging the bottom line
- Robert Chesnut, Author, Former Chief Ethics Officer and Former General Counsel at Airbnb
- Elsie Iwase, Innovation Strategist
- Jeff Furman, President, Ben & Jerry's Foundation and Board of Directors Emeritus, Ben & Jerry's
- Kate Williams, CEO, 1% for the Planet
- Moderator: Julie Waggoner, Interim Director, Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, University of Colorado Leeds School of Business
5:00 - 6:15 p.m. MDT
Fixing Spaceship Earth: Forecasting Our Future with Big Data and Tech
- Meia Chita-Tegmark, Co-Founder of Future of Life Institute, Postdoctoral Scholar at Tufts University
- Andrei Khurshudov, Director of IoT Analytics, CAT Digital
- Moses Ma, Managing Partner at FutureLab Consulting
- Kate Stone, CEO, Novalia Ltd. UK and NovaliaUSA Inc. USA
- Moderator: Ariel Conn, Founder, Mag10 Consulting
7:00 - 8:15 p.m. MDT
Generation Z Theme
Transforming Entertainment with Game Engines, Augmented Reality and Holograms
Jake Sally and his cohort of leading experts discuss the future of entertainment
- Karen Dufilho, Academy and Emmy award-winning producer, Former executive producer at Google & Pixar
- Guenever Goik, Head of 3D at RYOT/Verizon 5G Media, Lumiere Technology award winner, US Patent holder for AR interface presentation
- Asad J. Malik, CEO of Jadu, 2020 Forbes' 30 Under 30 winner, Tribeca Film Festival critically acclaimed creator of 'Terminal 3' immigration focused virtual reality
- Jake Sally, Moderator and COO of Jadu, Emmy-nominated producer, executive producer of TIME magazine's virtual recreation of MLK's "I Have a Dream" Speech directed by Viola Davis
- Lance Weiler, Founding member and director of Columbia University Digital Storytelling Lab, WIRED Magazine's 'One of 25 people helping to re-invent entertainment and change the face of Hollywood.'
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. MDT
What do "Socialism" and "Capitalism" Mean Today?
Countries worldwide have a variety of economic and political systems. Which are working well?
- Kathleen Ferrier, Former Member of Parliament, The Netherlands; Professor, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh
- Branko Milanovic, Stone Center Senior Scholar & Visiting Presidential Professor, The Graduate Center, CUNY
- Alexander Verbeek, Founder, Institute for Planetary Security
- Moderator: Jeffrey Zax, Professor of Economics at University of Colorado Boulder
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. MDT
Policing in America: Now What?
Differing views on how to change law enforcement to end police violence against people of color
- James R. Bell, Executive Director, W. Haywood Burns Institute
- Merrick Bobb, Executive Director, Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC) Los Angeles
- Daniel Hahn, Chief of Police, City of Sacramento California
- Alex S. Vitale, Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College
- Moderator: Bob Yates, Boulder City Council
2:00 - 3:15 p.m. MDT
Keynote Address
One Town at a Time: Shannon Watts and Representative Neguse Discuss Ending Gun Violence
- Shannon Watts, Founder, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
- Joe Neguse, U.S. Representative for Colorado's 2nd Congressional District
- Moderator: Jayla Hemphill, Student Activist, Students Demand Action & Black Lives Matter
5:00 - 6:15 p.m. MDT
Fixing Spaceship Earth: Moving Toward Environmental Solutions
- Peter Frumhoff, Director of Science and Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists
- Christopher Horsethief, Educator, Organizational Theorist and Consultant, Ktunaxa Nation Council
- Bonnie Keeler, Assistant Professor at Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy, University of Minnesota
- Carl Safina, Ecologist and Author of "Becoming Wild"
- Moderator, Alice Madden, Executive Director of University of Colorado Law School Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment
7:00 - 8:00 p.m. MDT
What Matters Most in the Search for Love: Stories of Love, Loss, and Resilience
Ty Tashiro facilitates a discussion with University of Colorado student authors about their own stories of love and loss performed by CU Theater and Dance students. Performances will be shared via YouTube during the conference. Learn more at: CWA Presents "Modern Love"
- CU Boulder student authors: Sydney Munman and Lily Sergi
- Moderator: Ty Tashiro, Author and Social Scientist
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MDT
Bored of Ed: Is COVID-19 the Disruptor that Education Needed?
Progressive educators discuss COVID-19 as a disruptor and accelerator towards reaching their goals of delivering quality education equitably in our communities
- Jonathan Santos Silva, Sr., Founder, Liber Institute
- William Thorne, Retired Judge, Utah Court of Appeals and Tribal Courts
- Anashay Wright, Founder and Chief Executive Disruptor, Disruptive Partners
- Moderator: Michael Anthony, Business Data Analyst, Seagate Technology
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. MDT
Health Care Theme
Can We Make Health Care Better and Cheaper?
We have the costliest system in the world with only average outcomes. Here are some solutions.
- Allison K. Hoffman, Professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Darrell G. Kirch, President Emeritus, Association of American Medical Colleges
- Trine Tsouderos, Managing Editor, PwC Health Research Institute
- Moderator: David Bachrach, President of The Physician Executive's Coach, Inc.
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. MDT
Film Discussion
Ebert Interruptus I: Lovers Rock
Please Note: The interactive portion of the event is now full, but all are welcome to watch live via the CWA YouTube channel
- Josh Larsen, Co-Host of radio show and podcast Filmspotting and Film Critic, Think Christian
- Moderator: Jamie Krutz, Music/Media Producer, CWA Film Committee Chair and CWA Arts Committee Co-Chair
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. MDT
Generation Z Theme
Art, Activism, Action
- Diksha Bijlani, Spoken Word Poet
- Elena Gaby, Documentary Filmmaker
- Asher Jay, Artist, Conservationist & Activist
- Moderator: Melissa Fathman, Executive Director, Dairy Arts Center
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. MDT
Staying Sane: Managing Mental Health and Wellbeing in Tough Times
- Amy Lopez, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center
- Amanda Marin-Chollom, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Central Connecticut State University
- Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Representative, Colorado House District 30
- Moderator: Benjamin Wegner, PsyD, Therapist, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. MDT
The Art of Breaking Your Leg: Comedy as a Crutch
- Bonnie Burton, Author, Journalist, Comedian, TV and Games Writer, Show Host and Former Senior Editor at Lucasfilm
- Mike Reiss, Emmy Award-Winning Writer & Producer, The Simpsons
- Mark P. Stewart, Multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer and instrument designer
- Moderator: Patty Limerick, Professor of History and Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West, University of Colorado Boulder
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. MDT
Film Discussion
Ebert Interruptus II: Lovers Rock
Please Note: The interactive portion of the event has reached capacity, but we expect to admit people to fill empty “seats” at 6:50, and all are welcome to watch the discussion of the film live on the CWA YouTube channel
- Josh Larsen, Co-Host of radio show and podcast Filmspotting and Film Critic, Think Christian
- Moderator: Jamie Krutz, Music/Media Producer, CWA Film Committee Chair and CWA Arts Committee Co-Chair