Leo Hill Leadership Speaker Series

Doris Kearns Goodwin with Chancellor DiStefano

Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning, Doris Kearns Goodwin during her visit in January of 2020

Abigail Posner speaking in front of a crown

Abigail Posner, head of strategy for Google’s Brand Unit at Macky Auditorium in March 2019

Dr. Robert Gates on stage with Chancellor Phil DiStefano

Dr. Robert Gates on stage with Chancellor Phil DiStefano

Dr. Mae Jemison speaking
Molly Bloom on stage with Chancellor Phil DiStefano

Molly Bloom speaks with Chancellor Phil DiStefano at the 2023 Leo Hill Leadership Speaker Series

General Stanley McChrystal on stage

General Stanley McChrystal addresses the crowd at the sixth annual Leo Hill Leadership Speaker Series in 2022

One of the goals of the Newton Leadership Chair in enhancing leadership development is to expose students to recognized leaders in multiple fields by bringing them to campus. Providing students the opportunity to hear from world leaders about their own leadership development, growth, and advice as leaders is an important aspect of a student’s own leadership growth.

The annual Leo Hill Leadership Speaker Series was created to meet this goal. Speakers are selected with the following criteria in mind.

  • Accomplished leaders of people whose efforts resulted in the achievement of clear goals.
  • Leaders whose activities and influence have had a global impact
  • Leaders with strong name recognition to ensure campus and community-wide interest and attendance at the primary speaking event.
  • Engaging speakers with outstanding social skills to connect with students.

The Leadership Speaker Series is named for Leo Hill, a prominent figure and leader in Colorado’s banking history and a most generous financial supporter to many Boulder institutions including the University of Colorado. Before his banking career began, Leo Hill served as Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer for CU and worked directly with President Quigg Newton. Leo was a founding contributor to the Newton Leadership Chair Endowment and through his estate the Leo Hill Leadership Speaker Series was created.

The series has included numerous prestigious individuals from different disciplines and areas of expertise. Below is the comprehensive list of speakers:

2023 - David Gergen: Political Commentator & Former Presidential Adviser
           Read about his visit: Grit, humor: Key ingredients for leadership
2023 - Rose Marcario: Former Patagonia CEO
           Read about her visit: Leadership is Love
2023 - Molly Bloom: CU Boulder alumna, bestselling author and entrepreneur
           Read about her visit: When the dealin’s done: Molly Bloom counts lessons from the poker table and beyond
2022 - Stanley McChrystal: Retired Army General, business leader, and author
           Read about his visit: Leadership in Times of Uncertainty
2021 - David Brooks: Founder and Executive Director of Weave: The Social Fabric Project
           Read about his virtual visit: How to live a richer life and build community
2020 - Doris Kearns Goodwin: Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author
           Read about her visit: Noted presidential historian reflects on America's tumultuous past
2019 - Abigail Posner: Head of Strategy for Google's Brand Unit
           Read about her visit: 4 keys to unlocking creativity from Google’s brand strategist
2018 - Dr. Mae Jemison: Engineer, physician, and former NASA mission specialist
           Read about her visit: 'If you want a seat at the table, you can have one'
2017 - Dr. Robert Gates: Former 22nd United States Secretary of Defense, 2006-2011
           Read about his visit: Gates gives recipe for effective leadership

For information on upcoming Leo Hill Leadership Speaker Series events, please click here.

Video Archive

For the lecture below, all members of the public can watch for free by clicking the link.

David Brooks, February 2021

For the lectures below, all CU Boulder students, faculty and staff can watch the recordings of the Leo Hill Speaker Series at the links below in Microsoft Stream with your identikey login.