Robert Gates To Speak At Indian Wells Speakers Series
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be the featured speaker at the Desert Town Hall lecture series on March 5, the board president announced today as tickets went on sale for the 2012 season.
“(Gates) is a man of great stature, who will have much to share with our audience,” lecture series board president Brian Harnik said.
Gates is scheduled to speak at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa. He was the 22nd secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011 and the only one asked to remain in that office by a new president. On Gates’ last day in office, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.
The rest of the lineup for the 2012 season will be announced in the fall.
Past speakers include George W. Bush, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
“We remain focused on bringing the finest speakers from around the world,” Harnik said.
The lecture series, which started in 1993, is sponsored local companies, organizations and philanthropists. Desert Forum, Inc., a nonprofit group, produces Desert Town Hall, and a portion of the cost of tickets is tax- deductible, Harnik said. About 40 people volunteer to put on the series, which sells out annually, he said.
Desert Forum invites 150 local high school and college students to attend each lecture, and the speaker meets with the students while he or she is in town, Harnik said.
