UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Forum Speaker Series returns this fall with a lecture by long-distance hiker, author and entrepreneur Jennifer Pharr Davis on Sept. 15 in the Dean’s Hall of the Penn Stater Conference Center. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for a buffet luncheon, with the lecture beginning at 1 p.m.
Pharr Davis' lecture is titled, “Trailblazer: Hard Earned Lessons from the Appalachian Trail and Beyond.” The Appalachian Trail runs 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine. Pharr Davis has hiked it three separate times and has collected countless stories and lessons along the way — stories that convey the importance of maintaining vision and direction, of communicating clearly and directly with your team, and of embracing temporary discomfort to achieve the end goal.
All events are open to faculty, staff, students and the general public. Tickets for the Penn State Forum are $25 each, or $250 for a table of 10, and include a buffet lunch. Tickets can be purchased at this event link.
The Penn State Forum Speaker Series is modeled after the National Press Club Speaker Series, which includes a presentation by an invited speaker, followed by audience questions.
Additional speakers in the 2023-24 series include:
- Oct. 23 — Patrick Evans, 1990 Penn State alumnus and special assistant for public affairs for the Secretary of the Navy
- Feb. 21, 2024 — Lori Hepner, 2023-24 Penn State Laureate and professor of arts at Penn State Greater Allegheny
- March 29, 2024 — Lisa Salters, Emmy-winning sports reporter and ESPN sideline reporter