
Tony Bennett
Former University of Virginia Head Men’s Basketball Coach
“A Conversation with Tony Bennett”
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 (7:30PM)
Harrison Opera House
Three-time National Coach of the Year Tony Bennett was a collegiate head coach for 18 seasons. He served three seasons at Washington State before 15 seasons at the University of Virginia. Bennett’s teams made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, four Sweet 16’s, two Elite Eights, one Final Four and won the national championship in 2019. He posted a 433-169 (.719) career record, guiding Virginia to six ACC regular-season titles, two ACC Tournament championship and the school’s lone national championship. Bennett led UVA to a 364-136 record, including 30 or more wins in four seasons. Bennett ranks third in career ACC winning percentage (with a minimum of 15 years in the league) behind legendary coaches Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski, winning 69.7 percent of regular-season league contests. The four-time ACC Coach of the Year led the Cavaliers to ACC regular-season titles in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2023 and a pair of ACC Tournament championships in 2014 and 2018. He was named National Coach of the Year at Washington State in 2007 and Virginia in 2014 and 2018.
Bennett posted a 69-33 record in three seasons as head coach at Washington State from 2007-09, guiding the Cougars to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance. Bennett guided the Cougars to 26 wins and first NCAA Sweet 16 berth in school history in 2008. Bennett also served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin and Washington State. He starred for his father, Dick Bennett, as a point guard at Green Bay from 1989-92. His 49.7 career 3-point field goal percentage is still an NCAA record. Bennett played three seasons in the NBA for the Charlotte Hornets. Bennett and his wife, Laurel, have two children – a daughter, Anna, and a son, Eli.

David Baldacci
Global #1 Bestselling Author and One of the World’s Favorite Storytellers
Tuesday, November 17, 2026 (7:30PM)
Harrison Opera House
David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. In total, David has published 53 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. The International Thriller Writers awarded Baldacci’s novel To Die For as the 2025 Best Series Novel. In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist and is the cofounder, along with his wife, Michelle, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. He was selected as the 2024 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion in recognition of his decades of work devoted to literacy advocacy.
A lifelong Virginian, David received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law in Washington, D.C.
David invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.

Dr. Wendy Suzuki
Seryl Kushner Dean of the College of Arts and Science at NYU, and Professor of Neural Science and Psychology
Tuesday, February 2, 2027 (7:30PM)
Harrison Opera House
Dr. Wendy Suzuki is a world-renowned neuroscientist, a celebrated international authority on neuroplasticity, and a dynamic speaker frequently in-demand for her energetic and motivational keynotes. She is breaking boundaries as the first Asian-American Dean of the College of Arts and Science at New York University and a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology. She is a passionate thought leader, spreading the understanding of how we can use the principles of brain plasticity to maximize our brain’s performance and transform our lives for the better. She regularly serves as a sought-after expert for publications including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The Washington Post. Her TED talk has more than 65 million views and she is the author of two books, Good Anxiety and Healthy Brain, Happy Life. She recently released a course on MasterClass entitled Brain Health.
Dr. Suzuki’s Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion is a guidebook for how to harness the power of anxiety into unexpected gifts. Dr. Suzuki draws on cutting-edge research and her own intimate struggles with anxiety, encouraging readers to not see anxiety as a curse, but as a unique gift that they can leverage to help solve life’s problems. By including concrete practical strategies that anyone can do themselves, Good Anxiety is accessible and inspiring, training readers on how to use anxiety to eliminate social anxiety, sleeplessness, fear of performance or public speaking, and much more.
Dr. Suzuki’s previous book, Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program to Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better, explores the biological connection between exercise, mindfulness, and action. She tells her story of nearing forty while at the pinnacle of her career before waking up to a startling reality: despite her professional success, she was overweight, lonely, and tired. Healthy Brain, Happy Life shares how exercising helped her not only get fit, but also improved her memory and helped her become sharper and more energized. In this fascinating book, Dr. Suzuki accessibly teaches readers how they can make their body feel alive while activating their brains.
Passionate about teaching, Dr. Suzuki is currently a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University. She received her undergraduate degree in physiology and human anatomy at the University of California, Berkeley before earning her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University of California, San Diego. Dr. Suzuki also teaches a form of exercise called intenSati and is the CEO of BrainBody, a platform that educates participants on the brain-enhancing effects of exercise.
With an innovative speaking style, Dr. Suzuki has traveled all over the world virtually and physically to help audiences easily understand the neuroscience behind how to drastically improve their lives. Her infamous TED talk on the brain-changing benefits of exercise has received more than 31 million views on Facebook and was the 2nd most viewed TED talk of 2018. In her keynotes and presentations, Dr. Suzuki energizes audiences with her dynamic speaking and physical exercises. She implores crowds to get off their feet, engage both their mind and body, and transform their ways of thinking and living.

Daymond John
Shark Tank Investor, Entrepreneur, and FUBU CEO
Tuesday, April 27, 2027 (7:30PM)
Harrison Opera House
An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Daymond John has come a long way from taking out a $100,000 mortgage on his mother’s house and moving his business operation into its basement. John is CEO and Founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry with billions in product sales world-wide. Former President Barack Obama appointed Daymond John a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) to harness his energy, ideas, and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs both at home and abroad.
John is an award-winning entrepreneur and has received 100s of awards including the Brand Week Marketer of the Year, Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and was named #2 on LinkedIn’s Top 20 Voices, a list of the top influencers, who are using their voice to help us analyze today’s changing world of work, navigate our industries, and find balance. Most recently, Real Leaders Magazine ranked Daymond John oneoftheTop20 Keynote Speakers in the World for 2024!
His marketing strategies and ability to build successful brands has made him a highly influential consultant and motivational speaker today. His marketing firm The Shark Group offers advice on how to effectively communicate to consumers through innovative means and connects brands with the world’s top celebrities for everything from endorsements to product extensions.
John is also an author of 6 best-selling books including his New York Times best-sellers, The Power of Broke (2016) and Rise and Grind (2018).He released his fifth book, Powershift in 2020 that walks through his tried-and-true process of how to transform any situation, close any deal and achieve any out- come. John’s most recent book, Little Daymond Learns to Earn (2023) is his first for kids, reached the New York Times and Amazon best-seller list the first week of its release. The book addresses the current void of educating our children about money in a fun and engaging story for parents and kids to connect. John’s mission is to continue challenging the status quo and leave a lasting legacy of inspiring other leaders to do the same.
Finally, John is celebrating his 17th season on ABC TV’s critically acclaimed business reality show Shark Tank by renowned producer Mark Burnett, which has reinvigorated entrepreneurship around the world. Shark Tank has now gone on to win five Emmy® in the US and millions of weekly viewers world-wide tune into the show as John demonstrates his marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights.