Veteran political strategist Donna Brazile and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer will participate in a discussion about the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections as Northeastern Illinois University presents the sixth installment of the Daniel L. Goodwin Distinguished Lecture Series on Sept. 12. Politics, the Press, and the Presidential Election: A Discussion with Donna Brazile and Sean Spicer will be moderated by Phil Ponce, host of WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight.”
The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium on the Main Campus, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago. A limited number of free tickets (up to two per person) will be available to students, faculty, staff and retirees with a valid Northeastern ID or ID number. Free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 9 a.m. on Aug. 26, at the Recital Hall Box Office on the Main Campus or by calling (773) 442-4636. Tickets will be sold to the general public for $10 beginning at noon on Aug. 27 through neiu.edu/tickets.
Brazile is the former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee and the author of the New York Times best-seller “Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House” and the 2004 best-selling memoir “Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics.” Brazile was formerly a contributor to ABC News and CNN. Brazile has a previous connection to Northeastern: The University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the May 2013 Commencement ceremony in honor of her achievements, and Brazile delivered an address to the graduates.
In addition to being the former White House Press Secretary, Spicer is the author of the New York Times best-seller “The Briefing: Politics, The Press, and The President,” about the Trump administration’s first year and the 2016 campaign. Before serving in the Trump administration, Spicer served as a House of Representatives communicator, assistant U.S. trade representative, chief strategist of the Republican National Committee and top advisor to presidential campaigns.
Ponce began at WTTW in 1992 as a correspondent for “Chicago Tonight” and substitute for longtime host John Callaway. In 1997, Ponce joined the Washington, D.C.-based “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” as an anchor. Two years later, Ponce returned to Chicago to host “Chicago Tonight,” where he is the Alexandra and John Nichols Chief Correspondent.
The Daniel L. Goodwin Distinguished Lecture Series was created in 2015 by Daniel L. Goodwin, Chairman and CEO of Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc., as part of his historic $2.5 million commitment to Northeastern Illinois University. The lecture series fund supports freedom of speech by providing prominent and well-respected thinkers representing all sides of issues to the University for presentations through conferences, seminars and major lectures. The lecture series has previously featured Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee, journalism icons Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, political pundits James Carville and Mary Matalin, environmental activist Erin Brockovich and financial expert Terry Savage.
