Distinguished Speaker Series
The Distinguished Speaker Series will not be held in 2023-2024
The Bakersfield College Distinguished Speaker Series brings community leaders from around the world to Bakersfield whose achievements have had national and/or international significance. Each speaker was proposed to BCSGA by either a department or a faculty member. Collaborations between many entities on campus make these events successful each year!
The events are free and open to the public.
For more information, please email studentlife@bakersfieldcollege.edu
Accommodations are available with advanced notice, please contact the Office of Student Life, studentlife@bakersfieldcollege.edu.
Past Distinguished Speakers
2022-2023
- Aron Ralston: Adventurer, Advocate, and Survivalist
- Dr. James Lindsay: Author, Mathematician, Commentator
- Rev. James Lawson: Pioneer, Strategist of Non-violence, Revolutionary Activist
- Mark Rabbitt: Speaker, Trainer, Leadership Authority
- Evan Austin: Paralympic, Medalist, Coach
- Dr. Eddie R. Cole: Author, Professor, Scholar
- Kwame Anthony Appiah: Ethicist, Arbiter, Philosopher
- Dr. Rosemarie Zagarri: Historian, Author, Professor
- Will Gadd: Athlete, Adventurist, Guide
- Dr. Melanie Lundquist: Philanthropist, Visionary, Advocate
2021-2022
- James Fitzgerald: Criminal Profiler, Forensic Linguist, Author
- Dr. Pamela Douglas: Researcher, Professor, Healthcare
- Dr. Moogega Cooper: Trailblazer, Engineer, NASA
- Justin Hansford: Law Professor, Civil Rights Activist, Scholar
- Erika Sanchez: Novelist, Poet, Feminist
2020-2021
- Fredi Lajvardi: STEM, Robotics
- Louie Cruz Beltran: Master Percussionist, Superb Singer, Versatile Entertainer
- Victor Davis Hanson: Military History, Classics, Educator
- Beverly Gooden: Empowerment, Advocate, Overcomer
- David French: Senior Editor, Columnist, Bestselling Author
- Gordon Bellamy: USC Professor, Game Designer for Madden NFL Football
- Elaine Weiss: Journalist, Writer, Suffrage Activist
- Barry Scheck: Attorney, DNA expert, co-founder of The Innocence Project
