About the Program

In fall 2020, the Office of the President at Wake Forest University launched the Face to Face Speaker Forum to benefit Wake Forest and the Winston-Salem community. This series brings world-class names to Winston-Salem, catalyzing unifying conversations in the community and provides opportunities for people of all walks of life to engage in intellectual experiences. The events in each season cover a variety of topics, including political affairs, arts & culture, innovation & business, and social justice & global issues.

Not only does this program bring our community face to face with world-class individuals, but it also helps provide unparalleled access and experiences for need-based student scholars at Wake Forest and for students from area schools. Your support of Face to Face helps underwrite the events and allows more funds to go toward student scholarships.

Pillars for Speaker Selection

Political Affairs

With this pillar, we feature two figures from different political perspectives in a civil conversation moderated by a notable journalist. It is a high priority to represent various political views.

Social Justice and Global Issues

Speakers in this pillar are individuals who are agents of change in areas of social justice, international affairs and/or matters affecting marginalized populations.

Arts and Culture

Primarily “household name” celebrities from a field of entertainment, speakers in this pillar are not chosen based on star power alone, but on their ability to speak in a compelling way on a matter of substance.

Innovation and Business

These speakers are prominent figures in science or economics who are recognized as leading voices in innovation, research and/or economic growth in our world.