
What is Face to Face?
The Face to Face Speaker Forum brings world-class speakers to Winston-Salem on an annual basis. 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.
Past Speakers
Since 1834, Wake Forest University has been proud to host countless prominent voices including Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Margaret Thatcher, Oprah Winfrey, and two Presidential debates. The Wake Forest University Face to Face Speaker Forum will continue this long legacy of bringing thought leaders to Winston-Salem for the benefit of our campus and community.
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Presidents of the United States
- George H.W. Bush
- George W. Bush
- Jimmy Carter
- Bill Clinton
- Gerald Ford
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Vice Presidents of the United States
- Joe Biden
- Al Gore
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First Ladies/Daughters of the United States
- Barbara Bush
- Hillary Clinton
- Chelsea Clinton
- Michelle Obama
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Supreme Court Justices of the United States
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- John Roberts
- Sandra Day O’Connor
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Presidential Cabinet Members, Presidential Advisors, and White House Officials
- John Bolton
- Erskine Bowles
- Elizabeth Dole
- David Gergen
- Jack Kemp
- Ray Marshall
- Mel Martinez
- Bill Moyers
- Peggy Noonan
- William Perry
- Gen. Colin Powell
- Condoleezza Rice
- Robert Rubin
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Members of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives
- Richard Burr
- Donna Edwards
- John Edwards
- Barbara Jordan
- Jack Kemp
- Mel Martinez
- John McCain
- George J. Mitchell
- Sam Nunn
- Ben Sasse
- Alan Simpson
- Frank Thompson
- John V. Tunney
- Mark Warner
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Governors of U.S. States
- Michael Dukakis
- James G. Martin
- Mark Warner
- Christine Todd Whitman
- Doug Wilder
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Leaders of Foreign Countries
- Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan
- Mary Robinson
- Margaret Thatcher
- Harry Woolf
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Prominent Civil Rights Leaders and Advocates of Social Justice
- Michelle Alexander
- Tarana Burke
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Bernice King
- Vernon Jordan
- Helen Prejean
- Vernon Jordan
- Muhammad Yunus
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Executives of Notable Non-Profit Organizations
- Charles Best
- Millard Fuller
- Jessica Jackley
- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
- Bonnie McElveen-Hunter
- Eboo Patel
- Jonathan Reckford
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CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies
- Duane Ackerman
- Ursula Burns
- Wayne Calloway
- Susan Cameron
- John T. Chambers
- Kenneth Chenault
- Larry Culp
- Daan Delen
- Michael Dell
- Mike Duke
- Charlie Ergen
- David Farr
- Christopher Galvin
- Lou Gerstner
- Jeff Immelt
- Robert Ingram
- William R. Johnson
- Hugh L. McColl, Jr.
- Bob McDonald
- Indra Nooyi
- David Novak
- Walter Robb
- Fred Ryan
- G. Kennedy Thompson
- Daniel Vasella
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Notable and Award-Winning Artists, Athletes, and Entertainers
- Patch Adams
- Maya Angelou
- Stephen Colbert
- Teju Cole
- Renée Goldsberry
- James Earl Jones
- Tony Kushner
- Common/Lonnie Rashid Lynn
- Arnold Palmer
- Chris Paul
- Ron Stallworth
- Garry Trudeau
- Michelle Williams [singer]
- Oprah Winfrey
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Notable and Award-Winning Authors and Journalists
- Jill Abramson
- Benjamin Bradlee
- David Brooks
- Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Tom Clancy
- E.J. Dionne
- Michael Eric Dyson
- Bob Edwards
- Daniel Ellsberg
- Thomas Friedman
- Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Cynthia Gorney
- John Grisham
- Al Hunt
- Gwen Ifill
- Carl Kasell
- Joe Klein
- Ted Koppel
- Jay Matthews
- Jon Meacham
- Peter Sagal
- George Saunders
- Bob Schieffer
- Margot Lee Shetterly
- Krista Tippett
- Judy Woodruff
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