New “Cape Cod Speaker Series” starts in August

Press release from Cape Cod Community College.

Beginning in August of this year, Cape Cod will bring nationally known experts to the community through the newly formed Cape Cod Speaker Series. Modeled after similar series in Boston, San Francisco, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, the Cape Cod Speaker Series will feature national thought leaders speaking year-round at the Tilden Arts Center at Cape Cod Community College.

Jonathan L. Zittrain, professor of international law at Harvard Law School, will be the first speaker in the series. His lecture, “The Genius, Eccentricities, and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence,” will take place on Tuesday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Tilden Arts Center. Zittrain, who is also a professor of computer science at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is co-founder of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society and author of several books on technology.

The Cape Cod Speaker Series was started by a group of Cape Codders interested in bringing national voices to the region. Encouraged and advised by David Gergen, former press secretary to President Ronald Reagan and advisor to three other presidents, the group established the Speaker Series as a nonprofit organization, with all surplus, after funds were set aside for future activities, going to financially support students at Cape Cod Community College.

“Since we have been coming to Cape Cod every summer, first as renters and now as owners, my wife and I have been amazed by the community spirit that exists here,” said Gergen. “So we are taking the next step with our friends and neighbors: We are creating a lecture series where we invite celebrities to share their wisdom and joy. We are all in the same boat!”

Tickets for Zittrain’s presentation are available at:
https://www.capecodspeakers.org

Tickets for the next Speaker Series guest, Steven Levitsky, professor of Latin American studies and government at Harvard University, will go on sale soon.

“After months of discussions with many dedicated volunteers, we are excited to finally launch the Speaker Series this summer,” said Gene D. Guill, President of the Cape Cod Speaker Series. “Our communities deserve the same cultural and educational opportunities as our friends in Boston and beyond. I am very grateful for the hard work and dedication of my fellow volunteers in putting the program together and for Cape Cod Community College in hosting us. We can’t wait to get started.”

The Cape Cod Speaker Series welcomes anyone who would like to get involved as a volunteer or donor and is now accepting inquiries and applications. For more information about the series and upcoming events, visit capecodspeakers.org.