Rockhurst University Leadership Series to Host Bestselling Author and New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman

Bestselling author of “The World is Flat” and New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman will be the guest of the 2022 Rockhurst University Leadership Series, speaking on “Helping Today’s Leaders Understand Big Trends Shaping the World: Economics, Technology, and Geopolitics” at a talk followed by a reception, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 24, 2022, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. 

As “the country's best newspaper columnist” according to Vanity Fair, Friedman is renowned for his direct reporting and accessible analysis of complex issues shaping the world. According to Foreign Policy magazine, “Friedman doesn’t just report on events; he helps shape them.” A three-time Pulitzer Prize Winner, he has covered monumental stories from around the globe for The New York Times since 1981. 

With clear and compelling language, Friedman discusses the opportunities and challenges that profound “accelerations,” including technology and connectivity, pose for society as well as for individuals, businesses, and governments. He also explores solutions — on a local and global level — to ensure the future of work, skills, income, and prosperity. In his latest bestseller, “Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations,” Friedman offers a blueprint for overcoming the stresses and challenges of a world being transformed by technology, globalization and climate change. 

During the event, the University will honor an alumnus/alumna with the Rashford-Lyon Award for Leadership and Ethics, named for two influential leaders in Rockhurst University’s Helzberg School of Management — the late Tom Lyon, Ph.D., and the Rev. Nick Rashford, S.J. — and established in 2014. This year’s recipient is Joe Reardon, ’90, the president and chief executive officer for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Prior, he served two terms as mayor and CEO of the Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County and as president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. In all of those roles and in his work as an adjunct instructor at Rockhurst University, Reardon emphasizes cooperation as a way to achieve big things for the region regardless of state lines or city limits.

For information about sponsorship or tickets, contact Amy Reardon, director of foundation and corporate relations, at amy.reardon@rockhurst.edu.