Comey, Shaq, Wikipedia founder among 2019 RCLA series speakers

Before actress Ali Wentworth closed out this year’s Ringling College Library Association Town Hall Lecture Series on April 9, incoming RCLA Town Hall chairwoman Mitzie Henson unveiled the line-up for next year’s series during the final 2018 lecture event at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

“From politics to technology to athletics, our speakers for the 39th annual lecture series will deliver their insights on timely national and global issues,”  said Henson.

Subscription tickets for RCLA members for the 2019 series will go on sale in on May 1.

NBA star Shaquille O'Neal

Retired professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal will open the series on Jan. 21, 2019. O'Neal is a four-time NBA champion and an analyst on TNT's "Inside the NBA." 

Former FBI Director James Comey

On Feb. 4, Comey will speak on his service as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2013 to 2017. He is now the 2017–2018 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy at Howard University.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales

Wales will speak on Feb. 18. Along with establishing the free collaborative online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, he also founded WikiTribune, an ad-free news platform, and co-founded Wikia, a free web hosting service. 

U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy

Kennedy, an attorney who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, will speak on March 4. She has co-authored books on civil liberties and edited four best-selling books on topics including poetry and civics. 

Political scientist Ian Bremmer

Bremmer, an author and entrepreneur specializing in politics, will close the 2019 Town Hall series on April 11. Bremmer is the president and founder of Eurasia Group, a leading global political risk research and consulting firm. He is also the foreign affairs columnist and editor-at-large for "Time" magazine.