Transformational Voices | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of ECU News Services. The author of this post is Lacey L. Gray.


The 2022-23 season of Harriot College’s Voyages of Discovery Series focuses on transformational voices and making a difference through sustainability, activism and diversity.
    East Carolina University's Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences will launch the 16th season of its Voyages of Discovery Series this fall, featuring three experts who will address the topics of sustainability through energy and innovation; activism, empowerment and justice; and diversity, race and identity in America.

    The season opens on Oct. 27 with Vijay Vaitheeswaran, award-winning author and editor of The Economist, who will discuss "Energy and Innovation in a Disruptive World."

    Vaitheeswaran is a leading authority on China, global health, international trade, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. As editor of The Economist, he covers the energy and utility industries, clean energy transitions, climate innovations, and low carbon technologies. He delivers an incisive perspective on America's climate and green infrastructure efforts, and keeps a watchful eye on trends and corporate pledges of net-zero emissions, looking for signs of promise as well as greenwashing.

    His opinion pieces have appeared in leading publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The New York Times, and Foreign Policy, and he frequently appears on CNBC, Bloomberg, MSNBC, BBC and NPR.

    On Dec. 8, Carmen Perez, president and CEO of The Gathering for Justice and co-founder of Justice League NYC and Justice League CA - two state-based task forces for advancing a juvenile and criminal justice reform agenda - will visit campus to discuss "There's a Land for Everyone."

    Perez was one of the co-chairs of the 2017 Women's March on Washington, which drew more than 5 million people from across the globe, and she is co-founder of Poderistas, a digital lifestyle community that inspires, affirms and informs Latinas to leverage their power to transform lives.

    In addition to being named one of Fortune's Top 50 World Leaders, one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People, Glamour Women of the Year and Forbes' 100 Mujeres Mas Poderosas, Perez was an invited speaker at Harvard University, Columbia University and the University of California - Santa Cruz. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including TIME, Newsweek, MSNBC and Univision.

    On March 2, the series will conclude with bestselling author Jason Mott. The North Carolinian will lead a discussion about his national award-winning novel "Hell Of A Book," in which he discusses the impact and reality of race and identity on the American landscape.

    Mott earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in fiction and his Master of Fine Arts in poetry from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His writing has appeared in various literary journals, and he is the author of four novels.

    Among its many awards, "Hell Of A Book" won the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction, and was a Jenna Bush Hager "Read With Jenna" Book Club pick, Carnegie Medals For Excellence in Fiction Longlist selection, a 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist selection, a Joyce Carol Oates Prize Longlist selection and the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Prize for Fiction winner. Following his presentation, Mott will sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase at the event.

    "This season's Voyages speakers reflect the range of our college's disciplines, perspectives and society's most pressing issues," said Dr. Allison S. Danell, dean of Harriot College. "We invite you to hear from their transformational voices and gather with us in an exploration of how to make a difference through activism, diversity and sustainability."

    Special-access receptions with guest speakers are held prior to each public presentation. Season tickets to the discussions and individual tickets to receptions and discussions are available online, through the ECU Central Ticket Office, or by calling 252-328-4788 or toll free at 1-800-328-2787.

    All event dates, times and locations are subject to change. Individuals requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should call 252-737-1018 or email ada-coordinator@ecu.ecu at least 48 hours prior to the event.

    Each Voyages presentation is free for ECU faculty, staff and students (reception not included). Tickets are required. To receive a free ticket, visit the ECU Central Ticket Office, located in the Main Campus Student Center, and present a valid ECU 1 Card.

    The series is made possible through contributions from Harriot College's Dean's Advancement Council, WITN, other university organizations and many additional friends and supporters. For more information or to contribute, visit Support the Series.