A former acting general counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency, the nation’s top expert on current events in Ukraine and a leading anti-corruption activist are among the upcoming speakers at the Cazenovia Forum, Central New York’s premier public affairs lecture series, which recently announced its 2015 lineup.
Kicking off the 2015 season will be Gabriel Sayegh of the Drug Policy Alliance, a national organization that works to advance effective drug policies guided by science, equity and compassion. Sayegh’s lecture, scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, March 20, at the Catherine Cummings Theatre in Cazenovia, will focus on the War on Drugs and options for reforming drug control policies.
On Friday, May 1, the speaker will be Adrian Karatnycky, currently senior fellow with the Atlantic Council in New York, who is the former president of Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom around the world. An expert on business and political affairs in the former Soviet states, Karatnycky frequently appears as a guest commentator in major print and broadcast media regarding the unfolding events in Ukraine.
On Friday, Sept. 11, the Forum will host John Rizzo, who served as deputy counsel and acting general counsel of the CIA for the first nine years of the War on Terror and who was closely involved in the Bush Administration’s approval of controversial “enhanced interrogation techniques” used by the agency to gain information from terror suspects.
Closing out the 2015 series on Friday, Oct. 9, will be Zephyr Teachout, an associate professor of law at Fordham University, who challenged New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in last year’s Democratic primary election. Teachout is a leading campaigner against public corruption and in 2014 authored the book, “Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United.”
Venues for the last three lectures will be announced shortly before they take place. All events will be free of charge and no reservations will be required. The lectures are followed by an audience question and answer session, and an open reception will follow each event.
The Cazenovia Forum is a not-for-profit organization established in 2006 by community members focused on promoting the understanding and discussion of national and international issues. By organizing and underwriting lecture events featuring nationally-known experts, the group intends to further Cazenovia’s commitment to knowledge-seeking and community involvement.
More information can be found at cazenoviaforum.com.
