Whitworth University announces Spokane appearances by former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Pulitzer-winning journalist Katherine Boo
March 21, 2018 Updated Wed., March 21, 2018 at 9:31 p.m.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is scheduled to speak Oct. 12 at the Spokane Convention Center during an event hosted by Whitworth University. (Courtesy of Whitworth University)
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a former U.S. secretary of state will be the featured speakers at two upcoming conferences hosted by Whitworth University.
Katherine Boo, the author of a bestselling book about poverty titled “Behind the Beautiful Forevers,” will deliver a speech April 24, and Colin Powell, the retired Army general who served as secretary of state under President George W. Bush, is scheduled to speak Oct. 12.
Their appearances at the Spokane Convention Center will headline the Whitworth President’s Leadership Forums. Tickets for the spring event, featuring Boo, cost $35. Tickets for the fall event, featuring Powell, cost $75. Companies can reserve tables for up to 10 people. Reservations must be made at whitworth.edu/leadershipforum.
In a news release announcing Powell’s scheduled appearance, Whitworth President Beck Taylor said: “I am pleased that General Powell has accepted Whitworth’s invitation to visit our city during this important and contentious time in our nation’s history. General Powell’s experience, insights and unique perspectives will provide the context for what I’m sure will be an enlightening and thought-provoking appearance.”
Past speakers at Whitworth’s leadership forums, which started in 2012, have included Michael Lewis, author of “The Big Short” and “Moneyball,” CNN host and author Fareed Zakaria, New York Times columnist David Brooks, AOL co-founder Steve Case and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
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