Connecticut Forum (organization)

Founded by Richard and Doris Sugarman in 1992, the Connecticut Forum is a non-profit organization in Hartford, CT that hosts four public forums annually. These events bring together leaders in public policy, the arts, science, technology, and the media to engage in a facilitated conversation.

The Mission of The Connecticut Forum

The Connecticut Forum's mission is to encourage the free and active exchange of ideas in Forums which inform, challenge, entertain, inspire, and build bridges among all people and organizations in our community. Each program draws approximately 2500+ people.

In addition to organizing and hosting the forum events, the Connecticut Forum also sponsors The Connecticut YOUTH Forum which brings together over 750 students, 30 school districts and over 40 high schools and community organizations that serve youth, in discussion of important issues, sharing, learning and interaction, in Monthly Meetings and in a Leadership Network, field trips, workplace and college visits.

The Forum’s Ticket Outreach Program which offers 250 tickets per theater event to individuals who might not otherwise take part in Forum evenings. Tickets are offered to YOUTH Forum members, to other youth and to community residents through community based organizations, civic associations, and grass roots neighborhood groups.

History of Connecticut Forum Guests

1992-1993

OCTOBER 16, 1992 THE CHANGING POLITICAL LANDSCAPE Bob Beckel, Ron Brown, Pat Buchanan, Ann Lewis, William Proxmire, John Sununu Moderator: Lesley Stahl

FEBRUARY 6, 1993 STRAIGHT TALK AND HONEST ANSWERS ABOUT AIDS
Arthur Ashe, Mary Fisher, Larry Kramer, Dr. Robert Gallo, Jeanne White, Shepherd Smith, Jr., Dr. Victor D'Lugin Moderator: Dr. Bob Arnot

APRIL 3, 1993 DR. HUXTABLE COMES TO HARTFORD A Night of Entertainment with Bill Cosby MAY 22, 1993 FOCUS ON RACE RELATIONS
Chuck D., William Gray, III, William F. Buckley, Jr., Dr. Betty Shabazz, Edward James Olmos, Chief Daryl Gates Moderator: Charles Ogletree

1993-1994

OCTOBER 15, 1993 IS IT NEWS OR ENTERTAINMENT?
Sam Donaldson, Mary Matalin, Bernard Kalb Moderator: Phil Donahue

FEBRUARY 5, 1994 CHILDREN & EDUCATION, A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE Senator Christopher Dodd, Joseph Califano, Eddie Davis, Vincent Ferrandino, Moderator: Linda Ellerbee

APRIL 7, 1994 BUSINESS LEADERS - LOOKING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY Ron Compton, Michael Bloomberg, John Naisbitt, Jack Trout, Jimmy Rogers Moderator: Charlie Rose

MAY 20, 1994 AMERICAN WOMEN IN FOCUS - BREAKING NEW GROUND
Billie Jean King, Eileen Kraus, Faye Wattleton, Sarah Brady, Ellen Goodman Moderator: Deborah Norville

1994-1995

OCTOBER 22, 1994 GLOBAL AFFAIRS - A CHANGING U.S. ROLE
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Henry Kissinger Moderator: Hodding Carter

JANUARY 28, 1995 THE LEGAL SYSTEM ON TRIAL
Bob Bennett, Ralph Nader, Dan Quayle, Edwin Meese, III, Lani Guinier Moderator: Arthur Miller

MARCH 25, 1995 ABOUT DEATH AND DYING
Derek Humphry, Sherwin Nuland, Margaret Farley, Geoffrey Fieger, Paul Armstrong Moderator: Stephen Carter

MAY 19, 1995 SPORTS PERSONALITIES, HEROES? ROLE MODELS? ORDINARY PEOPLE?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Rick Pitino, Robin Roberts, Sterling Sharpe, Chris Webber Moderator: Frank Deford

1995-1996

NOVEMBER 2, 199590 MINUTES WITH 60 MINUTES
Lesley Stahl, Morley Safer, Andy Rooney Moderator: Colin McEnroe

JANUARY 5, 1996VALUES AND ETHICS IN TODAY'S AMERICA
Joycelyn Elders, Arianna Huffington, Joe Marshall, Tony Snow, Nadine Strossen Moderator: Father Tom Hartman

MARCH 30, 1996 A CONVERSATION BETWEEN Jack Kemp & Mario Cuomo Moderator: Judy Jarvis

MAY 31, 1996 CHANGING POLITICAL LANDSCAPE...THE SEQUEL
James Carville, Molly Ivins, Oliver North, Ralph Reed Moderator: Gwen Ifill

1996-1997

NOVEMBER 1, 1996 A SPOOF ON PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS
Rob Bartlett, Bob Englehart, Al Franken, Jeff Greenfield

JANUARY 30, 1997 CYBERLIFE: TECHNOLOGY’S IMPACT ON ALL WE DO
Mary Catherine Bateson, Christopher Janney, Jaron Lanier, Nicholas Negroponte, Kim Polese Moderator: Michael Kinsley

MARCH 18, 1997 HEROES AMONG US
Morris Dees, Henry Fernandez, Dr. William Magee, Marc Rubera, Cathrine Sneed, Rachel Wheeler-Rossow, Neil Willenson Moderator: Charlie Rose

MAY 29,1997 A CONVERSATION ABOUT LEADERSHIP
Katharine Graham and Norman Schwarzkopf Moderator: Chris Wallace

1997-1998

OCTOBER 4, 1997 MOOD & MENTAL HEALTH IN AMERICA
Art Buchwald, Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, George McGovern, Dr. Robert Michels Moderator: Dick Cavett

MARCH 14, 1998 GROWING UP WITH TV
Edward Asner, Florence Henderson, Flip Wilson, Henry Winkler Moderator: Will Miller

MAY 30, 1998 THE SPIRIT IN OUR LIVES – SEARCH FOR PERSONAL MEANING Joan Borysenko, Thomas Moore, Cornel West, M.T. Winter Moderator: Bill Moyers

JUNE 27, 1998 THE WISDOM OF SAGES
William F. Buckley, Jr., Gordon Parks, Gloria Steinem, Studs Terkel Moderator: Pete Hamill

1998-1999

NOVEMBER 12, 1998 BRAVE NEW WORLD OR RETURN OF FRANKENSTEIN? Dr. David Kessler, Dr. Willard Gaylin, Rabbi Marc Gellman, Dr. Bonnie Steinbock, Dr. Gillian Woollett Moderator: Dr. Peter Salgo

FEBRUARY 6, 1999 THE WONDERS OF CREATIVITY
Jane Alexander, Danny Glover, Howard Gardner, Werner Pfeiffer, Gene Wilder Moderator: Kim Taylor-Thompson

APRIL 20, 1999 A WORLD OF BUSINESS
Laura D’Andrea Tyson, Todd Krizelman, Stephan Paternot, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Bill Taylor, Michael Moore Moderator: Stuart Varney

MAY 21, 1999 INTEGRITY AND THE MEDIA
Walter Cronkite, Mike McCurry, Ben Bradlee Moderator: Rita Braver

1999-2000

OCTOBER 30, 1999 CRUELTY, VIOLENCE AND MORALITY
Alec Baldwin, Gerry Spence, William Pollack, Alan Keyes, Glenda Hatchett Moderator: Charles Ogletree

DECEMBER 4, 1999 GLOBAL ISSUES…GLOBAL VIEWS
George Mitchell, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Benazir Bhutto, Merle and Marshall Goldman Moderator: Ray Suarez

FEBRUARY 4, 2000 EXPLORERS & ADVENTURERS
Robert Ballard, Susan Butcher, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Tom Whittaker Moderator: Diana Nyad

APRIL 27, 2000 A CONVERSATION BETWEEN William Bennett AND Robert Reich Moderator: Margaret Warner

2000-2001

September 28, 2000 WHAT 'S SO FUNNY?
Joan Rivers, Robert Klein, D.L. Hughley Moderator: Will Miller

November 30, 2000 A HISTORICAL EVENING
Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Halberstam, Manning Marable Moderator: Ben Wattenberg

February 16, 2001 WHAT IS THE AMERICAN FAMILY?
John Rosemond, Geoffrey Canada, Michelle Shinseki, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Eli Newberger Moderator: Forrest Sawyer

May 4, 2001 A CONVERSATION BETWEEN Toni Morrison AND Frank McCourt Moderator: Juan Williams

2001-2002

October 18, 2001 BEING BLACK
Spike Lee, Bill Russell, Anita Hill, Stanley Crouch, and Jamila Wideman Moderator: Charles Ogletree

November 29, 2001 THE POWER OF MUSIC
Bob Weir, Beverly Sills, Nicholas Payton, Trey Anastasio Moderator: Bill Flanagan

February 16, 2002 OUR NATION
Newt Gingrich, Andrew Cuomo, Jonathan Kozol, Peggy Noonan Moderator: Gwen Ifill

April 19, 2002 A CONVERSATION P.J. O’Rourke, Bill Geist, Mort Sahl, Joe Queenan Moderator: Colin McEnroe

2002-2003

October 11, 2002 ANATOMY OF POWER
Erin Brockovich, Gary Wendt, Julian Bond and Kevin Phillips Moderator: Michel Martin

December 7, 2002 SCIENTIFIC JOURNEY
Oliver Sacks, E.O. Wilson, Sylvia Earle and Timothy Ferris Moderator: Robert Krulwich

March 20, 2003 A NOBEL EVENING
Elie Wiesel, Jody Williams and Oscar Arias Moderator: Juan Williams

May 1, 2003 THE FORUM FOOD FEST
Jacques Pépin, Ruth Reichl, Mario Batali, Jane and Michael Stern Moderator: Calvin Trillin

2003-2004

September 18, 2003 PERSONAL SECURITY VS PERSONAL LIBERTIES
Fareed Zakaria, Richard Perle, Heather Mac Donald, Steve Shapiro Moderator: Jonathan Zittrain

November 07, 2003 LOOKING AT LIFE
Salman Rushdie, Julie Taymor, Louise Leakey, Story Musgrave Moderator: Leonard Lopate

March 04, 2004BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE SIMPSONS
Al Jean, Tim Long, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer Moderator: Colin McEnroe

May 14, 2004 A CONVERSATION BETWEEN Al Franken & Ann Coulter Moderator: Steve Roberts

2004-2005

October 06, 2004 EXTREME POLITICS
Howard Dean, Tony Blankley, Katty Kay, Walter Isaacson Moderator: Juan Williams

December 03, 2004 THE FUTURE OF HUMAN LIFE…AND MEDICAL SCIENCE Lisa Sowle Cahill, Arthur Caplan, Francis Fukuyama, Atul Gawande, Gina Kolata Moderator: Michael Martin

February 17, 2005 YANKEES VS RED SOX… RED SOX VS YANKEES
Bucky Dent, Carlton Fisk, Mike Francesa, Bob Ryan Moderator: Linda Cohn

April 22, 2005 THE CULTURE WAR
David Brooks, Ralph Reed, Frank Rich, Margaret Carlson Moderator: Jonathan Zittrain

2005-2006

October 14, 2005 HOPE & HUMAN SPIRIT
Bo Jackson, Mia Farrow, Kyle Maynard, Rev. James Forbes, Jr. Moderator: Frank Deford

December 01, 2005 TALKIN’ ‘BOUT MY GENERATION
Ben Bradlee, Sue Bird, Omar Wasow, Tina Brown Moderator: Alison Stewart

February 04, 2006 AN EVENING WITH OUR FAVORITE WRITERS
Joyce Carol Oates, Kurt Vonnegut, Jennifer Weiner Moderator: Colin McEnroe

April 05, 2006 A CONVERSATION BETWEEN Thomas Friedman & Malcolm Gladwell Moderator: Rita Braver

2006-2007

October 13, 2006 A CONVERSATION BETWEEN Bill Moyers & Andrew Sullivan Moderator: Norah O’Donnell

November 29, 2006 LEADERS & WINNERS
Wendy Kopp, Randal Pinkett, John Read, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld Moderator: Ed Gordon

February 8, 2007 SAVING THE WORLD
Clark Kent Ervin, Rory Kennedy, Nicholas Kristof, Tim Robbins Moderator: Calvin Sims

April 27, 2007 A FUNNY THING HAPPENED…
Nancy Giles, Mo Rocca, Bob Saget Moderator: Peter Sagal

2007-2008

October 03, 2007 THE TECH REVOLUTION
Jimmy Wales, Craig Newmark, danah boyd Moderator: Jonathan Zittrain

November 07, 2007 THE GREAT GLOBAL DEBATE Richard Armitage, Reza Aslan, Richard Holbrook, Sheryl WuDunn Moderator: Nora O’Donnell

February 09, 2008 THE AMERICAN DREAM: GOING, GOING, GONE? Barbara Ehrenreich, Roland Fryer, Laura Ingraham Moderator: Ray Suarez

May 01, 2008 TALKING AUTHORS Amy Tan, Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket, Alexander McCall Smith Moderator: Colin McEnroe

References

External links

* [http://www.ctforum.org The Connecticut Forum website]
* [http://youtube.com/user/CTFORUM Connecticut Forum Guests on YouTube]
* [https://ctforum.org/youth-forum.asp The Connecticut Youth Forum]