2025 Speakers
-

Tyler Cowen
Professor of Economics, Columnist, and Blogger
-

Dr. Nita Farahany
Professor of Law and Philosophy at Duke University and author of The Battle for Your Brain
-

Chemi Lhamo
Tibetan-Canadian Activist and the Canadian representative for the International Tibet Network's Steering Committee
-

Matthew Johnson-Roberson
Dean of Vanderbilt University's College of Connected Computing
-

Greg Lukianoff
FIRE CEO and Co-Author of The Coddling and Canceling of the American Mind
-

Rikki Schlott
Journalist, Co-Author, and Podcast Host on Bill Maher’s network
-

Jonathan Rauch
Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Author of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth
-

David French
NYT Columnist and Co-Host of a leading legal podcast
-

Jacob Mchangama
Founder and Executive Director, The Future of Free Speech
-

Sarah Isgur
Senior Editor at The Dispatch, Legal Analyst, and Former DOJ Spokesperson
-

Thomas Chatterton Williams
Atlantic Writer, Author, and Bard Visiting Professor
-

Yascha Mounk
Persuasion Founder, Podcast Host, and Author of The Identity Trap
-

Nathasha Edirisooriya
Sri Lankan Stand‑Up Comedian and Human Rights Advocate
-

Peter Boghossian
Socratic Method Expert, Educator, and Founder at University of Austin
-

John Wood Jr.
National Leader for Braver Angels, Columnist for USA TODAY
-

Michael Moynihan
American Journalist, Former National Correspondent for Vice News.
-

Faisal Al Mutar
Founder, Ideas Beyond Borders; Social Entrepreneur in Middle East Development
-

Renée DiResta
Professor, Writer and Former Research Manager at Stanford Internet Observatory
-

Dr. William B. Irvine
Philosophy Professor and Author of The Guide to the Good Life.
-

Samantha Barbas
Professor of Law and Aliber Family Chair in Law at the University of Iowa College of Law
-

Prof. Randall Kennedy
Professor at Harvard Law School , Author, and Public Intellectual
-

Peter Greste
Journalism Professor and Press Freedom Advocate at Macquarie University
-

Glen Weyl
Founder, Plural Technology at Microsoft and Tech Liberty Initiatives
-

Prof. Ge Chen
Associate Professor at Durham Law School and 2025 Award Winner of the Franklyn S. Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Freedom of Expression
-

Bay Fang
President of Radio Free Asia; Former Journalist and U.S. Diplomat
-

Tarik Beyhan
Human Rights and Digital Rights Advocate; ex-Amnesty Campaign Director
-

John Tomasi
President of Heterodox Academy, and for many years the Romeo Elton 1844 Professor at Brown University
-

Jonathan Turley
American Attorney, Legal Scholar, Writer and Legal Analyst
-

Jodie Ginsberg
CEO, Committee to Protect Journalists; Media Freedom Advocate
-

Kevin Goldberg
Vice President and First Amendment Expert at Freedom Forum
-

Nikola Ilic
Leadership Professor, Social Entrepreneur, and Life-long Democracy Activist
-

Alsu Kurmasheva
Journalist and Editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
-

Mariam Southwell
Co-Founder of Diatove and Georgian Activist
-

Dr. Alice Siu
Political Communication Expert at Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab
-

Agustina Del Campo
Law Professor and Director of CELE at Universidad de Palermo, specializing in freedom of expression and international human rights law
-

Mary Kate Cary
Mary Kate Cary is Director of Think Again at UVA and a Former White House Speechwriter
-

Carlos Affonso Souza
Professor at UERJ and Director of ITS Rio, known for his work on Brazil’s Internet Bill of Rights and current leadership in tech policy, data protection, and AI regulation
-

Daniel Diermeier
Chancellor, Vanderbilt University
-

Ben Brooks
Affiliate at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center and Head of Public Policy at Black Forest Labs
-

Usama Khilji
Digital Rights Activist and Bolo Bhi Co-Founder in Pakistan
-

Rod Smolla
Professor of Law at Vermont Law and Graduate School, and Senior Counsel at Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch in Washington, DC
-

Ashkhen Kazaryan
A Senior Legal Fellow at The Future of Free Speech
-

Francesca Procaccini
Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Law School
-

Jordi Calvet-Bademunt
Senior Research Fellow at The Future of Free Speech and a Visiting Scholar at Vanderbilt University
-

Jacob N. Shapiro
John Foster Dulles Professor of International Affairs at Princeton University
-

Shikha Dalmia
Founder and President of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism and Editor of The UnPopulist
-

Kyung Sin Park
Professor, Korea University Law School; Director, Open Net Korea