Name: 25th Annual Kiplinger Lecture on Ethics in American Society
Start: 2026-03-08T15:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-03-08T17:00:00-04:00
Location: Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation

25th Annual Kiplinger Lecture on Ethics in American Society

How do we keep values, morals, and ethics front and center in governing and public service? Sylvia Mathews Burwell is the guest lecturer.
About this Event

Values, Morals and Ethics: The need for all three in Governing and Public Service

We are living in a moment when values, morals, and ethics in governing seem to be fading as the foundation of governing and at the same time power seems to be ascending as a touchstone. The annual Kiplinger Lecture and its historical basis in the importance of ethics in American society could not be more timely. Sylvia Mathews Burwell speaks to what it means to govern with a moral compass: to place the common good above personal or political gain, to lead with care in deeply divided times, and the importance of the difference between power and authority. Join us for an engaging conversation about why ethics still belong at the heart of government, and what public service demands.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell is a distinguished public servant who was recently the 15th President of American University, from 2017 to 2024. Prior to that, she was the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and earlier the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), under President Obama. Before OMB, she was President of the Walmart Foundation and also was President of the Global Development Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She also served as Deputy Director of OMB, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Treasury, and Staff Director of the National Economic Council. She is currently President of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University, her alma mater. She was also a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. She hails from Hinton, West Virginia and she and her husband Stephen live in Washington, DC with their two teenage children.

RSVP Today. Please let us know how many people to expect by registering in advance for this FREE event. And please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes in advance to have the best chance of finding a seat in the main hall. We will also have overflow seating available in the Library with sound and video.