Berkeley Speaker Series

Each year, Berkeley welcomes distinguished intellectuals to speak to members of our community. These engaging lectures delve deep into interesting and complex topics, spark curiosity, and inform our daily work at Berkeley.

Previous presentations have discussed developing independence in children by letting them fail, understanding how social media can affect your child’s physical and mental health, and learning how to boost kids’ self-esteem at all ages. See below for the list of speakers.

The Berkeley Speaker Series is brought to you in part by the Franci Golman Rudolph Lecture Series. The presentations are held in the two-level, 809-seat MacKechnie Family Theatre in the Lykes Center for the Arts. 

Dr. Tina Payne Bryson

Dr. Tina Payne Bryson is the author of “The Bottom Line for Baby” and co-author (with Dan Siegel) of two New York Times Bestsellers—”The Whole-Brain Child” and “No-Drama Discipline”—each of which has been translated into over 50 languages, as well as “The Yes Brain” and “The Power of Showing Up.” Bryson is also the Founder and Executive Director of The Center for Connection, a multidisciplinary clinical practice in Southern California. An LCSW, Bryson is a graduate of Baylor University and has a Ph.D. from USC. 

Jessica Lahey

Jessica Lahey is the author of the New York Times Bestsellers, “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed” and “The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence.” Over 20 years, Lahey has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in both public and private schools, and spent five years teaching in a drug and alcohol rehab for adolescents in Vermont. She has written about education, parenting, and child welfare for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and her biweekly column “The Parent Teacher Conference” ran for three years at the New York Times.

Dr. Michael Rich

Dr. Rich is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Digital Wellness Lab, and practices adolescent medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is also the Founding Director of the first evidence-based medical program addressing physical, mental, and social health issues associated with digital technology, the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders. Rich has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed research papers, and 40 book chapters, research reports, and pediatric practice policies.

Julie Lythcott-Haims

Julie Lythcott-Haims is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, “How to Raise an Adult.” Her second book is the critically acclaimed and award-winning prose poetry memoir “Real American,” which illustrates her experience as a Black and biracial person in white spaces. Her third book, “Your Turn: How to Be an Adult,” has been called a “groundbreakingly frank” guide to adulthood. Lythcott-Haims holds degrees from Stanford, Harvard Law, and California College of the Arts. Her work encompasses writing, speaking, teaching, mentoring, and activism.