Rev. Otis Moss III

Rev. Otis Moss III, senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, served as Chautauqua Institution's Week Eight Chaplain-in-Residence. In this podcast, Moss is interviewed by Joan Brown Campbell, Director of the Department of Religion at Chautauqua. The two discuss the Institution's 2012 week on digital identity, focusing on both the positives and negatives of the Internet age. The podcast concludes with Campbell lobbying Moss to return to the Institution in 2012 as an afternoon lecturer.

Dev Patnaik

In this podcast - Joan Brown Campbell, the Institution's Director of the Department of Religion, interviews Dev Patnaik, CEO of Jump Associates. Patnaik discusses the combination of business and creative skills Jump Associates uses to help companies make "big leaps." Campbell asks Patnaik about life before Jump, including his experiences living in India. Patnaik, author of "Wired to Care," looks at how empathy can help businesses and its relation to Chautauqua's 2012 week "Inspire. Commit. Act." Campbell and Patnaik discuss the mindsets of young Americans and the roles they will play in the 2012 presidential election.

Bethany McLean

In this podcast, Joan Brown Campbell – the Institution’s Director of the Department of Religion – interviews two experienced business professionals, George Murphy and Bethany McLean. Murphy serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Chautauqua. Murphy, who says he enjoys the competitive nature of business, has worked for GE, Coca-Cola and DaimlerChrysler. McLean is an editor at Vanity Fair and the author of “All the Devils are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis.” She became a business journalist after majoring in math and English in college. Campbell asks Murphy and McLean about their views on cheating, the theme of the Institution’s Week Seven in 2012. “It’s getting an unfair advantage,” says Murphy. “It’s more prevalent in human nature than we may think.” “It’s trying to get an advantage that happens in secret. Cheating is what happens behind closed doors,” says McLean, adding that cheating only becomes apparent after-the-fact in the business world. McLean then discusses the experiences she had in helping to expose the Enron scandal, giving her opinions on whistleblowers. Campbell provides her thoughts on cheating from a religious perspective. The podcast concludes with their views on whether or not cheating is ever right and how exactly a person becomes a cheater.

Karen Armstrong

Author Karen Armstrong delivered afternoon lectures in Chautauqua's Hall of Philosophy Monday, Aug. 1 and Friday, Aug. 5 as a part of the week's theme "Religion in Iran: The Many Faces." Armstrong formerly served as a professor at London University and London's Leo Baeck College. She received the 2008 TED Prize for her potential to change the world. Armstrong spoke with the Institution's Director of the Department of Religion, Joan Brown Campbell, speaking on Chautauqua's 2012 week on Pakistan.

Dan Brown

Dan Brown, one of the world’s most famous and successful authors, gave an evening lecture in Chautauqua Institution’s Amphitheater Monday, Aug. 1. Brown, the writer of several No. 1 bestsellers, brought the creativity and imagination that spawned novels like “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons” to southwestern New York for a one-night only show. Over 200 million copies of Brown’s books have been printed worldwide, including an astounding 80 million of “The Da Vinci Code,” which has been adapted as a motion picture along with “Angels and Demons.” In this podcast, Brown speaks with Sherra Babcock – the director of the Department of Education at Chautauqua – on a number of topics. Brown and Babcock look back at his lecture, speaking on his integration of science and religion. Brown describes the experiences he and his family had at the Institution, mentioning all of the lectures and performances he attended. Brown speaks on the literary arts at Chautauqua and throughout the world. He later gives away where he draws his inspiration from and describes his writing process in general. As the podcast comes to a close, Brown looks ahead to the Institution’s 2012 week on radicalism and hints at a return visit to Chautauqua.