HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Dillon Lecture Series is excited to announce the speakers for the 2027 season.
The lecture schedule kicks off with Donnie Campbell on February 2. Before Jason Sudeikis ever dreamed of playing the beloved character Ted Lasso, he found inspiration in his high school basketball coach. Campbell, a Kansas coach with 36 years of experience, built championship teams while emphasizing confidence, accountability, empathy, and integrity. Today, he shares his lessons in compassionate leadership with corporations and conferences.
On April 13, the speaker will be Deirdre Gogarty. Gogarty overcame gender barriers and personal hardships to pursue her passion for boxing, eventually becoming Ireland’s first female World Boxing Champion. Her story demonstrates how determination, perseverance, and mindset can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. Today, she inspires audiences to embrace their own relentless tenacity.
September 21 will feature Hutchinson native and Hutchinson High School graduate Caitlin Doornbos, a Washington, D.C.-based reporter for the New York Post and frequent contributor to Times Radio London. She covers national security, foreign policy and the federal government, with extensive experience reporting on conflict, war and U.S. military operations. A former Pentagon reporter for Stars and Stripes, she has reported from around the world and embedded with U.S. and allied military forces.
Finally, the October 12 speaker will be retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Robert J. Darling. A former presidential pilot, Darling supported the President, Vice President and National Security Advisor from the Presidential Emergency Operations Center on September 11, 2001. Author of “24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker, 9/11/01”, he now shares his firsthand experience and expertise in crisis leadership with military, corporate and university audiences.
2027 will be the 46th season for the Dillon Lecture Series on the Hutchinson Community College campus. For more information on the Dillon Lecture Series, or for information on how to become a patron, contact Becky Rogers at 620-665-3505 or [email protected] or visit the college website at www.hutchcc.edu/dls.
