Changemaker Speaker Series 2026-2027
Exploring Our World Through Discovery, Storytelling, and Perspective
The Changemaker Speaker Series brings globally recognized explorers, photographer’s, journalists, and storytellers to the Wheeler Opera House to share ideas, discoveries, and perspectives that deepen our understanding of the world. The Series continues this fall and into 2027 with a compelling lineup of speakers. From Albert Lin’s reflections on resilience and discovery to Anand Varma’s hidden natural worlds, the season brings remarkable perspective and insight, available as a five‑event package for $150, offering nearly 15% savings.
Albert Lin: Exploring Human Frontiers
Thursday, September 17 @ 7:30 pm
National Geographic Explorer and award‑winning scientist Albert Lin shares Exploring Human Frontiers, a compelling reflection on discovery, resilience, and innovation. Known for pioneering high‑tech expeditions that have revealed lost cities and ancient civilizations, Lin’s work spans the Mayan jungle, the Mongolian steppe, and some of the most remote landscapes on Earth.
After losing his lower leg in a 2016 accident, and later supporting his son’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury, Lin turned inward—drawing on ancient wisdom, modern neuroscience, and the power of neuroplasticity to heal. On stage, he examines the evolving relationship between mind, body, culture, and technology, offering insight into what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world.
Blending science, storytelling, and lived experience, Exploring Human Frontiers reveals how the most meaningful journeys often begin within.
Kiliii Yuyan: Indigenous Wisdom for a Modern World
Tuesday, October 20 @ 7:00 pm
National Geographic Explorer and award‑winning photographer Kiliii Yüyan brings Indigenous Wisdom for a Modern World sharing stories rooted in generations of ecological knowledge and lived experience. Of Siberian Yupik and Chinese descent, Yüyan has traveled alongside sea‑ice hunters, reindeer herders, and Indigenous communities whose lives remain closely tied to the natural world.
Drawing from his acclaimed book Guardians of Life, Yüyan explores how Indigenous stewardship has sustained coral reefs, rainforests, and Arctic tundra across centuries. Through vivid storytelling and striking visual work, he examines what these communities can teach us about resilience, adaptation, and responsibility in a rapidly changing climate.
This program offers a thoughtful perspective on how cultural knowledge, passed down by Elders and shaped by place, can inform a healthier future for the planet—and all who depend on it.
Presented in association with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
Keith Ladzinski: Forces of Nature
Tuesday, January 26, 2027 @ 7:00 pm
In Forces of Nature, National Geographic photographer and Emmy‑nominated director Keith Ladzinski explores the raw beauty, volatility, and interconnectedness of the natural world. This evening pairs immersive visuals with firsthand storytelling drawn from decades spent documenting the planet’s most extreme environments.
Ladzinski’s work has taken him from storm‑chasing across Tornado Alley to first ascents in interior Antarctica, free diving with alligators in the Florida Everglades, and scaling ancient redwood forests. Through images captured at the edge of human endurance, he reveals both the power of nature and humanity’s responsibility to protect it.
A founding member of the Sea Legacy Collective and co‑founder of Triage Creative, Ladzinski is a three‑time Telly Award winner with two Emmy nominations. His photographs and films have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, offering a compelling perspective on conservation, climate, and adventure.
Presented in association with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
Casey Anderson: Among Wild Predators
Tuesday, March 16, 2027 @ 7:00 pm
Wildlife filmmaker and National Geographic explorer Casey Anderson brings audiences face‑to‑face with the animals most people avoid: grizzlies, mountain lions, tigers, and other apex predators. Drawing on three decades in the field—including being charged, bitten, clawed, stung, and even raising a grizzly bear—Anderson pairs breathtaking imagery with deeply personal stories that challenge long‑held myths about “dangerous” wildlife.
Among Wild Predators is both an adventure and a reframing: predators as vital, intelligent beings—and as mirrors of our own courage, empathy, and survival instincts. At 26 he adopted an orphaned cub and later co‑founded Montana Grizzly Encounter, a sanctuary for bears rescued from inhumane situations. A familiar presence across Nat Geo WILD, BBC, PBS, and Discovery, Anderson translates close‑range encounters into insight about coexistence, risk, and respect for the wild.
Presented in association with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
Anand Varma: Exploring Nature’s Hidden Worlds
Tuesday, April 13, 2027 @ 7:00 pm
Anand Varma, biologist‑turned nature photographer, reveals the worlds that unfold beyond human perception. Raised exploring the woods near Atlanta, he first picked up his father’s camera as a teenager, then studied integrative biology at UC Berkeley before turning science into visual storytelling. In his Berkeley “Wonder Lab,” he uses custom rigs, high‑speed video, time‑lapse, and macro techniques to slow down the fast, speed up the slow, and magnify the miniature.
Through astonishing imagery, follow the full life cycle of a honeybee, watch hummingbird wings beat at lightning speed, and glimpse behaviors as surprising as jellyfish mating and vampire bats hunting.
A National Geographic Early Career Grantee (2010), Varma has photographed multiple stories for National Geographic Magazine, including the 2014 cover story “Mindsuckers,” and has been recognized as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and World Press Photo Award winner for best nature story, offering a fresh perspective on the complexity of life.