Iranian author, CEO of Zuckerberg Media among speakers at Ball State this fall

September 8, 2015

Iranian author Firoozeh Dumas and Randi Zuckerberg, businesswoman and sister of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, are among the speakers at Ball State this fall.

Dumas’ presentation about her best-selling book, “Funny in Farsi,” a memoir of an Iranian growing up in America, is this year’s Freshman Common Reader. Her presentation is at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 in Emens Auditorium.

Dumas received the Spirit of America Award in 2008 from the National Council for the Social Studies. “Funny in Farsi” was also a finalist for the PEN/USA Award in creative nonfiction.

Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, will speak as part of the Excellence in Leadership series. She will share her personal story of success, “Leadership in a Digital Age,” in a 7:30 p.m. presentation Oct. 26 at Emens Auditorium.

Zuckerberg is the author of two books. Her New York Times best-seller “Dot Complicated” is a story about how technology has changed our lives. Her other book, “Dot,” is a children’s picture book. She also worked for Facebook from 2005-2011 where she ran the social media pioneer’s marketing program.

Along with being a successful businesswoman, Zuckerberg is a television producer. She was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011 for her coverage of the U.S. midterm elections and is a contributor for “Today.”

All presentations are free and open to the public. 

Other fall speakers

Connie Lawson, Indiana secretary of state
  4p.m. - Sept. 14 - Emens Auditorium (doors open at 3:30 p.m.)

Lawson will speak on "Financial Literacy: Identity Theft and Fraud." Lawson's visit is organized by Ball State's Finance Society and is included as part of the Department of Finance and Insurance Speaker Series.

Gail Sheehy, investigative journalist and author
8 p.m. - Oct. 22 - Pruis Hall

The David Letterman Distinguished Professional Lecture and Workshop Series will bring Sheehy to campus. Sheehy created the Daring Project, a website that dares audiences to be different, dream dangerously and learn to act confidently. She is the author of 17 books, including “Passages,” a work of nonfiction examining the crises people face as they age. The book was named one of the most influential of our times, according to the Library of Congress. She has been a contributing editor to Vanity Fair since 1984. She will also speak about her interviews of accomplished women, including Arianna Huffington, Gloria Steinem and Margaret Thatcher.