Former National Security Adviser Tom Donilon to speak at UF Sept. 26

September 17, 2013

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — ACCENT Speakers Bureau at the University of Florida will bring former National Security Adviser Tom Donilon to campus Sept. 26.

Donilon served as National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama until June 2013. Donilon was at the center of every significant national security event during  Obama’s first 4 1/2 years in office, including overseeing the decision to take action against Osama bin Laden. He has worked closely with three presidents since first coming to work in the White House in 1977. He is among the most experienced policy and political figures in the country. During the Clinton Administration, he served as Assistant Secretary of State and chief of staff at the State Department. In addition to his foreign policy roles, he headed the debate preparation efforts for Obama in 2008 and President Clinton in 1992.

Currently, Donilon is a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a nonresident senior fellow at the John F. Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award.

Donilon will participate in a conversation about national security and current events across the globe.

The program starts at 8 p.m. at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and will be followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by journalism professor Bridget Grogan. Doors open at 7 p.m., and admission is free and open to the public. Student tickets will be available starting at noon Sept. 25. The general public may pick up tickets beginning at 5 p.m. Sept. 26. Only two tickets per person with a valid UF ID. All tickets can be picked up at the Phillips Center.

Photography is not allowed during the program, but news media may record and photograph during the first five minutes of remarks.