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First Friday Club of Chicago has had a myriad of speakers over
the last 24 years and we will continue to provide informative and
inspirational speakers in the future. If you would like to take
a look back at some of our great speakers, simply search in the
time period you are looking for and browse the speakers.
[ Present - 2000 ] [ 1999
- 1990 ] [ 1989 - 1986
]
2007 : 2006
: 2005 : 2004 : 2003
: 2002 : 2001 : 2000
January 2012
Mr. Thomas M. Owens
Founder,The CARA Program
“The Business of Changing Lives”
December 2011
Fr. Dick Sparks, C.S.P
Associate Pastor, Old St. Mary's Parish
“Tis the Reason for the Season! What is That Reason? ”
November 2011
Governor James R. Thompson
“Politics and Government: Only Passion Makes Them Work”
October 2011
Ron Magers
Co-Anchor ABC 7 Chicago News
at 5:00 and 10:00 p.m.
“Maintaining Personal Integrity in a Ratings Driven
Business"
May 2011
Rev. John C. Cusick
Co-Founder of and Chaplain to
The First Friday Club of Chicagoy
“In a Polarized Society, Keeping Alive the Dream of
Connecting Our Faith, Our Work and the Issues of the Day"
April 2011
Fr. Patrick E. McGrath, S.J.
President of Loyola Academy
“Practical Spirituality in Our Contemporary World”
March 2011
Fr. Bruce Wellems
Pastor of Holy Cross/Immaculate Heart
of Mary Church
“My Dream is to Have a Dream”
Responding to Violence in Our Chicago Communities
February 2011
Howard Reich
Chicago Tribune Arts Critic and Writer/Co-Producer
"Prisoner of Her Past "
"A Son's Journey to Find His Mother's Story: History,
Hope and the Holocaust""
January 2011
Lou Manfredini
WGN Radio's
Mr. Fix It
"Your Faith and Your Business: What Do You Really
Need--What are You Willing to Give Back?"
December 2010
Fr. Robert Barron
Francis Cardinal George
Chair of Faith and Culture University of St Mary of the Lake Mundelein
Seminary
"Have yourself a Subversive
Little Christmas: A New Reading of the Christmas Story”
November 2010
Carol Marin
Investigative Reporter,
Political Columnist and Commentator
"Reading the (Political) Tea Leaves”
October 2010
Andy Shaw
Executive Director The
Better Government Association
"What Should Good Government Look
Like?”
May 2010
Thomas S. Ricketts
Chairman of the Chicago
Cubs Chairman and CEO Incapital LLC
"It Is More Than a Game...and More
Than a Business, Too"
April 2010
Mary Sullivan Josephs
Executive Managing Director
Evergreen Private Capital Advisors,
LLC
"Is There Another Way of Doing Business?"
March 2010
Jim Wallis
President and Executive
Director Sojourners
"A Moral Compass for a New Economy"
February 2010
Gary Johnson
President Chicago History
Museum
"Lincoln and Chicago: A Past and
Present Love Affair"
January 2010
Stephen J. Grabek
Regional President Chartis
Insurance
"The Human Side of a Corporate Disaster"
December 2009
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Rabbi, Congregation Solel
"The Dignity of Difference: Religious
Pluralism in a Global Age"
November 2009
Jean Lenti Ponsetto
Athletic Director DePaul
University
"The Big Business of College Athletics:
Who Wins? And, Who Loses?"
October 2009
Catherine DeAngelis, M.D.
Editor Journal of the American
Medical Association
"Health System Reform or Bust"
May 2009
Rich King
Sports Anchor/Reporter WGN-TV
News and Author
"My Maggie"
April 2009
Sr. Mary Paul McCaughey
Superintendent of Catholic
Schools, Archdiocese of Chicago
"So What is Catholic about Catholic Schools?"
March 2009
Patrick Collins
Chairman Illinois Reform
Commission and Partner at Perkins Coie
"The Journey to Illinois Ethics Reform--The Role Each of us
Can Play"
February 2009
Albert Friedman
President and CEO Friedman
Properties
"Preserving Our Past, Building Our
Future, and Empowering Our Communities"
January 2009
Tammy Duckworth
Director Illinois Veteran's
Affairs Department
"Duty, Honor, Country"
December 2008
Father Jack Wall
President Catholic Extension
Society
"Awakening the Mission Spirit"
November 2008
Jim Edgar
Former Governor the
State of Illinois
"The State and the Nation"
October 2008
Fr. Andrew Greeley
Priest, Sociologist,
Journalist and Author
"Some Signs of Hope?"
May 2008
James C. Tyree
Chairman & Chief Executive
Officer Mesirow Financial
"Money Makes the World Go Round
- Commerce Drives Everything - One Person's Prespective on Balancing
the Priorities of Work, Home and Community"
April 2008
Lester Munson
Investgative Sportswriter
"Congress, Baseball, Clemens and
Bonds: Cheating or Performing or the Tip of the Iceberg?
March 2008
Dr. Eboo Patel
Founder and Executive Director
Interfaith Youth Core
"Is Religion the Modern Day Enemy?
The Need for a Different Conversation on Religion"
February 2008
Fr. John P. Foley, S. J.
Chairman of the Cristo Rey
Network
"The Cristo Rey Story: How a Jesuit,
Catholic High School is Changing the Face of Urban Education in
America "
January 2008
Garry Wills
Author and Professor of
History Emeritus at Northwestern University
"HEAD AND HEAT: American Christianities"
2007
December 2007
Father Pat Brennan
Pastor Holy Family Parish,
Inverness
"The Annual Celebration of the Christ
Event - Getting Beyond the Birth of a Child to a Life-Changing Experience"
November 2007
Emily Barr
President and General Manager
ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV)
Everybody's Talking at Me: The Role of
Local Media in an Overexposed World"
October 2007
Patrick M. Magoon
President and Chief Executive
Officer Children's Memorial Hospital
"Fostering Hope and Healing for
Our Children Today, Tomorrow and for Generations to Come"
May 2007
Jim Mullen
Chicago Police Officer,
Disabilities Editor for CBS 2 Chicago
"Now What? Facing a Completely Uncertain
Future"
April 2007
Jack Fassnacht
Intellectual Property Attorney
"The Gift of Life: A Guided Tour
Through the World of Organ Transplantation"
March 2007
Fr. Dennis H. Holtschneider C.M.
President of DePaul University
"Diversity - A Modern Day Blessing
or Curse?"
February 2007
Scott Turow
Author and Attorney
"Ordinary Heroes"
January 2007
Cheryle Jackson
President and CEO Chicago
Urban League
"The Changing Urban Landscape"
2006
December 2006
Catherine O'Connell
Chicago's Irish Diva
"Telling the story in Words and
in Song"
November 2006
Michael Flannery
Political Editor, CBS 2 Chicago
"Reading the Election Eve Tea Leaves"
October 2006
Fr Michael Pfleger
Pastor St. Sabina
"Setting a Place at the Same Table for Religion & Politics
"
May 2006
George Weigel
Author
"Pope Benedict XVI and the Future
of the Catholic Church"
April 2006
John David Mooney
Artist
"Art Outside Museums"
March 2006
Friar Johnpaul Cafiero, OFM
Franciscan Priest of the Sacred Heart Province of Chicago/ St.
Louis
"I Thirst"
February 2006
Dr. Abol Jalilvand
Dean and Professor of Finance School of Business Administration
Loyola University Chicago
"Where Leader- ship meets Ethics: Producing a Responsible MBA"
January 2006
Dr. Martin E. Marty
Noted Author, Educator and Humanitarian
"When Faiths Collide"
2005
December 2005
Msgr. Kenneth Velo
Senior Director of Catholic Collaboration at DePaul University
& President of Big Shoulders
"Where is the Star of Bethlehem?"
November 2005
Margaret Larson
Contributing Correspondent, Dateline NBC
"Humanitarian Disasters around the World: What is the
Role of the Press, Citizens, and Especially People of Faith in Responding
to these Ongoing Crises?"
October 2005
Peter Steinfels,
Columnist, The New York Times
"Religion in the Year 2025:The Big Questions"
May 2005
William M. Daley, Midwest Chairman of J.P. Chase Morgan
and Bank One Corporation
“Lessons I Leaned from My Dad”
April 2005
James M. Houlihan, Cook County Assessor
“Is There a More Just Way To Do This?”
March 2005
Ellen Skerrett, Social Historian
“Chicago’s Development Through the Lens of the Catholic
Church”
February 2005
Dr. Mary Hendrix, President and Scientific Director for
Children’s Memorial Research Center Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine
“What Are Stem Cells and How Can Society Benefit from
Their Application in Medicine?”
January 2005
Jerry “The Iceman” Butler, Cook County Commissioner
and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee
“Stories and Experiences of Fellow Citizens We Rarely
See”
^ back to top
2004
December 2004
Fr. Richard Fragomeni, Storyteller, Author and Lecturer,
Vice Rector of The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, Associate Professor
of Liturgy and Preaching at Catholic Theological Union
“Celebrating Light in a Season of Darkness: An Advent
Digestivo”
November 2004
James C. Warren, Deputy Managing Editor, Features Section
The Chicago Tribune
“Will Bitter Wounds Really Heal? What Did the First Tuesday
in November Really Mean?”
October 2004
Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Catholic Archbishop of
Chicago
“Catholicism in American Public Life"
May 2004
Father Andrew Greeley, Priest, Author, Sociologist
"Priests: A Calling in Crisis?"
April 2004
Dr. Eric Whitaker, Director of Illinois Department of Public Health
"From Woodlawn to Springfield: A Health Care Plan that Works."
March 2004
Ms. Cathleen Falsani, Religion Writer, The Chicago Sun-Times
"Religion in America The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"
February 2004
Lawrence C. Marshall, Professor of Law at Northwestern University
and Legal Director for the Center on Wrongful Convictions
"The Death Penalty: A True Deterrent to Crime or The Ultimate
Mistake?"
January 2004
Rick Kogan, Journalist, The Chicago Tribune, Radio Personality,
WGN
"The Human Side of a Big City"
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2003
December 2003
Rabbi Michael P. Sternfield, Chicago
Sinai Congregation
"What Christmas Means to Me"
November 2003
Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, Professor
of Law at DePaul University
"Clash of Civilizations: The Modern
Day Crusade-Conflict between Fundamentalist Jews, Christians, and
Muslims"
October 2003
Father John Smyth Director, Maryville
Academy
"Maryville-Where the Love of Children
Comes Before All Else"
May 2003
Allison Rosati, Anchor and Reporter for
NBC
"There is Always Time for what
is Important"
April 2003
Rev. Donald Senior, C. P., President,
Catholic Theological Union
"Jewish People and Their Scripture
in the Christian Bible (and in Our Lives)"
March 2003
Arne Duncan, Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools
"More Than a Job --- A Challenge,
a Vision & a Dream"
February 2003
Lowell "Bud" Paxson, Chairman
Paxson Communications Corporation
"The Bible - An Entrepreneurial
Guide"
January 2003
Dean Koldenhoven, Former Mayor of Palos
Heights
"A Profile of Courage"
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2002
December 2002
Joanna Adams, Co-Pastor 4th Presbyterian
Church
"Be Not Afraid"
October 2002
Paul Harvey, Broadcast Journalist
"Testing Time"
November 2002
Paul Simon, Retired U. S. Senator
"Public Leadership in the Midst
of Fear"
May 2002
Matt Murray, Senior Level Reporter for
The Wall Street Journal and Author
"The Challenge to Look at Life
Just Below the Surface of Business,Crisis and Everyday Struggles"
April 2002
The Honorable Paul P. Biebel, Jr., Presiding
Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County - Criminal Division
"A New Approach to an Old System"
March 2002
Maurine E. Young, Wife, Mother &
Person Learning to Forgive
"Learning to Forgive"
February 2002
Dick Green, President, Blistex, Inc.
"Beyond the Bottom Line"
January 2002
Blair Kamin, Architecture Critic of the
Chicago Tribune, Winner of Journalism' s Highest Honor, The Pulitzer
Prize
"Activist Criticism and the Inescapable
Art"
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2001
December 2001
Reverend Richard N. Fragomeni, Professor
of Liturgy and Homiletics the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago
"Seeking Spiritual Light During
These Dark Days"
November 2001
Justice Anne M. Burke, Justice of the
Appellate Court of Illinois, First District
"Listening with Both Ears - a
Strategy for Being Human"
October 2001
John J. Fontana, Principal of Fontana
& Associates
"How Are We a Community of Workers
in a Time of Rugged Individualism?"
May 2001
Gregory Pierce, Co-Publisher, ACTA Publications
"The Spirituality of Work: An
Oxymoron?"
April 2001
Dr. Terry Nelson Johnson, Director of Faith Formation Old St. Patrick'
s Church
"Hope: Precious, Elusive &
Essential"
March 2001
Joseph Birkett, State' s Attorney, DuPage
County, Illinois
"The Death Penalty - The Legal
Ground, The Moral Ground
February 2001
Bill Haljun. President, Big Idea Foundation
"Tales Not For Children"
January 2001
Rahm Emanuel, Former Senior Advisor to
the President of the United States for Policy & Strategy in
the White House
"Reflections on the White House
Years"
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2000
December 2000
Father Leo Mahon, Pastor Emeritus
St. Mary Of The Woods Parish
"The Search For An Abundant Life"
November 2000
Gerald J. Roper, President & CEO
The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
"There Is Not Enough Time!"
October 2000
Tim Weigel, CBS 2 Sports Director
"A Whole New Look at the Same
Old Things"
May 2000
Marv Levy, Former Vice President of Football
Operations & Head Coach of the Buffalo Bills
"The Road to Success"
April 2000
Eric Weinheimer, Executive Director,
The CARA Program
"Learning Life's lessons from
Unexpected Teachers"
March 2000
Michael Birck, Chief Executive Officer,
Tellabs
"Values at Work in the Marketplace-
A CEO's Perspective"
February 2000
Wayne Messmer, Chicago Personality, Singer,
Author
"The Voice of Victory"
January, 2000
Maggie Daley, Chicago' s First Lady &
Shirley Ryan, Pathways Awareness Foundation
"It's the Stares …Not the
Stairs"
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