Premier speaker series Desert Town Hall returns, celebrates 30 years

Desert Town Hall, presented by The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation, is the Coachella Valley’s premier speaker series, and it's celebrating its 30th year anniversary this season.

Founded in 1993 as a for-profit organization, Desert Forum Inc. became a nonprofit in 1996 and has brought more than 100 dignitaries and statesmen, foreign leaders, titans of industry, scientists, authors and creative thought leaders to Indian Wells to enlighten audiences of nearly 1,900 per event on key issues of the day.

The 2022 series kicks off on Jan. 23, with four speaker presentations continuing to March 14.

“This is most certainly a time to celebrate with the 30th anniversary of the speaker series, combined with having moved through the pandemic and now being able to bring renowned speakers back to the stage at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa,” said Keith Goff, president of the board of directors for Desert Forum. “This season we’ll hear from photographers and filmmakers who have explored and created amazing documentary images of some of nature’s most awe-inspiring creatures, gain insight into current political realities, learn lessons on the U.S. presidency and get a decades-long view of acting and filmmaking through stories told by Hollywood brothers.”

This year also marks a rare opportunity to get tickets just prior to the series starting. Every year at the end of the events, tickets are sold out for the following year. However, since the speaker series was cut short this past year due to the pandemic, the opportunity to sell tickets was disrupted. For the first time in many years, tickets are now available for purchase, starting at $400 for all four events. This year the line-up includes:

• Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier on Jan. 23. Photographers, filmmakers and explorers who document the beauty of our planet.

• Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Mike Huckabee on Feb. 1. Huckabee Sanders served as White House press secretary for President Donald J. Trump from 2017 to 2019. Huckabee is the host of the TV show “Huckabee” on TBN each weekend and served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007.

• Jon Meacham on Feb. 24. Writer, reviewer and presidential biographer. A former executive editor and executive vice president at Random House, he is a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review, a contributing editor to Time magazine and a former editor-in-chief of Newsweek.

• Ron Howard and Clint Howard on March 14. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker and his actor brother will offer their insight to a childhood spent on TV, growing up amid sound stages and Hollywood legends.

Past speakers have included George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Tony Blair, Tony Snow, Newt Gingrich, Caroline Kennedy, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Tucker Carlson, Bill O’Reilly, Felipe Calderon, Charles Krauthammer, Mitt Romney, Benjamin Carson, Karl Rove, Jeb Bush, Robert Gates, Pervez Musharraf, Archbishop Desmund Tutu, John Walsh, Larry King and Dan Rather.

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“Desert Town Hall has had an array of profound presenters and created a world-class experience,” said Christopher McGuire, president and chairman of the board of The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “It is gratifying to partner with this organization that is enriching our community and inspiring our youth.”

Youth Town Hall

Desert Forum offers a unique opportunity in which Coachella Valley-area high school students are invited to become involved in Desert Town Hall through its Youth Town Hall program. At each event, about 150 students hear a separate speech by the featured speaker, and youth ambassadors provide an introduction for the speaker as they come to the intimate stage to talk to students and answer questions. Desert Forum also has a scholarship program to support students in pursuing their higher education.

As a class of 2018 La Quinta High School graduate, and now in his third year attending California State University San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus, Andrew Hunter is one former youth ambassador who had the opportunity to introduce NASA astronaut Megan McArthur. His grandmother had read about the program and encouraged Hunter to look into it. He then attended many of the events in his early high school years, went on to serve as a youth ambassador and then became Youth Town Hall emcee, which he now continues into the 30th season. He was also a Youth Town Hall scholarship recipient.

“This is an amazing program that gives students an opportunity to expand their horizons, learning more directly about current events and having an up-close experience to so many world leaders and innovative personalities — and most likely, such a high-caliber program would not be found elsewhere in the country,” Hunter said.

Becky Kurtz has served as the Desert Town Hall's executive director since 2013; prior to taking this lead position, she was a volunteer beginning with the very first speech and has never missed a single event in three decades. “I’m blessed to do what I love every day, live in a beautiful community, stay engaged at the local level and connect renowned leaders with the citizens of the Coachella Valley,” Kurtz said.

Judy Vossler is another volunteer who also serves on the board of directors. Initially a patron ticket holder, she began volunteering in 2000 and has only missed one speech. She has since joined the board. “When the series began 30 years ago, the community was so excited, and the City of Indian Wells provided a great deal of support to promote the series locally, as well as regionally in Southern California, which really raised the profile of the city as a travel destination,” Vossler said. “And after all these years, there is still so much enthusiasm every season about the speakers, and I find it so rewarding to volunteer every year.”

Desert Town Hall is supported by a number of philanthropic sponsors and foundations and through ticket sales. The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation has been the presenting sponsor since 2012; other sponsors for the 2022 season include the City of Indian Wells, The Desert Sun, Foster-Gardner Inc., Roemer & Harnik LLP Attorneys and Counselors at Law, Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Sunrise Company/Toscana Country Club/Andalusia Country Club, 111 Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley and West Coast Turf.

To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit deserttownhall.org or call (760) 610-2852.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris Clemens Martello has resided and practiced public relations in the Coachella Valley for 20 years. She is the founder of ClemensPR, working with nonprofits and a variety of clients in varied industries.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Premier speaker series Desert Town Hall returns, celebrates 30 years