Youngstown State University has announced its speakers for the Thomas Colloquium on Free Enterprise, the Centofanti Symposium and the Skeggs Lecture Series. Each lecture is free and open to the public.

The Thomas Colloquium presents Daymond John, “Shark Tank” investor and FUBU CEO. His presentation, themed “Building Bold: Risk, Resilience, and the Future of Free Enterprise,” will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9 at the Stambaugh Auditorium. Tickets will be available beginning Monday, August 11 on Stambaugh Auditorium’s website or at the DeYor Performing Arts Center Box Office.

An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Daymond John is CEO and Founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry with over $6 billion in product sales. He is an award-winning entrepreneur, bestselling author of five books including his most recent, “Powershift: Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal, and Achieve Any Outcome,” and star of ABC’s “Shark Tank”, where millions of weekly viewers tune into the show as John demonstrates his marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights. His marketing strategies and ability to build successful brands has made him a highly influential consultant and motivational speaker today.

The Centofanti Symposium presents Wil Haygood, an acclaimed biographer, Pulitzer finalist and award-winning author and reporter. Haygood’s lecture will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 25 at the Beeghly Center. Tickets are not required, but parking in campus lots without a permit costs $5.

Wil Haygood has carved a reputation as one of the preeminent chroniclers of American history. Among his acclaimed books are major biographies of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and prizefighter Sugar Ray Robinson. His book, “Tigerland,” was honored by the Hurston-Wright Foundation and the Ohioana Book Awards and “The Butler” was adapted into an award-winning motion picture that became one of the highest grossing Civil Rights movies of all time. In addition to his career as an author, Haygood spent 30 years as a national and foreign correspondent for The Washington Post and Boston Globe. In 2022, Haygood was awarded the Ambassador Richard Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, the only U.S. Literary Award given to a writer whose work is recognized as globally promoting peace.

The Skeggs Lecture Series presents award-winning author Amy Tan for “An Evening with Amy Tan” on Wednesday, October 22 at the Stambaugh Auditorium. The lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m., with a book signing to follow. Tickets are available beginning Monday, September 8 on Stambaugh Auditorium’s website or at the DeYor Performing Arts Center Box Office.

Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and chose to write fiction instead. Her novels include “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Kitchen God’s Wife,” “The Hundred Secret Senses” and more, all New York Times bestsellers. Her other works include a memoir, “The Opposite of Fate;” a book about writing, “Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir;” a book she wrote and illustrated, “The Backyard Bird Chronicles;” and two children’s books, “The Moon Lady” and “Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat.” Tan served as co-producer and co-screenwriter for the film adaptation of “The Joy Luck Club,” which received WGA and BAFTA nominations. Tan’s essays and stories are found in hundreds of anthologies and textbooks and are assigned as required reading in many schools. A documentary about her life and career, “Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir,” is available on PBS.

For more information, call 330-941-2136 or email jmleviseur@ysu.edu.