About the East Texas Speakers Forum

The East Texas Speakers Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing high-quality, inspiring individuals to speak on the local stage in East Texas to help enhance civic engagement and community education.

Our Mission

To increase civic engagement and community education by providing a platform for interesting people
to talk about topics that inspire, challenge and concern us. We feature discussions with national,
regional and local players in the worlds of politics, arts, business, sports, science, technology, religion,
and others.

Through its events, the Speakers Forum strives to:

Increase understanding of issues of citizenship and common concern among East Texans
Engage regional communities in important conversations about the public good
Inspire its audiences to participate in civic conversations and act in the world as engaged citizens

The Speakers Forum is founded on and promotes the following principles:

To recognize the social responsibility of the individual within a larger community
To practice awareness of and respect for the diversity of cultures and peoples in this country
and in the world
To reflect on the ways involvement, leadership, and respect for community occur at the local,
regional, national, or international levels
To identify how economic, political, and social systems operate now and have operated in the
past
To engage in open-minded and ethical decision-making and action
To distinguish the possibilities and limitations of social change

Board of Directors

Ric Brack, President, Longview
Amy McHaney, Vice President, Longview
Cynthia Hellen, Secretary, Longview
Jennifer Harris, Treasurer, Longview

Glenn Barnhart, Marshall
Cody Bowen, Longview
Jon Cromer, Longview
Courtney Dyer, Mount Pleasant
Dustin Glover, Tyler
Kristen Ishihara, Longview
Mary Jackson, Tyler
Missy Merritt, Kilgore
Susan Thomae-Morphew, Tyler