Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagements
Chris Whipple is a fascinating and compelling speaker, a gifted storyteller who peels back the curtain to show how power is really wielded in Washington. At colleges, presidential libraries, and corporate events–in solo presentations, and “conversations” with former White House chiefs of staff–Whipple treats audiences to a bipartisan master class on how government really works.
Watch Chris Whipple’s commencement address
at Deerfield Academy
WATCH CHRIS WHIPPLE'S TALK AT HARVARD'S KENNEDY SCHOOL
September 12, 2017
Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Kennedy School
Credit: Martha Stewart
Before a standing-room-only audience at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum of Harvard’s Institute of Politics, Chris Whipple moderated a panel of distinguished former White House chiefs of staff: Andy Card (George W. Bush), Denis McDonough (Barack Obama), and Mack McLarty (Bill Clinton). Unelected and unconfirmed, hired and fired by the president alone, the White House chief has been described as the second most powerful job in government. Card, McDonough and McLarty discussed the chief’s critical responsibilities—from gatekeeper to honest broker to coordinator of the president’s agenda—and the special challenges faced by an outsider president in an era of toxic political partisanship.
RAVES FOR CHRIS WHIPPLE’S SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Chris Whipple ranks as one of the most engaging and informative—not to mention popular—speakers ever to grace Roosevelt House… His vast knowledge of American history and national policy, his unique access to government officials and sources, and his ability to elicit the perfect anecdote to punctuate an inside story, make him a hypnotic communicator,”
Harold Holzer
Director, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College
Chris Whipple delivered a wonderful event! Our community came out in droves to hear him speak, and they all left very happy. We loved the model of his presentation and will encourage future presenters to follow suit– it is clearly what New Canaanites want!”
Julia Rae Hodenfield
Programming and Events Librarian, the New Canaan Library
Chris Whipple offers an extraordinarily unique perspective on leadership and the upper echelons of power… His program at the LBJ Presidential Library received not only rave reviews from the audience but questions about when his next book will be published and demands that he come back.”
Mark Updegrove
President and CEO, the LBJ Foundation
Whipple’s revelations… the behind the scenes insights were all terrific. the audience increased as the hour passed. the answers were thoughtful and from a deep knowledge of the subject matter. Bravo, it was a great hour.”
David Lehrer
Community Advocates
CHRIS WHIPPLE’S SPEECH TOPICS
The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House
In this solo presentation, Whipple tells the inside story of Joe Biden’s White House, based on his unique access to the 46th president’s inner circle. It’s a political thriller in three acts–from the fractious transition of 2020; to a first year overshadowed by the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan and a decline in Biden’s approval rating; to a second year in which the president reversed his fortunes by rallying NATO to oppose Vladimir Putin and passed an ambitious legislative agenda. As the president prepares to run for re-election, it’s a thriller with no ending yet.
From the Oval Office to the Corner Office: Lessons from the White House Chiefs of Staff
Whipple moderates a bipartisan master class with two former White House chiefs of staff. Each session features one Republican and one Democrat. Past GOP panelists have included Andrew Card, Joshua Bolten (chiefs to George W. Bush), and Chris Liddell (deputy chief to Donald Trump). Democrat panelists have included Jack Watson (Jimmy Carter), Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty, John Podesta (Bill Clinton), and Denis McDonough (Barack Obama). Ron Klain, Joe Biden’s recently retired chief, may also be available. In 30-40 minutes plus a question-and-answer session, these conversations offer rare insights into how the White House is run–cutting through the noise of partisan politics and showing that bipartisanship and civility are not dead.
CHRIS WHIPPLE’S SOLO SPEAKING VENUES
The Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, Yale University
Deerfield Academy (commencement address), Deerfield, MA
Microsoft Corporation, Seattle, WA.
Society of Corporate Secretaries, annual retreat at the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, COL.
The New Canaan Library, New Canaan, CT
The Lyndon B. Johnson Library, Austin, TX
The Gerald Ford Library, Grand Rapids, MI
The Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, CA
The Union League Club, Chicago, IL
The Yale Club of New York, NY
The Harvard Club of New York, NY
The University Club of New York, NY
The Colony Club, New York, NY
Lone Pine Capital, Greenwich, CT
Literary Society of the Desert, Indian Wells, CA
The Gerald Ford Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
CHRIS WHIPPLE’S CONVERSATIONS WITH WHITE HOUSE CHIEFS OF STAFF
Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School (with White House chiefs Andrew Card, Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty, and Denis McDonough)
The Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX, (with White House chief James A. Baker III)
The Jimmy Carter Library, Atlanta, GA (with White House chief Jack Watson)
Hellman and Friedman LLC, CEOs retreat, Baker’s Bay, Abaco Island, Bahamas (with White House chiefs of staff Andrew Card & Jack Watson)
The National Association of Manufacturers, Naples, FL retreat (with White House chiefs Andrew Card, Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty, and Jack Watson)
MDC Partners, New Orleans, LA (with White House chiefs Andrew Card and Jack Watson)
Credit Suisse, Ellis Island, NY (with White House chiefs Andrew Card and Jack Watson)
Major League Baseball Owners (with White House chiefs Kenneth Duberstein and Denis McDonough)
Pew Charitable Trusts, the House Chiefs of Staff Association, Longworth House Office Building (with White House chiefs Kenneth Duberstein, Andrew Card, Joshua Bolten, Mack McLarty, and John Podesta)
The White House (with White House chiefs Kenneth Duberstein, Joshua Bolten, and John Podesta)
SPEAKING EVENTS
June 6, 2018
One World Trade Center, NYC
One World Trade Center, NYC
Chris Whipple at Credit Suisse, the 2018 Entrepreneurs Summit, a conversation with Jack Watson and Andy Card.
June 10, 2018
Conversations on the Green
Conversations on the Green
Conversations on the Green, with Ari Melber and Michael Isikoff, Washington, CT.
June 1, 2018
Congressional Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
Congressional Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
CMF is delighted to welcome bestselling author Chris Whipple, whose latest book, “The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency” offers a behind the scenes portrait of the Chiefs of Staff for the last nine Presidents. He will discuss the role of these powerful individuals – and what senior Hill staff can learn from both their triumphs AND their missteps.
April 12, 2018
Museum Village, Monroe, NY
Museum Village, Monroe, NY
“The Gatekeepers” presentation by Chris Whipple.
May 22, 2018
New York University, Casa Italiana, NYC
New York University, Casa Italiana, NYC
Book Presentation: THE GATEKEEPERS: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency by Chris Whipple. The author in conversation with Angela Vitaliano (The Huffington Post, Wired).
April 5, 2018
The Colony Club, New York City
The Colony Club, New York City
Watch Chris Whipple’s speak at The Colony Club, New York City
April 5, 2018
The Colony Club, New York City
The Colony Club, New York City
June 1, 2017
New Canaan Library, CT
New Canaan Library, CT
New Canaan Library is pleased to announce that acclaimed journalist, documentary filmmaker, and multiple Peabody and Emmy Award–winning producer Chris Whipple will be guest speaker for the Library’s 2017 William Attwood Memorial Lecture. The crucial, and ultimately powerful, role of any president’s chief of staff is compellingly explored and detailed in his recently released book THE GATEKEEPERS: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency.
April 13, 2017
Jimmy Carter Library, Atlanta, GA
Jimmy Carter Library, Atlanta, GA
Chris Whipple talked about his book The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, in which he examines the role of the White House chief of staff, a position that is chosen by the president and has grown in power and prestige throughout the 20th and 21st century.
February 29, 2016
Naples, Florida
Naples, Florida
Chris Whipple moderated a panel with White House chiefs of staff Andrew Card (George W. Bush); Thomas H. “Mack” McLarty (Bill Clinton); and Kenneth Duberstein (Ronald Reagan). The event’s sponsor is the National Association of Manufacturers.
November 2015
Discovery Education, New Orleans
Discovery Education, New Orleans
Chris Whipple spoke to teachers and educators from around the country about presidential decision-making during times of crisis.
December 2014
HBO Headquarters, Manhattan, NY
HBO Headquarters, Manhattan, NY
Chris Whipple conducted a wide-ranging interview, sponsored by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing and The Newsroom.
November 2014
Discovery Education, Boston, MA.
Discovery Education, Boston, MA.
Chris Whipple spoke to teachers and educators from around the country about The Presidents’ Gatekeepers, and lessons in leadership from the White House chiefs of staff.
November 2014
Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs
Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs
Chris Whipple moderated a special event with James A. Baker III, former chief of staff to Ronald Reagan.
October 2014
The University of New Hampshire Law School
The University of New Hampshire Law School
Chris Whipple led a panel, ‘The Presidency in Real Time’, with former White House chiefs, Ken Duberstein, Mack McLarty and Andrew Card.
June 2013
The White House
The White House
Before a screening of The Presidents’ Gatekeepers in the East Wing theater, Chris Whipple moderated a panel at the White House with Jimmy Carter’s Jack Watson; Ronald Reagan’s Kenneth Duberstein; Bill Clinton’s John Podesta; George W. Bush’s Joshua Bolten; and Barack Obama’s Jacob Lew and Denis McDonough.
Summer 2013
L.A. Press Critics Tour
L.A. Press Critics Tour
