Support the JES's mission of fostering dialogue for the Erie region on a global level.
Our audiences continue to show up to explore critical topics—from politics and global affairs to cutting-edge science, technology, sports, and more. And thanks to our sponsors, we’ve kept ticket prices unchanged since day one, ensuring that access to these powerful learning experiences remains open to all.
Last year, the 2024 Global Summit featured bold conversations on politics, sports, history, artificial intelligence, and social issues. It culminated in a landmark event: former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney in conversation with Erie’s own Sr. Joan Chittister—the largest event in JES history and the largest educational event ever held at the Bayfront Convention Center.
This year, we look forward to kicking off this year’s Global Summit with President Barack Obama. We will also host and welcome renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and community leader Jim Kelly, Vice President Mike Pence, and acclaimed historian Lindsay Chervinsky, plus many additional distinguished speakers who will engage and inspire audiences of all ages.
Whether you’ve sponsored the Global Summit before, supported other JES initiatives, or are considering a sponsorship for the first time, thank you for helping our community grow and thrive. Your support makes it possible for us to offer inclusive, high-quality programming that fosters civic engagement and civil dialogue—providing residents across Erie County with access to the ideas, conversations, and learning opportunities that matter most, especially in times when thoughtful public discourse is so urgently necessary.
If your organization is interested in becoming a Global Summit XVII sponsor, please contact Christine Gerlock by phone at 814-459-8000 or by email at gerlock@jeserie.org.
Join Lindsay Chervinsky, Executive Director, The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, and Chris Whipple, best-selling author, acclaimed journalist, documentary filmmaker, and speaker, for a discussion of the American Presidency, from the United States's first to its current, as the examining the role and its evolution over the past 250 years.
Date/Time: Monday, October 20, 2025 7:00-8:30PM
Location: Gannon University, Yehl Ballroom, Waldron Campus Center, 628 Peach St, Erie, PA 16501
Admission:
Parking: TBD
Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky is a presidential historian and Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. Previously, she was a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, a historian at the White House Historical Association, and a fellow at the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress. Lindsay's newest book, MAKING THE PRESIDENCY: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic, was published in September 2024 by Oxford University Press. She is also the author of the award-winning book The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution and co-editor of Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. Dr. Chervinsky has been published in the Washington Post, TIME, USA Today, CNN.com, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, The Daily Beast, and many others; she is a regular resource for outlets like CBS News, Face the Nation, CNN, The BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, and CBC News
Chris Whipple is an author, documentary filmmaker, and political analyst. He’s been called “an indispensable observer of American power.” His most recent book, Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History, chronicles the 2024 presidential campaign. Whipple wrote the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, and The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future. Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent of The New York Times, calls him “a premier journalist and historian of the White House as well as the intelligence community.” A former producer for CBS News 60 Minutes, Whipple is also an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning executive producer of documentaries for Discovery and Showtime. He has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Politico, and the Daily Beast, and has spoken at the Harvard Kennedy School and Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. He appears frequently on MSNBC, CNN, and NPR. Whipple was educated at Deerfield Academy and received a BA in history from Yale. He lives in Clinton, Connecticut with his wife Cary.