Transportation entrepreneur Robin Chase will kick off The University of Toledo Jesup Scott Honors College Distinguished Lecture Series on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Chase, the co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar, the largest car-sharing company in the world, will speak at 7 p.m. in Doermann Theater, located in University Hall on Main Campus. The talk is free and open to the public, but attendees are encouraged to register for tickets in advance at utoledo.edu/honorslecture.

Chase also is the founder and CEO of Buzzcar, a peer-to-peer car-sharing service in France now merged with Drivy, and GoLoco, an online ride-sharing community. Additionally, she is the co-founder and executive chair of Veniam, a vehicle communications company.

She lectures widely on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, transportation, cities and climate change.

In addition to Chase, the lineup for the 2015-16 lecture series includes a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, the co-founder of Apple and a polar explorer.

“This year’s slate of speakers is outstanding,” said Kelly Moore, interim dean of the Jesup Scott Honors College. “Collectively, they will engage, inspire and motivate the University and the larger community.”

The 2015-16 Distinguished Lecture series also will feature:

•   Thursday, Oct. 22 — Richard Russo, an American novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and teacher. Russo won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel, Empire Falls.
•   Monday, Feb. 1 — Steve Wozniak, a Silicon Valley icon and entrepreneur. Wozniak is known for co-founding Apple Computer Inc. with Steve Jobs.
•   Tuesday, April 5 — Ann Bancroft, one of the world’s preeminent polar explorers. Bancroft is an internationally recognized leader who is dedicated to inspiring women, girls and audiences around the world to unleash the power of their dreams.

This is the third year of the lecture series that has brought to campus high-profile speakers, including Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy; Karl Rove, who served as senior adviser to President George W. Bush; and James Carville, political consultant who helped Bill Clinton win the U.S. presidency in 1992.

For additional information, visit utoledo.edu/honorslecture or call 419.530.2738.

Click links to download photos: Robin Chase. Richard Russo. Steve Wozniak. Ann Bancroft.

Tags: Jesup Scott Honors College