Dan Porterfield is president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. He was previously president of Franklin & Marshall College, where he led the college in tripling its percentage of incoming low-income students and doubling its percentage of domestic students of color. Earlier in his career, Porterfield was senior vice president for strategic development and an English professor at his alma mater, Georgetown University, and a senior public affairs official in the US Department of Health and Human Services. Raised by a single mother at the height of the civil rights movement, he was a Rhodes Scholar and was named a White House Champion of Change in 2016.
Previously

2022 Festival
The Path Forward for Academic Freedom in Higher Ed
Video — 46m 28s

2022 Festival
Leaders for Our Times, Solutions for Our Future: Ten Years of the Ascend Fellowship (Reception)
Video

2022 Festival
Threatened Guardians of the Earth
Video — 46m 14s

2022 Festival
Afternoon of Conversation
Video — 2h 15m 4s

2022 Festival
Through the Lens of Bayer: The Aesthetic Beauty of Bauhaus Comes to Life
Video — 46m 33s

2022 Festival
Opening Session
Video — 15m 55s

2022 Health
Aspen Ideas Health Opening and Welcome
Video — 48m 46s

2022 Climate
Launching the Next Generation of Leaders and Solutions: Higher Education’s Role in the Climate Crisis
Video
2022 Climate
Opening Session
Video — 1h 57m 6s
2021 Festival
Back to School, Like We’ve Never Seen It Before
Video — 26m 55s

2020 Festival
Does Our Matter Really Matter?
Video — 19m 16s

2019 Festival
Just What IS Civil Society?
Video — 49m 53s

2019 Festival
The Art of Hope: Transforming Lives Through Creative Collaboration
Video — 53m 10s

2019 Festival
Fostering Educational Excellence on a Global Scale
Audio — 47m

2019 Festival
(Re)Building the Good Society
Video — 54m 27s

2019 Festival
Aspen Ideas Festival Opening
Video — 1h 15m 49s

2019 Health
Reaching Rural Populations
Video — 46m 7s

2019 Health
The Roaring Fork Valley’s Affordable Housing Crisis: What Does it Mean for Health?
Audio — 54m

2018 Festival
Closing Session: LET'S DO SOMETHING! Conversations with Remarkable Change Makers
Video — 1h 3m 38s

2018 Festival
The Drive for Access and Excellence in Higher Education
Audio — 49m

2018 Festival
Clash of Values? College Campuses, Free Speech, Inclusion, and Safe Spaces
Video — 50m 13s

2018 Festival
What Will it Take for the US to Expand College Excellence?
Video — 51m 27s

2018 Festival
Advancing Trust in Higher Education
Video — 51m 41s

2018 Festival
Where Do Ideas Come From? Aspen Ideas Festival Opening Event
Video — 1h 24m 28s

2018 Health
Report Card: How Do Colleges Score on Student Health Needs?
Video — 1h 16m 10s

2016 Festival
Are College Presidents Ready to Guide Higher Education Into the Future?
Audio — 1h 5m