Vanderbilt University’s 2023 Impact Symposium will feature actress and New York Times bestselling author Tabitha Brown; award-winning actor, director and arts and education advocate Giancarlo Esposito; and co-founder of Our Place and the Malala Fund Shiza Shahid. Each will speak on consecutive evenings March 27–29 at 7 p.m. in Langford Auditorium.
Tickets are free for the Vanderbilt community using the access code “IMPACT1” and must be reserved in advance. The annual Impact Symposium is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Programming Board.
Tabitha Brown
Monday, March 27
7 p.m.
Brown satisfies the hunger of millions with her unique approach to veganism and her wholesome, comedic personality. She has earned the title of “America’s mom” from her 13 million-plus followers by sharing recipes while imparting wisdom and humor. A two-time New York Times bestselling author, Brown’s debut book was Feeding the Soul (Because It’s My Business!), published by HarperCollins. She owns and operates the healthy hair care line Donna’s Recipe; continues to launch multi-category product lines as a partner with major retailer Target; and has a signature McCormick spice, Sunshine Seasoning, available at retailers nationwide and direct to the consumer. Brown co-created and stars in the Food Network vegan competition cooking show CompliPlated, which is the first of its kind.
Reserve tickets to Tabitha Brown’s lecture.
Giancarlo Esposito
Tuesday, March 28
7 p.m.
Esposito is well known by television audiences for his iconic portrayal of drug kingpin Gustavo “Gus” Fring in AMC’s critically acclaimed award-winning series Breaking Bad, for which he won the 2012 Critics Choice Award and earned a 2012 Emmy nomination. He reprised this role in AMC’s critically acclaimed prequel Better Call Saul, which was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Drama Series and completed its run in 2022. Esposito also has appeared in numerous award-winning films, television series and Broadway shows. In addition to acting, he has directed and produced ventures under his award-winning production company, Quiet Hand Productions. He was the narrating voice in the Netflix series Dear White People and for the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics for NBC. Esposito is a yoga enthusiast and spends his free time riding his motorcycle and practicing the saxophone. He lends his support to various charitable organizations that support the arts and education, including the Waterkeeper Alliance, Kids for Peace and World Merit USA.
Reserve tickets to Giancarlo Esposito’s lecture.
Shiza Shahid
Wednesday, March 29
7 p.m.
Shahid is an entrepreneur, investor, technologist and impact leader. She co-founded the Malala Fund with Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and led the organization as founding CEO. She also co-founded Our Place, a mission-driven e-commerce startup that creates products and tells stories that celebrate cultural traditions and reinvests in communities through the lens of food and home cooking. Shahid invests in mission-driven startups and female and diverse entrepreneurs through her fund NOW Ventures, which she founded in partnership with AngelList, the largest venture capital platform in the world. She is also a prominent speaker and storyteller, keynoting conferences around the world, sharing her personal story and inspiring people to make an impact in their own, unique ways. She was named one of Time magazine’s “30 under 30 people changing the world,” Forbes magazine’s “30 under 30 social entrepreneurs,” and one of Elle magazine’s Top Women in Tech.