Breakfast Features Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist

World-renowned journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Bret Stephens will offer a morning of inspiration and stimulating insights at the 21st annual Westmont President’s Breakfast on Friday, February 27, from 7-9 am at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. 

Tickets, which cost $150 per person, go on sale Friday, January 30, at 9 am at westmont.edu/breakfast. With high demand and limited seating, tickets will sell quickly on a first-come, first-served basis.

Stephens, whose distinguished career has focused on global affairs, domestic politics, and culture, will offer a panoramic view of America’s place in a rapidly shifting world. He has worked as a journalist for more than three decades, including four years as the Wall Street Journal’s deputy editorial page editor and foreign affairs columnist, which earned him the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. 

Before that, at age 28, he was editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, where he oversaw the paper’s news, editorial, digital, and international operations, and also wrote a weekly column.

He wrote the provocative bestseller America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder, which examines the consequences of the United States stepping back from its traditional role of global leader. His fearless commentary has earned him numerous accolades: three honorary doctorates, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and a lifetime ban from entering Russia in 2022 for his searing critiques of the invasion of Ukraine.

Stephens, who was raised in Mexico City and educated at the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics, brings a global perspective shaped by lifelong engagement with international issues. He serves on several academic advisory boards and co-founded the Renew Democracy Initiative, devoted to strengthening democratic principles worldwide.

The Westmont Foundation, which sponsors the breakfast along with generous local businesses and community members, creates dynamic forums for engaging today’s most pressing ideas in the Santa Barbara community.

Past President’s Breakfast speakers include the late Gen. Colin Powell, the late David McCullough, the late Daniel Kahneman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Condoleezza Rice (twice), David Brooks, David Haas, Walter Isaacson, Thomas Friedman, Robert Gates, Gen. Stan McChrystal, Gen. Michael Hayden, Peggy Noonan, Nancy Koehn, and Michael Lewis.

BMO is this year’s Lead Sponsor. Special thanks to U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management. Gold sponsors include Baker Hill, Alfred and Mary Barbour, Davies, David and Anna Grotenhuis, HUB International Insurance Services Inc., La Arcada Plaza, MATT Construction, and Reicker Pfau.

For information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Steve Baker, associate vice president for advancement at Westmont, at (805) 565-7156.