Here is the list of the special guest hosts and their selected topics who led conversations at our Eat, Think, and Be Merry 2009 Benefit Luncheon.
| Name | Title | Organization | Conversation Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Ayers | Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar | University of Illinois Chicago | Can Public Schools Be Saved (and Should They Be)? |
| Geoffrey Baer | Producer and Program Host | WTTW Channel 11 | Where Do You Draw the Line on Lakefront Development? |
| Timuel D. Black | Professor Emeritus of Social Science | City Colleges of Chicago | What is the Role of the Historian in Achieving Social Justice? |
| John Bracken | Program Officer, Media Grantmaking Program | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation | Is the Unshared Life Worth Living? |
| Brian "Fox" Ellis | Appearing as Charles Darwin | Fox Tales International | Does One Need to Deny God to Be a Scientist? |
| Geoff Emberling | Director | Oriental Institute Museum | Should Soldiers Know the Culture They Are Fighting Against? |
| James Grossman | Vice President for Research and Education | Newberry Library | What is the Value of Liberal Education? Is "Assessment" Possible or Desirable? |
| Juana Guzmán | Vice President | National Museum of Mexican Art | How Can the Arts Serve as a Catalyst for Social Change in the Community? |
| Michael Harvey | Writer, Journalist, and Documentary Producer | What Do the Chicago Way, Sean Connery, and Aeschylus Have in Common? | |
| Cheryl Johnson-Odim | Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs | Dominican University | What Should the Obama Administration Strive to Accomplish on the World Stage? How Can Citizens Help? |
| Rick Kogan | Senior Writer | Chicago Tribune | Who Needs Newspapers? |
| Richard C. Longworth | Senior Fellow | Chicago Council on Global Affairs | Chicago and the Midwest: Civilizations in Transformation? |
| Dawn Clark Netsch | Northwestern University Law School | What Do We Have to Do in Illinois to Restore Ethics in Government? | |
| Thomas F. Schwartz | Illinois State Historian | Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum | What Would Lincoln Do? Is This the Right Question to Ask? |
| Rebecca Sive | Principal | The Sive Group, Inc. | Are Women's Rights the Cause of Our Time? |
