Professional basketball player Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball history, tips off the Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital’s 2025-26 Florida Forum Speaker Series on Oct. 29.
The other speakers for the annual series are Vladimir Kara-Murza, a former Russian political prisoner, on Feb. 3; and José Andrés, a chef, restaurateur and humanitarian on March 21.
All three events begin at 7 p.m. at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts, 300 Water St., in Downtown Jacksonville.
• Clark, now with the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, was twice named national female college basketball player of the year while playing for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. In her first WNBA season in 2024, she was named WNBA Rookie of the Year. In what became known as the Caitlin Clark effect, her games attracted sold-out arenas and surging TV ratings.
Clark’s appearance will be moderated by former WNBA President Donna Orender.
• Kara-Murza is a Russian politician, author and historian who played a central role in advancing international Magnitsky sanctions targeting human rights abusers.
Arrested in 2022 for speaking out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison before his release in a prisoner exchange in 2023. Kara-Murza won a Pulitzer Prize for his columns for The Washington Post and advocates for global human rights organizations.
• Andrés leads the José Andrés Group, operating 40 restaurants worldwide. He is founder of World Central Kitchen, which delivers meals in response to global crises, and the Global Food Institute at George Washington University. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January and has twice been named to Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
Attendees under 30 can purchase seating for $150. General seating is available for $250, with prices rising to $2,250 for silver-level access and $4,500 for gold-level access, which both include invitations to private receptions with the speakers after their lectures.
Additional sponsorships are available.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit https://www.thefloridaforum.com/
The annual forum is a fundraiser to support Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Proceeds will support an outdoor space for the institution’s behavioral health unit.
The Speaker Series is presented by Landstar, Florida Blue and The Claxton Bank.
The Women’s Board has raised more than $37 million in support of Wolfson Children’s Hospital.