Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Fortune magazine CEO Alan Murray will speak at K-State next month as the university’s next Landon lecturers, officials announced Tuesday.
Pompeo will speak Sept. 6, while Murray will speak on Sept. 27.
Both lectures are at 10:30 a.m. in McCain Auditorium.
“This semester, we are honored to bring two prominent leaders with dynamic careers and formidable experiences to share thought-provoking messages on stage in the heart of America,” said Linda Cook, chair of the Landon Lecture Series and the university’s chief of staff and director of community relations. “Each will bring unique perspectives on diverse topics that impact all of us and the world around us.”
Pompeo is expected to speak about his tenure as secretary of state. President Donald Trump appointed him to the chief diplomatic spot in March 2018.
He also served a brief stint as director of the CIA immediately before his appointment to secretary of state.
After U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., announced in January he would not seek another term, Pompeo, a former four-term representative of Kansas’s 4th District, reportedly was considering a November 2020 run at the position. Last month, though, Pompeo said a 2020 Senate run was “off the table.”
Still, some political analysts say his recent activity in the state and his Kansas background point to a potential campaign for the office in the future, if not next year.
Pompeo will be the second speaker from Trump’s cabinet during his presidency. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue gave a Landon Lecture in November.
Murray is currently the president and CEO of Fortune magazine. He was previously president of the Pew Research Center and chief content officer for Time, Inc.
