'Shark Tank' Star and Top Political Experts to Speak at U of A in February

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Entrepreneur and Shark Tank personality Daymond John and the adversarial political colleagues Ari Fleischer and David Axelrod will be the featured speakers in two student-funded Distinguished Lectures in February.

Daymond John will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, at the Fayetteville Town Center on the downtown Fayetteville Square. The lecture is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary for President George W. Bush, and David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, will talk politics less than a week before the Arkansas presidential primary, speaking at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in Bud Walton Arena. This lecture is also free and open to the public, with no tickets required.

Both lectures will be followed by question and answer sessions.

The Distinguished Lecture Series is a student-sponsored program. Speakers are chosen by a committee of students, faculty and staff, and the events are funded by a student-approved fee, appropriated by the Programs Allocation Board.

DAYMOND JOHN

Daymond John is the founder and chief executive officer of the clothing company FUBU – “for us, by us” – which he started with friends in his mother’s basement in Queens, New York, and is now a $6 billion brand. He joined the Emmy award-winning reality series Shark Tank in 2009. On the program John and four other business executives hear business pitches from everyday people, and decide whether or not to invest money in their projects.

John also works as a consultant and motivational speaker, sharing his expertise with everyone from students and aspiring entrepreneurs to small business owners and CEOs of major corporations.

ARI FLEISCHER and DAVID AXELROD

Ari Fleischer was White House press secretary for President George W. Bush from January 2001 to July 2003, serving in the time following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He had a lengthy career as press secretary for several members of Congress and as spokesman for the Ways and Means Committee for the U.S. House of Representatives. He currently runs Ari Fleischer Sports Communications, and has worked as media consultant for the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.

David Axelrod served as chief strategist for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. He was appointed senior adviser to the president following the election, leaving in 2011 to lead Obama's successful re-election campaign. He currently serves as the director of the non-partisan Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and is a senior political commentator for CNN.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.