Waterman Board Meeting
2026-03-10 09:30 - 11:30 (America/Detroit) | by Zoom

Town Hall: H. Luke Shaefer - "Ending Infant Poverty in the United States and Beyond"
2026-04-15 11:30 - 13:30 | WCC – Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, United States
Luke Shaefer, one of the nation’s leading scholars on poverty and social welfare policy, is the Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. Shaefer also directs Poverty Solutions, which partners with communities and policymakers to find new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Dr. Shaefer has presented his research at the White House, before numerous federal agencies, and testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. His work has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, and The Atlantic, and he has been featured on PBS NewsHour, Marketplace, 1A, All Things Considered, and CNBC’s Nightly Business Report. Professor Shaefer is the co-director of Rx Kids, the nation’s first citywide maternal and infant cash prescription program launched in Flint, Michigan in January 2024.

Annual Meeting
2026-05-12 10:30 - 23:30 | WCC – Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, United States
All Waterman members are invited to attend the annual meeting before the final Town Hall luncheon of the year.

Town Hall: Orin Grossman - "George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: The Great American Opera"
2026-05-12 11:30 - 13:30 | WCC – Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, United States
Orin Grossman has delighted audiences worldwide with his unique combination of performance and discussion of great American and European music. Dr. Grossman studied music at Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude and earned a Ph.D. in Music at Yale University. Dr. Grossman became Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at Fairfield University in 1975 and he was named Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1991. After ten years as the Academic Vice President at Fairfield University, he returned to the faculty in the fall of 2009 as Professor of Visual and Performing Arts. Dr. Grossman now is a frequent star professor for “One Day University,” a premiere lecture organization, giving talks nationwide. He is in demand as an interpreter of George Gershwin’s music, playing his songs and classical compositions around the world. Dr. Grossman will explore the story of Porgy and Bess, its fascinating history, and conclude with a performance of beloved songs from Porgy and Bess in a special arrangement by the great American pianist, Earl Wild.

Waterman Board Meeting
2026-06-09 09:30 - 11:30 | TBD

Town Hall: Robin Wright - "America's Global Challenges in 2026"
2026-10-20 11:30 - 13:30 | Washtenaw Community College Morris Lawrence Bldg, 4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, United States
Robin Wright is an international relations expert, journalist, and author. She has reported from more than 140 countries on six continents for publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Times Magazine, and Time Magazine. Wright has also been a fellow at the Brookings Institution, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as well as at Yale, Duke, Dartmouth, and the University of California. She received the U.N. Correspondents Gold Medal, the National Magazine Award, and the Overseas Press Club Award. The American Academy of Diplomacy selected her as the journalist of the year in 2004. Ann Arbor native and University of Michigan grad, Wright received an honorary degree from her alma mater in 2015.

Town Hall: Carol Hutchins - "Challenges for Women's Sports in Today's World"
2026-11-18 11:30 - 13:30 | Washtenaw Community College Morris Lawrence Bldg, 4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, United States
Though the University of Michigan (U-M) claims Carol Hutchins, she was born in Lansing, MI, and attended Michigan State University (MSU). At MSU, she played on the varsity basketball team and was the starting shortstop as a freshman on the varsity softball team. After coaching one year at Ferris State, Ms. Hutchins moved to U-M and began her 38-year head coaching career there (1985-2022). Carol Hutchins has won more games than any other U-M coach, in any sport, and led the Wolverines to their first NCAA softball championship in 2005. Her awards include induction into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2006), the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (2011) and the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame (2022). Since she began coaching at Michigan, the softball team has never had a losing season.

Town Hall: Josh A. Cassada - "The Ultimate Remote Job: Living and Working Aboard the International Space Station"
2027-04-13 11:30 - 13:30 | Washtenaw Community College Morris Lawrence Bldg, 4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, United States
Josh Cassada is an American physicist, test pilot, and a former NASA astronaut. Prior to becoming a naval aviator, Cassada graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Physics from Albion College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Rochester. He conducted experimental high energy physics research at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. In 2022, Cassada joined the International Space Station, as the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5. While there, he conducted three spacewalks totaling 21 hours, 24 minutes. During its mission, the crew contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations, spending 157 days in orbit.

Town Hall: Tom Toro - "The New Yorker as a Women's Magazine"
2027-05-05 11:30 - 13:30 | Washtenaw Community College Morris Lawrence Bldg, 4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, United States
Tom Toro, a cartoonist and author, graduated cum laude from Yale. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010, and his cartoons also appear in Playboy, The Paris Review, The New York Times, and elsewhere. He has contributed a dozen essays to The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons, and his syndicated cartoon strip is called “Home Free.” Toro’s books include And to Think We Started as a Book Club, Crocodiles Need Friends, Too!, How to Potty Train Your Porcupine and illustrations for Back to School, Backpack! by Simon Rich and User’s Guide to Democracy by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice. Notable among his many speaking engagements and interviews are those for NPR, Sirius Radio, Columbia University, Twitter headquarters, the Kansas City Art Institute, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Kansas City Star.
