Featuring Carly Fiorina
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Humanities, the state humanities council, announced today that the 2026 Commonwealth Lecture in the Humanities will feature Carly Fiorina, national honorary chair of the Virginia 250 Commission and CEO of Colonial Williamsburg.
The lecture takes place Thursday, Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. at the Dominion Energy Theater in Richmond.
Fiorina is a business leader, author, and civic leader who became the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company as chair and CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Over the course of her career, she has advised leaders in government and the private sector, authored bestselling books on leadership, and championed initiatives focused on unlocking human potential and civic engagement.
"We're very excited to feature Carly Fiorina this year," said Matthew Gibson, Virginia Humanities' executive director. "The Commonwealth Lecture was created to celebrate the humanities and invite deeper reflection about how the past informs the present so that we might shape a promising future together. Carly is perfect to help us do that, especially as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding and what the ideas behind that founding mean to us today."
The Commonwealth Lecture was created to celebrate the humanities and invite deeper reflection about how the past informs the present so that we might shape a promising future together.
Matthew Gibson, Virginia Humanities
Prior to the lecture, Virginia Humanities will present the second annual Commonwealth Humanities Awards, recognizing an individual, community partner, and corporate or foundation partner who have championed the humanities through service, leadership, and philanthropy.
A moderated conversation led by Barbara Hamm Lee — award-winning journalist and host of "Another View" — will follow the lecture, concluding with an audience Q&A.
Tickets for the public lecture may be purchased online through the Dominion Energy Center for $32.60.
A private reception with Carly Fiorina will precede the public lecture at 5:30pm.
Details on the public lecture and private reception are available at VirginiaHumanities.org/lecture.
About Virginia Humanities
As Virginia's humanities council, we create programs and provide grants to connect Virginians with ideas and stories that help them better understand one another and the communities where they live and work. Learn more at VirginiaHumanities.org.
