Bringing Speakers to the Gunnison Valley Since 2003

Our Mission

"The Public Policy Forum of Crested Butte is a Colorado non-profit organization which brings to
the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte/Gunnison community each year a series of speakers
presenting and discussing significant contemporary issues."

Forum: a public meeting or lecture involving audience discussion

Dear Friends of the Public Policy Forum of Crested Butte,

   I would like to welcome you to the eleventh season of the Forum. I am honored to have been elected as the Third President of the Forum following Larry Mosher and the Rev. Christine Geer whose brainchild was to bring international speakers to Crested Butte. Larry will continue to serve on the Board as President Emeritus and take an active part in recruiting speakers.

   We will be trying a couple of new ideas this year while still emphasizing topical and provocative speakers that will continue to stimulate the minds of our audiences and provoke knowledgeable and lively question and answer sessions.

   First, we are going to have a least one and possibly two presentations during the ski season. On February 20, 2013, Trita Parsi will be speaking on the US/Iranian situation at the Center for the Arts. Mr. Parsi is a dynamic speaker with great insight into Iran.

   Secondly, we are not going to charge admission this year. We hope this will expand our audience and, more importantly, the community’s knowledge of subjects of national and international importance.

   We are in the process of fashioning the line-up for next summer and promise to bring even more thought provoking speakers to Crested Butte. Despite having no paid staff and not paying honorariums to the speakers, the Forum has drawn an incredible and interesting array of presenters from former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to Ted Turner. We are going to ask all of you to be generous in your support of the Forum to cover the costs of travel, meals, lodging, etc. of our speakers.

   Crested Butte has always been a place of uncommon beauty where residents, second-homeowners, and visitors have all exercised their bodies and soothed their souls. We invite you to “Exercise your mind” and make as many Forums as possible.

   I hope you join me and the Board in looking with great excitement toward this next season.

Jim Schmidt

President