Salt Lake Community College is proud to welcome best-selling author and photographer Pete Souza as the featured speaker for its annual Tanner Forum on Social Ethics. The forum, which is open to the public, will take place October 25 at 7 p.m. at SLCC’s Grand Theatre on its South City Campus, 1575 South State Street in Salt Lake City.
Souza was Chief Official White House Photographer during the Reagan and Obama administrations and is author of the books Unguarded Moments: Behind-the-Scenes Photographs of President Reagan and Obama: An Intimate Portrait. He is also the author of Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents, which uses a series of visual juxtapositions to draw contrast between the Obama and Trump administrations. His most recent book, The West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency, was published on September 27, 2022.
Due to his books, Souza became the subject of the 2020 documentary film “The Way I See It.” The film gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look of Souza’s time as official White House Photographer as he witnessed the immense responsibilities of the most powerful man in the world. The film also details Souza’s transformation from photojournalist to commentator on the importance of empathy and dignity in the office of the Presidency.
Additionally, Souza is Professor Emeritus of Visual Communication at Ohio University, and he has lectured at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, Carnegie Hall and Harvard University. He also worked as a photographer for the Chicago Sun-Times, and The Chicago Tribune and as a freelance photographer for National Geographic. Souza also covered the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11 and has won numerous photojournalism awards, including the prestigious Pictures of the Year competition.
The Tanner Forum is a free event, but tickets are required. Tickets can be obtained online at http://www.slcc.edu/tanner or grandtheatrecompany.com. Seating is first come, first served. Doors open at 6 p.m., and at 7 p.m. Souza will give a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. Event attendees needing accommodation are asked to call (801) 947.4722.
In addition to the forum, Souza’s photographs from “Obama: An Intimate Portrait” will be on display at SLCC’s George S. & Dolores Dore Eccles Art Gallery at the college’s South City Campus October 12 through December 1.
Funded in part by the O.C. Tanner Company, the Tanner Forum on Social Ethics brings nationally and internationally recognized speakers to Salt Lake Community College. The forum enhances the college’s mission as a community-based learning institution that provides opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the wider community to come together for the thoughtful examination of critical issues in contemporary social ethics.