Breaking Bread, Bridging Divides: A Fireside Chat with Gov. David Beasley 

Event Type
Event Date
September 15, 2026
Time
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location
US Bank Conference Theater, Ohio Union

Finding common ground to build stronger communities and a more peaceful world.

Join us for a critical discussion with a global, bipartisan leader at the intersection of food security and national security. Together, we will uncover how global stability and bridging division begins with a shared meal.   

 

Register for the Fireside Chat

In a world shaped by conflict and division, many of us are yearning for authentic connection and common ground. 

Global leader and former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley, a trusted advisor to both the Biden and Trump administrations, believes this journey begins with a shared meal. His national Breaking Bread initiative calls on his experience negotiating peace with world leaders to show how he has found common ground across the widest divides to secure food systems and strengthen global stability and national security.     

Don’t miss this inspiring dialogue on how diplomatic cooperation, humanitarian action and the simple act of breaking bread can safeguard our collective future.   

About Gov. Beasley:   

After serving as governor of South Carolina, David Beasley visited more than 75 war-torn countries, witnessing how conflict plunges populations into extreme poverty and hunger. With bipartisan support, he was nominated by both the Biden and Trump administrations to serve as executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in 2017. Under his leadership, the WFP was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and foster peace in conflict zones. As head of the world’s largest humanitarian organization, Beasley led efforts to provide food assistance to millions of people in some of the most fragile regions around the globe.   

Beasley also received the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2003 for his polarizing effort to remove the Confederate flag from atop the South Carolina State House. The issue caused the Republican governor to lose re-election in the highly conservative state and is recognized as a classic example of putting common good above political self-interest.

Register for Breaking Bread, Bridging Divides