Shark Tank Star, Top Political Experts to Speak at UA in February

Entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” television personality Daymond John and former White House senior staff members Ari Fleisher and David Axelrod will speak in Fayetteville as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series presented by the University of Arkansas.

John will speak at the Fayetteville Town Center on the downtown square Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.

Fleisher, the former press secretary for President George W. Bush, and Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, will talk politics on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in Bud Walton Arena on the UA campus.

Both lectures are free and open to the public, with no tickets required.

John is the founder and chief executive officer of the clothing company FUBU (For Us, By Us), which is now a $6 billion brand. He also works as a consultant and motivational speaker, sharing expertise with everyone from students and aspiring entrepreneurs to small business owners and CEOs of major corporations.

Fleisher was White House press secretary for President Bush from January 2001 to July 2003. He currently runs Ari Fleischer Sports Communications, and has worked as a media consultant for the College Football Playoff selection committee.

David Axelrod served as chief strategist for President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, and was appointed senior adviser to lead Obama’s successful re-election campaign. He currently serves as the director of the nonpartisan Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, and is a senior political commentator for CNN.

Both lectures will be followed by a question and answer session.