Blair Academy is excited to welcome back alum Kim (Brody) Hart ’06 for the Society of Skeptics on Tuesday, September 29. She brings with her a career’s worth of insights from the frontlines of global policy, diplomacy and gender equality. Currently affiliated with the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security (GIWPS), Ms. Hart plans on talking to students about her career path and how she has helped advance women’s participation in peacebuilding, international security, and humanitarian policy worldwide.

After graduating from Blair in 2006, she pursued advanced training in international policy, ultimately focusing on the critical intersection of gender, conflict resolution and global governance. At GIWPS, she has the privilege of working alongside leading scholars, diplomats and policymakers to highlight how integrating women into security frameworks can lead to more sustainable peace agreements, stronger economic stability and more resilient global communities. Her work encompasses analyzing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, formulating actionable recommendations for international institutions and nongovernmental organizations, and addressing emerging crises—from climate security to political instability—through an inclusive, gender-responsive lens.

For Ms. Hart, returning to the Society of Skeptics means getting the opportunity to pay it forward. All are welcome to hear Ms. Hart speak in the forum of the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

History of Skeptics

The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.

The program, which is funded in part by the Class of 1968 Society of Skeptics Endowment Fund, is an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon. ’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller and his successor, history department chair Jason Beck, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are thought-provoking, engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please visit Blair’s website.