March 23, 2011 • 11:45 a.m.
at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center

FEATURING
Valerie Plame Wilson
"Outed" CIA Operations Officer & Best-Selling Author of Fair Game

DR. JEREMY D. BROWN, PRESIDENT

On behalf of the Edinboro University Council of Trustees and the entire Edinboro community, thank you for your continued support of the region's largest and most comprehensive institution of higher education. Because of your ongoing commitment to our mantra of excellence, the past four years are reflected back to you as a whirlwind of activity that has elevated the “Edinboro Experience” beyond expectations.

But we're not finished!  Our faculty and staff continue to raise that bar of excellence  – with $200 million in new construction and improvements to our physical plant, as well as our national and global reputation for academic expertise – for all our students. Your ongoing generous support of our annual Presidential Scholarship Gala and this Presidential Honours Scholarship Luncheon has raised more than $1 million for academically high-achieving students who might have otherwise have had difficulty meeting expenses. On their behalf, I remain hopeful you'll not only continue that meaningful support, but also that I'll have the opportunity to personally thank you at the Bayfront Convention Center on March 23.

Valerie Plame Wilson is the subject of the recent Hollywood movie
based on her best selling book, Fair Game.

VALERIE PLAME WILSON

"Plame spent a courageous and honorable career on the front lines of terrorism only to come home and meet the ultimate betrayal – unethical politicians and unscrupulous journalists. Her story is a modern odyssey, a cautionary tale that should make Americans think twice before sacrificing their patriots." 
Robert Baer, Former CIA Case Officer and Author 

As a covert CIA Operations Officer, Valerie Plame Wilson worked to protect America's national security and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Without warning, in 2003 she found herself at the heart of a political firestorm when her secret status was revealed to several national journalists -- including a syndicated newspaper columnist who published her name. 

Much had been written about the "Valerie Plame Story" before Wilson, who remained silent throughout the controversy, wrote her New York Times best-selling autobiography Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House. Now a major motion picture, Fair Game stars Sean Penn and Naomi Watts. 

Since her covert identity was compromised, Wilson has become a public advocate and respected authority on issues of national security, counter-proliferation, and politics. A contributor to The Daily Beast, Wilson appears and narrates the critically-acclaimed documentary Countdown to Zero, about the preventable threat of nuclear disaster. Countdown to Zero was broadcast on The History Channel last fall.

Wilson is currently at work on her second book, a fictional novel about a female covert operative who relies more upon her intellect than high-tech weaponry to gather intelligence. Wilson is also a consultant to the Santa Fe Institute, a non profit research institute for multidisciplinary collaborations in the physical, biological, computational, and social sciences. SFI research has been used to design new HIV therapies, influence sustainable agricultural policies in Indonesia, and influence business policy in the age of information. 

At the podium, Wilson will discuss Fair Game, sharing her thoughts on what she views as unprecedented abuse of public trust in its efforts to silence a critic and subvert the right of citizens to exercise free speech.