Laura Silber ’82, the chief communications officer at the Open Society Foundations, will deliver Carleton College’s weekly convocation address on Friday, Oct, 4 from 10:50-11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Silber oversees the Foundations’ public image, which includes media outreach, online strategy and publications. With projects in more than 120 countries, Silber plays a leading role in advocacy for human rights. Her presentation is titled, “Death of a Nation: Lessons from the Frontlines.”
The Open Society Foundations, which was founded in 1993 by billionaire investor George Soros, offers financial support to civil society groups around the world. With a specific focus on justice, democratic governance and human rights, OSF provides thousands of grants every year through a network of national and regional foundations and offices.
Prior to joining the Open Society Foundations in 2000, Silber was a reporter on foreign affairs. She was the Balkans correspondent for the Financial Times from 1990-1997, where she covered Yugoslavia’s violent disintegration. She is the co-author of the critically acclaimed “Yugoslavia: Death of Yugoslavia,” which was selected for The New York Times notable book list. She also served as a consultant to the accompanying BBC Television documentary series, which won a BAFTA, a DuPont Gold Baton and a Peabody Award.
Silber has contributed to a wide array of publications, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the New York Review of Books. She also teaches communications as an adjunct professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. From 1987-1989, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Yugoslavia.
Silber graduated with a BA from Carleton in 1982 and received an MA in international affairs from Columbia University.
Convocation is sponsored by Carleton College Events. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located at First and College Streets in Northfield.