Enrichment Guest Lecturers
For travellers who value learning and personal growth, Silversea offers the Silver Perspectives® Enrichment Programme on longer itineraries with multiple days at sea. In an intimate setting, guests can attend fascinating lectures presented by distinguished guest hosts. These experts include authors, journalists, naturalists, diplomats, professors and other specialists whose lecture topics range from politics to the environment, from tribal customs to ancient history. Lectures generally conclude with a stimulating question and answer session.
Patrick Allitt, Ph. D., Historian
Patrick Allitt is a graduate of Oxford (1977) who studied American history at the University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D. 1986) and has been a professor at Emory University in Atlanta since 1988
Martin Aronson, Civil Trial Lawyer
Martin Aronson is a litigator in Boston with vast experience as a civil trial lawyer, having tried countless cases before juries in Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Boston College Law School. He was managing partner of a Boston firm, White, Inker, Aronson, PC, until 2001.
Donald Behnke, Ph. D., Music Critic, Expert
Dr. Donald Behnke is a music critic of the Green Valley News and Sun in Arizona where he has reviewed Arizona opera for the past five years, recently adding Tucson Symphony to his repertoire.
Eric Ball, Historian
Eric Ball is a third generation native Californian with a passion for history and travel. Eric majored in US history at the University of California, Berkeley. From Alaska to Australia to Antarctica, Eric brings to life the art, history, culture and the stories of people who made an impact on the world.
David Bilsland, Chef, Silversea Culinary Trainer
Chef David was educated in classical French cooking at Thames Valley University, completing advanced Chef Diplomas in both Cuisine and Patisserie. He then began his professional culinary career in some of the top establishments in the UK, including the Waldorf Hotel, Langans Brasserie and Stringfellows.
Michael Boll, Ph.D., Historian, Destination and World Affairs Expert
Dr. Michael Boll is an historian, professor and former government specialist with extensive experience in international relations and world affairs.
Harvey Broadbent, Historian, Writer, Film Producer
Harvey Broadbent is a well-known writer, lecturer, broadcaster, film and TV producer. He is presently Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Modern History at Macquarie University, Australia, directing the Gallipoli Centenary Research Project, centred on Turkish military archives and the Gallipoli Campaign, for which he is an acknowledged expert.
Gordon Brown, Author and Former US Ambassador
Gordon S. Brown, author and retired diplomat, had a 35-year career in the US Foreign Service, during which time he received awards from both the Departments of State and Defense. His latest book, The Captain Who Burned his Ships, is a biography of Captain Thomas Tingey, the first commandant of the Washington navy Yard.
Alastair Bruce of Crionaich, OBE Author, Broadcaster, Historian
Alastair Bruce is the Royal, Constitutional and Religious Commentator for Sky News, the UK’s premier 24hr satellite news channel.
Dr. Norman Caisse, Astronomer
Norman Caisse’s richly illustrated presentations will take us on a fascinating journey from our own Solar System, through the Milky Way galaxy, and on to the edge of the known Universe.
Gwen Clare, Former US Ambassador
A career diplomat for 30 years, Gwen Clare served in Portugal, Chile, Peru, El Salvador, Brazil, and Ecuador, where she was the American Ambassador. She also lived in Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Paraguay. In Washington, she worked on the staff of Secretary of State George Shultz.
Dr. Peter Crimes, Geologist, Geographer
Dr. Peter Crimes recently retired as Director of the Geography and Geology Honours Department of Liverpool University, which is the largest and one of the most prestigious Earth Science Departments in the European Community.
Dr. William Crowley, Geographer, Professor
Professor Emeritus William Crowley obtained his doctorate from the University of Oregon and spent his academic career at Sonoma State University, north of San Francisco.
Peter Damisch, Adventurer, Explorer, Author
Throughout his life Peter Damisch has pursued many passions, with a special emphasis on the search for knowledge and a joy of sharing that information in an environment which promotes safety, fun and learning.
Lawrence d'Almeida, Silversea Wine Ambassador
Lawrence D’Almeida grew up in Paris, France, and was educated John Cabot International College in Rome, at Yale College and Harvard University. One of his four reading subjects at Harvard was Italian Medieval History.
Richard Cowley, OBE Latin America Expert
Richard Cowley was born and educated in England. After completing a B.A. at Birmingham in Spanish and French, with a distinction in Spoken Spanish, he qualified as a teacher, and then wrote an M.A. thesis on literature and politics in Argentina in the 19th century.
Baron Geoffrey Dear, Ex-Police Commissioner
Geoffrey James Dear, Baron Dear, QPM, DL is a retired British police officer. He was described by the broadcaster Sir Robin Day as "the best known and most respected police officer of his generation".
Dr. Mark H. Elovitz, World Affairs Expert
World class expertise coupled with high class presentation combine to make Dr. Elovitz a first class world affairs commentator. For the past decade, Dr. E. -as he is known to his well-traveled, well-educated and upscale audiences - has been presenting World Affairs Hot Spot lectures to international acclaim.
Lyn Farmer, Wine Expert and Food Writer
A widely published wine and food writer and Senior Editor of The Wine News magazine, Lyn Farmer has been honoured with the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Writing on Wine and Spirits.
Joanne Ferraro, Ph. D., Historian
Dr. Joanne Ferraro is a historian of Europe who has published books with Cambridge, Oxford, and Johns Hopkins. Dr. Ferraro, a member of the American Historical Association, has won research fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies.
Fred Feldmesser, Gemologist
To listen to Fred Feldmesser is to be swept into a world of high adventure where the search for exotic pink sapphires and Colombian emeralds is exceeded only by quests for some of the world’s rarest diamonds. Feldmesser grew up in a gem trading family, before joining the venerable houses of Cartier and Harry Winston in New York.
Howard Franklin, Royal Historian, Designer
Howard Franklin is an accomplished and highly respected speaker on British Heritage, the Stately Homes and Gardens of Britain, and the British Monarchy and their Royal Palaces.
Michael Freedland, Journalist, Broadcaster and Author
Michael Freedland says he is more of a story-teller than a lecturer. His usual style is to sit on a stool and talk. “I think it is presumptuous for me to say I am lecturing on the subjects I have chosen".
Leeza Gibbons, TV Host, Personality, Author
Leeza Gibbons is currently the co-host of America Now, the nightly syndicated TV news magazine and the TV show My Generation (on PBS stations). For 17 years she also has hosted and produced the nationally syndicated radio program Hollywood Confidential.
William Gurstelle, Scientist, Author
Named to Wired magazine’s Smart List, William Gurstelle is a bestselling author, engineer, and professional speaker. The author of Backyard Ballistics, Absinthe and Flamethrowers, and seven other books, he is recognized for his particular talent for making science and technology accessible, intriguing, and – most of all – fun to all readers and audiences.
John Hare, Explorer, Conservationist, Author
A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, explorer, and conservationist, John Hare specializes in expeditions on camelback across some of the world’s great desert regions.
Captain Richard Hayman, Mariner and Author
An adventurer who has sailed the seven seas and dozens of rivers in various vessels – from sea schooners in the Pacific to kayaks in the Amazon to icebreakers in Antarctica – Captain Richard Hayman is a true world explorer.
Denise Heywood, Author, Journalist and Photographer
Denise Heywood is an author, journalist and photographer, who has lectured at universities throughout Britain, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Europe. Most recently she returned from Cambodia, where she worked as a journalist for three years.
Brian Hoey, Author, Broadcaster and Monarchy Expert
Brian Hoey is an author and broadcaster who has written 26 books about the British Royal Family including the official biography of HRH The Princess Royal and the official history of the Royal Yacht Britannia. He also wrote the first guide to Buckingham Palace when it opened to the public in 1993.
Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, Historian
An award-winning historian and novelist, Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman is the Dwight E. Stanford Professor at San Diego State University. Among other books, she is the author of
American Umpire and
Broken Promises: A Novel of the Civil War. She lectures on American and world history.
David Horner, Historian
Professor David Horner is one of Australia’s leading historians. Currently Professor of Australian Defence History at the Australian National University, he is Australia’s premier military historian with an international reputation for military history and strategic analysis, although his expertise also ranges across Australian and international history.
Tim Hughes, Ph.D, Political Analyst, Adviser
Tim has been a consultant to the BBC since 1994, working as an adviser on national elections, Zimbabwe and Nelson Mandela in particular. Tim has been a member of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) since 1989.
Philip Hurst, Historian, World Affairs Expert
Former Deputy Director of The Australian Institute of International Affairs in Canberra and Counsel at The World Bank, Philip Hurst is a prominent Anglo-Australian international and constitutional lawyer, lecturer and writer.
Georgeanne Irvine, Author, Conservationist
San Diego native Georgeanne Irvine has devoted more than three decades of her career to raising awareness about animals and wildlife conservation. By day, she is associate director of communications/development for the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, where she has worked for more than 33 years.
Dr. Herb Keyser, Author, World Traveler, Music Expert
Dr. Herb Keyser is a man of many talents - doctor, author, traveler, lecturer, musician. He was co-chairman of the Ob-Gyn department at one of the largest hospitals on Long Island. He also served as a Lt. Colonel in the United States Army Medical Corps during the war in Vietnam.
Pat Kramer, Author, Photographer
A researcher, photographer, author, and professional speaker, Pat Kramer has designed a dynamic series of picture- and sound-filled presentations for our cruise.
Dr. Anthony P. Maingot, Caribbean and South America Expert
Anthony P. Maingot is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Florida International University in Miami. He has also taught at Yale University where he was Director of the Antilles Research Program and at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad.
Philip Martin, Ph.D., Economist
Philip Martin earned a Ph.D. in Labor and Agricultural Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1975. He is Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California-Davis and chair of the University of California's Comparative Immigration and Integration Program.
The Revd. Richard Martin, Historian, Theologian
The Reverend Richard Martin obtained his Master of Arts degree in Modern History from St. John's College, Oxford, after school in London, and went on to teach History and English for ten years at Harrow School. He was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1985 and became Chaplain and Head of Theology at Magdalen College School, Oxford.
Stephen Lash, Chairman Emeritus, Christie's Americas
Stephen S. Lash is Chairman Emeritus of Christie’s Americas and Vice Chairman of Christie’s American Advisory Board. He has been with Christie’s since 1976 when he was one of the original team of eight responsible for launching the venerable auction house’s first galleries in the United States.
Dr. Rosanne Martorella, Cultural and Political History Expert
Dr. Rosanne Martorella has been a Professor of Sociology at William Paterson University, and popular speaker. Her lectures focus on the relationship between art and society, detailing the cultural and political history of a country.
Gene McConville, Colonel, US Army, Diplomat
Gene McConville is a soldier, diplomat, and academic with a wealth of international experience concerning issues in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region. He was originally commissioned in the United States Army and spent several years as a military diplomat in Nigeria, South Africa, Indonesia, and Pakistan.
Gerald M McCormack, Colonel, Australian Army (Retired)
Colonel Gerald M McCormack retired from the Australian Army in 2000 after having served in operational, training and diplomatic appointments. He commanded tank troops in South Vietnam and a tank regiment in Australia. His diplomatic assignments were to Korea and Germany.
John McMichan, M.D., Ph. D., Medical Expert
Born in Melbourne, Australia John C. McMichan, MBBS, PhD obtained his medical education at Monash University and then spent time in Surgery and Surgical Research at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. In 1969, he went to sea as Ship’s Surgeon on the SS Francis Drake of the Dominion Far East Line.
Chris Mullane, Historian, Ex-NZ Army
Chris brings to his enriching presentations a wide variety of life experiences from his military service, his many years in business, his interest in history, politics and the performing arts and his continuing involvement in diverse community projects.
Mike O'Brien, Historian, Major General Aus. Army (Retd.)
Major General Mike O'Brien graduated from Australia’s Royal Military College, Duntroon and served as a platoon commander and intelligence officer in the Vietnam War. He later wrote the history of his battalion that was published in 1995 and short-listed for a British military history prize.
Dr. David Pasta, Energy Geoscientist
Dr. David Pasta has explored most of the world's continents and oceans as an Energy Geoscientist. He is a member of several international organizations, including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
Fred Plotkin, Renaissance Man
Fred Plotkin discovered the concept of "The Renaissance Man" as a small child and has devoted himself to pursuing that ideal as the central role of his life. He is an expert on everything Italian, the person other so-called Italy experts turn to for definitive information.
Diana Preston, Author and Historian
Diana Preston is a writer with a special interest in the history of exploration. Her many books include A Pirate of Exquisite Mind, about the 17th century buccaneer William Dampier, who inspired Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and A First-Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole – a New York Times Book of the Week.
Bill Rothschild, Engineer, Space Travel Expert, Ex-USAF
Bill Rothschild has 43 years of experience in the aerospace industry involving project management, systems engineering, and rocket systems development and testing. Bill is currently working as a consultant for both NASA and the U.S. Air Force, after retiring as Boeing’s Director of Engineering Operations for the Space Exploration Division.
Dr. Andrew J. Pierre, International Relations American Foreign Policy Expert
Andrew J. Pierre is a well-known expert in International Relations and American Foreign Policy, who will join the U.S. Institute of Peace in October 2010 to write a book on nuclear non-proliferation. Earlier he taught at the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University and served as a consultant to the U.S. Departments of State and Defense.
Chris Ritchie, Vice Admiral, Royal Australian Navy (Retd.)
Chris Ritchie retired from the Royal Australian Navy as the Chief of Navy in July 2005. In the course of his career, he qualified as a Principal Warfare Officer and commanded three ships including HMAS Brisbane during the Gulf War of 1991.
Rick Senat, Film Industry Expert
Rick has over 40 years’ experience in the film and media world. He joined Warner Bros in1976, becoming its Senior Vice-President for Business and Legal Affairs in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Joan Root, Painter/Printmaker and Art Historian
Joan Root is both a painter/printmaker and an art historian. She has taught painting and drawing as well as art history for more than twenty-five years. Formerly based in New York, she now resides in Washington, DC. In New York, she taught at The New York Academy of Art, New York University, The School for Visual Arts, and Stern College.
Patricia Schultz, Best-Selling Author, Travel Journalist
Patricia Schultz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. A veteran travel journalist with 25 years of experience, she has written for guides such as Frommer’s and Berlitz and periodicals including The Wall Street Journal and Everyday With Rachael Ray.
Daniel Silke, Politician, International Affairs Expert
Mr Silke holds a Masters degree in International Politics from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He has served six years in publicly elected office between 1995 and 2001 having faced three elections. He has served four years as a Member of Parliament in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in Cape Town after being re-elected in 1999.
Adrian Sindall, Former British Ambassador
Ambassador Adrian Sindall is a former senior British diplomat. During his Foreign Service career Adrian served as British Ambassador to Syria, as British High Commissioner to His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei and as a senior policy advisor on South America, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.
Paul Stevens, Historian, Major General Aus. Army (Retd.)
Major General Paul Stevens is currently a member of the Australian War Memorial Council, and in recent years has held the positions of Director of the Office of Australian War Graves, and Commissioner on the Repatriation Commission.
Marlene Strauss, Art Historian
Marlene Barasch-Strauss is an art historian whose lectures are featured regularly at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mrs. Strauss speaks frequently at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Art Institute of Chicago and for many museums and organizations.
Gary Smith, Award-winning Producer
As a partner in the television production company Smith-Hemion, Gary Smith has created many of America’s most distinguished specials and events. The team has won an unprecedented 24 Emmy Awards.
Joe Snyder, Former Diplomat and World Affairs Expert
Joe Snyder was a diplomat with the U.S. State Department Foreign Service for thirty years. He served at diplomatic offices in Thailand, Iran, Taiwan, Malaysia and Austria, as well as in Washington.
Andrew Steigman, Former US Ambassador
Andrew L. Steigman, from Bethesda, Maryland, is Associate Dean at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, where he works with the undergraduate program and teaches a course on international negotiation.
Captain William Wells, Maritime Historian
Promoted to Captain by the age of 28, William Wells then became a Trinity House licensed pilot in the Port of London operating between Gravesend and London Bridge. During his career as a pilot he also served in the Middle East and the Bahamas where he regularly handled many of the world’s largest ships.
Jay Wolff, Ph.D., Historian and Destination Expert
Dr. Jay Wolff is an internationally known and acclaimed history and destination lecturer, who travels the world and presents in-depth lectures about the people and events that have shaped the places visited along the way.