Art by Bennett Hu.
Global threats matter to everyone.
Join us and network with the changemakers
War, threats to public health, extreme weather, and AI are constantly in our news feeds. These challenges–old and new–are not likely to change anytime soon.
Coming just days after the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, the Bulletin's 2026 annual gathering will convene changemakers, including the scientists who set the Doomsday Clock, to meet, mingle, and discuss humanity’s most pressing challenges on November 12 at 610 S Michigan Ave in downtown Chicago. The event schedule is as follows:
- Ticket buyers attend:
- 5:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception
- 6:00 p.m. Keynote Discussion with Q&A, featuring speakers:
- Avril Haines, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and former U.S. Director of National Intelligence
- Melissa Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Media
- Sponsors and higher-level tickets
- 7:30 p.m. Exclusive Dinner with Bulletin Leaders
We look forward to seeing you on November 12 in Chicago to discuss what's happening today and what it means for tomorrow.
Speakers
Avril Haines
Keynote Discussion Speaker
Avril Haines is the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former US Director of National Intelligence. As a member of President Biden’s cabinet, she led the US Intelligence Community and served as the President’s principal intelligence adviser.
Melissa Bell
Keynote Discussion Moderator
Melissa Bell has been the Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Media since September 2024. Bell co-founded Vox.com in 2014 and played a key role in developing Vox’s distinctive content style that emphasizes understanding complex topics, commonly known as explainer journalism.
Jill Hruby
Jill Hruby is a member of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, which sets the Doomsday Clock. She served as the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security at the Department of Energy and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration from July 2021 to January 2025.
Mari Faines
Mari Faines is a Bulletin Board Fellow and serves on Democracy Forward’s Policy and Public Affairs team as the Manager of External Affairs and Coalitions. Just prior to that, Faines served as a strategic advisor and policy expert at the U.S. Department of State, working on AUKUS, the trilateral security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Alexandra Bell
Alexandra Bell is the President and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. A noted policy expert and former diplomat, she oversees the Bulletin‘s publishing programs, management of the Doomsday Clock, and a growing set of activities around nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies.
Sharon Weinberger
Sharon Weinberger is the editor-in-chief of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. She was previously the National Security Editor of the Wall Street Journal from 2022 to 2026. She was a 2026 Omidyar Network reporter-in-residence. She is the author of four books on national security and technology, including Valley of Death: How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War.
Daniel Holz
Daniel Holz is the chair of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board and a member of its Governing Board. He is a professor at the University of Chicago in the Departments of Physics, Astronomy, and Astrophysics, the Enrico Fermi Institute, and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. His research focuses on general relativity in the context of astrophysics and cosmology.
John Balkcom
John Balkcom is a member of the Bulletin's Governing Board. He is a former management consultant, college president, and board member of both for-profit and nonprofit firms. He previously served twice as chair of the Governing Board of the Bulletin.
Ethan Beaty
Ethan Beaty is the latest recipient of the Bulletin's Leonard M. Rieser Award. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a BA in English and a Certificate in Editing and Publishing. His interests include emergency communications and management. He works with the Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads and the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Disaster Relief.
David C. Kuhlman
David C. Kuhlman is the chair of the Bulletin's Governing Board and a member of its Science and Security Board. He is a partner at Lotis Blue Consulting (formerly Axiom Consulting Partners), a consulting firm that helps clients identify pathways to profitable growth and align their organizations for long-term success.
"As you look upward in the forest, towering trees reach toward the sky, converging to a point in the distance. All around, trunks hold ringed memories of the years past as they grew from seeds to giants. In this moment, you stand peering at a future not quite in focus, yet surrounded by the history that brought you to this instant."
— Bennett Hu, the artist who created the artwork this year for Conversations Before Midnight
Have a question?
Sponsorship level information is available here. For questions about sponsorship opportunities or table availability, reach out to the Bulletin's advancement team via email at [email protected].
Explore past Bulletin annual events
From unpacking the 2024 Presidential election results with the David Ignatius of the Washington Post to analyzing threats posed by artificial intelligence in 2025 with Google's Blaise Agüera y Arcas, and founding engineer of Skype, Jaan Tallinn, the Bulletin’s annual gatherings consistently deliver powerful insights on the world’s most pressing existential threats.
Current sponsors
Platinum sponsors
Lee Francis and Michelle Gittler
Joan and Jim Shapiro
Gold sponsors
The Crown Family
Gavin P. Jones, MD
David Kuhlman and Martha Esch
William and Eleanor Revelle
Silver sponsors