Meeting Our Objectives

Conversations with Brilliance: Once every quarter, Conversations with Brilliance hosts someone ‘brilliant.’ Presenting international leaders, prize-winning authors and actors, eminent scientists, and business leaders we offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the world’s greatest minds. Inspiring leadership in Houston’s youth and their families, each speaker takes the audience through his or her life, followed by a question and answer session. Since its inception, the Brilliant Lecture Series has presented luminaries: Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Sir Sidney Poitier, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Dame Julie Andrews, Diana Ross, Dr. Maya Angelou, George Clooney, and Lauren Bacall, to name just a few.

Annual Goals

  • Present at least four of the world’s greatest minds to Houston
  • Directly inspire & motivate at least 8,000 audience members
  • Ensure the lectures are affordable & accessible
  • Attract new audiences to the arts
  • Indirectly reach 100,000,000 individuals
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Brill Talks: Brill Talks engages middle and high school students in direct, interactive learning by inviting local, national and international members of our society to speak at local schools. They share their life’s journeys and what drove them to their heights of success. This open dialogue inspires, improves interpersonal relationships, builds cross-cultural understanding, and motivates the students to stay with their dreams and goals while making a difference in both their communities and the world. These programs have featured Sidney Poitier, CNN Hero Doc Hendley; Global Colors Founder Barton Brooks; Houston Dynamo’s Eddie Robinson and many others.

Annual Goals

  • Present at least nine role models to Houston’s middle and high schools in economically challenged areas
  • Directly inspire 5,400 students each academic school year
  • Indirectly reach 675,000 students through distribution of Brill Talks DVD’s
  • All Brill Talks are offered at no charge to schools, libraries and students

Brill Exchange: Brill Exchange is an international youth leadership program where selected youth from underserved schools participate in international travel and learning. The first Brill Exchange was for a group of students from a Houston high school to The Jubilee School in Amman, Jordan. This came as a direct result of the lecture presented by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. We are currently working on our next exchange visit to Serbia, hosted by Their Royal Highnesses, Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia.

Annual Goals

  • Directly inspire leadership in 25 future leaders from Houston’s economically challenged high schools
  • Execute at least one Brill Exchange each year
  • Create long lasting relationships with participating students, schools, the host’s organization and country