Chancellor Janet L. Gooch will be joined by Brian Beals, co-founder of the Dixon Performing Arts Program and Mud Theatre Project, and Maria de Arteaga, senior staff attorney with the Illinois Innocence Project, for a conversation exploring human potential, justice and transformation.

Brian Beals and Maria de Arteaga will share perspectives from their work with incarcerated individuals and the Illinois Innocence Project, exploring how art, education, hope and advocacy can create opportunities for transformation, even in the most difficult circumstances. Together, they will consider what meaningful systemic change looks like and what our institutions, including prisons, should offer when we believe in the possibility of human growth.

The Chancellor’s Thinkers Series is designed to spark curiosity, stretch thinking, challenge perspectives and foster intentional dialogue across our campus and the Springfield community.

Schedule

• 5:30–6:15 p.m. | Conversation between Chancellor Gooch, Brian Beals and Maria de Arteaga
• 6:15–6:30 p.m. | Audience Q&A
• 6:30-7 p.m. | Closing Reflections and reception with refreshments

This event is free and open to the public. To help us prepare, we strongly encourage guests to RSVP.