A longtime writer and editor for National Geographic, Don Belt is an award-winning journalist, an acclaimed teacher and public speaker, and an experienced communications strategist working on behalf of worthwhile causes and organizations. He brings a global and humanistic perspective to every project he takes on, ranging from editing the first-ever National Geographic retrospective on Islam (above) to exploring the frontiers of journalism in the digital age. Favorite speaking topics include Lawrence of Arabia and the making of the modern Middle East, the geopolitics of Water, the Out of Eden Walk project, and his three decades on the road for National Geographic.
SPOTLIGHT: SYRIA
One of Don’s most popular speaking topics, SYRIA today is in the throes of a brutal civil war that was years in the making. For an in-depth look at the modern history of Syria, including an interview with President Bashar al-Assad, see Don’s story in the November 2009 issue of National Geographic.
And for further insights on Syria and foreign affairs in general, Follow Don on Twitter: @dbelt50.
October 2015
On October 30, Don conducted his Walk on Campus workshop in Chicago, sharing his Out of Eden Walk “slow journalism” curriculum with more than a dozen university professors from the midwest at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. The workshop was presented in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
On October 23 Don delivered the Marshall Center Lecture on T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) to the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond.
Also, on October 7 he appeared as featured speaker at the quarterly meeting of Beer+Design, an organization of Virginia Architects, at Studio 23 in Scott’s Addition. Richmond VA
September 2015
Don appeared in the Global Environment Speaker Series at the University of Richmond, delivering a lecture sponsored by the Environmental Studies, International Studies, and Journalism departments. Richmond, VA
June 2015
Don delivered an evening lecture on the Out of Eden Walk project at Harvard Law School, to a leadership summit of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Special guests included Liz Dawes Duraisingh of Project Zero (Harvard Graduate School of Education), and Jeff Blossom of Harvard’s Center for Geographic Analysis. Cambridge, MA.
May 2015
Don conducted a day-long Pulitzer Center Workshop for university journalism educators, sharing his curriculum based on Paul Salopek’s Out of Eden Walk and its potential as a teaching tool for professors of journalism, geography, anthropology, environmental science, and international studies. Ann Peters of the Pulitzer Center wrote an article about the Workshop here. Washington, D.C.
April 2015
As part of the Richmond Writers Series, Don delivered a lecture on foreign affairs at the Richmond Public Library, at 7:00 pm on Friday, April 10. Title: “From Lawrence of Arabia to the Arab Spring: 100 Years of Middle East History in 30 Minutes.” Richmond VA
February 2015
Don delivered a lecture on the leadership style of T.E. Lawrence to the Board of Directors of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity at Deloitte University. Dallas Texas
November 2014
Don lectured on a variety of topics to 80 travelers on National Geographic Expeditions “Around the World by Private Jet” trip, with stops in Peru, Easter Island, Samoa, Australia, Cambodia, China, Tibet, India, Tanzania, Jordan, and Morocco. For more on the trip, including a photo gallery, click here. Planet Earth
October 2014
Don delivered the Berglund Lecture on international affairs at the Honors College of Virginia Commonwealth University. Richmond, Virginia
May 2014
Don addressed the graduating class at the International School of Indiana, one of the nation’s most progressive secondary schools for foreign languages, global citizenship, and preparing students for the International Baccaulaureate degree. Indianapolis, Indiana
April 2014
Don delivered a lecture at the University of San Diego on “Crossing Invisible Borders”: lessons learned from 25 years of guerrilla diplomacy on the road for National Geographic, including advice on working in foreign settings and building rapport with ordinary people across cultural divides. The evening lecture was hosted by the Masters in Global Leadership program and the Masters in International Relations. To learn more about Don as a public speaker, click here. San Diego, California
December 2013
Don delivered the Commencement address to graduating seniors at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Mass Communications. Richmond, Virginia
May 2013
Don delivered an address on Water Issues at the Cape May Forum. Cape May, NJ
April 2013
Don was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. Richmond, VA
March 2013
March 6 and 7: Lecturing and teaching at Hood College Frederick, Maryland
March 8-19: Lecturing on a National Geographic Expedition to the Holy Land Israel and the West Bank
August 2012
Don lectured on the Trans Siberian Railroad from Beijing to Moscow for National Geographic Expeditions. Along the way, the group stopped off in Mongolia, subject of Don’s October 2011 Geographic story on Ulaanbaatar, and at Russia’s Lake Baikal, which he wrote about in the magazine’s June 1992 cover story, “The World’s Great Lake.” Beijing to Moscow
July 2012
In July, Don delivered an address on the geopolitics of water at the Chautauqua Institution during “Water Matters,” a week-long National Geographic lecture series on our most precious natural resource. He also taught a workshop on environmental writing based on articles about the Jordan River (April 2010) and Bangladesh (May 2011). And on July 24, during “Pakistan Week” at Chautauqua, Don taught a master class in writing based on his reportage for the magazine’s September 2007 cover story on Pakistan. To download free ebooks for both classes, click here. Chautauqua, NY
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