Plenary Address 2011

David Brooks
Political and social analyst, author, New York Times OpEd columnist and PBS NewsHour commentator


David Brooks has a gift for bringing audiences face to face with the spirit of our times with humor, insight, and quiet passion. He is a keen observer of the American way of life and a penetrating analyst of present-day politics and foreign affairs.

Bi-weekly Op-Ed columnist for the The New York Times since 2003 and a political commentator on the PBS NewsHour and NPR's All Things Considered, Brooks is the best-selling author of  “Bobos In Paradise: The Upper Class and How They Got There” and “On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense.” His most recent book is “The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement.”

He has been a senior editor for The Weekly Standard, joining the magazine at its inception in 1995; having worked at The Wall Street Journal for the preceding nine years. His last post at the Journal was as op-ed editor. Prior to that, he was posted in Brussels, covering Russia, the Middle East, South Africa, and European affairs. His first post at the Journal was as editor of the book review section, and he filled in for five months as the Journal's movie critic.

He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, The Washington Post, and many other periodicals

He graduated from the University of Chicago and worked as a police reporter for the City News Bureau, a wire service owned jointly by the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times.