Valhalla, NY - This year's Westchester Community College Celebrity Salon Series includes national figures from the fields of literature, media, politics, sports, and the art world.

As the first series of its kind in Westchester County, these events continue to attract top names who help the Westchester Community College Foundation raise funds for student scholarships. All events are held in private homes.

Supreme Reporter on Sunday, April 29 at 5:00 p.m. Salon guest: Journalist Linda Greenhouse. Our Founding Fathers created it, and through the years, seventeen Chief Justices led the Supreme Court. How do cases get to the Court? What special role does the Chief Justice play? What do the law clerks do? How does the Court relate to the other branches of government? The Supreme Court is cloaked in mystery. Its people are men and women who exercise great power but whose names and faces are unfamiliar to many Americans. Veteran reporter Linda Greenhouse demystifies those people and the Court in her new book, The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction. Greenhouse, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, covered the Supreme Court for 30 years for The New York Times. Opening arguments will begin over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at your hosts’ welcoming Scarsdale home.

Extraordinary Royal on Friday, May 4 at 6:00 p.m. Guest: Author Robert Massie. At the age of 14, a German princess was taken from her home and her country and brought to Russia, the largest empire in the world at the time, to marry a prince and bear him an heir. In her new country, the princess changed her name, learned a new language and went on to become the world’s richest and most powerful female ruler. We know her as Catherine the Great. In his latest book, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Massie portrays this eternally fascinating woman and her fairytale life. Massie is known for taking on daunting subjects and is a renowned expert in the field of Russian history. His past books include Nicholas and Alexandra and Peter the Great: His Life and World. Be prepared to marvel as Massie unravels Catherine’s complicated life at your hosts’ modern Greenwich home.

Botanical Gem on Sunday, May 6 at 5:00 p.m. Guest: New York Botanical Garden’s Gregory Long. Two hundred fifty acres of heaven on earth is the domain of our guest, Gregory Long, the CEO and President of The New York Botanical Garden. The Garden includes children’s gardens, a research library and laboratory, and a conservatory. Long has spent the past 21 years devoted to the restoration and revitalization of The Garden. He has initiated a comprehensive, long-range planning process that is both the blueprint for The Garden’s renaissance and a model for other institutions. Established in 1891 as “a public botanic garden of the highest class,” The Garden offers visitors a serene escape from urban life and has been described as one of New York City’s prominent cultural institutions. Sit among your hosts’ breathtaking gardens in Scarsdale as Long describes The New York Botanical Garden—its past, its present, and its future.

Political Dish on Tuesday, May 8 at 6:00 p.m. Guest: Journalist Frank Bruni. Bruni’s columns-from critiquing famous restaurants to scrutinizing politicians and public policy-are deliciously entertaining for millions. Since joining The New York Times in 1995, Bruni has worn a wide variety of hats including chief restaurant critic and Rome bureau chief. As one of the most loved tastemakers in the New York restaurant world, Bruni faced a decade-long personal love-hate affair with food, a battle he described in his bestselling book, Born Round: The Secret History of a Full Time Eater. In his current role as Op-Ed columnist, Bruni continually surprises readers with the variety and depth of the subjects that he tackles and his sensitive skill in describing the world in which we live. Get the inside dish from Bruni over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at a Georgian estate in Mt. Kisco.

Renaissance Man on Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 p.m. Guest: Dr. Leon Botstein. President of Bard. Botstein, one of the most creative leaders in the world of college education, is on a mission to make Americans think more. Botstein was the youngest and now is the longest serving four-year college president in the country. The president of Bard College clings to a classical view of academics, insisting that knowing something about everything (as he does) is the best way to create an informed citizenry. His progressive ideas and administrative skills have led to the creation of institutions such as the Bard Music Festival, Simon’s Rock College and Bard High School Early College, as well as programs exemplified by the outstanding, well rounded curriculum at Bard. In his “spare” time, Botstein is the music director and conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra. Come hear from a modern Renaissance man at your hosts’ art-filled Ossining estate.

Game Changer on Tuesday, May 22 at 6:00 p.m. Guest: David Levin. The American education system has been plagued by underperforming schools in underserved communities. Innovation has become a rallying cry. One of the fastest growing programs in the nation, the Knowledge Is Power Program, co-founded by Levin, is now recognized as remarkably successful. Levin began the program in 1994 when he taught fifth grade in Texas. KIPP has grown from two schools serving 400 kids to 109 schools serving over 32,000 in 20 states and the District of Columbia. In order to enhance learning, the schools build partnerships among parents, students, and dedicated teachers. Levin currently serves as superintendent of KIPP NYC. Make sure you have your pencils sharpened and are ready for class with one of the country’s most forward thinking educators at your hosts’ waterfront Mamaroneck home.

BOOMER on Wednesday, May 23 at 6:00 p.m. Guest: Chris Berman of ESPN. “Back back back back back back ...GONE! He could ... go ... all ... the ... way! Rumblin’, Bumblin’, Stumblin’!” What would sports coverage be without these beloved Chris Berman catch phrases? The iconic voice of ESPN over the past three decades, Berman has become one of America’s most respected, popular, and in many ways, most beloved sportscasters of his era. Berman has also been recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his peers, and countless other organizations for his exceptional contributions to sports broadcasting. For 27 years Berman has hosted Sunday NFL Countdown, in addition to sharing his commentary on baseball, hockey, and golf. Bring your cleats as Berman regales us with insider stories from his perspective, all while enjoying the panoramic views of Long Island Sound at your hosts’ Rye home.

Cheers! on Thursday, May 24 at 6:00 p.m. Guest: Brewmaster Garrett Oliver. As the world’s most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, beer is a favorite beverage across the world. Only water and tea are more popular! One of the foremost authorities on the subject of beer, Garrett Oliver, is the brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery and editor-in-chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer. Garrett has hosted more than 800 beer tastings, and writes regularly for beer and food-related periodicals. Called “a treasure trove” in The New York Times, The Oxford Companion to Beer is the most comprehensive book ever published on beer. It features 1,100 entries including those describing elements of brewing, pub games, food pairings, and the social and political implications of sharing beer. Bring your mugs as Oliver delves into the rise, near destruction, and reemergence of American food and beer culture at your hosts’ Pound Ridge home surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Media Maven on Sunday, June 3 at 6:00 p.m. Guest: Paul Gigot of The Wall Street Journal. With the 2012 presidential election less than nine months away, all eyes are focused on politics. Each day there is a new twist, surprise, or revelation in the race for the Republican nomination. To help guide us through the complicated maze of debates and primaries is Paul Gigot, the editorial page editor and vice president of The Wall Street Journal. Gigot, known for his civil style, is responsible for the newspaper’s editorials, op-ed articles, Leisure & Arts criticism and for many years, a weekly column, which won a Pulitzer Prize. He became well known, too, as Mark Shields’ sparring partner on The NewsHour. He is the host of the weekly news program, Journal Editorial Report on the Fox News Channel. Your hosts’ Bedford country estate is the perfect backdrop for an evening of politics and debate as Gigot discusses the 2012 presidential campaign.

Quest for a Cure on Tuesday, June 2 at 6:00 p.m. Guest: Author David Oshinksy. All who lived in the early 1950’s will forever remember the harrowing sight of iron lung hospital wards filled to capacity. David Oshinsky tells the gripping story of the polio terror and of the intense effort to find a cure. He recounts the tales of the founding of the March of Dimes and the discovery of the Salk and Sabin vaccines in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Polio: An American Story. Oshinsky explains how the polio experience revolutionized the way in which the government licensed and tested new drugs before allowing them on the market, and the way in which the legal system has dealt with manufacturers’ liability for unsafe products. Oshinsky is the Jack S. Blanton Chair in History at the University of Texas. Be prepared to marvel at this scientific suspense story over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at your hosts’ postmodern home in Larchmont.

Legal Eagles, DATE TO BE DETERMINED, Guests: Attorneys Mary and David Boies. No other legal power couple in America has had such a profound influence on public policy than Mary and David Boies. Attorneys extraordinaire, the Boieses have argued cases as diverse and controversial as Bush vs. Gore, Perry vs. Schwarzenegger (which sought to overturn the state of California’s Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage), and complex antitrust cases involving Continental, Northwest, and Eastern Airlines. Mary is founding partner of Boies & McInnis LLP and David is Chairman of Boies, Schiller & Flexner. Both have received numerous accolades. David was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2010. Learn how these affable advocates and heavyweight litigators remain in the public eye. Mary and David will present their case and your defense will follow over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at your hosts’ contemporary home in Scarsdale.

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served at all salons. Salon fees are $135 per event. For further details, call 914-606-6558.

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