An Evening with Katie Couric & Olivia Walton: Stories That Shape Us

Join us for a fireside chat featuring Katie Couric, award-winning journalist and founder of Katie Couric Media, in conversation with Olivia Walton, board chair of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

The duo will explore the intersection of wellness, storytelling, and the power of media in shaping our lives today. From personal health journeys to the evolving landscape of journalism, this conversation will delve into what it means to lead with curiosity, courage, and care in an ever-changing world.

Tickets are $30 ($25 for members, $5 for students), reserve your spot online or with Guest Experience at (479) 657-2335 today.

Katie Couric

Katie Couric (@katiecouric) is an award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times best-selling author of her memoir, Going There, which was published in October 2021. She is also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). Since its launch in 2008, Stand Up To Cancer has raised almost $800 million to support cutting-edge collaborative science and its research has contributed to nine new FDA-approved therapies.

In 2017, she founded Katie Couric Media (KCM), which has developed a number of media projects, including a daily newsletter, a podcast, digital video series and several documentaries. KCM works with purpose-driven brands to create premium content that addresses important social issues like gender equality, environmental sustainability, and mental health.

Previous documentaries produced by KCM include: America Inside Out with Katie Couric, a six-part series for National Geographic; Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, for National Geographic; Under the Gun, which aired on EPIX; and Fed Up, available on iTunes, Amazon, and YouTube. Couric was also the executive producer of Unbelievable on Netflix and is developing other scripted projects.

Couric was the first woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast, serving as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News from 2006 to 2011 following 15 years as co-anchor of NBC’s Today show. She also hosted a syndicated show and served as the Yahoo Global News Anchor until 2017.

She has won a duPont-Columbia, a Peabody, two Edward R. Murrows, a Walter Cronkite Award, and multiple Emmys. She was twice named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and was a Glamour Magazine woman of the year three times. She has also received numerous awards for her cancer advocacy work; honored by both the Harvard and Columbia schools of public health, the American Cancer Society, and The American Association of Cancer Researchers.

In addition to Going There, Couric is also the author of two children’s books and The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives.

Olivia Walton

Olivia Walton lends her voice and leadership to advocacy for the arts, childhood wellbeing, and economic empowerment in America’s Heartland. In November 2021, she was named board chairperson for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Olivia also serves as executive board chair of the Momentary, principal of Ingeborg Investments, and is a co-founder of the Heartland Summit.

In her personal philanthropy, Olivia focuses on promoting the arts as an economic driver; improving the wellbeing of children in Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas/Mississippi Delta; and women’s empowerment. Olivia leads the vision for OZ Art NWA, which supports the regional arts scene with its own collection on view throughout Bentonville and collaborates with regional and national artists to bring outdoor art to parks and trails. She also serves on the national board of directors for Teach for America.

Olivia’s curiosity, interest in big ideas, and desire to make a difference come from her years of experience as a national journalist for NBC News and MSNBC, and as an anchor for Bloomberg Television in New York and London. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her master’s degree from the London School of Economics. Olivia lives in Bentonville, Arkansas with her husband, Tom, and their two daughters and son.