SPRINGFIELD, Mo., April 8, 2026 – Brandon P. Fleming, a renowned debate coach and founder of the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project, will serve as the Joseph H. George Distinguished Lecture Series keynote speaker at Drury University’s fifth annual Fusion Day, Wednesday, April 22 on the Drury campus.
Fusion Day is Drury’s annual showcase designed to highlight student scholarship, research and creative work. More than 300 students will discuss their original work with members of the Drury and Springfield communities.
An at-risk youth and college dropout turned award-winning educator, Fleming is a former debate coach at Harvard University and Founder & CEO of The Veritas Schools, a network of schools headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with campuses expanding to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
Beyond the classroom, Fleming’s humanitarian impact reaches around the globe. Fleming has earned awards for his global leadership. Fleming has facilitated and led peacebuilding missions for over 200 world leaders to Israel Poland, and the United Arab Emirates. His school also emphasizes international education, taking students on learning expeditions to countries like Italy, Japan, South Africa and more.
As a renowned speaker, Fleming has delivered keynote addresses on world stages like the United Nations. Fleming has spoken at the nation’s most prestigious colleges, universities and K-12 conferences. Additionally, Fleming has keynoted conventions for corporate executives at major brands such as Airbnb, Walmart, Bank of America, McDonald’s and many others.
At the age of 29, Forbes Magazine named Fleming to the Forbes 30 under 30 list. In 2020, The Root online magazine named Fleming one of the top 100 most influential African Americans in the United States.
Fleming is scheduled to speak at the O’Reilly Enterprise Center (OEC) in the Judy Thompson Executive
Conference Center (JTECC) from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
In addition to Fleming, Drury will also welcome Kari Hanson `15 back to campus as the alumni speaker.
Hanson is the Director of S+NOB Business Partner for Sports Medicine, where she partners with senior leaders to translate strategy into execution across complex organizations. Her career includes leadership roles in enterprise strategy, program management and transformation initiatives across healthcare, technology and consumer-facing industries.
Hanson’s journey — from finding her academic fit to leading large-scale organizational change — embodies how Drury’s experiential, student-centered learning model prepares graduates to lead with confidence, purpose and adaptability. She will speak beginning at 10:50 a.m. in the JTECC.
The full Fusion Day schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, April 21
Wednesday, April 22
All Fusion Day events are free and open to the public.
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Media Contact: Cris Belvin, Director of University Communications & Media Relations | (417) 873-7392 | gbelvin@drury.edu