Tavis Smiley at the Commonwealth Club May 10, 2011

Award-winning television and radio broadcaster Tavis Smiley will give us a peek behind the curtain of success to share personal stories of his missteps, misdeeds and miscalculations. Smiley will recount several of his perceived “failures” that he says were actually valuable lessons that shaped the principles and practices he employs today both personally and professioinally. Smiley says, “Failure is an inevitable part of the human journey.”

Smiley currently hosts “The Tavis Smiley Show” on PBS. He has also joined forces with Dr.Cornel West for a new radio talk show, “Smiley & West,” which airs on Public Radio International (PRI). Smiley has served as host of “The Tavis Smiley Show” on NPR and the talk show “BET Talk” on BET. The Mississippi native also served as an aide to former mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley in the late 1980s, and in 1991 ran for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council.