Vernon L. Pack ’50 Distinguished Lecture and Scholar-in-Residence Program
The Vernon L. Pack ’50 Distinguished Lecture and Scholar-in-Residence program was established in 2002 through a generous gift from alumnus Vernon L. Pack, a 1950 graduate of the University. A distinguished lecturer visits campus to address important current issues that will allow the Otterbein community to reflect on ethical, spiritual and social issues. In alternate years, an esteemed scholar is invited to campus to reside for up to one academic year in order to provide an educational enrichment experience for Otterbein students.
2026 Vernon L. Pack ’50 Scholar-in-Residence Series: Tara Ruttley
Otterbein University is proud to present a lecture by former NASA and current Blue Origin scientist Tara Ruttley, Ph.D., for its Vernon L. Pack ’50 Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence Series at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 13, in the Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove St., Westerville. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Tara Ruttley, Ph.D., is the chief scientist for Orbital Reef, Blue Origin’s next-generation commercial space station, where she helps shape a future in which space is not only explored, but actively used to advance science, innovation, and humanity. Her work focuses on enabling research and discovery that will define the next era of human presence in low Earth orbit.
Ruttley’s career reflects a lifelong fascination with life, learning, and exploration. She spent 21 years at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), contributing to one of humanity’s greatest collaborative achievements: the International Space Station (ISS). Beginning her career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2001, she worked as an engineer designing medical systems and human research hardware that flew aboard the ISS, directly supporting the health and performance of astronauts in space.
Tara Ruttley, Ph.D.
Driven by a deep curiosity about the human experience, Ruttley pursued a doctorate degree in neuroscience and joined the ISS Program Science Office as ISS associate program scientist. In this role, she helped guide and communicate the Station’s scientific mission, connecting research conducted in orbit to benefits on Earth. She later served as NASA’s associate chief scientist for microgravity research in Washington, D.C., advising senior leadership on how space-based research can expand knowledge, inform policy, and serve society.
In 2022, Ruttley joined Blue Origin to lead the scientific vision for Orbital Reef, helping build the laboratories, partnerships, and opportunities that will open space to researchers, educators, and innovators from around the world.
Ruttley holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Colorado State University, as well as an master of arts degree in anthropology-archaeology from the University of Houston, where her research explored the role of religion in slavery and social control in the pre-Civil War United States. Her work spans disciplines from engineering to neuroscience to the social sciences, reflecting a belief that the biggest questions — on Earth or in space — are best answered by crossing boundaries.
An astronaut selection finalist, holder of a U.S. utility patent, and author of publications across multiple fields, Ruttley is also a sought-after speaker on topics about science, exploration, leadership, and the power of curiosity to shape a more informed and inspired future.
Previous Lectures
- 2025: Sean Astin, acclaimed actor, activist, advocate, and volunteer for many social justice issues including climate activism, literacy, mental health awareness, and civic engagement.
- 2024: Brian D. Smedley, an equity scholar and senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, where he conducts research and policy analysis to address structural and institutional forms of racism that impact the health and well-being of people of color.
- 2023: Heather McGhee, educator, serving currently as a visiting lecturer in urban studies at the City University of New York’s School of Labor and Urban Studies.
- 2021: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, and Jonathan Kozol, author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Shame of the Nation, educator, and activist.
- 2020: Postposed due to Covid-19.
- 2018 – Piper Kerman, bestselling author of “Orange is the New Black” and criminal justice reform activist.
- 2016 – Amy Goodman, award-winning investigative journalist, author, and syndicated columnist. She is the host of Democracy Now!, airing on more than 1400 public television and radio stations worldwide.
- 2014 – Sir Salman Rushdie, one of the most celebrated authors of our time. He penned a handful of classic novels, influenced a generation of writers, and received a Queen’s Knighthood for “services to literature.” He stands as both a pop culture icon and one of the most thought-provoking proponents for free speech today. His novels include Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses, The Moor’s Last Sigh, The Ground Beneath Her Feet and The Enchantress of Florence.
- 2012 – Steven Pinker, Harvard University professor, best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist. He has been listed on TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in The World” and Foreign Policy magazine’s list of “The World’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals.”
- 2010 – Dee Dee Myers, White House press secretary under President Clinton from 1993-1994, political analyst and commentator, and author of Why Women Should Rule the World. Myers is an expert on the issues facing women in Washington and in leadership positions of all kinds.
- 2008 – Ed Begley Jr., actor and environmentalist.
- 2005 – Alan Lightman, noted physicist and critically acclaimed author of Einstein’s Dreams.
- 2004 – Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International and host of CNN’s international affairs program Fareed Zakaria GPS.
- 2002 – Doris Kerns Goodwin, acclaimed historian and Pulitzer Prize in history winner for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.
Distinguished Scholars-in-Residence
- 2003 – Valentine Moghadam, a professor born in Iran, who conducts research regarding development, social change, and gender in the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan.
- 2005 – Lois Raimondo, an internationally-known photojournalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist nominee for her work on the New York City Mitchell Lama housing project for New York Newsday.
- 2007 – Wande Abimbola, President of the International Congress of Orisa Tradition and Culture, and world-renowned expert on Ifa, a West African sacred divinatory and literary system.
- 2009 – Richard Alley, an acclaimed geologist who conducts research on environmental issues including abrupt climate changes, glaciers, ice sheet collapse and sea level change.
- 2011 – Harrell Fletcher, renowned visual and conceptual artist and recipient of the 2005 Alpert Award in Visual Arts.
- 2013 – Robert Fefferman, acclaimed mathematician in the field of harmonic analysis and its applications to elliptic partial differential equations and its relationship to probability theory.
- 2015 – Bonny Norton, Professor and Distinguished University Scholar in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia, Her highly cited book, Identity and Language Learning (2000/2013) has introduced novel conceptions of identity to the field of language education.
- 2017 – Bryonn Bain, prison reform activist, actor, author, hip hop theater innovator and spoken word poetry champion.
- 2019 – Winona LaDuke, Native American activist, environmentalist, and former Green Party vice presidential candidate.
- 2022 – Libby Larsen, one of America’s most performed living composers.
