Colby native Leroy Towns will be the first speaker of the year for the Dr. Max Pickerill Lecture Series hosted by Colby Community College on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The Lecture Series will be held in the Northwest Kansas Cultural Arts Center located on the southeast corner of campus.  He will be speaking on “The Race for Kansas Governor:  Elections in a Social Media World.” 

Towns is Professor of the Practice Emeritus at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.  In addition, he is a political communication consultant for D.L. Towns Consulting with locations in North Carolina; Kansas; Washington, DC; and Florida.

Towns was Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Pat Roberts from 1980-2003.  He also served as Press Secretary for Kansas Governor Robert Bennett from 1975-79.  He began his career as a reporter and Sunday editor for the Topeka Capital Journal in 1966 and continued his career as the Government and Political Reporter for Harris Newspapers from 1972-75.

Towns graduated from Kansas State University and George Washington University.

There is no charge to attend.  The Max Pickerill Lecture Series is funded annually by anonymous donors.  For more information contact Dr. Linda Davis-Stephens at 785.460.5528.