"Sam Houston State University was so fortunate to have Dave Wann come to our campus for two days of discussions, small group interactions, keynote addresses, and presentations. As he participated as a co-author of Affluenza in our Bearkats Read To Succeed common reader program (for 2,500 freshmen), Dave proved to be approachable, knowledgeable, and intellectually thoughtful with our faculty, staff, and students."
Keri L. Rogers, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs "David was a keynote and workshop speaker at our annual Bridging the Gap conference and shared his perspectives about the need for cultural change in the world's affluent nations; sustainable communities, and "biologic" in school curricula. In doing so, David gave everyone a lot to think about and did a great job in compelling everyone to reconsider their own paradigms. In both the content of his messages and the way in which he conveyed them, he showed himself to be a first class presenter."
James MacDonald, Deputy Headmaster, Yokohama International School
"David Wann recently spoke to an audience of 200 or more Metro State College students and professors about the symptoms and cures for affluenza. This topic resonated with the students, many of whom are well aware of the economic challenges that lie ahead in their careers, consumer choices, and quality of life. David opened with a lively, very amusing song, then spoke about how our current lifestyle unsustainable at the individual and cultural scale. He offered various solutions for meeting our needs more precisely and efficiently, leaving the students with a sense of curiosity and empowerment. About twenty or more students remained after the presentation to ask questions, always a good indicator of a successful presentation."
Brooke Dilling, Associate Director of Student Activities, Metropolitan State College of Denver
"When David Wann’s best-selling book Affluenza was first published he spoke to a standing-room only audience of over 250 at the Tattered Cover, one of the largest independent bookstores in the country. As he spoke about the pitfalls of lifestyles built on materialistic values, the crowd was clearly engaged, evidenced by an extremely lively question and answer period. At the time, David was writing a weekly column for the Denver Post, and his comments struck a chord with an audience of both faithful and new readers of his work. He's not afraid to challenge mainstream thinking, and always offers alternatives for addressing the challenges we face."
Jeff Lee, Coordinator of the Author Series co-presented by the Tattered Cover Book Store & the Rocky Mountain Land Library
"The Blue Sage Center for the Arts, a non-profit organization that supports the arts and humanities, recently hosted David Wann to speak as part of our Lecture Series. We were anxious to hear him speak about ways to make our community more sustainable. About 100 people attended his lecture/presentation, and many people later came up to me and expressed their appreciation for having him here. The following day David joined a discussion with locals who are concerned with the future development of the North Fork Valley. We had a lively discussion and David's pioneering experience with creating sustainable communities and his suggestions were much appreciated. I highly recommend David as an engaging, knowledgeable speaker!"
Steve Lyons, Chairperson for The Blue Sage Center for the Arts Lecture Series, Paonia, Colorado
"In the last three years Dave Wann has consistently challenged and inspired my political science classes (often more than 100 students) to think about the impact of consumerism in our lives and environment and also to see signs of hope through restoring the bonds of community life. The latter is especially important because too often young people are very aware of ecological problems but don’t know how to respond. Dave’s creative multi-media media guest lectures include slides of cutting edge communities that are hospitable to people and the environment, clips from documentary films he has produced, excerpts from his books, and even his guitar as he sings a song called “Waking Up from the American Dream.” Student engagement is very high and there are always lots of questions for Dave both during his presentations and after class."
Harvey Bishop, Professor of Political Science, University of Colorado
"I invited David to give a guest lecture at Front Range Community College on the topic of affluenza, and he came through with a variety of topics that were relevant to the course and stimulating to the class. His style was spontaneous and lively, and he engaged the students interactively, answering questions and asking for their own opinions. I am using his book, Affluenza, next semester when the class covers environmental ethics and plan on inviting him back to share his thoughts on this topic."
Diane Hergott, Professor, Front Range Community College