A Conversation with Pete Buttigieg
April 28, 2026 | 7 p.m. | Skinner Memorial Chapel
On Tuesday, April 28, former Secretary of Transportation and 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary candidate Pete Buttigieg will join Carleton President Alison Byerly for a conversation about his extensive political experience, including his recent service at the federal level.
This sold-out special event is open only to members of the Carleton campus community and requires pre-registration. Faculty, staff, and students who were unable to secure a ticket to the in-person event may choose to watch the event via livestream from a satellite location on campus, or on their personal device. Alumni also are invited to attend via livestream.
About Pete Buttigieg
During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of Transportation from 2021 to 2025, Pete Buttigieg worked to launch over 70,000 infrastructure projects across the country, improve transportation safety and technology, expand airline passenger protections, and resolve pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.
Previously, Buttigieg served two terms as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, where he was elected at the age of 29 and led the city to its strongest period of economic and population growth in decades. He also served for seven years as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, taking a leave of absence from his role as mayor in 2014 to deploy to Afghanistan. A candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, his historic campaign won the Iowa caucuses and finished second in the New Hampshire primary.
He holds degrees in history and literature from Harvard and in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He lives in northern Michigan with his husband Chasten; their two children, Gus and Penelope; and their dog, Buddy.