Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to speak at MSU

A member of one of America's most well-known families is the keynote speaker at Missouri State University's Public Affairs Conference in April.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental business leader and advocate, has signed on to speak at the conference, which this year carries the theme "The New Economy: Promise and Peril." Kennedy's speech, a collaboration of MSU, Leadership Springfield and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 16 in JQH Arena.

Kennedy was named one of Time magazine's Heroes for the Planet in 1999 for his work to restore the Hudson River in New York, an initiative that spawned more than 160 Waterkeeper organizations globally. He also was named one of Rolling Stone magazine's 2009 Agents of Change.

"Every citizen of southwest Missouri has a stake in the game when it comes to preserving our natural resources," Parks Director Jodie Adams said in a news release. "I believe Mr. Kennedy's passion for educating the importance of environment and water resources is at the paramount of our current focus to protect our water aquifers and watershed supplies for generations to come."

The speech, like the entire conference, is free and open to the public, but tickets are required for Kennedy's presentation.

All seats are general admission, first-come first-served. MSU students, faculty and staff will be able to get tickets March 1; tickets will be available to the general public March 3 at university ticket outlets, Park Board facilities and all branches of the Springfield-Greene County Library District.