FULTON, Mo. — April 8, 2026: Westminster is pleased to announce that the Fifth Annual Brauer Lecture will proudly feature John Mackey, co-founder and visionary of Whole Foods Market. Today Mackey is also the CEO of Love.Life.
Mackey’s presentation, titled “An Evening With John Mackey,” will take place at 4 p.m. on campus April 13 in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, part of America’s National Churchill Museum (ANCM).
The public is cordially invited to attend the event, which will be in a moderated question-and-answer format.
In his capacity as co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods, Mackey saw a single organic and natural grocery store in Austin, Texas, grow to 540 stores throughout the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
In that time, Mackey became well-known as a passionate advocate for capitalism who created a more conscious way of doing business through numerous programs and initiatives, including the Conscious Capitalism Movement.
Mackey is the author of three books and has been internationally recognized for his leadership and entrepreneurial success from companies such as Fortune, Ernst & Young, Barron’s, MarketWatch and Esquire. Meanwhile, for the last 20 years, Whole Foods Market was named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”
“John Mackey changed the landscape of grocery chains in the United States, founding a company that has helped expand the availability of organic food across the country,” said Dr. Derek Zander, coordinator of the Brauer Lecture. “I believe this Brauer lecture will be an informative and lively event.”
ABOUT THE BRAUER LECTURE: Sponsored in conjunction with the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the Brauer Lecture Series seeks to highlight the leadership characteristics of its speakers. Featured lecturers are encouraged to discuss how their values guide their daily lives while also highlighting the importance of free-market economics.
This lecture series is designed to bring to campus world-renowned speakers who will address the contributions of free enterprise to economic growth, public policy, and world affairs.
The Brauer Lecture Series is made possible by a generous gift from Stephen F. ’67 and Camilla T. Brauer of St. Louis.
ABOUT WESTMINSTER COLLEGE: Founded in 1851 and home of Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, Westminster College is ranked prestigiously by The Princeton Review as one of 151 “Best Colleges in the Midwest” for 2026 and is among a select group of full-participation institutions nationwide in the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement Coalition, as recognized by the Higher Learning Commission. New graduates experience a more than 90% placement rate within six months of graduation, while Westminster alumni are in the top 16% nationwide for graduate earnings. The only National Liberal Arts college in Missouri, Westminster has long been recognized for its focus on educating and inspiring students to make an impact on the world around them. Find out more about Westminster College by visiting www.wcmo.edu.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Sarah Backer at 573-220-9038 or Sarah.Backer@WCMO.edu.
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
