Join us for food, music, community, and inspiring insights from bestselling author Barry Schwartz.

Tickets start at $175

Support tuition assistance at Field

Event Purpose

SPARK brings our community together around the ideas that shape how we raise children and educate them well. The evening supports tuition assistance at Field, helping ensure that more students can experience a middle school designed with intention, care, and purpose.

Timeline for the Evening

5:30-6:30 VIP Moment
6:00-7:15 Reception
7:15-8:00 Dinner
8:00-8:45 Speaker/Q/A/Fundraising
9:00-10:00 Dance Party!

*Cocktail Attire preferred but not required

About Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is an emeritus professor of psychology at Swarthmore College and a visiting professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. For more than fifty years, he has explored and written about the intersection of economics, psychology, and morality, with a particular focus on how modern systems shape human behavior, motivation, and well-being.

For SPARK 2026, Schwartz will share how today’s culture of constant options can contribute to anxiety and disengagement in young people—and why the balance between freedom and structure is especially critical during adolescence. He will also reflect on the growing pressures surrounding college choice and achievement, offering insights on how families can help students shift their focus from external expectations to meaning, values, and personal fit.
He is the author of several influential books examining these themes, including The Battle for Human Nature, The Costs of Living, The Paradox of Choice, Practical Wisdom (with Kenneth Sharpe), Why We Work, and, most recently, Choose Wisely (with Richard Schuldenfrei). His writing has appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine to Scientific American, The Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, Slate, The New Republic, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Schwartz is also a frequent and sought-after media presence. He has appeared on numerous radio programs, including NPR’s Morning Edition and Talk of the Nation, and has been interviewed on Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN), PBS NewsHour, The Colbert Report, and CBS Sunday Morning. A four-time TED speaker, he has delivered talks viewed by more than 25 million people.
Photo Copyright: © Holsinger-Robinson Photography