Founded to honor a beloved Whidbey Island teacher and civic leader, the Trudy Sundberg Lecture Series annually presents an eminent speaker in one of the many areas of Trudy’s interest.

Wade Davis will be presenting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 6 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, in partnership with the Sno-Isle Libraries. His lecture is titled “Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World.”

Davis is a Canadian cultural anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author, photographer, filmmaker, and professor. Davis was Explorer in Residence of the National Geographic Society from 2000-2013. His work has largely focused on the extraordinary diversity of the world’s indigenous cultures and languages and has taken him to the far reaches of the globe.

Davis is the author of 22 books, including “One River,” “The Wayfinders” and “Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest,” which won the 2012 Samuel Johnson prize, the top nonfiction prize in the English Language. He holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University.

A professional speaker for over 25 years, Davis has lectured at some 200 universities in the U.S. and abroad, and made presentations for the National Geographical Society, TED, the Young Presidents Organization and more than 100 corporate clients.

Seating is limited at the free event and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7 p.m.

This event will be recorded for later viewing on the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation website.