At a September 19 lecture at Elmhurst, best-selling author Richard Florida discussed the emergence of a “creative class” and the growing impact of creative thinkers on our economy and way of life.

Florida is the director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, a global research professor at New York University and founder of the Creative Class Group consulting firm.

He also is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he cofounded and serves as editor-at-large for Atlantic Cities, the world’s leading media site devoted to cities and urban affairs. TIME magazine recognized his Twitter feed as one of the 140 most influential in the world, while Esquire has included him on its annual list of ”The Best and the Brightest.”

Florida’s lecture was part of Elmhurst College’s Education in Crisis lecture series, a yearlong look at the challenges facing American education. Other speakers in the series include Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Peg Tyre, immigration scholar William Perez and author and historian Taylor Branch.