Photo provided.
2026–27 Kelly Lecture: Simone Biles
Wednesday, September 30
6:30 p.m.
The O’Shaughnessy
Read more and book tickets: stkate.edu/biles
Tickets for the general public are available in the balcony at $48 for adults and $15 for youth and students. If there are any accessibility requests, please contact the Ticket Office at 651-690-6700.
St. Kate’s faculty, staff and students receive one free ticket, plus 25% off additional adult tickets and $15 youth and student tickets. Call 651-690-6700 or email the Ticket Office at oshaughessy@stkate.edu to book your free ticket by September 15.
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, will visit The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University on September 30 to deliver the 2026–27 Bonnie Jean Kelly and Joan Kelly Distinguished Visiting Scholars Lecture.
Biles will be in conversation with St. Catherine University president Marcheta P. Evans, PhD, about her extraordinary career, leadership experience, and the importance of women uplifting women, particularly in the context of women's sports.
“It is an incredible honor to welcome Simone Biles to St. Catherine University,” said Evans. “I look forward to a meaningful conversation about leadership, resilience, courage, mental health, and the power of women lifting one another up. Her story reminds us that true excellence is measured not only by achievement, but by the courage to lead with authenticity, purpose, and heart.”
A three-time Olympian, Biles holds 11 Olympic medals and seven Olympic gold medals, the most by a U.S. gymnast. She also holds the most World Championship medals (30) and gold medals (23) in gymnastics history, and has the distinction of having five skills named in her honor.
Biles has been recognized as the youngest recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and by TIME's 100 Most Influential People, Forbes' 30 Under 30, Ebony Power 100, People's Women Changing the World, USA Today's 100 Women of the Century, and CNN Heroes, among others. Her autobiography, Courage to Soar, was a New York Times bestseller and developed into an award-winning TV special on Lifetime while her Snap Originals series, Daring Simone Biles, received an NAACP Image Award. An ambassador for Friends of the Children, Biles uses her platform to help advocate for change and support initiatives that provide education and assistance for children and young adults associated with adoption, foster care, and overall wellness.
About the Kelly Lecture
In 2006, alumna Joan Kelly ’46 created the Bonnie Jean Kelly and Joan Kelly Distinguished Visiting Scholars Lecture in honor of her sister, Bonnie Jean Kelly. A successful businesswoman and Phi Beta Kappa graduate in English, Joan (May 22, 1924–Nov. 2, 2016) attended both high school and college on the St. Catherine campus with her sister, Bonnie Jean, who died while a student at St. Kate's.
The other two programs supported include the Bonnie Jean Kelly and Joan Kelly Faculty Excellence Award and the Bonnie Jean Kelly and Joan Kelly Student Excellence in Writing Award.