John J. Rhodes Lecture

Speaker Biography

Before founding poppi, Allison spent seven years on the road working in the oil and gas industry. It took a toll on her health, and she found herself struggling and needing to take matters into her own hands.  She discovered the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, but hated the taste. She set out on a journey to create a beverage that contained those benefits while still tasting great. Allison started selling the product at farmers markets before taking a leap of faith and pitching the brand on Shark Tank with her co- founder and husband, Stephen Ellsworth. After securing a deal, she led poppi to become one of the fastest-growing beverage brands, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Pepsi in 2025. Allison’s story came full circle when she later returned to the show as a Shark herself.

History of the Lecture

The Honorable John J. Rhodes represented Arizona in the United States House of Representatives for 30 years, from 1952 -1982. During his distinguished career, Rhodes served as the Minority Leader of the House from 1973 - 1981. Congressman Rhodes exemplified the values of personal integrity, fiscal responsibility, respect for persons of all political beliefs, and international foresight.

Upon his retirement, John Rhodes’ family and many of his friends wanted to establish an enduring tribute to his leadership. Because John and his wife, Betty, had long been supporters of higher education, the family chose an endowment for the John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions and selected Barrett, the Honors College at ASU to become the Chair’s “home.” The Rhodes Chair reflects John Rhodes’ commitment to public service and higher education. The Chair is dedicated to discussion and dialogue about the most challenging issues facing our society, now and in the future. Holders of the Rhodes Chair are individuals whose work embodies John Rhodes’ commitment to the betterment of our nation through inspired and fair-minded leadership and devotion to service. An archive of John Rhodes’ congressional papers is available in the Special Collections at Hayden Library on the ASU Tempe campus.

History of Barrett

Barrett, The Honors College was founded in 1988 by an act of the Arizona Board of Regents and was given an endowment in 2000 by Craig and Barbara Barrett, noted leaders in industry, education, and public service. Since its inception 30 years ago, fueled by the Barrett endowment and ASU’s commitment to excellence in honors education, Barrett has become a pre-eminent four-year residential honors college. Barrett routinely attracts intellectually outstanding students locally, nationally and internationally to all four campuses of ASU.

Barrett is among the top 10 institutions for attracting National Scholars. Its living and learning community provides a perfect synergy for students to exercise and challenge their intellects while pursuing outstanding educational opportunities.

Barrett students regularly receive record numbers of nationally competed scholarships such as Fulbright, Boren, Goldwater, Truman, and Udall awards. Since 2000, only Harvard and Yale have named more students to the USA Today All-USA College Academic Teams. In 2005, Reader’s Digest named Barrett “Best in America” in university honors education. In 2015, the New York Times called Barrett “the gold standard” among honors colleges in the nation.