Riewer to present E.N. Thompson lecture on solving water crisis

Tyler Riewer, creative director at charity: water and a Husker alumnus, will present “The Craziest Thing We Can Do is Nothing” at 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

The event is part of the 2022-23 E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues. Tickets, which are free, can be reserved through the Lied Center by clicking here, calling 402-472-4747 or visiting the Lied’s box office, 301 N. 12th St. Forums are general admission, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and tickets will remain available at the box office until the event begins.

Riewer is the creative director at charity: water, a $100 million nonprofit organization rooted in innovation and transparency. The nonprofit uses data and storytelling to connect donors to their impact and dream up new ways to think about sustainability in the water sector. Charity: water has funded more than 110,000 projects to bring clean and safe water to more than 15 million people around the world. Riewer leads a team of designers and storytellers who are working to reinvent charity. He also travels the globe capturing stories about their local partners and the people they serve.

Riewer studied advertising and public relations and journalism at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln before starting his career at youth marketing agency Archrival, writing copy for brands such as Red Bull, Hormel and Pabst Brewing Company. Years later, he joined Grady Britton in Portland, Oregon, where he created content for brands such as Bob’s Red Mill, Dave’s Killer Bread, Travel Portland and Nike. In 2013, Tyler transitioned to the nonprofit sector and joined the charity: water team in New York City. Today, he lives and works in the Washington, D.C., area.

This year’s Thompson Forum series, “Creativity to Solve Global Challenges,” focuses on elevating people and ideas addressing global concerns with vision and innovation. Riewer is the third of five mainstage speakers for the 2022-23 season. Riewer’s presentation title was inspired by an ad he wrote years ago for charity: water. Riewer said the ad was designed to “celebrate some of the very normal humans who were doing outrageous, embarrassing and creative things to raise money for charity: water.” The line stuck and became a mantra for charity: water’s fundraising community.

At this presentation, Riewer will discuss the water crisis and how to solve it in the near future. He will blend stories of people fighting for a better future with ideas that are challenging how people get there. With his presentation, Riewer said he means to “inspire more thinking, more hope and hopefully more good in the world around us.”

The E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues is a cooperative project of the Cooper Foundation, Lied Center and the university. It was established in 1988 with the purpose of bringing a diversity of viewpoints on international and public policy issues to the university and people of Nebraska to promote understanding and encourage discussion.

For more information and the link to livestream, click here.