Superstar Activist Actress to Take the Spotlight at Dallas’ Milestones Luncheon

This year’s keynote speaker for the Junior League of Dallas‘ annual Milestones Luncheon comes straight from a Costa Rican island teeming with dinosaurs, or from the snotty, secretive town of Monterey, California, depending on which of her projects you love the most.

Golden Globe-winning actress Laura Dern, famous for her roles in Jurassic Park and on HBO’s series Big Little Lies, among many other film and TV appearances (including her lauded performance in the reboot of Twin Peaks), has also scored two Oscar nominations and seven Emmy nominations in her career. She won her first Emmy for playing Renata Klein on Big Little Lies last year.

At the luncheon (slated for Friday, November 16, at the Hilton Anatole hotel), Dern will discuss how acting has given her a platform to advocate for women’s empowerment and gender equality, with such movements as Time’s Up.

She’s also an activist, most notably for Oceana, an international ocean conservation nonprofit.

The luncheon, which has brought in some big-name speakers over the past few years (Laura Bush, Octavia Spencer, Venus Williams), will concurrently recognize its 2018-2019 Sustainer of the Year recipient, Jeanne L. Phillips, a former U.S. Ambassador who currently serves as senior VP for corporate engagement and international relations of Hunt Consolidated, Inc.

The Milestones Luncheon benefits the Junior League of Dallas Community Service Fund. Proceeds from the event allow the JLD to grant approximately $1 million to the Dallas community each year. To purchase tables or tickets, call 214.357.8822, or click here.