Leadership Howard County, which seeks to empower leaders to strengthen and transform the community, will hold its annual Big Event Sept. 11 featuring speaker Eric Liu, co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, which works to build a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship across the country.

The Big Event will take place virtually with networking at 11 a.m. and the program at 11:30 a.m. Tickets cost $75 and support Leadership Howard County programs and scholarships.

Liu will present “The Challenge of American Unity: How to Create an Engaged, Responsible Community,” weaving his personal and professional experiences into a message to leaders in every sector that this is the time to build a stronger culture of civic responsibility.

In addition to leading Citizen University, Liu directs the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship and American Identity Program, which explores the question of what it means to be an American. He wrote “The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker,” “The Gardens of Democracy,” co-authored with Nick Hanauer, “You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen” and his most recent, “Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy.”

Liu served as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and later as the president’s deputy domestic policy adviser. He has served as a board member of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Washington State Board of Education and the Seattle Public Library and co-founded the Alliance for Gun Responsibility.

To register for the Big Event or learn more, visit LeadershipHC.org or call 410-730-4474.

Leadership Howard County provides innovative programs designed to empower and connect community leaders and keep them engaged in the critical issues facing Howard County and the region. Drawn from private businesses, nonprofits and the public sector, Leadership Howard County participants share a common interest in learning more about their community and a commitment to making a positive impact. (www.leadershiphc.org)