King University’s Institute for Faith & Culture (IFC) 2025-26 speaker series, “Equipped for Every Good Work,” continues this fall with celebrated baker Manolo Betancur ’04.

Betancur was the focus of Courtney Dixon’s “The Changebaker,” a documentary that premiered this year at the Telluride Film Festival, where it earned the Moving Mountains Award at the Mountainfilm Festival. In addition, Manolo’s Latin Bakery, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was named the No. 2 Best Cake Shop in the Nation in USA TODAY’s 2025 Reader’s Choice Awards.

On Monday, Nov. 3^rd, Betancur will speak in King’s Memorial Chapel at 9:15 a.m., and again at 7 p.m. at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. A reception will be offered at 6 p.m. at the Birthplace Museum and will feature some of Betancur’s much-sought-after baked goods. Both events are open to the public and free of charge.

Betancur came to the United States from Colombia where he served a six-year term in the Colombian Navy. When he was 24, he decided to attend King, where he rapidly became a beloved member of the university community.

“King is so proud of Manolo Betancur, and it is a delight to welcome him back to Bristol,” said Martin Dotterweich, Ph.D., director of the IFC. “His success as a baker is impressive, but even more so his heart for others; Manolo offers himself as a resource in his many non-profit endeavors, something Courtney Dixon has chronicled. We look forward to a conversation with him about his work that offers grace and care to others.”

The IFC speaker series continues Nov. 10^th with Emmy-winning investigative reporter Hannah Rappleye and Tennessee lawyer Derek Scott 10, while Laef Olson, operating partner at Apax Partners, LLP will present on Nov. 17^th. Grammy-winning tenor Aaron Blake and Symphony of the Mountains Music Director Cornelia Laemmli Orth will wrap up the fall series Dec. 1^st.

Since 2007, the King University Institute for Faith & Culture has welcomed widely recognized thinkers, authors, musicians, scholars, and philosophers to interact with students and a regional audience in a welcoming environment that catalyzes growth and understanding. The Institute serves as the standard bearer of the University’s long-time exploration of the liberal arts, in conjunction with King’s mission of equipping students to answer the call of service and character inherent in the Christian faith.

For more information, visit www.king.edu/events.