Distinguished Speakers

In 2006, the Grammy Award-winning artist Common made his big screen debut as a musical performer in Dave Chappelle's Block Party. In January 2007, he made his acting debut co-starring…

Moby is a musician and DJ, known for his electronic music and work with charities, including the Humane Society and MoveOn.org. He released his first single, “Go,” in 1991 and…

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, drummer, author, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, music journalist, and record producer. He is best known as the drummer and joint frontman for the Grammy Award-winning band The Roots, the…

Theo Epstein was the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs until 2020. In 2002, he became the youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball when the…

Frank W. Abagnale is one of the world's most respected authorities on the subjects of forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. For over thirty years he has lectured to and consulted…

Hawa Abdi is a Somali human rights activist and physician, and Somalia’s first female gynecologist. She is the founder and chairperson of the non-profit Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation, which Dr.…

When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the NBA in 1989 at age 42, no player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more Most Valuable Player Awards, played in more…

Patch Adams, M.D, is a physician who is the founder and director of Gesundheit Institute, a free health facility in operation for the past 22 years. It is the only…

After turning pro at the age of 16, tennis prodigy Andre Agassi rose to international fame, earning 60 men’s singles titles, including eight Grand Slam singles championships, over a 20-year…

Buzz Aldrin grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. His mother, Marion Moon, was the daughter of an Army Chaplain and his father Edwin Eugene Aldrin was an aviation pioneer. Buzz…

The persona of George Costanza, created by versatile actor/writer/director Jason Alexander, has been dubbed by Entertainment Weekly as one of the “Best Television Sidekicks of All Time” (#3 actually, behind…

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1969. The daughter of a political opponent of the Somali dictatorship, Ayaan Hirsi Ali grew up in exile, moving from Saudi…

Laila Ali is a world-class athlete, fitness and nutrition expert, TV host, author, cooking enthusiast, founder and CEO of the Laila Ali Lifestyle Brand, advocate for women and children, wife,…

Comedian and Actor Aziz Ansari performs a stand-up comedy. He completed his third major tour of new material, Buried Alive, in the summer of 2013. His fourth major comedy special,…

Alan Arkin performed with folk music groups from the late 1950s to the late '60s. He was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor for his screen acting debut,…