Distinguished Speakers
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Distinguished Speakers
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Award-Winning Actress; Known for "Chicago" and "Traffic"
What will she do next? Vanity Fair’s cover feature on Catherine Zeta-Jones bestowed her with the title “Catherine the Great.”
Co-Founder & Former CEO, YouTube & Minority Owner, Golden State Warriors
His career is the story legends are made from. Media Maven Chad Hurley is the co-founder and former CEO of YouTube, the world’s largest and most popular video sharing site…
Award-Winning Actor and Producer
With a resume that is as varied and expansive as it is rich in depth of the characters he brings to life, Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle is one of…
Leading Expert in Robot Ethics; Researcher at MIT Media Lab & Fellow at Harvard Berkman Center
At the University of Texas, Dr. Kate Biberdorf is breaking stereotypes and blowing stuff up—all in a good pair of heels.
Actress; Entrepreneur; Founder & CEO of The Honest Company
Jessica Alba gained worldwide recognition in James Cameron’s Dark Angel, for her first starring role in a major studio film.
New York Times Best-Selling Author, Podcast Host & Professional Troublemaker
Luvvie Ajayi Jones is what happens when you blindly follow doing what you love without expectation.
CNN Chief White House Correspondent
As CNN’s Chief White House correspondent and former national political correspondent, Jim Acosta is uniquely knowledgeable of all the major issues and players on the national political scene.
Grammy Award-Winning Music Artist & Pop Culture Icon
As an award-winning music artist, iconic performer, and adored television personality.
Grammy-winning musician, 2-time Emmy-winning Director and Author
Dave Grohl formed his first band at age 10. He dropped out of high school to play with the hardcore group Scream before auditioning for Nirvana.
Entrepreneur, an Asian-American rights activist, and author of Fresh off the Boat: A Memoir, which has been adapted into ABC’s first Asian-American sitcom in over 20 years, Fresh off the Boat.
Eddie Huang is a chef, writer, TV host, fashion designer, speaker and producer whose work is recognized for bridging food with music, culture, comedy, politics and metropolitan life.
Former three-time World Series-winning Executive and MLB Consultant
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…
President and Co-CEO of Ariel Investments & Chairman of DreamWorks Animation
Mellody Hobson has been the Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, LLC, an investment management firm, since 2019 and President and Director since 2000. She has also served as Chair of the…
"Golfer of the Century" & Golf Course Designer; Philanthropist & Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient
Jack Nicklaus is no name is more synonymous with greatness in the sport of golf than the name Jack Nicklaus, and no single person has changed the face of the…
Two-Time Academy Award-Winning Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Singer; Best Known For His Roles in "American Beauty" and Netflix's "House of Cards"
Perhaps no one in Hollywood works harder to defend the value and integrity of the arts quite like Kevin Spacey. A lifelong artist, Spacey began his acting career in Jr.…
NY Times Best-Selling Author; Co-Founder of Voices of Our Nation Workshop; Best Known For "This is How You Lose Her"
Junot Díaz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey.
Best-Selling Author of Best Sellers such as "Waiting to Exhale" and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back"
One of today's most important novelists, Terry McMillan has always written from an honest place, creating fresh, lively, and often poignant works that are enthralling and inspirational tonic for many…
Award-winning journalist and co-author of Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home
Over almost two decades, award-winning journalist and web and TV host, Laura Ling has dedicated herself to exposing the world to critical global issues, including slave labor in the Amazon,…
Award-Winning Actress, Producer, Director, Model & Humanitarian
Gina Rodriguez is an award-winning actress, producer, director, and humanitarian, best known for her leading role as Jane in The CW comedy-drama series "Jane The Virgin," for which she has…
(President & Producer, Fork Films) is a Filmmaker and Philanthropist
Abigail E. Disney (President & Producer, Fork Films) is a filmmaker and philanthropist. Her longtime passion for women’s issues and peacebuilding culminated in her first film, the acclaimed Pray the…
Award-Winning Actor and Environmentalist
Few actors in the world have had a career quite as diverse as Leonardo DiCaprio's. DiCaprio has gone from relatively humble beginnings, as a supporting cast member of the sitcom…
Academy Award-Winning Actor
Richard Dreyfuss has been acting in theatre and films for 45 years and is one of America’s most versatile and individualistic actors. Early in his career, he appeared in television…
Actor, Model & TV Host; Known for "Crazy Rich Asians"
Henry Golding is a British–Malaysian actor, model and television host. He rose to prominence after his leading role in Jon M. Chu's 2018 film "Crazy Rich Asians."
British Comedic Actor, Screenwriter and Co-founder of Monty Python's Flying Circus
John Cleese is both a versatile comedic actor and a leading business motivator. With the legendary Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers and A Fish Called Wanda, he created a…
Human Rights Activist and Speaker. Honored by President Trump at the State of the Union
Ji Seong-Ho is a North Korean defector who grew up during the country’s grueling famine in the 1990s. In order to survive, Ji would exchange stolen coal for food on…
Actor, Director, and Producer; Starred in the Film "La Bamba" as Ritchie Valens
Lou Diamond Phillips a actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film "La Bamba as Ritchie Valens."
Academy Award-Winner Actress and Producer
Meryl Streep has portrayed an astonishing array of characters in a career that has cut its own unique path from the theater through film and television, for almost 40 years.…
Legendary Newsman, NBC News and New York Times Best-Selling Author
Tom Brokaw has spent his entire distinguished journalism career with NBC News beginning in 1966 in the Los Angeles bureau where he covered Ronald Reagan’s first run for public office,…
Iconic American Journalist and the Former News Anchor for the CBS Evening News
News and Guts is a multimedia production company with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Austin Texas. Founded by iconic newsman Dan Rather, it brings together a team of…
United States National Security Advisor, 2013 - 2017
Ambassador Susan E. Rice served President Barack Obama as National Security Advisor from July 1, 2013 to Jan. 20, 2017. In that role, she led the National Security Council Staff,…
Photographer, Author & Creator, Humans of New York
Brandon Stanton shares his journey of personal growth and discovery, and uncovers the stories behind the stories featured on Humans of New York, powerfully illustrating the value of sharing your…
Award-Winning Actor; "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-0" Producer, Cultural Diversity & Counter-Human Trafficking Activist
Through the diversity of his roles on stage and screen, Daniel Dae Kim continues to expand our perceptions of the Asian American man. In characters ranging from the King of…
Senior National Correspondent, ABC News & White House Correspondent, Fusion
Award-winning journalist Jim Avila is the Senior National Correspondent and 20/20 Correspondent based in Los Angeles. In this role, he specializes in law and justice and consumer investigations. A versatile…
Acclaimed Journalist & New York Times Best-Selling Author of "Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness"
Susannah Cahalan is the New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. She serves as a book reviewer at the New York Post an dis…
Actor, Producer, and Co-Founder, Katalyst Media, Activist
Ashton Kutcher is an actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, investor and producer.
Co-Founder of Microsoft; Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and chairman of Microsoft.
Chief General News Anchor, CNBC & Former Chief News Anchor, Fox News
Shepard Smith is the former chief news anchor and managing editor for the FOX network’s breaking news division.
Fox Sports 1 panelist, Open Run, Headliners with Rachel Nichols, All The Smoke Productions, Emmy-winning Hometown with Rachel Nichols on Monumental
Rachel Nichols returned to ESPN in 2016, as a Los Angeles-based host. Highly respected for her work as a reporter, Nichols had previously worked for ESPN from 2004-2013 while based…
Public Speakers, Entrepreneurs, Restaurateurs. Stars of the reality TV show "Giuliana & Bill" on Style Network
Most people are familiar with this couple from watching their life stories unfold on their hit reality show, Giuliana and Bill. Dynamic and highly sought after as speakers, Giuliana and…
Award-Winning Actress, Philanthropist & Activist
Eva Longoria is a Golden Globe-nominated, Screen Actors Guild- and ALMA Award- winning actress, producer, director, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Desperate Housewives alum. Her greatest work is as a champion of…
Physician, Founder and Director of Gesundheit Institute; Inspiration for Patch Adams
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…
Host of CNBC's "Mad Money" with Jim Cramer
Jim Cramer's hyper-passion for sound investing and tell-it-like-is style is unmistakable. It's what draws in hundreds of thousands of viewers to his CNBC show Mad Money, where he dispenses stock…
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalists for "Half the Sky" & Human Rights Advocates
Husband-and-wife duo Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn combine journalism and activism in their unique brand of reporting centered on human rights abuses and advocacy. The first married couple to win…
Best-Selling Co-Author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" Series
You probably know Jack Canfield as the founder and co-creator of the New York Times #1 best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, which currently has over fifty-one titles…
Founder of TOMS; Social Entrepreneur; Author of NY Times Bestseller "Start Something That Matters"
A visionary global leader, entrepreneur, adventurer and bestselling author, Blake Mycoskie is Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, and the catalyst behind the now-ubiquitous One for One movement. Having…
Former U.S. Secretary of Education (2009 - 2016)
Arne Duncan was the ninth U.S. Secretary of Education. Duncan served under President Barack Obama from January 20, 2009 through January 1, 2016. Duncan’s tenure as secretary was marked by…
Bestselling Author, Legal Analyst, & Former Prosecutor
Marcia Clark began the practice of law in criminal defense (two years as an attorney and two years as a law clerk). She joined the Office of the District Attorney…
Actor known for his Roles in "The Social Network," "Zombieland" & "The End of the Tour"
Jesse Eisenberg is a movie actor, known for his Academy Award nominated role as Mark Zuckerberg in the 2010 film The Social Network. He has also starred in the films…
Three-Time Grammy Award-Winning American Record Executive, Songwriter, and Record Producer
Antonio "L.A." Reid is a three-time Grammy Award-winning American record executive, songwriter, and record producer. Best known as the co-founder of LaFace Records, he is responsible for signing and helping…
Co-founder of Indiegogo
Slava Rubin is the Chief Business Officer, co-founder, and former CEO of Indiegogo, a company dedicated to empowering people from all over the world to make their ideas a reality.…