Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga served as the fifth President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. She was also the first woman president of the republic. Born into a distinguished family, Chandrika grew up with a taste for politics. As an activist during her youth, Chandrika build a liberal political philosophy, establishing roots throughout the country. After studying at the... read full bio
Charlene Tilton is best known for her role as Lucy Ewing in Dallas, a popular television series. Tilton has also starred in other television series and films, including Happy Days, Freaky Friday, and Big Wednesday. Apart from acting, Tilton is also a singer. She released several tracks, including a dance-pop hit titled C’est La Vie, which reached number one in... read full bio
Ernie Hudson is one of the most sought-after actors of our time with an impressive list of credits and awards. He is a beloved star in film, television and stage, long considered one of Hollywood’s iconic working actors who continually delivers. His road to fame, however, had its share of hardships. In his early years, Hudson was born in... read full bio
Jen Rubio is the co-founder of Away Luggage alongside Stephanie Korey. The duo came up with the idea of Away as a means to minimize bumps in the road while traveling and to maximize the uses of carry-on luggage to their full potential. Rubio and Korey wanted to create a piece of luggage that wasn’t cheap and poorly made, but... read full bio
Michelle Lee is an executive for Google, has worked as a computer scientist at MITs Artifical Intelligence Lab and HPs Research Lab, and the first female to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Lee studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering and an M.S. in electrical engineering and computer science.... read full bio
Alex Honnold is a professional rock climber who is best known for being the subject of the Oscar award-winning documentary film Free Solo. Since becoming a professional rock climber Honnold has been the first and only person to free solo El Capitan in Yosemite National Park and has also been the first and only person to free solo Half Dome... read full bio
In the fields of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, Brian Forde is a well respected authority with an impressive career spanning academics and public service. In his current role as a Senior Lecturer, he shares his considerable understanding of bitcoin and blockchain with eager students, giving an explanation of these difficult concepts and their revolutionary promise for the future of technology that... read full bio
Cheryl Currid is an industry analyst and former IT executive. In addition, she is an award-winning journalist. Currid challenges people to learn about the world around them by utilizing technology. She has lectured internationally on topics such as computer science, social networking, and organizational efficiency. She has authored 14 books and over 1,200 articles, journal papers, and columns. Currid is... read full bio
Dan Goods is a creative visual strategist who is currently leaving his mark at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA. His job entails the skill of turning complex ideas into stories that anyone can understand, which is essential for transferring complicated concepts across disciplinary boundaries. Dan's artistic works have adorned public venues, museums, and outer space all within NASA. His remarkable... read full bio
The Aesthetics of Joy was founded by acclaimed designer, author, and novelist Ingrid Fetell Lee. Her work emphasizes how design may increase our sense of joy by exposing the strong connection between our environment and our emotions. Through her website, The Aesthetics of Joy, Lee spreads ideas and knowledge on how even modest design adjustments may have a big effect... read full bio
Johnny Quinn is an American U.S. Olympian bobsledder, professional speaker, author, and former gridiron football player. He has competed in the Winter Olympics and is a member of the U.S. National Bobsled Team. In high school, Quinn was a big part of his school's football and track and during his time there, he played in the Oil Bowl. From there,... read full bio
Keela Robison was recently the VP of Product Management for Google before taking a sabbatical. She was also the Vice President of Technology and Product for Expedia, Inc. where she led the global engineering and product teams. Prior to working for Expedia, Robison has been a Senior Associate Consultant for Bain & Company, General Manager for RealNetworks, Director of Web... read full bio
Liv Boeree is a science communicator, British poker player, television presenter, speaker and writer. She has been a World Series of Poker and European Poker Tour champion, and has been the only female in history to hold both of these titles. Boeree graduated from the University of Manchester with a First Class Honours degree in Physics with Astrophysics. She started... read full bio
Mark Stevenson is an author, broadcaster, businessman, speaker, futurologist, and on top of it, also a musician and comedian. As an author, Stevenson has published two bestselling books, “An Optimist’s Tour of the Future” and “We Do Things Differently”. Stevenson graduated from the University of Salford with a first-class honors degree in Information Technology. From there, he started working for... read full bio
Michelle Howard is a retired United States Navy officer who was the first female to become a four-star admiral. She accomplished several firsts through her career including being the first African-American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship, was the first admiral selected from the U.S. Naval Academy class for rank rear admiral. She was also the first African-American and... read full bio
Nathaniel Ru is the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of the restaurant sweetgreen. Sweetgreen is a restaurant that serves to give their community real food and works with local farmers to create their menus based off of what’s in season and what’s fresh. All of sweetgreen’s food is made from scratch and they use produce delivered the morning it’s made.... read full bio
Sean M. Carroll is a cosmologist, and a theoretical physicist that specializes on the subjects of dark electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, gravitation, statistical mechanics, foundations of physics, and poetic naturalism. Carroll has been a research professor at the Department of Physics at the California Institute of Technology and has also been a contributing writer for the blog Cosmic Variance, and publications... read full bio
Sophia Amoruso is an American entrepreneur who is best known for being the founder and owner of the women’s fashion retailer, Nasty Gal, which has previously been named one of the fastest growing companies by Inc. Magazine. Since then, Amoruso has been featured in Forbes as one of the richest self-made women in the world. She has founded Girlboss Media,... read full bio
Stan Phelps is an author, Forbes contributer, speaker, and IBM futurist. As a speaker, Phelps is a TEDx speaker and has spoken on every continent and for several Fortune 100 brands such as UPS, Target, ESPN, Citi, and more. During his speeches, Phelps tells his clients that their most important stakeholders are their customers and employees. He focuses on loyalty... read full bio
Arlan Hamilton is the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital. She grew Backstage Capital from the ground up, all while she was homeless. Backstage Capital is a fund that is dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Since Hamilton started Backstage Capital from scratch, it has... read full bio
