Sam Barrington, a former NFL linebacker and the president of Sky Limit Crane & Rigging, has transitioned from a successful career as a pro athlete to building a corporate empire that is generating buzz. Sam was selected by the Green Bay Packers where he had a significant influence both on and off the field. His dedication to supporting his community earned him... read full bio
Celebrity chef and award-winning restaurateur Jeremy Fall is redefining what it means to be a "culture icon" by innovating across industries and mediums. He grew up in the restaurant industry and built five prosperous eateries by the time he was 27 years old, including Nighthawk Breakfast Bar, Nighthawk AM, Easy's, Tinfoil Liquor & Grocery and Paperboy. He is the only child of... read full bio
As a writer, formidable investor and values-driven leader, Fawn Weaver, a successful serial entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, excels at telling gripping tales. Weaver has 25 years of business expertise, having founded and served as CEO of Grant Sidney, Inc., a privately held investment company, as well as developing Uncle Nearest, Inc., the whiskey brand with the fastest growth... read full bio
Sabrina Ionescu, a professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the WNBA, has been dubbed the future of basketball in New York. Sabrina played for the University of Oregon before joining the New York Liberty, where she amassed a long list of achievements, including being chosen as the AP Women's Basketball Player of the Year by a unanimous... read full bio
Dutch-American economist Guido Imbens' research focuses on statistics and econometrics. He is the Applied Econometrics Professor of Economics at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Joshua Angrist and Imbens both received a portion of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for their methodological contributions to the investigation of causal linkages." Natural experiments, which can provide empirical data in situations... read full bio
Chad Easterling, a brand and marketing strategist and business partner Michael B. Jordan co-founded the culture-powered marketing firm Obsidianworks, where he serves as co-Founder and CEO. The different upbringings of Easterling and Jordan are reflected in the full-service advertising and marketing firm Obsidianworks, which focuses on brand strategy for cultural connectedness as well as digital and social impact. Obsidianworks develops and... read full bio
Tressie McMillan Cottom is a renowned author, sociologist and cultural critic who has won awards for her insightful yet approachable writing and commentary. Lower Ed: The Troublesome Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy, Dr. Cottom's debut book, has been mentioned by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders as well as activists like The Debt Strike Collective. It has also... read full bio
Renee Montgomery, a two-time WNBA champion, sports pundit and trailblazing businesswoman, made history as a player and is still doing so today. Montgomery led her team to two WNBA Championship victories throughout the course of her eleven-year professional basketball career. She was also selected as an All-Star and the sixth Woman of the Year. Montgomery left the league and shifted to team... read full bio
Brooke Baldwin is a seasoned journalist, Peabody Award finalist, bestselling author and champion of women's empowerment. She has covered some of the biggest breaking news in the United States and abroad. For more than a decade, Brooke anchored her own live daily news program CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin. She was known for her adaptability, sincerity and humanity at the news desk.... read full bio
The Emmy-nominated Good Morning Football program on the NFL Network was hosted by Kay Adams. In addition to hosting NBC Sports Network's Fantasy Football Live and DirecTV's Fantasy Zone, Kay had a number of on-air gigs before joining the NFL Network. At the helm of NFL Now, Amazon's premier football program, Kay remains as host. In addition to her duties in the world of... read full bio
Isha Sesay is a recognized journalist, media executive and author who has spent more than ten years covering significant breaking news and world events with an emphasis on social injustice topics that affect women and girls. Sesay chairs the board of directors and acts as CEO of OkayMedia, a media outlet devoted to promoting Black culture and Black voices. The renowned... read full bio
Keltie Knight is a television host for Entertainment Tonight and recipient of an Emmy Award. She has co-anchored CBS's coverage of major events like the Grammy Awards Red Carpet and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. With the help of her business and entertainment experience, Knight co-founded and co-hosts the podcast The LadyGang. The well-liked program has received close to 100 million... read full bio
Michael Mignano is a businessman and technology executive who is passionate about creating products that transform the world. Michael co-founded Anchor, the largest podcasting platform in the world, after working as VP of Product at Aviary, where he helped the company's user base grow to over 100M creators before being bought by Adobe for $170M. His work on Anchor turned... read full bio
Merryl Tengesdal, a trailblazing pilot, author and retired colonel, made history as the first and only African American woman to fly a U-2 in the USAF. Tengesdal served for more than 20 years as a Naval Aviator and Air Force Combat Pilot, flying the "Dragon Lady" high-altitude surveillance aircraft while moving all over the world in support of military and combat... read full bio
Paola Ramos is a sought-after speaker, journalist, author and champion for Latino issues. Her events are educational, approachable and interesting. Ramos employs multi-media platforms in both English and Spanish to dispel prejudices, elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and encourage civic involvement. She was a political appointee during the Obama Administration, the former deputy director of Hispanic media for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and she... read full bio
John Della Volpe is the Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, where he oversees polling programs on understanding American youth. He is a youth expert, pollster, strategist and best-selling author. As founder of the public opinion and analytics firm SocialSphere, Della Volpe was cited by the Washington Post as one of the world's foremost specialists on... read full bio
Gold Medalist Nathan Chen, an Olympic figure skater, is breaking records and redefining men's figure skating one outstanding victory at a time. Chen solidified his title as the "Quad King" with his awe-inspiring performances at the Winter Olympics, landing numerous quadruple jumps in both of his routines and breaking Olympic records. He began skating at the age of 3, accumulated... read full bio
Renowned author, TV personality and chef Contemporary Southern chef Kardea Brown offers delectable recipes with insightful commentary on food, culture and community. She is the host of Cupcake Championship, The Great Soul Food Cook-Off and Delicious Miss Brown on the Food Network. Brown is of Gullah/Geechee ancestry, the name given to a particular group of African Americans who reside in the coastal regions... read full bio
Kwame Alexander, an internationally acclaimed poet, 36-time New York Times bestselling author, educator and publisher, served as the founding editor of VERSIFY, a Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishing label with the goal of "changing the world one word at a time." The Door of No Return, his upcoming book, is intended to be the first in a trilogy. As part of the... read full bio
Daniel Germain, CM CQ MSM, a philanthropist who has devoted his life to aiding impoverished children, is a great visionary of social enterprise. The Breakfast Club of Canada, a nonprofit organization that supports and encourages the creation and upkeep of school breakfast programs in Canada, was founded by Germain. After growing up in a low-income area, he traveled for humanitarian... read full bio
