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
Trey Edmunds, a running back for the NFL, comes from a long line of football players and is an expert in motivation, overcoming obstacles and cultivating a positive outlook. As the first trio of brothers to play in the NFL simultaneously since 1927, Trey and his brothers Terrell and Tremaine created NFL history. Their father Ferrell was also a two-time Pro... read full bio
Will Hurd, a cybersecurity specialist, author and former member of Congress and CIA officer, is a strong advocate for inclusivity, bipartisanship and maintaining unity in the face of difficult issues. Politico dubbed Hurd "the Future of the GOP" while he was in Congress. He was known for his ability to put ideas before politics and for passing more significant legislation in three... read full bio
Troy Kotsur, an Oscar-winning actor, made history by becoming the first deaf person to ever get the honor for his portrayal in CODA. Kotsur has been playing and directing for more than twenty years. He is a distinguished member of the Deaf West Theatre, where he has been in productions of A Streetcar Named Desire, Of Mice and Men and Cyrano.... read full bio
Ezra Frech, a successful athlete and in-demand motivational speaker, was born without his left knee and shin bone, as well as with just one finger on his left hand. He also has congenital limb differences. Since he was 11 months old, Ezra has used a prosthetic leg and at the age of 4, he started using a running blade. When Ezra was... read full bio
Denise Woodard is the pioneering founder and CEO of Partake Foods, a natural food company that was motivated by her daughter's struggle with food allergies. She is also an expert on mentoring. More than 9,000 stores, including Target, Kroger and Whole Foods Market, now carry Partake's mouthwatering, allergy-friendly products. Denise is the first Black woman to openly raise more than $1... read full bio
Peter Arnell, a brand and design specialist, photographer, creator and New York Times bestselling author, has established a reputation for producing ground-breaking, boundary-pushing work for major brands. In addition to founding and serving as CEO of Intellectual Capital Investments, he is the founder, chairman and CCO of PETERARNELL. For some of the most important firms in the world, including Chrysler, Pepsi-Cola Co.,... read full bio
Aliza Licht, a multi-award-winning marketer, author, podcaster and coach, has spent more than 20 years developing her skills in fashion industry marketing, communications and digital strategy. Licht is the founder and CEO of LEAVE YOUR MARK LLC, a multimedia company that emphasizes job advancement and personal branding. She was originally known as Twitter sensation DKNY PR Girl, a pioneering fashion influencer and... read full bio
Julie Solomon, a successful businesswoman and marketing expert, has spent more than fifteen years impacting people's lives through her popular online programs and top-rated podcast. After working as a publicist for some of the biggest musicians and thought leaders, Solomon started teaching tens of thousands of people around the world through her courses Pitch It Perfect, The Influencer Academy and the... read full bio
Eddie Ndopu, who TIME Magazine called "one of the most powerful disabled people on the globe," is best known for his human rights activism in favor of putting disability justice at the top of the global development agenda. Eddie is a thought leader and a proponent of social fairness, sustainability and disability-based creativity. He is an award-winning and widely respected humanitarian,... read full bio
Sahar Zand, an accomplished investigative journalist, producer and documentarian, has written extensively on some of the most important issues of our day, including the Iran Nuclear Deal, mental health in Afghanistan, the refugee crisis, climate change and numerous others. Zand has worked with a variety of major media organizations, including the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Vice News and many more. The BBC named... read full bio
Renowned author, YouTube personality and culinary writer for the New York Times Priya Krishna is a well-liked, respected and influential food journalist who also champions diversity storytelling in the food media and elsewhere. Indian-ish: Recipes and Articles from a Modern American Family, which Priya co-wrote with her mother, is one of her best-selling works. Eater, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, The... read full bio
Founder and CEO of The Agency, a $1 billion brokerage that has been revolutionizing the real estate industry for more than ten years, is industry disruptor Mauricio Umansky. Umansky founded The Agency with a purpose to disrupt the market by developing a distinctive culture anchored in the basic principle of collaboration. Umansky holds the distinction of selling the most properties... read full bio
Hollywood producer, novelist and tech entrepreneur Chad Sanders is a pioneer in the fields of values-driven leadership, innovation, and establishing equity in the workplace. Chad began his career with Google and later worked as the Head of Expansion for a start-up that Kaplan ultimately purchased. He switched to a creative career in writing nonetheless because he felt racially alienated in these... read full bio
