Richard Stengel, a former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and a longstanding editor of TIME, has witnessed and steered the transition of the mainstream media. Stengel, who describes his position at the State Department as "Chief Marketing Officer of Brand USA," remains focused on the intersection of politics, policy and media. He frequently speaks on topics... read full bio
Since the 1960s, sportswriter and broadcaster Peter Gammons has been a mainstay in the industry. He started his career as the baseball columnist at The Boston Globe after receiving his degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he also worked for the student-run newspaper. Gammons worked at the Boston Globe for more than 20 years. He... read full bio
Dr. Angela Farris Watkins is a civil rights activist, author, presenter, and educator. Dr. Farris Watkins has long been an advocate for the needs of different learners as well as those of African American students who are subjected to injustices. Her publications, Learning Styles of African American Children: A Developmental Consideration (Journal of Black Psychology) and Nurturing African American College... read full bio
American sports journalist Karl Ravech is best recognized for serving as Baseball Tonight's primary host on ESPN. Karl has largely worked for ESPN on SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight. He was also in charge of providing play-by-play analysis for both the MLB and the Little League World Series. Additionally, he has recently covered gold for the network. In the Major League Baseball... read full bio
Serving Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy and family was Tricia Harris' first professional assignment. She progressed over her ten-year employment from the position of Intellectual Property Licensing Administrator to Chief Operating Officer of the King family's private business and legal concerns, as well as the global public and private interests of Dr. King's legacy. Tricia contributed to the family-owned... read full bio
Podiatrist, engineer, inventor and businessman Allen Selner, DPM, has a wealth of biomechanical knowledge. He earned his DPM at the California College of Podiatric Medicine and his BS in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. His fascination with fusing engineering and medicine resulted in the creation of a novel type of bunion surgery known as the Tri-Correctional Bunionectomy. The results... read full bio
At CA Technologies, Montreece Smith is the Diversity Recruitment Program Manager for North America. In this role, she is responsible for establishing strategy and designing programs to attract top talent from a variety of underrepresented groups, including the LGBT community, women, people of color, Veterans, and disabled professionals. Externally, she sits on the National Labor Exchange (NLX) Operations Committee and... read full bio
Emory Healthcare's Director of Supportive and Palliative Care Outpatient Services is Dr. Kimberly A. Curseen. She serves as the clinic's director and primary medical professional. The Supportive Oncology Clinic offers cancer patients at any stage of the disease process physical, emotional and spiritual care. The clinic also offers assistance with difficult choices. The Geriatric Palliative Care Clinical Services Program was developed... read full bio
Some musicians use their music to chronicle their lives. Others write life stories. The ability to tell their personal story via songs that also capture the essence of the people and places that have contributed to the overall definition of their age is a unique talent. Both Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan spring to mind. Certainly, Bruce Springsteen. But few... read full bio
MLB commentator Tim Kurkjian can be seen on ESPN's Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter. He also contributes to ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. Kurkjian received the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for 2022 on December 7, 2021. This award is given yearly by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and formally presented during Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. In 2000, he... read full bio
One of Ireland's best-kept secrets is still Maria Doyle Kennedy. The raven-haired Dubliner's roles as Katherine of Aragon, nanny to a serial killer's son, or as the estranged wife of the charming Mr. Bates from the three critically acclaimed television shows The Tudors, Dexter and Downton Abbey are likely to be more well-known. Maria has spent more than two decades performing... read full bio
From her first recorded performance as the lead vocalist with the renowned traditional Celtic group DeDannan to her long-term collaborations with Nashville artists Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck and others, Maura O'Connell has combined an unmistakably deep, rich and versatile voice with her signature talent for finding what's most potent in the work of a wide range of genre-hopping songwriters in order to pull... read full bio
He has an unusual angelic voice that can melt even the coldest hearts. It is delicate like a kiss. He is Teitur Lassen, a Faroese guy who effortlessly and wonderfully transforms music into enchantment. The illustrious Doug Morris signed Teitur to Universal Records in the US. Additionally, Teitur's debut album, Poetry & Aeroplanes, was made available later on. It gained... read full bio
In a theatrical, cabaret-style opening, Dessy Di Lauro introduces her event by having a dance entourage walk straight onto the dance floor. The best party ever is created by fusing the style, music and organic sounds of the 1920s and 1930s with modern technology to boost creativity and amazing visual features. Songs like "Why U Raggin" will get everyone in the club... read full bio
Andy Hull, the lead singer of Manchester Orchestra, performs as a solo side project under the name Right Away, Great Captain! The band's MySpace features their debut album, "The Bitter End," which was published on January 14 via Favorite Gentlemen Recordings. The follow-up, "The Eventually Home," was made available on Hull's label Favorite Gentlemen Recordings on Tuesday, November 11, 2008.... read full bio
American director and screenwriter Lisa Cholodenko. The movies High Art (1998), Laurel Canyon (2002), and The Kids Are All Right were written and directed by Cholodenko (2010). She has also helmed television, including the miniseries Unbelievable and Olive Kitteridge (2014). (2019). She has received an Emmy and a DGA Award, and she has been nominated for an Academy Award and... read full bio
John is the younger of Thurgood Marshall's two sons, who served as the principal counsel in the case Brown v. Board of Education and was the first African-American Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court. John specializes in motivational speeches about his father's place in American history and his contribution to the nation's civil rights movement. Additionally, he has spoken... read full bio
American anthropologist, primatologist, and ethologist Dawn Prince-Hughes (born in Carbondale, Illinois) earned her M.A. and PhD in integrative anthropology from the Universität Herisau in Switzerland. She received an adjunct professorship at Western Washington University in 2000. She is a member of the Jane Goodall Institute, the executive chair of ApeNet Inc., and she previously held the position of executive director... read full bio
She has a voice that is distinctive to her generation. Tracy Nelson's natural talent has always directed her spirit; in fact, it has enabled her to write and search for the deeper songs regardless of market or genre. In her decades of singing, she has consistently decimated audiences. She is a fiery singer of truth and a source of the... read full bio
Irma Thomas ranks among The Crescent City R&B's greatest and most enduring musical ambassadors. Although she never experienced the widespread commercial success of contemporaries like Aretha Franklin and Etta James, they nonetheless breathe the same rarefied air in the minds of many soul music connoisseurs as the undisputed Soul Queen of New Orleans—a title officially bestowed by local officials, no less.... read full bio
