Kevin Young is a poet and professor. He has authored eleven books, edited eight other books, won the Guggenheim Fellowship and was a finalist for the National Book Award for his poetry collection, Jelly Roll: A Blues. As an Atticus Haygood Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture... read full bio
Lauren Galante is a senior fellow for Atlantic Council and the founder of Galante Strategies. Prior to her work with Atlantic Council, Galante was the Director of Global Intelligence at FireEye Inc., a cybersecurity business. Galante has worked to expose nation state and criminal cyber operations, develop intelligence capabilities, and contribute to publications like APT28: A Window into Russias State... read full bio
Leon Logothetis is a motivational speaker. Upon realizing his life situation was uninspiring, Logothetis embarked on a journey across the world. Inspired by ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’, Logothetis began his life on the road fueled by his inner rebel, kindness, and human connection. He has visited more than 90 countries and traveled to every continent. Good Morning America, Los Angeles Times,... read full bio
Logan Laplante is a homeschool student, avid skier, and an inspiration to those searching for happiness. He shares his views on a different path of education called hackschooling with communities across the nation. Laplante has demonstrated his hacker mindset on Ted Talks. He shows youre able to optimize your health, happiness, and creativity by taking advantage of opportunities given to... read full bio
Mark Wright is the new Extra correspondent. He will host alongside Mario Lopez, Tanika Ray, Renee Bargh, and AJ Calloway. Known best as one of the stars of The Only Way Is Essex, The Royals, Murder in Successville, Lock Stock_, and Im a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! NOW!. Wright has collected millions of followers on social media. He... read full bio
Megan Phelps-Roper is an educator on extremism, bullying, and empathy. As a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church, an extremist group against a variety of communities including LGBT, Jewish, and the military, Phelps-Roper turned away from her radical life to share her story. Now, Phelps-Roper speaks to universities, faith groups, and law enforcement agencies around the world regarding empathetic... read full bio
Melissa Ben Ishay is the founder of ‘Baked by Melissa’, a chain of bakeries that specializes in miniature cupcakes. Currently, Baked by Melissa has over 14 locations in the New York City area. Ishay has also released her first cookbook titled, “Cakes by Melissa: Life Is What You Bake It”. Ishay grew up hoping to have her own business some... read full bio
Olivier Jean Blanchard is a French economist who has spent most of his professional life in Cambridge, MA where he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He taught at Harvard before returning to MIT as the chair of the economics department. Blanchard then went on to be the economic counselor and director of the Research Department at the International... read full bio
Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is an international UPstander who is dedicated to empowering people everywhere to resist injustice in all of its manifestations. His varied abilities have sparked positive change as a renowned motivational speaker, trilingual poet, TV talk show host, rapper, and acclaimed professor of cross-cultural communication at American University. The artistry of Dibinga surpasses limitations. Nikki Giovanni has praised his... read full bio
Pauline Brown is an advisor, lecturer, author, and former chairman of North America LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. While working at LVMH she provided leadership for around 70 brands in sectors that include fashion and leather goods, watches and jewelry, perfume and cosmetics, wine and spirits, and retail. Brown is currently working on a book about aesthetic intelligence and how... read full bio
Ray William Johnson is a blogger, producer, and actor. He is best known for his commentary on viral YouTube videos, which he posts in a YouTube series called Equals Three. His videos became some of the top most watched videos on YouTube. Equals Three is one of the most subscribed video channels on YouTube. The channel has a combined viewing... read full bio
Robert Hannigan was the director of signals intelligence and cryptography at the Government Communications Headquarters in Britain. Hannigan has experience working in the private sectors of government in Northern Ireland. Hannigan played a role in the Northern Ireland peace process, but has never mentioned his role in the process. Hannigan later became the Prime Ministers Security Advisor and Head of... read full bio
Ryan Higa, known as nigahiga on YouTube, is a comedian, YouTube personality, and actor. His YouTube channel has over three billion combined views. Currently, his channel has over 20 million subscribers and is ranked the 20th most subscribed channel on YouTube. Higas YouTube career blossomed as he collaborated with his friend Sean Fujiyoshi, posting lip-syncing videos and parodies. Since, Higa... read full bio
Sarah Parcak is an archaeologist, Egyptologist, and remote sensing expert. She works in the field of archeology, and mainly uses satellite imagery to identify archeological sites in Egypt, Rome, and other European areas. With her husband, Greg Mumford, Parcak explores and excavates sites in the Faiyum, Sinai, and Egypts East Delta. She is also an associate professor of Anthropology and... read full bio
Sayeeda Warsi is a lawyer, businesswoman, and baroness. She is known for her role as the first Muslim to be a part of the British cabinet. With values of freedom and responsibility in her heart, Warsi was inspired to involve herself in the Conservative Party. There, she became Vice Chairman, and later, a candidate for the Parliament in her hometown.... read full bio
Scott Evans is a Purdue graduate, who eventually became an emcee for the Indiana Pacers, and the WNBAs Indiana Fever and more. During high school, Evans learned about directed and producing for television when he worked on the television show 360 Degrees which aired on MTV-2 affiliate in his town in Indianapolis. His start as an emcee led him on... read full bio
Smosh is a comedy duo. Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox began to post videos under the name Smosh on YouTube and became one of the most popular channels on the site. Smosh has more than 20 million subscribers and 4.4 billion total views. Finding huge success with YouTube, the duo decided to expand into a larger team, creating animated, other... read full bio
Sophie Scott is a London-based speaker who explores the neuroscience of sound, voices, speech, and laughter. She classifies herself as a standup scientist, as her approach to science is quite humorous. Scott has appeared on TED Talks, BBC Radio Fours program The Life Scientific, and has toured science fairs and exhibitions as part of the Laughter_lab project. She has also... read full bio
Suki Kim is a journalist, author, and speaker. She has travelled to North Korea as a writer, viewing Kim Jong-ils birthday celebrations and his death. Giving insight into the life of North Koreas elite, Kim authored an investigative memoir titled Without You, There Is No Us, My Time with the Sons of North Korean Elite. Her memoir hit the New... read full bio
Together with her husband Phil, Susan Ershler made international headlines when they became the first couple to summit the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. Their outstanding accomplishment attracted a lot of media interest. Ershler encourages audiences by sharing her motivational tale today and exemplifying how effort, tenacity, and unshakable dedication can result in the accomplishment of apparently... read full bio
