Arne Duncan served as secretary of education for six years. During his time in office, he secured congressional support for President Obama’s investments in education. Such efforts included the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s $100 billion to fund 325,000 teaching positions, increases in Pell grants, reform efforts such as Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation and interventions in... read full bio
Katia Beauchamp is the Co-Founder and CEO of Birchbox, a pioneering monthly beauty/cosmetics delivery service. Prior to founding Birchbox, Karia was the numbers whiz behind large corporate real estate deals, a beauty product junkie, and extra sassy Harvard Business School student. Katia’s passion for everything beauty and style, along with her experience in finance, are important factors in forming partnerships... read full bio
A well-known best-selling book, recognized authority on leadership, and in-demand speaker, Jeremy Kingsley has had a profound effect on audiences all over the country. Over the course of his career, which began in 1996, he has spoken at live events to more than 500,000 people and left an enduring impression with more than 2000 keynote addresses. This year, viewers of television... read full bio
Calexico is a band based out of Arizona serving music lovers a unique blend of musical styles consisting of Tex-Mex plus indie plus Americana. The band’s two founding members first played together in a band called Giant Sand. After a few different lineup changes, Calexico was born, and they recorded their first album entitled Spoke with an independent label called... read full bio
After pursuing solo music careers for fifteen years, The Wood Brothers (Chris and Oliver Wood) decided to combine their songwriting and instrumental talents to form a group together, later adding on multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix. They signed with Blue Note Records, releasing Ways Not to Lose and Loaded under the label. Ways Not to Lose became the Amazon.com editors number one... read full bio
Lisa Lisa and her band Cult Jam are pioneers of freestyle music, being one of the first groups to rise from NYC in the ‘80s. Their hits include the Gold certified “I Wonder If I Take You Home”, “Can You Feel the Beat”, the Gold certified “All Cried Out”, “Head to Toe”, “Lost in Emotion”, “Little Jackie Wants to Be... read full bio
Lloyd Polite, Jr. is an R&B singer-songwriter signed to a joint venture between Interscope, Polow Da Don’s label Zone 4 and his own label Young Goldie Music. At the age of 14, Lloyd was discovered by Joyce Irby in the pre-teen group N-Toon, alongside younger brother Chuckie. The group won Nickelodeon’s show Double Dare against No Authority and the group... read full bio
The Maine is a pop-punk band from Tempe, Arizona. After signing with Fearless Records, they released the five-song EP, The Way We Talk. They landed a slot on Vans Warped Tour the following year, and recorded the album Cant Stop Wont Stop, produced by leading emo-pop producer Matt Squire (Simple Plan, Sum 41). It rose to No. 40 on the... read full bio
Dave Wakeling, the singer/songwriter from The English Beat and General Public, is known not only for his music but also for his storytelling. He loves to share the inspirations behind his songs, either from stage or after a show. A man of strong values and principles, Wakeling always stands up for what he believes in. He has used his music... read full bio
"L.A.-based band Chicano Batman plays a mix of Brazilian Tropicalia, psychedelic soul and romantic pop. Made up of Eduardo Arenas as a vocalist and bassist, Carlos Arevalo as a guitarist, Bardo Martinez as the lead vocalist, organist and guitartist, and Gabriel Villa as a drummer. The band has released three full-length albums entitled Chicano Batman, Cycles of Existential Rhyme, and... read full bio
Dona Maria is known as a multilingual music artist who sings in 5 languages, and who performs her songs in double versions. On stage, she performs in the following languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, French and some Italian. She was as an actor on stage in a theatrical play for one year and it aired on LBCI in Beirut Middle East... read full bio
Former stand up comedian and current acclaimed voice actor Roger Craig Smith is especially known for his work in the Resident Evil series as the voice behind the character Chris Redfield. During his previous career as a stand-up comedian, his experiences as a comedian helped him along in his future in voice acting. Other film and television roles Roger... read full bio
As the Chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, Linda Johnson Rice is a highly accomplished and significant figure in the media and beauty sectors. She is known for her entrepreneurial passion and vision. She has significantly contributed to the development of Ebony and Jet magazines as the former Chairman Emeritus of Ebony Media Operations. Rice has blazed a route as... read full bio
Kristine Meredith Flaherty, known to the music-loving world by her rapper name, K.Flay, is an artist from Illinois. Her career started off with a satirical note when she wrote her first rap song entitled “Blingity Blang Blang,” and writing this song helped her discover her love for writing and creating music. She started experimenting with rap during her time attending... read full bio
Mike Gordon is well known for his time playing bass for the progressive rock band Phish. Along with being a well-known bassist, Mike is also known for being an accomplished guitarist and pianist. He has also made films such as Rising Low, Trackingm, and Outside Out, and he has authored a book entitled Mikes Corner. Gordon met the members of... read full bio
Sir Sly is an indie pop band, currently making waves with their new album Don’t You Worry, Honey (Interscope Records). It includes the singles “Altar”, “Astronaut”, and “High”, which rose to No. 18 on the Billboard Rock Songs chart and No. 3 on the Alternative Songs chart. Previously, Sir Sly recorded their debut album You Haunt Me (Interscope Records). It... read full bio
Avinash Kaushik is the “Digital Marketing Evangelist” for Google and the author of two bestsellers: Web Analytics 2.0, and Web Analytics: An Hour a Day. All of the proceeds from both books benefit The Smile Train, Doctors Without Borders and Ekal Vidyalaya. Kaushik is also the Co-Founder and Chief Education Officer of Market Motive. He is celebrated for his dynamic,... read full bio
Dr. David Ferrucci is an award-winning Artificial Intelligence researcher who most notably formed the IBM Watson team. He led the team from its creation all the way to its illustrious success when Watson conquered the greatest Jeopardy players of all time. In this history-making moment for AI, Watson delivered remarkable results that surpassed all expectations. Dr. Ferrucci went on to... read full bio
We Partyin! Kermit Ruffins needs only two words to hype a New Orleans barroom for one of his weekly shows, and this, his personal slogan, sums up what this Big Easy ambassador is all about. From playing himself in the HBO Series Treme, to barbecuing outside his bar, Kermits Treme Mother-in-Law Lounge, to sitting in with Jon Batiste and Stay... read full bio
Frits Van Paasschen is a veteran executive with thirty years of experience working with international companies. He was the CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts for eight years, and previously spent three years as the CEO of Coors Brewing Company. He has also served in management positions at Nike and Disney’s Consumer Products Divisions. Also an author, Frits wrote the... read full bio
