Vali Nasr is a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center and the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In addition to serving as the seventh Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS, he was the Senior Advisor to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the U.S.... read full bio
Roland Emmerich was a celebrated director of small-budget science fiction films when he teamed up with American actor/producer Dean Devlin to make the high-kicking Jean-Claude Van Damme film Universal Soldier. The movie was a box-office success, and Emmerich followed it up with the interstellar action flick Stargate, a surprise hit that spawned a television series. His sci-fi blockbusters Independence Day... read full bio
Tim Flannery is the chief councilor of the Australian Climate Council and a well-known scientist, explorer, and conservationist. He was the head commissioner of the Climate Commission under the Rudd administration and played a significant role in shaping Australian climate policy. Flannery is the author of The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change (2005). He has... read full bio
Brian Littrell is most known as a member the ultra popular boy band The Backstreet Boys. He reached heartthrob status in the mid to late ‘90s during the band’s peek. The band released four majorly successful albums before the boy band movement began to give way. Littrell then turned his attention to producing Christian music – a dream he’d always... read full bio
Pierre serves as chairman of eBay, a trustee of Tufts University, Santa Fe Institute and Punahou School; and as a commissioner for President Barack Obamas Commission on White House Fellowships. Pierre is also CEO and publisher of Honolulu Civil Beat, a local news service in Hawaii that encourages greater civic participation through media. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, with his... read full bio
Michael Chasen is a businessman and entrepreneur from Cheshire, Connecticut. While attending American University, Chasen befriended future co-founder Matthew Pittinsky in his dorms. Blackboard Inc. was founded by the duo in 1999. Chasen became CEO of the company. He became one of the youngest CEO’s of a publicly traded company. Blackboard Inc. is a technology company that developed educational software,... read full bio
For 26 years, shes played one of the ultimate survivors of daytime television Nikki Newman on The Young and the Restless.In real life, actress Melody Thomas Scott has endured her own personal drama, dealing with the painful bladder condition, interstitial cystitis or IC. Melodys story is filled with the pain and frustration shared by millions of other IC sufferers,... read full bio
Dambisa Moyo is a renowned Zambian-born author and international economist, known for her expertise in macroeconomics and international affairs. Her ability to translate complex market, economic, and political trends into their future impact on global business has earned her numerous accolades and recognition from esteemed institutions. Moyo's extensive education includes a Bachelor's and Master's degree from American University, a Master's in... read full bio
For Jon and Michael Galluccio, the most difficult aspect of accepting their homosexuality was abandoning dreams of fatherhood and a family. Jon and Michael always knew they wanted more, so they began a life together with little support and no role models. Throughout their relationship they gained the tools necessary to take on their biggest challenge, the adoption of Adam,... read full bio
As host of her own Lifetime TV show, Katie Brown provides easy and affordable advice on casual entertaining. Her enthusiasm for entertaining, gardening and cooking inspired her to open her own store called Goat. Located in Los Angeles and Mackinac Island, Michigan, Goat quickly became a popular antique store and cafe. Katie has been serving up dime-store domesticity on Lifetime's... read full bio
Marcus Samuelsson is an internationally acclaimed chef who has thrilled the food scene with a blend of culture and artistic excellence. Marcus caught the attention of the culinary world as the head chef at Aquavit. During his tenure as executive chef, he received an impressive three-star rating from the New York Times, the youngest person ever to receive such an... read full bio
Ian Somerhalder is best known for his role on CW’s The Vampire Diaries. He is also known for his work on the show Lost on ABC. The actor is passionate about global conservation and green energy. He has started his own foundation eponymously called the Ian Somerhalder Foundation. His foundation seeks to end animal cruelty, as well as help with... read full bio
Henry Rollins started out as a musician and singer in hardcore punk bands. He eventually gained the position of frontman for Black Flag by entering the stage mid-performance and assuming control of the microphone. By the time the band disbanded in 1986, he had already established himself as one of the leading figures in the field. He thereafter pursued a... read full bio
Jason Blum is an American film producer who specializes in horror films. He is also the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions which is made especially for horror movies.He is the winner of a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for producing a film called The Normal Heart. He was also nominated for an academy award in 2014... read full bio
With an impressive body of work that encompasses television, film, and theater, Tava Smiley is quickly emerging as one of Hollywood's most versatile talents. Shes the new host of HGTVs I Want That! Kitchens and is the sideline reporter for VERSUS PBR. She can also currently be seen on the red carpet hosting Foxs movie premieres for Fox Movie Channel.... read full bio
David Hyde Pierce has received three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, seven American Comedy Awards and five Viewers for Quality Television Awards for his portrayal of the snobbish psychiatrist Niles Crane, brother to the title character on Frasier. Pierces big break came when he appeared on Broadway for six months in The Heidi... read full bio
Stan Slap has been creating branding strategies for massive companies for years. His clients include Patagonia, Coca-Cola, and Warner Music Group. He currently heads the appropriately named international consulting firm Slap and serves as director to multiple companies, providing the CEOs that report to him with priceless coaching on their brands. He has created a method for developing growth strategies... read full bio
Jeffrey Brotman is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Costco Wholesale Corporation, the second largest retailer in the US with sales of $100 billion and 160,000 employees. Mr. Brotman served over 13 years as a University of Washington Regent. He has chaired the Board of Regents and lead the Medicine portion of the most recent Capital Campaign. Mr. Brotman served... read full bio
Chef Thomas Keller is internationally renowned for his innovation and dedication in his culinary pursuits. His career began as a chef at various restaurants throughout Florida, before relocating to Paris, taking on apprenticeships at several Michelin-starred restaurants. When he went back to America, he served as chef de cuisine at La Reserve in New York, before leaving to open Rakel.... read full bio
Adam Cheyer is known for the invention of the consumer mobile experience breakthrough that is the Apple iPhone’s Siri, for which he was a co-founder and VP of Engineering. Cheyer is now the co-Founder and VP of Engineering at Viv Labs, a startup simplifying the world by providing an intelligent interface to everything. Adam has over fifteen years of experience... read full bio
