Mashable

Jason Abbruzzese is the Business Editor at Mashable. He covers the media and telecom industries with a particular focus on how the Internet is changing these markets and impacting consumers. Prior to working at Mashable, Jason served as Markets Reporter and Web Producer at the Financial Times. Jason holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from Australian National University.

Dr. Noubar Afeyan is Co-Founder of the Aurora Prize, a global humanitarian award recognizing individuals and organizations whose actions have made an exceptional impact on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes. 

Dr. Noubar Afeyan is Senior Managing Partner and CEO of Flagship Ventures, a leading science-based innovation and entrepreneurship firm he founded in 2000. During his 28-year career as inventor, entrepreneur, and CEO, Dr. Afeyan has co-founded and developed 38 start-ups ventures.

Dr. Afeyan serves on a number of public and private company and organization boards, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the UWC Dilijan College in Armenia, the AGBU and the IDeA Foundation. Noubar is also Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He has

authored numerous scientific publications and patents and lectures widely in the United States and globally.

Luvvie Ajayi is an award-winning writer, speaker and digital strategist who thrives at the intersection of comedy, technology and activism. A thirteen-year blogging veteran, she’s the voice behind the respected blog AwesomelyLuvvie.com, where she covers all things pop culture – including TV, movies, technology, travel, race - with razor sharp commentary and wit. Luvvie’s first book, titled I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do Better Manual will be released in September 2016. 

With a passion for social justice and a love of shoes, Luvvie co-founded The Red Pump Project in 2009 to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. She serves as the national nonprofit’s Executive Director, managing a team of ambassadors doing work in 5 states around empowering, educating and driving conversation about the epidemic. Their work has earned them a Congressional Record from the U.S. House of Representatives and Resolutions by the Illinois State Senate as well as the City Council of Chicago. 

An alum of the University of Illinois, Luvvie is a noted speaker on topics related to blogging, branding, digital marketing, nonprofit communications and activism. She’s presented at numerous colleges and conferences including: The White House, SXSW, TEDxColumbiaCollege Chicago, Social Media Week (Chicago, Lagos and Johannesburg), Altitude Summit, SAG/AFTRA Bradcast Conference, New Media Expo, amongst others. She also runsAwesomelyTechie.com , a resource site for writers, small business owners and everyday people looking to use technology to make their lives easier as an extension of her marketing expertise.

Luvvie was named to Oprah Winfrey’s inaugural Supersoul 100 list, and was voted the 2016 Influencer of the Year at the Iris Awards. She’s a 2015 Black Innovator by XFINITY Comcast, and is a past winner of the Women’s Media Center’s Social Media Award for using her voice and humor for pop culture critique, gender and racial justice.

Lonnie Ali, a native of Louisville, Kentucky completed her BA degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee in 1978. After graduation and a brief stint as an Employment Counselor for the State of Kentucky, Lonnie began her business career in account sales with Kraft Foods, Inc. She continued her business studies at UCLA’s Graduate School of Management (now the UCLA Anderson School of Management) and received an MBA in 1986 with an emphasis in Marketing. 

After her marriage to Muhammad Ali in November 1986, she assumed responsibility for the coordination and eventual management of his business affairs. In September of 1992, she formally incorporated Greatest of All Time, Inc. (GOAT Inc.) to centralize and license her husband’s intellectual properties for commercial purposes. She served as Vice President and Treasurer of GOAT, Inc. from 1992 until the sale of the company in April 2006. During her tenure as Vice President, Lonnie managed the daily operations of the company while accompanying her husband on domestic and international business trips.

While actively managing GOAT, Lonnie partnered with her husband on many of his humanitarian initiatives around the world, including missions to Cuba, India, the Khyber Pass, Pakistan, Sudan and Uganda. Domestically, she has supported, accompanied and spoken on her husband’s behalf at numerous charitable organizations, including Athletes for Hope, Birch Family Services, the Cal Ripkin, Sr. Foundation, The Celebrity Fight Night Foundation, The International Red Cross, The Lou Ruvo Foundation, The Magic Johnson Foundation, Project ALS, Special Olympics, The Starkey Hearing Foundation and UNICEF.

Always an advocate for enhancing educational opportunities for youth, she and her husband partnered with Scholastic to develop the Muhammad Ali: GO THE DISTANCE reading program. The program provided teachers in grades 3-8 with a research-based curriculum along with instructional practices to motivate learning and improve comprehension in students who struggled academically. As part of the program, Lonnie would

speak to groups of students at various schools throughout the US about her husband’s dyslexia and how he overcame his fear of reading to become a World Heavyweight Boxing Champion and American Icon. 

After the sale of GOAT, Lonnie was asked to serve on the management board of the newly formed company, Muhammad Ali Enterprises.

In 1997, Lonnie and Muhammad helped launch the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center (MAPC) in Phoenix, Arizona. MAPC is dedicated to the comprehensive care and support of Parkinson patients and their families regardless of their ability to afford treatment or other resources. In 2009, Lonnie and her husband unveiled the Muhammad and Lonnie Ali Pavilion which houses the newly built Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center at

Barrow Neurological Institute. 

She and her husband opened the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky in November of 2005 and serve as Lifetime Directors. The Ali Center is a multicultural center with an award-winning museum dedicated to Muhammad’s life and legacy. Its educational initiatives focus on promoting respect, hope and understanding; and inspiring people around the globe to be as great as they can be. Lonnie also serves as Vice Chair of the Muhammad Ali Center Board. 

After the sale of GOAT., Lonnie remained active in various charitable causes including advocating for children’s rights and Parkinson’s Disease research. She served on the Board of Directors of the Michael J. Fox Foundation and partnered with a major pharmaceutical company to launch a national campaign in support of Parkinson’s caregivers. She has been a frequent guest speaker at Parkinson Disease support groups and research gatherings. From 2010 to 2013, Lonnie served on the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.

Lonnie was the 2010 recipient of AARP’s Inspire Award for her advocacy work for Parkinson’s research, patients and caregivers. In 2012 she was named one of Arizona’s 48 Most Intriguing Women as part of the state’s centennial celebration. The National Consortium for Academics and Sports inducted Lonnie into their Hall of Fame in 2013. Recently, in 2014, she was honored by The Foundation of Wesley Woods with the Key to a Cure Award which recognized her efforts to raise awareness and funding for Parkinson’s research. She has also been honored by Child Help and the HollyRod Foundation. 

Mrs. Ali has recently announced the Ali In All of Us Initiative and the ALI 75 Global Service Campaign in honor of Muhammad Ali’s lifetime humanitarian effort and in cooperation with the Muhammad Ali Center. 

A proud mother and stepmother, Lonnie lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona and also spends time at the Ali home in Louisville, Kentucky.

Muzoon Almellehan is an 18 year old student, refugee and Malala Fund campaigner. She left Syria with her family in 2013 and spent 3 years living in refugee camps in Jordan before being resettled in the UK last year. While living in the camps, Muzoon saw increasing rates of early marriage among refugee girls, and became an outspoken campaigner for girls’ education. When Malala Yousafzai visited Jordan in 2014, the two girls met and became friends. Muzoon has joined Malala in calling for more support for refugee education, especially for Syria’s displaced children and young people. She wants to go to university and become a journalist.

Named as one of Time’s “100” Most Influential People and awarded “Outstanding Chef” by the James Beard Foundation, José Andrés is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, television personality, humanitarian and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup. A pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, he is also known for his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine and his award-winning group of 21 restaurants, located throughout the country in Washington, DC, Miami, Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and soon New York. He is a committed advocate of food and hunger issues and is known for championing the role of chefs in the national debate on food policy. In 2012, Andrés formed World Central Kitchen, a non-profit that provides smart solutions to hunger and poverty by using the power of food to empower communities and strengthen economies. Andrés also serves as Culinary Ambassador for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. Andrés' work has earned him awards and distinctions such as Outstanding American by Choice, awarded by President Barack Obama and the Refugees International McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award. In 2015, he was named EY Master Entrepreneur of the Year in Greater Washington for his leadership and impact on the global business community, and also became a Presidential Ambassador for Citizenship and Naturalization to help increase awareness regarding the contributions of new Americans.

Born in Tehran and now based in Los Angeles, Dr. Ansary’s literary debut, Jewels of Allah, garnered multiple awards, including the 2016 International Book Award in "Women's Issues.” Jewels of Allah is the first book to shatter stereotypical assumptions about Iranian women with 100% of the proceeds donated to charities supporting women in Iran, including the Omid Foundation, shortlisted for the 2016 Civil Society Charity Award.

Dr. Ansary has presented at Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, New York and Harvard University, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington D.C., as well as worldwide conferences in Dublin, Milan and London.

Her advocacy for women's rights worldwide has won support from an eclectic following of over a quarter of a million influencers, including Arianna Huffington, actress Nazanin Boniadi, actor Taye Diggs, TV host Montel Williams, Vogue UK editor Laura Bailey and British pop singer Kim Wilde.

Marie Claire recently profiled Dr. Ansary, along with Julia Luis-Dreyfus, Giada de Laurentiis, Ann Getty, and Lydia Hearst, as one of 14 privileged women to change the world. She has been featured in The New York Times as one of “Five Iranian Visionaries You Need to Know,” and honored as one of "The 21 Leaders of the 21st Century" by Women’s ENews. She is a regular contributor to The Daily Beast and The Huffington Post. She has appeared on Fox News, Larry King, The BBC and CBS Radio and been featured in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The UK Daily Telegraph, among others.

Dr. Ansary holds an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and a PhD in History from Columbia University. She serves on the board of trustees at the Iranian-American Women's Foundation, Barnard College, the Middle East Institute Advisory Board at Columbia University and on Columbia University’s Global Leadership Council. For more information, visit ninaansary.com or connect @drninaansary

Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter is the CEO, of IMPAQTO, a social innovation lab enabling change agents to turn their ideas into impact through market-based solutions.

Ecuadorian non-profit manager and human rights lawyer. In 2007 founded the Ecuador offices of Asylum Access, a rights initiative for refugees in developing countries now reaching more than 9,000 refugees in Asia, Africa and Latin America. As a consultant, has focused on paths to scaling impact for grassroots organizations, including an association of families of disappeared children in El Salvador, and communities at risk of development-induced displacement in Thailand, Cambodia and India. Former, Executive Director of TECHO Ecuador, with over 7,000 volunteers building homes for the base of the pyramid. Former Regional Manager at HURIDOCS – a human rights and technology organization – and, Read international law, University of Oxford; Master's in Public Policy, UC Berkeley. Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum and a member of the Global Agenda Council on Justice.

Dr. Gavin Armstrong is a passionate advocate and activist against hunger and malnutrition, and the Founder and CEO of Lucky Iron Fish, a rapidly growing and widely respected B Corp-certified business. It launched in 2012 with the goal of eradicating iron deficiency, which affects 3.5 billion people in the developed and developing world and can result in anemia, weakness, impaired cognition, and increased risk of illness, particularly in women and children. 

Having recently defended his doctoral thesis in biomedical science at the University of Guelph, Gavin is the first Canadian to receive the William J. Clinton Award for international work against hunger and the inaugural recipient of the Michaëlle Jean Emergency Hunger Relief Award. He was also named to Forbes’ 2016 30 Under 30 list of social entrepreneurs and Town and Country’s top 50 philanthropists, and is a Fulbright Scholar. His work with Lucky Iron Fish has been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative University, Gates Foundation, O, the Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Wired, BBC, CNN, Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneur Awards, Cannes International Lions Festival, Edison Awards, CLIO Awards and Classy Awards.

As an undergraduate student, Gavin registered the University of Guelph as the first Canadian University to join Universities Fighting World Hunger (UFWH), an international organization of universities dedicated to promoting awareness of, and taking action against, hunger and malnutrition. He served as the coordinator of the 6th Annual UFWH Summit, held in Canada for the first time, and attracted upwards of 450 delegates, 50 speakers and $130,000 in funds to support the conference. 

Gavin also instituted an annual event at the University to pack food for emergency relief: Since 2011, this event has packaged over 1 million meals and Gavin has raised over $250,000 to support the initiative. He was also elected as the Communications and Corporate Affairs Commissioner for the student union, served on the Senate, the Board of Governors, the Presidential Task Force on Sustainability, the BetterPlanet Project steering committee and cabinet (the capital campaign of the University), and as the student co-chair for the United Way Campaign. 

Gavin is a strong proponent for increasing educational opportunities for the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, and is developing new opportunities to fund a solar power program that will power its schools and raise money to build a new school in the camp. He has also fostered partnerships between the University of Guelph and Université de Nouakchott (Mauritania) to boost food production and capacity in one of the poorest regions of Africa. Previously, Gavin served on the Executive Committee for the Cambodian Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 

Gavin holds a PhD in biomedical science and an honours bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Guelph.

Since 1980, Alec Baldwin has appeared in numerous productions on stage, in films and on television. He has received a Tony nomination (A Streetcar Named Desire, 1992) an Oscar nomination (The Cooler, 2004) and has won two Emmy awards, three Golden Globes and seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards as Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on NBC-TV's 30 Rock. His films include THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, MALICE, THE EDGE, IT'S COMPLICATED, BLUE JASMINE, STILL ALICE, and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION among many others.

Baldwin is a 1994 BFA graduate of Tisch and received an honorary doctorate in 2010. He is Co-Chairman of the Board of the Hamptons International Film Festival. He is also the radio announcer for the New York Philharmonic. 

Baldwin has two daughters, Ireland Elliese Baldwin and Carmen Gabriela Baldwin and a son, Rafael Thomas Baldwin. He is married to Hilaria Thomas Baldwin. In 2016, Baldwin is hosting a summer package of episodes of the MATCH GAME, the classic television game show; the proceeds of which Baldwin and his wife will donate to charity. 

An entrepreneur, activist, politician and philanthropist, Her Excellency Joyce Banda served as the President of the Republic of Malawi from 2012-2014. She was Malawi’s first female president and Africa’s second. Prior to assuming office, President Banda served as a Member of Parliament, Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, Foreign Minister, and Vice President of the Republic of Malawi. While serving as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, she championed the enactment of The Prevention of Domestic Violence Bill (2006), which provided the legal framework to support the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.

President Banda is credited for turning round an ailing economy which was on the verge of collapse in April 2012.She instituted a number of economic reforms which led to significant economic expansion; Malawi’s rate of economic growth rose from 1.8% in 2012 to over 6.2% in 2014. Under President Banda, Malawi’s operational industrial capacity improved from 35% in 2012 to 85% in July 2014, and the foreign exchange import cover was increased from one week to three and half months in July 2014. In the areas of democracy, good governance, and rule of law, President Banda repealed a number of draconian laws which weakened essential democratic institutions, infringed upon civil liberties, and restricted the freedom of the press. 

President Banda’s unwavering commitment to the promotion of women’s maternal health and reproductive rights led her to establish the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood, which spearheaded the fight against high maternal mortality rates and the promotion of safe motherhood in Malawi. During the two years of her presidency, Malawi registered considerable success in the areas of maternal and child health, reducing the maternal mortality ratio from 675 deaths per 100,000 live births to 460.

As one her first actions after taking office, President Banda sold the multi-million dollar presidential jet, and donated 30% of her salary to Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA), an organization serving individuals with disabilities.

President Banda was instrumental in the formation of the African Federation of Women Entrepreneurs (AFWE),currently operating in 41 countries on the continent, the Council for the Economic Empowerment for Women ofAfrica (CEEWA), and the American and African Women’sBusiness

Alliance (AABWA), for which she served as the first president. President Banda maintains a leadership role in several international organizations, including the Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health (U.S.)and The Micronutrient Initiative (Canada). 

President Banda regularly serves as a panelist and motivational speaker at international conferences and fora, and has spoken at the International Conference on Women in Beijing, Harvard Medical School and the Kennedy School of Politics, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the New African WomanForum, and the Women Deliver Conference, among others. 

President Banda was named one of the world’s most powerful black women by Forbes in 2013 and 2014, and one of the most 100 influential people in the world by both TIME and Forbes. In 2014, CNN named her one of the most inspirational woman in politics. 

 In 1997, President Banda founded the Joyce Banda Foundation International, which seeks to transform villages in Malawi through their work in supporting women’s economic empowerment, education, maternal health and HIV/AIDS programs, leadership training, and support for human rights.

President Banda holds a M.A. in Leadership from the Royal Rhodes University of Canada, a B.S. in Gender Studies from Atlantic International University (U.S.), and a diploma in NGO Management from the International Labor Organization (ILO) Center in Turin, Italy. Jeonju University of South Korea conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Economics for Her Excellency in January, 2013, and Wheelock College conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Education for her in May, 2015.

As a Rise Up Girl Leader, Memory Banda led the campaign to end child marriage in Malawi, where more than half of girls are married by age 18. Through her work with Rise Up and the Girls Empowerment Network of Malawi, Memory’s fight for girls’ rights led to a national law outlawing child marriage. Today, Memory works with girl leaders to protect thousands of girls from child marriage, ensure they can finish school, and fulfill their dreams. Learn more in Memory’s powerful TED Talk, which has more than 1.1 million views.

Marguerite Barankitse, from Maison Shalom and REMA Hospital in Burundi, was awarded the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity in April 2016 for the extraordinary impact she has had in saving thousands of lives and caring for orphans and refugees during the years of civil war in Burundi.

When war broke out, Barankitse, a Tutsi, tried to hide 72 of her closest Hutu neighbors to keep them safe from persecution. They were discovered and executed, whilst Barankitse was forced to watch. Following this gruesome incident, she started her work saving and caring for children and refugees. She has saved roughly 30,000 children and in 2008, she opened a hospital which has treated more than 80,000 patients to date.

An internationally recognised humanitarian on the global stage, Marguerite divides her work between safeguarding and promoting the Maison Shalom mission and advocating the changes necessary for young people in Africa and around the world that will enable them to fulfil their lives’ potential.

A medical doctor and epidemiologist, Dr Seth Berkley joined Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance as its CEO in August 2011, spearheading its mission to protect the world’s poorest children by improving access to new and underused vaccines.


Under his leadership Gavi has now reached half a billion children in its 15 years of existence. In 2015 he led Gavi to its second successful replenishment, raising US$ 7.5 billion in donor commitments to support the immunization of 300 million children by 2020.

Prior to Gavi, Dr Berkley founded the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) in 1996, the first vaccine product development public-private sector partnership, where he served as president and CEO for 15 years. Under his leadership, IAVI created a virtual vaccine product development effort involving industry, academia and developing country scientists – developing and testing vaccines around the world. He also oversaw a global advocacy programme that assured HIV vaccines received prominent attention in the media and in forums such as the G-8, European Union and the United Nations.

Previously Dr Berkley served as an officer of the Health Sciences Division at The Rockefeller Foundation. He has worked for the Center for Infectious Diseases of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and for the Carter Center, where he was assigned as an epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health in Uganda. Dr Berkley played a key role in Uganda’s national HIV sero-survey and helped develop its National AIDS Control programs.

He has been featured on the cover of Newsweek, recognised by TIME magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” and by Wired Magazine as among “The Wired 25 — a salute to dreamers, inventors, mavericks and leaders.” He has consulted or worked in more than 50 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Dr Berkley sits on a number of international steering committees and corporate and not-for-profit boards, including those of Gilead Sciences, the New York Academy of Sciences and the Acumen Fund.

Seth received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Brown University and trained in internal medicine at Harvard University. In 2013, Dr Berkley was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, for services to global public health and advancing the right to healthcare for all.

Marie-Claude Bibeau was born, raised and educated in Sherbrooke. She started her career at the Canadian International Development Agency, working in Ottawa-Gatineau and Montréal, as well as in Morocco and Benin, in Africa. Marie-Claude eventually settled in the riding of Compton–Stanstead to raise her family, work, and volunteer in the community.

Marie-Claude is an experienced businesswoman and, for the last 15 years, has co-owned Camping de Compton—a successful tourism business that has won numerous awards. She was also the director of accreditation for the Sherbrooke 2013 Canada Summer Games and the Executive Director of the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science.

Active in her community, Marie-Claude was the founder and coordinator of the Regroupement des institutions muséales des Cantons-de-l’Est—an association of museums in the Eastern Townships. She is a former board member of Commerce Sherbrooke, Destination Sherbrooke, Animation Centre-ville and the Société des musées québécois. She was also the secretary of the Compton revitalization committee, a member of the strategic planning committee of the regional county municipality of Coaticook, and chair of the governing board of École Louis-St-Laurent in Compton.

Marie-Claude holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a graduate diploma in Environmental Management from the Université de Sherbrooke.

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., was born November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the first of four siblings. In 1953, the Biden family moved from Pennsylvania to Claymont, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School and served on the New Castle County Council. Then, at age 29, he became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate.

Just weeks after the election, tragedy struck the Biden family when Biden's wife, Neilia and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed and their two young sons critically injured in an auto accident. Vice President Biden was sworn in to the U.S. Senate at his sons' hospital bedside and began commuting to Washington every day by train, a practice he maintained throughout his career in the Senate.

In 1977, Vice President Biden married Jill Jacobs. Jill Biden, who holds a Ph.D. in Education, is a life-long educator and currently teaches at a community college in Northern Virginia. The Vice President’s son, Beau (1969-2015), was Delaware's Attorney General from 2007-2015 and a Major in the 261st Signal Brigade of the Delaware National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008-2009. The Vice President’s other son, Hunter, is an attorney who manages a private equity firm in Washington, D.C. and is Chairman of the World Food Program USA. And his daughter Ashley is a social worker and is Executive Director of the Delaware Center for Justice. Vice President Biden has five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Roberta Mabel ("Maisy"), Natalie, and Robert Hunter.

As a Senator from Delaware for 36 years, Vice President Biden established himself as a leader in facing some of our nation's most important domestic and international challenges. As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years, then-Senator Biden was widely recognized for his work on criminal justice issues, including the landmark 1994 Crime Law and the Violence Against Women Act. As

Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 12 years, then-Senator Biden played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. He has been at the forefront of issues and legislation related to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, post-Cold War Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.

Now, as the 47th Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden has continued his leadership on important issues facing the nation. The Vice President was tasked with implementing and overseeing the $840 billion stimulus package in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has helped to rebuild our economy and lay the foundation for a sustainable economic future. The Vice President also leads the Ready to Work Initiative, the Administration’s key effort to identify opportunities to improve our nation’s workforce skills and training systems to help better prepare American workers for the jobs of a 21st century economy. 

The Vice President has continued to draw upon his years in the United States Senate to work with Congress on key issues including the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. As a longtime advocate against sexual assault and domestic violence, the Vice President appointed the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. The Vice President has also been tasked with convening sessions of the President’s Cabinet and leading interagency efforts, particularly to reduce gun violence and raise the living standards of middle class Americans in his role as Chair of the Middle Class Task Force. Vice President Biden has traveled to 48 states as part of the Administration’s continuing efforts to focus key priorities such as college affordability and American manufacturing growth. 

With decades of foreign policy experience in the United States Senate, include serving as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,

Vice President Biden advises President Obama on international issues. The Vice President has been a leading architect of the U.S. strategic vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace. During his time in the Senate, the Vice President led the effort to enlarge NATO to include the former Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern and Central Europe after the collapse of the Iron Curtain. The Vice President’s speech at the Munich Security Conference in February 2015 laid out a vision for how to revitalize NATO, strengthen democratic institutions in Europe, prioritize investments to bolster energy security, and grow trade and investment ties across the Atlantic. The Vice President has been leading the administration’s effort to support a sovereign, democratic Ukraine, visiting the country three times in 2014. In the Middle East, the Vice President has been deeply involved in shaping U.S. policy toward Iraq, visiting the country several times. He has met with the leaders from around the Middle East and has championed Israel’s security. The Vice President has also played an active role in supporting the Administration’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. He has developed deep relationships with the region’s leaders, demonstrating U.S. commitment to high-level, face-to-face diplomacy. Vice President Biden is the Administration’s point person for diplomacy within the Western Hemisphere. He has worked to realize his vision of a Hemisphere that is “middle class, secure, and democratic, from Canada to Chile and everywhere in between.” In this capacity, the Vice President has led the Administration’s regional efforts to address economic, social, governance, and citizen security challenges. 

Vice President Biden has represented our country in every region of the world, traveling to more than two dozen countries including:

Afghanistan, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Ambassador-at-Large, Deborah L. Birx, M.D., is the Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health diplomacy. Ambassador Birx is a world-renowned medical expert and leader in the field of HIV/AIDS. Her three-decade-long career has focused on HIV/AIDS immunology, vaccine research, and global health. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Birx oversees the implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history, as well as all U.S. government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Serving as the U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, she aligns the U.S. government’s diplomacy with foreign assistance programs that address global health challenges and accelerate progress toward: achieving an AIDS-free generation; ending preventable child and maternal deaths; and preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats.

In 1985, Ambassador Birx began her career with the Department of Defense (DoD) as a military-trained clinician in immunology, focusing on HIV/AIDS vaccine research. From 1985-1989, she served as an Assistant Chief of the Hospital Immunology Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Through her professionalism and leadership in the field, she progressed to serve as the Director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research from 1996-2005. Ambassador Birx helped lead one of the most influential HIV vaccine trials in history (known as RV 144 or the Thai trial), which provided the first supporting evidence of any vaccine’s potential effectiveness in preventing HIV infection. During this time, she also rose to the rank of Colonel, bringing together the Navy, Army, and Air Force in a new model of cooperation - increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. Military’s HIV/AIDS efforts through inter- and intra-agency collaboration. Then known as Colonel Birx, she was awarded two prestigious U.S. Meritorious Service Medals and the Legion of Merit Award for her groundbreaking research, leadership, and management skills during her tenure at DOD.

From 2005-2014, Ambassador Birx served successfully as the Director of CDC's Division of Global HIV/AIDS (DGHA), which is part of the agency’s Center for Global Health. As DGHA Director, she utilized her leadership ability, superior technical skills, and infectious passion to achieve tremendous public health impact. She successfully led the implementation of CDC’s PEPFAR programs around the world and managed an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion. Ambassador Birx was responsible for all of the agency's global HIV/AIDS activities, including providing oversight to more than 400 staff at headquarters, over 1,500 staff in the field, and more than 45 country and regional offices in Africa, Asia, Caribbean, and Latin America. Recognized for her distinguished and dedicated commitment to building local capacity and strengthening quality laboratory health services and systems in Africa, in 2011, Ambassador Birx received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. In 2014, CDC honored her leadership in advancing the agency’s HIV/AIDS response with the highly prestigious William C. Watson, Jr. Medal of Excellence.

Ambassador Birx has published over 220 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, authored nearly a dozen chapters in scientific publications, as well as developed and patented vaccines. She received her medical degree from the Hershey School of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, and beginning in 1980 she trained in internal medicine and basic and clinical immunology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. Ambassador Birx is board certified in internal medicine, allergy and immunology, and diagnostic and clinical laboratory immunology.

Matthew Bishop, senior editor, The Economist Group, is an award-winning journalist and social entrepreneur. His roles at The Economist have included Business Editor, Wall Street Editor, Globalisation Editor and New York Bureau Chief. He is the author of several books, including Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World (described as “important” by President Bill Clinton) and The Road From Ruin, which set out an agenda for the reform of capitalism after the 2008 crash. His "Economics: An A-Z Guide", which explains the basics of economics for non-experts, is just out. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Global Governance. He was the Official Report author of the G8 Taskforce on Social Impact Investment and a member of the Advisors Group of the UN International Year of Microcredit. He co-founded and advises the #givingtuesday campaign and the Social Progress Index. He is on Twitter as @mattbish

Antony J. Blinken was confirmed by the United States Senate as Deputy Secretary of State on December 16, 2014. He was sworn in by Secretary Kerry on January 9, 2015. Mr. Blinken has held senior foreign policy positions in two administrations over two decades.

He most recently served as Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. In that capacity, he chaired the inter-agency Deputies Committee, the administration’s principal forum for formulating foreign policy. During the first term of the Obama Administration, he was Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President.

Mr. Blinken served for six years on Capitol Hill (2002 – 2008) as Democratic Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mr. Blinken was a member of President Clinton’s National Security Council staff at the White House from 1994 to 2001. From 1999 to 2001, he was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs – President Clinton’s principal advisor for relations with the countries of Europe, the European Union and NATO. From 1994 through 1998, Mr. Blinken was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Speechwriting and then Strategic Planning, overseeing foreign policy planning, communications and speechwriting and serving as President Clinton's chief foreign policy speechwriter.

Mr. Blinken began his government service at the State Department where, from 1993 to 1994, he served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs.

After leaving the Clinton Administration, he was a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies between 2001 and 2002.

Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Mr. Blinken practiced law in New York and Paris. He has been a reporter for The New Republic magazine and has written about foreign policy for numerous publications including the New York Times, The New York Times Magazine and Foreign Affairs. He is the author of Ally Versus Ally: America, Europe and the Siberian Pipeline Crisis (Praeger, 1987). He appears frequently on cable and network television on behalf of the Obama administration. Mr. Blinken attended grade school and high school in

Paris, France where he received a French Baccalaureat degree with high honors. He is a graduate of Harvard College Magna cum Laude and Columbia Law School.

Michael Brunt is chief marketing officer and MD of Circulation for The Economist, one of the world’s most widely recognized and well-read current affairs publications. His work for The Economist Group began in 2006, since when he has helped to shepherd the 170-year-old publication, its website, its daily web edition and its app into greater prominence and circulation. 

By pioneering a bold strategy to manage the migration of print to digital reading, Michael deftly maneuvered the circulation business into unprecedented profitability and now takes responsibility for a third of Economist Group revenues and is also a major contributor to Group profits. His unique insights, proven commercial successes and international marketing experience have established him as an in-demand speaker and thought leader in his industry and beyond. In 2015, he was named among the Top 50 LGBT Executives by both The Telegraph and the Financial Times. 

Michael started his career in marketing in 1992, working agency-side for McCann Communications and then at EHS Brann in London as an account planner on publishing, telecoms and financial services accounts. From 2004 to 2006, he ran his own direct marketing consultancy, working with clients in both London and New York.

Kathy Calvin is President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation. She is a passionate advocate for multi-sector problem-solving, U.S. leadership on global issues, and the inclusion of women at all levels and in all sectors. The UN Foundation, created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes, advocates for the UN and connects people, ideas and resources to help the UN solve global problems.

Kathy’s career has spanned the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Before joining the UN Foundation as Chief Operating Officer in 2003, she served as President of the AOL Time Warner Foundation. She previously served in senior positions at AOL, Hill and Knowlton, and U.S. News & World Report. From 1976 through 1984 she was Senator Gary Hart’s press secretary.

Kathy was named one of Newsweek’s “150 Women Who Rock the World” in 2011 and listed in Fast Company’s “League of Extraordinary Women” in 2012. Her innovative work in the philanthropy and international development sectors has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and she has received numerous other awards for philanthropy and leadership.

Jean Case is an actively engaged philanthropist, investor and a pioneer in the world of interactive technologies. Her career in the private sector spanned nearly two decades before she and her husband, Steve Case, created the Case Foundation in 1997. A passionate believer in all things digital and the amazing potential of technology to change the world for the better, Jean and her team focus the efforts of the Foundation around many of the same entrepreneurial approaches she and Steve cultivated throughout their business careers. The Case Foundation is recognized for its innovative efforts to address significant social challenges, harnessing the best impulses of entrepreneurship, innovation, technology and collaboration to drive exponential impact. 

Prior to co-founding the Case Foundation, Jean spent her career as a technology executive in the private sector. As a senior executive at America Online, Inc. (AOL), Jean directed the marketing and branding effort that launched the AOL service, directed the communications strategy for taking the company public, and helped establish AOL as a household utility. Before joining AOL, she held strategic marketing positions at GE’s Information Services Division and at The Source, the nation’s first online service. In addition to her role as chairman of the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees, Jean serves on the boards of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), the White House Historical Association and BrainScope Company, Inc. She also serves on the advisory boards of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation, the Brain Trust Accelerator Fund and the U.S. National Advisory Board to the Social Impact Investing Task Force (SIITF) established by the G8. Jean has served in two appointed roles leading strategic public-private efforts, including the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, to which she was appointed as chair by President George W. Bush, and as co-chair of the U.S.-Palestinian Partnership.

Jean and Steve joined The Giving Pledge, started by Melinda and Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010, and publicly reaffirmed their commitment to give away the majority of their wealth to fund worthy charitable causes. In recognition of their innovative work in philanthropy, Jean and Steve have received a number of accolades, including Barron’s “25 Best Givers”, the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) Citizens of the Year, and Washingtonians of the Year. Jean was also named Corporate Philanthropist of the Year by the Washington Business Journal, which also named her as a finalist for “Most Admired Nonprofit CEO” award, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Washington DC. She has also received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Indiana University and from George Mason University.

Pete Cashmore is the founder and CEO of Mashable, the leading source of news, information & resources for the Connected Generation. Pete founded Mashable in 2005 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland when he was 19. His passion for sharing how web tools and social networks were transforming human interactions and reshaping cultures drove him to create Mashable. Always an entrepreneur, Pete has continued to push Mashable to evolve from a tech blog to a global media company built around technology. He leads Mashable’s strategy and his innate sense of the web and its community, are core to the company’s operations and future growth. He has been described as the “Sage of Media” and considered one of the most influential voices of his generation-- on and offline. Pete was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2012. He has been featured on Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2014, , named one of Ad Age’s 2011 influencers, and was named a Young Global Leader by The World Economic Forum.

Jorge Casimiro is Vice President of NIKE’s Global Community Impact team and President of the NIKE Foundation. In these roles, Jorge leads the development and execution of NIKE's impact portfolio with a focus on transforming communities through the power of sport. These efforts are driven through innovative and collaborative partnerships and leveraging NIKE's greatest assets -- its employees and

brands.

Today’s kids are part of the least active generation and the Global Community Impact team is committed to changing that by getting kids around the world active and unleashing their full potential. As a father of three beautiful kids and someone who believes in sport as a catalyst for change, GCI’s commitment is both personal and professional for Jorge.

Jorge joined Nike from The Coca-Cola Company where he was Group Director, International Public Affairs and, prior to that, worked extensively in Latin America based out of Mexico City. He began his professional career in higher education, working in international advancement and government

relations at Brown University.

A graduate of Brown University, Jorge also earned a master’s degree in public policy from Rutgers University. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Oregon Health & Science University Foundation, the Communications Advisory Council of the Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs at Brown University and on the Executive Forum of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. Jorge lives in Portland, Oregon where he spends his free time enjoying the outdoors with his wife and three children.

Ann Mei Chang is the Chief Innovation Officer and the Executive Director of the U.S. Global Development Lab at USAID. The Lab is the newest bureau at USAID and aims to transform global development through science, technology, innovation, and partnerships. Prior to USAID, Ann Mei was the Chief Innovation Officer at Mercy Corps, an international NGO. She also served as the Senior Advisor for Women and Technology in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues at the U.S. Department of State. At State, she developed partnerships, influenced policy, and became a public voice on leveraging technology to improve the lives of women and girls in developing countries. She conceived and launched the Alliance for Affordable Internet, a public-private partnership which aims to increase Internet access to the next billion. 

Ann Mei has more than twenty years of engineering and leadership experience in Silicon Valley. She served as a Senior Engineering Director at Google for eight years, where she led worldwide engineering for Google's mobile applications and services. She oversaw 20 times growth of Google's mobile business in just three years, delivering over $1 billion in annualized revenues. At Google, she also led the product development team for Emerging Markets, with a mission to bring relevant mobile and Internet services to the two-thirds of the world's population that is not yet online. Ann Mei has held leadership roles at several other leading companies including Apple (leading engineering for the initial release of Final Cut Pro), Intuit, SGI, and a few startups. 

Ann Mei was recognized as one of the Women In the World: 125 Women of Impact for 2013 by Newsweek/The Daily Beast. She is a member of the 2011 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute and holds a BS degree in Computer Science from Stanford University.

James Chau is a television broadcaster who has guest presented on BBC World News and is currently a Special Contributor to CCTV News. He has interviewed Winnie Mandela, Robert Mugabe, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Elton John, Kofi Annan, Paul Kagame, Joko Widodo and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan. Following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, he reported extensively from Kuala Lumpur and was the first journalist to reveal the last words spoken by the missing pilots. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

A longtime activist, he uses television and social media where he has 1.7 million followers on Weibo to support the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. In 2009, he was named UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador for China. He expanded this commitment in 2016 with his appointment as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals and Health by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

He frequently speaks at high-level events, most recently at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, where he moderated on behalf of Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. He studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music and graduated from Cambridge University, where the annual John C.B. Chau Prize in Engineering is named for his father. He lives in Beijing.

www.james-chau.com

Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in April 2009, and is the first woman to lead the organization. She is also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, consisting of the heads of the UN agencies, funds and programs working on development issues. Prior to her appointment with UNDP, Helen served for nine years as Prime Minister of New Zealand and 27.5 years as a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand.

Since her appointment at UNDP, Helen has focused on the achievement of the sustainable development as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. She speaks widely on these issues, and on the importance of governance, the rule of law, peace and stability, and resilience as means of achieving them. She has also continued her lifelong dedication to women’s empowerment and advocates for gender equality in all countries.

Helen is leading the drive to transform UNDP’s governance, organizational effectiveness, and leadership, culture, and behaviors to ensure that UNDP continues to perform as one of the world’s leading development organizations.

Sarah Collins, founder of Wonderbag and an award-winning change leader, works to end poverty. She is fuelled by years of verified data that proves this can be achieved when women are freed from the devastating reality of Time Poverty, particularly in the rural world.

Now that she’s distributed more than one million Wonderbags across the globe, Sarah is heading up the next level of impact—the Coalition of Action, which unites intelligent business, governments, and philanthropists in addressing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. With the Wonderbag as the catalyst to lead change, this simple innovation unlocks a better life by giving back time to women and communities to prosper, while simultaneously connecting brands with data for impact and purpose.

Anisa Kamadoli Costa is chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and also serves as chairman and president of The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. In this dual role, reporting to the CEO of Tiffany & Co., she oversees the company's global corporate responsibility agenda and directs a $6 million strategic grantmaking portfolio on behalf of the Foundation.

Prior to joining Tiffany & Co., Anisa worked at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, an international grantmaking foundation. She has also worked at J.P. Morgan Chase, Monitor Group and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

Anisa serves on the board of directors of Philanthropy New York and recently served as chair of the board of the Environmental Grantmakers Association, an affinity group composed of more than 220 foundations from the U.S., Canada and Europe representing over $1 billion in environmental grantmaking.

Anisa’s leadership on CSR issues includes serving on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Mining & Metals, where she helps provide thought leadership on transformations affecting the mining and metals industries as they seek to forge a sustainable, long-term future. Anisa is also a member of the Founders' Circle and the Governance Committee of the B Team, a nonprofit initiative that aims to reposition private industry as a driving force for social, environmental and economic good.

Anisa holds a bachelor's degree from Barnard College/Columbia University and a master's degree from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Ertharin Cousin began her tenure as the twelfth Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme on 5 April 2012. Ms Cousin brings more than twenty-five years of national and international non-profit, government, and corporate leadership experience focusing on hunger, food, and resilience strategies. Cousin guides the World Food Programme in meeting urgent food needs while championing longer-term solutions to food insecurity and hunger.

As the leader of the world’s largest humanitarian organization with approximately 11,367 staff serving over 80 million beneficiaries in 82 countries across the world, she is an exceptional advocate for improving the lives of hungry people worldwide, and travels extensively to raise awareness of food insecurity and chronic malnutrition.

In 2009, Ertharin Cousin was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, and head of the U.S. Mission to the U.N. Agencies in Rome. During her nearly three years as the chief U.S. diplomatic voice for famine relief and hunger solutions, Cousin helped guide U.S. and international policy around some of the most devastating and life-threatening situations in the world. She advocated for aid strategies that integrate a transition from relief to development, including following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and for country-led sustainable agriculture programmes, particularly in the aftermath of the 2010 flooding in Pakistan and in response to the 2011 drought in the Horn of Africa.

As the U.S. Representative in Rome, she played a significant role in advocating for improved collaboration between, and promoting gender parity and mainstreaming in the operations of the three Rome-based food and agriculture agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agriculture Development and the World Food Programme. During her tenure, she actively participated in reforming the Committee on World Food Security, enlarging the multi-stakeholder platform and helping to introduce a results-based framework. In 2011, she also assumed the presidency of the International Development Law Organization’s Assembly of Parties.

Cousin worked in the Administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton for four years, including serving as White House Liaison to the State Department, and received a White House appointment to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development.

Cousin served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Feeding America (then known as America’s Second Harvest), the largest domestic hunger organization in the United States. She led the organization’s response to Hurricane Katrina, an effort that resulted in the distribution of various relief supplies, including food, to those in need across the Gulf Coast region of the United States.

Cousin has significant background in the retail food sector, leading government communications and community affairs for two large U.S. grocery chains, Albertsons Foods and Jewell Foods. While working for Albertsons, she served as President and Chair of the company’s corporate foundation, managing the organization’s philanthropic activities.

Cousin is a native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Georgia School of Law. She is a published author and accomplished speaker on food insecurity and chronic malnutrition. She is based in Rome, Italy.

As Chief Innovation Officer and the Director of the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at 92nd Street Y, one of NY’s most prestigious cultural institutions, Asha Curran is spearheading projects with national and global reach, including #GivingTuesday, the national day of giving founded and led by 92Y; the NYC Venture Fellows, an innovative fellowship for CEOs of NYC start-ups; the Women inPower Fellowship, for rising women leaders; the Social Good Summit; and the annual 7 Days of Genius festival. Asha is an advocate for women’s health, domestic and global maternal health issues. She serves on the Independent Sector C-Suite Advisory Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Scout Film Festival, which spotlights the work of teen filmmakers. She is the recipient of the 2015 Social Capital Hero Award from Social Capital Partners, LLC.

Carolina Andrade is a +SocialGood Advisor, Co-Founder and Executive-Director of Social Good Brazil (a Social Innovation Non-profit). Carolina has a Masters in Technology and Innovation Management in Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Sussex in UK and a BA in International Relations with a specialization in Entrepreneurship at FGV-EAESP/Babson College. 

Carolina worked for 15 years with AIESEC, Junior Achievement and Artemisia. The latter she served on the selection and training of entrepreneurs, the coordination of Strategic Partnerships and as director of the Social Business Accelerator. Carolina published two articles at Next Billion international and Brazil about "Social Business as Disruptive Innovators,” which is a topic she also teaches at MBA Gestão de Negócios Socioambientais from IPE, CEATS/USP and Artemisia.

Emma DeMuth is an 18-year-old recent high school graduate from Charleston, South Carolina. In 6th grade she discovered her passion for photography and cinematography and continues to pursue them to this day. Her camera lens gravitates towards various cultures and people, science and current events. Emma uses her visual expression to tell stories that would otherwise go untold. 

A member of the Taco Bell Foundation’s Live Más Scholarship Charter Class, Emma is currently studying filmmaking at the New York University Tisch School of Arts, where she will continue to grow, influence and inspire others through her work. She has also expanded upon her talent in other ways, including through her recent participation in an MTV VMA-Live Más Scholarship mentorship experience where she photographed the VMA Pre-Show.

Between 2010 and 2013 Mr. Dennelind was International CEO South Africa at Vodacom. Previously he had several managerial positions at Telenor in Sweden and Malaysia, i a CEO of DiGi Telecommunications Malaysia between 2008 and 2010. Prior to that he had several managerial positions at Telia. Mr. Dennelind is a board member of GSMA and World Childhood Foundation. Mr. Dennelind holds a Master of Science Business Administration.

Barkha Dutt is an Indian television journalist and columnist who works as a consulting editor with New Delhi based NDTV. Barkha is the host of the weekly, award-winning talk-show We The People as well as the daily prime-time show The Buck Stops Here.

Barkha Dutt's Sunday talk show has won the most awards out of any show on Indian television, winning the Indian Television Academy award for Best Talk Show five years in a row. In 2012, the Association for International Broadcasting awarded Barkha Dutt the title of "TV Personality of the year" with the following citation: "a reporter of considerable stretch and depth, still passionate and fearless in bringing the issues closer to her viewers." Dutt was the recipient of the C H Mohammed Koya National Journalism Award in 2009. In 2008, Dutt received the Indian News Broadcasting Award for the Most Intelligent News Show Host. Dutt received the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association award for Journalist of the Year, 2007. She was awarded "Best TV News Anchor (English) for her programme "We the people" at the first Indian News Television Awards in 2007.

In 2008, the Indian government awarded Barkha Dutt the Padma Shri, a civilian honour, for her coverage of the 2004 Tsunami.

She has twice been named on the list of 100 "Global Leaders of Tomorrow" compiled by the World Economic Forum (2001, 2008). In 2005, she was among 50 Indians who were 35 or younger and listed for their achievements and impact on society.

In 2010 she was appointed as a member of India's National Integration Council. She was named an Asia Society Fellow in 2006 and serves on the International Advisory Council of the Asia Society.

A recipient of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award and listed as one of the most influential creative people by The Creativity 50’s, Mick Ebeling has sparked a movement of pragmatic, inspirational innovation. As a career producer and filmmaker and now founder and CEO of Not Impossible, Ebeling harvests the power of technology and story to change the world.

Ebeling founded Not Impossible, a multiple award-winning social innovation lab and production company, on the premise that nothing is impossible. His mantra of ‘commit, then figure it out’ allows him to convene a disparate team of hackers, doers, makers and thinkers to create devices that better the world by bringing accessibility for all. This unconventional approach brought to life highly acclaimed initiatives--the EyeWriter, Project Daniel, Don’s Voice and most recently Music Not Impossible--that brought the ability to draw back to a paraplegic street artist, 3D-printed arms to Sudanese amputees and ‘voice’ to an ALS patient who hadn’t spoken in 15 years.

Working with a wide array of Fortune 500 companies, Ebeling not only pushes the bar on innovation, he also shares the emotionally resonating story of doing so. These narratives of overcoming seemingly impossible odds to ‘Help One. Help Many’ have inspired people across the world to do the same.

Ebeling’s book, Not Impossible: The Art and Joy of Doing What Couldn't Be Done, recounts the life experiences that led to the founding of Not Impossible. Published in a multitude of languages, the book was hailed as “a unique and inspiring tale of brave abandon” by Nicholas Negroponte.

Named one of Wired’s “Agents of Change,” a two time SXSW innovation of the year award winner, and recipient of every major creative and advertising award, Ebeling is on a mission to provide “Technology for the Sake of Humanity.” By tapping into a community of passionate and talented engineers, makers, idea generators and storytellers, Ebeling is making the inconceivable, the unbelievable and the impossible, Not Impossible.

Sarah Kate Ellis was named President & CEO of GLAAD in January 2014 after a successful career as an award-winning media executive and communications strategist.

In short order, Ellis refocused GLAAD’s crucial advocacy to accelerate acceptance of the LGBT community through a variety of compelling and effective initiatives, campaigns and programs.

A powerful communicator, Ellis has used GLAAD’s position as the nation’s leading media advocacy organization to demand and generate coverage of LGBT Russians during the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Under her leadership, GLAAD worked closely with Facebook to expand the social network’s gender options to be more inclusive of transgender and gender non-conforming users. And during the 2014 World Cup, Ellis’ team led an effort to demand that FIFA address anti-LGBT slurs at the games, leading broadcasters ESPN and Univision to condemn such hateful language on the air to worldwide audiences.

Ellis’ team also successfully challenged the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade’s ban on LGBT participation, leading two major sponsors, Heineken and Guinness, to pull their support and ultimately bring inclusion to the historic celebration. She followed this effort with the culmination of a years-long partnership between GLAAD and Scouts for Equality to end the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay youth and adult leaders. 

Behind the scenes, she has positioned GLAAD as a leading advisor to media executives when it comes to dealing with the world’s biggest

LGBT-related stories, including Caitlyn Jenner’s historic coming out. 

Ellis’ team served as a guiding hand throughout the news cycle surrounding Jenner’s historic announcement and subsequent publicity, from Jenner’s groundbreaking interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, to her Vanity Fair cover story, to her one-hour special and docu-series on the E! network. GLAAD has ensured fair and accurate media coverage that has reshaped the way people across the world see and understand the transgender community.

Ellis’ vision has expanded GLAAD’s international impact, working closely with campaigners on the ground in Ireland to help implement media strategies and best practices leading up to the country's successful marriage equality referendum.

In 2015, Ellis brought to life GLAAD’s groundbreaking “Accelerating Acceptance” report, a first-of-its-kind study that measures levels of LGBT acceptance in America beyond policy issues.

A forceful spokesperson for LGBT acceptance, Ellis’ commentary and statements have appeared in influential media including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, TIME, Vanity Fair and hundreds of other outlets.

As an insightful expert on LGBT issues, Ellis has appeared on ABC News, Bloomberg, CNN, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight and scores of other broadcasts.

Named one of Family Circles’ 20 most influential moms in 2015, Ellis ranked 20th on the Guardian’s World Power Pride list in 2014 and was named an Agent of Change by Washington D.C.’s largest LGBT publication, Metro Weekly.

Ellis co-authored a memoir with her wife, Kristen Ellis-Henderson, titled “Times Two, Two Women in Love and the Happy Family They Made,"

released by Simon & Schuster. The autobiography chronicled their simultaneous pregnancies and road to motherhood. The two were featured on the groundbreaking “Gay Marriage Already Won” cover of TIME Magazine. They were the first same-sex couple to have their marriage ceremony performed in the Episcopal Church of New York State.

Prior to joining GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis led national media brands, notably growing Real Simple into one of Time Inc.’s most respected and

successful magazines. Her vision also transformed and energized leading media outlets including Vogue, InStyle, New York, and House & Garden. She served as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Martini Media, a digital firm specializing in online branding, public relations and marketing.

She earned seven MIN Awards for marketing innovation, two President’s Awards, and MIN’s Sales Executive Team of the Year award in 2012. As co-chair of OUT at Time Inc., she led programming to spotlight the diversity of the LGBT community and educated the organization’s straight allies on a wide range of LGBT issues.

Ellis earned her B.A. from Russell Sage College and also attended the Tuck Executive Education program at Dartmouth.

Ellis and her wife Kristen are the proud mothers of two adorable children.

As CEO and Chief Old Person of DoSomething.org, the largest organization for young people and social change in the world, Aria Finger uses her expertise on all things young people and tech to lead a diverse, impact‐driven team. She has been an instrumental part of scaling DoSomething.org from less than 100,000 members to over 5 million members in 131 countries today. Starting at DoSomething.org as an associate 10 years ago, Aria created their Teens for Jeans campaign which has clothed over 5 million homeless teenagers to date. With her cause‐related marketing experience, Finger has spearheaded partnerships with top brands including Johnson & Johnson, Coke, H&M, and CVS Health. 

In 2013, she founded and became President of TMI, a strategic consultancy that uses DoSomething.org’s 20+ years of experience and proprietary data to help clients reach young people and fuel positive impact in the world. 

Aria graduated magna cum laude in economics and political science from Washington University in St. Louis, and completed the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Aria currently serves on the board of the NYC‐based not‐for‐profit Care for the Homeless, was one of the first ten World Economic Forum Global Shapers and is an adjunct professor at New York University. She has been highlighted in the New York Times, Fast Company and was named to the 2012 Crain’s New York Business list of “40 Under Forty” and featured on the cover. In 2016, she was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. 

When she is not running DoSomething.org or desperately trying to improve her Spanish, Aria can be found reading ​The New Jim Crow​ for the thousandth time, or relearning her ABCs with the newest addition to the DS family, her adorable son Luke.

Andrew Freedman is Mashable's Science Editor. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He was ranked as the most prolific climate reporter in the U.S. in 2012, and the second-most prolific in 2013. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the "Capital Weather Gang" blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera America, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Dr Keiji Fukuda is Special Representative for Antimicrobial Resistance for the Director-General at the World Health Organization (WHO). He previously served as the Assistant Director-General for Health Security, the Special Adviser on Pandemic Influenza to the Director-General; and Director of the Global Influenza Programme. Before joining WHO, he served as the Chief of the Epidemiology Unit, Influenza Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States. He has extensive global and national public health experience with health security and emerging infectious diseases, including field investigations and research, capacity building and preparedness, communications, surveillance, and with international governance and frameworks such as the International Health Regulations, the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework and the Codex Alimentarius. He is currently focusing on shaping the global approach to antimicrobial resistance. Dr Fukuda is a physician and epidemiologist and received his BA from Oberlin College, his MD from the University of Vermont, his MPH from the University of California, Berkeley and additional training in epidemiology at CDC.

Julie Gichuru is an entrepreneur and African media personality. Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arimus Media Limited, an production house focused on quality African content, www.arimusmedia.co.ke. 

Julie conceptualized and hosts the Africa Leadership Dialogues, a syndicated current affairs program with a focus on African development and growth. she is also a TV Host with East Africa's leading broadcaster Citizen TV. Her prime time news and current affairs show Sunday Live with Julie Gichuru airs weekly. 

Julie's career in the media over the past 15 years has seen her work across the fields of broadcast, print and digital media. In 2000-2002 Julie ran a lifestyle magazine called Quest. Moving on to broadcast she worked as a news presenter and hosted a hard hitting radio talk show at Capital FM before transiting to television where she has created and hosted a record number of highly successful news and current affairs shows across a number of media houses. Julie worked with a team at Citizen TV to conceptualize and host the groundbreaking news show Sunday Live with Julie Gichuru. This pioneer news and current affairs show launched in 2008 at Citizen TV, redefining the style and delivery of news in Kenya. 

In 2009, Julie conceptualized and hosted Fist to Five for Change, which facilitated reconciliation and healing for victims and perpetrators of post election violence in Kenya. She has also pioneered an impressive number of television shows, from the first Kenyan investigative TV series, The Inside Story, to various current affairs shows including the celebrated post election peace specials Voices of Reason.

Gijs Gootjes (The Netherlands) is director of MediaLAB Amsterdam, where he brings together young creatives from all around the world to team up and work on the issues of today. MediaLAB Amsterdam involves universities, the industry and local governments, experimenting with the latest digital technologies. 

Gijs is a firm believer of the power of multidisciplinary teams and has worked on tools and methods to empower these teams since 2008. Gijs initiated Design Across Cultures, a world wide network of city based design labs, where multidisciplinary teams work on global issues of today in a local context. 

Gijs is on a mission to create a common language for the creative industries, to build upon each others work, helping organizations in their digital transformation. 

In 2016 Gijs initiated the Global Goals Jam, a two day worldwide event where teams design in short sprints interventions related to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

Teddy Goff is senior adviser and chief digital strategist to Hillary for America. He is also a co-founder and partner at Precision Strategies, where he leads the digital practice. Teddy’s team develops strategies and runs programs for major corporations, innovative startups, leading nonprofits, and progressive campaigns.

Prior to Precision, Teddy was the Digital Director for President Obama’s reelection campaign, leading the President’s digital strategy and managing the 250-person nationwide team responsible for the campaign’s social media, email, web, online advertising, online organizing, front-end and product development, design, and video presences. TIME described his work as “redefining the limits of viral politics.”

Under Teddy’s leadership, Obama for America raised more than $690 million and registered more than a million voters online, built Facebook and Twitter followings of more than 45 and 33 million people respectively, earned more than 133 million video views, ran more than $100 million in online advertising (the largest such program in political history), built groundbreaking tools for online fundraising and campaigning, organized hundreds of thousands of volunteers and events, and sent the second-most retweeted tweet (thanks, Ellen) and most liked Facebook post of all time. His work on the campaign has been featured in the New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, BuzzFeed, and elsewhere.

On President Obama’s 2008 campaign, Teddy was responsible for state-level digital campaigns, managing everything from email and social media programs to online organizing strategies in more than 25 battleground states. Afterward, Teddy oversaw the creation and launch of the Obama Administration’s new WhiteHouse.gov website as a member of the Presidential Transition Team.

Teddy lives in Manhattan and is a graduate of Yale University. He has been featured in TIME’s list of the “30 people under 30 who are changing the world,” Bloomberg Businessweek’s list of “The Most Eligible Hires in Techdom,” Forbes’ 30 Under 30, and AdAge’s “Wish List” of four top Obama campaign officials. He has appeared on the Charlie Rose Show and is a regular public speaker. He is also a founding partner at Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer in New York City.

Elizabeth Gore is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Dell, where Gore drives initiatives that support Dell’s goals around helping small and medium businesses scale and prosper, fueling the expansion of global entrepreneurship, thereby creating jobs that will drive the world economy. Gore is extending Dell’s global advocacy efforts to raise entrepreneurship to the public policy agenda, encouraging policies and practices that support and enable entrepreneurial growth globally.

Elizabeth Gore is personally advising the growth of companies such as the women’s accelerator Circular Board, ride share commuting company Scoop, online and mobile fundraising platform Classy, and innovative water company SOMA.

Mrs. Gore is the Emeritus Chair of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council that builds global partnerships that positively affect the UN’s most pressing humanitarian issues. Through a Dell partnership, Elizabeth Gore works with the UN and the UN Foundation to support innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. Ms. Gore previously served as the first ever Entrepreneur in Residence for the UN Foundation as well as Vice President of Global Partnerships, and founded strategic grassroots efforts such as Nothing But Nets, Girl Up, and Shot@Life.

Ms. Gore previously, served as the director of development and corporate relations for the Points of Light Foundation. Her consulting experience includes the launch of The Great American Bake Sale, an anti-hunger initiative for Share Our Strength, ABC television and Parade magazine. 

Ms. Gore is a former United States Peace Corps volunteer and served in Bolivia, South America. In Bolivia, she wrote, received and managed a USAID grant to better the food availability and economic situation for the Chaco. Ms. Gore is originally from Texas where she was a financial development associate for the A&M Foundation. She holds a bachelor of science in Animal Science and a master in Education Administration from Texas A&M University. 

Ms. Gore was named by People as one of the top 100 Extraordinary Women, is one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, and Entrepreneur Magazine’s Women to Watch. Ms. Gore has been featured on multiple media outlets including: ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, FOX Business, Fast Company, Fortune, Glamour, Entrepreneur, People, and Time. She is a World Champion Equestrian, a sprint triathlete, runner, and joined Summit on the Summit and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for the global clean water crisis on behalf of the United Nations. 

Ms. Gore currently serves on the leadership council of the Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Mrs. Gore resides in Sonoma County with her husband James Gore, a California elected official and has two hilarious children.

Michael Green is Executive Director of the Social Progress Imperative. An economist by training, he is co-author (with Matthew Bishop of ‘The Economist’) of Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World and The Road from Ruin: A New Capitalism for a Big Society. Previously Michael served as a senior official in the U.K. Government’s Department for International Development, where he managed British aid programs to Russia and Ukraine and headed the communications department. He taught Economics at Warsaw University in Poland in the early 1990s. His TED Talks have been viewed more than two million times, and his 2014 Talk was chosen by the TED organization as one of the ‘most powerful ideas’ of 2014 and by The Telegraph as one of the 10 best ever. In 2016, he was named one of “The 100 Most Connected Men in Britain” by GQ Magazine and one of the NonProfit Times‘s “Power & Influence Top 50.” Michael is @shepleygreen on Twitter.

In July 1960, Jane Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzee behavior in what is now Tanzania. Her work at Gombe Stream would become the foundation of future primatological research and redefine the relationship between humans and animals.

In 1977, Dr. Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute, which continues the Gombe research and is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. The Institute is widely recognized for innovative, community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth program. 

Dr. Goodall founded Roots & Shoots with a group of Tanzanian students in 1991. Today, Roots & Shoots connects hundreds of thousands of youth in more than 130 countries who take action to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment. 

Dr. Goodall travels an average 300 days per year, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees, other environmental crises, and her reasons for hope that humankind will solve the problems it has imposed on the earth. 

Dr. Goodall’s honors include the French Legion of Honor, the Medal of Tanzania, and Japan’s prestigious Kyoto Prize. In 2002, Dr. Goodall was appointed to serve as a United Nations Messenger of Peace and in 2003, she was named a Dame of the British Empire.

For more information about Dr. Goodall and the work of the Jane Goodall Institute, please visit www.janegoodall.org.

Ravi Gurumurthy is the Chief Innovation Office at the International Rescue Committee, and founder of its innovation center, Air-Bel. Prior to joining IRC in 2013 as VP for Strategy and Innovation, Ravi held a number of roles in the UK government, including Director of Strategy for the Energy and Climate Change Department, and Strategy Advisor and Speechwriter to the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband. Ravi led a number of major social and environmental reforms, including the development of the world's first legally binding carbon emissions targets, the reform of the UK electricity market, and the integration of education, health care and social services for children. Ravi has also worked as a researcher at the think-tank Demos, in local government in London, and has chaired two national children's charities.

Saba Hamedy is a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment for Mashable. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. 

Social handles

Twitter: @saba_h

Instagram: @sbhamedy

Regarded as one of the most successful figures in today’s entertainment industry, ChelseaHandler’s stand-up comedy, best-selling books and nightly talk show have attracted millions of fans worldwide. 

 As the host of E!’s top-rated Chelsea Lately, Handler became the first female to break into the otherwise male-dominated late-night arena. In 2014, Chelsea ended the show after a successful eight-year run in order to pursue other interests, or, in her words, “get a real job.” 

 Handler’s five best-selling books include My Horizontal Life (2005), Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea (2008), Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (2010), Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me(2011) and 2014’s Uganda Be Killing Me, her fourth nonfiction title to debut at No. 1 on The New York Times Best-Seller List. In support of the release, Handler embarked on a sold-out global tour, and in October 2014, a stand-up comedy performance based on the tour, Uganda Be Killing Me Live, premiered exclusively on Netflix. 

On May 11, 2016, Handler launched an all-new talk show for Netflix, Chelsea, marking the first of its kind for the global on-demand generation. She tackles today’s tough issues with the same acerbic wit and fearless curiosity you know and love. Handler she travels around the world – braving an ice skating rink in Russia and wielding a Trump-shaped piñata through the streets of Mexico – and back again to Los Angeles, where she tapes in front of a LIVE in-studio audience featuring celebrities, dignitaries, and surprise guests. From intimate dinner parties to viral PSAs to “explainer segments” that answer all the questions you’re too embarrassed to ask, she brings you thought-provoking, yet hilarious conversations about topics like international cultures, alternative lifestyles, education, health, sports, parenting, politics, and more. 

Handler can also be seen in Chelsea Does, a Netflix Documentary Series directed by Oscar and Emmy-nominated Eddie Schmidt (This Film is Not Yet Rated) and executive produced by Schmidt, Oscar and Emmy Award-winning Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom), andHandler. In each of the four revealing, relevant, funny and introspective films, Handler explores a range of subjects of personal and universal curiosity, from marriage to drugs, to racism and Silicon Valley. With her unique voice and provocative point of view, Chelsea will be seen confronting the topics that connect humanity, having the hard conversations about things that are not easy to talk about, and calibrating and learning who she is along the way. 

Handler has been honored by TIME magazine as one of its annual “TIME 100”; Glamour magazine as one of its 2011 Women of the Year; and the Human Rights Campaign, which gave her its Ally for Equality Award in 2009. Handler’s wide appeal and multiplatform success have been highlighted by publications all over the world.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, a medical doctor, was Norway’s first woman Prime Minister, serving a total of ten years as head of government between 1981 and 1996. She chaired the World Commission on Environment and Development – known as the Brundtland Commission – which articulated the principle of sustainable development for the first time at a global level. She was Director-General of the World Health Organization from 1998 to 2003, UN Special Envoy for Climate Change from 2007 to 2010 and, from 2011 to 2012, was a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Sustainability Panel.

President and CEO of award-winning creative agency Mekanism, Jason Harris works closely with brands to create shareable and provocative campaigns that engage audiences. Under his leadership, Mekanism was named to Ad Age's Agency A List, Creativity's Creative 50, Effie’s Most Effective Independent Agencies, and Harris has been profiled by The New York Times, Fast Company and ABC’s “Nightline.” 

Harris serves on the board of directors for Advertising Week, the United Nations’ Social Impact Leadership Council, and is an advising member of the elite Brand 50. He has helped build some of the world’s most iconic brands: Disney, adidas, Levi’s, Ben & Jerry’s, The White House, Nordstrom, Pepsi,

MillerCoors, Amazon and The North Face. In 2015, Harris was named #5 on the list of the top 10 most influential social impact leaders. His methods have been covered and studied by Harvard Business School.

Lisa Jackson is Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, reporting to CEO Tim Cook.

Lisa oversees Apple's efforts to minimize its impact on the environment by addressing climate change through renewable energy and energy efficiency, using greener materials, and inventing new ways to conserve precious resources. She is also responsible for Apple’s education policy programs such as ConnectED, its product accessibility work, and its worldwide government affairs function.

From 2009 to 2013, Lisa served as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Appointed by President Barack Obama, she focused on reducing greenhouse gases, protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination, and expanding outreach to communities on environmental issues. She has also served as Chief of Staff to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and as Commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection.

Lisa holds a master's degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University. She serves on the boards of Princeton, Tulane, and the Clinton Foundation.

Elana is the Director of Crisis Text Line International, a subsidiary of Crisis Text Line with the goal of helping people in crisis around the globe. Having processed over 20 million messages in the U.S. and created new standards for data and service provision, Crisis Text Line is a clear leader in the field. Elana is spearheading the effort to bring free, 24/7 crisis support to the fingertips of citizens everywhere. 

Prior to working with Crisis Text Line, Elana held leadership positions across the technology and nonprofit sectors, acting as Director of Operations at Flatiron School, a coding school that empowers individuals to become web and iOS developers, and overseeing health programs for the Millennium Villages Project, a demonstration project of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the United Nations Development Programme, and Millennium Promise. 

Elana grew up in a suburb of New York City and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Princeton University, where she published two papers based on original psychological research, in Perspectives on Psychological Science (2008, 3rd ed.) and Emotion (2008, 8th ed.), respectively. 

From his start in life as a child soldier in the war-torn region of Southern Sudan in the early 1980s, Emmanuel Jal has come through a huge number of struggles during his life to become a successful and acclaimed recording artist and peace ambassador.

Drawing on his personal experiences and background, he speaks and performs with a strong message of reconciliation and peace, and has addressed the UN, US Congress, the Carter Centre and the very highest level of several governments. In 2008 a full-length documentary on his life was released. The film, Warchild, won 12 prestigious film festival awards worldwide. In the same year, his autobiography, also called Warchild, was published by Little Brown.

Emmanuel has released five award nominated studio albums: The Key, Gua, Ceasefire, Warchild and See Me Mama. His live appearances have included Live 8, Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert and the One Concert for his Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has collaborated and performed alongside artists such as Peter Gabriel, Nelly Furtado, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Joss Stone, Nile Rodgers and Alicia Keys.

Emmanuel co-starred with Reese Witherspoon in the Warner Brothers motion picture, The Good Lie, which tells the story about the journey of four young Sudanese refugees (based on The Lost Boys of Sudan) who win a lottery for relocation to the United States. The film made its debut to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival before being released in October 2014. Emmanuel has also appeared as the adult lead in the major motion picture Africa United ; a Pathé, UK Film Council and BBC Films presentation in association with Warner Bros, released in October 2010.

During his career, he has been involved with a number of global charity organizations, including the British Council, the Child Soldiers Initiative, Amnesty International and Oxfam. He has spoken alongside major players in the world of global humanitarianism, including Kofi Annanand, Martti Ahtisaari for CMI in Finland, Matt Dillon for Refugees International and Angelina Jolie at the ICC for Cinema for Peace. Emmanuel was invited to speak at Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite conference on Necker Island in May 2014. He has continued to support and work alongside Amnesty International as one of their main spokespeople and has received numerous awards for his peace efforts in South Sudan including recognition from Ban Ki Moon at the UN.

In 2010, Jal released ‘We Want Peace’, part of a wider campaign of the same name that called for peace, protection and justice for all of Sudan, as well as calling for an end to all conflicts that affect innocent people around the world.  This campaign is supported by a number of A-list stars and leaders, including George Clooney, Alicia Keys, Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan. Through social media and fan participation, the campaign has grown in strength and Emmanuel’s message of peace has resonated particularly amongst young people, allowing them to connect to larger social and political issues through emotional empathy. With the support of organizations such as Free The Children, Amnesty International, Ford Foundation and many others, Emmanuel has taken ‘We Want Peace’ on the road and spoken to hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the world, touring across Mexico, the UK, the US, Kenya, Zambia and Canada. Often these tours include visits to community centers, youth detention centers and prisons where Emmanuel has been able to speak first hand to young people who have become disengaged with education and society. For his outstanding commitment to peace building, Jal was awarded the Common Ground Award in 2011, and became part of an elite group of award holders, sucg as Desmond Tutu and Mohammad Ali. In 2012, he was asked to be a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum, and performed at the G20 summit in Mexico. Emmanuel is also the creator of Jal Gua, a gluten free super food powder made of organic sorghum and organic muringa, which has 140% iron, 45% Vitamin C and 40% Vitamin B1 of the daily recommended intake. Jal Gua has a distribution deal with Pilling Foods in Ontario, Canada and is currently stocked in major health store across Canada including WHOLE FOODS as well as online: www.jalgua.org

Alongside cofounder Paul Lindley, Emmanuel created ‘The Key is E” – a social business and charity channelling the power of education, entrepreneurialism and creativity – to impact social change. The project identifies and invests in inspiring projects across the African continent. The Key is E is also committed to engaging young people and the African Diaspora in a shared vision that shows together, we are a compelling agent for positive change. This journey is led through a multi-tiered educational approach which harnesses the power of creativity and music, engages schools and ignites dreams.

Emmanuel founded Gua Africa in 2006 in order to promote education in Africa through academic sponsorships to refugees who have survived war and genocide, construction of classrooms and the provision of resources such as books, pencils and teacher’s salaries that ensure schools remain open during times of emergency. Projects are based in both South Sudan and Kenya with a focus on providing education to children and young adults who would otherwise be denied this opportunity.

15 year old Jazz Jennings, is an honorary co-founder of the Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation. Jazz speaks at universities, medical schools, conferences, conventions and symposiums all over the country. She’s also a Youtube Vlogger, a youth ambassador for the Human Rights Campaign, and an advocate for GLAAD.

When she was six, Jazz appeared on 20/20 with Barbara Walters. Since then, she's been featured on a variety of major programs and news outlets, including a 20/20 update with Barbara Walters when she was 11, Katie Couric, Oprah: Where are the Now?, Dr. Drew, 60 Minutes, Time Magazine, Teen Vogue, Elle Magazine, the Rosie Show, The Meredith Vieira show, The View, an Oprah Winfrey Network documentary, "I am Jazz: A family in Transition" and many others. Jazz and her family now have their own docu-series, “I Am Jazz,” now in its second season on TLC aimed at helping trans youth and their families, and educating the viewers about the challenges trans youth face.

Jazz is the youngest recipient of the Colin Higgins Youth Courage Award, the youngest person ever to be recognized in The Advocate Magazine’s, “Top Forty Under 40” annual list, OUT Magazine’s Top 100 list, the 2014 Trans100 list, and the youngest recipient of the 2014 Equality Florida's, "Voice for Equality" Award. Jazz is the recipient of LogoTV's 2014 youth Trailblazer Award. She was named as one of TIME Magazine's Most Influential Teens for 2014 and 2015. She is also listed on Huffington Post's 14 Most Fearless Teens of 2014. Jazz has also been honored and recognized at the 2013 GLAAD Awards, where she got to meet former President Bill Clinton. In 2015 she became one of the faces of Johnson & Johnson’s Clean and Clear Campaign: “See the Real” Me. In March of 2105 Jazz and her family were the recipients of the Ackerman Institute's Gender & Family Project, and in May of 2015, she received the Harvey Milk and Pride Center’s Diversity Honors Youth Award. In June of 2015, Jazz was invited to the White House where she met President Obama. In October of 2015 she was honored as Miss Teen Pride USA.

Jazz is also the recipient of the 2015 TREVOR Youth Courage Award. In December of 2015 she was honored alongside Caitlyn Jenner at the, “Angels of Change” fundraiser through the LA Children’s Hospital. Jazz was also a featured speaker at WE Day which also featured Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Charlize Theron. The event was attended by over 16,000 students from Los Angeles area schools who earned their ticket by volunteering and service.

Most recently Jazz and her TLC docuseries won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program in a tie with Caitlyn Jenner’s “I Am Cait.” Jazz also served as the 2016 Grand Marshall in the New York City Heritage of Pride March. She is the youngest person to serve as Grand Marshall in the history of the march.

In 2014, Jazz co-wrote a children’s picture book with Jessica Herthel titled “I Am Jazz”. She and her family continue to participate in many media projects with a goal to educate, and spread the message of tolerance and acceptance for all Transkids. Jazz’s memoir, “Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen” was released in bookstores and digitally on June 7th, 2016.

Jazz is no stranger to discrimination. For 5 years she wasn’t allowed to use the girls restroom in her school. For 2 1/2 years Jazz was banned from girls’ soccer in her state. After a long battle, the United States Soccer Federation ordered her home state to lift the ban. As a result of the discrimination that Jazz was forced to endure, the USSF created a policy to include all transgender athletes who want to play soccer in the United States of America. 

Dr. Amel Karboul was until recently Tunisian minister of tourism. Her mission was to revamp tourism, which represents 8% of Tunisia’s GDP and enables the livelihood of 1/5 of the population. She was cabinet minister of the Tunisian interim government with the mission of ending the transition phase, organizing transparent elections and ensuring good economic and social governance and policy. Her innovative use of social media to promote the country and youth empowerment in the digital world has earned her international awards. 

Amel’s extensive corporate and consulting experience since 1996 includes being a project leader for innovation management and supplier relationship for the Mercedes-Benz Brand in South Africa and Germany as well as executive for knowledge transfer and leadership development at the DaimlerChrysler Corporate University in USA, Singapore and Germany. She later became a strategy consultant at The Boston Consulting Group in Germany and was then managing partner of the consulting group Neuwaldegg in Vienna, Austria. She founded in 2007 an international leadership and change consulting firm: Change, Leadership & Partners. She is an award-winning executive coach, published author and a trusted sparring partner for CEO’s of global corporations as well as family owned businesses and entrepreneurs. She is visiting professor at DukeCE-ranked #1 in the world in Custom Executive Education by Financial Times and BusinessWeek, 2003 – 2014. 

Amel, Tunisian born and bred, Europe and U.S.-educated, is truly global. Amel is native speaker in Arabic, French, English and German. She also has knowledge of Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Greek. Amel holds a masters degree with honors in mechanical engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany and won her doctorate in coaching and mentoring from Oxford Brookes University, UK. She has done postgraduate education in economics in the USA and has accomplished an intensive systemic coaching certification program. Amel is mother of two wonderful daughters.

Alan Kasujja is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most prominent journalists. At the moment, he presents Newsday- the BBC World Service’s award winning flagship news programme. It is considered the biggest programme of its kind in the world with tens of millions of listeners across the globe.

Alan has also reported for the UK’s most influential breakfast programme, Radio 4’s Today and for BBC TV. He’s recently presented a highly acclaimed three part documentary series-My Africa- exploring the social and economic transformation of the continent. 

Before joining the BBC, Alan was the host of Uganda’s leading morning radio programme on Capital FM. He also worked in Nairobi and presented the East African version of the TV series Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. 

As a conference speaker/moderator, Alan has participated in high level panels at The Africa Development Bank Annual Meetings, The New York Africa Forum, Doha GOALS and the Global Entrepreneurship Forum and many others.

Shariha is a social designer and social investor with over 15 years experience in roles in the public, private and non-profit sectors around the world. As co-founder of Scope Group, Scope UnLtd and Impact Hub KL, three of the leading impact builders in Malaysia, she creates platforms and programs that support entrepreneurs, change leaders and social innovators. As an advisor to governments, businesses and philanthropists, her role is to connect supporters and enablers to the impact ecosystem players.

Shaun King is one of many voices—though an increasingly prominent voice—within the Black Lives Matter movement. By using social media to highlight, amplify, and discuss news of police brutality, racial discrimination, and other civil rights issues, King has become an indispensable source for extending crucial conversations about social justice and equality.

Shaun King has written extensively about the Black Lives Matter movement, covering discrimination, police brutality, the prison industrial complex, and social justice in the wake of violence in New York, Baltimore, Cleveland, Ferguson, Missouri, Charleston, South Carolina, and other cities. He is Senior Justice Writer at the New York Daily News, and was Justice Writer for Daily Kos. 

Widely known for using Twitter and Facebook to tell micro-stories of injustice, King’s social media updates have influenced how the world knows about those most affected by racism and police brutality. A strong advocate for families, Shaun has become an extremely visible fundraiser for victims of injustice. 

As a social entrepreneur, King worked as the CEO and founder of both TwitChange (which won the Mashable Award for the Most Creative Social Good Campaign) and HopeMob, whose social media footprint grew to become one of the 10 largest of any charity. King is the author of The Power of 100!, and has spent much of the past 15 years raising nearly $10 million for charities and causes across the globe. King is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Epoch Humanitarian Award and the Hometown Hero Award from the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He was also included in MSNBC’s The Grio Top 100 History Makers. Onstage, he draws from his oratorical skills developed, in part, from the fifteen years he spent as a local pastor.

María Teresa Kumar is the founding President and CEO of Voto Latino and an Emmy-nominated contributor with MSNBC. Under her leadership, Voto Latino has become a key factor in national elections by registering over a quarter million voters and garnered several prestigious awards including several Promax Gold and Webby Honorees. Fast Company named her among the most 100 Creative Minds in business. In 2013, Elle Magazine named her one of the 10 most influential women in Washington, DC. Hispanic Business named her among the 100 most influential Latinos in America and Hispanic Executive named her among the top 10 most influential Latinos in the country. HBO’s Celebrity Habla and PBS’s Undergraduates have profiled her work. Maria Teresa co-Chaired the Aspen Task Force on Connected Learning. The Imagen Foundation, HOPE, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and DEMOS are among the organizations that have recognized her leadership. 

She is a frequent guest analyst on NPR and PBS, a panelist on Bill Maher’s HBO show, an opinion writer for national publications, and a sought after speaker at major conferences including GE, Prudential, Intel, SXSW, NetRoots Nation, Personal Democracy Forum, and TEDx.

María Teresa serves on the national boards of EMILY’s List, Planned Parenthood Federation and the Latino Leaders Network. She is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, a Hunt Alternative Fund Prime Mover, an Aspen Institute Scholar and a Council on Foreign Relations Lifetime Member.

She started her career as a legislative aide for then-Democratic Caucus Chair Vic Fazio, and graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School and the University of California at Davis. When not in DC, Maria Teresa travels with her husband Raj Kumar and their two babes Lucia Mercedes and Eduardo.

Rachel Kyte is Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All. 

A leading advocate for sustainable development, Ms. Kyte is focused on affordable, reliable and sustainable energy as the key to combating both poverty and climate change. Ms. Kyte drives SE4All’s work to mobilize action towards its 2030 goals of ensuring universal access to modern energy services; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. As Special Representative for the Secretary General she is the point person in the UN for action towards the recently agreed global goal on sustainable energy. 

Ms. Kyte served until December 2015 as World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change, leading the Bank Group’s efforts to campaign for an ambitious agreement at the 21st Convention of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 21). She was previously World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development and was the International Finance Corporation Vice President for Business Advisory Services. 

Recipient of numerous award for women’s leadership, climate action and sustainable development, she is a Professor of practice in sustainable development at Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from Fletcher, and a bachelor’s degree in history and politics from the University of London.

John F. Lansing joined the BBG in September 2015 after nine years as President of Scripps Networks, where he is credited with guiding the company to become a leading developer of unique content across various media platforms including television, digital, mobile and publishing.

As President of Scripps Networks, Lansing was responsible for strategic and operational oversight of the $2.5 billion division of Scripps Networks Interactive, including the company’s portfolio of six cable networks – Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, DIY, Cooking Channel and Great American Country – and the $100 million Scripps Networks Digital division. Prior to joining Scripps Networks in 2004, Lansing was Senior Vice President for Television in the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company, managing the company’s portfolio of 10 network affiliated television stations. Earlier, he held various senior management positions at Scripps-owned affiliates, including WEWS TV in Cleveland, Ohio and WXYZ TV in Detroit, Michigan.

Most recently, Lansing was President and Chief Executive Officer of Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), a marketing association comprised of 90 of the top U.S. and Canadian cable companies and television programmers. There, Lansing oversaw the development of business strategies and marketing initiatives that position cable television companies for continued growth as they compete with emerging digital content platforms.

Lansing also brings a deep understanding of journalism from roles as an award-winning Photojournalist and Field Producer, Assignment Manager, Managing Editor, and News Director at several television stations earlier in his career.

Lansing is currently Vice Chair of the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees and was named to the Bellarmine Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 2010. He serves on the National Advisory Board of the Bellarmine University’s Institute for Media, Culture & Ethics; National Council for Media and Public Affairs of George Washington University School of Media & Public Affairs; and, until recently, the Poynter Institute for Media Studies Foundation, one of the nation’s top schools for professional journalists.

Wesley Lowery is a national reporter for the Washington Post who covers law enforcement and justice. He was the paper's lead reporter in Ferguson, Missouri and covering the Black Lives Matter protest movement, and was a member of the team awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for the paper's coverage of police shootings. His reporting has previously appeared in The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Matt Mahan is cofounder and CEO of Brigade. He previously served as CEO of Causes, the world’s largest online campaigning platform with 186 million registered users in 156 countries. Matt grew up in Watsonville, California's strawberry capital, and is a Teach for America alum and former Harvard student body president. 

Brigade -- the world's first network for voters -- is a technology startup founded in 2014 to tackle the problem of declining citizen power and engagement in our democracy. The company, which raised a $9.5MM Series A from investors led by Sean Parker, Marc Benioff, and Ron Conway, is building tools for expressing your civic identity, learning about your friends and neighbors, and working toward common goals together. Brigade is available at brigade.com and in the App Store and Google Play.

Carolyn Miles is President & Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children, an organization that gives children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. The global Save the Children movement currently serves over 143 million children in the US and in more than 120 countries.

Miles joined the organization in 1998, was COO from 2004-2011, and became President and CEO in September 2011. Under her senior leadership, the organization has more than doubled the number of children it reaches with nutrition, health, education and other programs. Resources were just under $700m in 2014. Miles' signature issues include hunger, learning outcomes, and ending preventable child deaths.

Prior to Save the Children, she worked in the private sector in Hong Kong for American Express and as an entrepreneur. While in Asia, she confronted the deprivation of the region’s children, which motivated her to dedicate her life to their welfare.

Miles has served on numerous boards, including Blackbaud, InterAction, USGLC, MFAN, Academy of Education, Arts and Sciences, and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, where she received her MBA. In 2015, Miles was named one of the 50 World's Greatest Leaders by Fortune magazine.

Follow Carolyn via her blog, Logging Miles or on Twitter @carolynsave.

Manny Montesino is an 18-year-old from Miami, FL who is a computer science whiz in the making, environmental engineering expert and a self-described “climate change freak.” His dream is to make the US 100% reliable on “clean” sources of energy, like wind or solar energy. He is also a DJ, musician, singer and former president of his high school debate team. Manny hopes to apply his love for math and science to make a real difference on the environment, and in the world. His inspiring passion helped Manny receive the Live Más Scholarship, and join Taco Bell Foundation’s Live Más Scholarship Charter Class. Manny is now pursuing his dreams at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, MA. To learn more about Manny, check out his recently-launched Live Más Scholarship Docu-Series episode here.

Los Angeles native Chandi Moore is a nationally recognized HIV and Trans activist. She currently works for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Center for Trans Youth and Development. Chandi has extensive knowledge and experience working with Trans and gender non-conforming youth. In her current role she leads a nationally recognized and evidenced based trans youth specific project called BLUSH (Brave Leaders Unified to strengthen our Health). Chandi is a commanding public speaker and facilitator with years of HIV testing/counseling experience. She is also known for managing and supporting special events and creatively collaborating within the local and national HIV community as well as being an advocate and spokeswoman for the Trans-community and LGB communities. She also served as a previous Co-Chair for the TSPN (Transgender Service Providers Network). She was recently named as one of Advocate Magazine’s 25 Trans pioneers who took us past the tipping point in 2015. Also in 2015, she joined forces with the Center of Disease Control for their Act against AIDS initiative campaign “Doing It” which encourages the community to get tested for HIV and knowing their status. She was also a 2015 Positive Images Statement of Courage Award Recipient. Chandi can be seen alongside American television personality and retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete Caitlyn Jenner on the GLAAD media award winning “I Am Cait”.Chandi Moore is someone who loves to empower others to reach the light that is at the end of the tunnel.

Nicknamed “The Libyan Doogie Howser” by Jon Stewart, Alaa Murabit is a medical doctor, UN High-Level Commissioner and one of only 17 Sustainable Development Goal Global Advocates appointed by the UN Secretary General.

A champion for inclusive peace processes, Alaa founded VLW at the age of 21 and her programs are now replicated internationally. She acts as advisor to numerous international security boards and organizations and a trustee for International Alert and Keeping Children Safe.

An Ashoka Fellow, Murabit is the youngest Marisa Bellisario International Humanitarian Award recipient, New York Times “International TrustWomen Hero”, Newsweek’s “25 under 25 to watch”, a BBC “100 Top Woman” and SAFE Global Hero.

Her TED Talk, “What my religion really says about women” was “Talk of the Day” & one of four “moving TED Talks to watch right now” by New York Times.

Alaa was most recently elected an MIT Director’s Fellow.

David Nabarro serves as Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change. He works with Governments and other stakeholders to galvanize action on implementation of both the 2030 and Climate Action agendas. He also oversees the Secretary-General’s special initiatives, including Every Woman Every Child, Global Pulse and Zero Hunger Challenge, and the UN Office for Partnerships.

David Nabarro has more than 30 years’ experience of public health, nutrition and development at country, regional and global levels, and has held positions in non-governmental organizations, universities, national Governments and the United Nations (UN) system.

David Nabarro was born in London in 1949 and qualified as a physician in 1973. He started his career with four years in the United Kingdom National Health Service. He then contributed to the health and nutrition of mothers and children, through community development and humanitarian relief programmes, particularly in Iraq, South Asia and East Africa.

David Nabarro has held positions in the London and Liverpool Schools of Tropical Medicine, served as Chief Health and Population Adviser to the United Kingdom Overseas Development Administration and has been a Director for Human Development in the UK Department for International Development.

David Nabarro joined the UN system in 1999, leading the Roll Back Malaria initiative at the World Health Organization (WHO). He was appointed as a WHO Executive Director in 2001 and led WHO’s Department for Health Action in Crises from 2003. Between 2005 and 2014 he served as the UN System’s Senior Coordinator for Avian and Pandemic Influenza. Since 2009 he has been the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Food Security and Nutrition, a position he continues to hold. From 2011 to 2015 he served as Coordinator of the Movement to Scale Up Nutrition. From September 2014 until December 2015 he was Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Ebola, providing strategic and policy direction for the international response.

Ingrid Nilsen is a Lifestyle Expert and Online Video Personality, who has amassed over 7 million followers across all her social channels and over 4 million subscribers on her YouTube channel alone. Since coming out on her channel, Ingrid has become a voice for strong, independent young women. Nilsen was named a Change Ambassador to the UN SDG campaign focusing on the global fight for gender equality and regularly speaks out on advancing the awareness of the tampon tax. Her voice on the matter has been featured in publications such as Newsweek, TIME and Cosmopolitan.

On 1 January 2011, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin became the fourth Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. He holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. 

Before this appointment, Dr. Osotimehin had served as the Minister of Health of Nigeria. Prior to that position, he was the Director-General of the Nigerian National Agency for the Control of AIDS, which coordinates all HIV and AIDS work in a country of more than 150 million people as well as the Chairman of the Abidjan – Lagos Corridor Project; a Project that ensured the increase of access to HIV services, along the Abidjan-Lagos transport corridor, spanning four West African countries of Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Cote D’Ivoire.

Dr. Osotimehin qualified as a medical doctor from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1972, and then went to the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, where he got a doctorate in medicine in 1979. He is a member of the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Physicians and was, between 1996 and 1997, a visiting fellow at the Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies. In 2006, he was inducted as a fellow of the prestigious Nigerian Academy of Sciences. 

The UNFPA Executive Director was appointed as a Professor at the University of Ibadan in 1980 and headed the Department of Clinical Pathology before being elected as Provost of the College of Medicine of the same university in 1990. 

He held the position until 1994. Dr. Osotimehin’s interests include youth and gender, within the context of sexual and reproductive health and rights. He has hands-on experience in working with development and civil society organizations, having served as Coordinator of the Social Sciences and Reproductive Health Research Network, in Ibadan, Nigeria. It is an interdisciplinary network of sociologists, economists, doctors, lawyers and psychologists dedicated to applying innovative research to reproductive health and human development issues. He has also coordinated and established leadership training and research programmes around reproductive health and development issues.

In recognition of his contributions, especially as a leader of Nigeria’s response to HIV and

AIDS, he is a worthy recipient of the Nigerian national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON). More recently, Dr. Osotimehin was also conferred with the national honour of "Grand Officier" de l'Ordre de National du Benin by President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic.

Dr. Osotimehin is married with children.

Brittany N. Packnett, 31, is a St. Louis native raised in a tradition of social justice. Brittany leads nationally on issues of educational equity, youth leadership development, service and equity in marginalized communities. She is a former Washington, DC elementary teacher, a policy advocate and expert,capitol hill staffer, and most recently ran Teach For America-St. Louis, an education non-profit serving 20,000 low-income children of color. Currently, Brittany serves as Teach For America’s Vice President of National Community Alliances. 

Brittany has committed her life and career to justice, and in Ferguson and beyond, is an active protestor, activist, and organizer. Since the death of Michael Brown, Brittany has helped organize for change and worked on the planning teams of the Ferguson Protestor Newsletter, We The Protestors, and co-founded Campaign Zero, a comprehensive policy platform to end police violence in America. 

Brittany served as a stalwart community voice to the Ferguson Commission and President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing as an appointee to each, and continues to advocate for urgent systemic change at critical decision making tables and through national and international media. She has been named one TIME Magazine’s 12 New Faces of Black Leadership, featured in The Root and The Ebony 100, and shares the 2015 Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership with Deray McKesson. She believes that the arc of the universe does indeed bend toward justice-but it is our job to bend it. She is @MsPackyetti on social media.

Matt Petronzio is the Social Good Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage surrounding social impact, activism, philanthropy and innovation. Based at the New York City headquarters since January 2012, he previously worked as the assistant features editor.

Matt has spoken about digital media and social good at a number of events, including the United Nations Summer Academy, the Social Good Summit, the Media for Social Impact Summit, SXSW Eco and Earth to Paris. He's served on the Leadership Council of the Classy Awards for social innovation and as a judge for Tom’s of Maine’s 50 States for Good initiative. Muck Rack has highlighted him as a standout journalist writing on social change, and CauseVox called him "a journalist you simply cannot miss."

Particularly interested in social justice, human rights, social enterprise and global health, Matt also moonlights as a poet, and holds an MFA in poetry from Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Follow him at @mattpetronzio and on Facebook.

With his dual identity as a medical doctor and explorer, Bertrand Piccard has become an influential voice heard among the most distinguished institutions across the globe as a forward-thinking leader in progress and sustainability. He is independent, not affiliated to a particular party or lobbying group, and as such is a trusted adviser and influencer for the development of new societal solutions, and a very sought-after speaker for private and public audiences.

It is in Bertrand’s DNA to go beyond the obvious and achieve the impossible, like he did when circumnavigating the globe nonstop in a balloon and crossing the Atlantic in a solar airplane. The ocean depths and the stratosphere attracted his father and grandfather; the challenges of our time fascinate him. Rather than new territories, he wants to discover new ways of doing and thinking, in particular in the field of clean technologies for a better quality of life.

Bertrand is the initiator and visionary behind Solar Impulse, the very first airplane capable of flying perpetually without fuel. Taking turns at the controls with André Borschberg for the first flight around the world on solar power, his ambition is to leverage pioneering spirit for a useful contribution to the cause of renewable energies. This is why he spent the last 15 years bringing together the major partners providing technology and funds for this adventure. Together with his wife Michèle, he conceived the Solar Impulse project as a now widely recognized platform to raise public awareness and encourage political actions in favour of clean technologies and energy efficiency.

The inspiration he received from other explorers and pioneers during his childhood gave him the desire to inspire young generations in return.

Ambassador Samantha Power is the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a member of President Obama’s Cabinet. At the United Nations, Ambassador Power works to advance U.S. interests, promote and defend universal values, and address pressing global challenges to global peace, security, and prosperity.

Prior to serving as U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Power served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights on the National Security Staff at the White House. In this role she focused on issues including UN reform; LGBT and women’s rights; the promotion of religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities; human trafficking; and democracy and human rights.

Before joining the U.S. government, Ambassador Power was the Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, teaching courses on U.S. foreign policy, human rights, and UN reform. She was also the founding executive director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.

Ambassador Power is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “A Problem from Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide (2002) and Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World (2008), the basis for the award-winning HBO documentary, “Sergio.” She is also the recent co-editor of The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World (2011). Ambassador Power began her career as a journalist, reporting from places such as Bosnia, East Timor, Kosovo, Rwanda, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, and contributed regularly to The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, the New York Review of Books, and The New Yorker Magazine.

Ambassador Power immigrated to the United States from Ireland at the age of nine. She graduated from Lakeside High School in Atlanta, Georgia and received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is married to Cass Sunstein, with whom she has two young children.

Mary Robinson, the first woman President of Ireland, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and founder and President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, has spent most of her life as a human rights advocate. The daughter of two physicians, she was educated at the University of Dublin (Trinity College), King’s Inns Dublin and Harvard Law School.

As an academic, legislator and barrister she sought to use law as an instrument for social change, arguing landmark cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court in Luxembourg as well as in the Irish courts. In 1988 Mary Robinson and her husband founded the Irish Centre for European Law at Trinity College. Ten years later she was elected Chancellor of the University. She now serves as President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice.

The recipient of numerous honours and awards throughout the world including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, Mary Robinson is a member of the Elders, former Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders and a member of the Club of Madrid. She serves on several boards including the European Climate Foundation, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, and is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and the American Philosophical Society. Mary Robinson has served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa and as Special Envoy on Climate Change. In May 2016 the UN Secretary-General appointed Mary Robinson as a Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate, tasked with calling attention to the people around the world affected by severe El Niño-linked drought and climate impacts, and mobilising an integrated response that takes preparedness for future climatic events into account.

Tina Rosenberg is co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network and co-writer of the New York Times Fixes column. She is the author of three books — most recently, Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World — and hundreds of magazine articles. Her work has won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction.

Dr. M. Sanjayan is a global conservation scientist, writer, and Emmy-nominated news contributor specializing in the role of conservation in saving people and nature. He is executive vice president and senior scientist at Conservation International.

In the summer of 2015, Sanjayan co-hosted “Big Blue Live,” PBS's & BBC's three-parttelevision event, which showcased marine life on the Pacific Coast and which was the first live primetime natural history show on American television. He also hosted the 2015 PBS and National Geographic television series, “EARTH - A New Wild,” which was filmed in over 24 countries; and was a contributor on Showtime’s Emmy-winning series on climate change, “Years of Living Dangerously.” He has appeared on numerous other programs, including “The Today Show” and “The Late Show with David Letterman,” and was named to Men’s Journal’s list of the “50 Most Adventurous Men” in 2015.

Sanjayan also is leading the launch of Conservation International’s first virtual reality film, “Valen’s Reef,” which explores one of the most beautiful—and biologically diverse— places in the Pacific Ocean.

Sanjayan is a Disney Nature Ambassador, a Catto Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and a Clinton Global Initiative Advisor; and is on National Geographic Society’s Explorers Council. He posts frequently from his expeditions at @msanjayan.

Michael Schlein is the President and CEO of Accion, a global nonprofit dedicated to building a financially inclusive world. A world pioneer in microfinance, Accion has helped build 65 microfinance institutions in 32 countries which currently reach millions of clients providing them with the financial tools that can help improve their lives. Today, Accion has operations and investments throughout much of Latin America, Africa, India, China and the Philippines.

In addition, Accion provides early and seed stage venture capital to new companies that promote disruptive innovation in financial services at the base of the pyramid. Also, Accion created and supports the Center for Financial Inclusion, an outward-focused think tank dedicated to tackling industry-wide challenges. For example, the Smart Campaign is the first global consumer protection campaign focused on those living in poverty.

Mr. Schlein brings nearly 30 years of extensive international banking, management and public service experience to his role as President and CEO of Accion. As President of Citigroup’s International Franchise Management, Mr. Schlein managed the bank’s network of 100 Chief Country Officers. Before that, he ran communications, philanthropy, government relations, branding and human resources for Citigroup. He served as Chief of Staff at the US Securities and Exchange Commission in the Clinton Administration and in New York’s City Hall in the Dinkins and Koch Administrations. He began his career in investment banking.

In 2014, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Mr. Schlein to serve as the Chairman of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, which encourages economic growth throughout New York’s five boroughs and facilitates investments that build capacity, generate prosperity, and catalyze the economic vibrancy of city life as a whole.

Mr. Schlein has graduate and undergraduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

Cody Simpson has progressed both as a musician and a celebrity at an astounding pace; from uploading videos on YouTube from his home in Australia to selling out tours around the world, Cody is one of the most marketable youth brands in music. When he's not touring or surfing he's in the studio honing in on his guitar skills & creating new music. Cody is an 18 year old phenom who is bringing an authentic and organic sound well beyond his years. His breakout album Surfer's Paradise debuted #10 on the Billboard Top 200, and Cody has appeared on Billboard's 21 Under 21 List 4 years in a row. "Home to Mama," a single released with Justin Bieber in 2014, garnered over 1 million mentions in just one day on Twitter, reaching #1 on the Billboard Social 50 and Trending 140 charts. In addition his musical achievements Cody was the face of Ralph Lauren’s Denim and Supply Campaign, shot the cover of GQ Magazine Australia’s Man of The Year edition and is serving as a torch bearer during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. As Cody takes charge of his future as an independent artist, starting with the release of "Flower" Cody continues to grow. He is constantly working to enhance his sound, improve himself musically and and spiritually, and is passionate about sharing this journey with his fans.

Brian Skerry is a photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments. Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine covering a wide range of subjects and stories. In 2014 he was named a National Geographic Photography Fellow. 

An award-winning photographer, Brian is praised worldwide for his aesthetic sense as well as his journalistic drive for relevance. His uniquely-creative images tell stories that not only celebrate the mystery and beauty of the sea, but also help bring attention to the large number of issues that endanger our oceans and its inhabitants. 

His year-round assignment schedule frequently finds himself in environments of extreme contrast from tropical coral reefs to diving beneath polar ice. While on assignment he has lived on the bottom of the sea, spent months aboard fishing boats and traveled in everything from snowmobiles to canoes to the Goodyear Blimp to get the picture. He has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater in his career. 

For NGM, Brian has covered a wide range of stories, from the harp seal’s struggle to survive in frozen waters to the alarming decrease in the world’s fisheries to dolphin intelligence, all cover stories. His latest work is an unprecedented three consecutive feature stories about predatory sharks, published in June, July and August of 2016. Other features have focused on subjects such as the planet's last remaining pristine coral reefs, the plight of the right whale, marine reserves, sea turtles and squid. He is currently at work on his 27th story for NGM. 

Brian has also worked on assignment for or had images featured in magazines such as Sports Illustrated, US News and World Report, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Smithsonian, Esquire, Audubon, Men's Journal. His latest monograph, Ocean Soul, has received worldwide acclaim. 

Brian frequently lectures on photography and conservation issues having presented at venues such as The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, TED Talks, The National Press Club in Washington, DC, The Royal Geographical Society in London and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. He’s been a guest on programs such as NBC’s TODAY Show, CBS’s This Morning andABC’s Good Morning America. He is also the Explorer-In-Residence at the New England Aquarium. 

Brian is a 10-time winner in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition including sweeping the Underwater Category in 2008, winning First, Second and Third place awards. He has also won awards from Pictures of the Year International, Nature’s Best, Communication Arts is the only photographer to win the coveted Peter Benchley Ward for Excellence in Media. In 2010 National Geographic magazine named one of Brian’s images among their 50 Greatest Photographs Of All Time. He has had recent exhibits at Visa Pour l’Image in Perpignan, France as well as cities such as Geneva, Barcelona, Lisbon and Shanghai. An exhibit of Brian’s work is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.

Moncef is the Chairman of Vaccines and has been responsible for the global vaccines business through its integration of the Novartis vaccine acquisition in 2015. Prior to his current role, Moncef served as Chairman, GSK R&D for eight years.During his tenure at GSK, Moncef has also had responsibility for the franchise commercial organization, focused on new product launches and lifecycle management. He continues to oversee GSK's venture capital arm, SR One, and other venture capital partnerships, as well as its groundbreaking Bioelectronics R&D strategy. He is a member of the Corporate Executive Team and Board of Directors.

In his position as Chairman, R&D, Moncef spearheaded a profound overhaul of GSK's pharmaceutical R&D, resulting in a substantial improvement in productivity, with a late-stage pipeline comprising more than 30 Phase III programmes and a totally redesigned discovery organisation comprising 38 highly focused and accountable Discovery Performance Units. In his role as leader of the Franchise Commercial Operation, he spearheaded a deep transformation of GSK's launch and commercial strategy capabilities.

In his previous position in GSK Biologicals, he engineered the development of a robust vaccines pipeline, including Rotarix to prevent infantile gastroenteritis, Synflorix to prevent Pneumococcal disease and Cervarix to prevent cervical cancer.

Moncef earned a PhD in Molecular Biology and Immunology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, and completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School and Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston. He was a professor of Immunology at the University of Mons, Belgium. He has authored more than 100 scientific papers and presentations and is a member of the PhRMA Foundation Board of Directors, Advisory Board of Qatar Foundation, National Institutes of Health Advisory Committee to the Director, and the Biotechnology Industry Organization Board of Directors. A citizen of Morocco, Belgium and the USA, he is fluent in English, French and Arabic.

Richard Stengel was sworn in as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs on February 14, 2014. As Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, he provides global strategic leadership of all Department of State public diplomacy and public affairs engagement and oversees the bureaus of Educational and Cultural Affairs, International Information Programs, and Public Affairs, and the Global Engagement Center. Prior to assuming this position, Richard Stengel was the Managing Editor of TIME from 2006 to 2013, which includes print and digital, domestic and international. From 2004 to 2006, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Mr. Stengel was the Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University in 1999. From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Stengel worked with Nelson Mandela on his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, and later served as an associate producer of the 1996 Oscar-nominated documentary, Mandela. Mr. Stengel

received an Emmy award in 2012 for his work as executive producer on TIME’s documentary, “Beyond 9/11:

Portraits of Resilience.” Richard Stengel has written for many publications and is the author of several books, including Mandela’s

Wayand January Sun: One Day, Three Lives, A South African Town. During his career at TIME he also served as the magazine’s national and culture editor as well as editor of TIME.com. Mr. Stengel received a B.A. from Princeton University and studied English and History as a Rhodes Scholar at Christ Church, Oxford.

Malala Fund is a girls' education nonprofit organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai and her father Ziauddin in 2013. Prior to becoming president of Malala Fund in 2015, Stone served as interim CEO and director of the Fund. She also sits on the board of the social entrepreneur startup Pencils of Promise. Stone has spent her career working in nonprofits and international policy, working with the World Economic Forum, World Food Program USA, ONE and world leaders and developing country activists. Her work centers on empowering girls and young women globally through secondary education.

Through Meighan's and leadership, the Malala fund is the ' next generation' nonprofit. Malala Fund is working to develop young women leaders and make 12 yrs. of education possible for all girls - while also catalyzing relationships with startups, tech innovators and global leaders to make a difference in the education space.

As Executive Director of 92nd Street Y, Henry creates programs and movements that foster learning, civic responsibility, culture and innovation, both in New York City and around the world. He is the founder of #GivingTuesday, a global philanthropic movement that was awarded a Cannes Lion at the International Festival of Creativity; a PRWeek Global Award for Nonprofit Campaign of the Year; and the inaugural UJA-Federation Riklis Prize in Agency Entrepreneurship.

Henry’s work has been profiled in publications like the Harvard Business Review, and his most recent thinking with Jeremy Heimans on “new power” was featured as the Big Idea in HBR and by CNN as one of the ten top ideas to change the world in 2015. Henry is a Practitioner-in-Residence at the Stanford University Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, a faculty member of the GovLab Academy and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Network of Global Agenda Councils. Henry was named the NonProfit Times Influencer of the Year in 2014 and was honored as one of Crain’s New York Business 40 under 40 in 2015.

Quinn Tivey is a New York based artist with an MFA from the School of Visual Arts. Grandson of Elizabeth Taylor, Quinn has worked as an ambassador for The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation for several years. He was asked to step into the role of co-trustee for his grandmother’s Trust in 2016.

Marco van Hout (The Netherlands) is Lead Design & Research at MediaLAB Amsterdam and initiated the development of the Design Method Toolkit and SCREAM! (a proven approach, app and platform for multidisciplinary design teams). His current mission is to fight 'Design Waste', by introducing a common language of design methods to the design field so that the creative community can build upon each other's work and share intermediate-level knowledge to tackle the world's biggest challenges. As part of this mission, Marco initiated the international programme ‘Design Across Cultures’ and the Global Goals Jam: 2 days of short term design impact on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. 

Since 2004, Marco has been a known advocate of 'emotion-driven design' and ‘user experience design’. He is a co-founder of SusaGroup, known for the development of easy-to-use emotion measurement tools. Marco serves as a board member for the Design & Emotion Society and sits in the advisory boards of several international agencies: DOTs.coop (Spain), Emotional Factor Neurodesign (Spain) and Posmo (Chile). He is part of the founding committee of the Master in Digital Design (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) and a faculty member of the Master in Visual and Digital Media (IE University Madrid). In his spare time, Marco is an avid abstract painter and enjoys spending time with his family.

Hans Vestberg is Chairman of the Swedish Olympic Committee and board member of the UN Foundation. From 2009 until 2016 he was the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ericsson Group, the world’s leading provider of telecommunications technology and services.  

Since 1991, Vestberg has held various management positions for Ericsson in China, Brazil, Mexico and the US.  Vestberg was Ericsson’s Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2009, before becoming CEO.  

He is a leading advocate of the Sustainable Development Goals, and for the potential of mobility, broadband and cloud solutions to tackle global challenges such as poverty, health, education, climate change and humanitarian response. He is a founding member of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, and chaired the Commission’s climate-change working group as well as the Commission’s task group on the post-2015 development agenda. He is also a member of the Leadership Council of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. As of June 2015, Vestberg is also a member of the board of the UN Foundation.

In Sweden, Vestberg is part of the Prime Minister’s National Innovation Council (Innovationsrådet), to strengthen the country’s competitiveness. 

Vestberg’s leadership commitment can be seen just as much as in his personal life as his professional one. Outside of work, and before taking on the chairman role of the Swedish Olympic Committee, he was the chairman of the Swedish Handball Association, having played for many years, and today is very much engaged in the development of youth through sports and building

teams.  He is on the Advisory board of The Performance Theater Foundation, a non-profit organization aimed at inspiring the leadership required to realize a new kind of growth, capable of delivering value across not just reporting quarters but generations, to both shareholders and society as a whole.

In 2014, Vestberg was ranked #10 on Global Telecoms Business’ list of the 100 most powerful people in the telecoms industry.

Jennifer has a strong passion for corporate social responsibility and developing community investment strategies. As the Sr. Marketing & Business Development Manager for the Taco Bell Foundation, she brings a unique eye to the intersection of brand growth and social impact. Prior to joining Taco Bell, Jennifer managed global cause marketing at Oakley and helped found the Anaheim Ducks Foundation during her time with the Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club and Honda Center. She holds an MBA from the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine and an undergraduate degree from UCLA. A Connecticut native, Jennifer now lives in Irvine, California and has fully embraced the Taco Bell purpose, “Live Más” with a passion for traveling the world.

Laura R. Walker is President and CEO of New York Public Radio, the largest public radio station group in the nation. Under her leadership, New York Public Radio’s audience has grown from 1 million to over 20 million, more than $100 million in campaigns has been raised for long term investment, and as Neiman Lab describes it, WNYC is on “innovation overdrive.” She has established New York Public Radio as a place that produces award-winning enterprise journalism and nurtures today’s most creative storytellers. The organization has been honored with ten George Foster Peabody Awards and three Alfred I. DuPont Columbia Awards since 2000. It produces popular programming including Radiolab, The Takeaway, Freakonomics Radio, The New Yorker Radio Hour, On the Media, and Death, Sex & Money.

Sherrie Westin runs the philanthropic arm of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, overseeing Sesame’s social impact work targeting vulnerable children in countries around the world, from Sub-Saharan Africa to India to the United States. Sesame has consistently delivered measureable results providing critical educational resources to those who need it most. Ms. Westin is also responsible for all philanthropic development to support these programs. Westin previously served as the Workshop’s Chief Marketing Officer. 

Westin joined the Workshop from ABC, where she served as Executive Vice President of Network Communications. Ms. Westin’s career spans media, private sector, non-profit and public service. She served as Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs for President George H. W. Bush, as well as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Westin currently serves as a director of the US Fund for UNICEF, the US Global Leadership Coalition, Communities in Schools and a trustee of Mt. Holyoke College. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. Afghan Women's Council. She received the Matrix Award from New York Women in Communications and holds an honorary degree from Concordia College in New York. She holds a B.A. in communications from the University of Virginia. Westin lives in Bronxville, New York with her husband, David, and children, Lily and David.

Michelle Yeoh, an internationally acclaimed actress and producer, has starred in more than thirty films, including global hits such as James Bond's “Tomorrow Never Dies,” “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and the soul-stirring biopic “The Lady.” Through her films, she has challenged the traditional views of Asian women by creating very strong female roles.

Yeoh has devoted a major part of her time to charitable and social endeavors. In 2016, she was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme to raise awareness and mobilize support for the recently launched Sustainable Development Goals around the world. Yeoh is also a Global Road Safety Ambassador for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 and a member of the Commission for Global Road Safety, which advocates for road injury to be recognized as a global public health and development priority. In March 2010 and April 2014 respectively, she represented Malaysia at the UN General Assembly, where 100 governments approved the proposal for the Decade of Action. 

Yeoh has received numerous awards and honors, including the Officier de la Légion d'honneur conferred by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy in March 2012; the Excellence in Asian Cinema award during the seventh annual Asian Film Awards in March 2013; and the highest honorable title Tan Sri conferred by the Malaysian state government in June 2014.

A successful businesswoman and an award winning Indian film actor, producer and writer, Preity Zinta has worked in various Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. Preity has played a variety of character roles that have contributed to a change in the concept of a Hindi film heroine and earned her critical acclaim. 

She is also the Co-Promoter and Chairperson of the Board, Kings XI Punjab and an ardent sports lover. It is her passion for cricket which makes Preity a hands-on team player as she actively promotes the franchise along with her co-partners. Her army background makes her a disciplinarian and she is often seen with full enthusiasm and fervor supporting the team and connecting with them to boost their morale. She has won various Indian and International awards for her performances in Cinema including multiple Filmfare awards, IIFAAs, Chicago International Film Festival, Stardust and Screen awards among others. Apart from the accolades won for her acting prowess, she was the first recipient of the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award for 'moving far beyond the ordinary and pushing the limits of courage to a new level'. 

As part of her Foundation work, Preity undertakes a lot of philanthropic work. She currently supports Mother Miracle, a school in Rishikesh and has also adopted a village near Nasik in Maharashtra to provide around 40 families with basic amenities like food and water. 

A Shakespeare fan, social-activist, television presenter and columnist for BBC, Preity is known for speaking her mind and bravely expressing her opinions to Indian media. She has been actively involved with various charitable organizations all over the world to support causes such as female infanticide, AIDS awareness, cleanliness drives, women's empowerment, initiatives to control human trafficking and more. Preity also holds a degree in psychology and has also pursued an advance programme in criminal psychology.

Lili Zyszkowski is an award-winning inventor, Internet of Things (IoT) pioneer, and advocate for early childhood STEM programs and the promotion of women in technology fields. Curiosity for technology and a passion for helping others motivated her to create inventions that received awards starting at the Connecticut Invention Convention. These projects were also highlighted and showcased at the White House Science Fair, and at StartupFest in Montreal. At age 15, Ms. Zyszkowski had the honor of being the youngest recipient of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award. Her most promising invention, an IoT platform to address healthcare issues associated with medication compliance, is progressing from prototype to pilot testing with Gatekeeper Innovations.