Political Commentator and Chair of the Voting Rights Institute
Donna Brazile is one of the most admired and well-known political strategists today. After running the Gore-Lieberman campaign, she was appointed to serve as chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute, an organization established in 2001 to help protect and promote the rights of all Americans to participate in the political process. Brazile is the author of Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, a memoir about her life in the political lions' den. She is also a nationally syndicated columnist and a regular political contributor for CNN, ABC News, and NPR. Donna Brazile uses her diverse experience to address the current state of affairs, from public policy to the upcoming presidential election, and drives points home with her consummate storytelling ability.
International Child Rights Advocate and New York Times Bestselling Author
First Daughter Jenna Bush worked as an intern with UNICEF throughout Latin America. Her philanthropic travels inspired her to write her first book, Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope, which focuses on the life of a young woman living with HIV/AIDS Bush befriended during her travels. Before writing Ana's Story, she was an elementary school teacher in Washington, DC. With the publication of Ana's Story, Bush is forging a dialogue among teens and raising awareness and involvement in programs to benefit children in need. She is currently writing a second book, in collaboration with her mother, which is focused on encouraging children to become readers. Jenna Bush speaks from the heart as one who gained a rare insider's view.
Chief Executive Officer of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation's Alzheimer's Initiative, Award-Winning Broadcast Journalist, and Acclaimed Moderator
Meryl Comer is an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist who, for 18 years, wrote and moderated It's Your Business, a nationally syndicated television panel program. She also served as vice president for communications development at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 1986-1997. Throughout her career, she has interviewed four U.S. presidents, five heads of state, more than 600 Congressional and elected officials, half of the Fortune 500 CEOs as well as 52 laureates to the Business Hall of Fame. A speaker of depth and measure, Meryl Comer addresses issues as varied as politics, the economy, healthcare, and business. In addition, she is a distinguished moderator who creates an environment where issues can be discussed in an enlightening yet entertaining manner.
Former President and CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America
Dawn Hudson is the former president and chief executive officer of Pepsi-Cola North America, the $5.5 billion refreshment beverage unit of PepsiCo in the United States and Canada. Since 2002, she has shepherded great innovation and physical volume gains across a broad assortment of the company's carbonated and non-carbonated products. One of the country's preeminent marketers, she has more than 20 years of strategic brand-building experience and was the driving force behind some of the world's best-known consumer products. From the "Joy of Cola" to the return of the "Pepsi Challenge," Hudson has driven PCNA's efforts to create high-impact, sustainable programs while guiding major advances in its advertising and communications. Drawing from these experiences, Dawn Hudson discusses consumers' wants and needs as well as the strength and responsibility behind a household brand.
Creator and host of DarynKagan.com, an inspirational online community that features daily Web casts of inspirational stories that attracts millions, Daryn Kagan is bucking the media tide with her emphasis on stories that illustrate the triumph of the human spirit. A former CNN mainstay, Kagan has covered events ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy, to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. She also served as a news anchor and reporter for CNN/Sports Illustrated, the 24-hour sports news network from CNN and Sports Illustrated. Her PBS documentary, Breaking The Curse, shares the remarkable story of one American woman’s journey across the globe to India where she challenges that country’s view of people with leprosy, and forever changes the lives of thousands. She also has an upcoming book, titled What’s Possible! 50 Real People Who Dared to Dream They Could Make a Difference, which will further illustrate her pursuit of illuminating the good in humanity and spreading the word to the world.
Gerda Klein’s account of living through the Holocaust is documented in her classic autobiography, All But My Life, in print for 40 years in 55 editions. The book depicts her view of the dark years of the Holocaust, a progression that ultimately led to her liberation from a death march by her future husband, Kurt Klein, an American intelligence officer. Kleins new book, The Wings of EPOH, is an uplifting story about a boy struggling with an autism spectrum disorder and the personal courage he finds from an unlikely relationship with an empathetic butterfly. Klein’s constant striving for the preservation of human rights and dignity has earned her five Doctorates of Humane Letters, along with countless other awards. Her television appearances include 60 Minutes, Oprah, and CBS Sunday Morning, to name a few. Her uplifting presentations take audiences through one of the darkest eras of our world’s history.
Andrea Koppel is an award-winning, internationally renowned journalist with more than two decades of experience reporting the biggest stories and events in the U.S. and across the globe. For the last 14 years she worked as a correspondent for CNN—reporting from Africa to China and covering three secretaries of state and two presidents. Koppel brings her experience in the field, and her journalistic prowess, to discuss American policies and domestic issues, as well as issues that impact the world at large. Throughout her distinguished career, Koppel reported extensively on Arab-Israeli peace talks between 1998-2006 including the Wye River, Shepherdstown, and Camp David II negotiations. Most recently, Koppel demonstrated her knowledge of American politics and domestic issues during her 18-month tenure as CNN's Capitol Hill correspondent. Andrea Koppel speaks with authority and aplomb about the current state of culture, across the continents, and brings her vast knowledge and integrity as a reporter to every presentation.
American Comedy Award-Winner, Best Female Stand-Up Comedian
Kathleen Madigan is one of the most popular standup comedians in the country. Jay Leno (The Tonight Show) calls her one of America's funniest comics, and Garry Shandling (The Larry Sanders Show) enlisted her to contribute to the writing team of the 2004 Emmy Awards. An American Comedy Award winner, her accessible and unpretentious style has earned her a devoted and growing following. Her ability to talk about serious topics and draw occasionally insane conclusions is the reason she sells out comedy clubs from coast to coast. She has starred in her own popular HBO Half-Hour Comedy Special. She has also made numerous appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Late Show with David Letterman.
From the Rose Garden to Baghdad, the Olympic Games to the campaign trail, Kelly O’Donnell is always on the scene. Her reports have taken her to all 50 states and to 47 countries. Named as NBC News White House correspondent in 2005, Kelly O’Donnell regularly travels with the president domestically and internationally, conducting interviews and breaking live reports. In addition, her coverage of the war in Iraq took her to Baghdad and Qatar; where she reported exclusively from the skies above Iraq on a classified combat mission during the air assault on Baghdad. Kelly O’Donnell speaks with aplomb and ease about life spent in the trenches, in the courtroom, and in the political “war room.” Not only is she in the public eye, she is the public’s eye.
Dr. Nancy Snyderman is the chief medical editor for NBC News, with reports appearing on Today, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Dateline NBC, and MSNBC. She has traveled the world extensively, covering wide-ranging medical topics that affect both men and women, from many of the world"s most afflicted areas. Prior to joining NBC News, Snyderman served as vice president of consumer education for Johnson & Johnson. There she led the independent educational initiative, Understanding Health, which focused on educating and informing the public about health and medicine. She has written three books, including Dr. Nancy Snyderman's Guide to Good Health for Women Over Forty and Girl in the Mirror: Mothers and Daughters in the Years of Adolescence. Nancy Snyderman speaks with methodical grace about healthcare, men's and women's health, and the wellbeing of America.
From a less-than-inspiring background that included teen pregnancy, abusive marriages, and welfare, Iyanla Vanzant has built a foundation for transformation. More than a survivor, Vanzant has become a standard bearer, a trend setter, and an inspiration to millions of people. In Tapping The Power Within: A Path To Empowerment For Black Women, Vanzant published her ideals for creating positive life affirmations and personal rituals in everyday life. She regularly conducts personal growth classes and weekend workshops for both men and women. Iyanla Vanzant helps people identify and access their hidden strengths in myriad situations, and provides personal, guided meditations that come from the heart and encourage a happier, healthier mind.
