Barrier-breaker, transformational leader, a force to be reckoned with — these are just some of the words to describe Daphne E. Jones, an accomplished and seasoned Fortune 50 executive whose forward-looking vision played a key role in unlocking growth within various multinational corporations. Through the course of her illustrious 30-year career, she held executive roles at IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Hospira, Inc. (now Pfizer) — where she shattered the ‘concrete’ ceiling by becoming the first woman and first person of color to report to the Chairman of the Board and CEO, and General Electric, where she became the highest-ranking African American woman in GE IT. Jones is widely regarded as a power player in her field and draws upon her extensive experience using digital technologies strategically, entrepreneurially, and globally to advise organizations in every industry on the way forward for their businesses.

A political powerhouse with a reputation for building consensus where it was deemed impossible, The Honorable Stephanie Murphy is widely regarded as an impactful legislator who cuts through the partisan gridlock to create meaningful results for our nation. In 2017, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Florida’s 7th congressional district in a remarkable tenure that concluded in 2023. A leader among the moderate Democrats, during her three terms in the House, she was consistently named one of the most effective and bipartisan members of Congress — working across both sides of the aisle to address key issues ranging from trade to national security policy. Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed her to the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, and she co-led the Select Committee’s seventh hearing alongside Representative Jamie Raskin. With extensive public service and private sector experience under her belt, Murphy is a widely respected strategic advisor to government officials and senior business leaders alike.

Maurice Ashley made history in 1999 when he became the first African-American chess grandmaster. He is a three-time national championship coach, author of Chess for Success: Using an Old Game to Build New Strengths in Children and Teens, ESPN commentator, iPhone app designer, puzzle inventor, and motivational speaker. Maurice is well known for providing dynamic live tournament coverage of world-class chess competitions and matches.

In 2018, Joe Cunningham became the first Democrat to be elected to South Carolina's First Congressional District in over 40 years. The Charleston Post and Courier called his victory the "biggest upset in modern South Carolina history." During his two-year term in office, Cunningham was widely recognized for his “people-first” approach to legislating. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranked him the 4th most bipartisan member of Congress and endorsed him in his re-election effort. The bipartisan Lugar Center ranked him as the most bipartisan freshman in the House in 2019. Delivering on a campaign promise to put “people over politics,” he made constituent services a bedrock of his tenure in Congress and his Congressional office closed more cases than any other freshman House Democrat. Cunningham served on the Veterans Affairs and Natural Resources Committees where he passed two bills into law in his first term, including the Veterans Tele-hearing Modernization Act and the Great American Outdoors Act. In 2019, Joe delivered on another signature campaign promise when the House passed his bipartisan bill banning offshore drilling. Cunningham was unafraid to make legislative points in creative ways. In 2019, he blew an airhorn in a Natural Resources subcommittee hearing to highlight the dangers of seismic airgun blasting to sea life. In his farewell speech in December of 2020, he became the first known member in Congressional history to crack a beer on the House floor in a toast to bipartisanship and cooperation. The video of Cunningham's farewell speech has been viewed over 1 million times. Even in defeat, Cunningham still enjoyed significant crossover support in his district. He lost his reelection bid by only 1% of the vote in a district that Joe Biden lost by 6%.

In 2010, Susana Martinez was elected governor of the State of New Mexico. She became New Mexico’s first female governor and the first minority (Hispanic) female governor in the history of the United States. Prior to being elected governor, Martinez was a prosecutor for 25 years along the nation’s southern border and served as Doña Ana County’s elected district attorney for almost half that time. As governor, she prioritized keeping New Mexico’s communities safe, ensuring all students receive a high-quality education, and diversifying and growing the state’s economy.