One of the brightest minds in economics, Matthew Slaughter addresses the near-term challenges facing the economy with an eye on the future. He is a member of the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Economic Advisors and was a member on the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Approachable and enthusiastic, he makes practical sense of economic data and shares insights on opportunities, emerging markets, trade, investments, and policy – offering organizations the numbers they need to put the economic situation in the right perspective.

Bert Jacobs is the co-founder and Chief Executive Optimist of The Life is good Company. A $100 million privately held business based in Boston, MA, Life is good® spreads positive vibes with its colorful collection of apparel and accessories. Jake, Life is good’s iconic hero with the contagious smile, teaches men, women and children that optimism is fun, healthy, and empowering. Bert has appeared on CNN’s Tips from the Top, CNBC’s Business Nation, and The Donny Deutch Show. Life is good has been featured in the New York Times, on the cover of Inc Magazine, and on NBC’s The Today Show.

As a young man, Dr. Rolle hopes to be an inspirer of dreams, an educator of purpose, a patient centered healer and a leader for many. Sports enthusiasts and intellectuals alike know Dr. Myron Laurent Rolle as a gifted athlete, scholar and philanthropist. As a graduate medical student at the FSU College of Medicine and neurosurgery resident at Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Rolle is achieving his dream of becoming a doctor and hoping to inspire others as well.

As a motivational keynote speaker, author, and entrepreneur, Laura Gassner Otting helps innovators, idealists, and iconoclasts get “unstuck”, increase confidence, and achieve extraordinary results. Laura inspires change agents, entrepreneurs, investors, leaders, and donors to push past the doubt and indecision that keeps great ideas in limbo. She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and catalytic perspective informed by decades of navigating change across the start-up, non-profit, political, and philanthropic landscapes. Laura dares listeners to find their voice, and generate the confidence needed to tackle larger-than-life challenges, and ultimately leads them to seek new ways of leading, managing, and mentoring others. Excited by the audacity of The Big Idea and the larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake, she's an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she’s never met a revolution she didn’t like.

Captain Larry Brudnicki presentation style is fast paced and interesting, striking a perfect balance between humor and real-life drama, as he tells a true story of leadership, teamwork, courage and risk management strategies. He is the real-life Captain of the Coast Guard ship that performed two dramatic rescues during the worst storm in more than 100 years, which became known as "The Perfect Storm" and inspired the book that was on The New York Times best-seller list and the blockbuster movie.

Benjamin Zander is the conductor of The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and a guest conductor around the world. Zander was nominated for 2010 Grammy and recieved outstanding positive acclaim. Along with this Zander is a sought after speaker. He gave the opening Keynote address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where on another occasion he was awarded the Crystal award for "outstanding contributions in the Arts and international relations. Using music as a metaphor and a medium, Benjamin Zander relates his position as a symphony orchestra conductor to the role of business leaders and challenges them to look at transformation and change in a new way.

Dara is a record-breaking Olympic swimmer who encourages all athletes to strive for their dreams at any age. She has been an inspiration to many people around the world.

Mike Eruzione served as the captain that led the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team to its Gold Medal victory at Lake Placid. The highlight of the games for Mike was his winning goal against the Soviet Union in the game that stunned the world. A native of Massachusetts, Mike Eruzione was well-known as a local sports talent, being on all-scholastic teams in baseball, football and hockey.

Ken Burns is a PBS documentary director of The Civil War, Baseball, The West, Thomas Jefferson. He has been making documentary films for more than twenty years and the most notable among his work is the PBS series Baseball. Among critical acclaim, Baseball earned Mr. Burns an Emmy, the Clarion Award, and The Television Critics Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sports and Special Programming.

Victoria was 11 years old when she came down with a rare viral disease, Transverse Myelitis, with which she battled for five years including four years in a vegetative coma. The disease left her without the use of her legs for nearly a decade. A lifelong swimmer and athlete, Victoria never gave up her childhood dream of competing in the Olympics Games. In June of 2010 she returned to the pool for the first time since her illness and in the spring of 2012 she qualified for the London Paralympic Games in four events. There she won a Gold Medal, and three Silver Medals. Despite missing five years of school during her illness, Victoria graduated on-time with her triplet brothers, from Exeter High School (New Hampshire) in June of 2013. Victoria is now an on-air TV personality with ESPN reporting for numerous programs including X-Games, Invictus Games, The ESPY Awards, espnW, Frozen Four, Special Olympics World Games and Sportscenter.

Professor David Cutler is currently the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics in the Department of Economics and holds secondary appointments at the Kennedy School of Government and the School of Public Health. He has served on the Council of Economic Advisers and the National Economic Council during the Clinton Administration and has advised the Presidential campaigns of Bill Bradley, John Kerry, and Barack Obama as well as being Senior Health Care Advisor for the Obama Presidential Campaign. Professor Cutler is also the author of two books, several chapters in edited books, and many of published papers on the topic s of health care and other public policy topics.

Ethan Zohn is a former professional soccer player, cancer survivor, winner of the hit reality television show Survivor Africa, co-founder of Grassroot Soccer and a two-time cancer survivor. As demonstrated by his charitable work, volunteerism, and community involvement, Ethan believes that a better and healthier world can be achieved through education, advocacy and inspiration.