An advocate of personal responsibility, John chaired the historic congressional conference committee that overhauled the welfare system. Building on his commitment to limited government, John also championed defense reform and the elimination of wasteful government spending by effectively building coalitions with members on both sides of the aisle.

John’s leadership, accomplishments and vision for America led Newsweek magazine to name him one of its “100 people for the 21st century” But instead of seeking a 10th congressional term, John decided to remain in Westerville with his wife Karen and twin daughters Emma and Reese, and has pursued new challenges and experiences outside of Washington. In 2010 he was elected Governor of the state of Ohio.

As a business leader John has worked to understand what makes businesses successful, and has helped companies in a wide variety of industries nationwide to grow, invest for the future and create jobs.

His leadership in Washington and his ability to communicate powerfully and effectively have given John a broad platform to shape public opinion as a commentator, appearing on virtually every major network and cable news show. He has also hosted a national weekly news show called “Heartland with John Kasich,” which allowed him to provide a uniquely Midwestern perspective to news from around the nation and world.

John has lectured on college campuses across the country, challenging students with a message that emphasizes the importance of hard work, ethics and values.

Additionally, John is a two-time New York Times bestselling author. Most recently, he penned Stand for Something: The Battle for America’s Soul. Praised by the likes of Bono, George Stephanopoulos and Elie Wiesel, Stand for Something directly addresses how we can overcome the erosion of the long-standing, hard-earned values upon which our nation is built. John has also authored Courage is Contagious, a book which highlights the stories of ordinary Americans who have taken amazing measures to make a difference for their communities and our country.

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As the law and the Constitution move to the forefront of the national conversation in unprecedented ways, it can be overwhelming or confusing for some. But Wehle believes it is paramount that the public understands the foundation of our country – our constitutional rights and the limits on government – in order to appreciate what’s at stake. To that end, she is passionate about sharing why we each must be engaged in protecting our democracy and has become a national voice of expertise and reason on this subject. With her years of teaching experience and an impressive resume as a practicing lawyer, Wehle breaks down the latest political and legal debates to audiences of all ages, political parties, and backgrounds. But almost more importantly, she imparts to her audiences the most crucial piece of the puzzle: why each one of us should care about these issues.

Wehle was the recipient of the prestigious Board of Regents Faculty Award for the University of Maryland for excellence in scholarship, research, and creative activity—the highest honor presented by the USM system to faculty members. She also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C., and Associate Independent Counsel in the Whitewater Investigation.

Wehle is active on social media and has a popular IGTV show on Instagram and YouTube called #SimplePolitics. In this video series, she offers digestible translations of the latest political, legal and international news with notable guests, including US Senators, TV news analysts, authors, and prominent journalists.

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His book, What Is Life Worth?, discusses the unique insights he′s gained from his extraordinary involvement with highly contentious and hugely publicized conflict resolution cases.

Feinberg also served Fund Administrator following the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech University, and played a comparable role in resolving the Agent Orange, asbestos personal injury Dalkon shield, and DES (pregnancy medication) cases.

He has been involved in resolving thousands of disputes involving a wide range of interests and clients. In the commercial sector, he designed, implemented and administered an ADR settlement Program involving Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Zurich N.A. Insurance Company and Hurricane Katrina and other Gulf hurricane claimants. He also has served as Distribution Agent for AIG Fair Fund claimants, and has been the Fund Administrator for a variety of claimant funds totaling more than $1 billion.

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Harold Ford, Jr. served Tennessee in the United States Congress for 10 years. As the former chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, an organization that has long been at the forefront of the reform movement, Ford became close to the Clinton wing of the Democratic Party and was described by President Bill Clinton as “the walking, living embodiment of where America ought to go in the 21st century.”

Both during and following his tenure in Congress, Ford has been a longtime supporter of small and mid-size businesses, as well as a staunch advocate for fiscal and economic reform. As an unapologetic supporter of the historic energy renaissance the country has undergone over the last decade, Ford continues to be one of energy reform’s leading voices. Since leaving office in 2007, he continues to work diligently to promote healthy non-partisan debate on today’s most pressing issues, both in Washington and in communities across the country. With profound changes to America’s political landscape set to take place following the midterm elections of November 2014, Ford helps organizational and political leaders understand what the Obama administration and congress can do to make progress on the key hot-button issues that can move the country forward.

During his five terms in the Congress, Ford’s focus was results. He served on both the Financial Services and Budget Committees and worked passionately to balance the budget and promote free enterprise for the House Blue Dog coalition, the organization which gave then Governor Bill Clinton his start in national politics.

Ford’s eye-opening book, More Davids Than Goliaths (Crown 2010), became an instant New York Times best-seller. Reflecting on what he’s learned from his extended political family, the slings and arrows of the campaign trail, and those across our nation who inspire him, More Davids Than Goliaths explains Ford’s conviction that “at its best, leadership in government can solve, inspire, and heal.” Along the way, Ford reminds us that, in America, there are more Davids than Goliaths, more solutions than problems, more that unites us than divides us.

Currently, Ford serves as a political analyst and contributor for CNBC and MSNBC, and a Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Ford is active with several nonprofits and foundations. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.A. in American History, and a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.

Harold Ford, Jr. lives and works in New York City with his wife and daughter.

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Dan Glickman is currently a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. The BPC was formed in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell to develop and promote bipartisan solutions to the country’s problems and to promote civility in government.

Dan Glickman served as Chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) from 2004 until 2010. The MPAA serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries.

Prior to joining the MPAA, Mr. Glickman was the Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (2002-2004). Mr. Glickman also served as a Partner and Senior Advisor to the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Washington, DC.

Mr. Glickman served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from March 1995 until January 2001. Under his leadership, the Department administered farm and conservation programs; modernized food safety regulations; forged international trade agreements to expand U.S. markets; and improved its commitment to fairness and equality in civil rights.

Before his appointment as Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Glickman served for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 4th Congressional District of Kansas. During that time, he was a member of the House Agriculture Committee, including six years as chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over federal farm policy issues. Moreover, he was an active member of the House Judiciary Committee; chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; and was a leading congressional expert on general aviation policy.

Before his election to Congress in 1976, Glickman served as president of the Wichita School Board; was a partner in the law firm of Sargent, Klenda and Glickman; and worked as a trial attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He received his Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from The George Washington University. He is a member of the Kansas and District of Columbia Bars.

Glickman currently serves as the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program; on the board of directors of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; Communities in Schools; Food Research and Action Center, a domestic anti-hunger organization; National 4-H Council; William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan; and the Center for U.S. Global Engagement, where he is Chair of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He co-chairs an initiative of eight Foundations, administered by the Meridian Institute, to look at long term implications of food and agricultural policy.

He also chairs an initiative at the Institute of Medicine on “accelerating progress on childhood obesity.” He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a senior fellow of the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, the Council on American Politics at The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University, and is Vice-Chair of the World Food Program-USA. He also serves as a member of the External Advisory Board to CIA Director Leon Panetta. He is the co-chair of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs′ global agricultural development initiative.

He is the author of Farm Futures, in Foreign Affairs (May/June 2009).

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Through extensive experience she has learned that human potential is a limitless and uniquely powerful resource that can be unlocked, inspired and focused on worthy goals and common purpose. She knows that conservative principles, applied in a twenty‐first century context, are the most effective way to unleash this potential for positive change in communities, organizations of all kinds and our nation.

Carly started out as a secretary for a small real‐estate business. She then joined AT&T in an entry‐level sales position. Fifteen years later she led AT&T’s spin‐out of Lucent Technologies and then Lucent’s North American operations.

In 1999, she was recruited to Hewlett‐Packard where she would become the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 business. In her six years as Chairman and CEO of HP, she would double its revenues to $90 billion; more than quadruple its growth to 9%; triple the rate of innovation to 11 patents a day; achieve market leadership in every market and product category and quadruple cash‐flow.

She traveled the globe and made lifelong friends from countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Carly has always believed in giving back to the community and has been an active participant in government and politics. She has served in a large number of advisory and policy‐making positions for national and state governments. She currently serves as the Chairman of the American Conservative Union Foundation, which annually hosts CPAC (the largest annual gathering of conservatives) and was founded by William F. Buckley and others; the Chairman of Good360, the world’s largest product philanthropy organization; and the Chairman of Opportunity International, a Christian‐based organization that lifts millions out of poverty through micro‐finance.

Taking on tough challenges has been a hallmark of Carly’s life. She didn’t shy away from a challenging run for the U.S. Senate when she took on one of Washington’s most entrenched liberals, Barbara Boxer, from the deep blue state of California. She earned more votes than any Republican nationwide that election‐cycle and raised over $25 million dollars in 12 months.

On the campaign trail, Carly became known for her proud adherence to conservative philosophy and her mastery of the issues. During the hard‐fought battle for votes and ideas, Carly was also battling breast cancer. At the same time, she and her husband Frank suffered the terrible tragedy of the loss of their younger daughter, Lori.

Throughout these difficult times, Frank and Carly were sustained by the redemptive power of their Christian faith and the strength of their family. Carly has many blessings but the most important are her husband, their oldest daughter Tracy and her two granddaughters. They inspire Carly to make a positive difference every day. In her best‐selling memoir, Tough Choices, Carly credits her parents with providing an unshakable foundation for her life. Her mother taught her: “What you are is God’s gift to you. What you make of yourself is your gift to God.”

Her father, a strict constructionist jurist who would eventually sit on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, taught her conservative philosophy and the importance of fighting with integrity and courage for one’s beliefs. Her lifetime of experience has taught Carly that the highest calling of leadership is to unlock the potential in others.

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He is also a professor of economics at New York University’s Stern School of Business and has extensive policy experience including his time as Senior Economist for International Affairs with the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers and Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department during the Clinton Administration. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and numerous other prominent public and private institutions have drawn upon his consulting expertise. He has authored several books including his most recent Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance.

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Aside from working for the full recovery of her beloved New Orleans, Ms. Brazile’s passion is encouraging young people to vote, to work within the system to strengthen it, and to run for public office. Since 2000, Ms. Brazile has lectured at over 125 colleges and universities across the country on such topics as “Inspiring Civility in American Politics,” Race Relations in the Age of Obama, Why Diversity Matters, Women in American Politics: Are We There Yet.

She first got involved at the age of nine when she worked to elect a City Council candidate who had promised to build a playground in her neighborhood; the candidate won, the swing set was installed, and a lifelong passion for political progress was ignited. Ms. Brazile worked on every presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000, when she became the first African-American to manage a presidential campaign.

Author of the best-selling memoir Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, Ms. Brazile is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, a syndicated newspaper columnist for Universal Uclick, a columnist for Ms. Magazine, and O, the Oprah Magazine, an on-air contributor to CNN, and ABC, where she regularly appears on ABC’s This Week. Her secret passion is acting; she has recently made two cameo appearances on CBS’s The Good Wife. Ask her and she’ll tell you that acting, after all, is the key to success in politics.

In August 2009, O, The Oprah Magazine chose Ms. Brazile as one of its 20 “remarkable visionaries” for the magazine’s first-ever O Power List. In addition, she was named among the 100 Most Powerful Women by Washingtonian magazine, Top 50 Women in America by Essence magazine, and received the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s highest award for political achievement.

She is currently on the board of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Last, but never least, she is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. In the aftermath of the two catastrophic hurricanes that made landfall in the Gulf region, Brazile was appointed by former Governor Kathleen Blanco to serve on the Louisiana Recovery Board to work for the rebuilding of the state and to advocate for the Gulf recovery on the national stage.

Ms. Brazile is the proud recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from Louisiana State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black, Catholic institution of higher education in the United States.

Ms. Brazile is founder and managing director of Brazile & Associates LLC, a general consulting, grassroots advocacy, and training firm based in Washington, DC.

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A former Congressional Committee Investigative counsel and corporate lobbyist, Nelson left legal practice in 2007 to pursue her childhood passion to become a journalist. In 2008, she became a freelance reporter and White House correspondent for JET magazine and various other outlets.

She is now a noted TV and radio personality, as well as a highly sought-after motivational speaker and corporate leadership trainer for Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and major universities. She contributes regularly to national media outlets.

Nelson is a lifelong, well-known black moderate Republican. However, what makes her unique is that she is very well respected in the black community, and is viewed as a role model for women and girls around the globe.

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She was the first White House Correspondent for the iconic JET Magazine in 2009-2012. She is a corporate diversity champion award winner (2012). A Pulitzer Prize-nominated author in letters (2011). And Nelson receives over 30 paid speeches and corporate engagements per year. She is a true crossover writer in both her careers as a journalist and an author. She has a strong female base of support across racial, religious, and socio-economic lines.

Nelson’s forthcoming book, E Pluribus ONE, explains what Americans need to do to unify our country and become a great nation again. Nelson encourages readers to reclaim America’s lost political enthusiasm, passion, and civility by introducing the codes of how Americans are called to lead and be engaged as citizens. Readers will be energized and motivated to focus on our Oneness in a way that we have not, since our great democratic republic was formed in 1776.

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John Sitilides, a Washington D.C. government affairs specialist and consultant to the Department of State, shares his insights into U.S. and global geopolitical trends, developments and strategies before high-stakes decision makers and opinion leaders at investor, business and government conferences, forums and events. He explores the complex geopolitical decisions that impact markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, helping investors and business audiences understand and mitigate against risk and disruption.

Sitilides chairs the State Department’s Advanced Area Studies Program for Greece, Turkey & Cyprus (under U.S. government contract since 2006), at the Foreign Service Institute, the primary training institution for American diplomats and other U.S. foreign affairs professionals. He previously served as Board Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Center Southeast Europe Project from 2005-2011.

As Principal at Trilogy Advisors LLC since 2005, Sitilides manages a government affairs portfolio specializing in environmental regulatory reform. He has testified before Congress, and conducted scores of interviews on American politics, federal policies, national security and global affairs by broadcast, print and digital media – including Fox News, CNN, CNN International, One America News and BBC News – and been cited in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Bloomberg News, Politico, National Public Radio, Institutional Investor, among other leading broadcast, print and digital media.

Sitilides served as Executive Director of the Western Policy Center, an international relations institute researching and forecasting U.S., NATO & EU political, commercial and security issues in southeastern Europe. He directed the center’s strategic planning, policy analysis, political and corporate communications, and financial management until he negotiated its 2004 merger with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Sitilides serves on the Board of Directors of 3doo Inc., a VR360° media technology company; the Advanced Imaging Society, promoting the global film industry’s arts and technologies; International Orthodox Christian Charities, a global humanitarian organization; and Leadership 100, a national Greek Orthodox foundation.

He is a member of the Association of International Risk Intelligence Professionals; the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, the New York State Society of Washington D.C., the Columbia University Club of Washington, D.C., the Association of Former Senate Aides, and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. Sitilides holds a Master’s Degree in International and Public Affairs from Columbia University. He lives in McLean, VA with his wife, who is an attorney and businesswoman, and their four sons.

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The author of critically acclaimed best sellers, Toobin delved into the historical, political and personal inner workings of the Supreme Court and its justices in his book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. The Nine spent more than four months on the New York Times Best Seller list and was named one of the best books of the year by Time, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly and the Economist. His newest book, The Oath, a sequel to The Nine, is a gripping insider’s account of the momentous ideological war between the John Roberts Supreme Court and the Obama administration.

FX’s American Crime Story: People vs. O.J,. premiered February 2016. The mini-series is based on Toobin’s book, The Run of His Life and features an all-star cast including Cuba Gooding Jr as O.J. Simpson.

Currently, Toobin is working on a new book about Patty Hearst’s kidnapping entitled Urban Guerrilla: The Wild, Strange Saga of Patty Hearst and the Symbionese Liberation Army. The book will be released in August 2016 and has already been optioned for film by Fox 2000.

Previously, he worked for ABC News, and, in 2000, received an Emmy Award for his coverage of the Elián González case. For the magazine, he has written Profiles of the Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Chief Justice John G. Roberts, as well as articles on nearly every major legal controversy and trial of the past two decades.

He was the first to interview Martha Stewart about her investigation for insider trading, and the first to disclose the plans of O. J. Simpson’s defense team to accuse Mark Fuhrman of planting evidence and to play “the race card.” Before joining the magazine, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Brooklyn and an associate counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh.

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He is chair of the Upstate New York District Export Council, a position appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and Northeast Regional Legislative Coordinator for the National Association of District Export Councils. Additionally, he is founder of the ManzellaReport.com, a premier source for global business and economic news and analysis, and former President and CEO of World Trade Center BN.

John has written hundreds of articles and several books, including Global America: Understanding Global and Economic Trends and How To Ensure Competitiveness, Grasping Globalization: It’s Impact and Your Corporate Response, and Mexico & NAFTA: The Real Impact.

His op-eds have been nationally syndicated and his views have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, NPR, Xinhua (China), La Jornada (Mexico) and Lianhe Zaobao (Singapore). Additionally, he is a contributing writer for American City Business Journals, owner of 43 metropolitan weekly publications.

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Smerconish has often been recognized for his radio work. Talkers Magazine has consistently named him one of America’s most important talk show hosts. In 2009, prior to his syndication, Radio and Records named him the nation’s Local Personality of the Year. In 2011, the National Association of Broadcasters selected him as a Marconi Award finalist in the category of Best Network/Syndicated Host. He has often been the recipient of several (Philadelphia) Achievement in Radio awards, including Best Talk Show Host and Best Evening Program. Philadelphia Magazine has named him the City’s best talk show host, as well as one of the City’s most powerful citizens.

On August 20, 2009, Smerconish became the first radio host to interview President Barack Obama live from the White House. The thirty-minute interview was conducted in the Diplomatic Reception Room and televised live on MSNBC, CNN and Fox News. Smerconish has interviewed President Obama on seven different occasions. He has also interviewed Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as Vice Presidents Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Joe Biden.

Smerconish hosts a weekly Saturday TV program on CNN fittingly called Smerconish and in the past has been an MSNBC contributor and frequent guest-host of Hardball for Chris Matthews. He has been a guest on virtually every television program where politics is discussed, including: the NBC Today Show, Colbert Report, O’Reilly Factor, Larry King Live, The View, and Real Time With Bill Maher.

Smerconish is the author of six books, two of them New York Times’ best sellers. He donated all author proceeds from three of those manuscripts to charity. His published books are: Flying Blind: How Political Correctness Continues to Compromise Airline Safety Post 9/11 (for which he donated his proceeds to the Garden of Reflection, a 9/11 tribute garden in his native Bucks County, Pennsylvania); Muzzled: From T-Ball to Terrorism, True Stories that Should Be Fiction (a Times best seller); Murdered By Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain and Injustice (a Times best seller which he co-authored with Maureen Faulkner and for which he donated his proceeds to the Daniel Faulkner Educational Grant Fund); Morning Drive: Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Talking; and Instinct: The Man Who Stopped the 20th Hijacker (the story of Jose Melendez-Perez, for which he donated his proceeds to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania). Additionally, through a promotional partnership with jeweler Steven Singer, Smerconish has raised in excess of $300,000.00 for the Flight 93 National Memorial. His sixth book is his first novel – TALK!

Smerconish also authors a Sunday Column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. His columns have been re-printed in various newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, Dallas Morning-News, Denver Post, Boston Herald, Charlotte Observer, Sacramento Bee, Kansas City Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Austin American-Statesman, Savannah Morning News, Tallahassee Democrat, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Providence Journal, Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Akron Beacon Journal, Wichita Eagle, Arizona Daily Star, Green Bay Press Gazette, Winnipeg Free Press, Tallahassee Democrat, and Gulf Times (Doha, Qatar)

Smerconish became a radio and television commentator after experiences he had at an early age in Republican politics. While still in college he was an advanceman for (then) Vice President George H.W. Bush. At age 29, he was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to a sub-cabinet level position (Regional Administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he reported to HUD Secretary Jack Kemp).

Prior to turning to broadcasting as a full-time endeavor, Smerconish practiced law for ten years with James E. Beasley, a legendary Philadelphia-based trial lawyer, who is the namesake of the Beasley School of Law at Temple University. Today Smerconish is of counsel to the Philadelphia law firm of Kline & Specter. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and remains a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. When actively practicing law, Smerconish was a trial lawyer specializing in complex tort litigation. His work spanned various subject areas, including contracts, medical malpractice, and products liability. His clients ranged from the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police (in an action against a music group responsible for publishing an FOP photograph on an album cover that advocated the murder of police) to the City of Rome, Italy (in a contract dispute). He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyer’s Association.

Smerconish is a 1984 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lehigh University where he majored in government and journalism.

He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters when delivering a commencement address at Widener University on May 26, 2016.

He lives in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and their four children.

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Beyond extensive media coverage, Zoltan is an eloquent, Ivy-league educated man yearning to use science, technology, reason to dramatically remake humanity. Over the last two years, Zoltan has consulted for the US Navy as a futurist, interviewed to be Libertarian Gary Johnson’s Vice President, appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience (and dozens of other shows), and gave many speeches, including at Microsoft, the Global Leaders Forum, and the Financial Times Camp Alphaville (opening Keynote). Istvan was the only presidential candidate to be interviewed by underground mega-group Anonymous. Istvan’s award-winning 2013 novel The Transhumanist Wager was a #1 bestseller in Philosophy and also a top 5 Amazon book. It’s been compared in reviews to Ayn Rand’s work over 1000 times. It’s being taught in a few dozen colleges around the world as a warning and inspiration about the future.

Coming out in 2017 is a feature documentary two years in the making called “Immortality or Bust” on Istvan’s ideas and campaign, including the story of his historic bus tour across America on the Immortality Bus. Istvan is the founder of the Transhumanist Party, the author the Transhumanist Bill of Rights, and a frequently interviewed expert on AI. Before becoming an acclaimed futurist, he was a journalist for the National Geographic Channel (often an on-camera reporter) and The New York Times Syndicate. Istvan has traveled to over 100 countries, and has a degree in Philosophy and Religion from Columbia University. Currently, he is also a columnist at Vice, and at the young age of 44, has a strong support base with millennials.

He is a successful entrepreneur, with The New Yorker citing he made a minor fortune in real estate. Zoltan is married to a surgeon, and they have two daughters. Zoltan’s feature warzone documentary, Pawns of Paradise, on the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, won two documentary awards and played in film festivals around the world. Zoltan was a Communications Director at WildAid, a major nonprofit wildlife organization that aims to stop wildlife poaching and protect endangered species. As an athlete, Zoltan was a national champion water polo player and is credited with inventing the extreme sport of Volcano Boarding, which debuted on the National Geographic Channel in 2002 and is practiced around the world today. Zoltan plays the guitar and piano, and owns a vineyard in Argentina.

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In addition to politics, Mitchell covers foreign policy, intelligence and national security issues, including the diplomacy of Secretary of State John Kerry, for all NBC News and MSNBC properties.

Mitchell led NBC News’ and MSNBC’s coverage of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign from its launch in April 2015. Mitchell’s more than 20 years of reporting on the Clintons earned her the unofficial role as “dean of the Clinton press corps” as she traveled with the campaign across the country, anchoring her eponymous show and reporting for network broadcasts “TODAY” and “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” at campaign rallies, debates and both conventions. Mitchell regularly appears on “Meet the Press” as a panelist and substitute host.

In 2015, Mitchell was recognized by New York Women in Communications with the prestigious Matrix Award for her excellence in broadcast journalism.

In the 2012 presidential cycle, Mitchell covered the race for the Republican nomination on platforms across both networks and reported on key congressional races on election night. She also covered the entire 2008 presidential campaign, from the kickoff in February 2007, broadcasting live from every major primary and caucus state and all the candidate debates for NBC News and MSNBC programs, including “TODAY,” “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “Hardball,” “Morning Joe” and “Meet the Press.” She also covered Barack Obama’s trip to Iraq, the Middle East and Europe during the presidential campaign.

As a featured political correspondent in 2004, Mitchell was the first reporter to break the story that Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry had chosen Sen. John Edwards as his vice presidential running mate.

In September 2005, Mitchell authored “Talking Back,” a memoir about her experiences as one of the first women to cover five presidents, congress and foreign policy. That year, Mitchell also received the prestigious Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2004, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) honored Mitchell with the Leonard Zeidenberg Award for her contribution to the protection of First Amendment freedoms.

Mitchell has closely covered the complex U.S.-Cuban relationship for decades and led network coverage of the historic thaw with the island country, beginning in 2014. Her extensive and varied reports include a series of exclusive interviews over the years with Cuban President Fidel Castro. Her unprecedented access resulted in a one-hour documentary on Cuba in December 2003. Throughout 2002 and 2003, Mitchell covered the United Nations debate leading up to the Iraq war and provided detailed reports on the questions surrounding pre-war intelligence and weapons of mass destruction.  As a longtime analyst of the intelligence community, Mitchell’s past assignments for NBC News have included exclusive reports from North Korea, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Bosnia, Kosovo, Pakistan and Haiti.

During the 2000 campaign, Mitchell hosted MSNBC’s “The Mitchell Report,” NBC News’ election year broadcast of record. In addition, she was the lead NBC News correspondent covering Hillary Rodham Clinton’s race for the Senate in 2000.

Among her many past assignments, Mitchell was NBC News’ chief White House correspondent, a position she assumed after covering Bill Clinton from the New Hampshire primary through the entire 1992 presidential campaign.

From 1988 to 1992, Mitchell served as the network’s chief congressional correspondent, playing a major role in reporting on the budget, the savings and loan bailout, the Clarence Thomas hearings and other legislative issues.  She also served as a regular political analyst on “TODAY” and was a panelist in the second Bush-Dukakis presidential debate.

Mitchell first covered the White House for NBC News during both of Ronald Reagan’s terms as president. She reported on a variety of noteworthy stories, including arms control, the budget, tax reform and the Iran-contra scandal, and traveled extensively with President Reagan to summits with Mikhail Gorbachev and other world leaders.

During the 1988 Republican National Convention, she beat both the competition and presidential candidate George Bush with the announcement that Bush had chosen Dan Quayle to be his running mate.  She was also a panelist in the final Bush-Dukakis presidential debate.

Mitchell joined NBC News in 1978 as a general correspondent based in Washington, D.C.  In 1979, she was named NBC News energy correspondent.  In that capacity, she reported on the energy crisis and the Three Mile Island nuclear incident.  Before joining NBC News, she was a correspondent for WDVM-TV (then WTOP), the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C.  From 1967-1976, she was a broadcast journalist for KYW Radio and KYW-TV in Philadelphia.

A native of New York, Mitchell received a B.A. degree in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania where she is a past Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and currently services as Chair of the Board of Overseers of the School of Arts and Sciences. She also serves on the board of the America’s Promise Alliance and is a member of the Gridiron Club.

Mitchell is married to former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan and resides in Washington, D.C.

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Michael Steele is President and CEO of The Steele Group, a company he formed in 1999. The Steele Group works with institutional and individual clients to design overall business development, investor, networking, and communications strategies.

Presently, Mr. Steele is a political analyst for MSNBC. Mr. Steele’s ability as a communicator and analyst have long been showcased by his position as a contributor on the Fox News Channel and as a regular host for the Salem Radio Network’s nationally syndicated Morning in America Show. Additionally, Mr. Steele has been an entertaining and eloquent guest on cable political talk shows such as HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Mr. Steele’s personal and political experiences coupled with his engaging speaking style have launched him into national prominence. Mr. Steele regularly shares his personal story and political philosophy with a wide variety of audiences. Most recently, Michael Steele served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee (2009 – 2011). As chairman of the RNC, Mr. Steele was charged with revitalizing the Republican Party. A self-described “Lincoln Republican,” under Steele’s leadership the RNC broke fundraising records (over $198 million raised during the 2010 Congressional cycle) and Republicans won 63 House seats, the biggest pickup since 1938. His commitment to grassroots organization and party building at the state and local levels produced 12 governorships and the greatest share of state legislative seats since 1928 (over 600 seats).

Mr. Steele earned a place in history in 2003 when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, becoming the first African American elected to statewide office in the state. As Lt. Governor of Maryland, Mr. Steele’s priorities included reforming the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program, improving the quality of Maryland’s public education system
(he championed the State’s historic Charter School law), expanding economic development in the state and fostering cooperation between government and faith-based organizations to help those in need.

An expert on political strategy and election reform, he served as Chairman of GOPAC (2007-2009), and also held posts on the National Federal Election Reform Commission and the NAACP Blue Ribbon Commission on Election Reform.

Mr. Steele writes a regular column for The Root.com and BET.com and his writings on law, business and politics have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Politico.com, Townhall.com, The Journal of International Security Affairs and Catholic University Law Review, among others. He is the recent author of Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda , which is a call to arms for grassroots America.

Born at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Mr. Steele was raised in Washington, DC. He spent three years in the Order of St. Augustine in preparation for the priesthood. He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University
(1981), Georgetown Law Center (1991), and an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership.

Mr. Steele is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic C hurch in Landover Hills, MD, where he attends mass regularly with his wife Andrea.

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Mike Leavitt grew up in Cedar City, Utah, where his upbringing was rooted in the values of the American West, with its emphasis on hard work and common sense. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business while working in the insurance industry. In 1984, he became chief executive of The Leavitt Group, a family business that is now the nation’s second largest, privately held insurance brokerage.

In 1993, Mr. Leavitt was elected governor of Utah. He served three terms (1993-2003). In 2003, he joined the Cabinet of President George W. Bush, serving in two positions: first as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2003-2005) and then as secretary of Health and Human Services (2005-2009). At HHS, Mr. Leavitt administered a $750 billion budget — nearly 25 percent of the entire federal budget — and 67,000 employees.

He led the implementation of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program. The task required the design, systematization, and implementation of a plan to provide 43 million seniors with a new prescription drug benefit. By the end of the first year, enrollments exceeded projections, prices were lower than projected, and seniors expressed high levels of satisfaction.

Mr. Leavitt’s strategic ability can be seen in his redesign of the nation’s system of quality and safety standards for imported goods. In the spring of 2006, President Bush assigned him to lead a government-wide response. Within months, Mr. Leavitt recommended a major strategic shift in U.S. policy on import regulation and trade.

A pattern of innovation runs throughout Leavitt’s career. When he was elected governor, Utah’s major freeway system was dangerously inadequate. Taking what some thought was a significant political and financial risk, Mr. Leavitt instigated a design-build system, creating cost and quality incentives between the state and its contractors. The project was finished in half the originally projected time and well under budget.

Mr. Leavitt is, at heart, an entrepreneur. As governor, he organized a group of his colleagues to form Western Governors University. At WGU, degrees are earned based on competency rather than credit hours. WGU now has more than 60,000 students who reside in each of the 50 states and several foreign countries. Enrollment is growing at 35 percent a year. In November 2008, TIME magazine named WGU “the best relatively cheap university you’ve never heard of.”

Collaborator is a word that comes up repeatedly when one examines Mr. Leavitt’s background. His skill led his colleague governors to elect him as chairman of the National Governors Association, the Republican Governors Association and Western Governors’ Association. His book —Finding Allies, Building Alliances— was released in September 2013 by Jossey-Bass Publishers and chronicles his expertise and passion for collaboration.

Mr. Leavitt is a seasoned diplomat, leading U.S. delegations to more than 50 countries. He has conducted negotiations on matters related to health, the environment, and trade. At the conclusion of his service, the Chinese government awarded him the China Public Health Award – the first time this award has ever been given to a foreign government official.

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Haley Van Dyck is the co-founder of the United States Digital Service, a new “start-up” inside the White House building services for the American people that work better and cost less. Launched following the successful rescue effort of healthcare.gov, USDS is bringing the country’s top technology talent into government to fix the highest impact services and reform how our government operates in the digital era.

Haley has a passion and track record of using technology to disrupt “business as usual” and democratize problem solving. She has been a key thought leader on President Obama’s technology team since the 2008 campaign, where she developed the mobile strategy for the first Presidential campaign in history to use mobile and text messaging to connect with voters. Four days after the election she moved to Washington, D.C. to serve on the Presidential Transition Team with a small group of individuals who set the course for the Administration’s technology strategy, including writing the Open Government Directive and creating the first U.S. Chief Technology Officer position.

At the White House, Haley built many of the President’s major technology initiatives including the U.S. Open Data Policy and Executive Order, the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program, the Digital Government Strategy, and the United States Digital Service. She is also responsible for the first-ever government policy being developed in the open and online through Github—an effort that WIRED magazine called “remarkable” for giving geeks a seat at the policy table.

In 2011 as Director of Digital Strategy at USAID, Haley used innovative technology to engage Americans at home to fight famine in the Horn of Africa through the award-winning FWD campaign. At the Federal Communications Commission in 2009 she worked to disrupt the archaic rule-making processes, and as part of the landmark Net Neutrality proceedings comments from citizens via social media and other online channels were accepted with the same legal standing as those filed by large corporations such as AT&T and Verizon for the first time.

Van Dyck is a native of San Francisco and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

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Former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wished he’d recruited Woodward into the CIA, “He has an extraordinary ability to get otherwise responsible adults to spill [their] guts to him…his ability to get people to talk about stuff they shouldn’t be talking about is just extraordinary and may be unique.” Therein lays the genius talent of Bob Woodward.

No one else in political investigative journalism has the clout, respect, and reputation of Woodward. He has a way of getting insiders to open up in ways that reveal an intimate yet sweeping portrayal of Washington and the political infighting, how we fight wars, the price of politics, how presidents lead, the homeland security efforts, and so much more. His work is meticulous and draws on internal memos, classified documents, meeting notes and hundreds of hours of recorded interviews with most of the key players, including the president. This is why Fear: Trump in the White House sold more than 1.1 million copies in its first week in September 2018 – breaking the 94-year first-week sales record of its publisher Simon & Schuster – and nearly 2 million copies in hardback, ebook and audio in the first four months.

As a speaker, Woodward pulls the curtain back on Washington and its leaders to captivate audiences with stories that are sometimes surprising, at times shocking, and always fascinating. He blends stories that are both up to the minute and from the past (to provide historical context). Woodward speaks as he writes – crisp and concise – and helps people get behind the spin to understand what’s really going on in the halls of power in an age of 24-hour news, social media, and snarky politics.

Professionally, Bob Woodward is currently associate editor for The Washington Post where he’s worked since 1971. He has won nearly every American journalism award, and the Post won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for his work with Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal. In addition, Woodward was the main reporter for the Post’s articles on the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks that won the National Affairs Pulitzer Prize in 2002.

Bob Schieffer of CBS News said “Woodward has established himself as the best reporter of our time. He may be the best reporter of all time.” Lloyd Green wrote in a review for The Guardian that Fear “depicts a White House awash in dysfunction, where the Lord of the Flies is the closest thing to an owner’s manual.” The Weekly Standard called Woodward “the best pure reporter of his generation, perhaps ever.” In 2003, Al Hunt of The Wall Street Journal called Woodward “the most celebrated journalist of our age.” In listing the all-time 100 best non-fiction books, Time magazine has called All the President’s Men, by Bernstein and Woodward, “Perhaps the most influential piece of journalism in history.”

Woodward has co-authored or authored 15 #1 national best-selling non-fiction books. They are: All the President’s Men (1974) and The Final Days (1976), both Watergate books, co-authored with Bernstein; The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court (1979) co-authored with Scott Armstrong; Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi (1984); Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-87 (1987); The Commanders (1991); The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House (1994); Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate (1999); Bush at War (2002); Plan of Attack (2004); State of Denial: Bush at War Part III (2006); Obama’s Wars (2010); Fear: Trump in the White House (2018); Rage (2020); and Peril (2021) co-authored with Robert Costa. Woodward’s other national bestselling books are: The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate’s Deep Throat (2005), The Choice (1996), Maestro: Greenspan’s Fed and the American Boom (2000), The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 (2008), The Price of Politics (2012), and The Last of the President’s Men (2015). Newsweek magazine has excerpted six of Woodward’s books in headline-making cover stories; “60 Minutes” has done pieces on eight of his books; and three of his books have been made into feature films.

In November 2017, the online learning portal MasterClass released “Bob Woodward Teaches Investigative Journalism.” In it, Woodward reveals the lessons he’s learned during his career, teaching students what truth means, how to uncover it, and how to build a story with it.

Woodward was born March 26, 1943 in Illinois. He graduated from Yale University in 1965 and served five years as a communications officer in the U.S. Navy before beginning his journalism career at the Montgomery County Sentinel (Maryland), where he was a reporter for one year before joining the Post.

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Hume stepped down as anchor of “Special Report” in December 2008 after more than 10 years at the helm of the program. Under his leadership, Special Report was the highest rated political program on cable television. In this capacity, Hume also served as the Washington managing editor and was responsible for overseeing news content for FOX News’ Washington bureau. He also anchored all network coverage for every presidential election from 1996-2008. Most recently, Hume served as a panelist during the 2012 Democratic and Republican Conventions.

Before joining FOX News in 1996, Hume was with ABC News for 23 years, serving as chief White House correspondent from 1989 through 1996. During his tenure, he contributed to World News Tonight With Peter Jennings, Nightline and This Week as well as various specials for the news division. Hume joined ABC in 1973 as a consultant for the network’s documentary division and was named a Washington correspondent in 1976. He was later promoted to Capitol Hill correspondent and reported on Congress until 1988.

Earlier, Hume reported for United Press International, beginning his career as a newspaper reporter with The Hartford Times and the Baltimore Evening Sun.

He has received numerous honors and awards, including the 2003 Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from the National Press Foundation and a 1991 Emmy Award for his coverage of the Gulf War. The author of two books Inside Story and Death and the Mines, Hume was named “The Best in the Business” by the American Journalism Review for his extensive news coverage of the White House.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Hume resides in Washington, D.C., with his wife Kim Schiller Hume.

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With his wife and creative partner, Judith Davidson Moyers, Bill Moyers has produced such groundbreaking public affairs series as NOW with Bill Moyers (from 2002 through 2005) and Bill Moyers Journal (from 2007 through 2010). Since the company’s founding in 1986, other notable productions have included the landmark 1988 series, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, as well as Healing and the Mind, The Language of Life, Genesis, On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying, Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home, America’s First River, Becoming American: The Chinese Experience, Faith & Reason, and Moyers on America.

Moyers began his journalism career at age 16 as a cub reporter for his hometown daily newspaper in Marshall, Texas. He was a founding organizer and deputy director of the Peace Corps and special assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson. Moyers served as Johnson’s press secretary from 1965 to 1967.

As publisher of Newsday from 1967 to 1970, Moyers brought aboard writers including Pete Hamill, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and Saul Bellow, and led the paper to two Pulitzer Prizes. In 1976, he was the senior correspondent for the distinguished documentary series CBS Reports and later a senior news analyst for The CBS Evening News.

For his work, Bill Moyers has received more than 30 Emmys, two prestigious Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia University Awards, nine Peabodys, and three George Polk Awards. In the first year it was bestowed, Moyers received the prestigious Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by the American Film Institute. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he also received the Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association and has been honored by the Television Critics Association for outstanding career achievement.

Moyers was elected to the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. A year later he received the Charles Frankel Prize (now the National Humanities Medal) from the National Endowment for the Humanities “for outstanding contributions to American cultural life.” In 2005, Moyers received the PEN USA Courageous Advocacy Award for his passionate, outspoken commitment to freedom of speech and his dedication to journalistic integrity. He has also been honored with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications calls Moyers, “One of the few broadcast journalists who might be said to approach the stature of Edward R. Murrow. If Murrow founded broadcast journalism, Moyers significantly extended its traditions.”

Moyers’ books include such bestsellers as Listening to America, The Power of Myth, Healing and the Mind, The Language of Life, Moyers on America: A Journalist and His Times, and Moyers on Democracy. His most recent book, Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues, was published in May 2011. He currently serves as president of the Schumann Media Center, a non-profit organization that supports independent journalism.

Married for more than 55 years, Judith and Bill Moyers have three grown children and five grandchildren.

JUDITH DAVIDSON MOYERS BIOGRAPHY

Judith Davidson Moyers is Executive Editor of Moyers & Company. President of Public Affairs Television (PAT) for 14 years, she is now the company’s CEO. During PAT’s tenure, Judith Davidson Moyers has been executive producer of such major documentaries as Earth on Edge, Trade Secrets, On Our Own Terms, Amazing Grace, The Arab World, Genesis, All Our Children, and Free Speech for Sale. A member of the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, she has been awarded several Emmys, is the recipient of the DuPont Award, two Peabody Awards, and the Christopher Award. Other television credits include the award-winning series A Walk Through the Twentieth Century and Creativity, both produced for CBS Cable and PBS. In addition to serving on several corporate boards for more than 20 years, Judith Davidson Moyers was a trustee of the State University of New York and Vice-Chair for thirteen years. She served as a director of the Research Foundation of New York State and the Rockefeller Institute of Government and as a member of the New York State Judicial Selection Commission. She has served as a U.S. Commissioner to UNESCO, on the White House Commission on Children, and was a member of the National Governors Association Task Force on Education and Economic Development.

Mrs. Moyers has been recognized for her work as an advocate for children by the Girl Scouts of America, The National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Christophers, and the National Council of Churches. Her reputation as a group catalyst and moderator has brought many invitations to lead seminars for the Women’s Political Caucus, the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association and the Aspen Institute’s Executive Seminars, for which she was the first female moderator. In 2000, she was awarded the Aspen Institute Public Sector Award. In 2001 she received the Global Green Media Award, “for bringing key environmental issues to a wide audience”, and in 2002 she received the Eleanor Roosevelt Val- Kill Award. The Committee of 100 awarded her their Headliner Award in 2003 and in 2010 the Legacy Award was given by the Chinese in America Museum.

Born in Dallas, she is a graduate of the University of Texas earning a Bachelor of Science, Summa Cum Laude, and holds several honorary degrees. She and Bill Moyers have been married for 60 years and have three children and five grandchildren.

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His book about the Obama campaign, Renegade: The Making of a President became an instant bestseller. His latest book is The Message: The Reselling of President Obama.

Wolffe appears frequently on many MSNBC shows, including Morning Joe, Politics Nation and The Last Word. On NBC, he has been a political commentator on Meet The Press and Today.

Wolffe began writing about American politics as a senior journalist at the Financial Times, serving as its deputy bureau chief and U.S. diplomatic correspondent in Washington D.C. In that capacity, he managed coverage of business and political affairs in the nation’s capital, and reported on U.S. foreign policy at the State Department and National Security Council.

He first started reporting on George W. Bush and his Texas team in 1999, at the start of the presidential campaign. He travelled with then-Governor Bush for more than a year, through the extraordinary election of 2000.

His earlier work for the Financial Times included extensive coverage of the Microsoft antitrust trial and the Clinton administration’s plans to break up the company. His reporting and writing on regulatory and business issues in Washington included covering the Treasury Department, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Wolffe spent eight years with the Financial Times including four years in the United Kingdom. His business work there included financial reporting in the City of London, investment management and financial advisory firms, and the manufacturing sector in the British heartland. In politics, he reported on the tumultuous period leading to Tony Blair’s landslide victory in 1997.

He joined Newsweek magazine in November 2002 as diplomatic correspondent, covering foreign policy and international affairs. In the 2004 presidential election, he covered the chaotic Howard Dean campaign before switching to John Kerry’s campaign.

As Newsweek’s senior White House correspondent, his cover stories included What He Believes (on Obama’s faith) Black & White (about Obama and racial politics), Bush In The Bubble (about the president after Hurricane Katrina) and Weight of the World (the behind-the-scenes story of how Bush handled the Lebanon war).

Wolffe is the co-author of The Victim’s Fortune, (HarperCollins), which reveals the behind-the-scenes deals that led to billions of dollars in compensation to the Nazis’ victims in the late 1990s. His reporting for the book covered major European companies such as Deutsche Bank, Daimler and Société Générale. It also encompassed government officials across Europe and the United States, and several high-profile class action lawyers.

His next book was in an entirely different field: he is co-author of a Spanish cookbook, Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America, published by Clarkson Potter. He co-wrote a follow-up book Made in Spain, and a 26-part TV show of the same name for PBS television. He has also written for food magazines such as Food Arts and Food and Wine.

Wolffe’s movie career has been mercifully brief. He made a cameo appearance interviewing Jim Carrey in the otherwise hilarious The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Less amusingly, he is featured prominently in the HBO documentary on the Obama campaign, By the People, and played a leading role in the HBO documentary of the 2000 Bush campaign, Journeys with George.

Born in Birmingham, England, Wolffe graduated from Oxford University with first-class honors in English and French. He lives with his wife and their three children in New York.

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Mr Bhaskaran is a leading Asian economist based in Singapore with over 20 years of experience following the economic, political and security issues across the Asia Pacific region.

He has covered Asian economies and politics in great detail since 1982, firstly within the Singapore government service, then as the Chief Economist of an investment bank. He travels extensively to meet with senior policy and business leaders which gives him much more than just an economist’s view of the region. =

He therefore provides invaluable insights into the economies of Southeast Asia, China, India, Japan and Korea and looks at risks associated with key political events in the region and their implications. He also comments in detail on the implications of China’s rise, in particular as it moves up the value chain and explores what this means for the rest of Asia and for international trade and global businesses. =

He heads the Asian office of Washington DC-based strategic advisory firm, The Centennial Group, directing its economic research practice which provides in-depth analysis of macro trends in Asia. He works extensively with investment institutions, government agencies and corporations. Prior to joining Centennial Group, he was previously Managing Director and Chief Economist for SG Securities (previously Crosby Securities).

The on-the-ground assessment of Asia’s macroeconomic environment is invaluable for business executives, especially those who are involved in asset allocation across countries in Asia or who are with MNCs trying to weigh-up the risks and rewards of investing across different countries in Asia.

He is widely published in Singapore and across Asia and is a regular columnist for the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Japan) and The Edge (Singapore). In addition to writing and editing, he is a leading figure in a number of economic institutions. These include the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) where he is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, the Economics Society of Singapore, of which he is Vice President and also the Council, and Executive Committee, of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA). =

He is a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge University and holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

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His personal reflections on being in the Situation Room during the mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden are mesmerizing. As NCTC’s Director, Leiter led more than 1,000 personnel and managed an annual budget of more than $400 million. In addition, he advised the Office of Management and Budget on the allocation of more than $100 billion annually for government-wide counterterrorism activities. Leiter shares with audiences how principled, thoughtful, visionary and energetic leadership can carry an organization through crises and are relevant to both government entities and to the private sector. His lessons of motivating employees and working with critical partners and customers in effecting change are as timely to organizations as combating terrorism is to the national security enterprise—and his deep insights provide invaluable understanding to both.

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