Adam Braun

Adam Braun is the Founder and CEO of Pencils of Promise, an award-winning nonprofit organization that has built more than 100 schools across Africa, Asia and Latin America and delivered over 4 million educational hours in its first four years. PoP was founded with just $25 using Braun’s unique "For-Purpose" approach to blending nonprofit idealism with for-profit business principles. In 2012, he...

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin is a graduate of New York University (BFA-Tisch, 94) and was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from NYU in 2010. He last appeared on stage in the 2010 Guild Hall (East Hampton) production of Peter Shaffer’s EQUUS, directed by Tony Walton. Other stage includes the Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2006 production of Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr. Sloane, directed by Scott...

Alyssa Milano

Actress Alyssa Milano has spent almost her entire life in the public eye. A famous child actor, Alyssa has continued to work throughout her adulthood in both television and film. Alyssa has a history of starring in long running successful television series. She most recently starred on the hit WB series "Charmed" for nine years. The series' debut was the highest-rated premiere in the network

Andre Agassi

After turning pro at the age of 16, tennis prodigy ANDRE AGASSI rose to international fame, earning 60 men’s singles titles, including eight Grand Slam singles championships, over a 20-year career. A former World No. 1 player, Agassi is the only male player ever to win all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. He was also a member of three winning Davis Cup...

Art Smith

Art loves the idea of bringing people together through food. It’s partly what made him the success he is today. He is the executive chef and co-owner of Table fifty-two, Art and Soul, Southern Art and Bourbon Bar, Joanne Trattoria, and LYFE Kitchen restaurants. Art Smith has received the culinary profession's highest awards and has cooked for some of the world's most famous celebrities. In...

Bette Midler

Known as "The Divine Miss M," Bette Midler is the quintessential entertainer-a singer, a dancer, a comedienne, and a dramatic actress. During her career, she has won four Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards. Selling more than 14 million albums over the course of her career, she holds 25 gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications for...

Biz Stone

Biz Stone has been named Nerd of the Year by GQ, one of the Most Influential People in The World by TIME magazine, Entrepreneur of the Decade by Inc Magazine, one of Vanity Fair's Top Ten Most Influential People of the Information Age, and was honored with the International Center for Journalists' first Innovation Award...

Cameron Sinclair

As the Executive Director and Co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, Cameron Sinclair is not only an architect, but an author, humanitarian and world-class visionary. During his studies at the University of Westminster and at the Bartlett School of Architecture, Cameron developed a passion in social, cultural and humanitarian design. His resulting postgraduate thesis focused on providing...

Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is best known for his Oscar winning portrayal of the charmingly arrogant professional football player, Rod Tidwell, in Jerry Maguire. Starring opposite Tom Cruise in the Cameron Crowe directed film, Cuba solidified his position as one of Hollywood's most talented actors. In addition to the Academy Award, Gooding was also honored with the Screen Actors Guild Award...

Eva Longoria

Texas-born, Mexican-American actress, Eva Longoria, emerged as a daytime favorite on The Young and the Restless and General Hospital. Longoria then starred as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC-megahit "Desperate Housewives." The global hit show is a multi-Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award winner. Longoria has received numerous awards: People's Choice Award-winner for favorite female TV...

Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan, an international superstar, is one of the most recognized artists in the world. With five Grammy Awards and more than seventy million albums sold world-wide, Estefan is the single most successful crossover performer in the history of Latin music.

Ishmael Beah

Ishmael Beah was born in Sierra Leone on November 23, 1980. When he was eleven, Ishmael’s life, along with the lives of millions of other Sierra Leoneans, was derailed by the outbreak of a brutal civil war. After his parents and two brothers were killed, Ishmael was recruited to fight as a child soldier. He was thirteen.

Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver is a phenomenon in the world of food. He is one of the world's best-loved television personalities and one of Britain's most famous exports. Jamie has had huge success with television series The Naked Chef (BBC), Jamie's Kitchen, Jamie's School Dinners, Jamie's Great Italian Escape, Return to School Dinners, Jamie's Chef, Jamie at Home, Jamie's Ministry of Food, Jamie Does...

Jane Goodall

At eight years old, Dr. Jane Goodall decided that when she grew up, she would go to Africa and live with the wild animals she loved. Sixteen years later, she sailed to the continent, where she studied under legendary anthropologist Louis Leakey, who after a year, offered her the chance of a lifetime: to study wild chimpanzees at the Gombe Stream Reserve. From these beginnings, Goodall would go...

Jeffrey Wright

Critically acclaimed actor Jeffrey Wright continually pushes the boundaries of his craft with inspiring and celebrated performances in an illustrious career that has spanned the worlds of theatre, film and television. In addition to acting, Wright is Vice Chairman of Taia Lion Resources and Chairman of Taia Peace Foundation. He also serves on the boards of directors of the Tribeca Film...

Jerry Weintraub

(Producer) is one of the most influential and successful people in the entertainment industry, with a career spanning more than 50 years and encompassing the genres of feature films, television, theatre and music. Weintraub had already enjoyed tremendous success in the management and music fields when he made an auspicious motion picture producing debut with Robert Altman’s seminal 1975...

 Jewel

Jewel is an acclaimed American singer, songwriter, actress, poet, painter, philanthropist and daughter to an Alaskan cowboy singer-songwriter. From the remote ranch of her Alaskan youth to the triumph of international stardom, the four-time Grammy nominee, hailed by the New York Times as a “songwriter bursting with talents” has enjoyed career longevity rare among her generation of artists. Her...

John Wood

At age 35, John left an executive career track at Microsoft Corporation to form Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that "combines the heart of Mother Theresa with the scalability of Starbucks" to help children across the developing world break the cycle of poverty through the power of education. Razor-sharp business acumen honed at Microsoft, combined with a passion to change the world makes..

Katie Couric

Katie Couric (@katiecouric) is an award-winning journalist and TV personality, well-known cancer advocate, and New York Times best-selling author of The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons From Extraordinary Lives. Couric joined the Disney/ABC Television Group in Summer 2011 and serves as special correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America...

Kevin Spacey

Perhaps no one in Hollywood works harder to defend the value and integrity of the arts quite like KEVIN SPACEY. A lifelong artist, Kevin began his acting career performing comedy at local bowling alleys before refining his abilities in live theater and propelling his career in film where he has won two Academy Awards. In his latest project, Kevin serves as both star and executive producer to...

Lauren Bush

Lauren Bush is the CEO, Creative Director, and Co-Founder of FEED Projects, a charitable company with the mission to create good products that help feed the world. Each FEED bag sold supports various organizations like the UN World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, Millennium Villages and others. Lauren started her work as an Honorary Spokesperson for the WFP in 2004, when she helped to launch...

Maria Bello

Maria Bello has captivated audiences with her many diverse roles in such films as "the Cooler" with William H. Macy, (Golden Globe and SAG Nomination), Davis Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" opposite Viggo Mortenson and Ed Harris (NY Film Critics win and Golden Globe nomination), along with close to 30 other films. Bello began her career as an activist at Villanova University where she...

Michael  Bolton

Michael Bolton, the multiple Grammy Award-winning Singer, Songwriter and Social Activist, who has sold more than 53 million albums and singles worldwide, is currently on a 115 city world tour spanning several continents, all while working on a myriad of genre- and style-spanning projects including work in film, television and musicals. Bolton remains committed to humanitarian causes...

Michelle Rhee

In the ever-evolving landscape of education in America, MICHELLE RHEE has been working tirelessly for the past two decades to give children the skills and knowledge they will need to compete in a changing world. From adding instructional time after school and visiting students' homes as a third grade teacher in Baltimore, to hosting hundreds of community meetings and creating...

Muna Abu Sulayman

Muna Abu Sulayman, executive manager of Strategic Studies and Research Initiatives at Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's Kingdom Holding Company, was among the 250 Young Global Leaders chosen by the World Economic Forum for 2007. Riyadh-based Muna Abu Sulayman is the only Saudi to gain a place on this year's list which was released yesterday by the Geneva-based WEF.

Randy Jackson

Twenty-year music industry veteran and Grammy Award winning producer, Randy Jackson started out at the young age of 13 playing bass guitar and got his big break when he joined the band Journey. As a prolific musician and producer, Randy also spent eight years as the Vice President of A&R at Columbia Records followed by four years as Senior Vice President of A&R at MCA Records. However, it was...

Sir Richard Branson

Richard Branson is the eccentric and outspoken chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways and the founder of Virgin Records, which he went on to sell for an unprecedented $1 billion. Famous for his daring entrepreneurial style, he oversees the Virgin Group, Ltd., an extensive conglomerate encompassing over 360 companies, including recording studios, a travel business, publishing entities, and retail...

Russell Simmons

Acknowledged as the Godfather of Hip-Hop, he is the visionary behind Def Jam, the legendary label that launched the careers of such artists as Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Jay-Z and Ludicrous; his immensely successful fashion empire of Phat Fashions defines the next generation of chic style, while his Def Comedy Jam, Run’s House and Def Poetry Jam shows breathed new life into comedy and..

Sam  Childers

Rev. Sam Childers is the founder and leader of the Children's Village in Southern Sudan. Years after Sam turned his life around, he was exposed to the atrocities towards children in the region. After running a successful construction company for several years, Sam gave up his business to dedicate himself to the full time rescue and rehabilitation of children. Sam's amazing life story is...

Sherry Lansing

Former CEO of Paramount Pictures and the first woman to head a major film studio, Sherry Lansing is an inspiring and empowering presence on the lecture stage. To listening audiences she narrates the story of her extraordinary career as a businesswoman and philanthropist, and speaks eloquently on the elements of leadership, the joys of charitable giving, and the importance of attaining one’s life

Sylvia Earle

National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, called Her Deepness by the New Yorker and the New York Times, Living Legend by the Library of Congress, and first Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for a number of corporate and non-profit...

Ted Danson

Scientists believe our oceans will face a bleak future if nothing is done. Large-scale industrial fishing takes too much ocean wildlife from the water; land-based industries, meanwhile, put too many pollutants back in; and the laws meant to check this destruction are ignored or selectively enforced.

Tom  Watson

Tom Watson is one of the most successful and enduring professional golfers in the history of the sport. In 2009, nearing his 60th birthday, he led the British Open much of the way before losing in a playoff. It was the feel-good sports story of the year, and will be talked about for as long as games are played and reported. That stunning performance led to a revised British Open age limit that...

Trudie Styler

Trudie Styler’s dynamic personality and incredible determination have made her one of the most powerful women in today’s entertainment industry. Her passionate concerns for the environment and human rights motivate many of her career choices, and are reflected most clearly in her documentary films and fundraising activities. Trudie’s charitable work for human rights and the environment...

Wyclef Jean

Haitian-born Wyclef Jean is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter/musician/producer, humanitarian, Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti, and founder of Yéle Haiti. A founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group Fugees and prolific solo artist, Wyclef has effortlessly crossed genres, generations and geographic boundaries with his music. Wyclef's musical journey began in Haiti where he sang in his...

Philippe  Cousteau

Explorer, social entrepreneur and environmental advocate, Philippe Cousteau is the 33-year-old son of Jan and Philippe Cousteau Sr., and the grandson of Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau. His personal mission is to help people find hope and recognize their power to change the world. Philippe pursues that mission in three main ways, through media, education, and social entrepreneurship. Philippe...

Jessica Alba

While JESSICA ALBA is a Golden Globe-nominated actress whose career continues to flourish in films such as FANTASTIC FOUR, SIN CITY, and LITTLE FOCKERS, she proceeds to distinguish herself as a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and author. A California native, Jessica comes from modest beginnings and never forgets to share her good fortunes with others. She is actively involved with charities...

Sean Penn

Two-time Academy Award® winner Sean Penn has become an American film icon in a career spanning nearly three decades. Penn has been nominated five times for the Academy Award® as Best Actor for DEAN MAN WALKING, SWEET AND LOWDOWN, I AM SAM, and won his first Oscar® in 2003 for his searing performance in Clint Eastwood's MYSTIC RIVER and his second Oscar® as Best Actor in 2009...

Chelsea Clinton

As the only child to a former US President and the former US Secretary of State, CHELSEA CLINTON has led a unique life being exposed to the world in a manner that can only be seen by a select few. This enriched life has molded Chelsea into an advocate for a more healthy, equitable, safe world and all things involving the Clinton Foundation. Established by her father, the Clinton Foundation...