College & Independent Schools
Authors & Writers
Authors & Writers:
Foreign Correspondent & Author
Author of War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning and a foreign correspondent in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans, Chris Hedges speaks on war, religion and the conflict in the Middle East.
Critical Media Literacy Scholar, Author, University Lecturer of History and Media Studies
Nolan Higdon is an author, host of The Disinfo Detox Podcast, lecturer at Merrill College and the Education Department at University of California, Santa Cruz, and Project Censored National Judge.
Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University, Co-Author of Sexual Citizens
Jennifer S. Hirsch, a Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University, is widely recognized as one of the nation’s top voices researching gender, sexuality and health.
New York Times Bestselling Author of Rocket Girls
New York Times bestselling author Nathalia Holt enthuses audiences with her inspiring narratives of women who have defied the odds, broken barriers, and made history.
One of the Most Accomplished & Widely Recognized Rock Climbers in the World
Alex Honnold is one of the most accomplished and widely recognized rock climbers in the world, celebrated for his bold free solo ascents of America's most iconic cliffs—performed without ropes or safety equipment.
Award Winning Television Executive & Creative Corporate Change Agent
Michelle D. Hord is a creative storyteller and media executive. As the President of Hope Warrior, Inc., and former Vice President of Creative Content and Talent Management for NBCUniversal, Michelle has produced content for television shows.
Host, Inside Mental Health Podcast, Author & Bipolar Advocate
Gabe Howard is an award-winning podcast host, author, and sought-after speaker, but he wouldn’t be any of those things today if he hadn’t been committed to a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2003.
Former CEO of Tinder in Latin America & Chief Digital Officer at L’Oréal
Andrea Iorio is one of the leading speakers on AI, Leadership, Sales, and Innovation on the global stage, and is an international best-selling author with his book Between You and AI.
Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate, Best-Selling Author & Professor at San Francisco State University
Dr. Russell Jeung is a nationally respected voice at the intersection of race, community safety, and social change, known for translating lived experience and data into movements that shift public consciousness and policy.
World’s Foremost Authority on Rejection & Bestselling Author of Rejection Proof
Rising to notoriety with his most-viewed TED Talk (top 200 out of 60,000), What I Learned from 100 Days of Rejection, which became the basis for his bestselling book and #1 audio book, Rejection Proof, Jia Jiang has become the world’s foremost expert on rejection.
Best-Selling True Crime Author & Journalist
Jones is a best-selling true crime author and journalist who uses her reporter’s hunch to investigate high-profile crimes and murder cases. Through her eyes, Jones sheds light on the dark motives and emotional truths lurking behind the headlines.
Thought Leader & Founding Director, LBJ School of Public Affairs CSRD
In Fall 2015, Dr. Peniel E. Joseph joined the University of Texas at Austin as Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy.
Integrative Physician/Epidemiologist, Health Tech Consultant & Author of On Healing
Dr. Kalaichandran has given talks at Stanford University, Happify, and South by Southwest, while also regularly contributing to The New York Times (Well, Opinion, and Styles sections) on topics that deal with medical education, health, and wellness.
Political Analyst, Best-Selling Author & Emmy-Nominated Investigative Reporter
Brian J. Karem is an award-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated reporter and author of seven books. Brian is a veteran White House correspondent and former senior correspondent for Playboy Magazine.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian
A professor of American history at Stanford University, David Kennedy offers convention-shattering revelations about 20th Century America. Author of Freedom from Fear, he also contributes to The New York Times.
Professor of Sociology and American Studies, Princeton University; Co-Author of Sexual Citizens
Shamus Khan is the Willard Thorp professor of sociology and American Studies at Princeton University. He writes on culture, inequality, gender and elites.
New York Times Architecture Critic
Michael Kimmelman is chief architecture critic of The New York Times and a contributor to The New York Review of Books. While his critiques assess art, they help people understand the bond between art and life.
Contributing Opinion Writer for the New York Times & Author
Combining his breadth of historical knowledge, extensive global travels, and memorable anecdotes, James Kirchick illuminates the most important issue in the world today — freedom.
Professor at Montclair State University in the Department of Teaching and Learning & the Department of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies
Emily J. Klein is a professor at Montclair State University in the Department of Teaching and Learning, the PhD program in Teaching and Teacher Education, and the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies.
Author, Notorious RBG, Attorney & Activist
Knizhnik is a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society of New York City’s Criminal Defense Practice. While a student at NYU School of Law, she created the Notorious RBG Tumblr, and in 2015 she co-wrote Notorious RBG with journalist Irin Carmon.
Political Economist & Best-Selling Author
Robert Kuttner is co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect magazine. He was a columnist for Business Week, and continues to write columns for Huffington Post and The New York Times international edition.
Educator, Best-Selling Author, Recovery & Prevention Coach
Teacher and NYT best-selling author, Jessica Lahey, inspires audiences with her rallying cry to allow children to experience failure as an integral part of becoming successful, resilient and self-reliant adults.
Chief Data Scientist of Lander Analytics, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School & a Visiting Lecturer at Princeton University
Jared P. Lander is Chief Data Scientist of Lander Analytics, the Organizer of the New York Open Statistical Programming Meetup and The New York and Government Data Science & AI Conferences, an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, and a Visiting Lecturer at Princeton University.
Award-Winning Journalist, Creator of Queer News Daily & Author
Nico Lang is a multi award-winning journalist, editor, culture critic, and essayist. In the decade they’ve spent in journalism, Lang has also served as the deputy editor for Out magazine.
Biographer & Author
A best-selling author and Kennedy expert, speaker Laurence Leamer most recently authored Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger, which USA Today called "truly fantastic."
Former Chief Engineer at NASA JPL
A renowned science fiction writer who produced the Cosmos series with Carl Sagan, B. Gentry Lee is the former Chief Engineer for the Solar System Exploration Directorate at NASA JPL.
Actress / Creator of Angry Little Asian Girl
Lela Lee created the cult online cartoon "Angry Little Asian Girl" and website for people, like her, who grew up thinking girls shouldn't get upset. She has guest starred on Will & Grace and Friends among others.
Grief Advocate, Entrepreneur & Bestselling Author
Marisa Renee Lee is a called upon grief advocate, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of Grief is Love: Living with Loss.
Internationally Recognized Expert on Sexuality & Relationships
Dr. Logan Levkoff specializes in uncomfortable conversations. Though she is an internationally recognized expert on sexuality and relationships, she fearlessly uses her platform to encourage honest conversation about many provocative subjects.
Adventure Sports & Travel Journalist / Author
Writer, educator, public speaker and entertainer Buddy Levy is a co-star of Brad Meltzer's Decoded on The History Channel. As a freelance journalist, he has covered adventure sports and lifestyle/travel worldwide.
Wired’s Editor at Large
A former senior editor of Newsweek, Steven Levy has been at the forefront of technology since the 80s. Levy is an expert on innovation, creative technology and technology's impact on business and society.
Heart Inspired Speaker, Leadership Consultant & Author
Dr. Luff is an overcomer! As the son of a single-parent housekeeper, he was homeless in high school but went on to become a first-generation college graduate three times over despite being told that he was not college material.