Intercultural
Middle Eastern
Middle Eastern:
Hamas Whistleblower, Star of The Green Prince
Mosab Hassan Yousef is the bestselling author of The Son of Hamas, as well as the star of the film, The Green Prince, which chronicles his intense journey as a spy for the Israeli Shin Bet against Hamas.
Author & Founder of Moral Courage TV
Professor Irshad Manji role models the key teaching of moral courage: that doing the right thing in the face of our fears makes us whole. A senior fellow at the USC, she is an educator at heart.
Nobel Peace Prize-Winning Activist & Lawyer
Iranian lawyer and activist Shirin Ebadi is the first Muslim to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She speaks about democracy and the fundamental rights of women, children and every individual.
Executive Director, American Islamic Congress
As co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit American Islamic Congress, Zainab Al-Suwaij works to promote a positive Muslim American voice.
Award-Winning Author & Curator
Samina Ali is an award-winning author, curator, and popular speaker. Her debut novel, Madras on Rainy Days , was the winner of France’s prestigious Prix Premier Roman Etranger Award and a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award in Fiction.
TIME Women of the Year 2023, Journalist, Activist & Author
Masih Alinejad is an Iranian-American journalist and women’s rights activist who gained worldwide attention when she removed her veil, or hijab, and posted a photo on her Facebook page standing proudly with her hair blowing in the wind.
Host, The Messy Parts Podcast & Co-Founder, The Longest Table
Drawing from her own journey through the messy reality behind success, Maryam creates a space for honest conversations about the struggles, pivots, and hard-won victories that shape extraordinary careers.
U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar from 2022 to 2025
Timmy Davis served as U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar from 2022 to 2025. A senior national security and foreign policy leader, he has held key roles across the White House, State Department, and in high-pressure international environments.
Afghan American Actress & Activist
Azita Ghanizada began her journey to the U.S. as a political refugee when her family fled Afghanistan, where they gained asylum. It was the world of TV that captured her imagination and set her on a strictly tabooed path for a girl from Afghanistan.
Resilience and Change Navigation Expert, Physician and Thought Leader
Resilience expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, aka “Dr. G” is an award winning physician and educator who has spent her career researching the impacts of stress and the solutions to that damage, and bringing those solutions to corporate leaders, underserved communities, Army recruits and Olympic athletes.
Former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States
Husain Haqqani served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States from 2008-2011 and is widely credited with managing a difficult partnership during a critical phase in the global war on terrorism.
Specialist in China’s Belt & Road Initiative & Trade Strategy
With China on track to overtake America’s global dominance, there is no better analyst of the economic, political and trade implications than acclaimed international relations specialist and author Sarwar Kashmeri.
Chair of Arab Studies, University of Columbia
Rashid Khalidi is the Chair in Arab Studies at Columbia, the past President of the Middle East Studies Association, President of the American Committee on Jerusalem, and editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies.
Disability Rights Advocate, Former United States Special Advisor on International Disability Rights
Sara Minkara is a world-renowned, in-demand speaker and visionary who masterfully shatters conventional wisdom about leadership, disability, and human potential.
Author & Journalist
Azadeh Moaveni is a journalist, writer and associate professor at NYU, where she directs the Global Journalism Program. Her books and articles explore the interaction between gender and armed conflict, and how women’s rights are impacted by war and authoritarianism.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Founder & President of Nadia's Initiative
Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad became a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence after surviving the horrific Yazidi Genocide in Iraq carried out by the Islamic State (ISIS).
Journalist & Author
The author of Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam, she is a former Wall Street Journal correspondent. Her character figures promptly in the film A Mighty Heart.
Academy Award Nominated Director
Noujaim's controversial documentary Control Room, about the Arabic-language news station Al Jazeera, called into question the prevailing images and positions offered up by the US news media about the war in Iraq.
Israeli Historian, Author & Politician
Statesman, historian, and parliamentarian, Ambassador Michael Oren has devoted his life to serving Israel and the Jewish people around the world.
Bestselling Author, Podcaster, Publisher, Bookstore Owner, Editor of On Being Jewish Now & “NYC’s Most Powerful Book-fluencer”
Zibby Owens is the bestselling author and editor of six books including Blank, Bookends, Princess Charming, and On Being Jewish Now, which has spent 27 weeks on the USA Today bestseller list.
Private Investigator Turned Nazi Hunter
Steven Rambam is the founder and CEO of Pallorium, Inc., a licensed Investigative Agency with offices and affiliates worldwide.
Best-Selling Author
A philosopher, essayist, risk-management expert and former trader. He is author of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, which explains everything we know about what we don’t know.
Global Energy Authority & Author of Saudi, Inc.
It is virtually impossible to examine the intersection of geopolitics, energy and markets without understanding Saudi Arabia. Global energy authority Ellen R. Wald brings incomparable expertise on the kingdom and its worldwide impact.
Award-Winning Journalist & Author
Robin Wright has reported on numerous wars and revolutions and recently covered foreign policy for The Washington Post. She authored The Last Great Revolution.
Award-Winning Medical Journalist & CNN Analyst
Seema Yasmin is an Emmy Award-winning medical journalist, public health physician, CNN analyst and author. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news reporting in 2017 for her reporting on a mass shooting.
Former White House National Climate Advisor & Leading Authority on the Clean Energy Economy
Ali Zaidi served as Assistant to the President of the United States and National Climate Advisor. In this role, he led the White House Climate Policy Office, which coordinated policy development and the U.S. government’s overall strategy on climate and clean energy.
Pollster, Bestselling Author & Founder of John Zogby Strategies
Hailed as the “Prince of Polling” and a "maverick predictor," John Zogby is a skilled pollster and trendspotter whose pioneering new technique, Tribal Analytics SM, is more predictive than traditional demographics.