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Ayaan Hirsi Ali
A Somali-Dutch feminist, author, and former politician, Ayaan Hirsi Ali has emerged as one of the world's most notable critics of Islam. Her eloquent memoir, Infidel, tells of her extraordinary journey from a devout Muslim girl to a freedom fighter for women's rights-particularly violence against women in the name of religion. Having fled her home to avoid an arranged marriage, she took up the cause of immigrant Muslim women to the Netherlands and was elected to Parliament as an outspoken critic of her own culture. The making of her provocative film, Submission, then led to the murder of its director and sent her into hiding. Her courage in the face of radical Islamist threats have earned her numerous awards, including Norway's Human Rights Service's Bellwether of the Year Award and the Danish Freedom Prize. Ali is currently a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. |
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Lynn Brewer
Author of Confessions of an Enron Executive: A Whistleblower's Story, Lynn Brewer has captivated audiences across the globe with her riveting account of the illegal and corrupt dealings that she uncovered during her years at the energy giant. What she learned firsthand was that a win-at-any-cost organizational culture is ultimately unsustainable. With a background as a forensic accountant and legal professional, Brewer put her experiences at Enron to work by founding The Integrity Institute, Inc., a company that independently assesses and certifies corporate integrity for the benefit of stakeholders. She is also the co-author of Managing Risks for Corporate Integrity: How to Survive an Ethical Misconduct Disaster and has served on the Leadership Council of the Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG). Brewer was recently selected for inclusion in Who's Who of American Women for her contributions to society. |
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Cynthia Cooper
Named one of three "People of the Year" by Time magazine in 2002, Cynthia Cooper was the internal auditor who exposed the massive financial deceptions at telecommunications giant Worldcom-to date the largest corporate fraud in history. In her recent book, Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower, she offers an absorbing account of what it was like to uncover a scandal that could jeopardize her job, her reputation, and even her personal safety. For her strong ethical leadership, Cooper received the Accounting Exemplar Award in 2003 and was inducted into the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Hall of Fame in 2004. A certified public accountant, certified information systems auditor, and certified fraud examiner, Cooper previously served as the chief audit executive at MCI and worked in public accounting for Deloitte. |
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Mimi Donaldson
When Mimi Donaldson speaks, people listen, laugh, and learn. A dynamic presenter, she has inspired and motivated business audiences across the country for more than 20 years with her practical advice on results-oriented communication. With a background in drama and education, Donaldson began her career as a teacher trainer at Columbia University Teachers College and then moved into the human resources field as a trainer at Northrop Aircraft, Rockwell International, and Walt Disney Productions. Believing that "self exposure is key," she leads by example and uses her own hilarious successes, failures, and observations as the model. Donaldson has captured some of her tried and true lessons about effective communications in her books Bless Your Stress-It Means You're Still Alive! and the longtime best-seller Negotiating for Dummies. |
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Sharon Epperson
A longtime favorite on CNBC, Sharon Epperson covers personal finance and energy markets as well as breaking business and financial news. Her work has garnered numerous awards, including the Gracie Allen Award for her series on female CEOs and the New York Association of Black Journalists' Award for Business Reporting for three consecutive years. She is also a personal finance columnist for USA WEEKEND magazine and a contributor to Essence and Time. Epperson's new book, The Big Payoff: 8 Steps Couples Can Take to Make the Most of Their Money-And Live Richly Ever After is a finalist for the 2008 Books for a Better Life Awards, honoring works that have "changed the lives of millions." Epperson is an adjunct lecturer in the School of International Public Affairs at Columbia University. |
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Alison Levine
Wall Street veteran and world-class mountaineer Alison Levine is the founder and president of Daredevil Strategies™, a consulting firm specializing in leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and team dynamics. During her 20-year business career, Levine held positions in healthcare and technology, and worked for investment banking powerhouse Goldman Sachs. As she climbed the corporate ladder, she also scaled the highest peaks on every continent, skied across the Arctic Circle to the North Pole, and served as team captain for the first American Women's Everest Expedition. In January 2008, she made history as the first American to ski a remote 600-mile route to the South Pole. Levine is also founder of the Climb High Foundation, dedicated to teaching women in developing nations the skills they need to work as trekking guides in their local mountains and national parks. |
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Michel Martin
Michel Martin, host of NPR's national talk show Tell Me More, has been a journalist for more than 25 years. A veteran correspondent for ABC News, she worked at Nightline for a decade covering top stories ranging from congressional budget battles to racial profiling and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She also contributed to several critically acclaimed specials, including a documentary on the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas controversy and on-the-ground reporting of September 11th. Earlier in her career, she covered state and local politics for the Washington Post, and served as White House correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. Among numerous other honors, Martin received the Candace Award for Communications from The National Coalition of 100 Black Women and an Emmy Award for her story on the international campaign to ban the use of landmines. |
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Annie McKee, Ph.D.
Selected by Business Week as one of the Top 100 Leaders of 2005, Annie McKee is co-founder and managing director of the Teleos Leadership Institute. The firm consults with and coaches executives from a wide range of industries to become values-based leaders and to achieve organizational transformation. McKee also serves on the faculty of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and teaches at the Wharton School's Aresty Institute of Executive Education. As one of the world's top advisors on leadership, she has written extensively about the business case for developing emotional intelligence in leaders and for creating vibrant, focused, and resonant organizations. Among the groundbreaking books she has co-authored are Primal Leadership, Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others through Mindfulness, Hope and Compassion, and Becoming a Resonant Leader. |
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Cindy Kay Olson
During her 23 years at Enron, Cindy Kay Olson steadily advanced in management, rising from vice president for finance, planning and administration for Transwestern Pipeline, to vice president of wholesale operations services for Enron Capital and Trade Resource, and ultimately to executive vice president of global human resources and community relations. In that role she was recognized as a change agent, introducing work-life innovations and employee benefits that helped put Enron repeatedly on Fortune's list of 100 Best Companies to Work for in America. But Olson's career came to a dramatic halt when the energy giant filed for bankruptcy in 2001 amid revelations that the CFO was stealing from the company. Her book, The Whole Truth.So Help Me God: An Enlightened Testimony from Inside Enron's Executive Office, provides a fascinating look into what went on and what went wrong at the most senior levels. |
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Mary Robinson
Human rights advocate Mary Robinson stands among the true heroes of our time for her contributions to an ethical world order. She took her place on the international stage as the first woman to be elected President of Ireland, and then to chair the United Nations Commission for Human Rights. Now chair of the Council of Women World Leaders, she heads a network that mobilizes on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development. Robinson also leads Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, which works for the integration of human rights, gender sensitivity, and enhanced accountability into governing. Among numerous other activities, she is vice president of the Club of Madrid, member of the advisory board of the Earth Institute, and a professor of practice in international affairs at Columbia University. Robinson was recently awarded the Prince of Asturias Award and the Prix des Generations 2008 Award for her initiative in promoting dialogue on ethical global values. |
