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Name Description
Polly Baca Highest ranking Hispanic woman in the Clinton administration, Polly Baca served as Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton and Director of the United States Office of Consumer Affairs. She also served as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee and was one of the original 14 members to be inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame.
Herman Badillo The first U.S. Congressman of Puerto Rican ancestry to sit in the House of Representatives and former Deputy Mayor of New York City.
F. Lee Bailey Prominent defense attorney.
Ben Bailey Ben Bailey: Ben has made appearances on HBO, NBC, Mad TV, Comedy Central, Star Search, and is in the upcoming movie Bad Meat due out this spring.
Bill Baird Bill Baird is the next speaker for the Convention was abortion rights activist Bill Baird, who spoke on “The Politics of God, Government and Sex.” Known as “The Father of the Abortion Rights Movement,” he returns to the Convention on the 27th anniversary of the historic BAIRD v. EISENSTADT, the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision that liberalized birth control laws in the United States and helped to establish the cornerstone of ROE v. WADE. The BAIRD case was quoted six times in the ROE decision. He established the nation’s first birth control and abortion center on a college campus in 1965. Part of that time he spent in jail for teaching about birth control in New York. In 1967, he was sentenced to three months in prison for “crimes against chastity,” that is, for exhibiting birth control and abortion devices to an audience of two thousand individuals at Boston University and giving a non-prescriptive contraception to a nineteen-year-old college student. Baird described the contemporary abortion battle as “a holy war,” and noted that there have been over 200 firebombs and acts of vandalism against abortion providers. He then discussed indicators of the intensity of the present abortion-rights fight, and noted how anti-choice zealots often “demonize” and objectify those they disagree with. One example was a lurid posted used by Catholics anti-abortion activists which depicted Jesus re-crucified over the heads of aborted fetuses, with an American flag at half-mast as a distress signal.. Another item was a pamphlet, “Who Killed Junior?”, which included a picture of a knife stabbing into the depiction of an infant. Another illustration depicted a fetus writhing in pain with the legend: “Aborted babies at 13 weeks old will struggle for life after an abortion from 2 to 3 hours.” On the back page, text read: “No woman has a right over her baby’s body -- the baby is another person, a separate human being.”
Michael Baisden Michael Baisden a author, motivational speaker, former TV talk show host, and host of his own nationally-syndicated radio show. Baisdens first book, Never Satisfied: How and Why Men Cheat, was released under a Vanity Press label. In 2001, he made a series of promotional appearances on daytime talk shows. He was also host of his own short-lived syndicated talk show entitled Talk or Walk in 2001. Currently, Baisden is host of the nationally-syndicated radio program "Love, Lust, and Lies
Rudi Bakhtiar Rudi Bakhtiar is an Iranian-American journalist, working for the Fox News Channel. Although born in California, Bakhtiar was raised in Iran until the Iranian Revolution when her family moved to the United States. She attended University of California, Los Angeles, where she received a B.S. in biology, planning to be a dentist. Prior to Fox News, Bakhtiar had worked for CNN. Joining CNN in 1996, she became a co-anchor of CNN Student News, the 30-minute commercial free news and features program designed specifically for use in the classroom. She provided multiple reports while on assignment from numerous countries, including South Africa, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Mali. She was on the air live on CNN Headline News on September 11, 2001 when the terrorist attacks of that day began. In 2002, Bakhtiar received the Iranian American Republican Council Achievement Award. In 2005, after moving from CNN Headline News to CNN/U.S. to be a correspondent on the program Anderson Cooper 360, Bakhtiar left CNN to pursue other career interests and deal with family health issues. On January 11, 2006, Fox News announced that Bakhtiar would be joining the network as a general correspondent. She first appeared on the channel on January 22, 2006. Rumors of Fox's interest in Bakhtiar were around as early as December, 2004.
Tyrie Ballard Tyrie Ballard from the Real World Denver Ty Ballard, 23, was born on December 7th, 1982 in Omaha, Nebraska and now resides nearby in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is Ty's second reality show as he was one of the frat brothers of Tommy Lee during his reality show at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, "Tommy Lee Goes to College".Tyrie is a bit of a comedian on the Real World Denver while generally getting along with everyone he prides himself with putting a party on his back and running with it. Ty from the Real World Denver can be the life of the party but at the same time get other interested and involved. This can be seen on the show as he did promotions for Tabu at 1222 Glenarm Place while in Denver and then continues to do after the show by running his own nightclub events and parties. Tyrie Ballard would be great for speaking on diversity, equality, and minority plights.
Ernie Banks Baseball Hall of Famer who for many years was an all-star infielder for the Chicago Cubs. An inspirational and motivational speaker.
Murray Banks Humorous psychologist and best-selling author of What To Do Until the Psychiatrist Comes.
Dennis Banks Native American leader, activist, teacher, lecturer and co-founder of the American Indian movement (AIM). He is the author of his autobiography, Sacred Soul.
Amiri Baraka Amiri Barakas standing as a major poet is matched by his importance as a cultural and political leader. As leader of the Black Arts movement of the 1960s, Baraka did much to define and support black literature's mission into the twenty-first century. Writers from other ethnic groups credit Baraka with opening "tightly guarded doors" in the white publishing establishment. Baraka, known as LeRoi Jones until 1967, writes with a style that is confrontational, calculated to shock and awaken audiences to the political concerns of black Americans. Baraka's own political stance has changed several times, each time finding expression in his plays, poems, and essays so that his works can be divided into periods; a member of the avant garde during the 1950s, Baraka became a black nationalist, and later a Marxist with socialist ideals. Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note, Baraka's first published collection of poems, appeared in 1961. Throughout, the poet shows his integrated, Bohemian social roots. With the rise of the civil rights movement Baraka's works took on a more militant tone, and he began a reluctant separation from his Bohemian beginnings.
Tiki Barber Tiki Barber Former NFL Pro Bowl Running Back, NBC Broadcaster is the unique individual who combines a stellar portfolio of athletics and broadcasting with a captivating story-telling presence at the podium. He is a renaissance man without equal today, as evidenced by a resume that includes: NBC correspondent, Pro Bowl running back, Sirius Satellite radio host, author, producer, actor, corporate spokesman, scholar and philanthropist. Barber joined NBC Universal in 2007 on the heels of his Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career. A three-time Pro Bowler, he will split time as a correspondent for the "Today" show and as an analyst for NBC`s "Football Night in America," while also contributing to the 2008 and 2010 Olympics. In 10 seasons on the gridiron, Barber joined Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen as the only players in NFL history with at least 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving. He retired ranking third all-time in yards per carry (4.7) and 10th all-time in yards from scrimmage (15,632; rushing and receiving). Barber holds every conceivable Giants rushing record--total yards, rushing yards, rushing attempts and rushing touchdowns--and in his final regular-season game broke his own franchise single-game rushing mark with 234 yards, in a win vs. the rival Washington Redskins. A tireless entertainer and communicator, during his playing days Barber was a weekly co-host on FOX News Channel`s morning program "FOX and Friends" (2005-07). He further debunks the jock stereotype as a co-host of "Ronde and Tiki`s Barber Shop," broadcast on Sirius Satellite radio with his twin brother/fellow NFL'er. Previously, Tiki also hosted "The National Sweep with Tiki Barber," a radio program delving into politics, news and entertainment that featured guests including: John McCain, U.S. Senator; Matt Lauer, host of the "Today" show; Rear Admiral Kenneth P. Moritsugu, U.S. Surgeon General; and Daniel Kurtzer, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel. As active in the community as he was on the gridiron, Barber devotes generous time and money to the Children`s Miracle Network, the Fresh Air Fund and the Robin Hood Foundation, among others. A staunch advocate for literacy, he has co-authored with Ronde three successful children`s books, and is under contract to write a motivational memoir and two young-adult novels.
Bob Barker Bob Barker is a 19-time Emmy Award-winning American television game show host. The first Bob Barker appearance on the game show hosting scene was in December 1956, when he became the host of Truth or Consequences. He continued with the program until 1975. On September 1972, Barker began his most famous assignment hosting the CBS revival of The Price Is Right. In the four decades of the CBS version, he has become far more strongly associated with the show than first host, Bill Cullen. In 2006, The Price Is Right celebrated 35 consecutive years on the air. It is the longest-running game show of all time in North America. Barker retired in June 2007 after holding the job for nearly 35 years and having been in television for 50 years.
Nigel Barlow Nigel Barlow is a keynote speaker on creativity, the innovative management of change and customer service. Since the past 18 years he has been focusing on helping major organisations and industries around the world. Nigel was a founding director of the UK consulting wing of the Tom Peters Group, TPG Partners, and has also established his own international customer service consultancy that specialises in helping clients to deliver high and professional levels of service. Nigel a regular contributor to Customer Service Management journal is also the Author of "Batteries Included": Creating Legendary Service. Nigel a passionate, witty, and dynamic presenter is able to speak to business audiences of up to 1000 delegates, Nigel coaches and provokes senior teams to be more creative and adventurous in the goals. His presentations are well-known for their freshness, challenge and humour, Nigel is always ready to take on the after-lunch slot as a challenge that he can keep his session lively, interactive and focused. His talks are researched based, some of the themes he works with are Creative Approaches to Change, Shaping the Future, Organisational Innovation and Customer Service. He has worked with audiences as diverse as Korean managers, German engineers, BBC researchers and producers, road rescue patrolmen, British bankers and many senior and board-level teams. He is able to communicate serious messages in a highly entertaining way. Nigel helps today's managers to understand cultural change and diversity, globalisation, customer service, corporate innovation, brand management etc. His corporate clients would include: Abbey Life, AGA, Argos, Arthur Andersen, Barclays, BBC, BP, British Council, BT, Ericsson, GKN, Glaxo, Granada, The Highways Agency, Mobil, Nestle, Sainsbury's, SKF, Sun Life, Texaco and Whitbread.
Rick Barrera Marketing consultant, management, sales and personal development expert and author of the business best-seller, Non-Manipulative Selling.
Lester Barrie Popular comedian who was the host of BET's "Comic View" for two years. He has also performed on "Def Comedy Jam" and sparked standing ovations on "Showtime at the Apollo".
Dave Barry Well known Humorist, author and Pulitzer Prize winning syndicated columnist.
Randy Barry Randy Barry was known as the sensitive and insightful cast member from MTV Real World San Diego. Real World San Diego was season 14 on MTV airing early 2004. Randy Barry was on the Battle of the Sexes 2 in 2004 and now in 2006, the Gauntlet 2, for the MTV Real World Road Rules challenges. Randy from Real World San Diego would be great for speaking on alcohol awareness, relationships, and conflict resolution at college lectures.
Rob Bartlett Impressionist and comedian featured on "Imus in the Morning" radio show.
Lance Bass Lance Bass Singer (*NSYNC), Producer, Writer, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist Program Title: In Sync With Lance Bass At sixteen, Lance Bass received a phone call from Justin Timberlake that would change his life forever. Soon after, he left his small-town in Clinton, Mississippi to join an emerging musical group called *NSYNC. Two years later *NSYNC was inspiring Beatles-esque mania around the world, becoming the new face of the MTV generation. And now this inspiring entertainer is taking on a new role for a very special limited time only: Guest Speaker. Lance speaks candidly about his childhood, his astonishing experiences growing up in one of the biggest bands in the world, his shock and frustration at the band's eventual dissolution, and his subsequent career, including his four months in Russia, training to become a cosmonaut. Lance frankly discusses life as a gay man --his struggle keeping his sexuality hidden from fans in case it jeopardized *NSYNC's success, and the true circumstances that led to his decision to publicly come out. Lance's program is full of fascinating behind-the-scenes lore and revealing insights that makes for an evening not to be missed! Lance Bass is the ultimate multi-hyphenate: Singer-Actor-Producer-Writer-Entrepreneur- Philanthropist who has sold some 25 million records worldwide as a member of *NSYNC. The group holds the all time record for most album sales in a single day (over 1 million) and in a single week (2.4 million) for its 2000 album No Strings Attached, which ultimately became a rare “Diamond” album, with over 10 million records sold. In addition, the albums *NSYNC, Celebrity, and Home for Christmas all went multi-platinum. As a member of *NSYNC, Lance has won a number of awards, including People’s Choice, American Music Awards, MTV Video Awards, Kid’s Choice, and a host of Grammy nominations. The groups’ several worldwide tours have been among the highest grossing and most well attended in history and have played well on HBO and IMAX screens. Aside from *NSYNC, Lance Bass also made a name for himself in a variety of other endeavors. He executive produced and starred in the Miramax film On the Line that received the coveted Movieguide® award for excellence in family-oriented programming. Lance Bass also received the Golden Apple Award® as Male Film Discovery of 2001. In addition, Lance has made guest appearances in the film Zoolander and the television shows 7th Heaven, The Simpsons, Star Search, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, NBC’s hit series America's Most Talented Kid, co-host for the American Music Award’s Red Carpet Party.
Gary Bauer Conservative spokesman and political activist, Gary Bauer was a Republican Presidential Candidate during the 2000 National primaries. Bauer held several jobs in the Ronald Reagan administration, rising to the directorship of the White House's Office of Policy Development. In 1988 he became head of the Family Research Council, turing it into a prominent lobbying organization for conservative and Christian ideals; later he founded a political action committee, the Campaign for Working Families, whose purpose he described as "to elect pro-family, pro-life, pro-free enterprise candidates to public office." Bauer took a leave of absence for the PRC in 1999 and announced his intention to run for president.
Ray Baumel Put-on artist whose impersonation of the expert of your choice leaves audiences amused, spellbound and entertained.
Robert Bazell NBC News' Chief Health & Science Correspondent. His reports appear on "NBC Nightly News", "Today" and "Dateline NBC." Dr. Bazell is the author of the controversial book, HER-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer.
Ishmael Beah Former Child Soldier, Human Rights Activist and Best Selling Author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier Program Title: A Long Way Gone Ishmael Beah was born in Sierra Leone on November 23, 1980. When he was eleven, Ishmael Beah's life, along with the lives of millions of other Sierra Leoneans, was derailed by the outbreak of a brutal civil war. After Ishmael Beah's parents and two brothers were killed, Ishmael was recruited to fight as a child soldier. He was thirteen. Ishmael Beah fought for over two years before Ishmael Beah was removed from the army by UNICEF and placed in a rehabilitation home in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. After completing rehabilitation in late 1996, Ishmael Beah won a competition to attend a conference at the United Nations to talk about the devastating effects of war on children in his country. It was there that he met his new mother, Laura Simms, a professional storyteller who lives in New York. Ishmael Beah returned to Sierra Leone and continued speaking about his experiences to help bring international attention to the issue of child soldiering and war affected children. In 1998 Ishmael Beah came to live with his American family in New York City. He completed high school at the United Nations International School, and subsequently went on to Oberlin College in Ohio. Throughout Ishmael Beah's high school and undergraduate education, Ishmael Beah continued his advocacy work to bring attention to the plight of child soldiers and children affected by war around the world, speaking on numerous occasions on behalf of Unicef, Human Rights Watch, United Nations Secretary General’s Office for Children and Armed Conflict, at the United Nations General Assembly, serving on a UN panel with Secretary General Kofi Annan and discussing the issue with dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton. Ishmael Beah is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Committee. In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, Ishmael Beah fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, Ishmael Beah had been picked up by the government army, and Ishmael Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, Ishmael Beah struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope.
Lawrence Beamen Lawrence is a native of the Deep South (Mississippi) and his quiet, humble upbringing is a complete contrast to his booming voice and intense passion for music. The remarkable gift grabbed him at the early age of six and it hasn't let go. His gospel background was strengthened with classical training and his repertoire grew through discipline and commitment. Lawrences sound reflects the great voices that have influenced his musical style: the depth of Barry White, the soul of Mahalia Jackson, the honesty of Bill Withers. His talent as well as his humility have earned Lawrence a place on America's Got Talent and he hopes he'll continue to impress both the audience and the judges.
Cathy Bao Bean Cathy Bao Bean, author of The Chopsticks Fork Principle, A Memoir and Manual, is a daughter, mother, wife, friend, sister, aerobics instructor, business manager, and board member of the Claremont Graduate University School of the Arts and Humanities, the NJ Council for the Humanities and Society for Values in Higher Education. In a previous incarnation, she was a philosophy teacher, cook, student, carpool driver as well as founding member of the Ridge and Valley Conservancy. In the process, she has been learning how to make the foreign more familiar and the ordinary and extraordinary into each other.
Daniel Beaty Actor, singer, writer, and composer Daniel Beaty has worked throughout the US, Europe, and Africa in a variety of styles ranging from television to solo concerts to theatrical productions to opera including performance at The White House, The Kennedy Center in tribute to Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, and The Apollo. This fall Daniel completed a highly acclaimed soldout extended run of his one man play Emergence-See! off-Broadway at the Public Theater. Awards include 2007 Obie Award for Outstanding Writing and Performance, 2006 Ovation, Acclaim, & Everyday Freedom Hero Awards. Daniel is also the 2004 Grand Slam Champion at the world famous Nuyorican Poet's Cafe and The Fox Networks National Redemption Slam Champion. Daniel's writings and compositions have been performed at The Public Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), New York Theater Workshop, La Mama, American Conservatory Theater, Yale University, The NAACP National Convention, The SCLC National Convention, and various other venues. His show Emergence-SEE! has been reviewed as a "brilliant, spellbinding performance" by the Amsterdam News and "a dazzling 90 minutes, full of memorable moments, intense, hilarious" by the New York Times.
Alison Bechdel Since its inception in 1983, Alison Bechdels comic strip *Dykes To Watch Out For* has become a countercultural institution. The strip is syndicated in dozens of newspapers, translated into several languages and collected in a series of award-winning books. *Utne* magazine has listed DTWOF as "one of the greatest hits of the twentieth century." And *Comics Journal* says, "Bechdels art distills the pleasures of *Friends* and *The Nation* we recognize our world in it, with its sorrows and ironies." In addition to her comic strip, Bechdel has also done exclusive work for a slew of publications, including *Ms.*, *Slate*, the *Advocate*, and many other newspapers, websites, comic books, and 'zines. In 2006, Houghton Mifflin published her graphic memoir, *Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic*. The bestselling coming-of-age tale has been called a "mesmerizing feat of familial resurrection" and a "rare, prime example of why graphic novels have taken over the conversation about American literature.
Chris Beckman Chris Beckman was bucking for a promotion at a now defunct dot-com in Boston when his friends at his gym persuaded him to audition for MTV's The Real World. Chris ended up as a cast member for the Chicago episodes. Many of that season's episodes explored deeper into Chris's recovery from alcoholism to a burgeoning relationship. Chris has since been the recipient of the Congressman Gerry E. Studs Visibility Award for being a positive role model in the gay community. He is now on the lecture circuit and studying to be an actor. Chris says "I have a responsibility to talk about where my life was and where it is today."
Harry Belafonte The consummate entertainer, Belafonte is a world-renowned recording artist ,Broadway, movie and TV star and globally respected human rights activist. The winner of countless awards for his work as an artist and humanitarian, he continues to fight against injustice throughout the world.
Derrick Bell An eminent law professor and legal scholar, Derrick Bell has spent his professional life in various areas of civil rights work; litigation, administration, teaching and scholarship. After an early career as a Justice Department lawyer,Professor Bell joined the Harvard Law School faculty and became its first Black tenured member. He left his position at Harvard to protest the school's failure to hire and tenure women of color on the faculty. He is the author of such books as Confronting Authority; and Gospel Choirs: Psalms Survival In An Alien Land Called Home.
Stephanie Bell-Rose Harvard trained African American attorney, Stephanie Bell-Rose is the Mellon Foundation counsel and an authority on affirmative action and education.
Bill Bellamy Well known comedian and actor.
David Bellavia David Bellavia has distinguished himself through both his profound leadership on the battlefields of Iraq and his compassionate and dedicated efforts to build public support for his fellow soldiers. Mr. Bellavia, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, has been nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nations highest military award, for his extraordinary conduct during the battle for Al Fallujah. On November 10, 2004, Mr. Bellavias 29th birthday, his platoon was taking direct fire from pointblank range while battling for a structure in the war-torn city. Through desperate fighting in austere conditions, Mr. Bellavia engaged and destroyed five enemy combatants, alleviating the clear and present danger they posed to members of his platoon. Later in the battle, with ammunition scarce, Mr. Bellavia again distinguished himself by leading his men to victory in close hand-to-hand combat. Mr. Bellavia has received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals and the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross. He has also been nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross. Since returning from Iraq, Mr. Bellavia has dedicated himself to galvanizing support for the military personnel still fighting in Iraq and encouraging expansion of veteran service programs to better serve the current generation of American heroes.
Regina Belle Well known jazz singer, Regina Belle presents an evening of musical entertainment.
Vernon Bellecourt Vernon is a principal spokesman for the American Indian Movement and a leader in actions ranging from the 1972 occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington to the 1992 Redskin Superbowl demonstrations. He is Co-founder and first Executive Director of the Denver AIM Chapter. His involvement at Wounded Knee in 1973 led to a Federal indictment. He is a special representative of the International Indian Treaty Council and helped organize the first Treaty Conference in 1974. He was jailed for throwing his blood on the Guatemalan Embassy to protest the killing of 100,000 Indians. He was elected to a 4-year term in his White Earth tribal government and developed a model program for the spiritual education of Indian prisoners. Vernon is President of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports & Media and recipient of the City of Phoenix, Martin Luther King Human Rights Award 1993.
Clyde Bellecourt Clyde is a founder and Director of the American Indian Movement. He was a major figure in the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 and played a founding role in an ongoing Indian School System, Legal Rights Center and the International Indian Treaty Council. He is also directing the Peacemaker Center for Indian youth and the AIM Patrol which provides security for the Minneapolis Indian community. He is an organizer of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media. He is founder and currently Chairman of the Board of American Indian OIC, an innovative job program that has moved over 14,000 people from welfare to full-time employment. Clyde sees a bright future: "This generation of little children is the 7th Generation.
Yosef Ben-Jochannan Well known Black historian, cultural anthropologist and author. Dr. Ben was adjunct professor at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, for over a decade (19761987). He has written and published over forty-nine books and papers, revealing much of the information unearthed while he was in Egypt. Two of his better known works include, Black Man of the Nile and His Family and Africa: Mother of Major Western Religions. In 1939, shortly after receiving his undergraduate degree, Dr. Ben's father sent him to Egypt to study first hand the ancient history of African People. Since 1941, Dr. Ben has been to Egypt at least twice a year. He began leading educational tours to Egypt in 1946. When asked why he began the tours, he replied "because no one knew or cared about Egypt and most believed Egypt was not in Africa." According to Dr. Ben, Egypt is the place to go to learn the fundamentals of living. Over five decades have passed and Dr. Ben, a preeminent scholar and Egyptologist, remains focused on Nile Valley Civilization.
Johnny Bench Long time star of baseball's Cincinnati Reds, and one of the greatest catchers in the history of the major leagues.
Nicola Benedetti Nicola Benedetti has been performing on the violin since age five. She recorded her debut album in 2005, which received critical acclaim and debuted at Number 1 on the British Broadcasting Company Music charts. She has since captivated audiences worldwide with her performances.
Joe Benigno Joe, a.k.a. Joe from Saddle River, got his big break in radio in 1994, when he won WFAN's Fan Appreciation Day contest and was awarded a guest host spot on the station. He parlayed his one-shot spot into an overnight host job at a small station in Elizabeth, New Jersey before being offered a full-time spot on the FAN.
Lerone Bennett Noted journalist, historian, author, and executive editor of Ebony Magazine.
Dierks Bentley Dierks Bentley is an country music singer songwriter. After years of playing various local venues, Dierks was discovered and signed to Capitol Records in 2003. That year, he debuted with the single What Was I Thinkin, which reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. The single was included on his self-titled debut album, also released in 2003; both it and its follow up, 2005's Modern Day Drifter, were certified platinum in the United States. Counting What Was I Thinkin, Dierks has charted ten singles to date on the U.S. country singles charts, of which five have reached Number One. He has also recorded four studio albums to date one early, independent work, as well as his three studio albums on Capitol Records. Bentley's most recent album, Long Trip Alone, was released in late 2006 and has been certified gold.
Michael Berenbaum A historian and a leading authority on the Holocaust, Michael Berenbaum was President and Chief Executive Officer of Steven Spielberg's Survivors of The Shoah Visual History Foundation. He was the Director of the United States Holocaust Research Institute and the project director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, overseeing its creation.
Peter Bergen Peter Bergen is a Schwartz senior fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C; an Adjunct Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University; CNN's terrorism analyst and author of Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Bin Laden. (Free Press, 2001). Holy War, Inc. was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into eighteen languages. A documentary based on Holy War, Inc., which aired on National Geographic television, was nominated for an Emmy in the research category. His most recent book is The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader (Free Press, 2006). The book is being translated into French, Spanish, Arabic and Polish, and CNN is shooting a two hour documentary based on the book that will air around the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Former White House counterterrorism coordinator, Richard Clarke, reviewing the book in the Washington Post wrote What made Bin Laden into historys most successful terrorist? Peter L. Bergen has written what will long be a goto resource for those seeking answers to such questions. The result is a detailed, wellresearched narrative that persuasively answers dozens of questions that are still painfully relevant fine volume. Foreign Affairs reviewer named it one of the best books of the past year about the Middle East. Bergen has written about al Qaeda and terrorism for a variety of publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post The Atlantic Rolling Stone TIME, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. He is on the editorial board of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, the leading scholarly journal in the field. In 1997, as a producer for CNN, Bergen produced bin Ladens first television interview. He was the recipient of the Leonard Silk Journalism Fellowship 2000 for Holy War Inc, and in 1994 he won the Overseas Press Club Edward R. Murrow award for best foreign affairs documentary for the CNN program Kingdom of Cocaine. From mid 1998 to late 1999 Bergen worked as a correspondent-producer for CNN. He was program editor for "CNN Impact," a co-production of CNN and TIME, from 1997 to 1998. Previously he worked for CNN as a producer on a wide variety of international and U.S. national stories. From 1985 to 1990 he worked for ABC News in New York.
Wes Bergmann Wes Bergmann from MTV Real World Austin has been on two Real World Road Rules challenges. The first being The Fresh Meat Challenge where his team with Casey won third place taking home $5000. Wes is also on the currently airing The Duel Challenge. Wes from Real World Austin would be great for speaking about alcohol awareness, sexual relations, and fraternity life.
Justin Berkman Justin Berkman is an emerging star in stand-up comedy. This young comedian brings passion, wisdom, and an incredibly original and equally hilarious brand of comedy to the stage. Justin doesn't just tell jokes, he puts on a show. His likeability and widespread appeal are enabling his current rise to stardom. The Los Angeles native appeared on three episodes of MTV's "Yo Momma", and has also been seen on FX's "The People's Champion" and SiTV's "Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner". Additionally, he was one of the headliners on The New Generation of Comedy Tour which traveled to over 30 cities across the country. He has been a guest comedian on a number of radio stations, and his services are in demand at numerous comedy clubs and colleges nationwide. So, check out this former gymnast, Jamba Juice smoothie engineer and Trivial Pursuit question writer because, "he's funny" (quote by Justin Berkman).
Chris Berman Host and analyst for Monday Night Football on ABC Sports and ESPN.
Len Berman Emmy Award-winning sports analyst and a popular Today Show regular, Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Len Berman is known to millions of viewers for his "Spanning the World" round-ups of the astonishing and the hysterical from the world of sports. To sports fans, he is also known as creator and host of the Sports Fantasy program for NBC's SportsWorld. A popular feature in its several years on the air, the show arranged to have viewers act out their sports fantasies with their favorite athletes. He has hosted World Series games and Super Bowls and has done play-by-play for college basketball and NFL football since joining NBC-TV in September 1982. He is the recipient of five Emmy Awards for his sports reports, and his Sports Update program in New York was cited by United Press International for Outstanding Sports reporting. For corporate events, Berman offers the perfect antidote to dry seminars and painfully serious speakers. His program features a hilarious compilation of highlights from his "Spanning the World" segments, as well as anecdotes of his experiences with some of the world's biggest athletes and sports personalities. Whether he is delivering an after-dinner speech or hosting an annual award banquet, Berman's wealth of stories and winning sense of humor guarantee an evening of big league entertainment As one of the nation's top sportscasters, Berman can also make your company tournament or sports outing truly memorable by doing a portion of the play-by-play!
Corbin Bernsen Popular actor best known for his role in the hit television series, "L.A. Law".
Carl Bernstein Few journalists in Americas history have had the impact on their era and their craft as Carl Bernstein. Bernsteis most recent book is the national bestseller A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham, acclaimed as the definitive biography of the woman who may be the next President of the United States. In the early 1970s, Bernstein and Bob Woodward broke the Watergate story for The Washington Post and set the standard for modern investigative reporting, for which they and The Post were awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Together, they wrote two classic bestsellers: All the Presidents Men also a movie starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman about their coverage of the Watergate story and The Final Days about the denouement of the Nixon presidency. Since then, in books, magazine articles, commentary, television reporting, and as editor of an award winning website, Bernstein has continued to build on the theme he and Woodward first explored in the Nixon years the use and abuse of power: political power, media power, financial power, and spiritual power. In the 1990s, Bernstein turned his attention to one of the towering figures of the age, Pope John Paul II, resulting in the ground breaking papal biography John Paul II and the History of Our Time. The book, co authored with Vatican journalist Marco Politi and published in 1996, was the first to detail the Popes pivotal, and often secret, role in the fall of communism. Much of the information was unearthed from the Kremlins secret archives of the Cold War era, and from Vatican sources who also shed historic light on the Popes ecclesiastical policies and personal attitudes towards sex, priestly celibacy, women, dogma, and tensions between the American church and the Vatican. Bernstein is also author of a masterful memoir of his familys experience in the McCarthy era, Loyalties: A Son's Memoir, published by Simon and Schuster in 1986. In the political season of 1999 2001, Bernstein served as editor and executive vice president of Voter.com, a pioneering website that Forbes magazine named the best political site on the internet. The site initiated the now standard practice of amassing and consolidating content from multiple sites. Currently, he is a political analyst for CNN, a contributing editor for Vanity Fair, and a former Washington Bureau Chief and correspondent for ABC News. In addition to his political coverage and commentary, Bernstein has written and lectured extensively and critically about the role and responsibilities of the American press. Bernstein was born and raised in Washington, DC. He began his journalism career at age 16 as a copyboy for The Washington Evening Star, and became a reporter at 19. At The Washington Post, he covered virtually every aspect of the urban experience: police, the courts, city hall, the suburbs, race and civil rights, the anti war movement, Maryland and Virginia politics. He was also a part time rock critic at the paper.
Dr. Bernita Berry An outspoken advocate for people of color, prominent sociologist Dr. Bernita Berry is one of America's leading authorities on race, ethnic relations, gender, class and public policy issues. She lectures extensively on such topics as African American History, how to cope in a predominately white environment; cultural diversity; women and people of color in America.
Dr. Bertice Berry Comedian, motivational speaker, sociologist and talk-show host. Dr. Bertice Berry combines inspiration, folk wisdom, humor and pathos in her lecture presentation. She is the author of Bertice: The World According To Me; and Sckraight from the Ghetto: You Know You're Ghetto If...
Michael Beschloss Beschloss is an award-winning historian of the U.S. presidency and the author of seven books, including his most recent work, the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945. Newsweek has called Beschloss "the nation's leading presidential historian." He is a regular commentator on the PBS program The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and a contributor to ABC News. Beschloss has completed two books in a trilogy on President Johnson's secret tapes, Taking Charge (1997) and Reaching for Glory (2001), which were both national bestsellers. His first book, Kennedy and Roosevelt: The Uneasy Alliance (1980), started as his senior honors thesis at Williams College. His book The Crisis Years: Kennedy and Khrushchev, 1960-1963 (1991) won the Ambassador Book Prize and was called by the New Yorker the "definitive" book on President Kennedy and the Cold War. Beschloss wrote the essay on President George W. Bush for the book Character Above All and participated in the 1996 PBS television adaptation of that book. He served as chief historical adviser and appeared in a 1994 two-part documentary on President Eisenhower, which aired on The American Experience series. He also appeared in the PBS documentary The Kennedys in 1992. As literary executor for the late Newsweek columnist Meg Greenfield, he edited her posthumously published book Washington (2001), which was a New York Times bestseller. He is now working on a history of President Lincoln's last days and his assassination.
Lonise Bias Mother of former star basketball player Lenny Bias, who died from a cocaine overdose. A motivating and powerful speaker, Lonise Bias lectures on the horrors of drug abuse and chemical dependency.
Joseph Biden Democratic United States Senator from Delaware.
Peter Bielagus Peter Bielagus is the financial author of Getting Loaded: Make A MillionWhile Youre Still Young Enough To Enjoy It published by Penguin Putnam/NAL. Peter started his first business, a landscaping company, when he was eleven and since then has invested in everything from comic books to stocks to real estate. Peter is a licensed financial advisor and real estate broker. He has appeared in newspapers, and on radio and TV shows, around the country, and currently writes the personal finance column for one of the largest websites in New England, www.boston.com, the website of the Boston Globe Newspaper. He speaks to students and professionals nationwide about the importance of personal finance literacy. Peter is a member of the Adopt an Author Program www.adoptanauthor.com a program that encourages students all over the country to read. Hes also a member of the New Hampshire chapter of the Jumpstart Coalition For Personal Finance Literacy www.nhjumpstart.org
Theodore Bikel America's beloved folk singer, actor and entertainer
Mohammed Bilal Mohammed Bilal, former cast member of MTV's highest-rated show, "The Real World" San Francisco. Bilal shared his life with over 1.5 million people every week, as one of the seven cast members of "The Real World." He is currently a member of Midnight Voices, a hip-hop band that has been nominated for numerous urban contemporary band awards. Bilal is a musician, poet and writer who educates audiences about some of today?s social ills. He will soon be publishing his first book that explores issues from image manipulation to anti-Semitism. Bilal will speak on the topics of diversity, AIDS awareness and personal responsibility. His lecture will be based on the negative effects that racism, drug abuse, AIDS and violence have had on young people. Through a high energy, poetic, hip-hop storytelling format, Bilal will encourage his audience to accept personal accountability for one's actions, with the hope of building a responsible society.
Andrew Billingsley An expert on the Black Family, Andrew Billingsley is chairman of the Family Studies department at the University of Michigan and is the author of Black Families in White America; Children of the Storm; and Climbing Jacob's Ladder: The Enduring Legacy of AfricanAmerican Families.
Mike Birbiglia In his career of 11 years, Mike Birbiglia has grown from a down-and-out failure to a popular talk show comic to a groundbreaking, original storyteller who challenges the genre of standup comedy. The results? Two critically acclaimed albums, three Comedy Central specials, and an Off-Broadway show called "Sleepwalk with Me," a powerful evening of comedy that is as moving as it is funny. At 24, Mike was one of the youngest comedians ever to appear on The Late Show With David Letterman. Seventeen Magazine named Mike one of the "Voices Of The Next Generation" and Mike made countless appearances on Conan, Kimmel, Carson Daly, and Ferguson. From there, Mike took his act on the road: headlining colleges, then clubs, then theaters nationwide. Mike's debut album Two Drink Mike drew comparisons to Seinfeld from Esquire Magazine in their "Favorite Comedy Albums." AMG Music hailed it "the arrival of standup's next big thing." In 2003, Mike was invited to perform at HBOs U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. While there, he was asked to be a part of The Moth Storytelling Series, famous for putting together lineups of authors like Sam Shepard, Andy Borowitz, and Malcolm Gladwell. It was Mikes first time telling a story on stage and it piqued his interest in taking that format to a standup setting. Over the next year, Mike started writing what he calls his "Secret Public Journal," a blog that chronicles Mike's habit of "making awkward situations even more awkward." Mikes Journal quickly gained momentum, picking up 30,000 email subscribers and an invitation to perform it regularly on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Radio Show. In 2007, Mike released a live rendition of his favorite stories on a CD entitled, "My Secret Public Journal LIVE," which both Time Out New York and Time Out Chicago hailed the "Comedy Album of the Year." Punchline Magazine called it "The comedy album of this generation." In 2008, after shooting a CBS TV pilot based on his act, Mike decided he was going to take his audience in a different direction. He teamed up with Obie Award Winning Director Seth Barrish and Quasi-World Entertainment producers Eli Gonda and Ryan Scott Warren for a passion project he's been developing under the radar for the last 4 years. "Sleepwalk with Me" tells the story of how Mike's personal bouts with sleepwalking almost killed him. The Boston Globe calls Mikes new stories, "as honest as any Richard Pryor confession, and as engaging and inclusive as an old Bill Cosby record." It's that inclusiveness that has made him a popular contributor on shows as diverse as This American Life to the nationally-syndicated Opie and Anthony Show. "Sleepwalk With Me" is Mike's painfully-funny one-man show about first love, denial and about how the sleepwalking disorder that nearly killed him might have saved his life.
Larry Bird Hall of Fame basketball superstar for the Boston Celtics and head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
Andrew Bird Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and lyricist Andrew Bird picked up his first violin at the age of 4. Actually, it was a Cracker Jack box with a ruler taped to it, and the first of his many Suzuki music lessons involved simply bowing to the teacher and going home. He spent his formative years soaking up classical repertoire completely by ear, so when it came time for a restless teen-ager to make the jump to Hungarian Gypsy music, early jazz, country blues, south Indian etc., it wasn't such a giant leap. It's fitting that now, though classically trained, he has instead opted to play his violin in a most unconventional manner, accompanying himself on glockenspiel and guitar, adding singing and whistling to the equation, and becoming a pop songwriter in the process. Since beginning his recording career, Andrew has released nine albums: six studio albums, both solo and with his former group the Bowl of Fire, and three live albums. 2007s Armchair Apocrypha brings the tally to ten. It is an album that sums up where Andrew's career has taken him, yet is very much of his artistic present. Though Andrew's voice has been compared to such eminent company as Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, and Rufus Wainwright, like those performers, it has a quality all its own. He also adds to the mix his unnatural whistling ability, rendering him capable of adding organically generated yet otherworldly, Theremin-like sounds to the mix. The live setting is where he becomes one with his songs. At first, it is a curious attraction - one man, generating the wealth of sound normally produced by an orchestra. Each night, song parts are constructed on violin, guitar, and glockenspiel, layered, then looped over themselves in a tangled and textured layer cake of sonics. Each night, songs shape shift within their loops - Andrew rarely replicates a song's perfect structure as it lives on the album, but rather lends an improvisatory aspect to the performance. More recently, the scope and range of the live show has been expanded to incorporate songs from Armchair Apocrypha, with Andrew's main live collaborator Martin Dosh also joined by multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Ylvisaker. His first band, Andrew Birds Bowl of Fire, recorded three albums for Rykodisc from 1997 to 2001: Thrills revisited early 20th century jazz and folk forms and made them fierce again; Oh! The Grandeur pulsed with dark undertones and gypsy balladry; and The Swimming Hour fused rock and soul predilections into a mixture that drew comparisons to such diverse predecessors as the Beatles, Talking Heads, obscure European folk, and country blues (The Onion).
Stephen Birmingham Best-selling author of such books as Our Crowd: The Great Jewish Families of New York and The Right People.
Greg Blache Assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears of the NFL. Prior to that he served as the defensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts and for the Green Bay Packers. An excellent motivational speaker.
Claudia Black Psychologist and expert on co-dependency.
Dr. Keith Black An internationally renowned African-American neurosurgeon and scientist, Keith Black is chairmen of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California and Director of Neurology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. In the fall of 1997 he was featured on the cover Time magazine special edition of "Heroes in Medicine."
Lewis Black Popular comedian and winner of the 2001 American Comedy Awards, Lewis' comedy is angry and frenetic. No subject is out of reach for this satirist. His material is always fresh and funny, which makes him a favorite on Comedy Central's Daily Show and at colleges and comedy clubs across the country.
Jay Black Comedy Central Presents Jay Black started out as an English teacher. After a few years, Jay decided to leave teaching and turned to comedy. Hes been there ever since. Hes performed at dozens of comedy clubs and college campuses.
Black Life in Corporate America An acclaimed author and dynamic speaker, George Davis captivates audiences throughout the country with his motivating message on diversity. His book, Branches, which chronicles the progress of African Americans since the civil rights movement, is being developed into a television series. His best seller, Black Life in Corporate America, has been praised by critics nationwide. His presentation takes an in-depth look at social, cultural and personal factors created by racial diversity in public and private sector management.
John Gray.... BLACK, WHITE & GRAY A psychodrama, presented by John Gray, confronts issues related to stereotyping, bigotry, affirmative action and social "isms". He con-ducts seminars for business, university, government and profes-sional organizations on developing skills and awareness on human relations in a multi-cultural society. The John Gray program goes beyond the black/white and male/female confrontations that tend to block communication.
Black, White & Gray: A New Look At Color Educator, consultant and expert on diversity, John Gray is introduced as "an expert on human relations." He spikes his presentation with ethnic jokes, racial and religious slurs, and sexist remarks. Unbeknownst to his audience, John Gray is not what he seems-a conservative businessman with straight hair, green eyes and pale skin-in fact, he is a Black man who challenges racial and gender stereotyping and bigotry. Corporations and universities benefit from the "John Gray" program in developing sensitivity and awareness in today's culturally diverse society.
Michael K. Blackson Considered one of the most original foreign comics in the United States. Michael Blackson, known as The African King of Comedy, hails from West Africa and has become one of the most outstanding and original comedians in this country. Blackson has appeared on BET's ComicView, HBO's Snaps, Uptown Comedy Hour, BET's Live From LA and Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam.
David Blaine David Blaine was born in Brooklyn, New York. He started doing magic at age four. His first trick was the pencil-through-card gizmo that you can still buy. When he was 10, his mother remarried and moved to New Jersey. At 16, he levitated for his doctor, who immediately wanted to take him for tests. His mother was very supportive of him and his magic, but unfortunately died in 1994 when David was 21. David became noticed when he would walk up to people and do magic for them. This was a great ice breaker. He then started doing parties for rich people and got into the club scene. That was when he was noticed by Al Pacino. Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro noticed him, too, and befriended him. He then got an agent, made a crude home video with a friend and sent it to ABC. The network gave him an interview, during which he performed magic. They interviewers were dumbfounded and gave him a contract. David took the magic community by storm with his first ABC special "David Blaine: Street Magic." Virtually unknown before the broadcast, the name David Blaine was immediately on the lips of most magicians. He topped that by being buried alive for five days, during which he remained on public display in New York City to promote his special, "David Blaine: Magic Man." He has done to magic what Michael Jordan did to basketball. He has set a new standard for what audiences expect in a magic show.
Bonnie Blair Olympic Gold Medal winner, speed skater Bonnie Blair brings her winning ways to the podium in a program that is uplifting, motiva-tional and just plain terrific! A guaranteed success.
Ken Blanchard Dr. Blanchard has received worldwide recognition for his phenomenal best-selling book, The One Minute Manager, co-authored with Spencer Johnson. Selling more than seven million copies worldwide, The One Minute Manager has been translated into more than 25 languages and is regarded as one of the most successful business books of all time. In addition, Dr. Blanchard has written several other successful books, including five more within The One Minute Manager Library. He also co-authored The Power of Ethical Management, with Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. In 1992, he released Playing the Great Game of Golf followed by Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service, co-authored with Sheldon Bowles. Dr. Blanchard is chairman of Blanchard Training and Development, Inc., a full-service management training and consulting company which he and his wife Dr. Marjorie Blanchard founded in 1979 in San Diego, California. He is also a visiting lecturer at his alma mater Cornell University, where he is a trustee emeritus of the Board of Trustees. Ken has received a multitude of awards and honors for his contributions in the field of management and leadership. In 1991, the National Speakers Association awarded him its highest honor, the ?Council of Peers Award of Excellence.? In 1992, Dr. Blanchard was inducted into the HRD Hall of Fame by Training Magazine and Lakewood Conferences, and also received the 1992 Golden Gavel Award from Toastmasters International.
David Blankenhorn Founder and president of the Institute For American Values, authority on family issues and author of the provocative best-selling book, Fatherless in America.
Billy Blanks The developer of Tae-Bo, Billy Blanks is the dominant martial artist of today, a world renownes star of martial arts films, the top phyical trainer in the country, a member of the Karate Hall of Fame and a motivational speaker.
Lawrence Block Lawrence Blocks novels range from the urban noir of Matthew Scudder (All the Flowers are Dying) to the urbane effervescence of Bernie Rhodenbarr (The Burglar on the Prowl), while other characters include the globe trotting insomniac Evan Tanner (Tanner On Ice) and the introspective assassin Keller (Hit List). He has published articles and short fiction in American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times, and 84 of his short stories have been collected in Enough Rope. In 2004, he became executive story editor for the television series TILT. Several of his novels have been filmed, though not terribly well. His newest bestsellers are All the Flowers are Dying, the 16th Matthew Scudder novel, and The Burglar on the Prowl, his tenth Bernie Rhodenbarr novel, now available in paperback. Block is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of both MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus Awards four times each and the Japanese Maltese Falcon Award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and, most recently, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand and Spain, and, as if that were not enough, was presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana.
Josh Blue Josh Blue a comedian who was voted the "Last Comic Standing" on NBC's reality show Last Comic Standing during its fourth season. Blue has cerebral palsy and many of his jokes center on living with his disability, how he deals with it and how other people view him. He has made many jokes including coining the term Palsy Punch. The palsy punch is a term coined by Josh during his last set during the finals of Last Coming Standing. He says that the palsy punch is effective in a fight because "first of all, they don't know where the punch is coming from, and second of all, neither do I." Blue got his start in comedy doing open-mic sets while attending The Evergreen State College. Audiences reacted enthusiastically to his self-deprecating humor, and Blue started making a name for himself on the comedy circuit. He has appeared several times on Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia. He is also an excellent soccer player and was part of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic team.
Robert Bly Award winning poet and best-selling author of Iron John: A Book About Men, a book about male initiation, the role of the mentor and the truths about masculinity that go beyond the stereotypes of our popular culture. A winner of the National Book Award, Robert Bly is recognized as a salient figure of the recent man's movement in the United States.
Norm Bond An authority on diversity issues, Norm Bond is the co-founder of Next Step Enterprises and the publisher and general manager of NEXT STEP MAGAZINE, a quarterly international magazine devoted to multiculturalism and diversity. Topics: Forging New Frontiers: Making the Business Case for Diversity; Maximizing Multiculturalism: How to Profit from Diversity; How to Manage Diversity into a Competitive Advantage; Viewing Diversity as an Opportunity not a Threat; From Plan to Profit: Key Elements of Entrepreneurial Success; Self Empowerment: Developing Your Power Perspective; and Motivation: Your Fuel for Optimum Performance.
Julian Bond From his student days to his current Chairmanship of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Julian Bond has been an active participant in the movements for civil rights and economic justice. As an activist who has faced jail for his convictions, as a veteran of more than 20 years service in the Georgia General Assembly, a university professor and a writer, he has been on the cutting edge of social change since 1960. He was a founder, in 1960 while a student at Morehouse College of the Atlanta student sit-in and anti-segregation organization and of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). As SNCC's Communications Director, Bond was active in protests and registration campaigns throughout the South. Elected in 1965 to the Georgia House of Representatives, Bond was prevented from taking his seat by members who objected to his opposition to the Vietnam War. He was re-elected to his own vacant seat and un-seated again, and seated only after a third election and a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court. He was co-chair of a challenge delegation from Georgia to the 1968 Democratic Convention. The challengers were successful in unseating Georgia's regular Democrats, and Bond was nominated for Vice-President, but had to decline because he was too young. Bond serves as Chairman of the Premier Auto Group PAG (Volvo, Land Rover, Aston-Martin, and Jaguar) Diversity Council and is on the Boards of People for the American Way, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Council for a Livable World, and the advisory board of the Harvard Business School Initiative on Social Enterprise, among others. He was a commentator on America's Black Forum, the oldest black-owned show in television syndication. His poetry and articles have appeared in numerous publications. He has narrated numerous documentaries, including the Academy Award winning "A Time For Justice" and the prize-winning and critically acclaimed series "Eyes On The Prize." He has served since 1998 as Chairman of the Board of the NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States. In 2002, he received the prestigious National Freedom Award.
Barry Bonds The name Bonds is synonymous with baseball greatness following in the footsteps of his late father Bobby and godfather, Willie Mays. Living legend, Barry Bonds, is the power hitter for the San Francisco Giants who broke Hank Aarons All-Time Home Run Record on Aug. 7, 2007, when he hit his 756th career home run at AT&T Park. Now sitting on 762 home runs, Bonds continues to reach historical heights with each home run he belts. A dominant force in the game, Bonds is in his 22nd season and has crafted one of the finest careers the game has ever seen, a collection of feats that has permanently etched the name Barry Bonds into baseball history. From sports icon to commercial spokesperson along with his philanthropic missions, Bonds proves to be one of the most recognizable sports figures in the country. It is his longevity as a superstar and all-around greatness that will navigate his course to the Hall of Fame.
Pat Boone World renowed entertainer, singer, actor and author, Pat Boone is in demand as a motivational speaker, for personal appearances and for concerts.
Tova Borgnine A leading entrepreneur and role model, Tova Borgnine is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the TOVA Corporation, a multi-million dollar business in the beauty industry. Tova Borgnine distributes her skin-care, cosmetic and fragrance products via mail-order catalog, direct sales, and the QVC home-shopping channel. She hosts the highly popular QVC program "Beauty by Tova" and is the author of Being Happily Married Forever, a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of maintaining a balanced and loving marriage to her husband, the award winning actor Ernest Borgnine, while pursuing her business and professional career.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is a world-famous thinker, author, lecturer, and activist who has become a phenomenon both in the US and internationally due to his provocative and insightful writings, live debates and extensive media appearances. Rabbi Boteach first came to world attention through his founding of the Oxford University L'Chaim Society, an organization of Oxford students that within two years of its founding in 1988 had become the second largest student organization in Oxford 's history. In Oxford , where Rabbi Boteach served as Rabbi for eleven years, he played host to and debated some of the world's leading thinkers and statesmen. Rabbi Shmuley is also the author of fourteen books, including the international best-sellers Kosher Sex, Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments, and Judaism for Everyone: Renewing your Life through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith. His relationship book, Why Can't I Fall in Love was a finalist for the 2002 Books for a Better Life Award. Rabbi Boteach's newest book is The Private Adam: Becoming a Hero in a Selfish Age. In this image of two divergent Adams -- the aggressive public figure, and the humble private man -- Boteach finds a parable for man's eternal struggle between ambition and altruism, self-promotion and self-sacrifice. Illuminated with inspiring examples from history and contemporary life -- and filled with valuable advice -- The Private Adam is Boteach's most thoughtful and universal book yet. In the spring of 2002, Rabbi Shmuley began a nationally-syndicated radio talk show on the Talk America Network, one of the largest radio syndicators in North America . The call-in, discussion, and advice show airs Monday through Friday for 3 hours. Shmuley is also one of the country's most sought guests on radio and television talk show circuit. He has appeared on nearly every American talk and news program, including The Today Show, The View, Politically Incorrect, Larry King Live, The O'Reilly Factor, CBS This Morning, NBC Evening News, Hannity and Colmes, Entertainment Tonight, and Inside Edition. Rabbi Shmuley has been profiled in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, the London Telegraph, The Washington Post, The L.A. Times, The Jerusalem Post, the Chicago Tribune, The South China Morning Post, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Miami Herald, and Newark Star-Ledger. Jewsweek.com placed Shmuley at number 17 on their annual list of the 50 most influential Jews in America .
Johanna Botta Johanna Botta from MTV Real World Austin. She was known as the highly opinionated and motivated stunning fiery Peruvian, especially if alcohol was involved, on the Real World Austin. Real World Austin was season 16 and aired on MTV in the summer of 2005 on June 21 2005. Johanna has only been on one Real World Road Rules challenge which was the Fresh Meat Challenge in the spring of 2006. Johanna has done modeling for American Eagle, Stuff Magazine, Sexist Women of Reality TV calendar as well a co/lead role in a short film "Hitchcock". Johanna from Real World Austin would be great for speaking on alcohol abuse, diversity, and the importance of safe sex at college lectures.
Scotty Bowman Coach of the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings and winner of eight Stanley Cups.
Julia Boyd Best selling author and psychotherapist, Julia Boyd has written such highly acclaimed books as, Can I Get a Witness; For Sisters When the Blues is More Than a Song, and Embracing the Fire! Sisters Talk About Sex and Relationships.
Keith Boykin Keith Boykin is the editor of The Daily Voice online news site, a CNBC contributor, a BET TV host and a New York Times best-selling author of three books. Educated at Dartmouth and Harvard, Keith attended law school with President Barack Obama and served in the White House as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton. Keith has been actively involved in progressive causes since he worked on his first congressional campaign while still a student in high school. He is a veteran of six political campaigns, including two presidential campaigns, and he was named one of the top instructors when he taught political science at American University in Washington. Keith has traveled extensively across four continents, and in 1997 President Clinton appointed him, along with Coretta Scott King and Rev. Jesse Jackson, to the U.S. presidential trade delegation to Zimbabwe. He was a star on the 2004 Showtime television series American Candidate and has since appeared on numerous national media programs, including Anderson Cooper 360, The O'Reilly Factor, The Tyra Banks Show, The Montel Williams Show, Judge Hatchett and The Tom Joyner Morning Show. A founder and first board president of the National Black Justice Coalition, Keith has spoken to audiences, large and small, all across the world. He delivered a landmark speech to 200,000 people at the Millennium March on Washington and he gave a stirring speech about the AIDS epidemic in front of 40,000 people in Chicago's Soldier Field in July 2006. Each of Keith's three books has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, including his most recent book, Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial in Black America. Keith won the Lambda Literary Award for his second book, Respecting The Soul, while his first book, One More River to Cross, is taught in colleges and universities throughout the country. Keith is an associate producer of the 2007 feature film Dirty Laundry and is working on his fourth book. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Keith currently lives in New York City.
Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock and roll band. Formed in 1961, they gained popularity for their close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of surfing, girls and cars. Brian Wilson's growing creative ambitions later transformed them into a more artistically innovative group that earned critical praise and influenced many later musicians. The group initially comprised singer musician composer Brian Wilson, his brothers, Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. This core quintet, along with early member David Marks and later bandmate Bruce Johnston, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. The Beach Boys have often been called "America's Band"[2] and have had thirty-six U.S. Top 40 hits the most of any U.S. rock band) and 56 Hot 100 hits, including four number one singles.
Kevin Bozeman Kevin uses his high-energy act and knack for the obvious to give a unique perspective on traveling, dating, social and controversial issues. No subject is sacred from his hilarious truths. He is quickly working his way to the top headlining comedy clubs throughout the country. Dont be surprised if you see Kevin Bozeman appearing in the next big sit-com. Kevin has appeared on Comedy Centrals Comics Come Home, Premium Blend, opened for Aretha Franklin and was a 1999 winner of the HBO Comedy Competition
John Bradshaw Marriage and family therapist and best-selling author.
James Brady Editor-at-Large of Advertising Age, James Brady has written nine novels, including the best seller, Further Lane, the second in a four book series that takes place in the Hamptons, on the east end of Long Island. His most recent work is the bestseller The Marines of Autumn. Mr. Brady began his journalism career as a reporter and went on to become publisher of Women's Wear Daily. He was on of the creators of "W" magazine; was editor and publisher of Harper's Bazaar; and was editor of New York magazine.
Wayne Brady Wayne Brady is perhaps one of the funniest comedic actors on TV. His hilarious improvisational antics, paired with his ability to impersonate just about anyone, have won the laughs of many Americans on ABC's hit comedy series "Whose Line is it Anyway?"Wayne scored a second Emmy Award nomination in 2002 for his work on "Whose Line is it Anyway" in the category of Best Individual Performance in a Variety or Musical. He has received several other accolades for his work in theater, including nominations for Best Actor in a Musical for "Cotton Patch Gospel" at the distinguished Edyth Bush Theatre. Wayne was also named Sak Theatre's 1992 Rookie of the Year for Theatre Sports/Improv. He continues to tour the country with his own improv show, "Wayne Brady and Friends," selling out the nations top theaters and venues. In addition, he and his wife Mandie recently opened a four-week run of the stage production, "The Only Game in Town" in Los Angeles. The Daily Variety called Wayne's performance as compulsive gambler Joe Grady "an absolute winner."
Sherry Brantley Inspirational speaker and author of the book Choices: The Power Is Within You,Sherry Brantley is known for her dynamic, energetic seminars and workshops. As she states: "I was homeless, jobless, car-less and hopeless--all at the same time, but thankfully not clueless!" Sherry's belief: "We all have a Spiritual, Personal Power. We have always possessed this power. The power is within us. All of us. Without exception. We can learn to tap into this power on a daily basis, to begin to make positive choices in how our lives should go, resulting in the changes that we want to accomplish. There is a universal law that states: 'What you focus on in life, you expand in your life.' Begin to focus on what you want to expand in your life!" Start To Exercise Personal Power (STEPP) a program founded by Sherry, is designed to not merely assist people of various backgrounds to realize their potential, goals and purpose in life, but also assist them Sherry Brantley is known for her dynamic, energetic seminars and workshops.
Dahlak Brathwaite Dahlak Brathwaite is a 19-year old emcee, actor, poet and playwright originally from Sacramento, California. Since entering the spoken word scene in 2003, Brathwaite has won the San Francisco Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam two years in a row (2004 & 2005). He was also a member of the Berkeley Slam Team that won the Brave New Voices' International Slam in 2004. A member of Ill-Literacy, a San Francisco-based spoken word collective, Brathwaite has performed at universities including Stanford, Loyola Marymount and Berkeley, and has opened for such esteemed artists as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Goapele, Michael Franti, and Dead Prez. He is also a mentor at Youth Speaks, the San Francisco-based spoken word collective, where he recently helped launch the organization's First Word Productions arm with the release of Innerworks Mixtape Vol.1 - a compilation of hip-hop and R&B songs featuring Brathwaite and two-time Def Poet Rafael "A.D." Casal. He also helped co-write and perform in Scourge, a play by Broadway vet Marc Bamuthi Joseph, which headlined the San Francisco Hip-Hop Theater Festival. In 2005, Brathwaite will be touring with the Scourge Company, releasing a solo hip-hop/spoken word album on First Word Productions, and continuing to write and perform poetry, music, and plays.
Rita Braver Award-winning CBS White House Correspondent.
Rosemary Bray Journalist and writer, Rosemary Bray is the author of the critically acclaimed book Unafraid of the Dark, a powerful memoir of growing up on welfare in Chicago's Black Belt, her triumphant rise to a Yale degree, and becoming a respected journalist in New York
Berry Brazelton, MD World renowned pediatrician, parenting expert and author.
Donna Brazile Donna Brazile is one of the best known, most influential African American women in modern American political life. She is Chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute (VRI), an organization established in 2001 to help protect and promote the rights of all Americans to participate in the political process. Donna Brazile is the author of Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, a memoir about her life in the political arena, and co-author of What We Do Now, which was published by Melville House in 2004. Donna Brazile, a well-versed Democratic political strategist, made history as the first African American women to lead a major presidential campaign when she served as Campaign Manager for Gore-Lieberman 2000. Prior to joining the Gore campaign, Brazile was Chief of Staff and Press Secretary to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia where she helped guide the District's budget and local legislation on Capitol Hill. A veteran of numerous national and statewide campaigns, Brazile worked on several presidential campaigns for Democratic candidates, including Carter-Mondale in 1976 and 1980, Rev. Jesse Jackson's first historic bid for the presidency in 1984, Mondale-Ferraro in 1984, U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt in 1988, Dukakis-Bentsen in 1988, and Clinton-Gore in 1992 and 1996; and Gore-Lieberman 2000. Donna Brazile is a weekly contributor and political commentator for CNN, a political consultant for ABC News, and a contributor to NPR's Political Corner. She is also a columnist for Roll Call Newspaper and Ms. Magazine. In addition to working at VRI, Donna Brazile serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She has served as a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, resident fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics and as the Senator Wyona Lipman Chair at Rutgers University Center for American Women in Politics. Donna Brazile is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Washingtonian Magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, D.C., Essence Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in America and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Award for Political Achievement. Brazile, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana earned her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1981 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Louisiana State University in May 2005. Firmly grounded in her humble Louisiana roots, Donna Brazile is a fierce advocate for the poor and minorities. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the guiding agency charged with addressing the state's recovery after Hurricane Katrinia.
Nicholas Brendon For more than five seasons, Nicholas Brendon has starred as demon hunter Alexander "Xander" Harris on UPN's Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In real life, Brendon is a great success story, having beaten his own personal demon: "stuttering." With hard work and with the support of a beautiful wife, the talented actor has overcome his own physical limitations. He now enjoys a thriving career in Hollywood. He's also recently become the national spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America.
David Brenner Well known comedian and television star.
Jimmy Breslin Outspoken syndicated newspaper columnist and author.
Jim Breuer Jim Breuer, a former cast member of "Saturday Night Live," has been continuing to make us laugh since his departure at the end of the 1997 season. During his time at "SNL," Breuer was probably best known for his original character, "Goat Boy" and his Joe Pesci impression on the recurring, "Joe Pesci Show." Breuer's feature film career began to take off after leaving "SNL." He starred in Universal Picture's hit comedy, "Half-Baked" and in Phoenix Pictures', "Dick." He recently completed filming a role in Laurence Fishburne's directorial debut, "Once in The Life." A stand-up comedian since his college days on Long Island, New York, Breuer worked in comedy clubs around the country for several years before deciding to become a regular on the New York comedy club circuit. After being in New York for only seven months, he landed a gig on the nationally syndicated show, "Uptown Comedy Club" where he spent two seasons. Breuer has been featured on many network and cable television showcases, such as CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," NBC's "Later," Comedy Central's "Denis Leary Roast" and hosted Comedy Central's "Premium Blend" series. Jim also had his own show at MTV entitled, "The Jim Breuer Show," and his own Comedy Central special, "Jim Breuer: Hardcore."
Steve Bridges Impressionist and comedian and a double for President George W. Bush. For the past year Bridges has been doing his right-on impression of President Bush for audiences across the nation. And, while he's not really the President, most people are hard pressed to tell them apart.
Karen Briggs Well known violinist - who is a featured violin soloist with Yanni. Karen plays violin to which no enhancement devices are attached. She extracts a basic pure sound weaving her way through standard times, blues, jazz and gospel numbers. Karen Briggs is available to do a lecture demo as well as a concert.
Christie Brinkley Well know model, actress and health/fitness expert.After nearly three decades as one of the world's most celebrated beauties, Christie Brinkley is still the quintessential California Golden Girl. She is an American supermodel whose 20-year contract with Cover Girl (197696) was the longest-running contract in the modeling industry. Her image has graced the covers of dozens of magazines, including three Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. Her nine-year marriage (198594) to pop singer Billy Joel was highly publicized. She has two children. In 1996, she married husband number four, architect Peter Cook.
Hypno Bro Even with a degree in Architecture, its hard to believe there was ever a time Leroy Williams considered not being a performer. In place at a nice secure government job with the Corps of Engineers in Norfolk, Virginia, Leroy stumbled into an open mic night at a local comedy club...and took first place. After winning a gig as the MC, Leroy was hooked. Bitten, but still practical, Leroy did not commit to standup until returning to his home town of Houston, Texas in 1991, the mecca of comedy in the southwest US. Leroy became a regular at the Comedy Place, which proved a great training ground. Even though the audience only consisted of 3 to 150 patrons, the show went on. You could be called on to MC or headline with no advance notice. You either worked hard at becoming a better comedian or got left back in the pack of also rans and could have beens. Leroy paid his dues the old-fashioned way...by working the road. The experience proved invaluable as Leroy climbed through the ranks to headline such notable clubs as Pierce St. Annex in Anchorage, Alaska. The Punchline and Bobbys Comedy Corner in Houston, Texas, The Comedy Lift in Omaha, Nebraska. His international performances include Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea. Having appeared on BETS Comic View numerous times and opening for such notable acts as Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and D.C. Curry. Leroy added hypnosis to his repertoire to the delight of audiences in clubs, colleges and corporate events nationwide. One of my most favorite entertainers, he slips from comedian to hypnotist in a fast paced show that leaves you wanting more. Linda CunninghamTake a Break Cruises and Travel Arguably the only black stand-up comedian/hypnotist in the country (if you dont count baptist preachers). Leroys show can be tailored to fit your needs for all ages and any venue. With a mixture of urban contemporary observational comedy, hip-hop, hypnotic improvisation and undeniable stage presence, HynoBro is guaranteed to bring Da Laffs. Hypnosis has just added a new flavor. So lets all get HypBrotized.
David Broder Nationally syndicated political columnist for The Washington Post.
Jane Brody For a recent birthday, Jane Brody received a T-shirt that proclaimed "Still Perfect ---After All These Years." Once she stopped laughing, she began to think that it really should have said "Still Trying --- After All These Years" -- still trying to be good to her body, to fuel it right and move it regularly so that it will continue to be good to her. But while her regular menu focuses on vegetables, fruits, grains, potatoes, beans and peas "fleshed" out with circumspect amounts of low-fat dairy products, lean meats and poultry and all manner of fish and shellfish, she is no fanatic. Moderation and variety, but not deprivation and denial, are her watchwords. To keep her body from "rusting out," she insists on daily physical activity, alternating between walking, cycling, swimming, ice skating, playing tennis, hiking, gardening and cross-country skiing. The result is a woman who is more robust, energetic, youthful and trim at 55 than she was at 15. Jane Brody received her B.S. degree in biochemistry from the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in 1962 and a masters degree in science writing from the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism the following year. After two years as a general assignment reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune, in 1965 she joined The New York Times as a full-time specialist in medicine and biology. In 1976 she was appointed The Times' Personal Health columnist, and her widely read and quoted column continues to appear every Wednesday in The Times and in more than 100 other newspapers around the country. In addition, her articles on other aspects of science and medicine appear frequently in The Times' “Wednesday Health Page" and “Tuesday's Science Times." Ms. Brody has also written scores of magazine articles and lectures frequently on health and nutrition to audiences both lay and professional. She has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows throughout the country and received numerous prestigious awards for journalistic excellence. In 1987, she received an honorary doctorate from Princeton University, and in 1993 she received an honorary doctorate from Hamline University in St. Paul. Ms. Brody has written eight books: Secrets of Good Health; You Can Fight Cancer and Win; Jane Brody's Nutrition Book; Jane Brody's The New York Times Guide to Personal Health; Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet and Jane Brody's Good Food Book. Her newest cookbook, Jane Brody's Good Seafood Book, was published in October 1994 and, Jane Brody's Cold and Flu Fighter, was released in October 1995. Her ninth book, Jane Brody's Allergy Fighter, was published in April 1997. Ms. Brody was born on May 19, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York. She presently resides in New York with her husband Richard Engguist, a lyricist, and their energetic spaniel Max. Their twin sons, Erik and Lorin, now both married, share her enthusiasm for wholesome food and fitness.
Dan Brody Dan, 31, is the founder of Brody Sport, a designer brand of active-wear currently sold in prominent boutique shops and popular department stores. Dan has successfully launched several businesses during his entrepreneurial career beginning with a college venture, NYC Cafe "Grandma's Cookie Jar." This wholesale retail bakery boutique served as one of the earliest bakery suppliers for the city's Starbucks stores. Dan also owned YoCookie, a ready-to-bake cookie-dough brand shelved in more than 30 grocery stores even before "Grandma's Cookie Jar" was successfully sold. Dan's next venture was Swan Hat, one of the only "Made In The USA," headwear companies still in existence today. Swan Hat has a healthy department store base and the company's Straw Headwear division annually outfits the New York State Teachers Union - Labor Day Fifth Ave Parade, as well as other union parades and events throughout the country. Dan is passionate about religion and family and feels that you must make an exerted effort for those you love and give back to those in need
Peter Brookes Peter Brookes writes a weekly column on foreign policy and defense for the New York Post and is penning a book on national security affairs for McGraw Hill due out early next fall. He appears regularly on national TV and radio. Prior to joining the Heritage Foundation, Brookes served in the Bush administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Office of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, where he was responsible for the development, planning, guidance and oversight of U .S. security and defense policy for 38 countries and 5 bilateral defense alliances in the Asia-Pacific region. Brookes has a distinguished military background, including active duty in support of military operations in Iraq/Kuwait (Desert Storm); Haiti (Restore Democracy); and Bosnia (Joint Endeavor). He flew reconnaissance missions in East Asia and the Persian Gulf while stationed in Japan covering military matters related to the Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Vietnam, Iran and Iraq. His personal awards and decorations include: the Joint Service Commendation Medal; the Navy Commendation Medal (3 awards); the Navy Achievement Medal; several naval and joint unit awards; the Defense Language Institutes Kellogg Award; the Joint Chiefs of Staff service badge; and Naval Aviation Observer (NAO) wings.
The Real World Brooklyn Now you can bring The Real World experience to your campus. Cast members from The Real World Brooklyn are now available to come to your campus for your personal Reunion, where they discuss a variety of issues, including orientation, diversity, conflict resolution, volunteerism, multiculturalism, AIDS awareness, relationships and answer any personal questions audience members may have about them or the show. Every freshman has to deal with adjusting to a new living environment with people they hardly know. This program will be beneficial to students going through orientation. Likewise, graduating seniors will soon be entering the real real world and this program will help them to realize some of the issues they will be faced with. See what the cast members are up to these days in the real real world and choose from The Real World cast for a program that would work well at your school.
David Brooks David Brooks, editor, political and social commentator. Brooks writes or serves as an editor for The New York Times, The Weekly Standard, Newsweek, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, The Washington Post, The TLS, The Public Interest and many other magazines. He is the author if "Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There and Backward and Upward: The New Conservative Writing."
Joyce Brothers Dr. Joyce Brothers is consistently named one of the most admired women in America. A noted psychologist, radio and television personality, she is an incredibly dynamic speaker who moves audiences with her unlimited energy and vitality. As a popular columnist, her bylines appear in more than 175 newspapers coast to coast. Dr. Joyce Brothers fits more into one day than most people could accomplish in a month. As a noted psychologist, she is also an NBC Radio Network personality columnist, author, business consultant, wife and mother.Outstanding organizational skills enable Dr. Brothers to pursue her many careers simultaneously and successfully. In addition to her well-known Monday through Friday broadcasts on NBC Radio Network's Newsline, she is a news correspondent for both ABC and CBS-TV News and a regular guest on The Tonight Show and numerous panel shows. Dr. Brothers also writes a widely-syndicated daily newspaper column and is a regular columnist for Good Housekeeping magazine. Her many books have been translated into 26 languages and are read worldwide.Furthermore, Dr. Brothers reaches out to all sectors of the American public. She has written columns for Popular Mechanics and other male-oriented publications, as well as for business journals in her role as corporate consultant. She creates and performs in films and seminars for corporate personnel training and at the other end of the spectrum, appeared on the former Captain Kangaroo show for three years.This crowded schedule has not dimmed the quality or influence of Dr. Brothers' work. The Gallup Poll has listed her one of the "Most Admired Women in America" for six consecutive years. A United Press International poll selected Dr. Brothers as one of the ten most influential people in America and a survey conducted by the Greenwich College Research Center showed her to be among the ten women most admired by students. A search by Good Housekeeping for the "Women in the World Most Admired" ranked Dr. Brothers in an impressive tenth place tie with former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir
Smothers Brothers Time has been an essential ingredient in the Smothers Brothers' success. They have been considered ahead of their time, masters of timing and practitioners of timeless comedy. Now as they mark over 46years in show business, the Smothers Brothers are being saluted as time-honored legends whose lengthy career has surpassed all other comedy teams in history. With their singular blend of comedic and musical talents, the irrepressible brothers have made a sweeping impact on diverse generations of fans. Such lasting power is a testimonial to their intuitive humor, natural warmth, superlative showmanship and the pure unadulterated joythey bring to audiences of all ages.The Smothers Brothers' first professional appearance was at The Purple Onion in San Francisco in 1959 and their first national television appearance was on the Jack Paar show on January 28, 1961.
Jim Brown All-American football and lacrosse player who starred for Syracuse University, Jim Brown was one of the greatest running backs in NFL history with the Cleveland Browns. An inspiring and motivational speaker, Brown founded Amer-I-Can, a self-help program aimed at prison inmates and street gangs.
Lester R. Brown Leading futurist and environmentalist.
Tony Brown Called "television's civil rights crusader," Tony Brown is a distinguished producer, educator, writer and film director. His Tony Brown's Journal on PBS was selected as one of the top ten television shows in history presenting positive African-American images. He is the author of Empower the People: A 7-Step Plan to Overthrow the Conspiracy That Is Stealing Your Money and Freedom. Tony Brown is considered by many to be a true renaissance man, cultural diversity consultant, TV journalist/commentator, self-help advocate, radio talk show host, keynote speaker, syndicated columnist, media entrepreneur, film director, educator and author. His efforts in all arenas have garnered national recognition and support. His first book, Black Lies, White Lies: The Truth According to Tony Brown, was published in 1995 and offers an innovative plan for making America more competitive and helping the country solve its race problem. It also examines his Team America concept and discusses cultural diversity as America's industrial salvation. Brown is also the author of Empower The People: A 7-Step Plan to Overthrow the Conspiracy That is Stealing Your Money and Freedom.
Lee Brown Mayor of Houston, Texas and well-known criminologist and law enforcement officer. Lee Brown was the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and served in that cabinet-level position from 1993 to 1996. Prior to his unanimous confirmation as the federal drug czar, Dr. Brown served as the New York City Police Commissioner from 1990 to 1992, as Police Chief of Houston from 1982 to 1990 and as Atlanta's Public Safety Commissioner from 1978 to 1982.
Les Brown One of the most explosive motivational speakers in America, Les Brown is featured on public television with three highly-acclaimed presentations: "You Deserve;" "Live Your Dream!;" and "The Power to Change." He captivates his audiences with powerful oratory and an incredibly moving personal story of achievement. Les is the author of the best-seller, Live Your Dreams.
Michael Brown President and CEO of the Ronald H. Brown Foundation whose goal is to carry on Ron Brown's mission of commitment to education, political development and international commerce. Michael Brown is co-founder of America's Fund, a political action committee which finds effective ways of helping candidates of color. He is an uplifting and motivational speaker.
Cocoa Brown Being called one of the funniest ladies to hit the comedy scene in recent years,this sista is bringing the noiseand the truth to audiences all over the world. Sharing experiences of her own as well as her family friends and basically anyone, this crazy child is making a serious roar in the jungle we call stand-up comedy. Now that youve entered the website Cocoa Brown just wants to know one thing
Elaine Brown Elaine Brown is a former leader of the Black Panther Party, and author of A Taste of Power and The Condemnation of Little B. A Taste of Power was optioned in January 2007 by HBO in connection with its six-part series The Black Panthers, now in development. # Brown is presently co-authoring For Reasons of Race and Belief, The Trials of Jamil Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown) with Karima Al-Amin (for 2010 publication by Basic Books), and is completing the non-fiction book Melba and Al, A Story of Black Love in Jim Crow America, slated for publication in 2009 (Seven Stories Press). She is the editor of Messages from Behind the Wall, a collection of autobiographical essays by black prisoners in New Mexico, published in February 2007 by the New Mexico Department of African American Affairs.In 1996, after living seven years in France, Brown moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she established the nonprofit education corporation Fields of Flowers. In 1997, Brown co-founded Mothers Advocating Juvenile Justice, and, in 2002, co-founded and became a Board member of the National Alliance for Radical Prison Reform. Presently, Brown is a member of the Georgia Geechee Council, a partner in Seize the Time, Inc., a member of the Committee to Free Romaine "Chip" Fitzgerald, and a partner in The Toubakolong Partnership (The Gambia).In November 2005, Brown ran for mayor of Brunswick, Georgia, with the intent of using the office to create a base of economic power for the city's majority black and poor population through redistribution of the massive revenues of the city's port. She is co-founder of the Brunswick Women's Association for a People's Blueprint.Brown is Executive Director of the Michael Lewis Legal Defense Committee, supporting the legal appeal of Lewis ("Little B"), who, arrested at the age of 13 for a murder he did not commit, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison (1997). Brown regularly lectures at colleges and universities throughout the country on "New Age Racism" and realization of the vision of eliminating racism, gender oppression and class disparity toward an inclusive and egalitarian world society. A fluent French speaker, Brown has traveled extensively throughout the world, from China, North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Algeria to France, Italy, Russia, Argentina, Uruguay, and elsewhere. Brown, who studied classical piano for years, has recorded two albums of original songs, one for Motown records, Until We're Free, and her 1969 album, Seize the Time, which includes "The Black Panther Party National Anthem" (The Meeting), re-released as a CD in January 2007 by Warner Bros.
Nick Brown Nick Brown is a replacement cast member that shares a similar personality to the departed Greg Halstead. Nick Born in Jamaica and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. Nick Brown Debuts toward the later part of The Real World Hollywood as he first appeared on Wednesday June 18th, 2008. Nick Graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Management Information Systems. Nick quit his job as a business analyst to be on The Real World and became best friends with fellow cast member Dave Sky. Nick Brown was the opening host for IoWest and hosted segments for Movies.com and Entertainment Television. His first and only Real World Road Rules Challenge was The Duel in 2009. College Lecture Topics immigration, fitness, persistence, education, and interracial dating
Willie Brown Jr. Former Mayor of San Francisco and former Speaker of the California State Assembly. Willie Brown was the first Black to hold this powerful position and had held the office longer than any previous Speaker.
Bruce Bruce One of the most recognizable figures in African American comedy, Bruce Bruce has been the host of BET's daily comedy showcase Comic View for two years and he has appeared on HBO's Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo and Comedy Central Presents. He has appeared at the Black Film Festival in Acapulco, the Just for Laugh's Festival in Atlanta, the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and the Crown Royal Comedy Soul Festival.
Gro Harlem Brundtland Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland is one of the most influential women of the late twentieth century.In 1998, Gro was elected Director-General of the World Health Organization. She is one of Norway's most respected and experienced politicians. One of the most influential Europeans in the last 25 years" The Financial Times. Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland's was Prime Minister of Norway on several different occasions and Chairwoman of the UN World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), now called The Brundtland Commission. She has been awarded several prestigious awards in recognition of her work, among which the Third World Prize for Work on Environmental Issues 1989, the Indira Gandhi Prize in 1990 as well as the Onassis Foundation Award in 1992 and the Charlemagne Prize of the city of Aachen.
Brian Brushwood Brian Brushwood, the self-described Bizarre Magician known for his studies of carnival sideshow performers, began his own magic career in 1993. He has since garnered the support and admiration of some of magic's biggest names including Jeff McBride, a former Las Vegas magician of the year, and Teller, one half of the Penn and Teller duo. When not performing, Brushwood assists Dr. Rory Coker of the University of Texas, providing special demonstrations and short lectures for a class devoted to the exploration of the origins of pseudoscience. Since beginning his career in magic, Brushwood has authored three books, including Cheats, Cons, Swindles & Tricks: 57 Ways to Scam a Free Drink; Pack the House: The Ultimate, Ever-Growing Guide to Increasing Attendance to YOUR Campus Events(co-authored with C.J. Johnson); and the Professionals Guide to Fire Eating. Brushwood has made several TV and radio appearances, including appearances on NBCs The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Roseanne Show, E! Entertainment Television's Talk Soup, the WB's Steve Harveys Big Time, Tech TVs Unscrewed with Martin Sargent, CMTs Most Wanted Live, BBCs The Paul Coyte Show, Westwood One's "Don and Mike Show," ABC-TV's "The Debra Duncan Show, "The Shannon Burke Show" on KJFK-FM, Dudley and Bob" on KLBJ-FM, "The Morning Zoo" on KASE-FM, as well as news affiliates for ABC, FOX, CBS and Time-Warner.
Zbigniew Brzezinski Former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski is an articulate voice on U.S. Foreign Policy, who understands the the new world order and its political effects on global business. A consultant on International Affairs, Brzezinski is author of the best-seller The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives. Zbigniew Brzezinski currently serves as a counselor for the Center for Strategic and International Studies and is a professor of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Baltimore, Maryland. From 1977 to 1981, he was National Security Advisor to the President of the United States. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role in the normalization of U.S.-China relations and for his contribution to the U.S. human rights and national security policies in 1981. Brzezinski is also a member of the National Endowment for Democracy Board of Directors, a Congressionally-funded institution for the advancement of democracy. He serves as an honorary chairman of the AmeriCares Foundation, a member of the Board of Trustees of Freedom House and a trustee of the Trilateral Commission (a cooperative American-European-Japanese forum). A member of the Board of Directors of the Polish-American Enterprise Fund, Brzezinski also chairs the American-Ukrainian Advisory Committee. He is a frequent participant in annual business and trade conventions and the president of Z.B., Inc., an advisory firm on international issues to corporations and financial institutions). Brzezinski was previously a member of the Policy Planning Council for the Department of State (1966-68), a member of the President's Chemical Warfare Commission (1988) and a member of the NSC - Defense Department Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy (1987-88). He has also served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. During the 1968 presidential campaign, he chaired the Humphrey Foreign Policy Task Force and was the principal foreign policy advisor to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 campaign. In 1988, he was co-chairman of the Bush National Security Advisory Task Force. He has also been actively involved with Amnesty International and the Council on Foreign Relations. He has taught at Columbia University, Harvard University and Howard University, received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and his BA and MA from McGill University. Brzezinski is the author of The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and its Geostrategic Imperatives, Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the Twenty-first Century, Power and Principle: Memoirs of the National Security Advisor, 1977-1981 and The Geostrategic Triad: Living with China, Europe and Russia.
Patrick J. Buchanan Conservative journalist, syndication political columnist and presidential candidate.
Joe Buck Joe Buck has earned the distinction as one of sports' premier play-by-play broadcasters, as evidenced by his four Emmy Award wins in 1999 and 2001-2003. Buck currently handles lead play-by-play duties for FOX Sports' Award winning NFL and MLB coverage, teaming with future Hall of Famer Troy Aikman and fellow Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth while on assignment with the NFL on FOX, and three-time Emmy Award-winning analyst Tim McCarver while working out of the MLB on FOX booth. Buck is the first play-by-play announcer to handle lead MLB and NFL coverage in the same year since NBC's Curt Gowdy and ABC's Al Michaels. Buck began his play-by-play career in the NFL on FOX broadcast booth, where he worked from 1994-1997. He and NFL on FOX analyst Tim Green formed one of the network's original six NFL broadcast teams in 1994, when at age of 25, Buck was the youngest announcer to call a regular slate of NFL games on network television. In April, Buck and McCarver each brought home his second consecutive award for Outstanding Play-by-Play and Event Analyst, respectively. Buck capped off a stellar rookie campaign for MLB on FOX in 1996 when, at age 27, he became the youngest play-by-play announcer to call a World Series since the legendary Vin Scully (25) sat behind the mike during the 1953 Fall Classic. Buck's impressive MLB on FOX resume includes the 1996, 1998, 2000 - 2002 World Series, the 1997, 1999 and 2001 American League Championship Series, the 1996, 1998, 2000 - 2002 National League Championship Series, the 1997, 1999, 2001 & 2002 All-Star Games, and Mark McGwire's historic 62nd home run game on September 8, 1998.
Quinn Buckner NBA basketball star, head coach and television color commentator.
Lawton R. Bums Lawton R. Bums, Ph.D., MBA, is the James Joo-Jin Kim Professor, and Professor of Health Care Systems in the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also Director of Research at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and Visiting Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. Dr. Burns teaches courses on healthcare strategy, organization and management, managed care, and integrated delivery systems. He received his doctorate in Sociology and his MBA in Health Administration from the University of Chicago. Dr. Burns taught previously in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago and the College of Business Administration at the University of Arizona.Dr. Burns has conducted research on physician-organization arrangements over the past fourteen years. He has conducted numerous surveys of physicians at the hospital system, county, state, and national levels, and analyzed the trajectory of physician-hospital relationships over time. In recognition of this research, Dr. Burns was named the Edwin L. Crosby Memorial Fellow by the Hospital Research and Educational Trust in 1992. During the past few years he has helped design national surveys of hospital-physician integration activity for the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission, the American Hospital Association, and the Center for Health Management Research; a national survey of hospital restructuring and reengineering for the Hospital Research & Educational Trust; and a national survey of payer-provider capiated contracting for InterStudy.Dr. Bums has received grants from the Agency for Health Care Policy & Research (AHCPR) to examine the market forces that favor the development of integrated delivery systems and the internal mechanisms used by such systems to promote physician alignment. He has also received grants to study emerging topics in integration including efforts by health systems to develop group practices, methods to right-size physician panels, incentivize physicians under capitation, and develop physician leadership. Dr. Burns recently completed case studies of six integrated delivery systems in Illinois for the Illinois Hospital and HealthSystems Association to identify corniiion problems and problem-solving approaches in the integration process. Dr. Bums is also conducting research on medical groups and networks. He has published several papers on the structure and performance of the physician practice management industry, the market forces that shape the growth of group practices and investor-owned networks, and the organizational options for physicians in a consolidating industry. Most recently, he has received a grant to study supply chain management in the healthcare industry.
Anita Bunkley Highly acclaimed African American novelist, Anita Bunkley is the author of such historical novels as Emily; The Yellow Rose; Black Gold; and Starlight Passage.
Hannibal Buress In 2003 Hannibal Buress was a finalist in the Laugh Across America contest and competed in the Las Vegas Comedy Festival. While he was a student at Southern Illinois University he hosted his own campus television show "The Hangover" which became a hit among the dorm-dwellers. In 2005 he was one of the Chicago finalists in the NBC "Stand up for Diversity Showcase". Hannibal was a stand out performer in the New Faces showcase of the Montreal Comedy Festival in 2006 and was selected to perform on the Comedy Factory TV show in Holland the same year. Most recently, Hannibal was named Funniest Person in Chicago by Time Out Magazine and appeared on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Hannibal can be seen on Comedy Central's LIVE AT GOTHAM.
Yvonne Burke Supervisor of Los Angeles County, Yvonne Burke is a former United States congresswoman and the first Black woman to be elected to congress from California. A prominent attorney, Ms. Burke is a civil rights activist and an advocate of women's rights. She is featured in the book and exhibit, "I Dream a World, Potraits of Black Women who Changed America."
Bo Burnham Bo Burnham is a teenager and comedian. In 2006, Bo Burnham wrote songs, posted them online, and lots of people saw them. Then, Bo Burnham started playing live shows. Bo Burnham played at colleges, clubs and theaters. People came. In August of 2008, four days after his eighteenth birthday, Bo Burnham became the youngest person to record a comedy central special. Bo Burnham released a CD in March 2009. Some people think Bo Burnham is funny.
Ken Burns Ken Burns Celebrated documentary filmmaker Program Title: An Evening With Ken Burns Ken Burns has been making documentary films for more than twenty years. Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, he has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War (1990) and Baseball (1994). Stephen Ambrose, the historian, has said of Ken's films, "More Americans get their history from Ken Burns than any other source." JAZZ (a GM Mark of Excellence Presentation that will air on PBS in January, 2001) is Burns's third epic documentary, a ten-part that follows this most American of art forms from its origins in blues and ragtime through swing, bebop and fusion. As with The Civil War and Baseball, which with JAZZ constitute a unique trilogy of American life and culture, Burns explores in detail the culture, politics and dreams that gave birth to this most integral part of American history and life. As he wrote in the introduction to the companion book (Knopf, 2000), "having grappled with many Constitutional issues in our Civil War series and many other films, and having explored our national pastime and its exquisite lessons in our series on Baseball, we have over the last six years struggled to understand the utterly American art form of jazz. Ken's epics have received numerous accolades. The Civil War was the highest rated series in the history of American public television and attracted an audience of 40 million during its premiere in September 1990. The columnist George Will said, "If better use has ever been made of television, I have not seen it and do not expect to see better until Ken Burns turns his prodigious talents to his next project." The series was honored with more than 40 major film and television awards. The eighteen and a half hour long Baseball, for which Ken was also the director, producer, co-writer, chief cinematographer, music director and executive producer, attracted more than 45 million viewers. David Bianculli of the New York Daily News said that the film "resonates like a Mozart symphony." Time Magazine wrote that "Baseball is rich in drama, irresistible as nostalgia, and...an instructive window into our national psychology." The film won numerous awards, including an Emmy, the CINE Golden Eagle Award, the Clarion Award, and the Television Critics Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports and Special Programming.
Eric Burns Eric Burns is the host of FOX News Channel's acclaimed Fox News Watch, a weekly half-hour program that "covers the coverage," reporting not on the major stories of the day but on the way the media are covering those stories. The recipient of an Emmy Award for media criticism, Burns kicked off his career as a correspondent for NBC News. He appeared regularly on NBC Nightly News and had his own segment called "Cross Country" on the Today show. For his work with NBC, Burns was named by the Washington Journalism Review as one of the best writers in the history of broadcast journalism, joining such luminaries as Edward R. Murrow, Charles Kuralt, Eric Sevareid, Harry Reasoner and David Brinkley. A script of his also appears in the prestigious college text, Writing News for Broadcast, which refers to Burns as an "artist" with words. In addition to being a commentator for Entertainment Tonight, as well as the host of Arts & Entertainment Revue, on the A&E cable network, Burns has written four critically-saluted books: The Spirits of America: A Social History of Alcohol; Broadcast Blues: Dispatches from the Twenty-Year War Between a Television Reporter and His Medium; The Joy of Books: Confessions of a Lifelong Reader and a short work of fiction, The Autograph. Burns has also written on matters of media and popular culture for such magazines as Reader's Digest, The Weekly Standard, Spy, TV Guide and Family Circle, in addition to such newspapers as the New York Post and Los Angeles Times.
Bill Burr I've been doing Stand Up for the last 15 years. I started out at a comedy club in Boston Ma, called Nick's Comedy Stop. I was supposed to do five minutes and I think I did about three. I've been doing it ever since.My biggest gigs have been The Chappelle's Show, HBO One Night Stand, The Opie and Anthony Show and The David Letterman Show. Because of those gigs I know make a comfortable living telling jokes around the country.If I were better adjusted that would be enough for me. For some reason it isn't, so as of yesterday I moved from New York to LA. I'll let you know how it goes.
Augusten Burroughs Augusten Burroughs has rapidly become one of America's most successful young writers, with multiple titles on the national and international bestseller lists. His legions of devoted fans devour every hilarious, stunning, thought-provoking and moving sentence in his rapidly growing body of work, and often line up for hours to see and hear him in his live performances. To say that Augusten Burroughs had an unusual childhood would be an understatement. Somehow, Augusten survived, and turned his experiences into two of the most successful memoirs ever published. These two books, Running With Scissors, and Dry: A Memoir, chronicle his life in his foster family, follow him to New York City, into adulthood, out of the closet, and through rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. Running With Scissors has been on The New York Times list for over 70 weeks, and was recently joined by his critical smash, Magical Thinking. Entertainment Weekly included Augusten in its definitive "It List" and named him one of the "Fifteen Funniest People in America." The film version of Running with Scissors, which is being directed by Emmy Award-nominated writer/director Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck), began filming in March, 2005. The largely Oscar-nominated/winning cast includes Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin, Jill Clayburgh and Joseph Cross (as Augusten). A film version of his novel Sellevision is also in the works. Augusten's new book of true stories, Possible Side Effects, which The New York Times called "(H)ilarious, wildly fanciful reminiscences," was released in May, 2006. ------------------------------------------------- What does Augusten Burroughs talk about? An Evening With Augusten Burroughs: Stories From A Remarkable Life Augusten Burroughs' lectures and readings are a tour de force performancefunny, moving, and inspiring, they draw sell-out audiences to theatres and lecture halls across the country. Not without reason did Entertainment Weekly name Augusten Burroughs the 15th Funniest Person in America. His live performances are hilarious and provocative, displaying the same dry wit and eye for the absurd that have made his books so wildly popular. A natural and gifted storyteller, Augusten delves into his own bizarre, disturbing, but ultimately life-affirming childhood and young adulthood in a tour de force performance that can only be described as amazing. Howlingly funny and devastatingly moving, Burroughs' lectures inspire audiences to embrace humor, accept difference, overcome challenges, and create the conditions for their own tremendous success. He is one of that rare breeda world-class writer who can go from paper to podium without losing any of the force, vitality, and sophistication of the written word.
Tony Burroughs Tony Burroughs is an internationally known genealogist, author, teacher and lecturer. He teaches genealogy at Chicago State University and is the president of Black Roots. Mr. Burroughs appeared as the African American genealogy expert in the public television series, Ancestors (February 1997). In 1996, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Genealogical Society and co-authored the African-American Genealogical Sourcebook (Gale Research 1995). Mr. Burroughs has been practicing genealogy for twenty years, having traced two family lines back seven generations. He has extensive experience in libraries, archives, historical societies and county courthouses. He has conducted the African-American Genealogy workshop at the National Archives – Great Lakes Region for nine years. He also lectures at local, state and national genealogical conferences and has given half-day and full-day workshops in over a dozen cities. He was the APG 20th Anniversary Luncheon Speaker at FGS in 1999, the Keynote Banquet Speaker at GENTECH 98 in Fort Wayne, and the James Dent Walker Memorial Lecturer in Richmond, Virginia in 1994. His talks are on all aspects of American Genealogy, African-American Genealogy and technology. His presentations include exciting color slides to bring family history alive. Mr. Burroughs is a graduate of the National Institute of Genealogical Research in Washington, D.C. and the Institute of Genealogy and History at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Board positions include: New England Historic Genealogical Society, Association of Professional Genealogists, Gentech, and an FGS Delegate. Past board positions include: President of the Afro-American Genealogical & Historical Society of Chicago, Inc.; Federation of Genealogical Societies and the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Postal Advisory Committee. He is also past curator of the African-American Genealogy Collection at the Avalon Branch of the Chicago Public Library.
Mike Burstyn Multi-talented star of Broadway and motion pictures.
LeVar Burton Television audiences know LeVar Burton as Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge in the popular Star Trek: The Next Generation and as the young Kunte Kinte in the television production of Roots. Host and series producer of Reading Rainbow, the Emmy Award winning series on PBS, LeVar Burton is also the voice of "Captain Planet," a syndicated cartoon series that teaches children about the environment.
President George Bush In 1989, few could have imagined that four years later the Cold War would be won; the threat of nuclear war would be all but eliminated; the Soviet Union would be replaced by a democratic Russia; Germany would be unified; and age-old enemies would be discussing lasting peace in the Middle East.

Yet, these and so many more dramatic events unfolded at home and abroad-each day, it seemed-and leading America through this period of unprecedented change was President George Bush. Mr. Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts on June 12, 1924. On his 18th birthday, he graduated from Phillips Academy and enlisted in the Navy. During active duty in the Pacific, he flew torpedo bombers off the USS San Jacinto. He was shot down on September 2, 1944 afte4r completing a bombing raid on Chi Chi Jima and was eventually awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service.

Mr. Bush returned from the battle in 1945, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University in 1948, and moved to Texas to begin making his way in the oil industry. His career in public service began in 1966 when he was elected to the first of two terms representing Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Bush was named ambassador to the United Nations in 1974; and in 1976 director of the CIA. Ronald Reagan selected George Bush to be his running mate in 1980, and they went on to serve two terms in office together.

In 1988, he earned the GOP nomination and the support of the American people to become the 41st president of the United States.

Jenna Bush Jenna Bush shares her mother's love of reading and teaching. Jenna taught elementary school in Washington, D.C. after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004 with a degree in English. She has also written articles for CosmoGIRL! and the New York Times. Her first book, #1 New York Times bestselling Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope, is based on her work with UNICEF.
Dick Butkus Motivational speaker, All-time great linebacker for the Chicago Bears and member of the pro football Hall of Fame.
John Sibley Butler One of the Nation's foremost authorities on race relations both in the armed forces and American society, Dr. Butler offers a blueprint to provide opportunities for all and to improve race relations at the same time. He is the co-author of All That We Can Be: Black Leadership and Racial Integration the Army Way. A past president of the American Association of Black Sociologists, Butler is also the author of Entrepreneurship and Self-Help Among Black Americans. Topic: Managing in a Post Affirmative Action Era: Lessons for Corporate America.
Richard Butler UN arms negotiator and executive chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) which was charged with the disarmament of Iraq from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that Richard Butler was Australian Ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations. He is now a diplomat in residence at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Calvin Butts A leading social activist, minister and educator, Calvin Butts is the pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City and president of the State University of New York.
Steve Byrne Steve Byrnes high energy, physical style of comedy make him one of the hottest young comedians touring the country today. He was born to a Korean mother and an Irish father, which provides him with a wealth of material. His new hour special, Steve Byrne's Happy Hour, premiered on Comedy Central earlier this year to rave reviews. He will be on the big screen later this year in the Jeremy Piven vehicle The Goods: The Don Ready Story as well as with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon in Four Christmases. He was a series regular on NBC's The Real Wedding Crashers and he appeared in a promo for last years Superbowl halftime show with Prince. His standup has been featured on NBC's The Tonight Show, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS's The Late Late Show and BET's Comic View. Steve has been a featured comic at The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, The HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Las Vegas and The CanWest Comedy Fest in Vancouver. He has featured for Colin Quinn on a USO tour in Iraq as well as for Drew Carrey in Afghanistan. He has been part of several national comedy tours including The Jameson Comedy Tour, Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour, and his own national MySpace comedy tour. He won the MySpace Standup Or Sitdown Comedy Challenge and his Comedy Central half hour special was voted one of the best of all time in the Comedy Central Standup Showdown. Steve's lack of ego and outstanding work ethic make him one of the most sought after comedians in clubs and colleges across the country.