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Ron G Ron G is blazing a trail as one of the hottest upcoming comedians in LA. This former class clown decided it was time to graduate from the classroom and take his act to the world's stage. Ron G, who describes his comedy as "high energy and clever with an urban flare," graduated with a dual degree in finance and management from the University of South Carolina. But he quickly decided he didn't fit into the corporate world, and at his cousin's urging got up on stage for the first time in Atlanta, GA and got booed severely. He calls that "the best and worst day of my life - the day I fell in love with comedy." He has been performing ever since at clubs, colleges, churches and corporate events across the country, entertaining people while staying true to his commitment to clean humor. His performance presents down to earth humor and funny characters. Ron G began his stand up career in Atlanta, GA, and was crowned 1st place winner of the 2005 Sierra Mist Late Night Laff Off. After moving to Los Angeles to further his career as a comedian and actor, he was a finalist on the new hit TV show Bill Bellamy's "Who's Got Jokes" and was also a finalist on the most recent season of NBC's Last Comic Standing. And if that wasn't enough, on his very first commercial audition, he booked a gig as national Spokesperson for Checker's & Rally's Restaurants. Having Martin Lawrence tell him he was funny is one of Ron G's career highlights so far, and after receiving his first standing ovation only eight months in the game, he knew he had found his calling.
Jim Gaffigan Raised in Indiana, Jim Gaffigan decided to make the move to New York City in pursuit of becoming a successful actor and stand up comic. It is apparent that Jim has more than arrived. After Jim's first appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Mr. Letterman personally chose Jim to develop a sitcom for World Wide Pants. A year and half later, Welcome to New York debuted to critical acclaim boasting a cast of Christine Baranski, Rocky Carroll and Sara Gilbert. The Wall Street Journal declared Jim "a true find" and TV Guide Nominated Jim for Best New Actor in a Sitcom TV Guide Award. Jim has guest starred on many other network television shows including Ed, Law & Order, Third Watch, Lateline, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Soul Man and Conrad Bloom. Jim was also a cast member of the VH1 sketch show Random Play. Jim recently completed a lead role in his eleventh independent film, No Sleep Till Madison a feature film directed by Erik Moe. Some of his other film credits include Three Kings, Road Trip, Endsville, Personals and Entropy. Jim also appeared in two films chosen for the 2001 Sundance Film Festival Super Troopers and Thirty Years to Life. Some recognize Jim from his numerous commercial campaigns, which include ESPN, Saturn, Energizer and Rolling Rock. Jim's commercial presence was a so large and successful in 1999 Business Week called him "Salesman of The Year". As a stand up comedian, Jim's cutting edge style has earned him 10 unprecedented appearances on Late Show with David Letterman. Jim has also numerous appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and Comedy Central's Dr. Katz. Jim performed is own half hour comedy special for comedy central entitled Comedy Central Presents: Jim Gaffigan. Jim has performed at both the prestigious HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado and the world renowned Just For Laughs International Comedy Festival in Montreal, Canada.
Ernest Gaines Gaines was born in Louisiana in 1933 but moved to California when he was 15 because he had no access to high school in the segregated South. He entered a public library for the first time when he was 16 and ultimately decided to become a writer. A graduate of San Francisco State College, he has been writer-in-residence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since 1983. In addition to A Lesson, his works include The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971) and A Gathering of Old Men (1984), both of which were adapted for television.
Cassandra Gaines Ms. Cassandra Gaines has been actively involved in Tourism in Northeastern Oklahoma region since 1982. A $50,000.00 grant was appropriated in 1997 from the Oklahoma Historical Society to help promote African American Heritage Tourism in Northeastern Oklahoma. Ms. Gaines is the Multi-Cultural Director for convention & tourisms in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Ms. Gaines continues to study African American Histories and promote African –American Tourism in the region and nationally. Ms. Gaines is known throughout the United States for the Oklahoma Historical Black Town Tour and speaking on Heritage tourism which is a new niche in the tourism market. She’s also known for her entertainment ability for putting on various musical shows. November 2000, TIA Destiny Awards Special Projects (the Grammy’s of Tourism) On June 19, 2002, Ms Gaines was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame for her outstanding work throughout the state of Oklahoma. On April 18th and 19th 2003, the New York Times visited Oklahoma for an exclusive interview with Ms. Gaines for her outstanding work the Oklahoma Historical Black Towns Tours. November 2003, Al Roker with the Food Channel and NBC Today Show Weatherman came to Muskogee and interviewed Cassandra Gaines for outstanding work on the Black Towns Tours and the down home cooking. This aired the whole month of February 2004 during Black History Month. October 25, 2004 Award, International African American Culinary Arts Institute outstanding work in Oklahoma November 29-Dec 4 2005 was invited to the National League of cities to showcase the Oklahoma Historical Black Towns Tour.
Zach Galifianakis I was bored and raised in the foothills of North Carolina. I was a small child. At the age of four I grew a beard. I named it Sheila. I started doing stand up humor in NYC at a place called Hamburger Harrys. I bombed many, many times. Sheila was very discouraged. When my jokes improved I started getting acting jobs. Not to brag but I have been in many shitty things. Some good. Here goes: TV Reno 911 Tom Goes To The Mayor Apt. 2F Letterman Conan James Kimmel Shitcom Boston Common Tru Calling (when I sold my soul) Late World with Zach Movies AKA Films: Comedians of Comedy Flushed Heartbreakers Bubble Boy Corky Romano Out Cold Below
George Gallup President of the Gallup Poll, futurist, and the foremost expert on polling and public opinion in the world.
Peter Gammons Peter Gammons, a highly respected Major League Baseball journalist, serves as a studio analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight. He also provides Diamond Notes, his regular reports during the baseball season for ESPN's SportsCenter. Gammons has served as a Major League Baseball correspondent on ESPN since 1988. Besides working for ESPN, he contributes to the Boston Globe and to Baseball America. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Gammons is regarded as one of the top men in the sports media business and has done many high-profile interviews in his days with ESPN. He was voted the National Sportswriter of the Year for 1989, 1990, and 1993 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and was awarded an honorary Pointer Fellow from Yale University. Gammons began his career as a reporter for the Boston Globe in 1969 as the main journalist covering the Boston Red Sox. He has also worked for Sports Illustrated covering the National Hockey League, college basketball, and Major League Baseball (1976-78, 1986-90). In 1986, upon his return to Sports Illustrated as a senior writer following a second stay at the Globe, he wrote numerous stories covering some of baseball's most important news events and authored Inside Baseball, Sports Illustrated's weekly baseball notebook. Gammons is also the author of Beyond the Sixth Game, a look at free agency.
Joe Garagiola Well known NBC sportscaster and television personality.
Charles Garcia Charles Patrick Garcia is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, a highly decorated military officer, a Columbia Law School graduate and a former White House Fellow. In 1997, at the age of thirty-six, he founded Sterling Financial Group of Companies with three people, which has grown to more than sixty offices in seven countries. The company was named the number one fastest growing Hispanic-owned business in the country by Hispanic Business Magazine, and number eight on the Inc 500 list of fastest growing privately-held companies in the nation. For his success across many fields, Garcia was named one of the nation's 100 most influential Hispanics and his leadership abilities have earned him a role in the administration of three U.S. Presidents, a Cabinet Secretary, a Governor and a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander. Garcia's commentary has been sought by CROSSFIRE, FOX News, CNN, CBS, Univision, Telemundo, CNN en Espaol and The Cristina Show. During the War in Iraq, Garcia served as Telemundo's military analyst providing daily live-behind-the-desk commentary.
Cristina Garcia In 1960, Cristina Garcias family fled Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castros Communist revolution. Drawing on her personal experiences in an expatriate family, Garcia speaks directly on the current issues of cultural identity and Cuban-American relations. As a powerful speaker with a marvelous charm she illuminates the complexities and contradictions of a dual cultural identity by exploring questions such as; What does it mean to have Hispanic roots and also to succeed within mainstream America? What are the drawbacks and benefits of this duality? Garcia has been a Guggenheim Fellow, a fellow at Princeton University, and is the recipient of the Whitting Writers Award.
Christopher Gardner Christopher Gardner is president and CEO of the Chicago-based brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co., which he founded in 1987. Prior to launching his own firm, Mr. Gardner worked for several prestigious Wall Street firms. He landed his first job in the securities industry in 1981 with Dean Witter Reynolds, coming out of their training program. Later, he spent four years with Bear Stearns & Co., where he became a top earner. A self-made multi-millionaire, Gardner is intent on giving back to the communities where he conducts business because he has never forgotten his humble beginnings or the odds he has surmounted. Christopher Gardner's accomplishments are extraordinary on their own merit, but are all the more astonishing because of the unimaginable obstacles he encountered on the road to success. Always hard working and tenacious, a series of circumstances in the early 1980's left Gardner homeless in San Francisco and the sole guardian of his toddler son. Unwilling to give up Chris Jr. or his dream of financial independence, Gardner started at the very bottom of the financial industry ladder and pulled his way up, often spending his nights in a church shelter or a bathroom at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland. The amazing story of Gardner's life will be soon be published as an autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness, by Amistad/Harper Collins on May 23, 2006, and will also be the subject of a movie with the same title starring Will Smith as Gardner to be released by Columbia Pictures in December 2006. Born February 9, 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Gardner never knew his father. He lived with his mother, Bettye Jean Gardner, and her family and, when necessary, in foster homes. Despite a life of hardship and emotional scarring, he always had supreme love and admiration for his mother, who was a trained schoolteacher. His mother taught him some of the greatest lessons of his life, which he follows to this day. When Gardner told her he wanted to be the great jazz trumpeter Miles Davis she said, "Son, there's only one Miles Davis and he got that job. So you have to do something else." He understood from that day forward that his job was to be Chris Gardner - whatever that entailed. Bettye Jean also taught him that in spite of where he came from, he could attain whatever goals he set for himself by saying, "If you want to, one day you could make a million dollars." Gardner believed this to be fact, and it allowed him to persevere through the years when and his son were struggling for survival and a better life. Straight out of high school, Gardner enlisted in the Navy, just like his uncles, his role models, had done previously. After the military, Gardner went to San Francisco and took a job as a medical supply salesman. Then he reached a turning point in his life. In a parking lot, he met a man driving a red Ferrari. "He was looking for a parking space. I said, 'You can have mine, but I gotta ask you two questions.' The two questions were: What do you do? And how do you do that? Turns out this guy was a stockbroker and he was making $80,000 a month." That pivotal encounter gave Gardner a clear career goal, but he still needed a way into the world of high finance. Without experience, connections, a degree, or pedigree, Gardner began knocking on doors, applying for training programs at brokerages, even though it meant he would have to live on next to nothing while he learned. When he was finally accepted into a program, he left his job in medical sales. But his plans collapsed when the man who offered him the training slot was fired, and Gardner had no job to go back to. Things got worse. He was put in jail for $1,200 in parking violations that he couldn't pay. Chris Jr.'s mother left and Gardner, despite his circumstances, fought to keep his son because, as he says, "I made up my mind as a young kid that when I had children, my children were gonna know who their father was." With a network of offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, GRC has grown by focusing on its commitment to provide quality service and excellent trade executions for clients. The firm executes trades for some of the nations largest institutions, public pension plans and unions. Under Mr. Gardner's directions, GRC has adopted a "give back to the community" program. The Company donates 10% or more of the company's earnings toward school and educational projects in the communities it serves. Chris Gardner's remarkable story of struggle, faith, entrepreneurialism, and fatherly devotion has catapulted him beyond the notoriety he has found on Wall Street. He has been featured on CBS' "Evening News with Dan Rather" and ABC's "20/20," as well as being the subject of profiles in many newspapers and national magazines.
Janeane Garofalo Actress/Comedienne/Activist Janeane Garofalo has been consistently working in film and television since she got her start in 1992. This winter she completed the film "Stay," with Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, and can be seen in the recently released "Wonderland," with Val Kilmer. In addition to a demanding shooting schedule, Janeane continues to perform spoken word and stand-up comedy around the country. Janeane is currently working on a book for Simon and Schuster, titled "For Those About to Salute, We Will Rock You" which will be a collection of humorous, politically themed essays. In keeping in step with her out spoke ways, she will also host her own talk show on Radio Free America, slated to launch this March. A lightning rod for controversy, Janeane's well informed opinions and honesty have inspired laughs, as well as striking a chord with the left, right and everything in between. Janeane is probably most known for her memorable and critically acclaimed roles in "The Truth About Cats and Dogs," "Steal This Movie," "Copland," and "Reality Bites," as well as for her specific brand of sharp wit and comedy shown in her roles in "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion," "Bye Bye Love," "Mystery Men," "Clay Pigeons," "The Minus Man," and "The Cable Guy," directed by her friend Ben Stiller. Ben and Janeane also co-authored the best seller Feel This Book (Ballantine May 1999). Janeane was also a cast member of the Emmy Award-winning Ben Stiller Show. Janeane played the role of Paula, the acerbic talent booker, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which she received an Emmy nomination in 1997 and two Cable Ace nominations. During the fall of 94 she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. Some of Janeanes other television work includes two specials for HBO and the series finale of Mad About You.
Laurie Garrett Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author will speak on The Collapse of Global Public Health. In March 2004, Laurie took the position of Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is an expert on global health with a particular focus on newly emerging and re-emerging diseases; public health and their effects on foreign policy and national security.
Brad Garrett Brad Garrett is a three time Emmy Award winning American actor and comedian known for his roles on the television sitcoms Everybody Loves Raymond as Robert Barone and Til Death as Eddie Stark.The comedian, whose voice can be heard in such films as Casper, Toonsylvania and Finding Nemo, shines brightest when he is put on the spot, answering any number of questions from the audience. The night I saw the comedian, a college student asked Garrett to "bust a move" like he sometimes did on "Everybody Loves Raymond. Garrett first teased the student, poking fun of him and the number of drinks he mightve had, and then invited him and a friend up on stage for photos. Making every minute memorable, Garrett channeled Robert Barone and goofily danced while posing for a photo shoot all to the music of "Disco Inferno. Other highlights include Garrett, who likens himself to a cross between Greg Brady and Herman Munster and proves it by impersonating Munster, doing a laugh-inducing imitation of former co star, Ray Romano. Paying homage to his moments on the show, Garrett ends the night with amusing outtakes from "Everybody Loves Raymond."
Zina Garrison One of the most inspiring players in the history of women's tennis, Zina Garrison won 14 tennis tournament titles on th professional woman's tennis tour and is19th o the career money list. At the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 she won the gold medal in doubles and took the bronze in singles. In 1990 she became the second African American woman to reach a grand slam final. She recently was appointed as first African-American woman on the Board of Directors of the United States Tennis Association, a motivational and inspiring speaker.
Steve Garvey Baseball superstar for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres and an excellent motivational speaker.
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Acclaimed as an eloquent commentator and formidable intellectual force on multicultural and African American issues, Gates has held additional appointments at Yale, Cornell, and Duke. Born and raised in Piedmont, West Virginia, Gates grew up during a period of racial transition in the 1950s and 1960s. Currently, Professor Gates is Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford African American Studies Center, the first comprehensive scholarly online resource in the field of African American Studies and Africana Studies. He is co-editor with K. Anthony Appiah of the encyclopedia Encarta Africana published on CD-ROM by Microsoft. His latest book is Finding Oprahs Roots, Finding Your Own, a meditation on genetics, genealogy, and race. His other recent books include America Behind the Color Line: Dialogues with African Americans, African American Lives, and The Annotated Uncle Toms Cabin. In 2006, Professor Gates wrote and produced the PBS documentary called African American Lives, the first documentary series to employ genealogy and science to provide an understanding of African American history. In 2007, a follow-up one-hour documentary, Oprahs Roots: An African American Lives Special, aired on PBS, further examining the genealogical and genetic heritage of Oprah Winfrey, who had been featured in the original documentary. Professor Gates is currently at work on a four-hour sequel to African American Lives, which is scheduled to air in February 2008. In addition to writing, Professor Gates has had a profound impact on the literary world by authenticated and facilitated the publication of Our Nig, or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black, by Harriet Wilson, the first novel published by an African American woman. As well as The Bondwomans Narrative by Hannah Crafts, dating from the early 1850s and now considered one of the first novels written by an African American woman. Through out his long and decorated career, Gates has been a part of many writing, publishing and editorial endeavors. Professor Gates earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in English literature from Clare College at the University of Cambridge, and his B.A. summa cum laude in History from Yale University. He became a member of Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year at Yale.
Larry Gatlin Country and western superstar.
Luther Gatling Financial expert and founder and President of Budget & Credit Counseling Services, Inc. Buccs, which was the first credit counseling organization in the country to not only deal with the broad spectrum of consumer debt but also to serve as a kind of laboratory for bank products and their effect on community needs.
Dominic Gaudious A new sound for the new millennium Dynamic, Intense and Passionate are just some of the words used to describe the innovative work of instrumental guitarist and composer, Dominic Gaudious. After successfully releasing two albums and touring with an eclectic rock band in the 1980's, Dominic found his passion in the contemplative world of Classical/World Beat music. Working mainly with six & twelve-string acoustic guitars and incorporating exotic instruments such as the Australian Didgeridoo, Dominic expanded on the theme and created a uniquely intricate playing style which blends the sounds of Classical, Jazz, Flamenco, Rock, and World Beat. He has performed at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, the Australian Embassy, Montreux Music Festival, National Geographic, opened for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Pat Benatar, Kip Winger, appeared with the well-respected jazz ensemble Acoustic Alchemy, The Rippingtons, and world-renowned guitarists such as Pierre Bensusan, Adrian Legg and Eric Johnson. He also performed at the after show party for John Petrucci, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Often compared to Michael Hedges, Eddie Van Halen and Al DiMeola, Dominic's appealing sound has become widely sought after for festivals, benefits and concerts such as the Race Unity Festival, Greenpeace, Sound Support for Autism and Citizens for a Better Environment. Dominics music has been featured on Echoes, Hearts of Space, National Public Radio and many local and syndicated stations throughout the world. Most recently Dominic was a finalist on FOX TVs 30 Seconds to Fame, a finalist and Honor Award Winner in the Great American Song Contest for his song " Far East Fusion," nominated 2003 Best Instrumental Artist by campus awards.com and nominated by SSA as National Radio Recording Artist of the Year.
Kristine Gebbie National AIDS policy officer in the first Clinton Administration.
Bill Geist CBS News essayist.
Leslie Gelb Pultizer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and now President of the Council on Foreign Relations.
George Gendron Editor-in-Chief of Inc. magazine.
Phyllis George Entrepreneur, television personality and former Miss America.
Bruce George Co-Founder of the critically acclaimed award winning Russell Simmonss Def Poetry Jam. Bruce is Co-Founder of Def Poetry Jam and visionary, executive producer, writer, poet and activist. He was born and raised in New York City. He has written poetry/prose & articles for over 37 years. His work has been published in major magazines, anthologies, and literary publications. He has written testimonials from the likes of Essence Magazine, Emerge Magazine, Class Magazine, Harlem River Press etc Bruce has won multiple poetry & talent contests. He has won several awards such as a Peabody Award for Russell Simmons Presents, Def Poetry (HBO), a Miky Award for Russell Simmons Presents, Def Poetry Jam (HBO), an Upscale Showcase Award, a Trail Blazer Award etc for his outstanding vision, production, writing and performance. Bruce is the Co-Founder of the critically acclaimed award winning Russell Simmonss Def Poetry Jam. Hes also the Founder/Managing Editor of The Bandana Republic, an Anthology of Poetry & Prose by Gang Members & Their Affiliates. Bruce is the Founder/Executive Producer of a spoken word documentary entitled: Bone Bristle, A Spoken Word Documentary which is in post-production. The film features critically acclaimed writers, poets & spoken word artists. As an activist Bruce has been and currently is associated with major grassroots organizations that fosters and uplifts people in struggle. Bruce has served on numerous panels (Hampton, Harvard, The New School, Fordham University, Medgar Evers, Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture etc) and judged hundreds of poetry/spoken word competitions.
Robin Gerberis Robin Gerberis the author of several books including her new book, Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the Worlds Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her (Harper/Collins). She has also written Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way: Timeless Strategies from the First Lady of Courage (Penguin/Portfolio, 2002) and Katharine Graham: The Leadership Journey of an American Icon with a foreword by Jim Collins, author of Good to Great (Penguin/Portfolio, October, 2005). Her novel Eleanor vs. Ike (Harper/Avon, January, 2008) imagines Eleanor Roosevelt as a candidate for President. Robin's books are used in leadership development courses and corporate programs across the United States. She is also a lawyer and senior faculty for the Gallup Organization, and a senior fellow in Executive Education at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park. Robin is an inspirational keynote speaker on leadership development, using moving stories from the lives of Eleanor Roosevelt, Katharine Graham and other great leaders to illustrate leadership lessons. Her clients include Bank of America, IBM, Marriott, Legg Mason, JP Morgan/Chase, Freddie Mac, Aetna Information Services, the AARP, Lee Hecht Harrison, Giant Food, The Culinary Institute, West Point, the U.S. Forest Service, the Council for Excellence in Government, The 3rd Quality Conference of the European Union, and many universities, colleges, girls schools, nonprofits and government agencies. Prior to becoming an author, Robin practiced law in Washington, D.C. and worked on Capitol Hill. She has studied and written about leadership development since 1975.
Jack Germond Nationally syndicated political newspaper columnist.
Georgia Ann Geyer Syndicated newspaper columnist, foreign correspondent and a regular panelist on Washington Week In Review and Meet the Press.
Tim Giago A leading Native American journalist, Tim Giago is a syndicated columnist and publisher of the Lakota Times, the largest independently owned American Indian weekly newspaper in the United States. Tim Giago serves on the editorial consultant committee on diversity issues for USA Today and is the author of two books, The Aboriginal Sin and Notes From Indian Country.
Sammi Giancola An American reality TV star, Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola earned fame by appearing on the MTV show "Jersey Shore."
Robin Gibb Best known for his unsurpassed catalog of hits and over 180 Million records sold with the Bee Gees, Robin and his group deliver a cross section of the biggest hits from that bands long career such as: Stayin’ Alive, Jive Talkin’, Night Fever, You Should Be Dancing, Nights on Broadway How Deep Is Your Love, More Than A Woman Emotion, Tragedy, To Love Somebody I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You, Words, I Started A Joke How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Holiday and many more. Robin performs a spectacular, instantly recognizable hits driven show perfect for higher end corporate and private event dates.
Gene Gibbons White House correspondent of the Reuters International News Agency.
Marla Gibbs Best known as "Florence" on the CBS television hit series, "The Jeffersons." A highly successful film and television actress, Ms.Gibbs has been the recipient of numerous awards for her community service. A very funny and motivational lecture.
Dr. Jewell Taylor Gibbs A clinical psychologist and professor of Social Policy, Community Change and Practice at the School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley, Jewell Taylor Gibbs is the author of Race and Justice: Rodney King and O.J. Simpson in a House Divided. She is the editor of Young, Black and Male in America: An Endangered Species and co-author of Children of Color, Psychological Interventions With Minority Youth. Dr. Gibbs brings an inspiring and practical approach to solving some of America's social ills.
Frank Gifford Longtime color commentator for ABCs Monday Night Football and former football star for the New York Giants.
Elizabeth Gilbert Her editor calls her the Queen of Quirk. She has an awful lot of humor and charm, and shes one of those few writers who writes the way she talks. And talks the way she writes, with intelligence, wit and not just a shade of the performer behind her expressive and insightful presentations. Expansive and armed with a comics sense of timing, journalist, novelist and short-story writer Elizabeth Gilbert talks about her writing and her books. Her most recent is a memoir entitled, Eat, Pray, Love Viking, 2006, which chronicles the year she spent traveling around the world in search of personal restoration after a difficult divorce. Gilberts lecture themes often revolve around the subjects of travel and getting the story out thereon ranches, in bars, in scary foreign countries, in diners, in rodeos, in strip joints, on fishing boats, in factories and hospitals, she says. Gilbert prefers this kind of reallife arena, to spending a few years in a writing program comparing short stories with a few dozen other young writers trying to find their voices. Gilberts first book, a collection of short-stories entitled Pilgrims (1998), was a New York Times Most Notable Book and won the Ploughshares prize, the first fiction awards from The Paris Review and The Southern Review and was a finalist for the PEN Hemingway Award. Several stories in the collection were staged at the Water Theater Company at the Tribeca Playhouse. Her first novel Stern Men (2000), a story about Maine lobster fishermen, the women who defy them and entrenched island conflicts, won the Kate Chopin Award in 2001 for creating a female character who goes beyond the boundaries of cultural expectations to claim a life on her own terms (Florence Shinkle, St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Hailing from an educated, ascetic rural Connecticut upbringing, Elizabeth Gilbert came to her writing career with fearless reporting skills, an abiding appreciation for working-class values with an attendant skepticism of politically correct liberalism. A clear vision of the irony and absurdity in it all informs an easy, at times wicked wit that shuns any ideological or political agendas. After graduating from New York University, she used money earned at a Philadelphia diner to travel, as she says, to create experiences to write about, gather landscapes and voices. She went West to work in diners and bars for the same reason. Her work for Spin Magazine caught the eye of the editors at Gentlemens Quarterly, which proved to be fertile ground for Gilbert, resulting in a run of colorful profiles and stories that eventually turned into books and movies. Her first article for GQ, The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon, chronicled her experience as a waitress at the New York City bar of the same name, and was the basis for the 2000 motion picture Coyote Ugly. A profile of Hank Williams III in GQ, won the National Magazine Award and was anthologized in Best American Writing 2001. I think my gift, far beyond whatever gifts that I have as a writer, my gift as a human is that I can make friends with people very quickly, and not in an insincere way, she tells interviewer Frank Bures at Powells Books. Everything I learned about being a journalist I learned by being a bartender. The most exquisite lesson of all is that people will tell you anything. Want to. Theres no question you cant ask if your intention is not hostile. And its not like entrapment; its more like a gorgeous revelation. People want to tell the story that they have. Nominated for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for her nonfiction account of the back to basics woodsman, Eustace Conway, in The Last American Man (2002), Gilbert effectively draws on a long standing intrigue with a luxury free, pioneer lifestyle. Taking from intellectualism and pop culture, from seriousness and ribald humor, Elizabeth Gilbert strikes an engagingly subtle, thoughtful and comic balance. A Pushcart Prize winner and National Magazine Award nominated journalist, she works as writer at-large for GQ and makes her home in New Jersey. Gilberts journalism has been published in Harpers Bazaar, Spin and The New York Times Magazine. Her stories have appeared in Esquire, Story, The Paris Review, Ploughshares and The Mississippi Review.
Will Gilbert Will Gilbert, 25, is from Detroit, Michigan but now resides in both Detroit and the Los Angeles, California area. Will was studying advertising at Michigan State University but left after 3 years to take classes on sound engineering and production at the Recording Institute of Detroit in Eastpointe to further his pursuit of a music career. Will Gill is the Entertainer who loves to speak his mind which sometimes questions authority while at the same time being humble and acting neutral on The Real World Hollywood Season. Will is a music producer and songwriter that specializes in performing as both a DJ and Emcee. College Lecture Topics Diversity, Urban Living, Music, and Mediating
Marcia Ann Gillespie Marcia Ann Gillespie has been a trailblazer in the publishing world for more than two decades. As former Editor in Chief of Essence, she transformed the then-fledgling publication into one of the fastest-growing women's magazines in the United States. Time magazine named her "One of the Fifty Faces for America's Future." She was voted the March of Dimes' "Outstanding Woman in Publishing" for her efforts in inspiring all humankind to combat hatred and violence. She has written extensively on issues of gender and race. Under Gillespie's leadership, Ms. magazine has attracted increasing numbers of younger women to the magazine's fold. Marcia Ann Gillespie is a trailblazer in the magazine industry, a leader in the women's movement, a champion of gender of racial justice. A provocative writer and thinker, hers has been a consistent eloquent voice affirming the human potential for good, challenging inequality, pushing herself and others to hope, dare and strive for a better world. She has been a driving force behind two of this nation's most important women's magazines, as the editor in chief of Essence from 1971-1980 and most recently as the editor in chief of Ms. from 1993-2001. Named the Editor in Chief of Essence at the age of 26, Gillespie quickly proved her mettle by rapidly transforming the then fledgling publication into one of the fastest growing women's magazines in the United States. During her tenure (1971-1980), Essence became a trusted source of inspiration, information and affirmation for millions of African American women and won a National Magazine Award the industry's most prestigious honor. A vice-president of Essence Communications, Inc. and a member of the board of directors, Gillespie was named "One of the Fifty Faces for America's Future" by Time magazine. Gillespie's association with Ms. magazine dates back to 1980 when she became a contributing editor. She then went on to become a featured columnist and the executive editor of Ms. before being named the top editor in 1993. At Ms. her mission was "moving the discussion of feminism forward" and making the magazine a "welcome table" for a range of voices and views. Under her leadership the magazine reached an ever more diverse readership, attracting increasing numbers of younger women to the fold. In addition to her role as editor in chief, Gillespie was named the President of Liberty Media for Women, a limited liability corporation comprised of women investors that purchased the magazine in November 1998 and successfully relaunched the publication in March 1999. To further secure the publication's future, Gillespie negotiated the magazine's transfer to the Feminist Majority Foundation in December 2000 and officially turned the reins over in February 2001. Gillespie's extensive knowledge about the national and international women's movements, issues of racial and gender justice, the media and business, and her keen interest in history and observations about current events and the changes and challenges confronting the American society, and her deep faith in our ability to rise informs her life and her work. A rousing, eloquent and in-demand public speaker, who brings both wit and wisdom to her talks, Gillespie regularly appears on university and college campuses and as a keynoter at conferences and events in the United States and abroad. In addition to her numerous public appearances, she maintains a thriving consultancy advising corporate and other clients on issues ranging from diversity to communications. An award winning writer, Gillespie has also received a number of awards from professional and civic organizations including the Matrix award from New York Women in Communication, the Mary MacLeod Bethune award from the National Council of Negro Women. Awarded a Doctor of Letters by her alma mater, Lake Forest University, she is also a recipient of the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism, from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Gillespie also serves as a member of the board of directors of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, the Violence Policy Center and the Global Fund for Women.
Dorothy Butler Gilliam Highly respected columnist for The Washington Post, Dorothy Gilliam was the only black woman journalist covering the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960's. She was the president of the 2400 member National Association of Black Journalists and has served as chair of the Institute for Journalism Education, a national organization which promotes opportunities for minority students in journalism. A frequent panelist on the political talk show, "To The Contrary," Ms. Gilliam appears nationwide on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS).
Dana Gilmore Dana Gilmore, 24, is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. Dana is a graduated from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. While there she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business and Finance and was bestowed with high honors graduating Magna Cum Laude. Dana was awarded a continuing academic scholarship to complete her graduate studies at Morris Brown. Additionally, she was offered scholarships through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) program and studied overseas for a semester at the University of Ghana in Ghana, West Africa. More than a gift, writing is a calling for Dana Gilmore. Gilmores poetic style is very clear-cut and real. She is a well-rehearsed professional who can deliver what she promises. This holds true whether it is an audience of one or one thousand. Dana Gilmores purpose is to deliver her message by sharing freely from her own story
Nikki Giovanni Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr., born in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past thirty years, Nikkis outspokenness, in her writing and in person, has brought the eyes of the world upon her. One of the most widely read American poets; she prides herself on being "a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English." Giovanni remains as determined and committed as ever to the fight for civil rights and equality. Always insisting on presenting the truth as she sees it, she has maintained a prominent place as a strong voice of the Black community. Her focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others. Nikki Giovanni has written more than two-dozen books, including volumes of poetry, illustrated childrens books, and three collections of essays. Her book Racism 101 includes bold, controversial essays about the situation of Americans on all sides of various race issues. She has received 21 honorary doctorates and a host of other awards, including "Woman of the Year" awards from three different magazines as well as Governors Awards in the Arts from both Tennessee and Virginia. Her three most recent volumes of poetry, Love Poems, Blues: For All the Changes and Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, were winners of the NAACP Image Award, in 1998, 2000, and 2003. Since 1987, she has taught writing and literature at Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor. As a devoted and passionate writer, teacher, and speaker, she inspires not only her students, but also readers and audiences nationwide. The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, a spoken-word CD, was a finalist for the 2003 Grammy Award in the category of spoken word.
Greg Giraldo Greg Giraldo is one of New York City's top comedians and a headliner in clubs across the country. Socially provocative and yet broadly funny, Greg has become one of the most versatile and highly entertaining comics working today. Greg is currently hosting "Stand-Up Nation with Greg Giraldo" on Comedy Central, every Friday at 9pm (8pm central). It's a full night of comedy from some of today's top stand-ups plus a monologue from Greg on the events of the week along with interviews in-studio with guest comedians as well as field pieces. Last year, Greg Giraldo hosted the popular "Friday Nite with Greg Giraldo" also on Comedy Central. Prior to hosting his own show, Greg was a regular panelist on "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" which aired for three seasons on Comedy Central. Greg Giraldo has had two half-hour stand-up specials for Comedy Central Presents and performed on Comedy Central's year-end special "Last Laugh" in 2004 and 2005. He has also appeared on "Late Show with David Letterman" (CBS) several times, and has been a guest on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (NBC) over a dozen times. Greg Giraldo developed and starred in his own ABC sitcom, "Common Law," which was loosely based on his experiences at a New York law firm. He also created and starred in sitcom pilots for NBC and CBS. In 2004, Greg partnered with European producers LazyBoy on a hit modern rock/electronic song released by Universal/Motown Records called "Underwear Goes Inside the Pants." The song was the #1 most downloaded song on Itunes in the electronic music category, and an international hit appearing on the charts in America and many other countries including Australia where it rose to #4.
Adele Givens A star of the Def Jam Comedy group.
Robin Givens She appeared on The Cosby Show and Diff'rent Strokes and the TV movie Beverly Hills Madam before receiving the role on Head of the Class that made her famous. She achieved further prominence as the wife (1988-1989) of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson with whom she shared a mansion in the affluent suburbs of New Jersey. They divorced, however, after Givens accused Tyson of spousal abuse (Tyson was later arrested). Her most famous television role was of rich girl Darlene Merriman on the sitcom Head of the Class. After her run on the show and her high profile divorce from Tyson, she appeared in numerous TV specials, TV movies (most notably The Women of Brewster Place with Oprah Winfrey and The Face with Yasmine Bleeth) and some failed sitcoms. Givens attempted a comeback as the host of the talk show, Forgive or Forget replacing television personality Mother Love. While this was generally regarded as a failure, Givens was well-liked by the audience. With the exception of the occasional made-for-television movie, she has not been seen on television since. She performed in New York in the Off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues, earning good reviews for her performance.
Malcolm Gladwell Malcolm Gladwell has an incomparable gift for generating value by interpreting groundbreaking research in psychology, sociology and neurology and applying it to business. In 2005, Time Magazine named Malcolm one of the 100 Most Influential People. He is the author of two New York Times #1 bestsellers With his first book Malcolm embedded the concept of The Tipping Point in our everyday vocabulary and gave organizations new tools for understanding how and why change happens, and how to create positive epidemics of ideas and behavior. In Blink he analyzes intuitionthe judgments we make unconsciously and instinctivelyand he explores how we can master this important aspect of successful decision-making. He is currently a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine. His editor describes his work as a new genre of story, an idea-driven narrative thats focused on the everyday and combines research with material that's more personal, social and historical. He was previously a reporter for the Washington Post. Malcolm is an extraordinary speaker: always on target, aware of the context and the concerns of the audience, informative and practical, poised, eloquent and delightfully warm and funny. Magically, he entertains and shakes up your perspective at the same time. The Books Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking In the Blink of an eye, the unconscious mind decides lots of (often very important) things for us without our even knowing what we know or how we know it. In his groundbreaking book Blink, Malcolm describes how we make these decisionsboth the good ones and the badwhy some people are so much better at it than others, and how we can improve our skill at interpreting these details correctly to become better decision makersin our homes, in our offices, and in everyday life. Blink examines the smallest components of our experience, the content and origin of those instantaneous impressions and conclusions that bubble up whenever we meet a new person, or confront a complex situation, or have to make a decision under conditions of stress. If we paid more attention to these fleeting moments, it would change how we do a lot of things. If you combined all these little changes together, youd end up with a different and happier world. Malcolms books are intellectual adventure stories. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference The Tipping Point is a book about change, in particular, a book that presents a new way of understanding why change happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it so often does. It's that ideas and behavior and messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. The Tipping Point is an examination of the social epidemics that surround us. In The Tipping Point, Malcolm describes how trends work and he helps companies apply this knowledge to their own business strategies. Using the principles of epidemiologythe study of epidemicsto understand the movement of ideas, he explains how trends start and spread and he offers tools for igniting, steering and/or sustaining the trendspositive epidemicsthat matter to his audiences. Credentials Staff writer for The New Yorker Former science and medicine writer for The Washington Post Winner, National Magazine Award Gladwell and his ideas have reached a tipping point of their own. ~ Fast Company
Daniel Glaser Americas fight against terrorism generally operates through complex networks. In this context, a terrorist act, no matter how basic and inexpensive, cannot be accomplished without a sophisticated financial and operational infrastructure. Terrorist organizations such as al Qaida and Hamas require a financial and operational infrastructure. They must pay for the security of safe havens, financial support for the families of martyrs, recruitment, indoctrination, logistical support, and personnel training. This doesnt even get into the costs of ostensibly humanitarian effortscharitable organizations, medical clinics, and schoolsthat are either created as fronts for terrorism or to win support and recruits. Finally, there is the cost of weapons. In short, the horrific results of terrorism require the raising, movement, and use of considerable funds. Terrorists leave identifiable and traceable footprints throughout global financial systems, and these footprints must be pursued downstream to identify future perpetrators and facilitators, and upstream to identify funding sources and to dismantle supporting entities and individuals. Daniel Glaser is the primary U.S. Treasury official for the development and coordination of international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing policy. He is a key official in developing and implementing strategies to disrupt and dismantle money laundering and terrorist financing networks worldwide. As the Treasury departments deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes, he serves as the head of the U.S. delegation to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) the premier international body in the fight against money laundering. Glaser has also addressed terrorist financing issues with an array of other international bodies, including the G 7, the International Monetary Fund, and World Bank, and has served as the lead Treasury negotiator of the money laundering provisions in the U.N. Transnational Organized Crime Convention.
Lillian Glass Relationship expert, motivational speaker and author of such books as He Says-She Says: Closing the communication Gap Between the Sexes; and Toxic people, Ten Ways to Handle People Who Make Your Life Miserable.
Mary Glendon Attorney, noted conservative legal scholar and law professor.
Danny Glover From Places in the Heart and the Lethal Weapon series to the award-winning To Sleep with Anger (which he also executive produced), Danny Glover is one of Hollywood's most renowned and respected leading men. An actor, producer, and director, this versatile superstar has impacted stage, screen, and television for over a decade.Glover's impressive and diverse body of work has earned him a host of awards, including several NAACP Image Awards, an ACE Award and Emmy nominations. Off-screen, Glover is a powerful advocate for literacy and has spoken to grammar and high school students around the nation about the joys of reading and education.
Nesse Godin Nesse Godin is a survivor of the Shauliai, Lithuania Ghetto, the Stutthof Concentration Camp, four labor camps and a death march. She has dedicated her adult life to teaching and sharing memories of the holocaust. Nesse has the ability to translate the Holocaust into a personal glimpse of this enormous and horrifying drama. She has appeared before a variety of audiences including the Naval Academy,West Point Military Academy, the department of Defense, the Department of Energy, numerous Schools, Churches, Synagogues, Civic groups and Teacher's Conferences. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is fortunate to have Nesse Godin as a member of the Speaker' bureau. Nesse is Co-President of the Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Friends of Greater Washington. She is also on the Board of Directors and Founding Member of several Holocaust Survivor groups. Nesse served on the Board of Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Is a board of the Anti-Defamation League, The Jewish community Council and many other worthy Organizations. She participated as a speaker for the Capitol Children's Museum of Washington, D.C. Numerous awards and honors have been given to Nesse including the "Myrtle Wreath" by the Hadassah Council and the Chaim Solomon Freedom Medal by B'nai B'rith Argo Lodge. She has also received the Woman of Valor Award by three different organizations- B'nai B'rith Women, Naamat USA, and Amit Women Birah Chapter.
Judy Gold Judy Gold gets around. It's pretty hard to miss Judy these days. She's the saucy, gregarious host of HBOs "At the Multiplex with Judy Gold" and is a regular fixture on Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" and "Hollywood Squares." She can often be seen gabbing with the girls on "The View" and reminiscing about the past and counting down the greatest videos and celebrity moments on "VH-1's All Access." Judy's half hour special "Comedy Central Presents: Judy Gold" continues to receive high ratings as does Comedy Central's recent special, "Tough Crowd Stands Up." And if you think Judy has forgotten her roots... think again. She was recently featured on the BBC and Comedy Central special, "The Heroes of Jewish Comedy," and her one-person show about Jewish mothers, "G-d Doesn't Pay Rent Here," debuted to rave reviews at The Empty Space Theatre in Seattle. Judy also co-starred in the off-Broadway production of "The Vagina Monologues." On the small screen, Judy has appeared on a plethora of shows including "Sex & The City," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Law & Order", "Law & Order, S.V.U.", "The Drew Carey Show", and "As The World Turns", just to name a few. She also co-starred with Glenn Close in the CBS movie of the week, "The Ballad of Lucy Whipple." She is surely no stranger to awards, either. Judy won 2 Emmy Awards for writing and producing "The Rosie O'Donnell Show", and she won a Cable Ace award for her own HBO half hour special. She was nominated twice for The American Comedy Award's funniest female stand-up.
Whoopi Goldberg Versatile stand-up comedienne and performance artist Whoopi Goldberg gained the attention of Hollywood with her eponymous show of character sketches. With her trademark dreadlocks, gravelly voice and blunt, hip-yet-compassionate style, she was unconventional star material to be sure, and the ups and downs of her career clearly represent the attempts of producers to smooth over what they consider to be her rough edges. She made an auspicious feature debut with an atypically subdued but very moving performance in Steven Spielberg's controversial film, "The Color Purple." She gave an Oscar-winning performance as a fake psychic medium in the 1990 boxoffice hit, "Ghost." Her unusual and considerable talents, and her earthy, straightforward persona have kept her extremely busy from hosting two Academy Awards ceremonies to performing in the low-key romance, "Corinna, Corinna," voicing Shenzi the hyena in "The Lion King" and playing a lesbian in the road film, "Boys on the Side."
Jeffrey Goldberg Journalist and author, Jeffrey Goldberg is the Middle East editor of the New Yorker. He is currently writing a non-fiction book about the Middle East. He previously was a writer for The New York Times magazine.
Marita Golden In a professional writing career that spans more than thirty years, Marita Golden has distinguished herself as a novelist, essayist, teacher of writing and literary institution builder.Her fiction includes the novels Long Distance Life, (a best-seller, cited as a "Best Book of the Year" by The Washington Post), A Womans Place, And Do Remember Me, and The Edge of Heaven. In the genre of nonfiction, Marita Golden has edited two anthologies, Wild Women Dont Wear No Blues: Black Women Writers on Love, Men and Sex; and with writer Susan Shreve, Skin Deep: Black and White Women on Race. As a memoirist and essayist, Golden has authored Migrations of the Heart, Saving Our Sons: Raising Black Children in a Turbulent World, and A Miracle Everyday: Triumph and Transformation in the Lives of Single Mothers.
Dr. Phakamile Gongo First Black Secretary General of the Embassy of South Africa.
Cuba Gooding Academy award winning actor best known for his role in the movie, "Jerry McGuire."
Ellen Goodman An Associate Editor at The Boston Globe, Ellen Goodman writes a syndicated column that appears in more than 400 newspapers. She is the author of several books, including Turning Points and Close to Home. She is co-author with novelist Patricia O'Brien of a new book, I Know Just What You Mean: The Power of Friendship in Women's Lives. In their lecture, Ellen and Pat present a thoughtful, deeply personal look at the enduring bonds of friendship between women.
Richard Goodwin Former adviser & speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson
Ellen Gootblatt Relationships expert and a former ABC Talkradio show host and a nationally syndicated advice columnist, Ellen Gootblatt's topics include, Sex, Passion & Intimacy; "Meeting, Dating and Mating: 250 Important Questions to Ask Before You Go Further in a Relationship and Men Aren't Women Understanding and Appreciating the Inherent Differences Between the Sexes." Ellen presents an upbeat, humorous, entertaining and motivational program that will be the highlight of your booking season.A "relationships" expert, a nationally syndicated advice columnist and author, Ellen Gootblatt was the host of the #1 rated ABC evening talk show heard in thritynine states, Getting Together with Ellen Gootblatt. Her radio talk show was about just that: how to build and sustain the finest relationships one can in a positive, optimistic way. Her topics varied widely from program to program, and her shows unpredictability was part of its appeal. The umbrella was male-female relationships: marriage, divorce, the lifestyle of singles and widows. But on any given night, the topic may have been parents and children; neighbor and friend or any other aspect of the human condition that piqued her interest and what she thought might be meaningful to her listeners. Ellen Gootblatt is a person who lives a full life and, whey they're relevant, shared her experiences with her listeners and guests. A former educator, her curiousity about people, common sense and sense of humor set the tone for the show. She questioned her guests celebrities and ordinary people about just the topics most of us would wonder about but wouldn't dare ask and disarmed them by being open, vulnerable and honest about herself. Ellens personal warmth and her ability to draw out her guests brought to her program such celebrities as Steve Allen, Valerie Harper, John Denver, David Brenner, David Steinberg, Kris Kristofferson, George Carlin, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Diller and Lucille Ball and somehow, in her presesnce, each of these prestigious stars found new stories to share.
Mikhail Gorbachev Gorbachev was the leader of the former U.S.S.R. from 1985-91 and is credited by many in the West with ending the Cold War. He streamlined and decentralized the oppressive Soviet Communist system he inherited and taught the world two new words: perestroika (governmental restructuring) and glasnost (political openness). He signed two broad disarmament pacts and brought an end to Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Gorbachev was recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. After graduating from Moscow State University with a law degree, Gorbachev joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1952. In 1971, he was elected to the Central Committee, Communist Party (CCCP), and from 1978-85 he served as secretary. From 1985-90, he was president of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R., and in 1990-91 he was president of the Soviet Union. Time magazine named Gorbachev 1987 Man of the Year and 1980s Person of the Decade. He was one of Time's 100 Most Important People of the Twentieth Century. This year, he shared a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Children's Album with President Clinton and Sophia Loren. In 1992, Gorbachev became President of the Gorbachev Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational foundation, which articulates and addresses the challenges of the post Cold War world through the re-visioning of global priorities. In 1993, he founded the environmental organization, Green Cross International, which is a three-pronged program with a mission to clean up military toxins, assist in the creation of global ecological law and foster a value shift on the environment.
Mary Gordon Best-selling author of such well known books as The Other Side and Final Payments.
Ed Gordon Ed Gordon, award-winning anchor, managing editor of BET News With Ed Gordon, and host of Conversation With Ed Gordon, is one of broadcasting's most versatile journalists. Gordon's return to BET, after a three-year stint with NBC, was marked by what he is best known for... the exclusive one-on-one interview. Gordon's years at NBC were no less impressive. There he scored, for Dateline NBC, the only interview with Autumn Jackson, a young woman who made headlines by accusing entertainer Bill Cosby of being her father. While at NBC and its cable network MSNBC, Gordon was anchor and host of the talk show Internight. Periodically, Gordon hosts BET News special broadcasts, such as President Clinton Face to Face: A White House Special, where Gordon interviewed President Clinton and then moderated a discussion with the President and citizens from across the country. Murder Madness, looked at solutions to the growing problem of violence in America. Other specials include BET Town Hall Meetings, broadcast live from various cities across the country. These Town Hall meetings explore issues from AIDS to affirmative action. From 1989-91 Gordon hosted the critically acclaimed interview series Personal Diary. Guests included 60 Minutes co-host Ed Bradley, poet Maya Angelou, and tennis great, the late Arthur Ashe. Over the years Gordon has become a newsmaker in his own right. He has been featured in many publications including USA Today, Washington Post, Essence, Entertainment Weekly,, and was even chosen as one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Award of Excellence and the organization's Outstanding Journalistic Endeavor award. Other awards include an Emmy and the Communication Excellence to Black Audiences (CEBA) awards for Merit, Distinction, and Excellence. Gordon has also been nominated for an ACE award, cable television's highest honor. From 1985-1988 Gordon served as host of Detroit Black Journal, the nation's longest running locally produced public affairs program. He also co-hosted No Crime Day with Detroit Piston basketball star Isaiah Thomas. The program encouraged youth to stay away from crime.
Zonnie Gorman Zonnie Gorman is a recognized historian on the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. She is the daughter of the late Dr. Carl Gorman, artist, teacher and one of the original first twenty-nine Navajo Code Talkers. Ms. Gorman has lectured extensively throughout the country, including several universities and colleges as well as N.A.S.A. Headquarters in Washington D.C., and the Museum of the American Indian in New York. She has appeared in several documentaries including the History Channel documentary, Navajo Code Talkers and the MGM double DVD release (historical documentary section) of the movie, Windtalkers. Ms. Gorman will present a lecture on the history of the Navajo code Talker program that includes its inception in 1942, the development and testing of the original code by the first twenty-nine Code Talkers, and its subsequent usage in the Pacific. She will also highlight honors received since its declassification in 1968.
Jim Gossett The most listened to impressionist/humorist in the country.
Lou Gossett, Jr. Winner of an Academy Award for his performance in "An Officer and a Gentleman," Lou Gossett, Jr. is recognized as one of the leading actors of his generation. He speaks on civil rights as well as racism in Hollywood.
Nancy Grace Nancy Grace hosts Headline News' legal analysis program, Nancy Grace, on Headline Prime. She is based in CNN's New York bureau. One of television's most respected legal analysts, Grace comes to Headline News from Court TV, where she hosts the live daily trial coverage program, Closing Arguments. She also has appeared as a legal commentator on CNN's Larry King Live, ABC's The View, The Oprah Winfrey Show and numerous other cable and network programs. Her book, Objection!, was published by Hyperion in April 2005 and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Nancy Grace joined Court TV from the Atlanta Fulton County District Attorney's Office where she served for a decade as special prosecutor of felony cases involving serial murder, rape, child molestation and arson. Grace gave up career plans to become an English professor after the murder of her fianc. She enrolled in law school, eventually becoming a prosecutor and an outspoken victims' rights advocate. Grace helped staff the hotline at an Atlanta battered womens center for 10 years. She has written articles for the American Bar Association Journal and other law reviews. She was also a litigation instructor at Georgia State University's School of Law and a business law instructor at the university's school of business. Previously, Grace clerked with a federal court judge and practiced antitrust and consumer protection law with the Federal Trade Commission. Grace is the recipient of several American Women in Radio & Television Gracie Awards for her Nancy Grace Investigates primetime report on Court TV and for "Individual Achievement for Best Program Host." She has also been recognized for her ongoing support and advocacy of victims' rights by various groups, including the Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation, Crime Victims United of California and The Retreat.
Three Days Grace The members of Three Days Grace began bashing punk chords when they were in their teens, carving a derivative yet energetic sound that fueled their live performances. Three Days Grace was formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada, in 1997 by Adam Gontier (vocals, guitar), Brad Walst (bass), and Neil Sanderson (drums). The group was originally called Groundswell, a five-piece that lasted from 1992 until transforming to a trio five years later. Gontier and Walst were raised in Norwood, and many of their songs were inspired by living in a place with a population of around 1,500. The bandmembers were still in high school when they had their first gig, and they performed anywhere that would accept them -- including opening for a movie.
Josh Gracin Josh Gracins life overflows with extraordinary, character-building stories. But, first and foremost, hes well-known because hes an undeniably talented singer and entertainer. So, here are the facts that matter most: Hes one of only two new country artists in recent times to release a debut album with three Top 5 country hits including the No. 1 hit Nothinto Lose). Hes also one of only two new male country singers to be introduced in the last two years to earn a gold album, and Gracins self-titled debut is quickly edging in on platinum status. Its been an amazing couple of years, says the broad-shouldered former Marine with the dark eyes and bright smile. Country music fans have been really receptive and encouraging. I feel like, for a first step, we did really well. But it was just a first step. For his next step, Gracin wanted to make a bigger, bolder stride. His sophomore album does just that. Its a clear, powerful move forward that emphasizes all the energy, humor, outspokenness and depth that makes Gracin one of the great musical discoveries of his generation. This album is more me, says the Michigan native with strong blue-collar roots and a make-it-his-way attitude. I was able to focus on making the album I wanted to make. For the first album, I was still in the service, so I had to fly in and out to record when I could. It had my undivided attention. And it shows. The young star known for his energetic stage performances made sure his new work focused on his strengths: live-wire, rocking country that blends wit and wholesome fun; inspiring story songs about being true to yourself; moral tales rich with Middle-American values and a strong spiritual core; and songs that celebrate the down-to-earth lifestyle that Gracin pursues and personifies. I wanted this album to reflect my energy and my values, he says. Theres nothing I love more than getting a crowd on its feet and getting them to sing along and rock with me to a great song. I also wanted songs of substance that really explain who I am and what I stand for. And thats what I hope that weve accomplished. The album includes such high-speed, fun-filled romps as the first single, Favorite State of Mind, which opens with an explosive drum roll and a rowdy blast of down-home rock while paying tribute to the notion that sometimes the greatest vacation is time alone with the one you love.
Chris Graebe Chris Graebe is one of the bright stars of MTVs top rated extreme sports reality programs, Road Rules: South Pacific & Battle of the Sexes 2. Chris will also be finished filming & hosting a new reality series entitled Reality Trip, which should premier nationwide in the fall. With the platform of MTV and his unique stance of being a positive role model on shows that typically depict everything but a positive example, Chris is clearly a light in a very dark place. Being blessed as a cast member on these highly popular shows, Chris has had the opportunity to become a highly established and national recognized public speaker. His purpose is to inspire todays youth with positive messages of sexual abstinence, drug & alcohol awareness and his love of Jesus Christ. Chris has spoken at many events from high school assemblies at our nations capitol to college rallies, youth conventions and at numerous churches across the United States. Chris brought an element of reason and stability to Road Rules and Battle of the Sexes 2 and was often the peace keeper and arbitrator among the cast. This unique ability, coupled with his unfailing sense of humor, enables him to ingratiate himself to his audience quickly. Chriss passion is to strengthen youth by encouraging them to grasp and believe the idea that they do not have to partake in drugs and alcohol to fit in or be cool. Ask anyone who has witnessed one of his speaking appearances and they will attest that his pop culture celebrity keeps the youthful crowds tuned in to his every word. MORE ABOUT ROAD RULES & BATTLE OF THE SEXES 2: The MTV television shows, Road Rules and Battle of the Sexes 2 is broadcast to over 70 million households in the United States reaching 71% of the nations population with the main demographic audience being 18-34 year olds. Internationally, MTV is broadcast to over 336.8 million households on MTV Europe, MTV Latino, MTV Australia and MTV Asia.
Fred Graham Attorney and chief anchor and managing editor of Court TV.
Stedman Graham Noted businessman and entrepreneur, Stedman Graham is the author of You Can Make It Happen: A Nine Step Plan For Success; Build Your Own Life Brand: A Powerful Strategy to Maximize Your Potential and Enhance Your Value for Ultimate Achievement; and You can Make It Happen Everyday. An inspirational and practical program for achieving success and creating a better life.
Lawrence Otis Graham Nationally known author, attorney and commentator on race, politics and diversity in America. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Larry is the author of 13 non-fiction books including Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class. His business diversity book Proversity: Getting Past Face Value was selected by the Society of Human Resource Managers and is used widely by coporate diversity managers. He previously wrote The Best Companies for Minorities.
Gran Folklorico de Mexico An exciting, colorful folk dance company from Mexico City complete with mariachi band, marimba players and singers. The troupe performs dances of every region, covering 1,000 years of Mexican history with spectacle and pageantry.
Dale Grand Dale Grand is a multi-talented comedian, who has appeared in every area of show business - nightclubs, hotels, TV, movies, cruises and corporate functions. He has played all the major nightclubs and resort hotels from the Desert Inn in Las Vegas to the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City. Dale has shared the bill with such stars as Engelbert Humperdinck, Pat Boone, Lou Rawls, Ray Charles, Vic Damone and Frank Sinatra, Jr. He has also appeared in a number of revues including "Radio Daze” at Westbury Music Fair and “Vegas to Broadway”, which had a very successful six week run in New York City. His TV appearances include “Late Show with David Letterman”, "The CBS Morning Show", "Good Day, New York", the "Barney Miller Special" and the "Morton Dean Show" along with numerous commercials. He is a very popular after-dinner speaker across the country, and has done testimonial dinners for many dignitaries including one for Elizabeth Taylor at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. He has also appeared in over 25 motion pictures, including "Quick Change" where he did a scene with Bill Murray. Dale Grand, Esq. is not only funny and talented, but he is a class act who will provide you with a memorable event.
Gen. David Grange General Granges awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, three Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Soldiers Medal, the Purple Heart and 38 other combat awards for valor and meritorious service. He has also received the French Legion of Honor, Degree of Officer, the Korean Wharang Medal with Gold Star, the Kuksun Medal, the Cheonsu Medal and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with 2 palms. He holds the Combat Infantrymans Badge with 2 stars. Master Parachutist Badge with 3 stars and the Ranger and Special Forces Tabs. He is a graduate of the Strategic Intelligence Course, the Russian Language, the Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. He holds a BA degree in History from the University of Nebraska and has attended the Advance Management Course for Executives at the University of Pittsburgh. General Grange is an inaugural member of the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame and the U.S. Army Officer Candidate Hall of Fame. He was selected as 1984 Airborne Trooper of the Year, and was the 1994 recipient of the Infantrys "Doughboy Award." And now a CNN Military Analyst.
Dr. Gwendolyn Grant Well known psychologist, educator, sex therapist and for the last fourteen years, advice columnist for Essence magazine, Dr. Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant serves as regular consultant for several Fortune 500 companies and has conducted countless workshops and lectures on male-female relationships. She has appeared nationally on "Oprah," "Sally Jesse Raphael," "Geraldo," "Rolanda," "The NewHour with Jim Lehrer and Black Entertainment Television. She is the author of The Best Kind of Loving: A Black Woman's Guide to Finding Intimacy.
Amy Grant At 16, Amy Grant made her self-titled debut album of Christian contemporary music for the Myrrh imprint. Two years later, she married singer-songwriter Gary Chapman and has recording several more popular albums. In 1982, she became a star when her record, "Age to Age," became the first platinum-selling Christian pop album and won the Grammy for Best Female Gospel Performance. The following year, her Christmas Album became another smash hit. In 1985, the album, "Unguarded," spawned the top-20 crossover hit, "Find a Way," and won another Grammy, leading to a deal with A&M. Following her 1989 hit "Lead Me On," Amy toned down her religious message and shifted toward standard, sexy pop music for 1991's "Heart in Motion," which became an adult contemporary and pop success, spawned the number-one hit "Baby Baby" and eventually went quadruple platinum. Other albums include the seasonal "Home for Christmas" in 1993 and the big-selling mainstream pop record, "House of Love," in 1994. Her "Behind the Eyes" release immediately went to number eight on the pop charts in September 1997.
Earl Graves Publisher of Black Enterprise magazine.
John Gray Best selling author of numerous best selling books including, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus; Venus On a Date; and Mars And Venus Starting Over. Dr. Gray is an internationally regarded expert in the fields of communication, relationships and personal growth. His unique focus is assisting men and women in understanding, respecting and appreciating their differences.
Fred D. Gray The leading civil rights lawyer in America, Fred Gray's legal career spans a time period of over forty years. His career began in 1954 when he represented Rosa parks who was arrested because she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, which ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He was also Martin Luther King Jr.'s first civil rights attorney. Fred Gray is the author of Bus Ride to Justice (1995) and The Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1998).
Greg Gray Nationally recognized as an authority on customer service, relationship building and personal leadership. Greg Gray has co-authored the largest customer service training program in U.S. history - now a standard training video for the U.S. Postal Service. Topics: Desperately Seeking Service: Looking Beyond Satisfaction; Keeping the Main Thing, The Main Thing: A Prescription for Keeping Your Vision in Focus; the 93% rule: a message for the messenger.
Bridget Gray At age 15 Bridget Gray entered a poetry contest with a vunerable poem about the father she has never met. The piece took top honors and was published. This was just small glimpse of what was to come. After persuing a degree in theatre and dance at Northern Illinois University Bridget decided to take her chances in Los Angeles. With little more than her ambition she left the mid-west to follow her dream of being an actress and a writer. Persitance paid off and she has had several film and television apperances including a cameo in "Austin Powers 2", guest starring roles on CBS' "The District", UPN's "The Hughley's", Disney's " The Magic Jersey and a feature in Madonna's "Music" video. Although she was working as an actress, Bridget's passion for writing had not been forgotten. In 1998 she combined both her loves- performance and poetry. In 1999 she won the first competitive poetry slam she ever entered. Soon after that she started rocking mics at hip-hop spots all over Soutern California. Bridget hasn't stopped trailblazing on the spokenword scene since. She continued to win various slams across the country including HBO's Soul Poetry Slam, The Battle of L.A. and The Nuyorican in N.Y. Bridget is the only female to become a two time Grand Slam Champion back to back in L.A. and Hollywood, securing her a spot on both perspective slam teams which she represented for in 3 National Poetry Competitions. In 2003 Bridget was chosen from over 400 poets/MC's across the country to become the voice and face for Nissan's "Electric Moyo" campaign. She took on the alias Sypher1 and hit the road for a 3 month nation wide tour. She made stops 10 major cities across the country, hosting some the hottest events and opening for name acts such as The Black Eyed Peas, Joss Stone and Eryakah Badu just to name a few. Along the way she interviewed local artists and celebrities inside a customized sedan that had been turned into a mobile broadcasting station that allowed her to pirate into 66 national Nissan radio advertisements. The spots were so cutting edge the Ad Age magazine ranked Electric Moyo #4 in the top 10 Non-Traditional Campaigns in 2003, listing Sypher1 [bridget gray] as the poetess running the show. In 2004 the success of this campaign lead Bridget to become the host of a nationally syndicated radio program airing in the same 10 cities she toured. Main stream Radio One stations including L.A.'s 100.3, Chicago's 92.3, and N.Y. 107.5 got a dose of spokenword and interviews with Bridget in the driver seat. Guests on her show included Alicia Keys, Ice Cube, Issac Hayes, Kelis and many more. Currently, 2005 marks the long awaited release of Bridget's 2nd cd "Self Love" with tracks produced by Grammy nominated Spontaneous, and industry vetran Rochad Holiday. She still volunteers with youth and regularly performs at L.A hot spots as well as special engagements through out the country
William H. Gray III William Gray was the Majority Whip of the House of Representatives and served as the Chairman of the powerful House Budget Committee while in the U.S. Congress. He is now president of the United Negro College Fund.
Noah Gray-Cabey Noah Gray-Cabey played Micah Sanders on the hit show "Heroes" Although this precocious juvenile player can't manipulate electronics like his seminal character on Heroes, Gray-Cabey is a real-life child genius, just like his small-screen alter ago. A skilled piano player before he was barely old enough to talk, he became the youngest person ever to perform at the Sydney Opera Hall at age 5. His incredible musical talent won him appearances on myriad talk and news shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Dateline, Ripley's Believe It or Not! and The Oprah Winfrey Show, where he was spotted by the folks behind the sitcom My Wife and Kids and offered a recurring role. Gray-Cabey continued to pursue both of his artistic passions, performing concerts in between TV guest spots. But as of 2006, his schedule has been pretty tied up with his Heroes duties as a gifted little boy caught between his feuding super-powered parents.
Ernest Green Ernest Green Member of the "Little Rock Nine" Consultant born in Little Rock, Arkansas, September 22, 1941, Green earned his high school diploma from Central High School in Little Rock. He and eight other black students were the first to integrate Central High, following the 1954 US Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that declared segregation illegal. They later would become known as the "Little Rock Nine." Green then went on to receive his bachelors in social science and masters in sociology from Michigan State University. He also received honorary doctorates from Michigan State University, Tougaloo College, and Central State University. Ernest G. Green is presently the Managing Director of Public Finance for Lehman Brothers' Washington, DC office. Since joining Lehman Brothers in 1987, Green has served as senior investment banker on transactions for such key clients as the City of New York, State of New York, and the City of Chicago to name a few. He has also been appointed as chairman of the African Development Foundation, by President Clinton, and chairman of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Advisory Board by Secretary of Education, Richard W. Riley. Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, Green was president of Ernest Green & Associates, a minority consulting firm that provided technical assistance in marketing, financial management, and economic forecasting. Green served as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training during the Carter Administration where he formulated the US Presidential Policy and directed implementation of a vast range of activities. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary, Green served as Executive Director of the Recruitment and Training Program, Inc., an organization that recruits minorities for apprenticeship programs in the building trades. Green is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Executive Leadership Council, the Legislative Action Committee of the Public Securities Association, and chairs the National Association of Securities Professionals and Africare. Recently, he joined Winrock International's board of directors. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the March of Dimes Foundation and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. The recipient of numerous awards Green was the youngest recipient of the NAACP's Spingard Medal, at the age of seventeen. On November 9, 1999, President Clinton presented Green, along with the rest of the "Little Rock nine," the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor given to a civilian, for outstanding bravery during the integration of Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Several books, movies and documentaries have been produced chronicling Green and his eight classmates historic year at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas - the most recent being the Ernest Green Story, produced and distributed by the Walt Disney Corporation.
Karen Green Her Coming Out Story, as seen on TV... Karen Green grew up in Southern NJ, in a very happy traditional household. Her mom encouraged her to join a speed roller skating team because she just loved to race around every Saturday afternoon at a local rink. By age 7, she had her first State Championship. And in 1987, at age 10, she earned a National Title. She was featured on an ABC News Special with Tug McGraw. They raced each other and Karen took the winskating backwards. Karen attended community college and then transferred to a private school in western PA, where she blossomed as a singer and actress. She was accepted into Vox Nova, a chorus comprised of only twelve singers, and received a full scholarship. She landed lead roles in the college productions Becoming Memories and Ah, Wilderness. Karens greatest gift arrived in early 1998 her son, Zain. A single mom overnight, she immediately moved back to South Jersey, where she started a career in sales with a Fortune 10 communications company. She quickly climbed the corporate ladder into management, after winning numerous regional awards for her explosive sales percentages. In 2003 she started a full time consultation business. Karens mother, a former business owner, developed a very rare brain disorder (OPCA.) The disease is the shrinking of the cerebellum, which causes ataxia; slurred speech and slowing motor skills. OPCA is fatal and Karen helps take care of her mother several days out of the week.
Mike Green Mike Green a noted alcohol awareness speaker Green, a recovering alcoholic, ex-college jock and fellow Greek, has spoken at more than 1,000 campuses nationwide in an effort to promote a responsible and mature college lifestyle. His upbeat presentations incorporate comedy, laughter and crowd participation to pull audiences into the subject matter. "We’ve been told by other campus contacts that Mike Green’s presentations are not only very entertaining, but they really strike home at the seriousness of the problem of drinking on campus. Green’s program on alcohol awareness doesn’t employ a prohibitionist approach, but rather, educates students about a mature and responsible way to have fun. "I don’t stand up here and preach," Green said. "I like to have fun myself. I don’t have anything against alcohol, but if you choose to do it, you learn how to do it right." Green is developing drug and alcohol programs for New Jersey high schools and as a former coach and athlete he has developed programs for the Philadelphia Flyers. He serves as a consultant to the student affairs and athletic departments of numerous universities, including Akron, Hobart, Temple and Villanova.
Reuben Greenberg Innovative criminologist, first African-American Jewish Chief of Police of the Charleston, South Carolina Police Department and author of Let's Take Back Our Streets.
Gary Greenberg Besides being seen on Comedy Central and Bravo, Gary is the author of three books, the best-selling The Pop-Up Book of Phobias, The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares and Self-Helpless.
Bob Greene Syndicated newspaper columnist and best-selling author.
Jehmu Greene Jehmu Greene is a political activist, strategist, and motivational speaker. She served as President of Rock the Vote from 2003 - 2005. From 2000-2003, she served in numerous positions at the organization including Executive Director, Deputy Director, Campaign Director, Public Relations Director, and Partnership Director. Prior to Rock the Vote, she served as the Director of Women's Outreach and Southern Political Director at the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Jehmu also served as the Program Director for the Center for Policy Alternatives' Youth Voices Project and National Student Voter Education Day. Jehmu has been recognized as one of Essence Magazine's 40 Women Under 40 Shaping the World, and received the National Conference for Community and Justice's Community Service Award, American Association of University Women's Women of Distinction Award and National Council for Research on Women Women Making a Difference Award.
Lauren Greenfield HBO Documentary Films Presents: THIN, an Emotional Journey through the Treatment of Eating Disorders Acclaimed photographer Lauren Greenfield is considered a preeminent chronicler of youth culture as a result of her groundbreaking projects Girl Culture, Fast Forward, and most recently, THIN (An HBO Documentary Films presentation). Her photographs have been widely exhibited and are in many museum collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the International Center of Photography. She was named by American Photo as one of the 25 most influential photographers working today. Her latest work, THIN, is Greenfield's first feature-length documentary film (HBO) and companion photography book (Chronicle Books, 2006). In this unflinching and incisive study, Greenfield embarks on an emotional journey through the Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Florida, a residential facility dedicated to the treatment of eating disorders. THIN is also a traveling museum exhibition curated by Trudy Wilner Stack that debuted at The Women's Museum in Dallas, Texas in February, 2007 and will travel through 2010. Girl Culture, Greenfield's last traveling exhibition, has been seen by over half a million people in more than twenty-five venues around the world. Fast Forward and Girl Culture were both optioned for development as feature films at Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures. Already the feature-length documentary has: * Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006 * Won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary at the London Film Festival * Nominated for an International Documentary Association Award. * Grand Jury Prizes at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, the Newport International Film Festival, and the Jackson Hole Film Festival (has also been screened at Hot Docs and Full Frame, as well as film festivals in Chicago, Vancouver, Austin, St. Louis, Ojai, Galway and Sweden) * Featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, and CNN * Excerpted in People Magazine * Honored in the 2007 Photo District News Annual book and photojournalism categories. Greenfield graduated from Harvard in 1987 and started her career as an intern for National Geographic. Since then, her photographs have been regularly published in the New York Times Magazine, Time, ELLE, and American Photo and have won many awards, including the International Center for Photography Infinity Award, the Hasselblad Grant, the Community Awareness Award from the National Press Photographers, and the Moscow Biennial People's Choice Award.
Jonathan Greenstein A dapper gentleman of 41, Jonathan Greenstein is proprietor of J. Greenstein & Co. of Brooklyn, which he describes as the only auction house completely devoted to Jewish ritual objects in America. Recently, Greenstein brought his Jewish version of the popular Antiques Roadshow television program to Toronto. He was the main attraction at the event, which wasnt filmed for TV and which included several other appraisers. Sitting earlier this month at the front of an audience of about 100 at Torontos Beth Tzedec Synagogue, Greenstein rapidly and entertainingly pronounces judgement on the parade of mostly ritual and some cultural objects brought his way. Most are kiddush cups, candlesticks, menorahs, matzah covers and other items commonly found in Jewish homes in centuries past as well as today.
Monique Greenwood Monique Greenwood Former Editor-in-Chief of Essence magazine & Author of Having What Matters: The Black Woman's Guide to Creating the Life You Really Want Program Title - Having What Matters... Monique Greenwood knows that having it all isn’t where it’s at—it’s having what matters. The former editor-in-chief of Essence magazine and author of *Having What Matters: The Black Woman’s Guide to Creating the Life You Really Want* has achieved enormous professional success which she measures not in dollars, but in personal satisfaction and fulfillment. For three years, Greenwood served as editor-in-chief of Essence magazine, the nation’s leading publication for African American women. She is co-founder and national president of the Go On Girl! Book Club, the largest African American book club in the country. She is an owner of two acclaimed bed-and-breakfast inns, entrepreneur, community activist, wife and mother. Greenwood graduated magna cum laude graduate from Howard University and is an alumna of the Program for Developing Managers at Simmons Graduate School of Business. An inspirational speaker, Greenwood’s varied experiences provide a fascinating backdrop for actionable advice on how to achieve a balanced life. Her lecture topics include making time for “me,” building community for “the new urban entrepreneur, bursting through boundaries and not being limited by the limited imaginations of others and how to make your dreams come true
Vartan Gregorian Prominent historian and former President of the New York Public Library.
Dick Gregory Well known comedian and social activist.
David Gregory As Chief White House Correspondent, David Gregory has begun his sixth year leading the network's coverage of the Bush presidency, reporting regularly on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Today," for NBC News' 24-hour cable network MSNBC and on MSNBC.com. In addition, Gregory often appears on "Hardball with Chris Matthews." In the fall of 2005, Gregory began substituting regularly for Matt Lauer on Today. He has served as substitute moderator on Meet the Press, and has been a substitute anchor for the weekend editions of Nightly News and Today. As a political commentator, Gregory is a frequent contributor on Meet the Press and the syndicated Chris Matthews show. Gregory is also well known for his appearances on MSNBCs Imus in the Morning and has been tapped by the shock jock to guest host.
Wayne Gretzky On June 2, 2000, Wayne Gretzky the greatest player in the history of hockey was introduced by Phoenix Coyotes owner and chairman Steve Ellman as the managing partner of the Coyotes in charge of all hockey operations. One year after retiring from the game he loved, Wayne returned to hockey, not as a general manager or coach, but as the man with the final say on all on-ice decisions for the Phoenix Coyotes. The Great One officially joined the Ellman ownership group on May 26, 2000, the same day it made a $10 million down payment to purchase the team from Richard Burke for $87 million. At 40, Wayne announced his retirement as a player on April 16, 1999, after 20 seasons in which he dominated the National Hockey League unlike any other player in history. He helped win four Stanley Cup Championships and three Canada Cup tournament titles during his illustrious career. He became the NHL's all-time leading goal, assist and point producer for both regular season and playoffs. He won 10 Art Ross Trophies as the NHL's leading scorer, nine Hart Trophies as the League's MVP and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP. He earned five Lady Byng Trophies as the NHL's most gentlemanly player and made 18 consecutive All-Star Game appearances, securing three All-Star MVP Awards. Wayne is an eight-time First All-Star Team member and seven-time Second All-Star Team member. He holds virtually every offensive record in the NHL and his tireless support of the game has contributed significantly to the popularity it enjoys today.
Pam Grier Well known actress of film, television and stage.
Eddie Griffin With DysFunKtional Family, Scary Movie 3 and My Baby's Mama out on DVD, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo coming in August and a starring role in New Regency's comedy Romantic Comedy currently shooting, Eddie Griffin is now enjoying the film career that he always planned. He is best known to television audiences as the star of UPN's hit comedy series Malcolm & Eddie. Griffin was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Best Actor in a Comedy Series" for his portrayal. He also wrote and directed four episodes of the sitcom, one of which starred his mentor, Richard Pryor.
Kathy Griffin Emmy nominated Chicago native, Kathy Griffin, a multi faceted performer with a rapid fire wit, is probably best known for her four year stint on the NBC sitcom "Suddenly Susan" as Vickie Groener, Brooke Shields acerbic colleague. After moving west and joining the famed Los Angeles Groundlings comedy improvisational troupe, Kathy began building her resume with guest starring roles on such series as ER and Seinfeld" where she created recurring character Sally Weaver. After her various TV guest spots, Kathy began gaining notice as a stand-up comedienne and landed her own HBO Half Hour Comedy Special. In 1998, HBO gave Kathy her own One-Hour Special, "A Hot Cup of Talk". Kathy has supplied voices for characters on the animated series "Dilbert" and "The Simpsons", and she appeared in a dual role on the "X-Files" as well as in Eminems video, "The Real Slim Shady", which was co-directed by Dr. Dre. Kathy has co-hosted The Billboard Music Awards three years in a row; and appeared on numerous talk shows including "Late Night with David Letterman", "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Howard Stern" and "The View", as well as having been featured in the films "Its Pat" and "Four Rooms" among others. Kathy has a great passion for reality TV. She participated in, and won "Celebrity Mole" on ABC, and then hosted the NBC reality series "Average Joe" as well as the MTV series, "Kathys So-Called Reality". Kathy has performed two very successful stand up specials for Bravo. The first in 2005 called Kathy Griffin...Is Not Nicole Kidman and the second in May of 2006 called Strong Black Woman. Kathys DVD stand-up special "Allegedly" is in stores now. In August 2005 Kathys reality show, Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List, debuted on Bravo to rave reviews. The second season of Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List" was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program.
Jennifer Grijalva Jennifer Grijalva of the Real World Denver Jenn Grijalva, 22, living in Martinez, California while studying at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California while raising her child. She was formerly an Oakland Radierette cheering for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League for 4 years but she still teaches dance and choreography.Jenn is the attractive cheerleader party girl on the Real World Denver who will have her share of hookups with both male and female fellow cast members. Jenn from the Real World Denver is on the Inferno 3 Real World Road Rules Challenge that recently wrapped in Cape Town, South Africa and is set to air in 2007. Jenn Grijalva would be great for speaking at college lectures on the topics of raising a child while attending college, choreography, and diversity.
Milton Grimes Prominent African American attorney who is a regular panelist on the CNN's Larry King Live show; Milton Grimes has also appeared on all of the major networks as a commentator during the O.J. Simpson criminal case. He continues to be solicited for his insight and interpretation of complex legal issues raised in civil rights and criminal cases.
Griots in Concert Continuing the African tradition of storytelling and drumming, Griots in Concert creates a charming, inspirational, educational and motivational performance presenting stories, music and song from Africa, the Caribbean and America.
Dr. Alex Grobman President of the Institute for Contemporary Jewish Life, a think tank dealing with historical and contemporary issues affecting the Jewish community. Dr. Grobman established the first Holocaust center in the US under the auspices of a Jewish Federation in St. Louis. He also served as director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angles where he was the founding editor-in-chief of the Simon Wiesenthal Annual, the first serial publication in the United States focusing on the scholarly study of the Holocaust. His latest book is Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened. His book, From The Depths of Despair: The Vaad Hatzala in the Post-War Europe will be published next year. He is presently working on Denying the Historical Connection of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel.
Kyle Grooms Kyle Grooms is an intelligent comedian whose material crosses over to all audiences. He recently performed in New Faces at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal and appeared on Comedy Centrals Premium Blend and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. He has been prominently featured on Chappelles Show and was the host of the Comedy Central special Straight Plan for the Gay Man and was selected to showcase for the 2005 NACA National Conference in Minneapolis. Next up for Grooms is serving as the host of a developing show on VH1. Other credits include: I Love the 80s, I Love the 70s, Worst Songs Ever, Best Week Ever, BETs Comic View, Comedy Picante, Showtime at the Apollo and The Bob and Tom Radio Show.
Greg Grunberg Greg Grunberg plays Matt Parkman on the hit show "Heroes". Although he is the first to admit that much of his success is due to his longtime friendship with writer/director/producer J.J. Abrams who cast Grunberg in plum roles on Felicity and Alias this lovable schlub is no slouch on his own. After studying business in college, Grunberg founded a successful frozen-yogurt business and assisted film producers Dino De Laurentiis and Joel Silver before segueing into acting. The quintessential average joe, he quickly landed TV guest spots, small film roles and a number of commercials, often portraying blue-collar guys. But his kindergarten pal Abrams lifted him out of the ranks of no-name players by writing him a role as a sarcastic inventor on Felicity. 2001 found Grunberg briefly appearing on two Abrams shows simultaneously, when he took on a recurring part as a CIA field agent on Alias in addition to his Felicity duties. Although TV remained his primary medium, he popped up in small film roles, notably the Abrams' directed Mission: Impossible III. But despite all the help he got from his friend, in 2006 Grunberg snagged his highest-profile role to date all by himself, as a hapless cop who can read minds on Heroes.
Vinny Guadagnino Vinny came from a traditional Italian family in Staten Island, N.Y., to find fame on MTV's Jersey Shore. Sort of. He's the quietest of the bunch. A self proclaimed "mama's boy," Vinny is ready to enjoy his first summer as a 21 year old at the shore. We wish him luck with that.
Lani Guinier Dr. Lani Guinier, the first black female to receive tenure at Harvard Law School. In 1993, President Bill Clinton made Guinier the first black woman nominated to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Although she had been a civil rights attorney for more than 10 years and had severed in the Civil Rights Division during the Carter Administration, conservative opposition forced Clinton to later withdraw the nomination. Guinier, who was thrust into the public eye, used her new recognition to speak out on issues of race and gender. She has since become one of the nation's most sought after speakers. Guiniers passion for civil rights issues took root in 1962, when Guinier was just 12 years old. The televised image of Constance Baker Motely, then an attorney for the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund, escorting James Meredith to the all white University of Mississippi, inspired Guinier in a way that would shape her future. It was then that she decided she would be a woman lawyer in the cause of civil rights.
Bryant Gumbel Well known broadcast journalist and anchor of CBS's "Early Show." and HBO Sports
Greg Gumbel Well-known CBS sports broadcaster and recipient of two Emmy Awards.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon and the senior medical correspondent for health and medicine at CNN, where he plays an integral role in helping millions of viewers understand the newest advances in medical science and personal health. Gupta has been on assignment for some of the biggest breaking news stories of the decade: he covered the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax scare, reported live from the 2004 tsunami, contributed to CNN's Peabody Award-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and, during the war in Iraq, reported as an embedded correspondent with the U.S. Navy's medical unit. (He provided live coverage of the first operation performed during the war --and even performed brain surgery five times while there.) At CNN, Gupta delivers segments, hosts House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, produces New You Resolution, a series of prime-time specials that challenges people to kick their unhealthy habits, and oversees Fit Nation, an ongoing, multi-platform, grass roots initiative against obesity. He also writes a column for TIME, and hosts a weekly podcast, "Paging Dr. Gupta." Gupta is a member of the staff and faculty at the department of neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine. He also performs surgery weekly at Grady Memorial Hospital, where he serves as chief of neurosurgery. He is a member of both the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Council on Foreign Relations. In 1997, Gupta was chosen as a White House Fellow, one of only 15 appointed, and served as special advisor to The First Lady. He has won the Humanitarian Award from the National Press Photographers Association and been named by People magazine as "One of The Sexiest Men Alive."
Mel Gussow Drama and film critic for The New York Times.
Greg Gutfeld Greg Gutfeld journalist, magazine editor and blogger. He currently is the host of Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld on the Fox News Channel. After graduating, he interned at The American Spectator, as an assistant to R. Emmett Tyrrell. He then got his first full-time job as a staff writer at Prevention magazine. In 1995, he became a staff writer at Men's Health. He was promoted to editor-in-chief of Men's Health in 1999. In 2000, he was replaced by David Zinczenko, and became editor-in-chief of Stuff. At Stuff he increased the circulation from 750,000 to 1.2 million. In 2003 he became head of "brand development" at Dennis Publishing. Since February 5, 2007 he has been host of the Fox News late-night program Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. He has been a contributor to the website The Huffington Post since its launch, and currently also blogs at his own site, "The Daily Gut". Frequent targets of Gutfeld's sarcasm include his Huffington Post colleagues Deepak Chopra, Cenk Uygur and Arianna Huffington. He has authored two books, including "The Scorecard" for Henry Holt, and is currently working on a book about England for Simon and Schuster. He also writes a monthly column called "From the Gut" in The American Spectator.