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The Dating Doctor David Coleman, best known nationwide as "The Dating Doctor," is one of the top ranked speakers in America. His weekly column on relationships was the springboard to his first book, 101 Great Dates and his most recent book, Date Smart! Stop Revolving and Start Evolving in Relationships. An entertaining and informative presentation.
Dr. Jennifer & Dr. Laura Berman Experts on human sexuality and authors of For Women Only :A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Sexual Dysfunction and Reclaiming Your Sex Life. Jennifer Berman, M.D., one of the few women urologists in the country, and Laura Berman, Ph.D., a sex therapist, are formerly the co-directors of the Women's Sexual Health Clinic at BostonUniversity Medical Center, and currently co-directors of The Network for Excellence in Women's Sexual Health (NEWSHE) and the Center for Pelvic Medicineat UCLA. They appear regularly on "Good Morning America" and have appeared on"48 Hours", "Larry King Live", and "NBC Nightly News." They have been featured in cover stories in The New York Times Magazine and Newsweek,as well as in Redbook, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar. They also host a television show, "Bermanand Berman: For Women Only" on the Discovery Health Channel.
Apollo vs. Dionysus: A Philosophy to Increase College Success by 85% In the 3700 institutions of higher learning in America, no more than 50% of students who start school leave with a degree. The figure is smaller for minorities. In this Freshman Orientation Seminar of six hours (two days of three hours per day), Professor Henry Parker and Marilyn Crist show participants how to increase their chance of graduating by 85%. The content of their presentation is based on a program they created and directed at the University of Tennessee which resulted in an 85% retention rate for all participants, irrespective of race, gender, or academic standing when they entered college. Ms. Crist also discusses a program she created which resulted in a success rate of 77% for probation students, the highest risk group of all. This seminar is a must for schools who know the value of retaining the freshmen they recruit. Topics included in the seminar are sexual relations, time management, reading comprehension, critical thinking, etc
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is a world-famous thinker, author, lecturer, and activist who has become a phenomenon both in the US and internationally due to his provocative and insightful writings, live debates and extensive media appearances. Rabbi Boteach first came to world attention through his founding of the Oxford University L'Chaim Society, an organization of Oxford students that within two years of its founding in 1988 had become the second largest student organization in Oxford 's history. In Oxford , where Rabbi Boteach served as Rabbi for eleven years, he played host to and debated some of the world's leading thinkers and statesmen. Rabbi Shmuley is also the author of fourteen books, including the international best-sellers Kosher Sex, Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments, and Judaism for Everyone: Renewing your Life through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith. His relationship book, Why Can't I Fall in Love was a finalist for the 2002 Books for a Better Life Award. Rabbi Boteach's newest book is The Private Adam: Becoming a Hero in a Selfish Age. In this image of two divergent Adams -- the aggressive public figure, and the humble private man -- Boteach finds a parable for man's eternal struggle between ambition and altruism, self-promotion and self-sacrifice. Illuminated with inspiring examples from history and contemporary life -- and filled with valuable advice -- The Private Adam is Boteach's most thoughtful and universal book yet. In the spring of 2002, Rabbi Shmuley began a nationally-syndicated radio talk show on the Talk America Network, one of the largest radio syndicators in North America . The call-in, discussion, and advice show airs Monday through Friday for 3 hours. Shmuley is also one of the country's most sought guests on radio and television talk show circuit. He has appeared on nearly every American talk and news program, including The Today Show, The View, Politically Incorrect, Larry King Live, The O'Reilly Factor, CBS This Morning, NBC Evening News, Hannity and Colmes, Entertainment Tonight, and Inside Edition. Rabbi Shmuley has been profiled in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, the London Telegraph, The Washington Post, The L.A. Times, The Jerusalem Post, the Chicago Tribune, The South China Morning Post, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Miami Herald, and Newark Star-Ledger. Jewsweek.com placed Shmuley at number 17 on their annual list of the 50 most influential Jews in America .
David Coleman Real-life date coach David Coleman sees plenty of parallels between Will Smith's character in the new movie Hitch and his own career helping others find love. Coleman says he has called himself The Dating Doctor since 1985. ... Meet a real-life 'Hitch' is known nationwide as The Dating Doctor and "America's Real-Life Hitch." He has been named the National Speaker of the Year on 10 separate occasions - 7 times by Campus Activities Magazine and 3 times by The National Association for Campus Activities. He recently won again for 2006! He is a highly sought after speaker, entertainer, and retreat facilitator. David received his Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology ('83) and his Master of Arts Degree in College Student Personnel Administration ('85) from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. His second book, Date Smart! How to Stop Revolving and Start Evolving in Relationships has remained a top seller. His third and fourth books, Let Your Leadership Speak and Leadership's Greatest Hits (both co-authored), offer experiences, strategies and ideas to expand your leadership potential. His most recent work, Making Relationships Matter, is an honest look at how to live a life with no regrets while getting the most from every day and every relationship in a post 9/11 world. David has been featured in such fine publications as Us Magazine, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, Celebrity Living, The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post and The New York Times. David has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, WGN, Fox and CNN as well as hundreds of radio and television stations nationwide. He is a regular guest on Star 105.7 in Grand Rapids, Star 94 in Atlanta, MIX 105.1 in Orlando, KLITE in Bakersfield and The Big One, 700 WLW, in Cincinnati and has worked closely with MSN to promote their Streets and Trips software release and their Shopping.MSN.com website. From his appearances on radio, TV, live and in print, David has impacted more than 10,000,000 people worldwide. Audience members at more than 2,500 college campuses, conferences, single's organizations, churches, corporations and marriage encounter groups have experienced his energetic and entertaining programs.
Barbara DeAngelis One of America's leading experts on relationships and a highly respected leader in the field of personal growth. As a best selling author, popular television personality and sought after motivational speaker, Barbara has reached millions of people with her positive messages about love, happiness and the search for meaning in our lives. Her latest book is "Chicken Soup for the Romantic Soul."
Kate Dillon Plus-size model Kate Dillon talks about body acceptance and the necessity of having self-esteem- no matter what your size. Named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," she is also the founder of Echo, a nonprofit organization that develops programs in the arts for children. Kate Dillon started modeling and walking the Paris runways at age 16, landing such major campaigns as L'Oreal, Christian Dior and Missoni. Pegged to be the "New Cindy Crawford," she was, however, anorexic and run-down from years of starving herself. Finally, she began eating normally and gaining weight- against the advice of clients and her manager, who wanted her 5'11" figure to stay a bony size six. At first, she tried to lose the pounds again, but then had a revelation that she was free to look however she wanted and did not have to conform to the modeling business' standard of beauty. Now a natural, healthy size 14, Dillon is taking the full-figure market by storm and not limiting beauty to what the scale says. One of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," she was named the 1998 "Model of the Year" by Mode magazine and has been featured on a Times Square billboard. Called the "Curvy Comeback Kid" by Glamour magazine, she has appeared on several television spots, including The Maureen Boyle Show and Today, and has graced ads for Liz Claiborne, Gucci and Lane Bryant. Dillon is also the founder of Echo, a nonprofit organization benefiting arts programs for children. "We don't have enough role models who used to be skinny but gained weight and said, 'That's okay.' We're all different; we all have different bodies - so let's stop trying to make them all alike." -Kate Dillon
Aneesa Ferreira neesa Ferreira says "I'm gay, black and Jewish. What else is there? People say an awful lot more for this former cast member of MTV's Real World Chicago. Being a lesbian and the child of an interracial marriage, her father is black and her mother is Jewish, Aneesa presentation stresses finding a place in a world that strives to be different. With brutal honesty and candor she discusses everything from her former roommates to setting goals and aspirations. As evidenced by memorable moments from the Real World, Aneesa has the tough personality to rise above difficult situations and at the same time show a remarkable sensitivity and compassion for people and the world around her.
Scott Fried Scott Fried is a national public speaker, health educator and author. He has devoted the past sixteen years of his life lecturing in nearly every state in this country, as well as Israel, England, Canada, Holland and Honduras, reaching more than a million people. He has spoken at over 500 institutions, including colleges and universities, high schools and middle schools, summer camps, synagogues and churches. In addition, he has lectured widely at youth retreats, juvenile detention centers and prisons, alternative schools, learning disabled populations, gay/straight alliances, PTO meetings and teacher training workshops. Topics include sexual responsibility, abstinence, dating, transmission of HIV, homosexuality, eating disorders, body image, self-mutilation, suicide, alcohol and drug misuse, dealing with divorce and broken-heartedness, among others. Scott uses himself as Exhibit A. He begins each lecture with his story of how he got infected with HIV in 1987 at the age of 24, during his first and only unsafe sexual encounter. His unstoppable approach to educating others can be encapsulated into one thought: one must understand the value of one's own life, and hold it sacred, in order to refrain from dangerous behaviors that could lead to HIV infection and other crises. He is the author of two books. If I Grow Up: Talking with Teens about AIDS, Love and Staying Alive is a moving chronicle of his experiences and lectures. The book is part journal, part guide and part love-letter, researched and compiled from hundreds of lectures to 1000s of students across the country. My Invisible Kingdom: Letters From the Secret Lives of Teens, presents a cross-section of the thousands of letters from students who have written to Scott in an attempt to share their pain and doubt on such diverse topics as rape, eating disorders, suicide, self-mutilation, coming out, addiction and broken hearts. The book is also intended for parents and other adults who are concerned about the physical and psychological well-being of today's youth. In addition to his lectures, Scott has conducted peer HIV-education programs for the tri-state area, encouraging teenagers to teach their own peer group and co-founded an HIV-positive speakers' bureau, through a nonprofit AIDS service organization and in connection with the NYC Board of Education, providing free HIV prevention workshops to students in the five boroughs. He was seen on the television daytime drama Guiding Light portraying Bart, a young man living with AIDS. Scott has been published in numerous periodicals and newspapers and is featured in the books The Five Gifts of Illness: A Reconsideration, Living Proof: Courage in the Face of AIDS, The Faces of AIDS: Lives at the Epicenter and The World is a Narrow Bridge: Stories that Celebrate Hope and Healing. He has been interviewed on ABC Eyewitness News and The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, received the Honorary Star of the Rainbow Award for his work with teens and is a biannual guest speaker at the Office of President Clinton in New York City.
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.
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.
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.
Black Ice Black Ice was born Lamar Manson in Philadelphia, where he began perfecting his craft on the streets of North Philly. Russell Simmons discovered Black Ice at New York's Soul the pitch for HBO's Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. The meeting led to Black Ice being the first spoken-word artist signed to Simmons' Def Jam Records. Performing spoken word since 1994, Black Ice has received standing ovations from audiences as diverse as those at the Hip-Hop Summit, the Black Congressional Caucus, the Source Youth Foundation and SHiNE. Black Ice's focus is in the sharing of messages that help nurture and build character among our young people. Black Ice was a cast member of the critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning show Def Poetry Jam on Broadway which traveled as far as Scotland for the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and he has appeared on all three seasons Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO.
Thom King Relationship expert and author of Good Girls Guide to Great Sex; Sex, Intimacy and Lying about Love plus three other new books on love, romance and relationships. His presentation of An Evening of Foreplay is an adventure in human desire, sexuality and relationships.
Ananda Lewis Award-Winning Host of “The Ananda Lewis Show” A combination of deep compassion, true intelligence, striking beauty and a big mouth has helped award winning television host Ananda Lewis reach new heights. Her talents have garnered a wealth of achievements, yet she has only just begun! Ananda, Sanskrit for "bliss", has been touching lives on and off screen since the age of 13. The San Diego, California native was a Head Start volunteer while a student at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. For nine years (4th through 12th grades) Ananda studied theater, vocal music, photography, and dance at the prestigious school that she credits with giving her the ability to maintain a free spirit and cultivate her confidence. "The teachers I had at SDSCPA and the supportive, nurturing environment of the campus in general are probably the #1 reason I am seeing success now," she says. After graduating from high school, Ananda left San Diego to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. For three seasons Ananda served as Host of BET’s Teen Summit, one of the station’s top rated shows which reached 42 million household’s LIVE each week. Her gift for affecting the lives of young people beamed out at us through the screen and her natural and obviously genuine relationship with co-host DaJour, had a lot of us thinking they were siblings. "Everybody would ask if Dajour, was my brother. I guess in a way he was - through talking about our lives, families and how to improve ourselves and our show." The teamwork obviously served them well. Teen Summit’s "It Takes a Village" show earned them a 1997 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Series in large part because of Ananda’s interview with Hillary Rodham-Clinton. Teen Summit was also nominated for 1996 Cable Ace Award for its special on "homeless teens". During the summer of 1997, Ananda faced another life-changing decision when an opportunity at another television network arose. MTV had come knocking and Ananda was not sure about opening the door. "Up until that time I had been doing a show that meant great deal to not only me, but our viewers and the continued progress and healing of everyone it touched. I knew that I would not readily have access to doing a show like this again for a very long time and I had a real problem with that. For years it had been clear to me that I came to this planet to impact people’s lives, change things and help people heal by increasing their personal power and rejecting the lies we’ve all been taught since birth about ourselves and our potential. Yet I understood that in order to do that effectively, I would need the attention of the masses, not just my own people. I saw MTV not only as access to the masses, but also as an opportunity to be more of the woman I am and cultivate my ability to have fun, my social skills and whatever else the Creator had in store for me with this new opportunity."
MC Lyte Renowned hip-hop artist and actress MC Lyte is a legendary rap artist. MC Lyte is the first rap artist ever to perform at Carnegie Hall and the first female rapper to ever receive a gold single, which sold over 500 thousand copies. MC Lyte's inspiring 1993 anthem, the classic Ruffneck was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Single, making MC Lyte the first female solo rapper ever nominated for a Grammy. Her newest project Undaground Heat vol.1, Hosted by Jamie Foxx, has garnered this rap legend her 2nd Career Grammy nomination, 10 years later, for Best Solo Female Rap Performance, for her single "Ride Wit Me", produced by MAAD PHUNK!, on her own label SGI/CMM/BMG. Lyte was also a familiar face in film and television. Her film career included roles in the recent Playa's Ball and in a Trimark/Lions Gate feature release Civil Brand. Lyte has also landed roles in feature films including Extreme Pictures' Train Ride, Cinergi Pictures' Burn Hollywood Burn, Warner Brothers' Fly By Night, and the independent features, Luv Tails and Short Handed.
Terry McMillan Terry McMillan's first novel, Mama, was published in 1987 by Houghton Mifflin Company and in paperback by Washington Square Press. Mama received a national book award by the Before Columbus Foundation. Ms. McMillan received her B.A. in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley and attended the MFA film program at Columbia University. She has been awarded a 1988 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Doubleday/Columbia University Literary Fellowship. She has been a guest columnist for The New York Times's "Hers" column and has reviewed books for The New York Times Book Review, The Atlanta Constitution, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has been a three time Fellow at Yaddo Artist Colony and the MacDowell Colony.
SuChin Pak Born in Korea, SuChin Pak joined the MTV news team as a correspondent in 2001. A political science major at U.C. Berkeley, she has become a role model for many bi-cultural Asian-American teens.Suchin Pak, MTV News team member, has cover world entertainment to 9/11 news, and had presentation such as Growing Up Asian and Pak Attack: Suchin Rolls onto MTV.
Def Poetry The acclaimed late-night series RUSSELL SIMMONS PRESENTS DEF POETRY COMES TO YOUR SCHOOL. The audacious, uncensored late-night series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry returns to HBO with a fifth season. This year the seminal spoken word series presents seasoned and up-and-coming poets performing their work onstage before a live audience, interspersed with a big-ticket lineup of celebrities also trying their hand at poetry.Praised by the New York Times as an "exuberant, daringly fresh series that breaks poetry out of the neat little boxes it's so often put it," Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry features a spectrum of voices.
Mi-Ling Stone Poole After a successful career in the entertainment industry Mi-Ling went back to school and earned her master’s degree in communications from Oklahoma City University. In 2001, she decided to merge her love for journalism with her passion for decorating and began writing two weekly decorating columns; Ask Mi-Ling, and Mi-Ling’s Comfort Zone. These columns are published weekly in newspapers throughout the country and have been translated and published in Spanish. Currently, she writes a weekly decorating column for The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City. Mi-Ling earned the reputation of being funny, entertaining and outspoken during her weekly radio segments, while offering advice and cost saving tips on decorating. She believes that creating a comfortable and livable home is the key to a great design.
Jamiel Terry Jamiel Terry, “a child of movement royalty”, as the Washington Post once called him, is the son of Randall Terry. Randall Terry, an icon of the religious right, is the founder of Operation Rescue, which led large-scale nationwide protests against abortion. He is also an outspoken opponent of granting special rights to homosexuals, and has championed the fight against same-sex marriage. Randall thought his son’s homosexuality was something that he would just have to overcome. Some very personal and life altering moments in Jamiel’s life finally forced him to face his inner struggle and accept himself for who he was.
Baya Voce Baya Voce was born on May 14th, 1987 and raised in Salt Lake City Utah but now lives in New York City. Baya Voce is the energetic free spirit in The Real World Brooklyn season. Baya was 2nd in line for The Real World casting call at the nightclub Area 51 in Salt Lake City In front of her in the line was fellow cast member Chet Cannon. She aspires to be a hip-hop DJ and dancer. Baya is currently a DJ of all genres under Izzy Gold Records. College Lecture Topics Diversity, Relationships, Environmentalism
Rebecca Walker Rebecca Walker is a best-selling author, an acclaimed speaker and teacher, and an award-winning visionary and activist in the fields of intergenerational feminism, enlightened masculinity, and transformational human awareness. When she was just twenty-five, Time Magazine named her one of the fifty most influential future leaders of Americaan award which has since been followed by many others, including the Women Who Could Be President Award from the League of Women Voters, the Champion of Choice Award from CARAL, and the Women of Distinction Award from the American Association of University Women. In 1995 Rebecca published her first anthology, To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism, which has been in print for more than ten years. Called a "seminal text of Third Wave feminism," To Be Real is taught in Women's Studies programs around the world. In 2002, Rebecca's memoir, Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self, became an international bestseller and won the Alex Award from the American Library Association. People Magazine called Black, White, and Jewish, "A heartbreaking tale of self-creation Walker masterfully illuminates differences between black and white America." A second anthology, What Makes a Man: 22 Writers Imagine The Future, was published in 2004 to similar acclaim: "Walker has done society at large a great service by bringing forth these voices, these views." (Booklist) Rebecca is a popular speaker on campuses and in business settings around the world. She has lectured at more than 300 universities including Harvard, Oberlin, MIT, and Stanford, and addressed dozens of organizations including the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Ministries of Culture and Gender of Estonia, at the first-ever Conference on Masculinity in the Baltics. She's been a consultant for Sony Music, Microsoft and JP Morgan Chase, and has been featured on Charlie Rose and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Rebecca has written for blogs and magazines, including Harper's, Salon, Glamour, Essence, and Buddhadharma, and her essays are widely anthologized. She has taught the art of memoir at workshops, MFA programs, and writing conferences nationwide. For writers developing non-fiction manuscripts, Rebecca offers consultation on theme, voice and structure, helping take projects from concept to manuscript to publication. In December of 2004 Rebecca gave birth to a son, Tenzin, whose arrival is the subject of a new memoir, Baby Love, forthcoming from Riverhead Books in 2007.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a psychosexual therapist who helped pioneer the field of media psychology with her radio program, "Sexually Speaking." Dr. Ruth has made wide use of the mass media to help spread what she has labeled "sexual literacy." In print, she circles the globe with her column, "Ask Dr. Ruth." She is the author of 15 books, the most recent being, Dr. Ruth Talks About Grandparents. Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a psychosexual therapist who helped pioneer the field of media psychology with her radio program, "Sexually Speaking." It began in September 1980 as a 15-minute, taped show that aired Sundays after midnight on WYNY-FM (NBC) in New York. One year later it became a live, one-hour show airing at 10 p.m. on which Dr. Ruth, as she became known, answered call-in questions from listeners. Soon it became part of a communications network to distribute her expertise, which includes television, books, newspapers, games, home videos, computer software and a web-site. Born in Germany in 1928, Dr. Ruth was sent at age ten to a school in Switzerland that became an orphanage for most of the German Jewish students sent there to escape the Holocaust. At 16, she went to Israel where she fought for the country's independence as a member of the Haganah, the Jewish freedom fighters. Dr. Ruth then moved to Paris where she studied psychology at the Sorbonne and taught kindergarten. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1956 where she obtained her master's degree in sociology from the graduate faculty of the New School of Social Research and a doctorate of education in the Interdisciplinary Study of the Family from Columbia University. She worked for Planned Parenthood for a time and that experience prompted her to further her education of human sexuality by studying under Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center. She later participated in the program for five years as an adjunct associate professor. She has also taught at Lehman College, Brooklyn College, Adelphi University, Columbia University and West Point. Dr. Ruth is currently an adjunct associate professor at New York University. A fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, she has her own private practice and leads regular seminars for residents and interns in pediatrics on adolescent sexuality at Brookdale Hospital. She lectures frequently at universities across the country and has been twice named "College Lecturer of the Year." Dr. Ruth has made wide use of the mass media to help spread what she has labeled "sexual literacy." In addition to radio, her television career has spanned both broadcast and cable. In print, she circles the globe with her column, "Ask Dr. Ruth", syndicated by King Features. She is the author of fifteen books, the most recent of which, Dr. Ruth Talks About Grandparents: Advice for Kids On Making the Most of a Special Relationship (co-authored with Pierre Lehu) was published in 1997. Dr. Ruth is currently at work on several projects. She is producing two documentaries: the first, No Missing Link, is about how grandparents transmitted values, particularly religious values, during the 70 years of communism in Russia and the second is about her 1997 visit to the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea. Her books also include: Dr. Ruth's Pregnancy Guide for Couples, published in 1998, a human sexuality textbook published by Williams and Wilkins and Grandparenthood. The National Mother's Day Committee has honored Dr. Ruth as "Mother of The Year" and she received a Liberty Medal from the City of New York. She has been nominated for an Ace Award by the cable industry on five occasions and her program, The "All-New Dr. Ruth Show," won an Ace Award in 1988 for excellence in cable television. What's Up, Dr. Ruth was awarded the Gold Medal from the International Film and TV Festival for excellence in educational television. People magazine included her in their list of the "Most Intriguing People of the Century."
Vanessa Williams A former host of VH-1, Vanessa Williams was the first Black woman to win the Miss America Pageant. A talented actress and singer, her record albums, "The Right Stuff" and "The Comfort Zone," quickly climbed to the top of the charts.