Social Commentary speakers

FEATURED SPEAKER

Richard Reeves is a Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of Dream Hoarders & Of Boys and Men.

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FEATURED SPEAKER

Author of several bestselling books including One Person, No Vote and the critically-acclaimed White Rage

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FEATURED SPEAKER

Bestselling author of the books Factory Man, Truevine and Dopesick

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FEATURED SPEAKER

Forensic psychologist, professor of criminology and author of The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic

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• Bestselling author of White Rage & One Person, No Vote

• Human and civil rights advocate

• Expert on African American history & 20th century politics

• Columnist & author of several books, including The Hospital: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town

• The founder of Shared_Studios and Portals 

• Author of the critically-acclaimed essay collection How to Fall in Love with Anyone

• Her TED and TEDx Talks have been viewed over 8 million times collectively

• Professor of criminal justice and author of The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic

•  Author of The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community

• Director of external affairs for Google

• Former Editor at Fortune

• Author of The End of Suburbs & The Airbnb Story

Pulitzer Finalist, Peabody & duPont Award-winning journalist

• Author of several books, including Homewreckers

• Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution & contributing writer at The Atlantic

• Author of Islamic Exceptionalism & creator of the podcast / website, "Wisdom of Crowds"

• Award-winning sex educator & healthy relationships advocate for the #MeToo & #TimesUp era

• Award-winning journalist & author of Distracted: Reclaiming Our Focus in a World of Lost Attention

• Immigration and asylum reform thought-leader and activist

• Founder of nonprofit Casa de Paz

NY Times Bestselling author of several books including, The Age of American Unreason

• NYT Bestselling Author of Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD

• First Millennial Statewide Elected Official

• Creator of the social justice oriented service-learning program “Books Behind Bars”

• Educational innovator at the University of Virginia Center for Teaching Excellence


• Author of the NY Times Bestseller A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy

• Advocate for mental health 


• Humanitarian futures and strategic foresight expert

• Acclaimed historian of India & author of Empress


• Journalist who specializes in outsiders and underdogs 

• Bestselling author of the books Factory Man, Truevine, and Dopesick


Policing & Public Safety Initiative at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research

• Author of Criminal (In)Justice

• Founder of the Moving Up Media Lab & Host of the PBS podcast, Attribution

• Author of the best-seller, Three Little Engines

• Expert on social mobility and the American Dream

• From homelessness to H.S. valedictorian to full ride at Georgetown

• Founder and CEO of Pain Into PURPOSE, a Black Woman Owned Business that helps to motivate others

• Journalist & author of The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America

• Peabody award-winning journalist

• Radio/podcast senior producer & interviewer for the national public radio show "To the Best of Our Knowledge"

• Author of Lithium Jesus: A Memoir of Mania

NY Times Bestselling author of several books including, Code Girls

• Author of There Goes the Neighborhood and Crossing Borders.

• President & CEO of the National Immigration Forum

• Human Rights Activist, Community Organizer, and Author


• Forensic psychologist, professor of criminology and author of The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic

• Investigative journalist & NY Times Bestselling author of many books including, Case Closed, Why America Slept, God's Bankers & Pharma (2020)

• Bestselling author & law professor on mental health and #MeToo 

• Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution

• Author of Dream Hoarders and Of Boys and Men


• Renowned journalist 

• Bestselling author on global issues, taxes and healthcare 

Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter

• Author of ten books, including Katrina: After the Flood and Saving Main Street

• Award-winning journalist & author of This Is All I Got

• Musician with a message: Dream in 3D

• Award-winning New York Times editor

• Adjunct professor at NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts

• His work is in the permanent collection at MoMA

• Professor at the College for Public Health and Social Justice at St. Louis University 

• Worldwide leading expert on veganism and coveted speaker on body positivity and social justice issues

• Author of the memoir Always Too Much and Never Enough and The VegNews Guide to Being a Fabulous Vegan

• Author of Looking Up: How a Different Perspective Turns Obstacles into Advantages 

• Prize-winning author of The Newcomers, Soldier Girls, & Just Like Us

• Speaks with compassion about the journeys of refugees who have been invited to resettle in the US


A champion of peace, sharing his extraordinary story of resilience and redemption


• Energy professor at UT Austin and CTO of Energy Impact Partners 

• Speaks on the convergence of engineering, policy & commercialization 


• Senior National Correspondent for NPR News giving a veteran's take on today's news

•  Professor Emeritus at Brown University 

• Author of many books including the Pulitzer-winning The Radicalism of the American Revolution.