Jane McAlevey
Power, Participation and Democracy: As a labor organizer, author and scholar, her work and activism focus on the intersection of power and strategy.
Student Engagement
Leading voices on trending topics to resonate with students and campuses
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Your personal astrophysicist and host of the Emmy Award winning, COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey and StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Dr. Tyson’s passion for science communication changes the way we think about the universe.
Christine McKinley
STEM activist, mechanical engineer, musician, host of Discovery Channel’s Decoded, and author of Physics For Rock Stars. Her musical Gracie and the Atom won a Portland Drammy for Original Score.
Michael Tubbs
Former Mayor Michael Tubbs has had an extraordinary rise to become the youngest and most highly effective mayors of our time. His innovative ideas span from a Basic Income Program to Education For All.
Arn Chorn-Pond
Renowned human rights activist, musician and Cambodian genocide survivor. Inspiring change with incredible stories of hope, endurance, and survival through the power of music.
Mariama White-Hammond
Through her environmental and social justice advocacy, Rev. White-Hammond reforms racial divides within communities and empowers individuals to make change for the greater good.
Derrick Pitts
NASA’s first Astrobiology Ambassador & Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director at the Franklin Institute, Pitts points us up above the atmosphere. His motto: “Eat, breathe, do science. Sleep later.
Video: Pitts at UW-Madison’s Big Learning Event
Angela Shelton
Be Your Own Hero! Angela Shelton — activist, artist, performer, writer, award-winning filmmaker — shares heartwarming and hilarious real-life stories about moving from a life of child sexual abuse, rape and domestic violence hardships
Ainissa Ramirez
Science Communicator & Innovator, known as the “Science Evangelist,” Dr. Ramirez educates and excites audiences of all backgrounds, making science timely, informative and fascinating.
Video: Ainissa Ramirez and the importance of STEM education
Daniel H. Wilson
Author of How to Survive a Robot Uprising, an award-winning SciFi Author, AI & Robotics Expert, He was selected to write, “The Andromeda Evolution” with the Michael Crichton estate, marking the 50th anniversary of “The Andromeda Strain”.
Daisy Hernández
Award winning author, Hernandez crosses the barriers between race, gender, and media representation. Her bold insight emphasizes current disparities in today’s culture.
Curt Ellis
Co-founder of FoodCorps, promoting food advocacy in youth, Award-winning documentary filmmaker of King Corn.
Toshia Shaw
Founder of Purple W.I.N.G.S., determined to break misconceptions about who is at-risk for sexual violence, Shaw transforms audiences with her harrowing journey out of sex trafficking.
Kyle Thiermann
A professional surfer and environmental activist “making waves” in social change! As a Patagonia Surf Ambassador, Kyle uses his travels to catch big waves while filming environmental documentaries
Video: Surfing For Change: Where is Away, Solving Plastic Pollution in 4 minutes
Paul Watson
Co-founder of the Greenpeace Foundation & Star of Animal Planet’s WHALE WARS, Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Society are notorious for relentlessly combating illegal whaling and fishing internationally.
Jessica Valenti
Valenti is one of the Top 100 Inspiring Women in the world. Bestselling author and co-founder of award-winning blog, Feministing.com, she speaks on feminism, politics and defying gender norms. A leading voice in the #MeToo movement.
Bas Lansdorp
Visionary CEO of Mars One, Bas intends to create permanent human settlement on Mars in 2027. Gifted with an entrepreneurial spirit, Bas inspires audiences to dream big!
Video: Mars One Introduction Film
Emily Hunter
A second generation environmental activist, Hunter’s documentary series Activism 2.0 shows the new wave of environmental activists on the front lines of grassroots movements.
Video: Activism 2.0 – Rebirth of the Environmental Movement