Commencement Speakers

voices for Commencement Nicholas Kristof

A Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times, Kristof is an extraordinary thinker, human rights advocate, and chronicler of humanity, global health, poverty, and gender.

Jeffrey Taylor

Founder of Monster.com and Eons.com, Taylor is a big picture entrepreneur who is an inspiring speaker, leading the way into future with his vision and zeal for innovative ideas.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault

Hunter-Gault made civil rights history as the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Georgia. Today, she is one of television’s premier journalists, and author of News Out of Africa.

Mary Robinson

As first female President of Ireland, Robinson increased the status of the nation. Formerly the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, she now advises businesses worldwide on ethical practices.

Julian Bond

Since his pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, Bond has been on the cutting edge of social change.

Legendary as the first black US vice presidential nominee, he is now Chairman of the NAACP.

Juan Williams

Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post, Williams is NPR’s Senior Correspondent and authority on Brown vs. Board of Education. His book, Enough, challenges the leadership of Black America.

Peter J. Gomes

Author and minister of Harvard’s Memorial Church, Rev. Gomes is deeply vested in humanity and compassion for mankind. He offers a clarion call to embrace joy and rise to the good life.

Naomi Klein

An award-winning journalist and author of the international bestseller The Shock Doctrine, Klein exposes the dark side of globalization and encourages students to be aware of what is going on in the world.

Michael Eric Dyson

One of the nation’s most renowned public intellectuals, Dyson takes on the controversial issues of the day, including race, politics, and pop culture with his fearless and fiery rhetoric.

Dan Rather

The longtime anchor of CBS Evening News, Rather now hosts Dan Rather Reports on HD Net. His news experience and characteristic folksy wit are always informed, passionate, and entertaining.

Lech Walesa

Former President of Poland and Nobel Laureate, Walesa led the Solidarity Labor Movement that brought the downfall of Poland’s Communist leadership. Still an influential global leader, he offers a unique perspective on US and the world today.

Bob Schieffer

Anchor of CBS’s Face the Nation, Schieffer is one of the few broadcast and print journalists to have covered all four major beats in the nation’s capital: the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and Capitol Hill.

Steven Squyres

The face and voice of NASA, Squyres was the acclaimed Principal Investigator on the Mars Exploration Rover Project—a pioneering drive across the planet’s surface by two high-tech robotic rovers.

Ralph Nader

A renowned consumer advocate, Nader fights for the issues that matter most: healthcare, safety, environment, education, and equality, emphasizing the importance of becoming an involved citizen at a young age.

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cont.

voices for Commencement Larry Wilmore

Writer, comedian, producer, and “Senior Black Correspondent” for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Wilmore initiates honest conversation about diversity, lacing it with wit in “Let’s Make Race Fun Again.”

George Foreman

A boxing champ, entrepreneur, marketing genius, and larger than life persona, Foreman shares his entertaining life story, crediting much of his success to spirituality and “finding something to believe in.”

Susan Faludi

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author of Backlash and Stiffed, Faludi always challenges modern gender stereotypes while leading the charge for feminism and equality.

Mariane Pearl

The wife of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl, Mariane continues to gain strength by celebrating life, dignity and humanism. Determined not to be broken, she wrote A Mighty Heart that became the film starring Angelina Jolie.

Hill Harper

Co-star of CSI: NY, Harper is the best-selling author of Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny and Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny. He empowers youth with his message of hope.

Terry McMillan

Best-selling author of Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, McMillan has captivated audiences with her tales of contemporary African American women, while empowering everyone to find the honesty, humor, and hope in any situation.

Robert Kuttner

Veteran economic journalist, founder of The New Republic, and political observer, Kuttner offers his hopes for the nation and the Obama Administration outlined in his New York Times best-selling book he wrote before the election, Obama’s Challenge.

Johnnetta B. Cole

One of the most powerful, well-regarded African American women in the US, Cole is President Emerita of both Bennett College and Spelman College. She shares her uplifting message about getting involved and making the world a better place.

Montel Williams

Emmy Award-winning talk show host, decorated formal naval intelligence officer, entrepreneur, bestselling author, and advocate for MS awareness, Williams inspires audiences to transform their lives.

Richard Carmona

A leader of integrity and determination, Dr. Carmona overcame adversity in his life to become the 17th Surgeon General. His passion for eliminating health disparities, combined with his life story, is highly inspirational.

Sara Paretsky

Paretsky changed the world of detective fiction with her groundbreaking popular female sleuth, “V.I. Warshawski,” in her bestselling books. An intelligent social activist, she advocates the important of service for the public good and emboldens audiences

Susan Orlean

Author of The Orchid Thief, the inspiration behind the film Adaptation, Orlean is a writer for The New Yorker, known for her talent for exploring the people and places that make up our national character.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Known as Africa’s “Iron Lady,” President of Liberia Johnson Sirleaf was the first woman to lead an African nation. A Harvard educated former World Bank economist, she promotes peace, justice, and democratic rule.

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Former Prime Minister of Norway, DirectorGeneral of the World Health Organization, and now serving as UN Special Envoy on Climate Change, Dr. Brundtland is a leading force in addressing such issues as healthcare and economic sustainability.

800.225.4575 | apbspeakers.com