Kevin Jorgeson, a Santa Rosa native who first began climbing walls at 11 when his father took him to Vertex – a Santa Rosa indoor climbing facility – became an international climbing icon in January of 2015 when he and Tommy Caldwell put up the first free climb of the Dawn Wall on Yosemite’s El […]
When he stepped down in January 2017 as the fourth United States director of national intelligence, James Clapper had been President Obama’s senior intelligence adviser for six and a half years, longer than his three predecessors combined. He led the U.S. intelligence community through a period that included the raid on Osama bin Laden, the […]
It’s arguable that no man had a greater influence on the American perception of the war in Vietnam than Daniel Ellsberg. He was a consummate insider, served as a Marine First Lieutenant after graduating from Harvard, later returned to Harvard and wrote what is widely regarded as a brilliant dissertation on decision theory. In 1964 he […]
Scott Simon is one of America’s most admired writers and broadcasters. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy. Simon’s weekly show, Weekend Edition Saturday, has been […]
Steve Kerr is a professional basketball coach and former player. In 2014, he became the Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors. Kerr is a five-time NBA champion, having won 3 titles with the Chicago Bulls and 2 titles with the San Antonio Spurs as a player, as well as 3 titles with the Warriors as a head coach. He has the highest career 3-point percentage (45.4%) […]
Fr. Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world. A Jesuit priest, from 1986 to 1992 Father Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity […]
DAN PALLOTTA is an activist, humanitarian, author, and builder of movements. He is a pioneer in the national effort to transform the way our culture evaluates the character and impact of nonprofit organizations. His iconic TED Talk on philanthropy has been viewed more than 4.5 million times, and is one of the 20 most-commented TED talks […]
In 2005, Victoria Arlen was 11 years old when she came down with two rare neurological disorders, Transverse Myelitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis. She fought for her life for five years, including four years in a vegetative state where she was ‘locked’ within herself, unable to communicate with those around her. At times, she suffered seizures […]
Donna McKechnie is a professional dancer, singer, actress, choreographer, and author whose illustrious career has spanned more than 50 years. She is regarded internationally as one of Broadway’s foremost singing and dancing leading ladies. Donna is best-known and beloved for her portrayal of Cassie in the original Broadway cast of the 1975 musical, A Chorus Line, for […]
Shannon Watts is a mother of five who, prior to founding Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, was a stay-at-home mom and former Communications Executive. The day after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Watts started a Facebook group with the message that all Americans can and should do more to reduce gun violence. That online conversation has grown into […]
It’s been 50 years since Neil Armstrong captivated the world as he took those first steps on the moon! His words are forever etched in our memory – “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” In celebration of this historic event, we are honored to have Sunita “Suni” Williams take the stage. Williams is a […]
ALEX ALPHARAOH was only 2-months old when he and his 15-year old mother were almost killed in a bomb blast at a bus stop in the violent streets of the infamous “Limonada” colony, in the slums of Guatemala City, Guatemala. This began their brutal journey to the United States. Most of his life Alex was forced […]
U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier has served San Francisco and San Mateo Counties since she was first elected in April 2008. Before her election to the US House of Representatives, she served for 18 years in the California State Legislature. Speier was born in San Francisco’s Sunset District and is a life-long resident of the Bay Area. […]
David and Nic Sheff DAVID SHEFF is the author of Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction, a #1 New York Times bestseller. The book, published in a dozen languages, was named the year’s Best Non-fiction Book by Entertainment Weekly, “Best Books of 2008” by Amazon, and it won first place in the Barnes and Noble Discover Award […]
Willie L. Brown – Two-term Mayor of San Francisco, legendary Speaker of the California State Assembly, and widely regarded as the most influential African-American politician of the late twentieth century, Willie L. Brown, Jr., has been at the center of California politics, government, and civic life for an astonishing four decades. His career spans the American […]
Jaycee Dugard is an abduction survivor. Since her rescue in 2009, she has used her freedom and voice to share her unique survivor experience. Jaycee is the founder and president of The JAYC Foundation, an organization created to assist families and individuals that have experienced a severe crisis, challenge, or conflict through a major life disruption; to […]
Katherine Schweit is an author, attorney, former Chicago prosecutor, and career FBI special agent who authored Stop the Killing: How to End the Mass Shooting Crisis. After the murder of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012, Schweit was promoted to the FBI executive ranks and joined a violence prevention team as part of a White House National Security […]
Javier Zamora – Memoirist, poet, and speaker Javier Zamora believes that immigrants must keep ownership of their own stories. In his new memoir, Solito, he explores his own: a harrowing journey to the US as an unaccompanied nine-year-old that gives a unique and unforgettable glimpse into the realities of child migration. Accompanied only by strangers […]
Lisa Kristine is an internationally renowned humanitarian photographer. For more than 30 years she has documented indigenous peoples and social causes in more than 150 countries across six continents. Her work navigates the emotional landscapes of her subjects and their environments, driving awareness around causes such as human trafficking, indigenous wisdom, and global unity. Lisa’s work […]
Dr. Eric Verdin is the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato. The Buck is the first and the largest independent research institute in the world that is focused solely on aging. At the Buck, his lab studies the relationship between aging and the immune system. Dr. Verdin was born […]
Kevin Roose is an award-winning technology columnist for The New York Times and the bestselling author of three books, Futureproof, Young Money, and The Unlikely Disciple. His column, “The Shift,” examines the intersection of tech, business, and culture. He is a recurring guest on The Daily and appears regularly on leading TV and radio shows. He writes and speaks frequently […]
David Brooks is a columnist for The New York Times and a contributor to The Atlantic. He is a commentator on “The PBS Newshour.” His most recent book, “The Second Mountain,” shows what can happen when we put commitment-making and relationships at the center of our lives. He is also the author of “The Road to […]
Jared Diamond is a Pulitzer-prize-winning author of six best-selling books, translated into 38 languages, about human societies and human evolution: Guns, Germs, and Steel, Collapse, Why Is Sex Fun?, The Third Chimpanzee, The World until Yesterday, and Upheaval. As a professor of geography at UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles), he is known for his breadth of interests, which […]
Kori Schake is a senior fellow and the director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). She is also a proud alumna of Sonoma Valley High School. Before joining AEI, Dr. Schake was the deputy director-general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. She has had a distinguished career in […]