by: Tom Tom Staff
Give Thought
A MacArthur Genius, a Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, a Swedish Ambassador, a New York Times bestselling author, an urban mechanic, an 8-term congressman, a National Book Award winner, and seventy other brain-expanding, hope-giving, truth-telling innovators.
All at the Hometown Summit this April 11-14 in Charlottesville, VA
Shape your community’s future at America’s biggest conference for small cities. Early Bird discounts end 12/31.Get Your Pass
New Speakers
The Atlantic's International Bureau Chief Jim Fallows and author Deb Fallows
National Book Award winner and The Atlantic's International Bureau Chief Jim Fallows and author Deb Fallows have been crisscrossing America’s small cities by propeller plane since August of 2013. What they found was inspiring: renewal, creativity, and resolve.
Greg Asbed, Cofounder, Coalition for Immokalee Workers
Since 1993, Greg has fought wage theft, sexual assault, and forced labor on the farms that feed us. His advocacy has transformed the practices of multinational corporations from Walmart to McDonald's. “A MacArthur ‘Genius’ on Overcoming Modern Farm Slavery,” New York Times, Oct. 2017
Elisabeth Rosenthal, Author, An American Sickness
Drawing on a career as a physician and over 22 years of prizewinning reporting for The New York Times, Elisabeth lays out the maladies of American medicine - and how ordinary citizens can fight back. “Putting Profits Ahead of Patients,” New York Review of Books, Jul. 2017
Michael Boulware, CEO, International African American Museum
Almost half of all African captives arrived in the U.S. through the Port of Charleston. In 2020, the IAAM will present the largely under told experiences and contributions of their descendants. "Charleston’s New International African American Museum," Garden & Gun, Apr/May 2017
Garrett Graff, Contributing Editor, Wired
From what it was like on Air Force One during 9/11 to Russian infiltration of American democracy, Garrett explores unexpected intersections of technology and national security. "How the U.S. Prepared for Nuclear Catastrophe," TIME, May 2017
Peter Jackson, Public Sector Portfolio Lead, IDEO San Francisco
Alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Peter co-architected the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency that arose out of the 2008 crisis to defend Americans against predatory lenders.
Claire Wasserman, Cofounder, Ladies Get Paid
Claire leads a network of thousands of women from Honolulu to Portland, who are changing the world, one raise at a time.
Derrick Freeman, Mayor of Port Arthur
When Hurricane Harvey submerged three quarters of Mayor Freeman's city - including his own home - he did the only thing he could: rise to the challenge. "His Home Flooded, the Port Arthur Mayor Puts His City First," New York Times, Sep. 2017
Hannah Dehradunwala, Cofounder & CEO, Transfernation
Before graduating college, Hannah had already launched an app that would redistribute over 52,000 pounds of food in two years to countless shelters in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. "NYU students take on world hunger - one app at a time," USA Today, Oct. 2014
Ambassador Mark Brzezinski and Natalia Brzezinski
From championing the arctic to investing in impact, the Ambassador to Sweden (2011-15) is only matched in energy and charm by his wife Natalia, founder and CEO of Brilliant Minds, a Stockholm-based symposium of global creativity.
Phil Tinn, Urban Mechanic, MIT
Turning toys into tools for city planning, harvesting sunlight and air to make highrises more livable, launching hot air balloons - it's all in a day's work for Phil Tinn, who explores the intersection of human-centered design and complex systems at MIT Media Lab. "Using Legos as a Legitimate Urban Planning Tool," CityLab, Oct. 2015
Mickey Edwards, Vice President, The Aspen Institute
Having served for 16 years in the House, and taught for another decade at Harvard's Kennedy School, Mickey now leads the fight for a post-partisan America.
Jennifer Wright, Writer, Harper's Bazaar
With a sharp eye for the venal, pompous, and flat-out absurd, Jennifer takes on weighty issues of gender and justice with black wit and incisive observation.
Kommentare