Campus Speakers & Headliners (U)

<p>Alex Morgan is a World Champion and co-captain of the US Women’s National Team. A blur on the pitch, Alex overwhelms defenders with her graceful yet attacking style, bringing defenses to their knees and fans to their feet.</p><p>A FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, UEFA Women’s Champions League Champion, and NWSL Champion, Alex is a proven winner at all levels.

<p>After 17 years, two World Championships, two Olympic Gold Medals, and near unparalleled success as a marketing icon, Mia Hamm retired from professional soccer in 2004 as not only the best women’s soccer player in history but also as one of the most important and recognizable female figures in the history of sport.

<p>Two-time World Cup Champion and co-captain of the US Women’s National Soccer Team, Megan Rapinoe is a fan favorite and one of the team’s most technical players.</p><p>A vocal leader on and off the pitch, Megan helped lead the USWNT to the 2019 Women’s World Cup Championship scoring some of the biggest goals of the tournament. Megan took home the tournament’s two top honors – the Golden Boot for top scorer, and the Golden Ball for the best player in the tournament.

<p>Best known for her groundbreaking turn as the first Black lead on ABC’s <em>The Bachelorette, </em>Rachel Lindsay shares anecdotes from her incredible career as a media host and sports attorney, inspiring audiences to blaze their own personal and professional trails. </p><p>Throughout her journey to find love, Rachel Lindsay became a fan favorite for her intellect, authenticity, and ability to navigate difficult situations with confidence and poise.

<p>A’Lelia Bundles is an award-winning author and great-great-granddaughter of the entrepreneurial activist and philanthropist, Madam C.J. Walker. A Netflix Original series inspired by Bundles’ book (<i>On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker</i>) stars Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer and Tiffany Haddish, and is produced by LeBron James (March 2020). </p><p>A former network television news executive and producer at ABC News and NBC News, Bundles is also well-versed in American journalism as well as social justice and civil rights issues.

<p>American film actor, director, voice artist and producer, Sean Astin is best known for his film roles as Samwise Gamgee in the <em>Lord of the Rings</em> trilogy, Mikey Walsh in <em>The Goonies</em>, the title character of Rudy, and Bob Newby in Netflix’s hit series,<em> Stranger Things 2</em>.

<p>Robert Bilott is the tenacious environmental lawyer who became “DuPont’s worst nightmare,” according to <em>The New York Times</em>. The story in his book, <em>Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against Dupont</em>, inspired the major motion picture, <em>Dark Waters</em> (November 2019), featuring Academy-Award nominee Mark Ruffalo as Rob Bilott.  </p><p>Bilott was a corporate defense attorney for eight years until he took on an environmental suit that upended his entire career—and exposed a

<p>Best known for his role as the “Culture Vulture” in the Emmy Award-winning show <em>Queer Eye For The Straight Guy</em>, Jai has been helping to shape American culture—and the cultural representation of the LGBTQ community—for nearly two decades.</p><p> Emmy Award-winning actor Jai Rodriguez’s career began at age 18, when he was cast as Angel in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical <em>Rent</em>.

<p>Aly Raisman, team captain of the gold medal winning U.S. Olympic Women’s Gymnastics teams in 2012 and 2016, is the second most decorated American gymnast of all-time with six total Olympic medals. </p><p>The most decorated U.S. gymnast at the 2012 Games, Raisman captured the hearts of millions as she became the first American gymnast to win gold in the floor exercise. One of only two U.S.

<p>R. K. Russell is a former NFL football player, a published writer and poet, essayist, social justice advocate, and artist. </p><p>In August of 2019, Russell made history by becoming the first out active NFL player to identify as bisexual.