Diversity & Inclusion (U)

<p>Diversity speaker Helen Zia is an award-winning journalist and a contributing editor to <em>Ms.</em> magazine, where she was formerly executive editor. Her articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in many newspapers and magazines. She has contributed essays to several anthologies, and was executive editor of the book, "Notable Asian-Americans".

<p>Vandana Shiva is one of the world's most respected environmental activists and feminists. A trained physicist, she received her Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario, and since the 1970s, has been a vocal figure in the conservation movement.</p><p>A leader in the International Forum on Globalization (IFG) along with Ralph Nader and Jeremy Rifkin, Vandana Shiva fights actively for changing practices in agriculture and the way humans view food.

<p>World-class athlete and best-selling author Kyle Maynard has never considered his physical differences to be a disability, but rather just another obstacle that cannot stop him from realizing his dreams.</p><p>On first sight, Maynard is obviously exceptional. He is a quadruple congenital amputee, which means that his arms end at the elbows, and his legs extend to just past his knees. His adamant refusal to accept the limitations of this condition, however, is what truly sets him apart.

<p>Sonia Nazario is an award-winning journalist whose stories have tackled some of this country’s most intractable problems -- hunger, drug addiction, immigration -- and have won some of the most prestigious journalism and book awards. </p><p>She is best known for "Enrique's Journey," her story of a Honduran boy’s struggle to find his mother in the U.S. Published as a series in the <i>Los Angeles Times</i>, "Enrique's Journey" won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 2003.

<p>America Ferrera is perhaps best known for her fearless portrayal of "Betty Suarez" on ABC's hit comedy <i>Ugly Betty</i> and "Carmen" in the popular film <i>The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants</i>. Ferrera's <i>Ugly Betty</i> role earned her an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as ALMA and Imagen Awards.</p><p>Ferrera currently produces and stars in the long-running NBC workplace comedy,<i> Superstore</i>.

<p>RJ Mitte engages, educates and inspires with candid discussion of transforming obstacles into assets and preventing bullying.</p><p>RJ is best known for playing Walt Jr. on the Emmy-winning AMC drama <i>Breaking Bad</i>, – like his character on the show, he also battles with cerebral palsy.

<p>Jay Smooth enlightens with poignant observations about music, race, politics and other important cultural and social issues, while promoting the importance of mutual respect.</p><p>As the former host of <i>The Underground Railroad</i>, New York City’s longest-running hip-hop radio program and the popular video blog, <i>The Ill Doctrine</i>, Jay has established himself as a unique and leading voice at the nexus of sociopolitical issues who brings a singular perspective on society and culture.</p><p>Through thoughtful examination, Jay m

<p>Trans Rights Advocate Geena Rocero, born and raised in Manila, Philippines, is a model, producer, co-host of the TV Show <em>ASPIREist</em> (broadcast on CNN), and the author of memoir <em>Horse Barbie</em>, “a moving chronicle of trans resilience and joy” (<em>Vogue</em>).</p><p>On March 31, 2014, in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Rocero came out as transgender at the annual (main stage) TED Conference, her viral talk has since been viewed more than 4 million times and translated in 32 languages.

<p>With a timely message about the transformational power of protest, Janaya Khan is a leading activist who engages you in a profound discussion about social justice and equality.</p>

<p>Known as ‘Future’ within the Black Lives Matter movement, Janaya is a black, queer, gender-nonconforming activist (pronouns: they, them, theirs), staunch Afrofuturist and social-justice educator who presents an enlightening point of view on police brutality and systemic racism.</p>

<p>Alicia believes that Black communities deserve what all communities deserve -- to be powerful in every aspect of their lives.</p><p>An author, political strategist, organizer, and cheeseburger enthusiast, Alicia founded the Black Futures Lab to make Black communities powerful in politics.