Women of Influence (U)

<p>Susannah Cahalan is an award-winning #1 <em>New York Times</em> best-selling author, journalist, and public speaker.</p><p>Her 2012 memoir <em>Brain on Fire</em>, which has sold over a million copies and was made into a Netflix original movie, one of its most-watched movies of 2016, chronicled her medical misdiagnosis and brief interface with the broken mental health system in America.

<p>An award-winning journalist and executive producer of several critically acclaimed digital series at Vox Media and NBC News, Liz Plank speaks about women’s issues, LGBTQ+ rights, social media, and feminism. </p><p>The CEO of Liz Plank Productions and a columnist for MSNBC, Liz has been named one of<em> Forbes</em>’ 30 Under 30, Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media, <em>Marie Claire</em>’s Most Powerful Women, and was named one of the World’s Most Influential People in Gender Policy by Apolitical.

<p>True survivor of extreme challenge, and business leader, Lauren Manning shares experiences that help organizations thrive even in the most difficult of times.</p><p>“It was my moment. my choice. Keep fighting or surrender and die. I made the choice. I decided to live.”</p><p>The most catastrophically wounded survivor in the September 11th attacks, Lauren battled against all odds to emerge from the fires. A world-renowned role model for her resilience and fortitude surmounting personal and professional challenges.

<p>Molly Barker is an American educator, social entrepreneur, and visionary. She is best known as the founder of Girls on the Run International, the self-esteem, youth-development and healthy lifestyle program for third- to eighth-grade girls. </p><p>Molly Barker started Girls on the Run International in 1996 with 13 girls in Charlotte, NC. Since then, the program has grown to include schools in all 50 states, inspiring over 2.5 million girls to know and activate their limitless potential.

<p>Former inner-city high school English teacher Erin Gruwell changed the lives of her students and became a change agent for the future of education with her philosophy of tolerance, respect, and the power of writing one’s own story.</p><p>Charged with turning around a class of low performing, underserved kids who lived in a community plagued by gang violence and racial hostility, Gruwell compared the family feud in <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> to a gang war and used the stories of Anne Frank and Zlata Filipović—students who wrote about their lives during wartime—t

<p>Danica McKellar continues to shine as an accomplished film, television and stage actress.

<p>Dr. Julianne Malveaux has long been recognized for her progressive and insightful observations. She is a labor economist, noted author and colorful commentator. Described by Cornel West as “the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country”. Her contributions to the public dialogue on issues such as race, culture, gender and their economic impacts are shaping public opinion in 21st Century America.</p><p>Dr. Malveaux’s popular writing has appeared in <i>USA Today</i>, <i>Black Issues in Higher Education</i>, <i>Ms.

<p>An award-winning journalist, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author, and one of the most recognized voices in radio, Michele Norris engages audiences in candid discussion about current events, social issues, and bridging the divide in America. </p><p>From the radio airwaves of NPR to <em>The Washington Post </em>to her current role as MSNOW Senior Contributor, Michele Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American journalism. </p><p>For a decade, as host of National Public Radio’s longest-running program, “All Things Conside

<p>Sally Kohn is one of the leading progressive voices in America today. A frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, she explores political division, hate, otherizing, diversity and identity — and how we can solve the deep problems of our past and present. </p><p>A regular columnist and commentator, Sally's writing has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, New York Magazine, More Magazine, RollingStone, USA Today, Time, Afar Magazine and many other outlets.

<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.