Celebrity
Enron “Whistleblower” and TIME Magazine “Person of the Year”
Ms. Watkins is the former Vice President of Enron Corporation who alerted then-CEO Ken Lay in August 2001 to accounting irregularities within the company, warning him that Enron ‘might implode in a wave of accounting scandals.’ She has testified before Congressional Committees from the House and Senate investigating Enron’s demise. TIME magazine named Sherron, along with two others, Coleen Rowley of the FBI and Cynthia Cooper of WorldCom, as their 2002 Persons of the Year, for being “people who did right just by doing their jobs rightly.”
Watkins now lectures on leadership and ethics as Professor of the Practice at Kenan-Flagler at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Watkins is co-author of Power Failure, the Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron, (Doubleday, 2003).
The Pitbull of Personal Development and Author
Larry Winget, the Pitbull of Personal Development is the best-selling author of Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get A Life and New York Times bestseller It’s Called Work for a Reason!. He teaches universal principles that will work for anyone, in any business, at any time, and does it by telling funny stories. He believes that most of us have complicated life and business way too much, take them way too seriously, and need to lighten up, take responsibility, and keep it all in perspective.
Olympic Swimming Champion
Dara Torres is arguably the fastest female swimmer in America. She entered her first international swimming competition at age 14 and competed in her first Olympic Games a few years later in 1984.
Author, Co-Owner of Several Minor-League Baseball Clubs, Restaurateur, Citadel Professor, Philanthropist and Founder of Fun Is Good – Employee Engagement Consultancy
“When did it become so terrible to fail? We need to encourage people to take risks so they come up with ideas that change things.” – Mike Veeck
Chief Medical Editor, NBC News
Dr. Nancy Snyderman joined NBC News as the Chief Medical Editor in September 2006. Her reports appear on all platforms of NBC News including Today, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Dateline NBC, Rock Center with Brian Williams, MSNBC and NBCNews.com.
Architect, Author, Not So Big Lifestyle Visionary
Bestselling author, architect and cultural visionary Sarah Susanka is leading a movement to redefine the American home and lifestyle. Sarah Susanka’s “Not So Big” message has become a launch pad for a new dimension of understanding how we inhabit our homes, our planet and our lives.
Comedian
Rita Rudner is the only child of witty parents. Much to their dismay, Rita displayed a complete lack of witty until the age of twenty-five, whereupon she refused to say anything unless it was laced with wit.
Nationally Known Stand-up Comedian; Former Host of NBC's, "The Biggest Losser"
Caroline Rhea is a stand-up comedian and actress with a smart and spontaneous approach. This Montreal native is no stranger to television and films.