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Annette Gordon-Reed is a professor of law at New York Law School and a professor of history at Rutgers University. She is the author of *Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy*. She lives in New York City.

Jon Entine is an internationally renowned journalist, TV commentator, executive consultant and public speaker, on the DNA of human behavior. An Emmy winning television producer and author, Jon has been described as a "public intellectual", the rare individual in touch with business, political, and scientific trends and adept at translating the ideas of the future into the transformative practices of today. Jon is the author of four books, including the best-sellers *Abraham's Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People* and *Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We're Afraid to Talk About It*. Jon has been profiled around the world, including on 20/20 (John Stossel profile), HBO, BBC, ABC Nightly News, CNN, MSNBC, FOX TV, CBC, and Dubai TV, and his work has been featured in hundreds of the top newspapers and magazines in 19 countries.

Taylor Branch is best known for his prizewinning trilogy chronicling the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The first volume, *Parting the Waters: America in the King Years*, 1954-63, won the Pulitzer Prize for History and the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Non-Fiction in 1988. The subesquent two volumes, and *Pillar of Fire and At Canaan's Edge* also went on to win numerous awards. The author of two other nonfiction books and a novel, Branch is a former staff member of *The Washington Monthly*, *Harper's*, and *Esquire*. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

John Lawrence Seigenthaler is an American journalist, writer, and political figure. He founded the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. Seigenthaler joined *The Tennessean* in 1949, resigning in 1960 to act as Robert F. Kennedy's administrative assistant. He rejoined *The Tennessean* as editor in 1962, publisher in 1973, and chairman in 1982 before retiring as chairman emeritus in 1991. Seigenthaler was also founding editorial director of *USA Today* from 1982 to 1991. During this period, he served on the board of directors for the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and from 1988 to 1989 was its president.

Larry Hugick is Chairman of Princeton Survey Research Associates International and is a nationally recognized expert in public opinion, pre election polling, and policy research. Hugick conducts the regular Newsweek poll and advises the magazine on social trends and politics. Since 2000, he has served as a regular exit poll analyst for NBC News. For the past decade at PSRA International, Hugick has conducted surveys on a wide range of health and health care topics for the Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard School of Public Health, Prevention magazine and other clients. Before joining PSRA International in 1993, Hugick spent 15 years at The Gallup Organization, where he was Managing Editor of The Gallup Poll and led polling efforts for major newspapers, including Newsday and The Chicago Sun Times. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and NPR as a commentator about polling and public opinion.

Since she was first elected to the State Legislature in 1992, Debra Bowen has been a pioneer in government reform, consumer protection and privacy rights, environmental conservation, and open government. She also is a leading women's advocate, fighting for equality in the workplace and in government, child care, health care and civil rights.

Author, magazine journalist, and historian Garrett Graff is the director of the Aspen Institute’s cybersecurity and technology program. He has written multiple books on politics, technology, and national security and contributed to Esquire and the New York Times. Graff has served as editor for Washingtonian and POLITICO Magazine. His most recent book was published in May 2017 and presents the story of the government's Cold War Doomsday plans.

president, MFS Institutional Advisors

Natalie Jacobson was an anchor and reporter for WCVB-TV's award-winning *NewsCenter 5* from 1972 until July 18, 2007. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire. Jacobson joined WCVB in 1972 as a reporter and became the anchor for its Midday newscast that same year. She became the first woman to anchor an evening newscast in Boston. Jacobson has been honored over the years by dozens of Boston-area charitable institutions for her untiring efforts on behalf of those less fortunate. In addition, she is involved in numerous community organizations. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Genesis Fund and on the Board of the Scleroderma Research Fund. She is actively involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Salvation Army. In 1992, she was honored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews as the recipient of the Institute of Human Relations Community Service Award. In 2007, Jacobson was honored with the Centennial Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in journalism by Suffolk University. She is only the second journalist to receive the honor. The New England Regional Chapter of the Radio and Television News Directors Association recognized Jacobson with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

Kenji Yoshino is the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at the NYU School of Law. Prior to moving to NYU, he was the inaugural Guido Calabresi Professor of Law and Deputy Dean of Intellectual Life at Yale Law School, where he taught from 1998 to 2008. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College, took a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, and earned his law degree at Yale Law School. A specialist in constitutional law, anti-discrimination law, and law and literature, Yoshino has published in major academic journals, such as *the Columbia Law Review*, *the Stanford Law Review*, and *the Yale Law Journal*. He has also written extensively in other popular venues, such as *The Boston Globe*, *The Los Angeles Times*, *The New York Times*, and *The Washington Post*. He has appeared on *The Charlie Rose Show*, *The O'Reilly Factor*," *Washington Journal*, and *The Tavis Smiley Show.* He is currently working on a book on Shakespeare and the Law.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee was first elected to represent California's 9th Congressional District in 1998 in a special election to fill the seat of retiring Congressman Ron Dellums. A member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lee serves on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, the State and Foreign Operations and the Financial Services Subcommittees. Additionally, she serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee on the subcommittees on Western Hemisphere and Africa and Global Health. Congresswoman Lee was sworn in as the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on January 6, 2009. The 42-member CBC is one of the longest standing caucuses in Congress and is often referred to as the conscience of the Congress for their willingness to tackle the most serious social and economic issues facing minorities in the United States. Born in El Paso Texas, Congresswoman Lee graduated from Mills College in Oakland and received her MSW from the University of California in Berkeley. She began her political career as an intern in the office of her predecessor, then Congressman Ron Dellums, current Mayor of Oakland, where she eventually became his chief of staff. Before being elected to Congress, she served in the California State Assembly from 1990-1996 and in the California State Senate from 1996-1998.

U.S. politician, former governor of Texas, Ann Richards was born Dorothy Ann Willis on September 1, 1933, in Lakeview, Texas. Known for her sharp wit, strong personality, and liberal political views, Richards fought for womens and minority rights and worked to bring more women and minorities into power. She showed political promise in high school, excelling in debates. Her strong debating skills earned her a college scholarship, graduating from Baylor University in 1950. She went on to get a teaching certificate at the University of Texas in Austin in 1955.