Forum Network

Vincent Stanley is Patagonia’s Director of Philosophy and has been with the company on and off since its beginning in 1973, for many of those years in key roles as head of sales or marketing. More informally, he is Patagonia’s long-time chief storyteller.

ROYA HAKAKIAN is a writer whose work often deals with the topics of exile, displacement, political and religious persecution, and the struggle of people, especially women, against authoritarianism. Her memoir, Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran (Crown, 2005) details the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in her birth country in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. The book quickly captured the attention of readers and reviewers alike and was Barnes & Noble’s Pick of the Week, Ms. Magazine Must Read of the Summer, Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of the Year, Elle Magazine’s Best Nonfiction of the year, and the Best Memoir by the Connecticut Center for the Book and has been translated into several languages including German, Dutch, and Spanish. In 2008, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction.

David Brooks is one of the nation's leading writers and commentators. He is an op-ed columnist, for the New York Times, a writer for The Atlantic and appears regularly on the PBS Newshour. He is the bestselling author of 'The Second Mountain', 'The Road to Character', 'The Social Animal', 'Bobos in Paradise', and 'On Paradise Drive'.

Rachel Jamison Webster is a Professor of Creative Writing in the English Department at Northwestern University and the author of four books of poetry in addition to “Benjamin Banneker and Us.”

A global leader driving public health research, policy, and practice, Dr. Ashish Jha joined the Brown School of Public Health as dean in September 2020. An accomplished and practicing physician, Dr. Jha is recognized globally as a trusted expert on major issues impacting public health, and a catalyst for new thinking and approaches. A long-time leader on pandemic preparedness and response, from directing groundbreaking research on Ebola to serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, he has led national and international analysis of key issues and advised local and federal policy makers around the world.

Ray Anthony Shepard’s book provides young readers with an engaging and corrective understanding of the role of race in contemporary America. He is a retired history teacher, textbook editor and author.

Professor of English at Salem State University, where his areas of interest are Victorian literature & culture, and Caribbean literature. He has written/edited five books on Victorian science, culture, religion, and the diaspora.

Dr. Susana Hancock is someone who goes to the ends of the Earth to save the climate. Literally. Every year, the Maine-native clicks into her skis and conducts research on some of the world's most vulnerable ecosystems: the polar ice caps. The poles currently harbor nine of the top 16 climate tipping points, and Susana is particularly interested in understanding and communicating the cascading planet-wide impacts of some of the most pressing ones.

John Leary is the Founder of Mother Trees, He has dedicated his life helping communities around the world to design and implement landscape restoration programs that rehabilitate farms and restore forest ecosystems.

Pam Agullo @PamGoneGreenOfficial is a passionate advocate for habitat preservation and animal conservation, serving as President of the El Paso Zoological Society and leading initiatives to raise awareness about climate change, deforestation, and sustainable living though education, youth programs, social media and community engagement. Pam serves as the Lead Ambassador for Mother Trees and is developing treecover restoration initiatives across Africa.

PENNIE OPAL PLANT (Yaqui, undocumented Cherokee and Choctaw) is a lifelong activist whose focus is on ensuring that the sacred system of life continues in a manner that is safe, sustainable and healthy.

KATHLEEN SULLIVAN says she really "woke up" to climate activism two years ago when she joined Bill McKibben’s organization, Third Act and helped found the Maine chapter.