Here are some of the hottest, most original, most in demand speakers in this rapidly changing industry.  All are exceptional.
Click on a name below to read more about them.


Earvin "Magic" Johnson - NBA Legend, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, Best Selling Author of 32 Ways to be a Champion in Business
Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman - Hosts of the hit show "Mythbusters"
Suze Orman - Personal Finance Expert, Host of "The Suze Orman Show"
Dr. Michio Kaku - The Star of "Sci-Fi Science", #1 show on The Science Channel, Best Selling Author of Physics of the Impossible, Theoretical Physicist
Naomi Judd - American Icon, Mother of Ashley and Wynonna Judd

Dr. Kevin Elko - Performance Consultant, Amazing Psychological Motivator, Author
Steve Lavin - Former UCLA Basketball Head Coach, Current ESPN Analyst
Dave Logan - Bestselling Author of Tribal Leadership, Expert on Cultural Transformation in Workplace
Juliet Funt - Humorist, Life Balance Expert, Daughter of Allen Funt, Author
Kevin Clash - Creator, Voice, Actor of "Elmo" the Sesame Street Mega-Character
Andrew Savitz - Bestselling Author of The Triple Bottom Line, Corporate Sustainability Expert
Chad Hymas - "One of the 10 Best Inspirational Speakers in the World" - Wall Street Journal
Cookie Johnson - Magic Johnson's wife, Philanthropist, Woman's Advocate             
Jeff Thredgold - The only Economist with the Certified Speaking Professional title
Tim Sanders - Yahoo's Chief Solutions Officer, Multiple Bestselling Author of: The Likeability Factor, How to Save the World at Work and Love is the Killer App
Diana Nyad - World Record Swimming Champion, Radio/TV Personality                
Bruce Vincent - Famous Logger, Favorite Ag Speaker, appeared on 60 Minutes

Earvin "Magic" Johnson
NBA Legend
Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
After NBA Legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s professional basketball career came to an end, Johnson transformed the skills he learned on the court into a successful career as a businessman. He is committed to bringing local growth and financial empowerment to urban and suburban neighborhoods in need through the development of entertainment complexes, restaurants and retail centers.

Through strategic investments, partnerships and endorsements, Johnson has provided products and services that particularly focus on ethnically diverse urban communities. His partnerships with Starbucks, Burger King, 24 Hour Fitness, Best Buy, T.G.I.Fridays, and AMC Magic Johnson Theaters has helped to make his brand is #1 in Urban America. He is also currently Vice President and part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers.

In addition to his varied business accomplishments, Mr. Johnson is now internationally recognized as the number one rated athlete for corporate keynote speaking, corporate endorsements, and appearances (TSE Sports & Entertainment Survey, April 2007) and one of the most highly rated celebrities able to influence consumer purchasing power (rated 6 out of 350 according to the 2006 Davie Brown Index). He currently has endorsement partnerships with Abbot Laboratories and TNT.

As Chairman and Founder of his own Foundation, Mr. Johnson continues to focus on improving the quality of life for people residing in urban communities. The Foundation has distributed over 800 college scholarships to deserving minority students, many of which have been recipients of the Foundation’s Taylor Michaels Scholarship Program. To help bridge the digital divide in minority communities, Mr. Johnson currently has 20 Magic Johnson Empowerment Centers. The Foundation also has established four HIV/AIDS clinics and continues to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS through programs like the “I Stand With Magic” campaign to end the disease in the black community in particular.

Mr. Johnson is universally known for his 13 year career in the NBA. His honors include: five national championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, 3 MVP awards, 12 NBA All-Star games, a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mr. Johnson talks about his own life experiences and how hard work and a positive attitude have contributed to his success. Johnson will discuss what works and what doesn't work when confronted with new situations and challenges in life and business.

Suze Orman
Host of The Hit CNBC Series, The Suze Orman Show
Internationally Acclaimed Personal Finance Expert 
Suze Orman has been called "a force in the world of personal finance" and a "one-woman financial advice powerhouse" by USA Today. A two-time Emmy award-winning television show host, New York Times bestselling author, magazine and online columnist, writer/producer, and motivational speaker, Suze, is undeniably America's most recognized personal finance expert.

Suze has written five consecutive New York Times bestsellers, The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke; The Laws of Money, The Lessons of Life; The Road to Wealth; The Courage to Be Rich; and The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, as well as the national bestsellers, Suze Orman's Financial Guidebook and You've Earned It, Don't Lose It. Her next book, Women & Money, will be published by Spiegel & Grau, a division of Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, in March 2007. Additionally, she has created Suze Orman's FICO Kit, Suze Orman's Will & Trust Kit, Suze Orman's Insurance Kit, The Ask Suze Library System and Suze Orman's Ultimate Protection Portfolio.  Suze is a a Certified Professional Planner®.

Suze has written, co-produced, and hosted five PBS specials based on her New York Times bestselling books. She is the single most successful fundraiser in the history of Public Television, and recently won her second Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Service Show Host. Suze won her first Emmy in 2004, in the same category.

Suze is a contributing editor for O, The Oprah Magazine and O at Home and has a bi-weekly column, "Money Matters," on Yahoo! Finance. Suze hosts her own award-winning national CNBC-TV show, The Suze Orman Show, that airs every Saturday night. She also hosts Financial Freedom Hour on QVC television.

Suze Orman has been honored with three American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) Gracie Allen Awards. This award recognizes the nation's best radio, television, and cable programming for, by, and about women. In 2003, Suze garnered her first Gracie for "The Suze Orman Show" in the National/Network/Syndication Talk Show category. Suze won her second and third Gracies in the Individual Achievement: Program Host category in 2005 and 2006. Profiled in Worth magazine's 100th issue as among those "who have revolutionized the way America thinks about money," Suze was named one of Smart Money magazine's top 30 "Power Brokers," defined as those who have most influenced the mutual fund industry and affected our money, in 1999.

After receiving the 1999 Books for a Better Life Motivational Book Award for The Courage to Be Rich, in 2002, the organization established The Suze Orman First Book Award to honor a first-time author of a self-improvement book in any category. Then, in 2003, she was inducted into the BBL Award Hall of Fame in recognition of her ongoing contributions to self-improvement.

She received a 2003 Crossing Borders Award from the Feminist Press. The award recognizes a distinguished group of women who not only have excelled in remarkable careers, but have also shown great courage, vision, and conviction by forging new places for women in their respective fields. In 2002, Suze was selected as one of five distinguished recipients of the prestigious TJFR Group News Luminaries Award, which honors lifetime achievement in business journalism.

A sought-after motivational speaker, Suze Orman has lectured widely throughout the United States, South Africa and Asia, to audiences of up to 50,000 people, often appearing alongside individuals such as Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani, Jerry Lewis, Steve Forbes and Donald Trump. She has also appeared numerous times on The View, Larry King Live, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

 

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman
Hosts of Discovery Channel's hit show "Mythbusters"
It's a tough job separating truth from urban legend, but the MythBusters are here to serve. Each week on the Discovery Channel, special-effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman take on three myths and use modern-day science to show you what's real and what's fiction.

Savage and Hyneman do more than explain how something may or may not be scientifically possible. Through trial and error, they actually demonstrate it.

Adam Savage's fascination with creating things started when he began building his own toys at age 5, and he hasn't stopped since. He's served as an animator, graphic designer, stage and interior designer, carpenter, welder and scenic painter, and he's worked in everything from metal to glass, plastics to injection molding, and pneumatics to animatronics. For the past eight years, Adam has concentrated on the special-effects industry, honing his skills through more than 100 television commercials and 12 feature films, including Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Galaxy Quest, Terminator 3, A.I. and the Matrix sequels. He's also designed props and sets for Coca-Cola, Hershey's, Lexus and a host of New York and San Francisco theater companies.

And now, in addition to co-hosting Discovery Channel's MythBusters, Adam Savage also teaches advanced model making, most recently in the industrial design department at the San Francisco Academy of Art. And somehow, he also finds time to devote to his own art - his sculptures have been showcased in over 40 shows in San Francisco, New York and Charleston, W.V.

Hailing from Indiana farm country, Jamie Hyneman, like his co-host, is also a multifaceted man: he's a wilderness survival expert, a boat captain, a diver, a linguist, an animal wrangler, a machinist and a chef, to name a few. Hyneman's career has been equally diverse: he earned a degree in Russian languages and literature and ran a sailing/diving charter business in the Caribbean for several years before he moved over to the visual-effects industry.

                               


                                                                     Click here to review and purchase this book

Dr. Kevin Elko 
Performance Consultant, Renowned Motivational Speaker,
Author of True Greatness, The Pep Talk, and Nerves of Steel

Dr. Kevin Elko is a nationally renowned Performance Consultant, Professional Motivational Speaker and Author.  With hundreds of standing ovations, Dr. Elko is one of the hottest inspirational presenters in the country today.  He is in huge demand with the entire financial sector, corporate world, and the NFL and NCAA.

Kevin's appeal in the sports world translates directly to the corporate arena.   His presentation is a guide on how to be mentally tough when times call for it and how to stay focused on the things that are truly important. It features life-improving strategies, motivation enhancements, and forgiveness strategies. Kevin addresses these and other life-changing concepts by explaining the step-by-step processes necessary to guide you through the journey we refer to as life. 

Dr. Elko has consulted with and presented to a number of companies including: Travelers Insurance Company, The Young Presidents Organization, Smith Kline Beecham Consumer Brands, Abbot Diagnostics, Prudential Securities, Smith Barney, Merrill Lynch, Pioneer Investments and Tyson Foods.  In 2005, Kevin was the highest rated speaker at the Million Dollar Roundtable, the conference for the Insurance Industry's highest achievers, with an audience of 6,000 attendees representing multiple Insurance and Financial Services Companies.

In the sports world, Dr. Elko has consulted with the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department, University of Miami Football, Rutgers University Football, University of Nebraska Football, Louisiana State University Football and Women's Basketball, University of Alabama Football, The Pittsburgh Steelers, The Pittsburgh Penguins, The Dallas Cowboys, The New Orleans Saints, The Cleveland Browns, The Miami Dolphins, The Buffalo Bills and The Philadelphia Eagles.  His presentations and personal consultations have had a major impact on the performance objectives of these teams and individual players.  He also developed a highly successful personality test that helped various professional football teams evaluate potential draft choices.  

Dr. Elko is the author of three books, Nerves of Steel, The Pep Talk, and True Greatness: Mastering the Inner Game of Business Success (AMACOM, June 2009) along with several audio CD programs. 

Born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, Dr. Elko completed his Bachelors in Biology and Coaching Education at California University of Pennsylvania. He went on to West Virginia University where he completed a Masters in Counseling, a Masters in Sports Psychology, a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology, and a Doctorate in Education with a major emphasis in Sport and Counseling. Also, he is a Certified Addictions Counselor.  

"Life changing and powerful...The definitive recipe for ongoing success.  The lessons and life strategies contained within "Nerves of Steel" go far beyond making you more successful in the workplace and on the field, they provide a recipe for greater peace, success and happiness in life."     
Barry Knight
Vice President
Pioneer Mutual Funds

"Dr. Elko taught both me and my team how to motivate ourselves for emotional balance so we didn't become too high or too low, but remained focused on the game situation."
Emmitt Smith
NFL All-time Leader Rusher

For more on Dr. Elko including demo video and testimonials click here

Dr. Michio Kaku
Popularizer of Science, Star of The Science Channel,
Best Selling Author, Theoretical Physicist, Professor
Dr. Michio Kaku is an internationally recognized authority in two areas. The first is Einstein’s unified field theory, which Dr. Kaku is attempting to complete. The other is to predict trends affecting business, commerce, and finance based on the latest research in science. He is one of the most widely recognized figures in science in the world.

Dr. Kaku is the author of several international best-sellers, Hyperspace and Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century. For Visions, he interviewed 150 of the world’s top scientists, many of them Nobel Laureates and directors of the largest scientific laboratories, about their vision for the next 20 years in computers, robotics, biotechnology, space travel, etc. These are the scientists who are inventing the future in their laboratories. Visions is the most authoritative and most authentic understanding of the world of the future.

His latest book is Physics of the Impossible, which was on the New York Times best-seller list for 5 weeks in April 2008, and earned glowing reviews from the LA Times, New Scientist Magazine, Guardian Newspaper (UK) and many, many more. It was also the number 1 science book in the United States.

He is a regular host on the Science Channel/Discovery Channel. In Jan. 2009, he signed a contract with the Science Channel to host a 12 part science series based on his best-seller, Physics of the Impossible. The series will start to air in the Fall of 2009. In the agreement, the Science Channel also asked Dr. Kaku to be the public face of the Science Channel.

Dr. Kaku also does considerable public speaking on international radio and TV. He has appeared on the Larry King Show, Nightline, 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, CNN, CNN-Financial, ABC-TV News, Fox News, BBC-TV, BBC-Radio, PBS’s Nova and Innovation, Tech-TV, and has appeared on numerous science specials, including PBS’s Steven Hawking’s Universe, Science Odyssey, and Einstein Revealed,  the BBC’s Future Fantastic, Parallel Universes, Copenhagen, Channel 4’s The Big G: the story of gravity, the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel’s Exodus Earth, A & E, the History Channel’s Universe series and biography of Einstein, and many science documentaries.

He also hosts his own national weekly radio program which airs in 130 cities in the US and also the KU national satellite band and internet, called Science Fantastic. It is the largest nationally syndicated science radio show on commercial radio in the United States, and perhaps the world.

He has also written for Time Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Discover Magazine, New Scientist Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, Wired Magazine, and been quoted in Scientific American, the N.Y. Times, the Washington Post, the London Daily Telegraph, the London Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Wired Magazine, and Fast Magazine. He has written cover articles for New Scientist magazine, Astronomy magazine, and the Sunday London Times.  He has written several op-ed pieces for the Wall Street Journal, as well as the Boston Globe.

Dr. Kaku holds the Henry Semat Chair in Theoretical Physics at the City Univ. of New York. He graduated from Harvard University in 1968 (summa cum laude and 1st in his physics class). He received his Ph.D. in physics from the Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley in 1972, and been a professor at CUNY for almost 30 years. He has taught at Harvard and Princeton as well. His goal is the complete Einstein’s dream of a “theory of everything,” to derive an equation, perhaps no more than one inch long, which will summarize all the physical laws of the universe. He is the co-founder of string theory, a major branch of string theory, which is the leading candidate today for the theory of everything.

He frequently keynotes major business conferences about the next 20 years in computers, finance, banking, medicine, engineering and commerce. In particular, he has keynoted major conferences for major corporations, many of them controlling hundreds of billions of dollars in investments.

Kevin Clash
Motivational, Celebrity Speaker
Voice, Actor of "Elmo", Sesame Street Character
Let the master puppeteer help you find your inner Elmo.

His speech is based on his new book, “My Life as a Furry Red Monster” 
Actress Julianne Moore had to say about this book, “This delightful book illuminates a man’s journey from child to parent, student to teacher, puppeteer to Muppeteer, and reveals to us who our favorite red furry monster really is – a gifted, humane, empathetic entertainer named Kevin Clash. His book is a meditation on the things that really matter – to Elmo and to all of us.”

Kevin Clash, whose characters include Elmo, Hoots the Owl and Baby Natasha, is Sesame Street’s Senior Puppet Coordinator and Muppet Captain. He began building puppets at the age of ten and performed on Baltimore's Harbor Front and local television as a teenager.

Clash's first television work was for the CBS affiliate in Baltimore. He came to Sesame Street after attracting the attention of Muppet designer Kermit Love. Clash's film credits include Jim Henson's 1986 fantasy film, Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I and II, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets from Space, and Elmo in Grouchland. His television work includes The Great Space Coaster, Captain Kangaroo, Dinosaurs and Muppets Tonight. He also was Co-Executive Producer for Elmopalooza, CinderElmo, and Elmo's World; Co-¬Producer for The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland; and also directs Sesame Street episodes and other projects.

Most recently Clash directed and co-produced the home video series Sesame Beginnings for Sesame Workshop. Clash won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for his work as Elmo and Hoots the Owl in Season 21 and Season 35, 37, 38 and in 2001-2006 for his work as Co-Executive Producer for Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series.

Dave Logan
Best Selling Author of "Tribal Leadership", Expert in cultural transformation in the workplace

Dave Logan is a best selling author, faculty member at the University of Southern California (USC), and management consultant.  He teaches management and leadership in the USC Executive MBA.  He is also on the faculty at the International Centre for Leadership in Finance (ICLIF), endowed by the former prime minister of Malaysia.

Dave works with Fortune 500 companies, including Qualcomm, Intel, Charles Schwab American Express, and Prudential.  From 2001-2004, he served as Associate Dean of Executive Education at USC. During that time, he started new programs for major defense contractors and governments around the world.

Dave is co-author of four books including Tribal Leadership and The Three Laws of Performance.  He has a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the Annenberg School at USC.

Endorsements of Dave Logan's books:

“Tribal Leadership is the best book on cultural transformation I’ve read in many years, maybe ever.”
— Mark Goulston, “Leading Edge” columnist at Fast Company magazine and bestselling author of Get Out of Your Own Way at Work

“This book filled with insights, real-life encounters and experiences shows us how we may do the work of transformation. Steve and David have written an inspiring, practical book, applicable in the corporate, labour, political, and civil society sectors, that will assist all who seek to rewrite the future of our world.”
– Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Laureate, Former General Secretary, South African Council of Churches

“Tribal Leadership presents a clear road map for the new reality of managing organizations, careers, and life. This book points to a new paradigm in not just information technology, but also business. It explains what to do in a world where every professional will have an electronic shingle on the Internet to create a vibrant, active, network.”
— Reid Hoffman, Cofounder, LinkedIn

“Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it happens when people see and hear a future they can get excited about. Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan show how true leaders sidestep stumbling blocks to articulate visions that inspire.”
— Ken Blanchard, Co-author of The One Minute Manager© and Leading at a Higher Level

To see video of David Logan's speech click here

Andy Savitz
Business Speaker, Author of The Triple Bottom Line
Andrew Savitz is a creative business leader, advisor, author and speaker, with over 20 years of hands-on experience assisting corporations to become leaders in sustainability, environmental performance and reporting.

An internationally known expert on corporate social responsibility and sustainability, Mr. Savitz is the author of The Triple Bottom Line: How the Best Run Companies are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success - and How You Can Too (Jossey-Bass, September, 2006). He is a frequent keynote speaker on this subject.

As a lead partner in PricewaterhouseCooper’s global Sustainability Business Services practice, Savitz was PwC’s liaison delegate to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and represented the firm on environmental and sustainability related matters at the Conference Board. Andy authored PwC’s widely cited 2002 Sustainability Survey- the first of its kind in the United States.
For more on Andy including full bio and professional history, click here

Chad Hymas
Inspirational, Motivational, Overcome Adversity Speaker
World Record Holding Wheelchair Athlete
"One of the 10 most inspirational speakers in the world."
                                                                - The Wall Street Journal
On April 3, 2001 Chad Hymas’ life changed instantaneously when a falling one ton bale of hay broke his neck. He was pronounced a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down with limited function of his arms and hands. However, Chad’s dreams were not paralyzed that day. Chad Hymas is a World Record wheelchair athlete and set a new world record by wheeling his chair from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas (513 miles) in July 2003.

His message inspires, motivates, and moves people to action!  His take on change, vision, leadership, safety, and life are among the most moving and inspirational that any speaker has ever conveyed.  He is amazing at customizing his speech to fit your theme or topic.  Your audience will feel a personal connection to him almost immediately.
For more on Chad, including complete bio, demo video, and testimonials, click here.

Diana Nyad
Inspirational, Motivational, Adversity, Radio, Television Personality, Celebrity Speaker
World Champion, World Record Holding Athlete
Over the past twenty years, Diana has earned a reputation as a riveting speaker. She combines her talent for dramatic storytelling with a natural sense of humor and a charismatic stage presence. She never uses notes. She speaks from her heart and her audiences are left both entertained and inspired.

In 1979, Diana Nyad plunged into the history books by completing the longest swim in history. The distance was 102.5 miles from the coast of Bimini to the Florida shore. This incredible world record, the longest swim by a man or a woman without the aid of a cage, still stands today. Diana was front page news throughout the Western world, the lead story for Walter Cronkite on the CBS Evening News, and many times guest of the Tonight Show.
For more on Diana, including complete bio and demo video, click here.

Juliet Funt
Humorist, Life Balance Expert, Daughter of The Gong Show's Allen Funt, Author of Wellness Path and Communication Path

The Problem: Your conference attendees are BUSY BUSY BUSY! They are stressed out and can barely clear enough mental space to look through their conference binders.

The Solution: Juliet Funt, a high-energy and hilarious motivational keynote speaker who will help them smile, relax, and crack the code of productive and peaceful balance.

Most of your conference attendees have the same complaint; “Too Much to do and Too Little Time.” The demands placed on them are more weighty than ever. They attend your conferences hoping to learn skills to help them regain control, but they are so overwhelmed with information, they sometimes leave more stressed than when they arrived.

But now YOU can be the hero for your conference attendees. You can bring them the antidote to this Culture of Insatiability. Juliet Funt specializes in helping people deal with the pressures of everyday life. She makes them laugh. She helps them find a sense of accomplishment. She'll send them home with a powerful kit-bag of useful tools and a warm, positive feeling about their work, their life, and your conference. Based in Los Angeles, California, Juliet is one of America's most sought after professional motivational speakers, inspiring and entertaining business people with topical observations, funny stories, and thought-provoking tips. She is a leading expert on how to find joy, productivity, and peace in a world that gets faster and more demanding every day.

But don't confuse Juliet with an ordinary motivational speaker. She's a unique professional, blending 25 years of performing experience with over a decade of personal development expertise. She knows what makes people tick, what blocks their potential, and how to deliver practical takeaway information that your attendees can put to work the very next day. As the daughter of Allen Funt, creator of the Candid Camera television show, Juliet has spent her life observing the hidden truths beneath our social selves. She won't hide a camera in your office but will bring her family tradition of hilarity and warmth to each and every one of your attendees.

Juliet lights up the platform with a true wordsmith’s love for the poetry of a well-turned phrase. She then backs up her engaging words and rich stories with thought-provoking content that has made her a nationally recognized expert in coping with the pace and pressure of our busy lives. Her uproarious stories and easily applicable points will energize and enlighten you and your audience. Her show biz genes are amplified by years performing improvisational comedy on the professional stage and many, many hours on the platform challenging her audiences to think deeper, laugh harder, and change their lives more profoundly. She helps businesses, groups and associations from top management to front line employees, find and nurture the human capital that is the fuel behind every organizational success. Her diverse work history has taken her through a myriad of roles: from Project Manger for a live events company to Human Relations trainer for the Los Angeles Police Department through the Museum of Tolerance, and even to Israel as a liaison in a Palestinian/Israeli peace project.

Juliet began her television career at two years old at the hands of her proud poppa, and since has appeared on national news, television, and radio. She has been featured in the L.A. Times, The Chicago Tribune, Shape, L.A. Parent and Professional Speaker magazine. She has been a weekly columnist for the Womenof.com Internet community, and a co-author of The Communication Path and The Wellness Path, in the Path Training Series. Her programs are great for Associations, Women’s Groups, Educators, Financial Professionals, Healthcare, Real Estate, and many other audiences.

She is a member of the National Speakers Association and fills her spare time running a fine art photography business with her fabulous and talented husband Lorne, winner of the 2005 Travel Photographer of the Year.

For more on Juliet, including her full bio and demo video click here

Cookie Johnson
Wife of Earvin "Magic" Johnson
Philanthropist, Life Balance, Women's Issues, Motivational.

Cookie Johnson is a devoted philanthropist, child advocate and spokesperson for women’s health. She serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Magic Johnson Foundation.  She addresses the health, social and educational needs of those residing in underserved communities and is involved in the development of the Foundation’s overall goals, objectives and programs. 

Cookie has recently become the first spokeswoman for the I Stand with Magic campaign, joining her husband Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the Magic Johnson Foundation and Abbott in their continued fight to end Black HIV/AIDS. She will be instrumental in the five-year effort to help reduce new HIV infections in the African-American community by educating minority women about the disease and providing helpful tools for prevention and testing. Cookie previously served as the spokesperson for the National Medical Association Immunization Public Service Announcement. She educated parents and caregivers from all communities on the importance of immunizing children in urban areas against the ten vaccine preventable diseases. Cookie was also instrumental in establishing the BREATHE Program, a national asthma awareness initiative that works to educate children and parents about the impact of asthma in urban environments. 

As an honorary chairperson for the Children’s Defense Fund, Cookie helped raise awareness of children who struggle to overcome tremendous obstacles in life.  She is also chairman of Prototypes, a program that provides education and care for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. 

Cookie is involved in the Successful Youth Women’s Program at her church, the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, where she teaches a class directed to bettering the lives of young teenage women.  She is also involved with “Have I Got a Story to Tell” as a member of All Trees Productions that includes entertainers who donate their time to tell inspirational stories through word or song. 

Cookie was honored by the Mother Hale Foundation in 2005 and was the recipient of the 36th Mother Hale Award. In 2006, she received the Community Service Award from the Hollywood NAACP. In 2007, Cookie was awarded the Lullaby Ball Award from the Maternal Fetal Care International for her goodwill and was also honored with a Humanitarian Award from the Behind the Bench Association.

Cookie graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in retailing of clothing and textiles, working in the industry for seven years. Cookie is married to Earvin Johnson Jr. and is a full-time mother to their children Andre, Earvin Johnson III (EJ) and Elisa. She is extremely active in her children’s school programs and fundraising events.

 

Jeff Thredgold, CSP
Economist, Business Speaker
Jeff Thredgold is an expert on the future course of the U.S. economy, the value of education, the direction of interest rates, and the competitive position of U.S. companies.

Jeff is the only economist in the world to have ever received the designation of CSP, or Certified Speaking Professional, the highest earned designation in professional speaking.

His career includes 23 years with $97 billion banking giant KeyCorp, where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. He now serves as economic consultant to $50 billion Zions Bancorporation, which has banks in ten states, as well as other clients.

Jeff has appeared dozens of times on CNBC-TV…the nation's business network, as well as numerous appearances on CNN, and is quoted regularly in the nation’s financial press. He is a monthly contributor for the national publication Blue Chip Financial Forecasts and quarterly USA TODAY economic forecast surveys.
Click here for more on Jeff, including his full bio, demo videos, testimonials, and more

Bruce Vincent
Famous Logger, Agricultural, Motivational Speaker
In 1984, after completing college, Bruce moved his family back to Libby, Montana and joined Vincent Logging as business manager. Vincent Logging, a small family owned business, was started by Bruce’s father in 1968. Bruce is a third generation logger.
In 1988, Bruce helped form Communities For A Great Northwest, a non-profit education and information group dedicated to the intelligent use of our natural resources. The group has members throughout the Northwest. The Great Northwest Log Haul, which helped focus national attention on resource supply problems in the Northwest, was the first of many of the group’s activities.

Bruce is currently serving as President of Communities For A Great Northwest; is a partner in the public relations firm ENVIRONOMICS, serves as Executive Director of the Preserve America Presidential Award winning Provider Pals™ cultural exchange program, serves on the board of the Evergreen Foundation, the board of the Pacific Logging Congress, and serves on the Kootenai Forest Resource Advisory Committee, the Cabinet/Yaak Grizzly Bear Community Involvement Team, and the State of Montana’s Thompson Chain of Lakes Citizen Management Council.

He speaks throughout the United States and the world to groups including resource, recreation, banking and business associations, legislative bodies and anyone else who would like to hear about our rural cultures. Bruce is a highlighted national university campus speaker for the Young America Foundation.

Bruce often provides testimony on resource issues before Congress. He has been reported on by Outside, Wheat Life, Range, Tree Farmer, Time and Audubon magazines, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and other periodicals. Bruce has appeared on “60 Minutes” and participated in radio shows, documentary videos and news broadcasts throughout the nation and in several countries including Canada, Iceland, Scotland, Australia. Bruce has appeared on the cover of Evergreen Magazine and was a highlighted “hero” in William Perry Pendley’s book It Takes A Hero.

During Bruce’s career he has been awarded the national Timber Industry Activist of the year, the Montana Timberman of the Year, the Sylvan Award for service to the national timber industry, the Public Service Award from the Association of Consulting Foresters of America, is this years Women in Agricultures “Keeper of the Tenth” award winner, is the 2007 recipient of National Agri-Women’s Veritas Award, and has been inducted into the Libby High School Hall of Fame.

Bruce holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Bruce has been married to his wife Patti Jo for over 30 years and has six children: Chas, 30; Echo Jo, 27; Son In Law Justin , Lacie, 24; Son-In-Law Cory , and Vance, 21.
Bruce’s family settled in Montana in 1904. His current activities represent a family commitment to responsible environmentalism.

David Romanelli
Yahoo's Wellness Expert, Author of "Livin the Moment"
David Romanell is Yahoo’s Wellness Expert and author of the book "Livin the Moment" (Broadway Books/Random House). He is co-founder of At One Yoga which consists of multiple state-of-the art yoga studios in Arizona. A pioneering effort in the national yoga scene, At One Yoga fuses Western culture's fashion, music and technology with Eastern culture's sacred rituals and ancient tradition. David drew from this experience when creating a unique approach to yoga that would enhance accessibility to previously untapped markets.  Yeah Dave Yoga is David’s innovative combination of exercise, inspiring spirituality, and great music ranging from Frank Sinatra to Aretha Franklin to George Strait. 

Since 2003, David has been on a pop culture-fueled mission to explain that wellness doesn't have to mean a crazy diet and restrictive lifestyle.  David teaches that wellness can be about embracing your passions (exotic chocolate, Sicilian wine, country music) as gateways to the power of a deeply present moment. When one learns to be more in the moment, research shows that they become healthier, more inspired, more intelligent and more effective in the workplace. One who learns to "live in the moment" is a better employee, parent, spouse, partner...

Along with Katrina Markoff, founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolate and Entrepreneur Magazine's Woman of the Year in 2007, David created Yoga + Chocolate which demonstrates the enhanced power, beauty, and sensory awareness experienced in the present moment. Having been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, and Oprah Magazine, Yoga + Chocolate is now a nationwide tour with stops from LA to NY, Chicago to Dallas.  David also has teamed up with wine connoisseur Angela Gargano to create Yoga + Wine which teaches that a human being can model the aging process after one of the few things that ages well, a bottle of wine. Yoga + Wine was featured as a cover story in The New York Times Escapes Section.
David's experiences lend to his being a great speaker with a cutting edge and modern approach to wellness.

His 1 hour speech focuses on how people are losing touch with the present moment and thus losing touch with the beauty, meaning and quality of life. He speaks on 3 types of strength (mental, emotional, spiritual) that have been embraced for thousands of years in the Ancient Eastern cultures but different than the "strength" that we learn in physical education class or in any kind of modern Western culture. When one begins to cultivate these "strengths," they learn to hold the moment and stay present in stressful, distracting, difficult situations. The second half of the speech shares how when one is more present more often, they become better as a professional, spouse, partner, and parent. Included are 2 Vosges chocolate truffles experienced (eaten) during the speech to exhibit accessible means by which to free the mind and explore the depth and beauty of the present moment. The speech presents an entertaining, current, relevant, and delicious approach to Livin' the Moment!