Keynote Speakers

Opening General Session with Sidney Poitier

Sunday, June 22, 2:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

An Academy Award-winning actor, writer, director and diplomat (he serves as the Bahamas’ ambassador to Japan and UNESCO), Sidney Poitier has been a political and artistic trailblazer for more than half a century. On the lecture stage he recounts the uplifting story of his life—from his childhood as the son of poor tomato farmers to his pioneering cinematic career—in inspiring audiences to pursue their dreams no matter what the odds. He also speaks with passion about the importance of diversity and about the humanitarian causes that most deeply concern him, in motivating others to make a difference in the world around them.

Monday’s Keynote Speaker Patrick Lencioni

Monday, June 23, 8:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m.

Patrick Lencioni is the author of six nationally recognized books. In his sixth and most anticipated fable, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lencioni takes on his most universal and human topic to date: the misery of work. In doing so, he presents managers and employees alike with a revolutionary yet simple model for making any job more rewarding and fulfilling.

Many of his leadership theories have appeared in a variety of publications, most notably Harvard Business Review, which featured Pat’s original theory on corporate values (July 2002). Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, Inc., a specialized management consulting firm focused on executive team development and organizational health.

General Session with Doris Kearns Goodwin

Tuesday, June 24, 8:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, a world-renowned historian, has been reporting on politics and baseball for more than two decades. Mrs. Goodwin is the author of several books and has written for leading national publications. She is a commentator for NBC, and a consultant and on-air personality for PBS documentaries on Lyndon B. Johnson, the Kennedy Family, and Franklin Roosevelt.

Her most recent work, a monumental history of Abraham Lincoln titled, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, published in October 2005, joined the best-seller lists on its first week in publication, and soon reached #1 on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Team of Rivals won the 2006 Lincoln Prize for an outstanding work about the president and/or the Civil War, as well as the inaugural New York Historical Society Book Prize. Steven Spielberg is developing a feature film about the book, set to star Liam Neeson as Lincoln.

Closing General Session with Nancy Giles

Wednesday, June 25, 8:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m.

Whether she’s delighting TV audiences with her social commentaries on CBS Sunday Morning or entertaining theater fans with her solo pieces, Nancy Giles is a funny, perceptive and provocative observer of today’s world. Giles has made her mark dismantling misconceptions about race, feminism and sexism. She served as Jay Thomas’ sidekick on The Jay Thomas Morning Show on New York radio, co-hosted Giles & Moriarity on Philadelphia radio (winning two Gracie Awards for Best Talk Show/Radio from American Women in Radio and Television) and was announcer and co-host of the cult favorite Fox After Breakfast. She also can be heard on TV and radio, pitching, as she puts it, “everything from plus-size fashions to True Value Hardware.”