Ellen Goodman

Ellen Goodman has been one of the most influential journalists in the US. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning column, from which she recently retired, appeared in over 400 newspapers, making her the second most widely read columnist in the country. A gifted writer who senses emerging shifts in our public and private lives, Goodman specializes in illuminating the cultural debates that become national obsessions.

What do we make of a world in which some folks hide women under chadors while others post XXX nude photos of women on the Internet? Do we really want to be putting human eggs up for sale or holding DNA accountable for a person’s success or failure? What does it mean that our political discussions so often take the form of food fights and sound bites?

These and other questions are Ellen Goodman’s beat. A truly innovative force in American journalism, she is widely acclaimed as a voice of sanity, and readers depend on her to help them make sense of their changing lives and relationships.

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary, Goodman has won many other awards, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award, the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the President’s Award from the National Women’s Political Caucus.

She has authored seven books; her most recent is PAPER TRAIL: Common Sense in Uncommon Times. Some Speech topics:

• The XX Factor: Women as Leaders.
• The "F" Word: Whatever happened to Feminism: Where we went right, where we went wrong, and what do women do now?
• The Function of Media in a Free Society: Is The Personal (Too) Political?
• Women and Health

Jensine Larsen

Jensine (Yen-See Nah) Larsen was inspired to start a magazine covering world issues from a woman's angle at age 28 after many years working as a freelance journalist covering indigenous movements and ethnic cleansing in South America and South Asia. A woman who thrives on discussing local, national, and international politics, Larsen became acutely aware that women's vital perspectives and innovative ideas were too often missing in contemporary news sources. Since starting the publication nearly two years ago with just a vision and no prior publishing experience Larsen now boasts a dedicated staff, Board of Directors, dozens of pro bono professional advisors, a supporting network of international women's and youth organizations, women and youth writers from around the world, and endorsements from women luminaries and visionaries.

Topics Include:

• How Women Lead: Women Transforming Trade and Business
• Unleashing the Best: A Women’s Agenda for Transforming Our World
• Women and Global Media: Secrets to Starting An Independent Magazine in Today’s Media Climate.

Michelle Norris

Born September 7, 1961) she is an American radio journalist and current host of the National Public Radio evening news program All Things Considered, which she began hosting on December 9, 2002. Before coming to NPR, Norris was a correspondent for ABC News, a post she held from 1993–2002. She also wrote for The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times. A Minnesota native, Norris originally attended the University of Wisconsin, where she studied electrical engineering, and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in journalism.