Newt Gingrich is well-known as the architect of the "Contract with America" that led the Republican Party to victory in 1994 by capturing the majority in the U.S. House for the first time in forty years. After he was elected Speaker, he disrupted the status quo by moving power out of Washington and back to the American people. Under his leadership, Congress passed welfare reform, passed the first balanced budget in a generation, and passed the first tax cut in sixteen years. In addition, the Congress restored funding to strengthen our defense and intelligence capabilities, an action later lauded by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission.

But there is a lot more to Newt Gingrich than these remarkable achievements. As an author, Newt has published fifteen books including several fiction and non-fiction best-sellers. Non-fiction books include his latest, Real Change, in addition to others such as Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America, To Renew America, Lessons Learned the Hard Way, Saving Lives & Saving Money, Window of Opportunity, The Art of Transformation, and his latest, Rediscovering God in America. He is also the author of these fiction books: Gettysburg, Grant Comes East, Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant the Final Victory, 1945, and Pearl Harbor, A Novel of December the 8. All of these novels are active history studies in the lessons of warfare based on fictional accounts of historical wartime battles and their aftermaths.

In his post-Speaker role, Newt has become one of the most highly sought-after public speakers, accepting invitations to speak before some of the most prestigious organizations in the world. Because of his own unquenchable thirst for knowledge, Newt is able to share unique and unparalleled insights on a wide range of topics. His audiences find him to be not only an educational but also an inspirational speaker.

Widely recognized for his commitment to a better system of health for all Americans, his leadership helped save Medicare from bankruptcy, prompted FDA reform to help the seriously ill and initiated a new focus on research, prevention, and wellness. His contributions have been so great that the American Diabetes Association awarded him their highest non-medical award and the March of Dimes named him their 1995 Citizen of the Year. Today he serves as a Board Member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

In his book, Saving Lives and Saving Money, Newt describes his vision of a 21st Century System of Health and Healthcare that is centered on the individual, prevention focused, knowledge intense, and innovation rich. Moreover, he makes the case for a market-mediated system that will improve choice and quality while driving down costs. To foster such a modern health system that provides better outcomes at lower cost, Newt launched the Center for Health Transformation (www.healthtransformation.net).

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Thomas L. Friedman, a world-renowned author and journalist, joined The New York Times in 1981 as a financial reporter specializing in OPEC- and oil-related news and later served as the chief diplomatic, chief White House, and international economics correspondents. A three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles reporting the Middle East conflict, the end of the cold war, U.S. domestic politics and foreign policy, international economics, and the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat. His foreign affairs column, which appears twice a week in the Times, is syndicated to seven hundred other newspapers worldwide.

Friedman is the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem (FSG, 1989), which won both the National Book Award and the Overseas Press Club Award in 1989 and was on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly twelve months. From Beirut to Jerusalem has been published in more than twenty-seven languages, including Chinese and Japanese, and is now used as a basic textbook on the Middle East in many high schools and universities. Friedman also wrote The Lexus and the Olive Tree (FSG, 1999), one of the best selling business books in 1999, and the winner of the 2000 Overseas Press Club Award for best nonfiction book on foreign policy. It is now available in twenty languages. His last book, Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11, issued by FSG in 2002, consists of columns Friedman published about September 11 as well as a diary of his private experiences and reflections during his reporting on the post-September world as he traveled from Afghanistan to Israel to Europe to Indonesia to Saudi Arabia. In 2005, The World Is Flat was given the first Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, and Friedman was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report.

Friedman graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University with a degree in Mediterranean studies and received a master's degree in modern Middle East studies from Oxford. He has served as a visiting professor at Harvard University and has been awarded honorary degrees from several U.S. universities. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife, Ann, and their two daughters.

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Daniel Pink is a best-selling author and an expert on innovation, competition, and the changing world of work.

His latest book, A Whole New Mind, charts the rise of right-brain thinking in modern economies and explains the six abilities individuals and organizations must master in an outsourced and automated world. Reviewers have described the book as "an audacious and powerful work," "a profound read," "right on the money," and "a miracle." A Whole New Mind is a New York Times and BusinessWeek best seller - and has been translated into 16 languages.

Dan's first book, Free Agent Nation, about the rise of people working for themselves, was a Washington Post best seller and a business best seller in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. Publishers Weekly said that the book "has become a cornerstone of employee-management relations."

His articles on work, business, and technology appear in many newspapers and magazines-including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wired, where he is a Contributing Editor. Dan has provided analysis of business trends on CNN, CNBC, ABC, NPR, and other networks in the U.S. and abroad. And as an independent business consultant, he's advised start-up ventures and Fortune 100 companies on recruiting, innovation, and work practices.

A free agent himself, Dan held his last real job in the White House, where he served from 1995 to 1997 as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore. He's also worked as an aide to United States Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich, an economic policy staffer in the United States Senate, a legal researcher in India, and a latrine builder in Botswana.

He received a BA with honors in linguistics from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a JD from Yale Law School.

Dan lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and their three children. He is now at work on his next two books: The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need, which will be released in Spring 2008, and another that will be published in 2009.

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Lieutenant General Honoré is a native of Lakeland, Louisiana. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Agriculture upon graduation from Southern University and A&M College in 1971. He holds a Master of Arts in Human Resources from Troy State University as well as an Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration from Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, La., and a Doctor of Laws Honorary Degree from Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

During his career, General Honoré has served in a variety of command and staff positions. His overseas assignments include tours in Korea and Germany. General Honoré was the Commanding General, 2d Infantry Division, Korea; Vice Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.; Deputy Commanding General/Assistant Commandant, United States Army Infantry Center and School, Fort Benning, Georgia; and the Assistant Division Commander, Maneuver/Support, 1st Calvary Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He has also served as the Brigade Commander, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia; Senior Mechanized Observer/Controller, "Scorpion 07", National Training Center (25 Rotations); and Commander, 4th Battalion, 16th Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Germany. In his last assignment, General Honoré served as Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Homeland Security, U.S. Northern Command until 01 June 2004. While serving as the Commanding General First U.S. Army, General Honoré recently commanded Joint Task Force - Katrina, leading the Department of Defense response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

General Honoré's awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (four Oak Leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (two Bronze Service Stars), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal (one Bronze Service Star) the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon (4), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi), the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award. Qualification badges include the Expert Infantry Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Joint Staff Identification Badge.

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 13 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations.

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.

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Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears has achieved a distinguished position in Georgia's history. She was the first black woman to serve as a superior court judge in Georgia when she was elected in 1988, and the first woman and youngest person ever to serve on the Georgia Supreme Court when she was appointed by Governor Zell Miller in 1992. In retaining her appointed position as a Supreme Court Justice, she became the first woman in Georgia to win a contested state-wide election. In July 2005, Justice Sears became the first woman to serve as the Chief Justice of the Court.

During her tenure, Chief Justice Sears has spearheaded two major initiatives: the Georgia Supreme Court's Commission on Children, Marriage, and Family Law and the Committee on Civil Justice. The Commission on Children, Marriage, and Family Law was established to address the legal and administrative issues stemming from the increasing fragmentation of Georgia's families, while the Committee on Civil Justice was established to develop, coordinate, and support policy initiatives to expand access to the courts for poor and vulnerable Georgians.

Chief Justice Sears received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, her law degree from Emory University School of Law, and a master's degree in appellate judicial process from the University of Virginia.

Prior to joining the bench, she was an attorney with the law firm of Alston & Bird.

Chief Justice Sears is the proud mother of Addison and Brennan, the wife of Haskell Sears Ward, and the daughter of Colonel Thomas E. Sears and Onnye Jean Sears.

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