Judith Rodin

President
The Rockefeller Foundation

Judith Rodin has served as president of the Rockefeller Foundation since March 2005. Trained as a research psychologist, Dr. Rodin was previously the president of the University of Pennsylvania, and earlier the provost of Yale University.

The Rockefeller Foundation was established in 1913 by John D. Rockefeller, Sr. to "promote the well-being" of humanity by addressing the root causes of serious problems. It is one of the nation's largest private foundations. The Foundation works globally to expand opportunities for poor and vulnerable people and to help ensure that the benefits of globalization are shared more equitably.

Judith Rodin was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and received her Ph.D. from Columbia University. A pioneer in the behavioral medicine movement, she taught at New York University before embarking on 22 years on the faculty at Yale. Named president at Penn in 1994, she was the first woman to serve as president of an Ivy League institution.

During the decade of her leadership, Penn doubled its research funding and tripled both its annual fundraising and the size of its endowment; launched a comprehensive, award-winning and internationally acclaimed neighborhood revitalization program; attracted record numbers of undergraduate applicants; and rose in the leading national ranking of research universities from 16th to fourth.

Dr. Rodin serves on a number of leading non-profit boards, as well as on the boards of AMR Corporation, Citigroup and Comcast Corporation. She is the author of more than 200 academic articles and chapters and has written or co-written eleven books. She served on President Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. A member of a number of leading academic societies, including the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, she has received eleven honorary doctorate degrees.

Ken Lewis

Chairman and CEO
Bank of America

Ken Lewis has served as chief executive officer of Bank of America since 2001. As CEO, Lewis leads one of the world's largest financial institutions, the fifth most profitable company in the world and the sixth most highly valued company in the world by market capitalization as of December 31, 2005. During his tenure, Bank of America has improved customer satisfaction by 29% and shareholders have enjoyed average annual total shareholder returns that consistently outpaced peers, the KBW Banks Index, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

He joined North Carolina National Bank (NCNB, predecessor to NationsBank and Bank of America) in 1969 as a credit analyst in Charlotte and served as corporate banking officer and Western Area director in the U.S. Department before being named manager of NCNB's International Banking Corporation in New York in 1977.

He led the bank's operations in Florida and Texas in the 1980s, served as president of Consumer and Commercial Banking and chief operating officer in the 1990s, and was named chairman, chief executive officer and president of Bank of America in April of 2001.

Lewis was born April 9, 1947, in Meridian, Mississippi. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Georgia State University, and is a graduate of the Executive Program at Stanford University.

Lewis is a member of the Financial Services Roundtable and the Financial Services Forum; a member of the board and the executive committee and past chairman of United Way of Central Carolinas, Inc.; a member of the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy; a director of the Homeownership Education and Counseling Institute; vice chairman of the Corporate Fund Board of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and past chairman of the National Urban League.

Seth Brown

President and Co-founder
The Next American City

Seth A. Brown is a social entrepreneur and real estate investor dedicated to rethinking how America's cities, suburbs and rural areas work.

In 2002, he co-founded The Next American City Inc., a not-for-profit organization that promotes socially and environmentally sustainable economic growth in America's cities. Described by The New York Times as a "subtle plan to change the world," the organization's quarterly magazine has examined everything from new ideas in affordable housing finance to Philadelphia's "Neighborhood Transformation Initiative" to the role religion has played in saving New York City's neighborhoods. Under Seth's leadership, the organization has grown from a volunteer-led startup into a not-for-profit with national impact.

As a real estate investor, he focuses on residential development in New York City's growing neighborhoods, with a particular focus on Brooklyn and Queens. He specializes in projects where financial, legal, and political issues intersect - for example, redeveloping a landmark building in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn or developing a proprietary asset management model for a national firm's 13,000-unit rent-regulated apartment portfolio.

Seth was born in Toronto and grew up in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Yale College, where he studied history, and later received an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Tom Brokaw

NBC News Special Correspondent
Former Anchor and Managing Editor, NBC Nightly News

On December 1, 2004, one of the most trusted and respected figures in broadcast journalism, Tom Brokaw, stepped down after 21 years as the anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News." Brokaw will continue with NBC News for the next ten years, reporting and producing long-form documentaries and providing expertise during breaking news events.

Recently, Brokaw became only the second journalist to be honored with the Sylvanus Thayer Award from West Point. He has received numerous other honors and awards, including the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement award, the Emmy award for Lifetime Achievement and was inducted as a fellow into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Complementing his distinguished broadcast journalism career, Brokaw has written articles, essays and commentary for several publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Time, Sports Illustrated, Life, National Geographic, Outside and Interview.

In 1998, Brokaw became a best selling author with the publication of "The Greatest Generation." Inspired by the mountain of mail he received from his first book, Brokaw wrote "The Greatest Generation Speaks" in 1999. His third book, "An Album of Memories," was published in 2001. In November 2002, his fourth best selling book "A Long Way from Home," a reflective look about growing up in the American Heartland, was released.

Brokaw began his journalism career in 1962 at KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska. He anchored the late evening news on Atlanta's WSB-TV in 1965 before joining KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. He was hired by NBC News in 1966 and from 1976-1981 he anchored NBC News' "Today" program.

Douglas Durst

President
The Durst Organization

Douglas Durst is a member of the third generation to run The Durst Organization, one of New York City's most respected real estate developers, owners and management companies. Founded in 1915 by Douglas' grandfather Joseph Durst, they have been responsible over the last 85 years for transforming the skyline of midtown Manhattan. Beginning in the late 1950's, The Durst Organization began to develop office buildings along the Third Avenue corridor from 42nd Street north to 50th Street. When Douglas joined the firm in 1970, it was at the start of their Westside development, which resulted in another three office buildings along The Avenue of the Americas. Recently under the leadership of Douglas, The Durst Organization became the catalyst for large-scale office development of the "New Times Square" with the completion of 4 Times Square at 42nd Street and Broadway. 4 Times Square is the first speculative office building that incorporated environmentally responsible design and building practices.

Douglas was born in New York City in 1944. He graduated from the Fieldston School in 1962 and the University of California at Berkeley in 1966 where he studied economics and learned civil disobedience. Returning to New York in 1967, he married Susanne with whom he has three children: Anita, Alexander, and Helena. After two years of study at the Urban Studies Program at New York University he joined The Durst Organization learning the business from his father Seymour and his two uncles, Roy and David.

Ara Hovnanian

President and CEO
Hovnanian Enterprises

Mr. Hovnanian joined the company in 1979 following completion of his joint undergraduate and graduate work at The Wharton School in Philadelphia. He graduated summa cum laude with degrees in accounting, finance and real estate.

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. is the parent company of K. Hovnanian Homes and is the sixth or seventh largest homebuilder in the United States based upon revenues and deliveries, respectively. The company has operations in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HOV) and is ranked #403 on the Fortune 500. For fiscal 2006, the company reported preliminary estimates of 20,208 deliveries with revenues of approximately $6.2 billion. Hovnanian Enterprises also provides title insurance and mortgage banking services to its home-buying customers.

Mr. Hovnanian serves as a member of the Advisory Council of PNC Bank. He served on New Jersey's Council on Affordable Housing for Governor Thomas Kean in 1985 and for Governor James J. Florio in 1990. Governor Christie Todd Whitman appointed him as a member of the Governor's Economic Master Plan Commission in 1994. He has served on the boards of numerous charitable organizations.

Jerome Ringo

President
Apollo Alliance

Jerome Ringo came to the helm of the Apollo Alliance in 2005 as a dedicated champion of environmental justice and vocal advocate of clean energy. He has first hand experience of the challenges we face after working for more than 20 years in Louisiana's petrochemical industry. As he began observing the negative impacts of the industry's pollution on local communities - primarily poor, minority communities - Ringo began organizing community environmental justice groups.

Jerome Ringo's experience organizing environmental and labor communities and his drive to further diversify the environmental movement bridges many of Apollo's partners to create a broad based coalition to provide real solutions for our energy crisis. In 1996, Ringo was elected to serve on the National Wildlife Federation board of directors and, in 2005, Jerome became the Chair of the board. In so doing, he also became the first African-American to head a major conservation organization. Jerome Ringo was the United States' only black delegate at the 1998 Global Warming Treaty Negotiations in Kyoto, Japan. In addition to being present during Kyoto Treaty Negotiations, Ringo represented the National Wildlife Federation at the United Nations' conference on sustainable development in 1999.

Apollo Alliance's member organizations represent more than 17 million people across the country. The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, environmental, national security, civil rights and business leaders fighting to make America independent from foreign energy in 10 years.

Peter Seligmann

CEO
Conservation International

Peter A. Seligmann, who co-founded CI in 1987, has been a leader in conservation efforts for the past 25 years. During his stewardship, CI has earned a reputation as an organization on the cutting edge of conservation, creating innovative and lasting solutions to biodiversity and sustainable development problems. He has developed strong conservation partnerships between CI and leaders in industry, science, government and entertainment, both in the United States and abroad. He continues to prove that people can live in harmony with our natural surroundings.

Under Seligmann's leadership, CI has pioneered conservation tools that are economically sound, scientifically based and culturally sensitive. CI has grown to be a major international conservation leader with field offices in 42 countries and major influences in science and business.

Seligmann serves on several corporate boards as well as on the advisory councils of the Jackson Hole Land Trust, Ecotrust and other not-for-profit organizations, including the Wild Salmon Center. President Clinton named him a member of the Enterprise for the Americas Board in 2000.

Seligmann began his career in 1976 at The Nature Conservancy, serving as the organization's western region land steward. He later became Director of the California Nature Conservancy.

Kath Williams

Immediate Past President
World Green Building Council

Dr. Kath Williams served as President of the World Green Building Council from 2004 to 2007, building upon her experience as vice chair of the U.S. Green Building Council from 1996 to 2003. She was founding chair of the USGBC Education Committee and continues to chair the LEED-Application Guide for Laboratories. Kath helped develop GreenStar, Australia's green building rating system, as a Fulbright Senior Specialist.

Currently she is executive vice president of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories and supports green building projects worldwide, including four current LEED projects in Taiwan. Kath has completed five USAID missions to India, serving as the LEED Accredited Professional on Hyderabad's Green Business Centre and the ITC Headquarters in Guragon, both LEED-Platinum projects. She is principal of her own firm, Kath Williams + Associates, in Bozeman, Montana, with recent clients being Xanterra/National Park Service, Holcim, and Story Mill Center, a LEED-Neighborhood Development project.