Colleges & Universities

Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, APB speaker Gina McCarthy, recently sat with WBUR to discuss climate change with youth activists. McCarthy, who is currently Professor of the Practice of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health and the Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) at Harvard, revealed that an inability to make climate change a part of everyday discussion will lead to irreversible consequences. When asked how she stays positive despite not holding “the keys” to running environmental health, McCarthy said, “You can’t be unrealistic about the challenge, but you have to be hopeful for the future...” She went on to say, “I want to make sure that anybody your age recognizes that when an administration like this may not be paying attention, it’s not the end of the discussion. It’s not the end of your opportunity to make progress...”

Author of Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and I Almost Forgot About You, APB speaker Terry McMillan is releasing her newest book, It’s Not All Downhill From Here, in March 2020. The novel focuses on a group of women who went to high school together, but later went down different paths. However, after a loss, they reunited. McMillan illustrates the many challenges these women face and how they pull themselves up through the power of friendship and forgiveness.

“I want my kids to know when you’re chasing big dreams, you may fail, but if you get back up again — that’s how you fly.” Thirteen-time best-selling author and APB speaker Brad Meltzer appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the release of his two new children’s books: I am Walt Disney and I am Marie Curie. “I was tired of my kids looking at people who are famous for being famous and thinking that’s our hero,” said Meltzer, on what inspired him to write the children’s biography of Walt Disney.

The Jeopardy! record holder for most correct responses on average and longest winning streak, APB speaker Ken Jennings, is launching  Half-Truth, a trivia game that transcends rote recall and makes trivia accessible to everyone.

Veteran journalist and APB speaker John Quiñones of ABC’s What Would You Do? recently received John F. Hogan Award from the RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association) for his continuous contributions to the profession of journalism. During his 36-year tenure at ABC working as a reporter, news anchor and television personality, Quiñones always found ways of “adding context and clarity” for viewers, RTDNA chairman Jerry Walsh said. 

Speaker Wil Haygood’s book, Tigerland, is a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, a prize that recognizes the power of literature in promoting peace and reconciliation. An acclaimed biographer, Pulitzer finalist and award-winning author, Haygood is known for telling the story of America through the lens of history, politics, sports, race and the lives of change-making African Americans.

After the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, speakers and co-founders of March For Our Lives organization, David Hogg and Jaclyn Corin, who are both attending Harvard University this Fall, announced a new initiative for March For Our Lives. Called the “Peace Plan for a Safer America,” the effort maps out a six-part plan to end gun violence. In USA TODAY, Corin said it’s “’A Green New Deal, but for guns.’” Hogg said, “’Policymakers have failed, so survivors are stepping up.’”   

Founder of Catalina magazine, former Washington Post columnist and Fox News correspondent Cathy Areu has been deemed the conservative network’s “Liberal Sherpa.” A frequent guest on the top prime-time show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, she discusses some of today’s most controversial topics, introducing viewpoints to over 80 million people who would have otherwise ignored or disregarded a liberal argument. Emphasizing the importance of civility between herself and the conservative hosts, she states: “We don’t argue. We don’t disrespect one another. I think we’re showing viewers that, if a ‘crazy’ liberal and a strict conservative can discuss hot topics with civility, anyone can.

Speaker Ray Lewis, former linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, NFL hall-of-famer, entrepreneur and activist, has a new venture: becoming America’s dancer. He is joining the cast of Dancing With the Stars for Season 28. Now, his famous pregame “Squirrel Dance” will take center stage on September 16^th at 8 p.m. EST.  

APB speaker John Quiñones and his hit ABC show What Would You Do? returns for its 13^th season on August 9th at 9 p.m. EST. What Would You Do? reveals how people behave when they think no one is watching, by using hidden cameras to record real reactions to thought-provoking scenarios created by actors.