Corporations & Associations

It began as a beautiful fall-like morning in New York City and Washington, D.C. And yet, less than two hours later, it turned out to be one of the darkest days in American history. APB would like to take a moment to honor the 2,977 victims and fallen heroes of the 9/11 attacks. It’s been 20 years, but we will never forget the courage and selfless acts of our first responders and passengers on United Flight 93 and those who were killed in the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon. May they rest in peace.

Is it possible to “get back to normal” when it comes to climate change? According to APB Speaker Mark Blyth, a political economist at Brown University, absolutely not. In an opinion piece recently published in The Guardian, Blyth argues that it will take much more than replacing our fossil fuels and one-use goods with recyclables and green energy to heal the earth. We need to truly transform the way we live, he writes. 

A two-part investigative podcast series led by veteran journalist and APB speaker Maria Hinojosa has been recently honored with an Overseas Press Club Award. The Pulitzer Center-supported The Moving Border, by NPR’s Latino USA, won the Lowell Thomas Award for the best radio, audio or podcast coverage of international affairs. “Maria Hinojosa and team first reveal that a ‘paper wall’ has been a stronger barrier than a physical wall at the U.S. border,” the jury commented. “Then, the team went further, uncovering how Mexico has become a wall itself.’" 

An essay by APB speaker Deborah Archer, president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Professor at N.Y.U. School of Law, was recently featured in the Opinion section of The New York Times. The newspaper asked seven writers and legal scholars what they believe should be updated in the Constitution. It’s been a half-century since America’s last real revision. According to The Times, the essays are part of a series exploring bold ideas to revitalize and renew the American experiment.

A trio of APB speakers was recently named to Forbes magazine’s 50 Over 50 List of Women Who Are Leading the Way in Impact list. The three honored are: Melissa Berton, Cofounder and Executive Director of The Pad Project; Susan McPherson, Founder and CEO, McPherson Strategies; and Winona LaDuke, Founder, White Earth Land Recovery Project. According to Forbes, the women are being recognized for changing their communities and the world in ways big and small through social entrepreneurship, law, advocacy and education.  

Fortune magazine recently announced “The Best Books of 2021—So Far” and it includes APB Speaker Susan McPherson’s new work. The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do, Method For Building Meaningful Business Relationships (McGraw-Hill) was nominated to be on the list by Ellen McGirt, Senior Editor at Fortune. “In this delightful book, McPherson explains not just how to infuse your interactions with trust and purpose, but why it matters, now more than ever,” McGirt writes. 

Ruzwana Bashir, Co-founder and CEO of Peek.com, was recently honored by the Female Founders Alliance (FFA) with its Founder Award for pivoting her travel and experiences company in the face of a global pandemic. The Founder Award is part of the FFA’s Champion Awards, which celebrate champions of intersectional gender equity. Finalists for the awards were selected from hundreds of nominations submitted by FFA’s community. Winners were chosen after tallying thousands of votes.  

In a little more than a month, over 14,000 people from more than 200 countries will gather in Tokyo, Japan, for the Summer Olympics. They will be joined by thousands of delegates and members of the press. One month later, an additional 5,000 athletes and support staff will come together in Tokyo for the Paralympic Games.  These two enormous events have APB speaker Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and several of his colleagues deeply concerned. 

When APB speaker Maryam Banikarim decided to return to the workforce after a year-and-a-half hiatus, she never imagined her new job would play a major role in helping millions navigate one of the worse crises of the century. And this same event would skyrocket her company’s social platform growth. Banikarim, former CMO of Hyatt Hotels, joined social media company Nextdoor as CMO just a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic began ravaging the world and forcing us to stay home. 

APB speaker and former commanding officer of SEAL Team TWO Mike Hayes has made J.P. Morgan’s 2021 Summer Reading List with his book, Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning. The book discusses the mentality of the U.S. Navy SEALs and how it can be implemented in everyone’s life for the better. J.P. Morgan stated, “He shares the pillars of excellence, agility and meaning, along with the notion that everyone must look for opportunities to support their teams in order to ensure we all succeed.”