Corporations & Associations

September is Suicide Prevention Month: A time for all of us to remember the significance of mental health and how we can all help prevent suicide and instill hope. The speakers below, empowering voices who focus on suicide prevention, can motivate, educate and inspire change during this extremely important time of year and beyond.

It’s been a year since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed by Congress. And for Gina McCarthy, the former White House National Climate Advisor and APB speaker, it’s been a game changer. In a recent article in TIME, she wrote about the effects of the bill and what we can all do in the future to help our planet even more.

Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump and the family members of the late Malcolm X, including his daughter and APB speaker Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, recently announced their plans to sue the city of New York, the state of New York, the NYPD, the DA’s office, the FBI, CIA and others for $100 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. They allege the agencies being sued intentionally covered up evidence in the murder of the renowned civil rights leader.

When Paul de Gelder recently described what happened to him as “a pretty bad day at work.” It has to be the most massive understatement of this century. While diving with the Australian Navy in 2009, Paul lost his leg and part of an arm after being attacked by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor. And yet, he’s still one of the biggest advocates for sharks and continues to dive with them.

Ken Jennings, Jeopardy! co-host, greatest Jeopardy! player of all time and APB speaker, has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host. Also nominated is fellow co-host Mayim Bialik. The Television Academy announced the nominees on July 12.

APB Speaker and STEM Advocate Justin “Mr. Fascinate” Shaifer recently returned to Detroit as a student mentor for the “Discover the Unexpected” HBCU internship program. It’s his third year participating in the program.

Juneteenth (short for June 19th) marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans throughout Texas learned that they were free—news that took approximately two months after the Confederate surrender of the Civil War and two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation to reach them.  As our nation recognizes the legacy of Juneteenth during a time of heightened consciousness over pervasive racism and persecution in our nation, we urge everyone to continue to do their part in igniting change.

Named both "America's Historian" and one of "Hollywood's 25 Most Powerful Authors," Brad Meltzer has now earned a reputation as one of our top speakers for corporations, organizations and associations. Known for working closely with clients, speaking authentically from the heart and infusing humor and insights into engaging, highly motivational narratives, he has received standing ovations from audiences ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

APB speaker Heather Abbott, Boston Marathon bombing survivor and amputee, was recently featured on the Today show reflecting on the 10^th anniversary of the horrific tragedy. On April 15, 2013, what is referred to as Marathon Monday in Boston, Abbott of Newport, R.I. set out on an annual tradition with six friends. They would attend the Red Sox game, followed by a walk over to the finish line to watch the runners. Abbott would never have dreamed this day would change her life forever.

Debra Lee, former CEO of BET Networks and an APB speaker, has just released her new memoir, I Am Debra Lee. One of the few Black women to achieve the position of a chief executive in corporate America, Lee shares her remarkable journey from a girl raised in the segregated South to leading the first Black company traded on the New York Stock Exchange and how she juggled social responsibility while managing a company targeted toward the Black community. And as she has done for the majority of her life, Lee also offers lots of advice along the way.