It is our distinct honor to welcome guest speakers who make us laugh, make us think, and make us feel inspired.
Annual Dinner speakers
& Moderators by year
It is our distinct honor to welcome guest speakers who make us laugh, make us think, and make us feel inspired.
Annual Dinner speakers
& Moderators by year
2023
Entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary is a co-host of the Emmy-Award-winning reality television show "Shark Tank," a businessperson, investor, writer, and television personality.
O’Leary co-founded SoftKey Software in 1986. It was the first company to apply the principles of consumer goods marketing to the software industry. After a number of key consolidations and acquisitions, SoftKey rose to be the world leader in software for family education and entertainment. In 1996, the company changed its name to The Learning Company. It was sold to the Mattel Toy Company in 1999 for $4.2 billion.
O’Leary’s later investments included Storage-Now, a leading developer of climate-controlled storage facilities that was later acquired by In-Storage REIT for $110 million; and Stream Global Services Inc., focused on the…
Read more2022
Jon Taffer is a hospitality industry thought leader, philanthropist, larger-than-life businessman, and TV star. He takes a no-holds-barred approach to helping hotels, restaurants, bars, and businesses reach their full potential. For nearly four decades, Jon has been at the forefront of the business management industry, offering his expertise to hundreds of thousands of properties and Fortune 500 companies. By no surprise, studies show that Jon is the most influential, trustworthy, and intelligent food & beverage personality on television.
As executive producer and host of Bar Rescue, Jon has rescued over 220 bars and restaurants across America, including 23 right here in the Las Vegas valley. Bar Rescue spotlights Jon as he saves failing bars from looming closure, leveraging his four…
Read more2021
Colonel Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.) served for 21 years in the U.S. Air Force before her medical retirement in 2017. A decorated combat veteran, flight commander, instructor pilot and flight lead, she was the first woman selected to fly with the U.S.A.F. Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds. In 2019, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Nicole attended high school in Las Vegas and began flying as a teenager. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in management from the U.S. Air Force Academy and attending flight school in Mississippi, she was selected for the only F-15E Strike Eagle slot allotted to her flight class.
Nicole went on to earn a master’s degree in national security…
Read more2019
George W. Bush was the 43rd president of the United States. Prior to his presidency, he served as the governor of the state of Texas for six years. President Bush holds a reputation of being a compassionate conservative who led the country through the dark times of the September 11 attacks of 2001.
Read more2018
Caroline Kennedy made a name for herself that goes further than just who her parents are. The daughter of John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy is a successful writer, lawyer, and diplomat. In July of 2013, she was nominated by President Barack Obama as the U.S. ambassador to Japan. She was also a member of the national board of directors for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, vice chair for the Fund for Public Schools in New York City and chief executive for the New York City Department of Education Office of Strategic Partnerships.
Read more2017
Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist and futurist. He teaches theoretical physics at the City College of New York and CUNY Graduate Center. Dr. Kaku is an author as well, having written numerous books on physics. He also works to popularize science and has hosted several TV specials for the BBC, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and the Science Channel.
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Mae Carol Jemison is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Jemison joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1987 and was selected to serve for the STS-47 mission, during which she orbited the Earth for nearly eight days on September 12–20, 1992.
Jemison left NASA in 1993 and founded a technology research company. She later formed a non-profit educational foundation and through the foundation is the principal of the 100 Year Starship project funded by DARPA. Jemison also wrote several books for children and appeared on television several times, including in a 1993 episode of Star Trek: The…
Read more2016
Michael Beschloss is an American historian and author who specializes in the United States presidency. He has written nine books and received multiple awards including the Williams College Bicentennial Medal, the Ambassador Book Award, the State of Illinois’s Order of Lincoln, the Harry S. Truman Public Service Award, and many more. Beschloss was also inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. His passion for history and education has inspired many.
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Jon Meacham is a writer, reviewer, and presidential biographer. He has worked as an executive editor, executive vice president at Random House, and editor in chief of Newsweek. Currently, he works as a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review and editor to Time magazine. He has authored several books and is the recipient of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.
Read more2015
Anderson Cooper is an award-winning broadcast journalist and freelance writer. He is the primary anchor for CNN and a correspondent for 60 Minutes. Cooper has won multiple awards for his work, including the Peabody and National Headliner Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and the GLAAD Media Award.
Read more2014
Hillary Rodham Clinton served as the U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. She was the first woman to be nominated for the role of president of the United States by a major political party. On top of her work as a politician, Clinton is a diplomat, lawyer, writer, and public speaker.
Read more2013
Charlie Rose is an award-winning journalist and former talk show host. He was the executive producer of the talk show Charlie Rose on PBS and Bloomberg LP from 1991 to 2017. Rose spent five years as an anchor on CBS This Morning and was also a correspondent for 60 Minutes from 1999 to 2005.
Read more2012
Bill Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States. He also served as the governor of Arkansas and as attorney general of Arkansas. During his presidency, he presided over the longest economic expansion in American history, created the largest expansion of college opportunity since the GI Bill, raised education standards, increased school choice, and doubled education and training investment.
Read more2011
David Gergen is a political commentator and former political advisor. In his advising career, he has served during the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Currently, he works as a senior political analyst for CNN and is the founding director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Read more2010
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a renowned biographer and historian. She has written several biographies on U.S. presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. She won the Pulitzer Prize for History in a career that also included work as a sports journalist, a political commentator, and as a producer for the American TV miniseries, Washington.
Read more2008
Jean Francois considers himself to be an extreme artist, meaning he uses large canvasses without the use of preliminary sketches. The impromptu nature of his work creates an explosive look, capturing his passion for art with a sense of immediacy. Francois has had over 3000 performances across the globe, from Paris to Dubai.
Read more2007
Mark Russell is a famed political satirist and comedian, best known for his comedy specials on PBS from 1975 to 2004. His work is an eclectic mix of political stand-up humor about current events, and musical parodies, during which he plays on his American flag-themed piano. In 2004, Russell won the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame Buffalo Bob Award.
Read more2006
Cal Ripken Jr., also known as “The Iron Man,” is a former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken is a 19-time All Star and was named American League MVP twice. He was also elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Read more2004
Sally Ride was the first American woman to go into space. She was also the youngest American astronaut in space at 32. During her lifetime, Ride received numerous awards, including the National Space Society’s von Braun Award, the Lindbergh Eagle, and the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. She received the NASA Space Flight Medal twice, and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Read more2003
Madeleine Albright was the first female U.S. Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. She was also appointed Ambassador to the United Nations. Throughout her career, Albright received multiple awards and honors. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1998, was the second recipient of the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award, and received the Honorary Silver Medal of Jan Masaryk.
Albright passed away on March 23, 2022. The New York Times wrote: "She was a diminutive presence with an assured style: impeccably tailored and perfectly coifed, with touches of gold or pearl in her brooches, an amused smile for the cognoscenti and eyes that missed nothing. In meetings with foreign diplomats, colleagues said,…
Read more2002
Robert Reich is an award-winning author, professor, political commentator, and economist. Reich served as the Secretary of Labor from 1993 through 1997, where he implemented the Family and Medical Leave Act, helped to increase minimum wage, and lobbied to pass the School-to-Work Jobs Act.
Read more2001
Steve Young is a former NFL quarterback who played for 15 seasons—13 of those with the San Francisco 49ers. He was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1992 and 1994, and was the MVP of Super Bowl XXIX. Young was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Read more2000
Peter Jennings was a journalist who had worked as the sole anchor of ABC World News Tonight from 1983 until 2005, when he passed away from lung cancer. In 1965, Jennings began his journalism career with ABC and at 26 years old, he was the youngest U.S. network news anchor in history
Read more1999
Colin L. Powell was a politician who served as a four-star general in the U.S. Army. In his career, Powell served as a National Security Advisor, Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command, and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the first African-American to serve as Secretary of State, under the George W. Bush presidency. Powell died of complications of COVID-19 on Oct. 18, 2021.
Read more1998
Barbara Bush is a former first lady of the United States. She was married to President George H. W. Bush, who had served as the 41st president of the United States. During her lifetime, she started the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She was passionate about family literacy and strived to eliminate the generational cycle of illiteracy in America. Bush passed away in her home at the age of 92 in 2018.
Read more1997
Charles Osgood is a radio and TV commentator and writer, best known for his work as the host of CBS News Sunday Morning for 22 years. He also hosted The Osgood File from 1971 until 2017. Osgood is also known for being the voice actor for the narrator in the 2008 animated film Horton Hears a Who.
Read more1996
James Lovell is one of 24 people to have flown to the moon, and was the first to fly to it twice. Along with his work as an astronaut, Lovell was also a naval aviator, mechanical engineer, and a retired navy captain. Lovell received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He helped write the book Lost Moon, which was the basis for the 1995 film Apollo 13.
Read more1995
Tom Landry was a professional football player and coach in the NFL. He was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, a position he held for 29 seasons. Throughout his career, Landry wont two Super Bowl titles, five NFC titles, 13 divisional titles, and held a record for 20 consecutive winning seasons. Landry was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1966 and NFC Coach of the Year in 1975. He sadly passed away after a battle with leukemia in 2000.
Read more1994
Lee Iacocca was an automobile executive who had contributed to the development of some of the Ford Motor Company’s most legendary models while with the company. He also revived the Chrysler Corporation during his career as its CEO in the 1980s. Following the death of his wife, Mary, from type 1 diabetes, Iacocca became an active supporter for diabetes research. Iacocca passed away in 2019 due to complications of Parkinson’s disease.
Read more1993
Robert Fulghum is a famed author and Unitarian Universalist minister. He has written numerous novels, some of which were later transformed into two stage productions. There have been more than 2000 productions around the world of his plays. Fulghum also performed in two TV adaptations of his work on PBS and was a Grammy nominee for his spoken word talents.
Read more1992
Elizabeth Dole served as Secretary of Transportation during the Ronald Reagan presidential administration and as Secretary of Labor under George H. W. Bush, before moving on as the head of the American Red Cross. Dole also served as North Carolina’s first female senator from 2003 to 2009.
Read more1990
David Gardner is one of three founders of The Motley Fool, a private financial and investment advice company. Prior to joining The Motley Fool, Gardner was a writer for Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street newsletter. He also invented Motley Fool CAPS, a website featuring 75,000+ ranked stock pickers drawn from The Motley Fool community.
Read more1989
John Wooden, also known as the “Wizard of Westwood,” was a revered basketball player and head coach for UCLA. During his career, he won ten NCAA national championships. Wooden also won a Helms national championship at Purdue. He was known for his inspirational messages to his players that were often applicable to life, not just in sports. Wooden passed away in 2010 at age 99.
Read more1988
Peter Ueberroth is known for his involvement in the Olympics and in Major League Baseball. He was the chairman of the LA Olympic Organizing Committee, which brought the games to LA in 1984. From 1984 to 1989, Ueberroth was named the sixth Commissioner of Baseball. He then became the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee from 2004 to 2008.
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