Speakers

Jack Andraka

» 2012

Jack Andraka, a 15 year old high school student from Maryland has a vision to make a simple dip stick sensor for the detection of diseases. His invention recently netted him $100,000 at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair as winner fo the Intel Foundation $75,000 Gordon E. Moore Award and the Google Thinking Big AwardFor the project that addresses a large and seemingly-impossible problem, finding an elegant solution with broad impact.

Andraka has developed a novel paper sensor for the early detection of pancreatic cancer and possibly any disease. Driven by a curiosity and passion which emerged from a family tradgedy, Jack thought of diabetes testing via sensor strips and wondered if something like it was possible for cancer diagnosis. Andraka’s test is a simple dipstick sensor, which was able to detect the presence of pancreatic cancer with 100% accuracy in repeated trials. Jack’s novel patent-pending sensor has proven effective not only in the early detection of pancreatic cancer but promising preliminary results for lung and ovarian cancers as well and at present outpaces all current techniques financially, accurately and more specifically than existing methods.

Child prodigy and competitive sportsman, Jack is a member of the National Junior Wildwater Kayaking team, and the recipient of multiple National and International mathematics competitions, a young teen Visionary Innovator who is changing the shape of cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Rick Warren, PhD

Organization: Global Strategist, Saddleback Church

» 2012 Featured

Rick Warren, Ph.D., is a global strategist, pastor, author and philanthropist. He has lectured at numerous universities, world forums and the United Nations, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Rick founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, which today has over ten locations throughout Orange County with over 400 community ministries. He the founder of the PEACE Plan which has sent more than 14,000 people to every nation of the world to serve in communities where the greatest needs are: reconciliation, training, poverty, illiteracy and sickness.

Ray Goren

» 2012

Ray Goren started playing guitar at the age of 8. Through grass-roots support, Ray has emerged onto the music scene appearing on the main stages of the nationally acclaimed Doheny Blues Festival (2012) and the Detroit Jazz Festival (2011) to name just a few.

Ray discovered the blues while searching on Youtube for jazz trombone genius JJ Johnson. By mistake Ray typed “BB” instead of “JJ” and stumbled on a clip of BB king. Ray was mesmerized by the music. With the Internet at his disposal, within hours Ray was listening to Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Luther Allison, Eric Clapton, Little Jimmie King, John Mayer and others. For the months that followed, Ray spent hours on the Internet listening to blues while begging his parents for a guitar.

After playing guitar for only nine months, Ray was invited to sit-in with Hammond B3 Legend Deacon Jones (former band leader for Freddie King and John Lee Hooker). Deacon later noted that “it was love at first note”. Deacon became Ray’s mentor and helped Ray’s development as a performer and musician. Ray still loves to perform pure blues with Deacon and other blues veterans who are often older than Ray’s grandparents.

Renowned music critic Howard Reich noted that: “No one rattles the place like Ray Goren, from the Los Angeles area. He plays electric guitar — and sings — with a fluency, ease and depth of expression that defy easy explanation”. Chicago Tribune, August 2011.

Reviewer Robert Kinsler wrote the following about Ray’s performance at Doheny Blues Festival opening for Buddy Guy and Steve Miller:  “The festivities began with an impressive set from singer-guitarist Ray Goren who at the mere age of 12 already plays his Fender like a master….. Kinsler noted that Ray “not only plays like Jonny Lang but sings with convincing emotion”. Orange County Register, May, 2012.

Ray has also performed with world-renowned musicians including Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and Robby Krieger. While Ray’s musical basis is rooted in blues and jazz, his original music is branching-out and exploring new territories and will redefine the relevance of the blues.

Rick Reiff

Organization: HOST

» 2012 2013

Rick Reiff is the host and executive producer of “SoCal Insider with Rick Reiff,” a weekly Golden Mike-winning public affairs program on the Los Angeles region’s PBS flagship station, PBS SoCal (KOCE-TV.)

He is the longtime executive editor of the Orange County Business Journal, California’s second largest business weekly. In 2012 he ended a 15-year run as author of the paper’s popular “OC Insider” column. In addition, he is a media professor at Chapman University and a public speaker.

Reiff has received a Pulitzer Prize and two Golden Mike Awards, distinguishing him in both print and broadcast journalism.

He was a staff writer with Forbes magazine and a reporter at the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, where he was the lead reporter on a team that won a 1987 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of Goodyear’s battle with a corporate raider. Reiff is a native of Chicago and a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Rick is married to Mary Ann Brown, executive vice president of Pacific Life Insurance Co. He has a daughter, Jennie Reiff; a son-in-law, OC Fire Authority Capt. Steve Miller; and three Miller grandchildren, Elias, Anna and Oliver

Jacqueline Emerson

» 2012

Jacqueline Emerson is a singer, songwriter and actress.  She most notably portrayed “Foxface” in the recent movie, “The Hunger Games,” and plans on attending Stanford University in fall 2013 as an East Asian Studies/Chinese major.  As a musician, she recently released two debut songs, “Peter Pan” and “Catch Me If You Can,” both of which can be seen on YouTube.  “Peter Pan” is a song about her fears of growing up, and the importance of her inner child.  After watching many inspirational TED Talks, she believes this program creates an important forum for discussion and expansion of the mind.  Jacqueline is unbelievably honored to be speaking at the TEDxOrangeCoast conference.

Hans S. Keirstead

Organization: University of California at Irvine, California Stem Cell, Inc.

» 2012

An internationally known stem cell expert, Hans Keirstead has pioneered a number of efforts in the field. He led his team of researchers to  successfully develop a stem cell-based treatment for paralyzed rats. This treatment marked the first such stem cell-based clinical trial ever approved by a regulatory body, worldwide. Dr. Keirstead also helped develop a therapy for the treatment of ulcerative collitis and rheumatoid arthritis, that has successfully met primary endpoints in Phase II clinical trials. He developed a stem cell-based therapy for the motor neuron diseases ALS and spinal muscular atrophy that will soon enter clinical testing, and made headlines for creating a 3D retina derived from stem cells for the treatment of retinal diseases. More recently, he has taken on a stem cell-based project for late stage cancers, a technology that has met primary endpoints in Phase II clinical trials.

The Canadian-born neuroscientist received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His Ph.D. thesis formed the basis of several worldwide patents, the formation of a company, and constituted the first demonstration of functional regeneration of the injured adult spinal cord. For his achievements he received the Cameron Award for the best Ph.D. thesis in Canada.

Dr. Keirstead then moved to Cambridge England, where he conducted 4 years of Post-Doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, with both Canadian and British Fellowships. He received the distinct honor of election to two senior academic posts, Fellow of the Governing Body of Downing College, and Senate Member of the University of Cambridge, and was the youngest member to have been elected to those positions.

In 2000, Dr. Keirstead joined the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. He then Founded the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, and is now Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology. Dr. Keirstead was awarded the Distinguished Award for Research, the UCI Academic Senate’s highest honor, as well as the UCI Innovation Award for innovative research leading to corporate and clinical development.

He has founded or partnered with biotechnology companies to fund and conduct pre-clinical and clinical development, most recently, California Stem Cell Inc. California Stem Cell is developing stem cell based therapies for several metastatic cancers, as well as the motor neuron diseases SMA and ALS.

Dr. Keirstead has testified at Federal and California Senate Hearings on several occasions, is an avid scientific correspondent for public education, is on the Editorial Board of several major journals, advised the California government on stem cell policy, was a Scientific Advisory Committee Member of the California Stem Cell Initiative that authored Proposition 71, which resulted in a US$3B stem cell fund, and maintains working relationships with several stem cell companies, venture capital groups, and government economic development offices worldwide. Dr. Keirstead is also Founder of several clinics and educational centers in Guinea, Africa, which focus on health and community development in rural Africa.

Scott Bradlee

» 2012

Scott Bradlee is a New York City-based pianist, arranger, music director and producer.  His music, which seeks to blur the boundaries between genres, has received widespread media coverage and has been featured in television, video games, and film.  Currently, he serves as the music director of Punchdrunk’s acclaimed immersive theatre work, Sleep No More.

As a young jazz pianist, Scott became fascinated with a wide range of popular music, and sought to find a way to incorporate genres outside of the realm of jazz into his performances.  Upon moving to New York City in 2006, he discovered a host of like-minded collaborators and assembled a small project studio in his basement apartment, dedicated to producing creative, genre-bending covers of current popular hits.  His latest album, Mashups By Candlelight, offers a commentary on the somewhat arbitrary nature of musical “taste” by juxtaposing seemingly disparate pop culture themes against one another- all in the context of solo jazz piano.

In addition to maintaining a full schedule of both performing and arranging, Scott has built an online following by taking his musical experiments to YouTube, producing viral videos such as “Classic ’80s Hits Interpreted For Ragtime Piano,” and “A Motown Tribute to Nickelback.”  His most recent project, Emote CTRL, is an interactive musical variety show that allows online viewers to suggest song and genre mashups, to be performed live in real time.

Christine Marie

» 2012

Christine Marie is an artist and director creating original lo-fi spectacles of large-scale cinematic shadow theater. She seamlessly integrates performers, objects and hand made special effects to elicit connections with concepts, phenomenology and history in emotional and visually stimulating performances.  She is pioneering the use of 3D/stereoscopic shadow theater by inventing lights that project 30’ shadows.

She studied Wayang Kulit traditional shadow puppetry in Bali and is a former member of ShadowLight theater. Christine Marie received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in Integrated Media and Theater.  She lectures and conducts workshops for theater companies, film studios, universities and schools.  She has taught shadow animation at Pixar and consulted for the film, “Me and My Shadow,” for DreamWorks studios.

Christine Marie is a 2012 TED Fellow.  She also directs, designs and edits for film and video.  Her new work, Signaling Arcana, will premiere in 2013.

Christopher Steiner

» 2012

Christopher Steiner is the author of Automate This (2012) and $20 Per Gallon, a New York Times Bestseller (2009). He is a cofounder at Aisle50, a Y Combinator company that sells grocery deals through the Web. Before starting Aisle50 in 2011, Steiner was a senior writer covering technology at Forbes magazine for seven years. His writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, Fast Company, MIT Technology Review and Skiing Magazine. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a masters in journalism from Northwestern University. Steiner lives in Evanston, Ill., with his family.

Ivan Schwab

Organization: University of California Davis

» 2012

Ivan R. Schwab, M.D., F.A.C.S. graduated summa cum laude from West Virginia University (WVU) in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in biology from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and received a medical degree from WVU in 1973.  Completing his residency at Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco and following three fellowships in Ophthalmology, Dr. Schwab returned to WVU as a faculty member in the School of Medicine for seven years beginning in 1982.  In 1989, he moved to the University of California, Davis, and has been on its faculty since then as Professor of Ophthalmology. He has been active with the American Academy of Ophthalmology as well as several professional societies, and has served as a Board Director on the American Board of Ophthalmology.

He has an active practice, and is engaged in research on ocular surface disease, and was the first person in the United States to transplant bioengineered tissue to the ocular surface in 1999.  With an interest in comparative optics and physiology, Professor Schwab has published a book entitled “Evolution’s Witness: How Eyes Evolved.”

Brittany Ishibashi

Organization: HOST

» 2012

Brittany Ishibashi is one of Hollywood’s most talented rising stars. She has always been a performer, growing up dancing, singing and acting from the age of 6. Theatre was her first love. It was there that she first discovered the power of storytelling as a conduit for the human experience…The magic of stepping into someone else’s life and becoming a part of a live and creative discussion that (hopefully) opens eyes and hearts.

Brittany just finished starring as Anne Ogami in the original USA Network six-part limited series event POLITICAL ANIMALS. She is now commuting back and forth from Vancouver, where she is working on a new medical show for the CW Network called Emily Owens, M.D.

Film credits include “Eagle Eye” and “Lions For Lambs,” and her other notable work on television includes appearances on “The Mentalist,” “House,” Parenthood,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Desperate Housewives,” “The Office,” “CSI” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “24”.

Ishibashi is a newlywed currently residing in Los Angeles.

Kal Raustiala

» 2012

Kal Raustiala is a professor at UCLA Law School and as Director of the Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he has been a visiting professor at Princeton, Columbia, Chicago, and Harvard. He is a frequent media contributor whose writing has been featured in many outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Le Monde, and the New Yorker. His latest book, The Knockoff Economy, written with Christopher Sprigman, was published in September 2012.

Nigel Nisbet

Organization: Mind Research Institute

» 2012

From teaching a class of 15 at an idyllic private all-girls school in rural England to conducting Algebra workshops with 200 students at a time in the cafeteria of a downtown LA high school, Nigel has learned – mostly the hard way – how, and especially how not, to get kids to enjoy and understand mathematics. After a stint running the mathematics department of the second largest school district in the US, he quit his day job and went to work as a game designer for the non-profit MIND Research Institute in Orange County.

Now, instead of worrying about how many test booklets were delivered to Audubon Middle School, his time is devoted to reaching into the structure and beauty of mathematics and finding ways to build engaging, interactive & completely visual games that teach all students how math really works. But the job is far from done, despite now reaching half-a-million students, his experience of working with children in very different parts of the world shows that given the right tools, all students can be mathematical thinkers and problem solvers, ready for the workplace demands of the 21^st century, and in this talk, Nigel shares how we can get them there.

Hsing Wei

» 2012

Hsing Wei is an interaction designer, convener, and tinkerist. She enjoys thinking about and developing technology-enriched experiences that solve problems, connect communities, and enable novel ways of interacting with the world.  As a co-founder of The Makery, she hopes to spread the joys of making to young people and inspire self-driven learning about science, technology, engineering, and math.

After wandering the halls of Penn, MIT, and Harvard, she has helped start-up and design new products, processes, and partnerships for a range of for-profit and non-profit organizations.  As part of Games for Change, she’s encouraged the field of game designers seeking to apply game mechanics for social impact applications.  As Senior Innovation Officer at New Visions for Public Schools and while an Honorary Resident at Eyebeam Art & Technology Center, she launched and continues to grow EDesign Lab – an interdisciplinary lab for prototyping digital learning experiences for k12 public education.

Nadeem Kassam

» 2012

Nadeem Kassam has always considered himself to be a tireless advocate for making wellness a more engaging experience.

He is the founder and Chief Alliance Officer at Basis, a director at Zynik Capital Corp and an angel investor in a number of exciting start-ups and projects. With his background in the entertainment industry and his ability to bring the right people together on the right projects, Nadeem is on a mission to prove that business can and should be a force for good in the world.

He is the father of two daughters and lives in San Francisco with his wife Fantasha.

Bonnie Boswell

» 2012

Bonnie Boswell is an award-winning reporter, documentary film producer and talk show host. She is a graduate of Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and holds a master’s degree in City Planning from M.I.T. Her plan was to study indigenous communities in developing countries.  However, after a brief stint in Ghana, Ms. Boswell decided the cultures of America were just as interesting to explore. Journalism became her passport.

Ms. Boswell began her career as a editorial broadcaster for NBC New York. She also produced a weekly newsmagazine program for NBC New York and then joined ABC’s newsmagazine, “20/20,” as an associate producer.

After moving to Los Angeles and working full time as a wife and mother of two sons, she developed a weekly spot on the news for NBC Los Angeles. She received a “Golden Mike Award for “Seeds of Peace,” a one-hour news special she produced and hosted for six major NBC markets.

Ms. Boswell hosted “Lawson Live,” a national talk show on the Hallmark Channel. Her co-host was civil rights leader James M. Lawson, Jr., a man called one of the most important men of the 20^th century.  Guests included Martin Sheen, Alfre Woodard, Ed Asner and a host of leading political and community figures.

Boswell’s articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Essence and the Radcliffe Quarterly.” She has been a guest on NBC’s “Today” show, CNN’s “Talkback” and the CBS radio network and has been a speaker at Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Southern California. She is a past executive board member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Ms. Boswell is currently the CEO of Bluegate, LLC and the executive producer of THE POWERBROKER: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights, which will air on PBS’ Independent Lens, February 2013.

Shawn Green

Organization: JockTalk

» 2012

Shawn Green’s Major League Baseball career spanned fifteen seasons with four teams: the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the New York Mets.  During his baseball career, he won numerous accolades including both the American League Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger in ’99.  He finished in the top ten of voting for league MVP three times and was named the L.A. Sportsman of the Year for his 2002 season.  He was a two-time All-Star and holds several major league records, such as the most home runs in a single game with four as well as the most total bases in a single game with 19.  He also holds numerous individual team records with both the Blue Jays and Dodgers, most notably the Dodgers record for home runs in a single season with 49 in 2001.  But, statistics tell only part of the story.

His path to success was as grounded in philosophical study as in baseball wisdom.  Striving to find stillness within the scene of Major League Baseball, Green learned to approach the sport with a clear mind.  This approach transformed him as a player, as a family man, and as a post-career athlete transitioning into other paths.

Mike Kenyon

» 2012

Mike Kenyon is the Development Leader with Free Wheelchair Mission, a nonprofit in Irvine, CA that provides wheelchairs for the disabled poor in the developing world. In that role he empowers individuals to use their gifts and talents and leads a movement of volunteers across the United States who champion the cause of mobility.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mike grew up in a low-income neighborhood, centered in the roughest housing project in the city. Out of a hard youth came a soft heart for others in similar situations—his life calling is to help restore broken identities and guide individuals as they discover their own calling.

In the past Mike has served as REACH Pastor at Rock Harbor Church in Orange County, CA. He has also led seminars and lectured in 22 countries on educating the poor to live out their passion. Kenyon is the co-leader of “The Network:” a gathering of 180 NGO and faith-based groups in Southern California that look for ways of reaching cities by partnering with local organizations, schools, governments, and law enforcement.

Mike is also an active, 17 year member of SAG-AFTRA and loves to play tennis, eat good food with close friends, and go on adventures with his family.  He and his wife Allison have been married for thirteen years and have two children—Austin, 11 and Kylie, 9.

Annemarie du LeBohn

» 2012

Annemarie du LeBohn faced a few challenges; a brutal attack and a few other life threatening events. In the scheme of her life, however, it was a secret she kept for many years that left the deepest emotional scars. She moved on but questioned her values and at times felt hopeless. Then at age 49 she chose to redefine her life by taking on the world’s most challenging endurance race. 

Pascal Finette

Organization: Mozilla Foundation

» 2012

Pascal is Director of Mozilla’s Open Innovation group and WebFWD, where he works with the wider community inventing the future of the Web. He loves technology and believes that the Internet is deeply impacting mankind. Prior to Mozilla, he led eBay’s Platform Solutions Group, launched a consulting practice to help entrepreneurs with their strategy & operations and invested into startups, among other things. Craig Newmark (Craigslist) described Pascal as “a social change maker to watch.”, the leading German business publication WirtschaftsWoche voted Pascal as one of their NEXT100 in 2012.

Pascal frequently speaks about and consults Fortune 500 companies on Open Innovation, mentors entrepreneurs at TechStars, Seedcamp, The Unreasonable Institute and many other places.

When he doesn’t work you can find him running, teaching pro-runners Pilates or preparing espresso shots.

Reggie Littlejohn

Organization: Women’s Rights Without Frontiers

» 2012

Reggie Littlejohn is President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, an international coalition to combat forced abortion, gendercide and sex trafficking in China.  She also led the international campaign to free blind activist Chen Guangcheng, who arrived in the U.S. in May 2012.

An internationally acclaimed expert on China’s One Child Policy, Reggie has testified six times at the U.S. Congress, as well as the European, British and Irish Parliaments. Her first Address at the European Parliament redefined the debate about China’s One Child Policy, revealing it to be systematic, state-sponsored violence against women.  This Address was included as a chapter in the book, Human Rights in China After the Olympic Games, (Human Rights Without Frontiers, 2009), available on Amazon.com.

Reggie has briefed officials at the White House, the State Department and the Vatican.  She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs, including CNN, C-SPAN and BBC, and has issued several groundbreaking reports, included in the Congressional Record.

Reggie has spoken at the Harvard and Stanford law schools and has appeared ten times on Voice of America, the official U.S. broadcast into China.

A graduate of Yale Law School, Reggie has represented Chinese refugees in their political asylum cases.

Emile Haddad

Organization: Five Point Communities

» 2012

Emile Haddad’s life has been defined by “turning lemons into lemonade.” As an immigrant he is a living example of the American Dream. Emile has a passion for building communities. He loves complicated challenges. As Chief Investment Officer of Lennar, one of the largest publicly traded builders in the US, he helped afford tens of thousands of families the ability to realize their American Dream by buying homes in some of the best recognized Master Planned Communities in California. As a co-founder of FivePoint Communities, today Emile is overseeing some of the largest mixed
used projects in the state. Those are projects which will help shape the future of Orange County, Los Angeles County, and the City of San Francisco.

Emile spends his spare time with Dina, his wife of 26 years, and his children: Serene, a senior at USC (when she is home), and Marc, a Sophomore in high school. His favorite time is when he has family and friends staying at his home. His hobby is staying in touch with global events.

Richard Afable

Organization: Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian

» 2012

Richard Afable, MD, MPH, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, a 582-bed, not-for-profit, faith-based, two-campus hospital in Newport Beach and Irvine, California.  Hoag is Orange County’s largest and preeminent independent hospital.  Hoag has more than 5,000 employees, 1,300 medical staff, over $800M in annual revenue, and $1.5B in assets.

Formerly, Dr. Afable was Executive Vice President/Chief Medical Officer at Catholic Health East based in Newtown Square, PA.  He was also the founder and President/CEO of Preferred Physician Partners (PPP), an Ohio-based physician practice management company that supported physician groups and provider networks.  He has served as Associate Professor of Medicine at Wake Forest University and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University.  Before his management and academic career, Dr. Afable spent ten years in private medical practice in Chicago, specializing in internal medicine and geriatrics.  He is a board certified internist and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Afable’s interests lie in the creation of value in medicine and health care delivery:  balancing the consistency of evidence-based care with lower cost and the artisanship and creativity needed to effectively care for individuals.

Lara Lee

Organization: Continuum Innovation

» 2012

Lara is Chief Innovation and Operating Officer at Continuum. Named a “Master of Innovation” by BusinessWeek in 2006, Lara Lee has driven customer-centric innovation for over 20 years as a consultant and corporate executive, across cultures and around the globe, from startups to the Fortune 100.

As head of Harley-Davidson’s Enthusiast Services division, Lara built a new $80 million operation that monetized brand-building experiences, incubated new businesses and delivered 20% operating margin while attracting new female, minority and under-35 customers. She created a profitable rider training business to fill the customer pipeline, built a museum to provide continuous self-funded marketing, pioneered online community engagement and direct-to-consumer retailing, turned cost centers into money-makers and set the foundation to double international sales at the $6 billion company. As principal at innovation and strategy consultancy Jump Associates, Lara expanded into high-potential sustainability and healthcare sectors while helping clients from GE and FedEx to the San Diego Zoo identify growth opportunities and build new business.

With a dual MBA/MA from the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton School of Business, and a BA in Chinese language from Brown University, Lara speaks on business model innovation, branded experiences, corporate intrapraneurship and growth strategy and has been featured in publications including The New York Times and Harvard Business Review.

Ryan McCaan

» 2012

Ryan McCann has a background in sports as a former Quarterback for the UCLA Bruins and Cincinnati Bengals. When his career was cut short due to a shoulder injury he translated his energy into his art started lighting things on fire.

Since his immersion into the art world Ryan has developed a technique and created a niche for himself using a blowtorch to burn the image into wood. His work ambiguously attacks popular culture while navigating socio-political truths. Ryan’s portrait of renowned UCLA Coach John Wooden titled “Coach” is part of the permanent collection in the UCLA Hall of Fame. He has also done commissioned work for Gibson Guitars, Patron Tequila, and the World Champion New Orleans Saints. Ryan currently lives and works in Los Angeles.  See more of his work at www.RyanMcCannArt.com

Stanton Rowe

Organization: Edwards LifeSciences

» 2012

Stanton Rowe is the son of a rocket engineer and a teacher. Raised in Alabama, he studied Biology and became fascinated with medicine, working in pharmaceuticals at first, then medical devices. He has developed products for critical care medicine, interventional cardiology, and cardiac surgery. He values his time working with key physicians from around the world, their partnership in development being so important to making new products that save lives, and improve others.

Stanton’s most favorite activity is traveling with his family to interesting places like Galapagos, Greek Isles, Alaska, and Japan and the ancient cities of Jerusalem, Rome, Venice and Paris.

Stanton also enjoys supporting students in biomedical engineering and science studies. He is involved with several leading universities departments of biomedical engineering, and recently joined the Board of the Discovery Science Center. He is currently Corporate Vice President, Advanced Technology & Chief Scientific Officer at Edwards Lifesciences Corporation

Stephanie Powell

» 2012

Stephanie Powell is a tenured Professor in Dance at Long Beach City College. She danced professionally with major dance companies such as the Oakland Ballet Company, San Francisco Opera, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Donald Byrd the Group, Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Lion King.

Powell is a certified instructor of the New York City Ballet Workout, Zumba, Qiginition and Body Arts and Science International Pilates with a Dance Specialization. She is the principal interpreteur of the choreographic works for the legendary choreographer Donald McKayle and stages his work around the world.

As a testament to her reputation and contributions, Powell has received the UC Irvine Black Leadership Advancement Coalition Alumni Award, the Long Beach Post Award for Best Teacher in the City of Long Beach, and was a nominee for “Woman of the Year” Award by Assembly member Bonnie Lowenthal.

John Jolliffe

Organization: HOST and TEDxChallenge Prize

» 2012 2013 TEDxWomen

Fifteen years as syndicated daily radio broadcaster, John Jolliffe maintains a busy international Psychotherapy and Consultancy Practice.

Fernando Fabre

» 2012

For the last 14 years Fernando has been working at what many people would describe as a dream job.

Every day he gets to meet the greatest entrepreneurs and venture investors who are changing the world; creating and distributing wealth by supporting jobs, hiring suppliers, paying taxes, reinvesting in their firms; and more importantly they are creating a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem by inspiring, mentoring and investing in other entrepreneurs.

What motivates him the most is trying to convince any person with influence at a city or country level that entrepreneurs can and do come up with a solution to almost any of the current big problems facing the world; and that it is possible to accelerate the creation and expansion of thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems.

As president of Endeavor he has been able to see firsthand how entrepreneurial ecosystems are being built from the ground up by entrepreneurs in Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Santiago, Mexico City, Istanbul, Amman and many other cities.

Sohrab Vossoughi

Organization: Ziba Design

» 2012

 Sohrab Vossoughi is founder, president and chief creative director at Ziba Design. During his 30 year tenure, Sohrab has received numerous accolades that include being named one of the five innovation gurus in the US by BusinessWeek magazine, elected as a “Global Leader of Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum and serving as an elected advisor to the Hong Kong Productivity Council since 1998. He holds more than 50 patents and regularly contributes to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, BusinessWeek and Rotman’s business journal. Sohrab holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design from San Jose State University, and worked as a designer for Hewlett-Packard prior to founding Ziba. 

Ziba is a design and innovation consultancy with offices in Portland, San Diego, Munich and Toyko. We are a team of designers, strategist, thinkers and makers with a passion for solving problems by understanding people, and creating authentic and meaningful experiences they love.

Gerald Ishibashi

Organization: HOST

» 2012

California’s largely agricultural Imperial Valley isn’t the most likely of places to jumpstart a young boy’s musical dreams, but for Gerald Ishibashi, life was all about the music. He was only 13 years old when hecommitted to his career path by choosing an electric guitar over a dirt bike as payment for a summer job with his father.

With early influences such as Elvis, Tom Jones, Bill Medley and a heavy doseof Frank Sinatra – one of his mother’s favorites – he always knew a lifetimeof music was “in the cards.” And though day-to-day life was filled withpopular American music, weekends were spent listening to his grandparentsentertaining friends with special performances of traditional Okinawan music.

These mini concerts for their cultural “melting pot” of a neighborhood shaped his belief that music transcended divisive ethnic boundaries and truly spoke a universal language.

After earning a business degree from California State University, Fullerton, and owning and operating a successful music store, Ishibashi created his entertainment production company, Stonebridge, armed with a single hundreddollar bill and a dream. With a natural talent for communication through entertainment,he helped to design and implement such successful events as The Taste of Newport, The Fashion Island Music Series, The Hard Rock Newport Concert Series, The Newport Beach Centennial Concerts and more.

Always a musician at heart, Ishibashi has fine tuned his prowess as a performer and band leader as well, touring now with his 11-piece powerhouse of master musicians,and sharing the stage with such entertainment luminaries as George Benson, The Beach Boys, Sugar Ray, Blondie, Kool and the Gang, The Pointer Sisters and more.

But his first love and life’s mission will always be to spread the concept of unity and communication through music.  Whether as a performer, producer or motivational speaker, Gerald Ishibashi  truly lives his company’s motto “HIGH TOUCH IN A HIGH TECH WORLD”.