Donna Edna Shalala is an American politician and academic who served in the Carter and Clinton administrations, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Shalala is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which she was awarded in 2008, and, on August 16, 2023, assumed the role of Interim President of The New School, a university in New York City.
Sanford I. "Sandy" Weill is an American banker, financier, and philanthropist. He is a former chief executive and chairman of Citigroup. He served in those positions from 1998 until October 1, 2003, and April 18, 2006, respectively.
Joan Ganz Cooney is an American television writer and producer. She is one of the founders of Sesame Workshop, the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street, which was co-created by her. Cooney grew up in Phoenix and earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from the University of Arizona in 1951. After working for the State Department in Washington, D.C., and as a journalist in Phoenix, she worked as a publicist for television and production companies in New York City. In 1961, she became interested in working for educational television, and became a documentary producer for New York's first educational TV station WNET. Many of the programs she produced won local Emmys.
Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler was an American attorney and judge who served as the first United States Secretary of Education from 1979 to 1981. She previously served as a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1968 to 1979.
Joan Buckler Claybrook is an American lawyer and lobbyist who was president of Public Citizen from 1982 to 2009. She also served in the Carter administration as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 1977 to 1981.
John William Middendorf II is a former United States diplomat, Secretary of the Navy, and Republican political operative. He has written numerous books and articles pertaining to politics, security, and history.
Atlas Shrugged: Part I is a 2011 American political science fiction drama film directed by Paul Johansson. An adaptation of part of the philosopher Ayn Rand's 1957 novel of the same name, the film is the first in a trilogy encompassing the entire book. After various treatments and proposals floundered for nearly 40 years, investor John Aglialoro initiated production in June 2010. The film was directed by Paul Johansson and stars Taylor Schilling as Dagny Taggart and Grant Bowler as Hank Rearden.
The Woodhull Freedom Foundation, also known as Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, is an American non-profit organization founded in 2003 that advocates for sexual freedom as a fundamental human right. The organization is based in Washington, D.C., United States. Named after an influential member of the American woman's suffrage movement, Victoria Woodhull, its focus includes analyzing groups and individuals that seek to perpetuate a culture of sexual repression.
The Century Foundation is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy research institution. Its staff, fellows, and authors produce books, reports, papers, pamphlets, and online publications. The Foundation also hosts policy-related events and workshops for various audiences, including policy experts, journalists, college students and other academics, and the general public. It also manages several ongoing policy projects and operates a number of websites on various policy-related topics.
Lourdes Lopez is a Cuban-American ballet company artistic director of Miami City Ballet and former principal dancer of New York City Ballet. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation. She received the prestigious Dance Magazine Award in 2018.
Atlas Shrugged is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. It is her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing. She described the theme of Atlas Shrugged as "the role of man's mind in existence" and it includes elements of science fiction, mystery and romance. The book explores a number of philosophical themes from which Rand would subsequently develop Objectivism, including reason, property rights, individualism, libertarianism, and capitalism, and depicts what Rand saw as the failures of governmental coercion. Of Rand's works of fiction, it contains her most extensive statement of her philosophical system.
Rosemarie Greco began her career in the financial services industry as a bank-branch secretary; rising to be one of the highest-ranking woman in banking in the United States. She is currently co-chairwoman of VISION 2020, a national initiative for women's economic and social equality that works with affiliated organizations to advance issues important to women.
John Aglialoro is an American businessman and film producer. He is an entrepreneur who has owned and operated a variety of businesses, primarily in the health and fitness industries, as chairman and co-founder of UM Holdings Ltd. of Haddonfield, New Jersey. Owner of the movie rights to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Aglialoro is CEO of Atlas Distribution, which he founded to distribute films using the technology developed to bring Rand's best-selling novel to the screen.
Atlas Shrugged: Part II is a 2012 American drama film based on the 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged by the philosopher Ayn Rand. It is the second installment in the Atlas Shrugged film series and the first sequel to the 2011 film Atlas Shrugged: Part I, continuing the story where its predecessor left off. Directed by John Putch, the film stars Samantha Mathis, Jason Beghe, Esai Morales, Patrick Fabian, Kim Rhodes, Richard T. Jones, and D. B. Sweeney. The film was released on October 12, 2012.
Harmon Kaslow is a licensed attorney and motion picture producer. Along with John Aglialoro, Kaslow produced a trilogy of movies based on the Ayn Rand novel titled "Atlas Shrugged" including Atlas Shrugged: Part I and Atlas Shrugged: Part II and Atlas Shrugged: Part III. Prior to producing the Atlas Shrugged movies, Kaslow was an executive at A-Mark Entertainment, Kismet Entertainment Group and an associate at Shea & Gould, an international law firm.
Phyllis M. Wise is a biomedical researcher. Most recently, she is serving as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer and President of Colorado Longitudinal Study.
Joan Friedman became the first woman to serve as a rabbi in Canada in 1980, when she was appointed as an Assistant Rabbi at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. Her appointment was followed shortly after by that of Elyse Goldstein as Assistant Rabbi from 1983-1986; Goldstein has been called the first female rabbi in Canada, but that is incorrect.
Patricia E. Bovey LL.D, DCL, D.LITT, FRSA, FCMA, FDFS has contributed to the Canadian cultural scene as an advocate, museologist, gallery director and curator, professor and as a member of the country’s highest legislative body the Senate. She is an art historian from Manitoba who is a champion of the visual arts.
Barbara Stripling is an American librarian and is the President of the Freedom to Read Foundation, a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association. Stripling served as president of the American Library Association from 2013 to 2014. During her term as president, she stressed that "Libraries Change Lives."
Alpha Alexander was co-founder of the Black Women in Sport Foundation.
