Most people think they know American history. Greg Jackson is not so sure.

A historian, professor, and creator of the hit podcast History That Doesn’t Suck!, Jackson has built a following by challenging familiar narratives and making the past feel urgent again. His work extends well beyond the classroom, from his live stage show The Unlikely Union, which has sold out theaters nationwide, to appearances on HISTORY Channel and National Geographic.

Jackson brings real scholarship without the distance that usually comes with it. As a tenured professor and America 250 Professor at Utah Valley University, his work is grounded in primary sources, but his delivery is built for audiences who want clarity, not lectures. His forthcoming book, Been There, Done That, continues that approach, using history to show what people have actually navigated before.

On stage, Jackson focuses on the moments where things could have gone differently. He draws a direct line between past decisions and the pressures leaders face now, giving audiences a sharper way to think about the present.

Few leaders have had a closer view of how global power is shifting than David Lammy. One of the UK’s most senior statesmen, Lammy served as Foreign Secretary during a period of extraordinary geopolitical upheaval, helping steer British diplomacy through crises in the Middle East and deepening support for Ukraine while navigating a changing relationship with the United States.

From the UK’s reset with Europe to the challenges posed by China and Iran, Lammy has been at the table as governments confront a more volatile world order. His relationships across the Atlantic and beyond give him an unusually global perspective on the decisions shaping international affairs.

On stage, Lammy brings audiences inside the rooms where consequential decisions are made. Drawing on more than two decades at the center of British public life, he offers an authoritative perspective on shifting global power and what geopolitical disruption means for leaders navigating uncertainty.

What do you learn about power when you’ve seen it from inside the White House, the Pentagon, and the national media? Alyssa Farah Griffin has had a front-row seat to how consequential decisions get made, communicated, and challenged at the highest levels. The only person to have served as the top spokesperson for the President, Vice President, and Secretary of Defense in a single administration, she has navigated national security crises, advised senior leaders under extraordinary pressure, and communicated when every word carried weight.

Now, as a co-host of The View and CNN Political Commentator, Farah Griffin brings that insider experience to the conversations shaping America today. With candor, perspective, and a willingness to engage across differences, she takes audiences beyond the headlines to explore how power really works, what leadership demands when the stakes are highest, and how we can find a way forward in an increasingly divided world.

Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro is a distinguished diplomat and foreign policy expert with over two decades of experience in senior U.S. government positions. Most recently, he was the top Middle East policy official at the Pentagon, serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, where he coordinated the Department of Defense's response to the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks and the multi-front war that followed. 

Shapiro served as U.S. Ambassador to Israel for over five years during the Obama Administration. Under President Biden, prior to joining the Pentagon, he was the U.S. State Department's Senior Adviser on Middle East Regional Integration, the first senior official dedicated to expanding the Abraham Accords. His government tenure has also included two tours of service on the National Security Council. 

In addition to his government service, Ambassador Shapiro served as a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, where he spearheaded the N7 Initiative focused on regional integration and as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. He has spoken to groups such as AIPAC, Tablet Magazine, UC Berkley, and more. A sought-after speaker and media commentator, Ambassador Shapiro engages global audiences on critical issues concerning U.S. foreign policy and the Middle East.

When the rules of global trade are being rewritten, Kirsten Hillman is in the room.

As Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, she managed one of the world’s most important economic relationships through volatility, political turnover, and shifting trade doctrine. Trusted across party lines, she became a steady hand in Washington at a time when stability was anything but guaranteed.

She helped shape major international agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and played a key role in delivering USMCA—one of the most closely watched trade negotiations in recent history.

On stage, she breaks down what global uncertainty actually means for leaders, offering a clear, experience-backed view of how to navigate risk, protect partnerships, and make decisions when the landscape keeps changing.

The world's biggest geopolitical surprises are rarely surprises. We just fail to see the forces driving them.

For decades, Karim Sadjadpour has helped leaders understand the ideologies, ambitions, and historical forces shaping global affairs long before they dominate the headlines. One of the world's foremost experts on Iran and the Middle East, his work goes beyond explaining governments and conflicts. It reveals how power is built, how leaders think, and why seemingly distant events often have profound consequences for global markets, international security, and American foreign policy. Whether advising policymakers, analyzing world events for CNN, or writing award-winning essays for Foreign Affairs and The Atlantic, Sadjadpour has become one of the most trusted interpreters of a rapidly changing world.

He equips audiences to think like strategists, not news consumers. With historical firsthand regional expertise and sharp analysis, Sadjadpour helps organizations make sense of an era defined by geopolitical uncertainty, rising authoritarianism, and shifting global alliances. Audiences leave with a clearer understanding not only of today's headlines, but of the forces that will shape tomorrow's.

From a family ranch in Colorado's San Luis Valley to the Cabinet Room, the U.S. Senate, and the ambassador's residence in Mexico City, Ken Salazar has spent a lifetime helping shape America's future.

A fifth-generation Coloradan whose family has lived in the American Southwest for more than four centuries, Salazar brings a worldview shaped by deep personal roots and decades of public service. As U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Secretary of the Interior, and U.S. Senator, he worked at the center of some of the defining issues shaping North America, including immigration, border security, energy, trade, and economic opportunity. His forthcoming book, Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America, reflects his lifelong commitment to building stronger connections across communities and across borders.

Drawing on a career spent navigating complex challenges across government, diplomacy, and business, Salazar helps audiences understand the forces reshaping the United States and its relationship with Mexico. He offers a thoughtful perspective on leadership, public service, the opportunities that emerge when people work across divides, and on the urgent need for a New American Alliance.

Jack Lew is a distinguished attorney, diplomat, and policymaker with a remarkable career spanning both public service and the private sector. As the 76th Secretary of the Treasury (2013–2017) and United States Ambassador to Israel, Lew played a pivotal role in shaping global economic policy and U.S. foreign relations. He also served as White House Chief of Staff (2012–2013) and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under both the Clinton and Obama administrations.

Lew’s extensive experience extends beyond government service. Prior to 2010, Lew served as managing director and chief operating officer for two different Citigroup business units. Lew was tapped by Citigroup for his work as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of New York​ University, where he was responsible for budget, finance, and operations, and served as a professor of public administration. From 2004 through 2008, Lew served on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service and chaired its Management, Administration, and Governance Committee. As Special Assistant to President Clinton from 1993 to 1994, Mr. Lew helped design Americorps, the national service program.

Lew began his career in Washington in 1973 as a legislative aide. From 1979 to 1987, he was a principal domestic policy advisor to House Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr, when he served the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee as Assistant Director and then Executive Director. He was the Speaker's liaison to the Greenspan Commission, which negotiated a bipartisan solution to extend the solvency of Social Security in 1983, and he was responsible for domestic and economic issues, including Medicare, budget, tax, trade, appropriations, and energy issues. With deep expertise in public finance, policy, and international relations, Lew offers invaluable insights into leadership, economic strategy, and governance, making him an ideal speaker for audiences seeking perspectives on global economics and public service.