Amar Bakshi: A documentary video and social theory enthusiast who spent a year exploring how people around the world view the United States, Amar’s work for The Washington Post and Newsweek has sent him around the world to India, Pakistan, Israel, Turkey, the Philippines and Venezuela.

Sentell Freday Barnes: Active in politics since 1998, Sentell served a U.S. Governor, U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative, in addition to volunteering for numerous Republican political campaigns, and currently is a policy analyst for the American Bankers Association’s Card Policy Council.  

Jose Castellanos: A 13-year veteran of the police force, Jose serves as Sergeant in the Los Angeles Police Department and aims to build racial tolerance, equality and understanding through gang violence prevention. He is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute and was recently accepted to the West Point Leadership School.

Marcia Chatelain: Currently a professor at the University of Oklahoma Honours College, Marcia has worked at an NGO committed to West African women living in the UK and was named a Harry S. Truman Scholar while completing a fellowship at the University of California-Santa Barbara’s Department of Black Studies.

Zadi Diaz: Producer, writer and host of EPIC-FU, an award-winning online Web series about pop culture on the Internet, and co-founder of Smashface Productions, Zadi is a pioneer in the new media community whose expertise has been sought after by NPR, SXSW and NAB.

Biagio Dull: Building on his eight years of aerospace and optical telecommunications experience, Biagio, a California native, aims to create opportunities to expand and develop green technology.  

Rebecca Fletcher: An author and activist for economic justice, Rebecca raises awareness about the economic disparities and injustice inherent in private land ownership through her work at a small, national non-profit, Equity Trust.

Kristopher Harrison: Kristopher is Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State’s Counsellor Eliot Cohen. He has advised the Secretary of State and Undersecretary of Defence and served as the Secretary of Defence's top policy aide for the Caucasus and Central Asia. He co-founded the Hamilton Group, an organisation promoting entrepreneurship in North Africa and Central Asia.  

Molly Hellerman: After directing youth-based NGOs and working in financial services, Molly leads SportsChallenge Alliance, an NGO that uses athletics as a tool to develop and empower student leaders from diverse backgrounds to positively impact their teams, schools and communities.

Pauline Herrera: Named one of the Colorado Statesman's "50 for the Future," Pauline currently directs communications and marketing for the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs and previously held a similar position for the Museo de las Américas (Museum of the Americas).  

Noel A. Hidalgo : A self-described “international blender repairman,” Noel helps run two non-profits: Not An Alternative, Inc., a production company working with cultural producers, theorists, activists and adventure seekers; and RemixAmerica.org., a home for remix and mashup artists.

Joe Hurd: A start-up executive at VideoEgg, Inc., Joe also runs the Katama Group, advising consumer-facing internet and mobile content companies. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies.  

Nicholas Hu: Creator of De Novo Technologies, Inc., a start-up company focused on innovating and commercializing new medical technology, Nicholas also is an academic tutor for Blue Jay Academies, a company he co-founded.

Jeff Johnson: Named by Source Magazine as one of the hip-hop generation’s key political players, Jeff has travelled around the world to interview political figures and highlight social issues as a TV host and correspondent for Black Entertainment Television (BET). He now hosts “The Truth with Jeff Johnson,” a weekly BET show.

David Kirby : David serves as Executive Director of America’s Future Foundation, a networking organisation for young libertarian and conservative leaders, and as a researcher with the Cato Institute. A study he co-authored about the importance of the libertarian vote sparked coverage in leading U.S. press outlets.

Shawn Renee Lent: Shawn Renee is an arts manager, choreographer and dance educator committed to community-based dance and educational reform. A former youth worker and dance critic in London, Shawn Renee currently works for the Center for Community Arts Partnerships at Columbia College Chicago.  

Daryl Niemerow: In addition to serving 28,000 children every day in 180 public elementary schools in Los Angeles through LA’s BEST, an after-school enrichment programme, Daryl’s efforts to facilitate community partnerships are bringing local and national exposure to her organisation.

Arturo Ortega: As an instructional aide, teacher, assistant principal, principal and current assistant superintendent in a California school district, Arturo has worked in the educational field for the last seventeen years.

Zeenat Rahman: In partnership with national Muslim organisations, Zeenat has promoted civic engagement and healthy integration amongst Muslim youth. She currently works for an international non-profit to build mutual respect and pluralism among religiously diverse young people.

Azita Ranjbar: Azita, who currently works on criminal law and transitional justice issues in Afghanistan for the U.S. Institute of Peace, has conducted research in Afghanistan on international development as well as on women's peace-building initiatives in Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Maria Repnikova: With a passion for understanding migration patterns, Maria studies comparative government, human rights, global governance and international policy at Oxford University, with a focus on China and Russia.

Roey Rosenblith: While Roey currently runs one of Sen. Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign offices, he previously helped design and disseminate innovative agro-processing devices for farmers in the developing world and founded a company in Uganda that will implement a Clean Development Mechanism project.

Reihan Salam : Co-author of “Grand New Party,” Associate Editor of The Atlantic and a fellow at the New America Foundation, Reihan previously worked for NBC News, The New York Times, the Council on Foreign Relations and The New Republic.

Stephanie Schierholz: A NASA public affairs specialist specifically assigned to NASA's efforts to return to the moon and travel to Mars and beyond, Stephanie also serves as secretary of Women in Aerospace.

Kimberly Shaw: Former Presidential Management Fellow, Kimberly is a newly commissioned Reserve Junior Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard working for the Commander of U.S. Southern Command. She managed a federally funded grant programme in national security studies at her alma mater and analyzed Chile and Argentina for the U.S. Southern Command.

David Travers: Recipient of the Secretary of Defence's Award for Outstanding Public Service, David served as executive assistant to the National Security Advisor in the White House and currently works as an associate at an early stage venture capital firm.  

Charmian Love: Charmian serves as chief operating officer of an organisation that helps corporations and social enterprises develop and scale market-based solutions to social and environmental challenges.  

Maggie MacDonald: A politically active author and international musician, Maggie served as a former candidate and election planner for the New Democratic Party and recently helped develop an online community to help Canadians reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Peter MacLeod: Peter’s innovative consulting firm works with governments and corporations to deepen and improve their public engagement. He also lectures at Denmark’s Kaospilots School of Business Design and Social Innovation.

Cheryl Matthew: A senior policy analyst with Canada’s federal government, Cheryl previously founded the Centre for Native Policy and Research and started a consulting company for Aboriginal research, policy analysis, facilitation and project management.  

Sophia Bokhari: As a writer, lecturer and research fellow at INLOGOV, School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham, Sophia focuses on child poverty, cultural identity and the socialisation processes of new communities.  

Stuart Brady: After serving as an international trade policy expert and working in the European Parliament and in the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, Stuart now helps the Confederation of British Industry encourage international businesses to act on climate change.

Terry Canning: Founder of an award-winning online herd management service, FarmWizard.com, Terry has also developed and led information technology projects for global businesses such as Nortel Networks and BT.

Anita Clark : With 16 years of dance development experience gathered while working in Scotland and England, Anita now serves as Head of Dance at the Scottish Arts Council, where she develops and delivers a strategy for dance in Scotland.  

Alexander Evans: Alexander divides his time between Oxford and Pakistan, serving as a Gwilym Gibbon Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, and as a British diplomat in Pakistan. He grew up in Cyprus, Nigeria, Germany, Greece and Dorset, has worked in New Delhi, Washington, D.C, and Afghanistan, and has served as a commentator for BBC World and CNN.

Simon Fell: With an emphasis on good governance in London, transportation and community cohesion, Simon established a public affairs company and co-founded a London-focused think tank, both of which focus on cross-party solutions and bipartisanship.

Ryan Gawn : Currently managing international advocacy issues for Save the Children-UK, Ryan has worked with the Scottish Parliament, British Foreign Commonwealth Office, European Parliament, the UN and a Northern Irish public affairs consultancy. He was previously a Salzburg and Rotary World Peace Fellow.

Alison Goldsworthy : Working for one of the UK’s largest charities, Alison manages campaigns and has helped pioneer an innovative commitment to grassroots activism. Previously she worked in the National Assembly, the Houses of Parliament and for several non-profit organisations.

Roshni Hafeez : Following work for BBC Radio Scotland and various community radio stations throughout India and Pakistan, Roshni is now a development officer for Glasgow Equalities Partnership (GEP). She is also a management board member for “Sensing Change,” a project supporting sensory impaired people who have issues with drug and alcohol abuse.

Bethan Jenkins : As the youngest elected Assembly Member for South Wales, Bethan currently sits on the Equal Opportunities Committee and is the Plaid Cymru Spokesperson on Child Poverty, and brings a passion for international affairs, women’s rights, asylum matters and other social causes to the Assembly.

Steven Kidd: Steven manages communications and policy for the Scottish Youth Parliament and has helped establish the organisation as the premier route to engagement with young people in Scotland. He has facilitated events from Nigeria to Bangladesh and has been involved in several policy groups.

Sarah-Jane King: After working for the European Commission, the Regional Development Agency and as a not-for-profit employment law caseworker, Sarah-Jane currently directs the North East England Office in Brussels, where she represents her home region to EU institutions.

Andrew Kneale: After working in education, Andrew now serves as the Transatlantic Project Coordinator for the British Council in Washington, D.C., where he assists in the development of Transatlantic Network 2020 and coordinates the project in North America.

Anisa Nawaz: As the diversity initiatives officer with Valleys Race Equality Council, Anisa works with people disenfranchised by their minority status, helping to empower them to influence public policy and participate in community affairs.

Jennifer Neff: Jennifer challenges companies to improve their impact on society and the environment. She supports female entrepreneurs in working with Women in Enterprise and oversees the youth development efforts of twenty-six credit unions.

Mark Pollock: Having become blind in a two week period, Mark rapidly learned how to adapt to changing circumstances. Now, he delivers lectures, pursues research into resilience, creativity and innovation and competes in extreme sports events.

Neil Simms: As director of finance for Clarendon Fund Managers Ltd., Neil oversees investments and represents the funds under management’s interests on the boards of four portfolio companies.

Anjula Singh: Initially a BBC studio manager, Anjula now serves as the operations manager for the Eurasia region of World Service, working on products like Production House of the Future and Persian TV.

Annas Abedin: During his studies, Annas was a fellow of two German academic organisations. He has interned in a wide range of industries in different countries, including investment banking in Dubai, consulting in Germany and telecom in France, and is now pursuing doctoral studies in Islamic finance and Muslim consumer behaviour at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

Herbert Grieshop: After working for the U.S. Embassy in Berlin and Berliner Festspiele, the city’s largest cultural festival, Herbert leads the British Council’s Competitive Europe Programme in Germany.

Boris Moshkovits: While serving as project director of the Russian Jewish Museum in Moscow, Boris concurrently publishes an international culture magazine, and remains active in youth counselling and cultural affairs within the Jewish community.

Victoria B. Robinson: A writer, poet, activist, blogger and founding member of the Black European Women's Council, Victoria conducts talks, lectures and seminars about the representation of Black people in German media.

Arn Sauer: An activist and artist in the Berlin and Montreal transgender and queer communities, Arn also serves as a research associate for a Montreal university, with current research comparing gender equality policy tools in Canada and Europe and exploring the potential for diversity analysis as part of gender impact assessment in (post)modern policy analysis.

Rabah Ghezali: Rabah came to the United States to work with a variety of international organizations, including the IMF and the French Mission to the United States, as well as the government of Ohio – while serving as an occasional lecturer in French at Ohio State University.

Gabriella Kessler: A French-American documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York, Gabriella’s thesis film about the effects of the Argentine dictatorship in the 1970s on a single family living in Buenos Aires received a nomination for a Royal Television Society Award.

Olivier Laboulle: Olivier has taught German to foreign prisoners and has written for the Young European Federalists’ Webzine. Today he coordinates UNESCO’s contributions to the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development.

Camille Solal: Actress, writer and communications adviser, Camille works with artists, businessmen, employees, lawyers and accountants on projects related to writing as well as stage and screen acting.

Michael Arvanitis: Michael runs the Greek division of a pan-European association that promotes science and technology in Europe, serves as a Greek Ministry of Development expert and is a member of the Work Programme Committee at the EU for the FP7 thematic “Science in Society.”

Yasmine Abou Mansour: After working in Lebanon with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Ministry of Information, and local NGOs, Yasmine now builds bridges between the transatlantic community and the Middle East on peace and security issues through her work at NATO Headquarters.  

Ioanna Fratzeskaki: In addition to ongoing public affairs consulting at Interel, Ioanna helped to develop the Halki International Conferences, a policy network for the promotion of political dialogue and stability in the Mediterranean region.

Evi Papatheodorou: In addition to developing media training methodologies, Evi works for an NGO where she has managed national and transnational projects for non-privileged people, including migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and those affected by child trafficking.

Mary Fitzgerald: Currently specializing in issues pertaining to the Islamic world for the Irish Times, Mary is the first Irish journalist to be awarded the prestigious Lawrence Stern Fellowship at The Washington Post.

Kensika Monshengwo: A trainer and resource officer for the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI), Kensika’s interest in acting has led him to incorporate drama and role playing into his work.

Regina O'Connor: After spending time at the Middle East Desk of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for External Relations and as an Irish Delegate in the Enlargement Working Group during the EU’s Irish Presidency, Regina now serves as political and legal advisor in the European Parliament.

Maire O’Neill: The 2007 British Female Inventor of the Year and a recent recipient of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Leadership Fellowship, Maire leads the cryptography research group at the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) at Queen’s University, Belfast.

Sara Callegari: A former Rotary Ambassadorial scholar and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs fellow, Sara has worked in the development sectors in Morocco, Switzerland, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She currently coordinates development projects for Latin American countries.

Alessandro Fusacchia:  The ghost co-writer of Italian Prime Minster Romano Prodi’s book on his tenure as the European Commission president, Alessandro is now a member of  the G8 Sherpa Office working on the Italian Presidency of the G8 in 2009 and was previously a member of cabinet of Emma Bonino, former Italian Minister for European Affairs and International Trade.

Francesco Galtieri:  Francesco manages a global e-network on UN Reform and coordinates policy advisors implementing UN Reform in Africa. Also an author, he writes on chemical and biological disarmament in the Mediterranean region.

Emiliano Tornese: Fulbright Fellow Emiliano clerked for a European Court of Justice judge, worked in the President of the European Commission’s Cabinet and conducted research for the UN. He currently advises organisations on investing in the United States and in Europe.    

Samir Bantal: An architect currently working as a property director at Blauwhoed in Rotterdam, Samir previously was an architect and researcher for the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. He also serves as co-editor for the next four editions of the Dutch Annual Architecture Yearbook.

Marietje Schaake: With a specialization in diversity, integration and Islam in the West, Marietje has worked in the Netherlands with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights designing and organising meetings, conferences, and programmes, as well as advising on long-term strategies.

David van Veenendaal: After serving in the Royal Dutch Navy, David studied law and later interned in Washington, D.C., where he conducted research on (de-)radicalization in the West.  His recent studies focus on international security.

Alexander Vinnikov: At NATO Headquarters, Alexander enhances co-operation with Central Asian states bordering Afghanistan and oversees efforts to fight terrorism. For the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, he helped define and implement an approach to security in Central Asia by focusing on democratisation and human rights.

Zakir Karim: Co-founder of two organisations that promote dialogue between Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Hindus and others, Zakir also sits on the Lisbon Islamic Community’s board, serves as President of the Islamic Youth and is a member of “Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow.”

Paulo Mendes: A writer/author, Paulo is a columnist for the daily Açoriano Oriental and in 2007 published The Atlantic Island Bridge, a book about the Cape Verde community in the Azores.

João Meneses: A former financial director of an NGO where training, animation and social intervention are linked through performing and modern circus arts, João also has been a columnist for a financial daily newspaper and founder of an NGO focused on social innovation.

Razvan Crisan: Working with the creative industries of architecture, advertising, cinema, design, music and research and development, Razvan aims to establish Romania as the regional centre for creativity and innovation.

Dragos Pislaru:  With expertise in regional development and regional/cohesion policy in Romania and the EU, Dragos is the General Manager for GEA Strategy & Consulting SA which aims to support research, development and innovation in Europe.

Janina Trotea: A founding member of the International Advertising Association for Young Professionals in Romania, Janina is a specialist in communication for Coca-Cola HBC Romania. She is also the former vice president of Students’ International Forum, one of Europe’s largest interdisciplinary student associations.

Elena Blanque: After studying law at the Universidad Autonoma in Madrid and working in the arts, Elena was elected the Denver University International Ambassador for Leadership and currently is an international tax consultant at Deloitte Tax LLP.  

Victoria Martín: A Spanish journalist and Fulbright Scholar, Victoria currently works for the press department of the Spanish Socialist Delegation to the European Parliament.

Angela Perez Brunete: An avid art fan who established an art association in 2005, Angela works on behalf of the Madrid City Council’s Department of International Strategy.

Álvaro Vermoet: Online columnist Álvaro chairs a nationwide conservative and libertarian association and belongs to the Spanish National Education Council, the Autonomous University’s Board and of the Conservative People’s Party youth organisation’s Board in Madrid.

Yesim Akcollu: A senior energy expert actively involved in the liberalization and shaping of Turkey’s new energy policies and laws, Yesim has represented Turkey on energy and competition issues at the EU, WTO, OECD and UN Conference on Trade and Development. She previously worked at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and OIES in Oxford, England.

Mustafa Akyol: A Turkish journalist and author who has written extensively on Islam and the modern world, Mustafa currently serves as an opinion editor and columnist for Turkish Daily News and the Turkish national daily, Star.

Suat Seyitoğlu: A deputy governor in Diyarbakır of Turkey, Suat received degrees in economics, political sciences, attended the War Academy and graduated from the UK’s University of Sheffield.

Bernardo Altamirano Rodriquez: Bernardo has worked extensively on the relationship between government and civil society, in addition to serving at the office of Mexican Representation to the EU, the Chamber of Deputies and currently leading the Federal Network of Citizen Services at the Mexican President’s office.

Cristina Ballí: Cristina, a cultural manager in the Texas-Mexico border region at the Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center, led efforts to develop a cultural tourism programme, worked as a radio producer for a public radio station and currently teaches audio production.  

Juan Esteban Gutiérrez: Following his role within the President of Mexico’s office, Juan now helps  NGOs play a more significant role in creating a new Mexican culture of social responsibility based on rights and obligations.  

Fernando de la Mora: After supporting youth engagement programmes and running the International Relations Students Association, Fernando serves as the youngest diplomat in the Mexican Foreign Service, and is currently posted on the U.S.-Mexico border as Consul in El Paso.