In The News

Longtime University President and APB Speaker Dr. Freeman Hrabowski was recently honored for his three decades of work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) with a feature story in The New York Times. 

Olga Custodio, America’s First Latina Fighter Pilot, STEM Advocate and APB Speaker, will receive the 2022 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) during the 35th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards on Sept. 30.  The historic program, which was created by the White House to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America, is among the highest honors by Latinos for Latinos and supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions.  

Emmy Award-Winning Television Host, Journalist and APB speaker Samantha Harris was recently named host of Game Show Network's wordplay game show, Tug Of Words. This is the second season of the popular show, which is scheduled to return this fall. 

One of APB’s most important speakers and a true friend to all of us has passed away. Mikhail Gorbachev, Nobel Laureate and Former President of the Soviet Union, died in Moscow at the age of 91. 

Every day, teachers prove to their students that they are POSSIBLE. To help you keep on keeping on, we’re providing a link below for you to download the teaching guide for Dr. Richard White’s critically acclaimed book I'm Possible: A Story of Survival, a Tuba and the Small Miracle of a Big Dream (out in paperback 10/4/22). Now is the time to schedule Dr. White to do an in-person presentation for your faculty and staff during the upcoming school year. He will lead faculty and staff through each element of the teaching guide and he’ll throw in a tuba solo!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. The past year has posed a challenge to just about everything and breast cancer prevention is no exception. Since 1985, individuals, businesses and communities have come together every October to show their support for the many people affected by breast cancer. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a time to reflect, give back or even celebrate. Consider one of following speakers to inspire with a hope-filled message at your October event.

August 26 of each year marks the celebration of Women’s Equality Day. This special day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote nationally. Congress made this day official in 1971 as a national day celebrating  the importance of the women’s suffrage movement and the work to secure and expand equal rights today. Many of our speakers have played a vital role in the pursuit of a gender-equal world and continue to challenge us to be more alert, informed and become catalysts for change. Check out some of our top inspirational, trailblazing female voices: 

Mike Hayes, former Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO, Author of Never Enough and APB Speaker, was recently featured in an article in Fast Company on decision-making. Hayes, along with Ryan Angold, former Navy SEAL and CEO of ADS, Inc., shared three steps Navy SEALS use to make the right choices. The pair said they use the same framework for any decision, from the mundane to a life-or-death choice. It includes collecting information, deciding a timeline for the decision, and reassessing and course correction if necessary, the article says.  

Emmy Award winner and bestselling author Sonia Manzano examines the impact of the 1959 Cuban Revolution on four children from very different walks of life in her latest book—Coming Up Cuban: Rising Past Castro’s Shadow, which was released this week. This is the eighth book for Manzano, who is also an APB exclusive speaker and is best known as “Maria” from Sesame Street. It is published by Scholastic Press. 

Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that APB speakers Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings will become permanent hosts for the syndicated quiz show Jeopardy! The pair have been filling in temporarily since the death of longtime host Alex Trebek in November 2020 and will continue splitting their hosting duties.