Corporations & Associations

Ken Jennings, Jeopardy! co-host, greatest Jeopardy! player of all time and APB speaker, has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host. Also nominated is fellow co-host Mayim Bialik. The Television Academy announced the nominees on July 12.

APB Speaker and STEM Advocate Justin “Mr. Fascinate” Shaifer recently returned to Detroit as a student mentor for the “Discover the Unexpected” HBCU internship program. It’s his third year participating in the program.

Juneteenth (short for June 19th) marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans throughout Texas learned that they were free—news that took approximately two months after the Confederate surrender of the Civil War and two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation to reach them.  As our nation recognizes the legacy of Juneteenth during a time of heightened consciousness over pervasive racism and persecution in our nation, we urge everyone to continue to do their part in igniting change.

Named both "America's Historian" and one of "Hollywood's 25 Most Powerful Authors," Brad Meltzer has now earned a reputation as one of our top speakers for corporations, organizations and associations. Known for working closely with clients, speaking authentically from the heart and infusing humor and insights into engaging, highly motivational narratives, he has received standing ovations from audiences ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

APB speaker Heather Abbott, Boston Marathon bombing survivor and amputee, was recently featured on the Today show reflecting on the 10^th anniversary of the horrific tragedy. On April 15, 2013, what is referred to as Marathon Monday in Boston, Abbott of Newport, R.I. set out on an annual tradition with six friends. They would attend the Red Sox game, followed by a walk over to the finish line to watch the runners. Abbott would never have dreamed this day would change her life forever.

Debra Lee, former CEO of BET Networks and an APB speaker, has just released her new memoir, I Am Debra Lee. One of the few Black women to achieve the position of a chief executive in corporate America, Lee shares her remarkable journey from a girl raised in the segregated South to leading the first Black company traded on the New York Stock Exchange and how she juggled social responsibility while managing a company targeted toward the Black community. And as she has done for the majority of her life, Lee also offers lots of advice along the way.

Iranian Activist and APB Speaker Masih Alinejad was recently named by Time magazine as one of its 2023 Women of the Year. Alinejad was selected along with 11 others who Time says are "using their voices to fight for a more equal world."

In 2016, Tim Urban, author and creator of the wildly popular blog, Wait But Why, looked at American society and knew something was off. Political tribalism was on the rise, anger was overflowing on social media and productive discussions seemed impossible. Why was everything such a mess? Why was everyone acting like babies? When did things get so tribal? Why do humans do this stuff?

Named a Top 100 Global Thinker by Foreign Policy, Vaclav Smil is an acclaimed author, scholar and thought leader who has quickly become one of APB's most requested speakers of 2023. Having spent his career exploring new ground in the fields of energy, environment, food production, technical innovation, risk assessment and public policy, he is a larger-than-life figure in scientific discussions around our society’s response to climate change—especially the potential of energy transitions.

Experts in their fields, these voices lead the charge in supporting environmental protection.