Ruth Gruber †
Ruth Gruber †
Journalist, photographer, humanitarian
Ruth Gruber became the youngest Ph.D. in the world before going on to become an international foreign correspondent and photojournalist at age 24. By 1936, Ruth was in the Soviet Union reporting for The New York Herald Tribune; by 1941, she was filing reports from Alaska for Harold L. Ickes, Roosevelt’s Secretary of the Interior, describing its suitability for homesteading soldiers. During World War II and its aftermath, she secretly escorted Holocaust refugees to America in 1944 and documented the attack on the refugee boat Exodus by the British in 1947.
Continuing her journalistic travel, she worked as a foreign correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune, writing about each new wave of immigrants into Israel, including the Iraqis, Yemenites, Romanians, Russians and Ethiopians. She also wrote a popular column for Hadassah Magazine, called “Diary of an American Housewife.” Ruth Gruber has received many awards for her writing and humanitarian acts, including the Na’amat Golda Meir Human Rights Award and awards from the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance. She has written 18 books, and most recently was the subject of the documentary Ahead of Time.
She passed away at the age of 105 on November 17th, 2016.
The Common Good honored Ruth Gruber with the American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism at the The American Spirit Awards 2011.
Ann Curry
Ann Curry
American television personality, news journalist, photojournalist
Ann Curry is an American television personality, news journalist, and photojournalist. In June 2012, she became the Today show’s anchor-at-large and NBC News’ national/international correspondent. She was previously co-host of Today from June 9, 2011 to June 28, 2012, and the program’s news anchor from March 1997 until becoming co-host. She was also the anchor of Dateline NBC from 2005 to 2011.
In 1990, Curry joined NBC News, first as the NBC News Chicago correspondent then as the anchor of NBC News at Sunrise from 1991 to 1996. Curry also served as a substitute news anchor for Matt Lauer from 1994 to 1997 at Today. From 1997 to 2011, she served as news anchor at Today. In May 2005, Curry was named co-anchor of Dateline NBC with Stone Phillips; she remained as the primary anchor when Phillips left in June 2007 until she replaced Meredith Vieira on Today in 2011. Curry replaced Meredith Vieira as co-host of Today on June 9, 2011.
On June 28, 2012, Curry announced that she was leaving the Today show. Her title has been changed to Today show anchor-at-large and NBC News national/international correspondent. Her responsibilities include leading a seven-person unit producing content for NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, Rock Center with Brian Williams and Today, with occasional anchor duties for Nightly News. In January 2018, Curry came back to television with a 6-part PBS series called “We’ll meet again”.
The Common Good hosted Curry in February of 2011: The American Spirit Awards 2011, Elle: How to Be Awesome at 100, and Manhattan Society: The Common Good's Tribute to Ruth Gruber.
Twitter: @AnnCurry
Catherine Crier
Catherine Crier
Journalist, Texas State judge
Catherine Crier is an award winning journalist and the youngest Texas State Judge to ever be elected. She joined Court TV’s distinguished team of anchors in November 1999. Crier served as Executive Editor, Legal News Specials, in addition to hosting Catherine Crier Live.
Crier began her television career at CNN. She was co-anchor of both Inside Politics and The World Today. Additionally, she hosted Crier & Company. Crier has hosted episodes of Court TV’s signature primetime series The System and numerous other specials such as The Skakel Jury Speaks with Dominick Dunne and Catherine Crier, Osama bin Laden on Trial and Safe Passage: Voices from the Middle School. Prior to joining Court TV, Crier anchored The Crier Report for Fox News Channel. Crier joined FNC after spending three and a half years at ABC News, where she served as a correspondent and as a regular substitute anchor for Peter Jennings on ABC’s World News Tonight, as well as a substitute host for Ted Koppel’s Nightline. Crier was awarded a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism for her work on the segment The Predators, which examined nursing home abuses throughout the United States.
Prior to her accomplished career in television journalism, Crier presided over the 162nd District Court in Dallas County, TX, as a State District Judge. In 1984, she became the youngest elected state judge in Texas history. From 1982 to 1984, Crier was a civil litigation attorney in Dallas. From 1978 to 1981, she was an Assistant District Attorney and Felony Chief Prosecutor for the Dallas County District Attorney’s office.
Crier released her first book, The New York Times bestseller The Case Against Lawyers, in October, 2002. In this eye-opening and plain-spoken treatise on the law, Crier shares her outrage at the state of the justice system and calls on American citizens to demand reform. Her second book, A Deadly Game: The Untold Story of the Scott Peterson Investigation was released in March, 2005 and became a #1 New York Times bestseller. Catherine Crier is now a managing partner in Cajole Entertainment developing television, film and documentary projects.
The Common Good hosted Crier in November 2011: Catherine Crier on “Occupy Wall Street”, and she co-hosted The American Spirit Awards 2011.
Twitter: @CatherineCrier
Dan Abrams
Dan Abrams
American web entrepreneur, television host
Dan Abrams is the Founder of the Abrams Media Network. He was the General Manager of MSNBC from 2006 to 2007, and during his tenure ratings grew by 62%, branding the network “The Place for Politics”. In the four years prior to his management appointment, Dan hosted The Abrams Report, a nightly legal affairs program, and later Verdict with Dan Abrams.
The Abrams Media Network has become one of the nation’s most successful and widely read digital media conglomerates. It includes: Mediaite.com, fashion and style site Styleite.com, Geekosystem.com and Sportsgrid.com. Dan is also the co-founder of Gossipcop.com, the first major website to police the gossip industry for inaccuracies in reporting.
He is the author of Man Down: Proof That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else. His latest book, Theodore Roosevelt for the Defense: The Courtroom Battle to Save His Legacy, was released in May, 2019.
Abrams was hosted by The Common Good in 2010: Election Insurrection: The Mid-Term Elections 2010.
Twitter: @danabrams
Tim Hetherington ✝
Tim Hetherington ✝
British photojournalist
Tim Hetherington, a photographer and filmmaker, was killed while covering the escalating violence in Misrata, Libya at age 40 on April 20th, 2011. At the time of his death, he was working along side three other photographers on the city’s front lines when they came under fire.
As a filmmaker, Hetherington worked as a cameraman, director, and producer. Hetherington was best known for the Oscar nominated 2010 Afghan war documentary, Restrepo, which he produced and co-directed with Sebastian Junger. He also served as producer/director on Channel 4’s Unreported World – Nigeria: Fire in the Delta (2006) and as a cameraman on The Devil Came on Horseback (2007), a documentary about the Sudanese militia attacks on Chad.
His photography career began at the Big Issue, the magazine sold by London’s homeless. From there he moved on to work as a freelance photographer for The Independent and, later on, for magazines like Vanity Fair. In 2007, he was awarded the World Press photo of the year for his portrait of an exhausted US soldier in Korengal. He was also a member of the UN panel of experts on Liberia and worked with the Milton Margai School for the Blind in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The Common Good hosted Hetherington in 2010: Special Screening of Restrepo 2010.
Cynthia McFadden
Cynthia McFadden
Television journalist
Cynthia McFadden is the senior legal and investigative correspondent for NBC News.
Before joining NBC in 2014, she worked for 20 years at ABC News, where she was the co-anchor of ABC News’ Nightline for nearly ten years, having previously served as the network’s legal correspondent and as a correspondent and co-anchor of Primetime. She has reported from around the world including from Rwanda, Bosnia, El Salvador, China, Israel, South Africa, Liberia, India and Sierra Leone. In addition to covering a vast array of legal issues, her work has often focused on human rights most particularly abuses faced by women and children.
Her work has received most of journalism’s highest honors. As part of ABC’s 9/11 reporting team, McFadden received a Dupont Award. For ABC’s Millennium coverage, she reported from Cuba and was part of the team that was awarded a 2000 Emmy, and in 2009 she was awarded an Emmy as part of the 2008 Inauguration coverage. McFadden’s work has also received a Peabody Award (Hurricane Sandy) and an Overseas Press Club Award (abuses in psychiatric hospitals in Mexico), as well as eight CINE Golden Eagle Awards and the Grand Award at the New York Festivals (death row hour) among many other honors. In 2014, she was presented with the prestigious Matrix Award.
McFadden moderated both the discussion after a Special Screening of Restrepo 2010 and a discussion on the The Primaries and the Presidential Election in 2008 at The Common Good.
Cynthia McFadden returned to participate in Recap: Final Presidential Debate Panel on October 23, 2020. Schoen, Bitecofer and McFadden help unpacked what happened during the final Presidential debate.
Twitter: @CynthiaMcFadden
Sebastian Junger
Sebastian Junger
American journalist, author, filmmaker
Sebastian Junger is an Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated director, war journalist, and best-selling author. He has written several books, including The Perfect Storm, A Death in Belmont, and Fire. Junger is acclaimed for his coverage of major international news stories across the world, including in Sierra Leone and Liberia. He has contributed as an editor to Vanity Fair and ABC News, and has received many awards for his endeavors, including the National Magazine Award and the SAIS Novartis Prize for Journalism. His debut as an author proved to be successful, as The Perfect Storm remained on The New York Times best-seller list for more than three years, set sales records, and was picked up by Warner Bros. for a major motion picture.
From 2007 to 2008, Junger, alongside photojournalist Tim Hetherington, joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Korengal. The outcome of their reporting was twofold: the book War, released in May 2010, and Restrepo, a 96-minute documentary. After the death of friend and photographer Tim Hetherington, Junger directed the film Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington. Most recently, following the book and documentary Restrepo, he created Korengal, a film that highlights the experiences of soldiers.
Junger was hosted by The Common Good in 2010: Special Screening of Restrepo 2010.
Twitter: @sebastianjunger
Bill Bradley
the honorable Bill bradley
Former U.S. Senator for New Jersey
Senator Bill Bradley served in the U.S. Senate from 1979 to 1997 representing the state of New Jersey. In 2000, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. He holds a BA degree in American History from Princeton University and an MA degree from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He has authored seven books on American politics, culture and economy. Prior to serving in the Senate, Senator Bradley was an Olympic gold medalist in 1964 and a professional basketball player with the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1977 during which time they won 2 NBA championships. In 1982 he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. (1)
Bradley spoke at a Meet & Greet hosted by The Common Good in 2010.
(1) Material from Bill Bradley’s website.
Rick Goldsmith
rick goldsmith
Screenwriter
Rick Goldsmith is a producer and writer, known for The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009), Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw (2015) and Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press (1996). (1)
Goldsmith spoke alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Judith Ehrlich at a Screening and Discussion of 'The Most Dangerous Man in America' and the Panama Papers at The Common Good in 2010.
Twitter: @rgoldfilm1
(1) Material from IMDb.
Judith Ehrlich
Judith ehrlich
Film director
Judith Ehrlich is a producer and director, known for The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009), The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It (2000) and P.O.V. (1988). (1)
Ehrlich spoke alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Rick Goldsmith at a Screening and Discussion of 'The Most Dangerous Man in America' and the Panama Papers in 2010 at The Common Good.
Twitter: @Ehrlich1Judith
(1) Material from IMDb.
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg
Author, “leaker” of the Pentagon Papers
Daniel Ellsberg worked on the top secret McNamara study of U.S. Decision-making in Vietnam, 1945-1968, which later came to be known as the Pentagon Papers. In 1969, he photocopied the 7,000 page study and gave it to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; in 1971 he gave it to The New York Times, The Washington Post and 17 other newspapers. His trial, on twelve felony counts posing a possible sentence of 115 years, was dismissed in 1973 on grounds of governmental misconduct against him, which led to the convictions of several White House aides and contributed to the impeachment proceedings against President Nixon.
Ellsberg is the author of three books: Papers on the War (1971), Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers (2002), and Risk, Ambiguity and Decision (2001). In December 2006 he was awarded the 2006 Right Livelihood Award, known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” in Stockholm, Sweden, “…for putting peace and truth first, at considerable personal risk, and dedicating his life to inspiring others to follow his example.”
Since the end of the Vietnam War, Ellsberg has been a lecturer, writer and activist on the dangers of the nuclear era, wrongful U.S. interventions, and the urgent need for patriotic whistle-blowing. He is a Senior Fellow of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
Ellsberg spoke alongside Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith at a Screening and Discussion of 'The Most Dangerous Man in America' and the Panama Papers at The Common Good in 2010.
Twitter: @DanielEllsberg
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Jim Miller
Jim Miller
Executive Director for the Brave New Foundation
Jim Miller is the Executive Director for Brave New Foundation. He joined the company when the Foundation was initially formed by putting together the coalition of over 100 groups (including Amnesty International, MoveOn True Majority, and Voters For Peace) to push their unique system of distributuion and house screenings for Iraq For Sale. Since then Jim has strengthened their distribution coalition so that their short videos now get 1.5 million views per month. His film experience began over 20 years ago working on the film Bull Durham and includes being the Director of Development for The Shooting Gallery, an independent film company which produced ‘Sling Blade’ and ‘You Can Count on Me’, and Head of Acquisitions for Cinema Park Distribution.
Stuart Sundlun
Stuart Sundlun
Managing Director of BMB Advisors
Stuart Sundlun is a Managing Director of BMB Advisors, a merchant banking group focusing on the Emerging Markets. In addition to private equity, BMB has created ShARE, which provides access for Islamic Sharia investors to leading alternative asset managers. Mr. Sundlun was one of the founders and serves as Board Member of The Dignity Fund which makes micro finance loans in developing countries. Active in business ventures in Russia since 1994, he currently serves on the board of South Oil. He was an unofficial advisor to his father, the Honorable Bruce Sundlun, during his five campaigns for Governor of Rhode Island.
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Charles "Joe" Hynes
Charles "Joe” Hynes
American lawyer, politician
Charles Hynes is an American lawyer and politician.
In 1975, Governor Hugh Carey and Attorney General Louis Lefkowitz appointed Hynes as special state prosecutor for Nursing Homes, Health and Social Services, in response to a massive scandal in the state’s nursing home industry. Hynes’ office launched a comprehensive attack on Medicaid fraud, and his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit eventually became a national model, cited in a report of the House Select Committee on Aging as the best in the country. Hynes was appointed the 24th New York City Fire Commissioner by Mayor Edward I. Koch on November 5, 1980. He served as a Commissioner for the New York State Commission of Investigation between 1983 and 1985 by appointment of New York State Assembly Speaker Stanley Fink. In 1985, Governor Mario Cuomo appointed District Attorney Hynes Special State Prosecutor for the New York City Criminal Justice System. In October, 1990, Hynes initiated the Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison Program (DTAP) on the premise that drug-addicted defendants would return to society in a better position to resist drugs and crime after treatment than if they had spent a comparable time in prison at nearly twice the cost. Hynes is also credited with establishing one of the most comprehensive-and first-countywide programs designed specifically to address domestic abuse as a criminal issue. In 2005, he opened the first Family Justice Center in New York State, an all-in-one facility where domestic violence victims can meet with prosecutors, counselors, civil attorneys and clergy members, and get help changing their locks, finding new housing, handling custody issues and a wide range of related problems, all in their native languages.
The Common Good hosted Hynes in March of 2009: Meet & Greet: Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes.
Twitter: @HynesForDA
Arthur Eisenberg
Arthur Eisenberg
Legal Director of the NYCLU
Arthur Eisenberg is the Legal Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, where he has worked for more than 35 years. During that time he has been involved in more than 20 cases that were presented to the United States Supreme Court. He has litigated extensively around issues of free speech and voting rights and has been increasingly involved in litigation concerning national security and civil liberties. Eisenberg is the co-author, with Burt Neuborne, of the Rights of Candidates and Voters and has published numerous law review articles. Eisenberg contributed an essay on issues of faith and conscience in the book Engaging Cultural Differences, and an essay on military tribunals for the book It’s a Free Country.
The Common Good hosted Mr. Eisenberg in March of 2009: Lunch and Discussion with: Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes.
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Patricia Gatling
Patricia Gatling
Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Commision on Human Rights
Patricia Gatling was the Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights until 2015. Gatling is now counsel at Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP.
As Commissioner, Gatling was in charge of enforcing the Human Rights Law and combating discrimination in New York City. She also worked as a senior trainer with John Jay College, teaching '“Human Dignity and the Law” in newly emerging democratic countries, such as Botswana and Thailand. Previously, Ms. Gatling served as First Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. She is an active participant in community outreach programs and a widely respected speaker.
For her unending public service, Ms. Gatling has received numerous awards throughout her career.
The Common Good hosted Gatling in 2009: Meet & Greet: Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes.
Raymond Kelly
Raymond Kelly
Former NYPD Commissioner
Raymond Walter Kelly was the longest serving Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the first person to hold the post for two non-consecutive tenures.
Kelly has spent 47 years in the NYPD, serving in 25 different commands and as Police Commissioner from 1992 to 1994 and 2002–2013. He was promoted directly from Two-Star Chief to First Deputy Commissioner in 1990. After his handling of the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, he was mentioned for the first time as a possible candidate for FBI Director. After Kelly turned down the position, Louis Freeh was appointed.
Kelly spoke at The Common Good in 2009: Lunch and Discussion with: NY Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Read more:
Stephen Rex Brown, ‘Ex-NYPD top cop Ray Kelly vouches for former jail union boss Norman Seabrook before sentencing’, NY Daily News, 6 February 2019
Max Jaeger, ‘Ray Kelly shows support for active-shooter drills after Pittsburgh massacre’, NY Post, 28 October 2018
Julia Limitone, ‘North Korea, Russia, China and Iran not the only cyber threat: Fmr. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly’, Fox Business, 6 July 2017
Daniel Prendergast, ‘Ray Kelly: Attacks in Europe are the “new normal” now’, New York Post, 25 June 2017
Gwen Ifill ✝
Gwen Ifill ✝
American journalist, television newscaster, author
Gwen Ifill was a moderator and managing editor of Washington Week and senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour. She was also the best-selling author of The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.
Before arriving at PBS in 1999, Ifill was chief congressional and political correspondent for NBC News, White House correspondent for The New York Times, and a local and national political reporter for The Washington Post. She also reported for the Baltimore Evening Sun and the Boston Herald American. Ifill reported on a wide range of issues from foreign affairs to U.S. politics and policies interviewing national and international news-makers. She covered six Presidential campaigns and moderated two vice presidential debates—in 2004 the debate between Republican Dick Cheney and Democrat John Edwards and in 2008 the debate between Democratic Senator Joe Biden and Republican Governor Sarah Palin. Her work as a journalist has been honored by the Radio and Television News Directors Association, Harvard’s Joan Shorenstein Center, Ebony Magazine, and Boston’s Ford Hall Forum.
Ifill has received more than 20 honorary doctorates and served on the boards of the News Literacy Project, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and she is a fellow with the American Academy of Sciences.
Gwen Ifill passed away on November 14, 2016 at the age of 61.
Ifill spoke at The Common Good in 2009: The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.
Robert Kennedy Jr.
Robert Kennedy Jr.
American radio host, activist, attorney
Robert Kennedy, Jr., is an American radio host, activist, and attorney specializing in environmental law. He is the nephew of John F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy. Kennedy co-hosts Ring of Fire, a nationally syndicated American radio program.
In 1998, Kennedy, Chris Bartle, and John Hoving created a bottled water company that donates all of its profits to Waterkeeper Alliance. They named their Manhattan-based company Tear of the Clouds LLC., after the lake of the same name. Their product is bottled under the name Keeper Springs.
Kennedy has written two books and several articles on environmental issues. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, The Nation, Outside magazine, and The Village Voice. Since May 2005, he’s been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.
The Common Good hosted Kennedy in 2008: Our Environmental Destinies.
Twitter: @RobertKennedyJr
Faye Wattleton
Faye Wattleton
Activist
Faye Wattleton is the first African-American and youngest President ever elected to Planned Parenthood (1978–1992). Currently, she is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal and Heads the board governance advisory practice in New York. Prior to that, she served as the President of the Center for the Advancement of Women, and also served on the board of trustees at Columbia University. She is best known for her contributions to family planning and reproductive health, as well as the pro-choice movement.
In 1986, the American Humanist Association named her Humanist of the Year. In 1990, Wattleton, along with 15 other African American women and men, formed the African-American Women for Reproductive Freedom. She was a 1993 inductee into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Wattleton was hosted by The Common Good in 2008: 2008 Democratic National Convention Panel.
Twitter: @FayeWattleton
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