For more than three decades, John Harwood has covered The White House, Congress, national politics and the economy for America’s most prestigious news organizations. He has interviewed every president from George H.W. Bush to Joe Biden, and he received an Emmy nomination for his hour-long live CNBC town hall with former President Barack Obama.

Steeped in public affairs since childhood when his father was among the nation’s top journalists of the last half of the 20th century, he graduated from Duke University with degrees in history and economics. He spent a year as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard.

For The Wall Street Journal, Harwood covered the first Bush White House, former President Bill Clinton’s agenda in Congress and four presidential campaigns. He was part of the Journal’s team covering the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, which won the Pulitzer Prize. For The New York Times and CNBC, he chronicled the financial crisis and Great Recession, including the first 2009 television interview of Obama as he prepared to enter the presidency that January. He moderated Republican presidential debates during the 2012 and 2016 campaigns.

For CNN, Harwood covered the tumultuous final year of Donald Trump’s presidency and his 2020 election battle with Biden. He subsequently tracked the new chief executive’s attempt to fashion and navigate a post-Trump era. No one is better equipped to interpret and explain the ups and downs of American elections, and the intersection of politics and the economy. At this turbulent moment, a lifetime’s experience gives him a unique perspective on the challenges facing journalism and its role in our democracy.

Dr. Alisahah Jackson is a strong advocate for health equity, believing everyone should be able to achieve great health, no matter what they look like, how much money they make or where they come from. A musician, a physician, a mother, a volunteer and a leader are just a few words to describe Dr. Jackson. Her work runs the gamut from developing health equity plans for underserved communities to building solutions to address substance abuse and support behavioral health and maternity care.

Dr. Jackson completed her residency in Family Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center where she received the Bryant L. Galusha Intern of the Year Award and served as Co-Chief Resident. Since completing medical school, she has held various leadership roles, including Medical Director of a rural health clinic and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine. She was named the first Chief Community Impact Officer at Atrium Health where she established their Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health strategy.

Dr. Jackson joined CommonSpirit Health in June 2020 as its first System Vice President of Population Health Innovation and Policy. Her responsibilities include strategy development for vulnerable populations, health equity and innovative care delivery models.

Ozzie Smith is known in baseball as “The Wizard” and the best defensive shortstop of all time. He was a first-ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.

Smith retired from baseball in 1996 after playing 19 years in the major leagues, the first four years with the San Diego Padres and the final 15 with the St. Louis Cardinals. His nickname describes the way he played shortstop — he performed magic with his glove and performed in the infield with amazing acrobatic agility.

Smith broke countless records during his 19 years in the majors:

– all-time assist leader at shortstop with 8,375 assists
– all-time leader at turning double plays with 1,590
– 13 consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, signifying the best at his position
– started at shortstop for 10 consecutive years in the All-Star Games and was the number one vote-getter overall in 1987 and 1988

Other noteworthy baseball accomplishments include:

– earned his 2,000^th hit in 1992, finishing his career with 2,460 hits
– consistently one of the toughest hitters to strike out, and in 1994 he joined his friend Eddie Murray as the only two active players with 17 straight 100-hit seasons
– was named to the All-Century 100 Best Baseball Players of the 20^th Century by Major League Baseball
– selected as the shortstop on the 50-year Anniversary Rawlings Gold Glove Team and was inducted into the Rawlings Gold Glove Hall of Fame in 2011

His off-the-field accomplishments include:

– 2001 recipient of the “Walter Payton Sweetness Award,” a Victor Award given to an athlete who has contributed to his community, as well as being recognized in his particular sport
– 1995 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award, the humanitarian award of Major League Baseball
– 1994 recipient of the Branch Rickey Award, personifying “Service Above Self”
– 1992 St. Louis Man of the Year, a prestigious civic award never before given to an athlete
– 1986 Father of the Year Honors Group Award
– 1983 NAACP Image Award for Sportsmanship, Humanitarianism and Community Involvement

Currently, Smith serves on the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He also serves as the Education Ambassador for the Baseball Hall of Fame and headlines a fundraiser, “Play Ball with Ozzie Smith,” every year in Cooperstown during Induction weekend. Locally, he serves as President of PGA REACH Gateway, an organization that reaches out to inner-city youth and our military via mentoring and golf programs.

Smith currently is the host of Cardinals Insider, a weekly news magazine television show airing in multiple markets throughout the Cardinal territory. Since retirement from baseball, Smith succeeded Mel Allen as host of This Week in Baseball; was the color analyst for Cardinal broadcasts from 1997 to 1999; and served as the baseball analyst for CNNSI, a joint venture between CNN and Sports Illustrated from 1999 to 2002.

Smith has three children and one granddaughter, and he makes St. Louis his home because he feels a deep responsibility to give back to the community that has so enriched his life.

Jennifer Arnold, M.D., MSc, FAAP, was born in St. Petersburg, Fla., and grew up in Orlando, Fla. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Miami where she received dual degrees in biology, she went on to Baltimore, Md. She then completed her medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and graduated in 2000. She attended the Pediatric Residency Program at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and during her subsequent fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, she obtained a Master of Science in medical education from the University of Pittsburgh. She was a National Institute of Health postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Safar Center for Resuscitative Medicine. She has received funding for her simulation educational research through the Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine, Cullen Trust for Healthcare, Texas Children’s Hospital Educational Grants and MD Anderson Foundation.

Dr. Arnold is Board Certified in Neonatal Medicine and most recently accepted a new position as the Program Director at Boston Children’s Hospital Simulator Program (SIMPeds). She also is a newly minted member of Harvard’s faculty. Currently, Dr. Arnold’s areas of interest within simulation include use of simulation for evaluating new clinical spaces, team training, improving quality and patient safety, improving home care and skills for primary caregivers of medically complex children, and developing educational curricula for various departments throughout the hospital.

She has spoken both nationally and internationally on health care simulation and has made inspirational speeches on overcoming obstacles for avenues. Dr. Arnold has received many awards, including the Ray E. Helfer Award for Innovation in Pediatric Education from the Academic Pediatric Association in 2008, Compassionate Doctor Recognition and Patients’ Choice Award from Vitals.com.

Dr. Arnold is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the International Pediatric Simulation Society. She is on the executive boards for the Center for Medical Simulation in Boston; the International Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research & Education (INSPIRE); and OpHeart, a nonprofit dedicated to improving pediatric care of children with complex congenital heart disease). She is a national ambassador for Speak Now for Kids through the Children’s Hospital Association.

Dr. Arnold has a rare type of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Type Strudwick, which involved nearly 40 orthopedic surgeries. She also is an eight-year cancer survivor having fought a rare type of choriocarcinoma, which went into remission in January 2014. Dr. Arnold, along with her husband Bill and their children Will and Zoey, created more than a decade of television with their show, The Little Couple, which ran for 14 seasons before ending during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also has appeared on television programs, including Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Dr. OZ, The Doctors, Wendy Williams, Anderson Cooper and CNN, among others.