Peter White, founder and former president of The Southern Center for International Studies, graduated from Fordham University, attended the Academy of International Law at The Hague and the National War College. He has more than thirty years of experience in international programming, and advises a number of governors, university, and state government officials and corporations.

Bernadette P. Paolo was named president and CEO of The Africa Society in 2006. Prior to assuming this position, she served vice president of the National Summit on Africa. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the West Virginia Bar. She is on the board of the Women's Intercultural Network.

Gail Ifshin has worked in the international arena in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors for many years, serving as chief economist for the Hungarian-American Enterprise Fund and as program director for the Institute for Democracy in Vietnam. She also has worked in the White House for the Council of Economic Advisers and was later appointed to the US Department of Agriculture's Advisory Committee on Emerging Democracies.

Kathy Cox has been state superintendent of schools since 2003 and in that time, she has set Georgia's schools on a path toward excellence. Guided by the Georgia Department of Education's Strategic Plan, Superintendent Cox has overseen many improvements to public education in Georgia, including: the creation of a new state curriculum and new graduation requirements, expansion of the state's Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education programs, as well as an increase in public school choice by expanding the number of charter schools in Georgia, overseeing the creation of career academies and the creation and operation of the state's on-line learning portal, Georgia Virtual School. Under Superintendent Cox's leadership, Georgia has seen unprecedented gains in student achievement: Georgia students are scoring at or above the national average on reading and writing tests and the state's graduation rate is at its highest level. Superintendent Cox was a classroom teacher for 15 years and served two terms in the state legislature before being elected to the Georgia's highest educational post in 2002. She was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2006. In September 2008, Superintendent Cox made national headlines by becoming the first contestant to win $1 million on Fox's *Are You Smarter than a 5th-Grader?* She is donating the money to Georgia's 3 state schools for the deaf and blind.

Young is chairman of GoodWorks International, allowing him to pursue his life-long mission of energizing the private sector to advance economic development in Africa and the Caribbean. In this position, he puts corporate executives in contact with leaders and key influences in the regions' emerging markets, facilitating the formation of successful business partnerships.

Helene was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. She received her B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University. Helene is board certified in Pediatrics, completing a residency in Pediatric Medicine at the Children's Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. After completing her residency, she rose through the ranks at CDC to become the first director of the Director for the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, (NCHSTP), at that time CDC's largest Center. Her work on HIV/AIDS issues has focused on women, children, adolescents, U.S. minorities and international populations. On assignment from CDC, Helene also served as the AIDS Coordinator and Chief of the HIV/AIDS Division for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Helene has published numerous articles on public health, especially related to HIV/AIDS and has received many awards for her scientific and public health contributions. She attained the rank of Rear Admiral (Assistant Surgeon General) in the US Public Health Service. She is also on the boards of the Institute of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations.

John Donaldson has been with the World Bank for 13 years, and currently works in the Africa Region, where he provides advice and support for communications and external affairs activities for the region. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, he coordinated the US Outreach program for the World Bank for more than 9 years, during which he was a principal point of contact with the US Congress.