Art Gissendaner
480.391.0840
art@cefpi.org

OPENING GENERAL SESSION KEYNOTE
Sunday, October 7, 2007

STEPHEN LEWIS
Veteran Canadian Diplomat

Passionate and determined, Stephen Lewis is a humanitarian who has worked to improve the human condition, both at home and abroad. Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party for eight years, during which time he became leader of the Official Opposition, he also served as Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, and as the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF in New York.

Mr. Lewis is the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, a post he's held since June 2001. He is also a Commissioner for the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health.

Mr. Lewis is a Senior Advisor to the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and a Senior Advisor on Health and Human Rights to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Mr. Lewis holds 24 honorary degrees from Canadian universities and is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

In April 2005, Mr. Lewis was named by TIME magazine as one of the '100 most influential people in the world'.

CLOSING GENERAL SESSION KEYNOTE
Tuesday, October 9, 2007

BRIAN THWAITS
Brain Trainer

He's knowledgeable, engaging, provocative. And he's very funny.

Brian Thwaits is an engaging and immensely entertaining 'brain trainer', a learning and communication whiz with a wealth of experience in both the public and private sectors. He first demonstrated his flair for performance as an award-winning educator and is now an acclaimed professional speaker who engages both the hearts and minds of his audiences.

Thwaits the author of The Big Learn: Smart Ways to Use Your Brain. Thousands of people from all walks of life have experienced his unique and thought-provoking take on learning, thinking, memory, creativity and communication skills.

Thwait's sessions cleverly combine the latest information from the disciplines of brain research, learning theory and the communication field to suggest innovative and practical approaches to issues we face in the workplace, in the classroom, and in our personal lives.