His Highness Prince Karim Al-Husseini

Civic Leader

United Kingdom

His Highness Prince Karim Al-Husseini, commonly known as the Aga Khan, is the Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. As chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and in accordance with ethical tradition, the Aga Khan works to improve the quality of life in the Islamic community and society at large. His commitment to development for over 50 years has led to the establishment of a number of AKDN agencies including the Aga Khan Foundation.

The Aga Khan graduated from Harvard in 1957 with a bachelor’s degree in Islamic History. Over the years, the Aga Khan has been awarded honorary degrees from universities throughout the world, including Brown University and the University of Wales.

Hon. Syed Babar Ali

Civic Leader

Pakistan

The Honorable Syed Babar Ali is CEO of Packages Limited, a Pakistani company selling packaging materials and paper products. He is also a member of the advisory council at Acumen Fund, and has worked internationally in business and education. He has advocated on behalf of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), where he served in various capacities, both in Pakistan and internationally, from 1972 to 1996. He was international president of WWF from 1996 to 1999, succeeding HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. He is now vice president emeritus of the WWF International, and president emeritus of the WWF Pakistan. Ali served as Pakistan’s minister of finance, economic affairs and planning in 1993.

Pastor Rob Bell

Civic Leader

United States

Pastor Rob Bell is the founding pastor and Pastor Emeritus of the Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan. He is the author of several notable books on contemporary Christianity including “Love Wins” and “Velvet Elvis.” Known for his ability to engage youth, Bell has been called the leader of the Emerging Church movement and was profiled in TIME Magazine as one of the most influential people of 2011. Prior to founding Mars Hill Bible Church, he was an assistant pastor at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Mr. Lawrence Bender

Civic Leader

United States

Mr. Lawrence Bender is a founding leader of Global Zero, chief executive of Lawrence Bender Productions, and producer of “Countdown to Zero,” the acclaimed documentary on the global nuclear threat. His films to date – including “Inglourious Basterds,” “Good Will Hunting” and “Pulp Fiction” – have been honored with 29 Academy Award nominations, including two for Best Picture, and five wins. He won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for producing “An Inconvenient Truth,” a film that raised unprecedented awareness about climate change, and was nominated for a Producer’s Guild Award and a Golden Satellite Award for “Good Will Hunting.” Other films include “Four Rooms” (1995), “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996), “Anna and the King” (1999), “The Mexican” (2001), and many of the movies written and directed by Quentin Tarantino: “Reservoir Dogs (1992), “Pulp Fiction” (1994), “Jackie Brown” (1997), “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” (2003) and “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” (2004). Bender also serves on the advisory board to the dean at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and is co-chair of the advisory board of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA.

Ms. Ela Bhatt

Civic Leader

India

Ela Bhatt was the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India, a trade union benefiting the poor that now has more than 1,000,000 members. Bhatt was a member of the Indian Parliament from 1986 to 1989, and subsequently a member of the Indian Planning Commission. She has received honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale, the University of Natal and other academic institutions. Bhatt is also a member of The Elders, an eminent group of world leaders working to address difficult global challenges.

Bhatt passed away on November 2, 2022.

Ms. Naila Bolus

Civic Leader

United States

Naila Bolus is the president and CEO of Jumpstart, a nonprofit working to recruit and train college students and community volunteers to work with preschool children in low-income neighborhoods. Prior to joining Jumpstart, Bolus was the executive director of Ploughshares Fund. During her tenure at Ploughshares, she tripled the organization’s size and was a leading voice in the effort to secure Senate ratification of the New START treaty. She also helped found the Women Legislators’ Lobby, serving as its political director and successfully recruiting a third of all female state legislators to lobby for environmental protection, human services and peace.

Mr. Ray Chambers

Civic Leader

United States

Ray Chambers is a philanthropist and humanitarian. In 2009, he became the first United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria, and, in 2013, became the first Special Envoy for Financing the Health Millenium Development Goals. He also serves as the Special Envoy for Health in Agenda 2030. He is the founder and co-chairman of Malaria No More, the founding chairman of the Points of Light Foundation and co-founder of America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth. In 2011, he was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people for his humanitarian efforts.

Chambers has also been highly involved in revitalization efforts of Newark, NJ and was the founding chairman of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. He retired as chairman of Wesray Capital Corporation in order to devote his time to philanthropic efforts.

Rev. Richard Cizik

Civic Leader

United States

The Reverend Richard Cizik is president of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good. He served for ten years as vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, a post he left in 2008 after expressing support for civil unions. He has been a leader in bringing evangelicals and scientists together in the search for common ground on climate change.

In 2002, Cizik was a participant in Climate Forum 2002 at Oxford, which produced the “Oxford Declaration” on climate change. In 2005, The New York Times dubbed him the “Earthy Evangelist” for his advocacy on climate change. He was named to TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2008 and placed on Fast Company’s list of “Most Creative Minds” in 2006.

Cizik has written over 100 articles and editorials and is the author and editor of “The High Cost of Indifference.” He also contributed to the landmark document, “For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Engagement.”