Cardinal Edwin O’Brien

Civic Leader

United States

Cardinal Edwin O’Brien is the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and was named to the College of Cardinals in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. Prior to his appointment, O’Brien served as the archbishop of Baltimore, the nation’s oldest diocese. During his tenure in Baltimore, he focused on fostering a culture of respect for the dignity of every person and on improving the quality of life in Baltimore. O’Brien also initiated a major review and overhaul of the Catholic school system and instituted a number of long-term education initiatives. After being ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of New York in 1965, he served as a civilian chaplain at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and, later, as an army chaplain with the rank of captain in Vietnam.

Ms. Pam Omidyar

Civic Leader

United States

Ms. Pam Omidyar is founder and chairwoman of Humanity United, a philanthropic organization seeking to promote peace and advance human freedom both domestically and internationally. Humanity United has carried out much of its work in Africa, where it focuses on ending modern slavery and human trafficking. She is also founder and chairwoman of HopeLab, an organization pursuing innovation in health solutions for young people with chronic illnesses. In addition to her involvement with Humanity United and HopeLab, Omidyar and her husband, Pierre Omidyar, founded the Omidyar Network, an international philanthropic investment firm designed to alleviate human suffering and maximize human potential. She is a member of the board of Tish College of Public Service at Tufts University, the Advisory Council of The Elders, and the UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency.

Dr. Vladimir Orlov

National Security Expert

Russia

Dr. Vladimir Orlov is a member of the United Nations secretary-general’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and head of the Center for Global Trends and International Organizations at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Orlov is also the founder of the PIR Center (The Russian Center for Policy Studies) and the Security Index Journal. At the PIR Center, he focuses on major challenges to international security, including nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear terrorism, in addition to heading the center’s European branch in Geneva. He participates in the work of many international security groups and organizations, including the Russian Pugwash Committee, the Monterey Nonproliferation Strategy Group and the International Nuclear Energy Academy.

Orlov served as an official member of the Russian delegation to the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference and has served as a consultant to the United Nations on disarmament and nonproliferation education. From 1990 to 1996, he was the vice president for Moskovskiye Novosti (Moscow News), where he also served as columnist and political analyst. Orlov has published extensively on Russian foreign policy and nuclear nonproliferation, including the two-volume Russian language textbook “Nuclear Nonproliferation.”

Rt. Hon. Lord David Owen

Diplomat

United Kingdom

The Right Honorable the Lord Owen CH is a former British foreign secretary. He currently sits in the House of Lords as an independent social democrat and is on the board of the Center for International Health and Cooperation. From 1996 to 2009, he served as chancellor of the University of Liverpool. In the 1980s, Lord Owen served as the treasurer of the Palme Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues, a member of the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues, and a member of the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Armed Conflict. Together with Lord Douglas Hurd, Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Lord George Robertson, Owen called for progress toward a nuclear weapon-free world in the Times of London.

Min. Ana Palacio

Diplomat

Spain

Minister Ana Palacio is a senior strategic counsel to the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm. She previously served as senior vice-president of international affairs at Areva, one of the three global players in nuclear energy transmission and distribution, and as senior vice president of the World Bank. Palacio was the first woman to serve as Spain’s foreign minister. From 1994 to 2002, she was a member of the European Parliament, where she presided first over the Committee for Legal Affairs and Internal Market and later over the Committee for Justice and National Affairs.

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Pan Zhenqiang

Military Commander

China

Retired Major General Pan Zhenqiang is deputy chairman of the China Foundation for International Studies and Academic Changes, director of research at the Institute for Strategy and Management of the Central University of Finance and Economics in China and senior adviser to the China Reform Forum. Pan is also the former director of the Institute for Strategic Studies at National Defence University of China in Beijing.

Pan is a member of the Nuclear Crisis Group and the Global Zero Commission on Nuclear Risk Reduction.

Mr. Eli Pariser

Civic Leader

United States

Eli Pariser is the co-founder of Upworthy, a mission-driven media company that posts content that is both entertaining and meaningful. He is an experienced online organizer and the former executive director of MoveOn.org where he still serves as the president of the organization’s board of directors. Pariser co-founded Avaaz.org and is a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute. He is author of the book, “The Filter Bubble: What The Internet Is Hiding From You.”

Amb. Gopalaswami Parthasarathy

Diplomat

India

Ambassador Gopalaswami Parthasarathy is a visiting professor at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi and a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi and of the panel of experts from India for track-II dialogue with ASEAN. As a distinguished foreign service officer for India, Parthasarathy held posts in Myanmar, Australia, Pakistan and Cyprus until his retirement in May 2000. He has represented India in the delegations of several international conferences including at the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Prior to his entry in the foreign service, Parthasarathy was a commissioned officer in the Indian army. He is a regular contributor to Indian and foreign newspapers on the topics of foreign policy and national security issues.