Spring 2019

Peter Wyse Jackson is the president of the Missouri Botanical Garden and George Engelmann Professor of Botany at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Born in Kilkenny, Ireland, Wyse Jackson obtained a B.A. (Mod.) in botany and an M.A. from Trinity College Dublin, where he subsequently obtained a Ph.D. for work on the taxonomy of Irish Cruciferae.

As founding director of the Living Earth Collaborative, Losos seeks to marshal the might of three world-class organizations – the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Saint Louis Zoo and Washington University, where he is the William H. Danforth Distinguished University Professor in Biology – into a collaboration that transcends geographic and political boundaries to conserve biodiversity and sustain life on Earth.

Bonner has been president and CEO of the Saint Louis Zoo since 2002; in 2009 he became the Dana Brown President and Chief Executive Officer.

Kliff is a senior policy correspondent at Vox.com is an award-winning journalist and one of the country’s leading health policy experts.

Lewis is a doctoral student in communications at Stanford University and works at Data & Society, a research institute studying the social and cultural issues arising from data-centric technological development.

Banchik currently is completing her doctorate at the University of Texas-Austin. Her research interests focus on human rights fact-finding and advocacy, expertise, and visual culture.

Gardner was elected St. Louis Circuit Attorney in 2017, after serving as a Missouri House Representative from the 77th District. She received national attention last year for her role inpursuing the investigation into alleged unlawful activities by Missouri governor Eric Greitens, leading to his resignation.

Ferguson Councilman Wesley Bell’s recent upset of Robert McCulloch’s 28-year-run as St. Louis County Prosecutor was a stunning victory for the underdog running on a platform to reform its criminal justice system.

Throughout her long tenure in the Jackson County prosecutor’s office, Baker has served in nearly every unit. In 2012 she was elected as its leader.

A brief rundown of Adam Foss’s early years shows a trajectory that aligns with his choices as an adult: Born in Columbia and adopted by an Irish-American family from Massachusetts; experienced childhood as one of color in a small town; arrested at age 19 for marijuana possession but got off easy because his father was a white police officer; was a first-generation college student; took a class on restorative justice which inspired him to seek a law degree; interned at a small municipal court in an impoverished and dangerous Boston neighborhood.

Joel Sartore is a man on a mission, and he’s running out of time. Like Noah, he’s obsessed with building an ark – the Photo Ark — a groundbreaking effort to document species before they disappear, and to get people to care while there’s still time.

that scientific progress is dependent upon a plurality of perspectives; that when inquiry is open to many disparate points of view, it’s more open to critical analysis and thus more objective.

Through his several books on the growth, preparation and consumption of food, Michael Pollan has shown us the way toward food enlightenment. Now with his 8th book, he is leading us on another enlightened journey, one that holds the promise of peace of mind for millions suffering from serious mental disorders such as PTSD.

The proliferation and popularity of podcasts — especially among millennials — have created many new media stars, but few are shining as brightly as Barbaro, the host of The Daily, the New York Times’ entry into the podisphere with millions of devoted listeners. It was the most-downloaded new show on Apple Podcasts last year, with five million listeners a month at last count, and will more than one million tuning in each day.