Author, The War on Choice

Gloria Feldt is a leading expert in women’s rights, health, media, sexuality, leadership, and politics. She was a teenage mother who became president and CEO of the world’s largest reproductive health care provider and advocacy organization, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, after leading Planned Parenthood affiliates in West Texas and Arizona. Ms. Feldt is the author of several books, including current bestseller: Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on My Life, Love, and Leading Roles, which she wrote in collaboration with actress Kathleen Turner.  She is also the author of The War on Choice, which details the anti-choice movement’s attack on women’s rights and how to fight back.

Author, My Latest Grievance

Ms. Lipman is the author of eight critically acclaimed and witty novels about contemporary American society, including The Inn at Lake Devine, Isabel’s Bed and The Pursuit of Alice Thrift.  Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and Salon.com.  In 2001, she received the New England Book Award for fiction and the Poetry Center’s 2007 Paterson Fiction Prize.  A film based on her first novel, Then She Found Me, opens in New York on April 25, starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick. 

CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group

Mr. Meyer is the President of Union Square Hospitality Group. He launched Union Square Café in 1985 at age 27, pioneering a new breed of American eatery.  He has since launched a series of other successful restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, Tabla, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard, Shake Shack and The Modern.

Author, The Ten-Year Nap

Meg Wolitzer is a novelist whose books include The Position, The Wife, Surrender>, Dorothy and This is Your Life. Her short fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories and The Pushcart Prize. She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Boston University, and Skidmore College. Meg Wolitzer lives in New York City with her family, where she is working on a new novel, The Ten-Year Nap, due out in March 24, 2008.

NYC

Council Member Jessica Lappin was elected to the City Council in November 2005. She represents the 5th District of Manhattan, which includes the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island. She is also Chair of the Land Use Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses. She joined the New York City Council staff in 1998 and served until 2005 as a Senior Advisor and the District Chief of Staff to former Council Speaker Gifford Miller.

Candidate, U.S. House (PA-15)

Ms. Bennett is running in Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District. Ms. Bennett is a 20-year resident of Allentown, PA and is a businesswoman and community leader. She is “meeting the challenge” on the environment; she has pledged to help America reduce its petroleum use by 20% by 2020.  Her campaign is doing their part – they have pledged to be carbon-neutral through TerraPass.