Maryland Speakers

Michael Phelps has been making waves in the world of sports since he was young. He tied the record for the most medals at a single Olympics in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games when he earned six gold medals and eight medals overall. Although he is young, Phelps has already had a lifetime of experiences—in the pool and out. He founded “Swim with the Stars”—the first ever Olympic Swimming Tour that travels the country to give kids the opportunity to learn from the best. He is also a national spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs. Phelps is youthful but intelligent, successful yet modest, and understands the importance of following a dream. 2018, Phelps revealed that he struggled with ADHD and depression and now works as a mental health advocate.

Fee Range: Inquire
Travels From: MD

Fee Range: $20,000–$22,500
Travels From: MD

Born in Brooklyn in the back of a taxi, Iyanla Vanzant was given to her grandmother at age 2 after her mother died. Teen pregnancy, abusive marriages, and welfare followed a troubled and abusive childhood. But it is from this less than inspiring background that Vanzant has built the foundation for transformation. Vanzant earned a BS degree from Medgar Evers College and a JD degree from Queens College Law School. She became an attorney, serving four years as a public defender in Philadelphia. She is the author of Tapping The Power Within: A Path to Empowerment for Black Women. She has established the Inner Visions Spiritual Life Maintenance Center, where she regularly conducts personal growth classes and weekend workshops for both men and women. She makes regular appearances on radio and national television.

Fee Range: $60,000–$120,000
Travels From: MD

Sharon Denise Allison-Ottey, MD is an energetic and engaging speaker, author, health educator/physician and health strategist/consultant. Dr. Allison- Ottey is the CEO of CARLDEN Inc. and Beautiful Woman Inside and Out, Inc. She also serves as Executive Director of The COSHAR Healthy Communities Foundation. Dr. Allison-Ottey serves as the Health Strategist for several national companies/organizations and develops and oversees programmatic agendas with long and short term strategies ensuring effectiveness and achievement of goals. Dr. Allison-Ottey’s companies have a national scope that reaches millions with their products, services and events. She is also media personality with a presence in television, social media, radio and print and one of the nation’s most influential physicians and health advocates.

Fee Range: $5,000–$12,000
Travels From: MD

Fee Range: $6,000–$13,000
Travels From: MD

Lynda Carter, actress and advocate, has enjoyed a multi-faceted career that ranges from being crowned Miss USA, to achieving worldwide fame in the title role of TV's Wonder Woman. Noted for her devotion to such causes as breast cancer education and children's advocacy, she was a catalyst for change during the women's movement of the '70s and '80s. Her portrayal of Wonder Woman helped break down stereotypes and promote the feminine qualities of strength and self-confidence. Carter shares with audiences the power that enables women to triumph to ever greater degrees - in business in politics, and in the community. Carter is a supporter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research and a founding member of the National Race for the Cure. A tireless children's advocate, she lends her support to Children in the Arts, the Special Olympics and the National Rehabilitation Hospital. Now sober for over a decade, she also opens up about her battle with alcoholism.

Fee Range: Inquire
Travels From: MD

Fee Range: $7,000–$12,000
Travels From: MD

“How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” As the only Black Cub Scout marching in an otherwise all-White parade, Daryl Davis formed that simple yet powerful question after he was pelted by rocks, bottles and soda pop cans by a handful of White spectators. This was his first encounter with racism at age ten. Pursuit of an answer led this career performing musician on a surreal journey stemming from a chance encounter with a man who turned out to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Seeking to understand, not to change minds or judge, Daryl actually built bridges with leaders from a group that professed hatred for him. Some came to quit the Klan and gave Daryl their robes and hoods when they did. In the process he has unearthed truths about conflict, hate, intolerance, and communication that are valuable today. His extraordinary journey is chronicled in his first book, Klan-Destine Relationships and the documentary about his encounters, Accidental Courtesy. As a speaker, Daryl’s impact on audiences is profound – his TEDx talk has over 10 million views.

Fee Range: $15,500–$18,500
Travels From: MD

As Emmy Award-winning producer, host and creator of MotorWeek, television’s original and longest running automotive series, John Davis can be seen and heard throughout the U.S. on PBS broadcast and the Velocity cable networks. Through media appearances, Davis’ automotive industry expertise is tapped by commercial radio and television programs nationwide (CNN, Weekend Today and Live with Regis and Kelly) as key industry developments arise. A sought-after speaker, Davis frequently addresses automotive executives, consumer groups, automotive enthusiasts and students interested in the field. His on-air charisma mixed with his staggering amount of auto knowledge makes him the perfect speaker to enthrall racing fanatics and car devotees alike.

Fee: $14,000
Travels From: MD

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President Emeritus of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County) served as president from 1992 to 2022. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. He chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the 2011 report, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads. He was named in 2012 by President Obama to chair the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. His 2013 TED talk highlights the “Four Pillars of College Success in Science.” In 2022, Dr. Hrabowski was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and he was also named the inaugural ACE Centennial Fellow, to be served upon his retirement from UMBC. In Addition, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) also launched the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program ($1.5 billion) to help build a scientific workforce that more fully reflects our increasingly diverse country. In October 2022, he was named the inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture Speaker by Harvard. In April 2023, The National Academy of Sciences awarded him the Public Welfare Medal, the Academy’s most prestigious award, and inducted him as a member of the academy, for his extraordinary use of science for the public good.

Fee Range: $15,000–$32,000
Travels From: MD

Fee Range: $7,000–$20,000
Travels From: MD

Dr. Richard Safeer has been a workplace health pioneer and thought leader for the past 20 years. He has assessed cultures, trained leaders, and conducted and explored research on the intersection of individual and organizational behavior. He currently serves as the Chief Medical Director of Employee Health & Well-Being for Johns Hopkins Medicine where he leads the Healthy@Hopkins program and strategy.

Fee Range: $10,000–$20,000
Travels From: MD

The founder of Illuminate PMC, David is a keynote speaker, consultant, and trainer specializing in helping organizations improve their leadership and culture, combat burnout, and design meaningful work. David combines decades of leadership experience with the latest psychological research to help you attract, retain, and motivate top talent. David is NOT your typical academic - as a scientist / practitioner translator, David makes leadership theory & business psychology accessible, implementable, and fun through the use of humor, stories, and 'real-world' examples.

Fee Range: $10,000–$18,000
Travels From: MD

Fee Range: $10,000–$16,000
Travels From: MD

Fee Range: $6,000–$10,000
Travels From: MD

Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician, CNN medical analyst, and op-ed columnist for The Washington Post, where she writes a weekly column and anchors the Post newsletter, "The Checkup with Dr. Wen". She is also a professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of two books, When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests and Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health.

Fee Range: Inquire
Travels From: MD

Dr. Gail Wilensky is the John M. Olin Senior Fellow at Project HOPE, an international health foundation, and Chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). She is a nationally-recognized expert on health policy and financing issues. She directed the Medicare and Medicaid programs and served in the White House as a senior adviser on health and welfare issues to President George H.W. Bush. She was also the first chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Her expertise is on strategies to reform health care, with particular emphasis on Medicare, comparative effectiveness research and military health care.

Fee Range: $16,000–$20,000
Travels From: MD