Novelist and nonfiction author Pico Iyer writes on subjects ranging from the Cuban Revolution to Islamic mysticism, from Graham Greene to forgotten nations and the 21st-century global order.

Tony Porter is an educator and activist who is internationally recognized for his effort to end violence against women.

ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West.

Dan Pallotta is on a focused mission to change the way the donating public things about giving.

Traditionally, Tom Rielly closes the TED Conference with a merciless 18-minute monologue, skewering all the speakers with his deadpan delivery, spot-on satire and boundary-less performance (complete with PowerPoint, pratfalls and partial nudity).

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenged the way we educate our children, championing a radical rethink of how our school systems cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

What makes a great school system? To find out, Andreas Schleicher administers a test to compare student performance around the world.

Julie Lythcott-Haims speaks and writes on the phenomenon of helicopter parenting and the dangers of a checklisted childhood -- the subject of her book, "How to Raise an Adult."

Oxford professor Richard Dawkins has helped steer evolutionary science into the 21st century, and his concept of the "meme" contextualized the spread of ideas in the information age. In recent years, his devastating critique of religion has made him a leading figure in the New Atheism.

Cady Coleman draws from her time at NASA and her missions on the International Space Station to share insights about team building, leadership and innovation.