Eric Liu says that "I write, speak, teach and create joyful programs to spread the belief that a strong democracy requires strong citizens."

As the founder and CEO of Citizen University, Liu is working to spark a civic revival in the US and beyond. As he tells it: "I've served in government, from the White House to the Seattle Public Library Board. I've been a leader in local and national citizen reform movements. I've written books about democracy, power and race. And I felt I should not hoard this knowledge of how to make change happen; I should circulate it.

"That's why I founded a nonprofit called Citizen University to foster a stronger culture of civic responsibility. Our team works with people from the left and right to teach civic power and cultivate civic character -- and to remind people that democracy works only if most people believe democracy works."

Liu is the author of You're More Powerful than You Think and Become America.