RichaRd EdElman
President and CEO
Edelman
Richard Edelman is the president and CEO of the world’s largest independent public relations firm, with more than
3,100 employees in 51 offices worldwide. Edelman, named Agency A-List 2008 by Ad Age, has been a leader in public
relations since it was founded in 1952. Mr. Edelman was named president and CEO in 1996. Earlier he served as
president of Edelman’s U.S. operations, regional manager of Europe, and manager of the firm’s New York office. He
has extensive experience in marketing and reputation management, with current assignments for Scotts Miracle Gro,
Credit Suisse, Avaya, and Lower Manhattan. He has counseled several countries, including Egypt, Israel, and Mexico,
on economic development programs. Mr. Edelman won the Silver Anvil, the highest award in the public relations
industry, in 1981. More recently he was named Most Powerful PR Professional by PR Week in 2007 and Agency
Executive of the Year by AdAge in 2008.
KamRan Elahian
Chairman
Global Catalyst Partners
Kamran Elahian is a veteran entrepreneur with more than 28 years of experience in the high-tech industry. He
co-founded (in 1999) and currently serves as chairman of Global Catalyst Partners, a global venture capital fund for
investments in communication product companies. He also serves as chairman of seven other organizations. Mr.
Elahian co-founded ten companies, including CAE Systems (1981), a design automation software company acquired
by Tektronix for $75 million; Cirrus Logic (1984), a fabless semiconductor company; Planet Web (1996), a software
company for Internet appliances; Centillium Communications (1997), a telecommunication IC company; Actelis
Networks (1999), a broadband telecommunications systems company; Informative (1999), a customer feedback
solutions software company; Entopia (1999), a knowledge management software company; and Greenfield Networks
(2001), a communication IC company. Mr. Elahian also founded Schools Online (1996), a nonprofit public charity
organization that has the goal of bringing the Internet to every school in the world.
chRis Elam
Founder and Director
Misnomer Dance Theater
Chris Elam’s Misnomer Dance Theater was selected by the New York Times as one of the top ten dance troops of
2006. In addition to touring in more than 200 theaters worldwide and creating artistic projects with Björk, Apple
Computers, and the Sundance Channel, Mr. Elam has developed innovative online models to help the performing
arts make better use of the web and to mobilize and engage online audiences in unprecedented ways. These advances,
leading to the creation of an online performing arts platform, have been featured in the Wall Street Journal and the
New York Times Business Section. Blending his background in dance with his training in public policy and computer
science from Brown University, Mr. Elam speaks and performs at a wide range of conferences, including Pop Tech and
Carnegie Mellon’s Technology in the Arts Conference.
adam ElEnd
Executive Producer, CBS Interactive
CBS Corp.
Adam Elend is an executive producer of original content for CBS Interactive. He co-created the daily finance show
Wallstrip, which was acquired by CBS in 2007. Before joining CBS, Mr. Elend was a founder and creative director of
BrightRED Pictures, a production company created to produce content exclusively for web and mobile distribution.
In 2005, he produced and directed the independent feature documentary, Fighting For Life in The Death-Belt. Mr.
Elend is a graduate of Florida State University, where he received a BFA in motion picture, television, and recording
arts in 1998.
