Blackboard is pleased to announce the Keynote Speakers for BbWorld '07!

Steven D. Levitt
Author of Freakonomics and Alvin H. Baum Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago
Tuesday, July 10, 8:30 AM

Steven D. Levitt co-authored, with Stephen J. Dubner, the New York Times bestseller Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. In this informed and fascinating work, Dr. Levitt and Mr. Dubner use forceful storytelling and wry insight to present an unusual look at the economics underlying real-life issues, such as the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real-estate agents and the myths of campaign finance, even the telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher.

Dr. Levitt’s enormous curiosity drives him to examine the incongruities he sees in everyday life. He sifts through data to locate stories no one else has found and devises ways to measure effects that other economists have declared unmeasurable

Dr. Levitt is a full professor of economics at the University of Chicago, where he is also director of The Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious John Bates Clark Medal, which recognizes the most influential economist in the United States under the age of 40. In 2006, he was named one of Time magazine’s “100 People Who Shape Our World.” Dr. Levitt is a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and received his B.A. from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from M.I.T. He has taught at Chicago since 1997 (receiving tenure after only two years).



Guy Kawasaki
Former Macintosh evangelical, venture capitalist and author of The Art of the Start
Wednesday, July 11, 8:30 AM

Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, and a columnist for Forbes.com. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. where he was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer.

In his business columns and the eight books he has authored, Mr. Kawasaki shares an in-depth knowledge of the high-tech industry and insightful advice from the lessons he has learned during years of management experience. In The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, he draws parallels between entrepreneurs starting new companies and employees in established companies who are trying to create a new product or service.

Mr. Kawasaki’s previous books include Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream and The Macintosh Way. He received his B.A. from Stanford University and his M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.



K-12 Panel on Academic Excellence
Wednesday, July 11, 3:00 PM

What defines an excellent school in the 21st century? Are traditional means of measuring high school quality still adequate or do our definitions need to change?

Join us as Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the North American Council for Online Learning, moderates a panel discussion about how to define high-quality schools in the 21st century. The panelists will include:

• Virginia Edwards, editor-in-chief of Education Week
• Jay Mathews, award-winning reporter for The Washington Post
• Sara Mead, Senior Research Fellow, New America Foundation

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