Nicholas Kristof Testimonials Nicholas Kristof’s talk last night was wonderful and a great opening for fall! He spent dinner with 10 student hosts doing academic and volunteer work in the areas he has covered in his columns and books, and they really appreciated his personal anecdotes, kind attention and thoughtful advice, as well as his interest in their work. Then we had 1600 in the audience to hear his talk, many of them first-year students who were experiencing a gifted speaker giving a lecture for the first time in their college career. He is an amazing storyteller who is able to illustrate the facts he presents with examples of challenges that individuals are facing around the world in a way that keeps the audience engaged, but not overwhelmed. They also appreciated his humor when describing his personal experiences, and his honesty about finding the solutions to the problems we face. Whether talking about the horrors of human trafficking or the battle with Ebola or the challenges of global water shortages, he encouraged them to continue to take on those challenges. During the book signing that followed, we had many students who commented that he inspired them to try to “save the world” in whatever way that they could – large or small. He also took the time to pose for pictures and speak with many service clubs and individual volunteers from around campus and central Iowa. They all left inspired. Thanks for making this all happen! -Director, Lectures Program, Iowa State University It was a wonderful event, his talk was fabulous! He really connects with students—had they been able, they would have kept him there until midnight with their questions. What a lovely person he is: so bright, inspirational, gracious, and at the same time totally unassuming and low maintenance. The turnout was terrific as well. We could not have hoped for more by any measure. Thanks to you also—you were great to work with and I really hope we have a chance to collaborate again sometime. -Global Language Initiative, Northwestern University The event last night with Mr. Kristof went extremely well! He was incredibly laid back and easy to work with. His passion for his work was incredibly clear, and I think students really responded to that. We had a packed house for the event, and I have never seen so many people hover outside the VIP reception for an extended period of time just to try to get a glimpse of the speaker. It was a pleasure hosting Mr. Kristof. -American University I wanted to say thanks again for joining us here for Leading Voices. The entire Dartmouth community was extremely fortunate to have you and the students have been raving about your visit. And it was a treat for me to spend the afternoon with you. -Dartmouth College One Gateway Center, Suite 751 | Newton, MA 02458 | Phone: 617.614.1600 | Fax: 617.965.6610 | apbspeakers.com The event was a huge success. We had a packed house and everything ran smoothly. Thank you for being so terrific to work with on this project. We really appreciated it. -Junior League of Atlanta Thank you for helping us prepare and plan such an amazing morning with Nick Kristof. Not only did we find him to be an engaging speaker with tremendous life experience, he was easy to relate to and (as many noted) just down to earth. It was a very inspiring and moving talk. He’s a voice for many people in the world, and I now see that we are challenged to take his message forward. - Greenwich Academy In a word, Nick was terrific. No surprise to you, I am sure. He was also generous – when he came to dinner in Timothy Dwight College, he made a special effort on his own to walk around the student tables and meet people. His short remarks and interaction with questions at the dinner exceeded even the packed house presentation at our largest auditorium space. It was a good experience working with you – very easy, very professional. We’re appreciative! -Master, Chubb Fellowship, Yale University Kristof “hit it out of the park” for all who were there. He is an incredible man of courage, action and inspiration. His presentation was so compelling, not only because of the book Half the Sky, but also because he now weaves in the feedback from the book and demonstrates that this is not some hyperbolic claim of injustice, but a reality we must change. He left people feeling empowered and inspired and not overwhelmed—people left looking for ways to act. We “sold out” the venue at 650 people and if we had a larger venue we could have filled it. I hope we will be able to bring him back again sometime, maybe with Sheryl too—Nick is so engaging, humble, personable and forthright. He and Sheryl should be on the list for a MacArthur and one of the Nobels—and that’s not exaggerating either. - Executive Director, Women's Fund of New Hampshire Mr. Kristof’s visit inspired students to action. Following the weeklong series of events ("Human Rights Week") for which Mr. Kristof was the keynote speaker, two new student groups were founded on campus. The International Women's Outreach Committee has organized a fall series of events and activities with a focus on education: they are raising funds for Invisible Children and also for American Assistance for Cambodia's rural schools project. The Human Rights Initiative, partnering with them, is also active: they are participating in a fundraiser for SCTNow with several other initiatives underway, including planning for another human rights week in the spring. You should know that positive change does take place as a result of these visits. One Gateway Center, Suite 751 | Newton, MA 02458 | Phone: 617.614.1600 | Fax: 617.965.6610 | apbspeakers.com -Director of International Studies, Franklin & Marshall College We had Nick at a Forum last year called Saving the World and he was a spectacular panelist and most enjoyable person throughout the day. He is a very special human being and very effective at bringing real sustained attention to issues that matter. Nick is the real thing, a real hero, and not full of himself. -The Connecticut Forum Nicholas Kristof’s lecture at Lafayette College attracted nearly 500 students, faculty, and community residents. He did not disappoint. His lecture matched the great power of his writing, no small feat. It was a memorable, moving evening; he inspired and educated students (and the rest of us, too). What a great success his visit to campus was! -Lafayette College When I first heard of Mr. Kristof's impending visit to Lafayette, my expectations for his lecture were indeed high, given his laudable reputation. What Mr. Kristof delivered, however, went beyond what I could have ever imagined. His ability to simultaneously report, connect, and empower made a significant positive impact on our student body. Later that night, I already had students approaching me with comments about how Kristof opened their minds to what could be accomplished, even when certain events seem so far removed from their own individual control. -Student, Lafayette College Class of 2009 Nick Kristof’s visit went exceptionally well. Everyone was pleased on this end (and I think Nick enjoyed the conversation). Seminar, dinner conversations, and lecture (and questions from our students) were all on a very high intellectual level--and he did tailor his comments well to our theme. Students were very engaged. Had about 400 for the speech, which was very good for us for a Tuesday afternoon and a great turnout considering that there was torrential rain outside that turned the campus into one big river for a while. -Miami University Things went really well with Nick. We got a really good response from the audience and we've had a lot of dialogue on campus about the issues he brought up. -Cornell University Nicholas Kristof made an individual presentation, recounting his travels through the world's conflict zones, and his difficult effort to free two young women from slavery in Cambodia. Kristof’s passionate remarks about global health, poverty and gender issues in the developing world were intelligent and moving. He motivated the students and inspired them to follow him in taking personal risks and giving voices to the voiceless in other parts of the world. -EduCap Inc. One Gateway Center, Suite 751 | Newton, MA 02458 | Phone: 617.614.1600 | Fax: 617.965.6610 | apbspeakers.com I just wanted to let you know how fabulous Kristof was last night. You could hear a pin drop in the auditorium because he was spellbinding. Of course, the subject was not light; Darfur, etc. but his delivery was natural and with no notes. He really felt the weight of his speech, as did the audience. - Dowd Lecture Series We had an INCREDIBLE day! There were about 1,200 people in attendance, and all of them were absolutely buzzed. Mr. Kristof is a rock star among our socially conscious audience members! His presentation was riveting, and his genuine, down-to-earth manner added to the power of his presentation. Our day with Mr. Kristof fulfilled in every way the essence of the Forum’s mission. - Westminster Town Hall Forum Our membership found the presentation to be very enlightening and inspiring. The feedback has been quite positive. On a personal note, my daughter is still talking about the afternoon and looking forward to delving into your book. Many thanks for a thought provoking presentation. -National Council of Jewish Women He was wonderful, of course. We got great feedback. And he's a really nice guy, so easy to deal with. Thanks so much for arranging this. -Cheltenham 5-Star Forum We loved having Nicholas Kristof here. He could not have been a more gracious guest and a more inspiring presence. I was particularly impressed by the way he directed his remarks to the students. They’re young and motivated, and they are ready to make a difference in the world in the ways that he suggests. He’d be a great teacher if he didn’t have even more important work to do at the moment. -Director of International Studies, Franklin & Marshall College He is fantastic!!! Brilliant, articulate, easy to work with. Thanks so much! -Newport Beach Public Library Foundation Nicholas Kristof’s remarks were brilliant and have received a great deal of positive feedback on the evening. Thank you very much for staying to sign books. We hope that you will speak to us again. -President, Network 20/20 One Gateway Center, Suite 751 | Newton, MA 02458 | Phone: 617.614.1600 | Fax: 617.965.6610 | apbspeakers.com Nicholas Kristof engaged the audience with an informative, sometimes difficult, and always gripping presentation of stories and themes central to his new book, which he co-authored with fellow Pulitzer Prize winner, and wife, Sheryl WuDunn: “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.” Kristof’s presentation was well suited to a college audience, with evocative PowerPoint visuals and open exchanges with students. If you are ever double-booked between two events, and Kristof factors into the equation, I hope this will convince you where you need to be. -Student, Duke University Nick was magnificent and impressive. He was the topic of the newsroom this morning at the Omaha World-Herald, which sent 20 journalists, and several of our board members are elated. -Associate Director, KANEKO Every person should own this book…every woman you know should absolutely have a copy of this book…Until I read this book, I had the overwhelming sense that nothing would change…The most incredible story I’ve ever heard. -Oprah Thank you so much for your truly wonderful talk at Rice last week. I have received so much positive feedback from our students, many of whom want to be you when they grow up! One of my students emailed me to say, “It was such an inspiring talk, and he's become a role model in terms of the kind of positive impact I would eventually like to make.” I know that many other students were similarly inspired. Thanks again for reaching out to them. -Rice University 360 Initiative It was perfect. I’m not exaggerating. It was perfect through and through. I’m critical by nature and I tried to look for something that could have been better. There isn’t anything. Nicholas was excellent. We had one of the biggest turnouts for a lecture in the college’s history—between 500 and 600. Truthfully closer to 600. When he finished, everyone as kind of a group reflex rose to their feet to give him thunderous applause. What they were applauding was not only what was said, but the wonderfully caring, real, and deeply human person who was saying it. To me, what made him a perfect fit for us and for the inaugural run of the St. Andre Lecture on “Welcoming the Other” was that he didn’t simply bombard us with depressing stories and statistics. He let us in on the reality, that’s for sure, but he went further and challenged us to think about what we can do about these real episodes of suffering. He left us thinking that it is, in part, up to us. In other words, we didn’t simply leave informed. We were moved. We left changed. I was especially happy to see how he handled the Q&A. It was as if he believed it was as important as the lecture itself. I, and my colleagues with me, agreed that our students asked questions of substance. He took his time answering each one. -Stonehill College One Gateway Center, Suite 751 | Newton, MA 02458 | Phone: 617.614.1600 | Fax: 617.965.6610 | apbspeakers.com One Gateway Center, Suite 751 | Newton, MA 02458 | Phone: 617.614.1600 | Fax: 617.965.6610 | apbspeakers.com