25 Years After 9/11: Lessons in Leadership, Resilience and Finding Our Better Angels

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton has spent more than five decades in public service as an advocate, attorney, First Lady, U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State and presidential candidate. As the 67th U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton advanced a “smart power” approach to foreign policy and played a central role in restoring America’s standing in the world, strengthening alliances, addressing global conflicts and advancing human rights and democracy. Earlier, as First Lady and Senator for New York, she traveled to more than 80 countries and championed opportunities for women and girls, expanded access to health care and supported first responders who risked their lives at Ground Zero.

In her historic 2016 campaign for President of the United States, Clinton won 66 million votes. She is the author of 12 best-selling books and the founder of Onward Together and HiddenLight Productions. She serves on the Board of the Clinton Foundation, where she launched the Clinton Policy Institute, and is a producer of the Broadway musical Suffs. She is Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast and a Professor of Practice at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she co-founded the Institute of Global Politics.

Clinton and former President Bill Clinton have one daughter, Chelsea, and three grandchildren: Charlotte, Aidan and Jasper. They reside in New York.

Mitch E. Daniels, Jr.

Purdue President Emeritus Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. served as a two-term governor of Indiana from 2005–13 and as Purdue University’s 12th president from 2013–22. He subsequently served as board chair of the Purdue Research Foundation before returning as the university’s interim president on July 1, 2026.

Daniels was elected governor in his first bid for public office and re-elected with more votes than any candidate in Indiana history. During his tenure, the state moved from an $800 million deficit to its first AAA credit rating, led the nation in infrastructure building and enacted major education, health care and economic reforms. Indiana was recognized as a top-five state for business climate and No. 1 for infrastructure and effectiveness of state government as Daniels left office.

As Purdue president, Daniels made student affordability a priority, freezing tuition and mandatory fees at 2012 levels and reducing room and board costs. Under his leadership, aggregate student borrowing fell 37%, while Purdue became the nation’s No. 1 most recognized public university. His leadership has been recognized by Fortune, which named him among the Top 50 Greatest World Leaders in 2015, and by his election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019.

Before becoming governor, Daniels served as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, senior advisor to President Ronald Reagan and director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush. He also served as CEO of the Hudson Institute and held executive positions at Eli Lilly and Company, including president of its North American pharmaceutical operations.

Daniels earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a law degree from Georgetown University. He is the author of four books and a contributing columnist to The Washington Post. He and his wife, Cheri, have four daughters and seven grandchildren.

Norah O’Donnell

Norah O’Donnell is a multiple Emmy Award-winning 60 Minutes correspondent who has spent nearly three decades covering major national and international stories and conducting news-making interviews. She previously served as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News for more than five years, becoming only the third woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast. She also co-hosted CBS This Morning and served as CBS News’ chief White House correspondent.

O’Donnell has covered eight presidential elections and interviewed every living U.S. president, as well as Pope Francis in a historic 2024 interview. Her 60 Minutes interviews have included world leaders and newsmakers such as President Donald Trump, then-Vice President Joe Biden, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Prince Harry, Malala Yousafzai and the Dalai Lama. She has reported from around the world, including from the Red Sea during the Houthi attacks, Tel Aviv following the October 7 attacks and Maui after the 2023 wildfires.

Her work has earned numerous honors, including multiple Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, Gracie, Sigma Delta Chi, duPont-Columbia and Scripps Howard awards. She has been recognized for reporting on sexual assault in the U.S. military, the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S.-Mexico border and other major national stories. O’Donnell is also the author of the New York Times bestseller We the Women: Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, published as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and hosts the CBS News podcast Healthful with Norah O’Donnell.

Before joining CBS News, O’Donnell spent more than a decade at NBC News, covering the Pentagon, Congress and the White House. She began her career as a print reporter for Roll Call. O’Donnell serves on the Board of Directors of Georgetown University, where she earned three degrees. She is married and has three children.