Richard Dawkins is the former Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University, a position he held from 1995-2008. The Wall Street Journal said his "passion is supported by an awe-inspiring literary craftsmanship." The New York Times Book Review has hailed him as a writer who “understands the issues so clearly that he forces his reader to understand them too.” Among his books are The Ancestor’s Tale, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, A Devil’s Chaplain and The God Delusion. A Book signing will follow his speech.

Jamila served a decade-long stint as a producer and editor at National Public Radio working for shows including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Tell Me More with Michel Martin, and Talk of the Nation.  Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Humanist of London, Jazz Times Magazine, WebMD, The Today Show and radio stations nationwide

A sought-after speaker and writer, Jamila’s areas of expertise include health and family policy, and all issues concerning the First Amendment.  She particularly enjoys reporting on issues concerning religion and the separation of church and state.Her first book about the role of religion in the lives of African-American women is to be completed in fall 2012.

Advocate for atheism as well as the rights of the LGBT community and blogger of "Greta Christina's Blog." Greta will be unveiling her new speech, entitled "Coming Out: What Can The Godless Learn From The Queers?"

Dr. Cornwell is the Executive Director of the US branch of the RDFRS (Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science). Her contributions include the OUT Campaign, pioneering the concept of 'vignettes,' including the 'The Four Horsemen' and filming lecture events made available on the RDnet website. She has been crucial in orchestrating Richard Dawkins' media and events in the US. As an evolutionary psychologist, her research has examined the underlying mechanisms of human mate selection. She has been conducting research at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, exploring the relationship of various psychological traits to religious beliefs.

Jerry is brand new atheist and ex-minister who just left a Pentecostal church in Louisiana. Jerry DeWitt talks about why life is better without God. Jerry is the first graduate of the Clergy Project, the purpose of which is to provide a safe haven for active and former clergy who do not hold the supernatural beliefs of their religious traditions. Made possible by the Richard Dawkins Foundation.

Dr. Klein has written several books on sexuality, and his book America's War on Sex was honored as the year's Best Sexuality Book by AASECT. It documents how the issue of sexual regulation is being used to undermine secular democracy. Klein's work challenges American society's (and psychotherapy's) assumptions about sexuality. He is particularly critical of what he calls the "Sexual Disaster Industry" and the "Oprah-ization" of psychotherapy and medicine. More recently he has spoken out against the criminalization and cruel punishment of teen "sexting."

PZ is a biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and the author of the Pharyngula science blog. He has published numerous research papers in Nature and other scientific journals. PZ is an outspoken critic of intelligent design and creationism. Nature listed his blog Pharyngula as the top-ranked blog written by a scientist. In 2009 PZ received the Humanist of the Year award.

Dan Nainan got his start by taking a comedy class to get over the nervousness of speaking on stage. In his job as a demo engineer with Intel Corporation, Dan toured the world with CEO Andy Grove, demonstrating the latest technology for audiences numbering into the thousands. After leaving Intel to pursue comedy full time, Dan has toured as a feature act with Robert Schimmel and Russell Peters. Dan has appeared on "Last Comic Standing," in feature films, on radio and in an Apple "Get a Mac" commercial. He has performed at TED India and he recently performed on the Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon live from Las Vegas.

Taslima Nasrin is known for her powerful writings on the oppression of women and her unflinching criticism of religion (despite forced exile and multiple fatwas calling for her death). In 1992 and 2000 she was awarded the prestigious literary Ananda Award. She won The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in 1994, the Kurt Tucholsky Literary Award in 1994 and the Simone de Beauvoir Award (1995) and Human Rights Award (2008) from the government of France. Taslima has written 34 books, translated in twenty Indian and European languages. Some of her books are banned in Bangladesh and India. She has been banned, blacklisted and banished from Bengal. She has been living in exile for more than 17 years.

Aron Ra is a vlogger extrordinaire, best known for his superior intelligence and eloquence. He will be hosting a live taping of the Magic Sandwich Show on stage.

Cristina Rad is one of the most famous and prolific atheist vloggers on the Internet. Her channel boasts 83 thousand subscribers, and her videos have been watched millions of times. She's brilliant, articulate, and coming in from Romania for this event (and for the Rally)

Dr. Ray has been a psychologist for over 30 years: practicing counseling and clinical psychology for 10 years then moving into organizational psychology and consulting. He has been a student of religion most of his life and holds a MA degree in religion as well as a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and a Doctorate in psychology. For decades, he has been intensely curious about the mechanics of religion, how it influences and infects people's minds. He wrote The God Virus in response to a need for a simple and practical understanding of religious mechanics. Dr. Ray is also the founder of Recovering From Religion.

If you have not seen Brother Sam Singleton, Atheist Evangelist, you are missing one of the great joys of life. Hilarious and chilling, erudite and crass, quoting Voltaire with a vivid Ozarks accent, Brother Sam's performance kidnaps the style of a Pentecostal revival meeting and uses it to deliver a sharp, compelling, take-no- prisoners atheist rant.

Mr. Tabash is a lawyer in the Los Angeles area. He graduated magna cum laude from UCLA in 1973 and obtained his law degree from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles in 1976. He is a member of the California State Bar, the American Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Eddie will give an impassioned speech about the Separation of Church and State and how it relates to the US Supreme Court and the upcoming election

Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. (16% growth according to the last census) and, unfortunately, it also happens to be one the most superstitious and religious. For example, although the Catholic Church in the U.S. lost the most members in the past couple of years through conversions to other religions, its number stayed the same because it also received the most new members of any church – mostly Hispanic immigrants. The future of America is closely linked to the young Hispanics of today, especially considering that Hispanics already outnumber African-Americans in the U.S.

Thunderf00t's longest running series of 37 videos have, between them, gathered several million views. Each episode usually takes one creationist point proposed by one of their cranks, either well-known or not well known, and refutes them fully. These are released "copyright free for educational purposes".

BAAm is a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between atheism and the black community. Religion is so deeply ingrained in the black community that black atheists often find themselves as a dual minority in the atheist community. BAAm hopes that its efforts will build a stronger overall atheist community by encouraging black atheists to be open about their stance on religion.