nancy hanks lecture

Monday, March 31, 2008, 7:30 p.m.
Concert Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC

Daniel Pink
Author

Daniel Pink is a best-selling author and an expert on innovation, competition, and the changing world of work.

His latest book, A Whole New Mind, charts the rise of right-brain thinking in modern economies and explains the six abilities individuals and organizations must master in an out-sourced and automated world. Reviewers have described the book as “an audacious and powerful work,” “a profound read,” “right on the money,” and “a miracle.” A Whole New Mind is a New York Times and BusinessWeek best seller—and has been translated into 15 languages.

Dan’s first book, Free Agent Nation, about the rise of people working for themselves, was a Washington Post best seller and a business best seller in the United States, Canada, and Japan. Publishers Weekly said that the book “has become a cornerstone of employee-management relations.”

His articles on work, business, and technology appear in many newspapers and magazines—including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wired, where he is a contributing editor. Dan has provided analysis of business trends on CNN, CNBC, ABC, NPR, and other networks in the United States and abroad. And as an independent business consultant, he's advised start-up ventures and Fortune 100 companies on recruiting, innovation, and work practices.

A free agent himself, Dan held his last real job in the White House, where he served from 1995 to 1997 as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore. He’s also worked as an aide to United States Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich, an economic policy staffer in the United States Senate, a legal researcher in India, and a latrine builder in Botswana.

He received a J.D. from Yale Law School and B.A. with honors in linguistics from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. 

Dan lives in Washington, DC with his wife and their three children. He is now at work on his next two books, which will be published in 2008 and 2009.