Nancy Brinker Her foundation fights breast cancer by encouraging millions to “Race for the Cure.” Eric Chivian and Richard Cizik The professor of psychiatry and the Evangelical Presbyterian minister joined in preaching the need for environmental stewardship.
Michael Griffin NASA’s boss made it the openly communicative, inspired organization it used to be. Jeff Han He led a revolution, introducing the concept of multitouch-sensing computer screens. Mary Lou Jepsen Her One Laptop Per Child program gives cheap computers to kids everywhere. Wendy Kopp The 5,000 teachers in her visionary program, Teach for America, reach 440,000 kids. The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Mehmet Oz The Columbia University heart surgeon has informed millions with his illuminating, sensible health books; now he’s taking his magic to TV. Peter Pronovost His idea, a surgical checklist, has saved countless lives in the operating room. Nicholas Schiff The neuroscientist’s breakthrough technique, deep brain stimulation, helps reduce the symptoms of Parkinson disease and may help fight brain damage.
Susan Solomon She proved the peril of the thinning ozone layer; now she is tackling climate change. Jill Bolte Taylor The afflicted neuroanatomist chronicled her fight to solve the mysteries of stroke. J. Craig Venter The geneticist ruffles feathers, but in 2007 he created the first synthetic genome. Shinya Yamanaka and James Thomson The researchers’ breakthrough makes adult human cells act like embryonic stem cells, helping end a contentious moral debate.
Mark Zuckerberg The Facebook founder is helping transform the Internet into a vast social community.
ARTISTS & ENTERTAINERS
Judd Apatow The creator of hugely popular movie comedies is on a remarkable zeitgeist roll. Mariah Carey With perseverance and a fantastic vocal range, she keeps reinventing her music. George Clooney The actor is a respected advocate for causes ranging from Darfur to a free press. Joel and Ethan Coen They won three Oscars in 2008, but their work isn’t about garnering awards; their quirky films excel because they find a unique voice and eye, and stay true to both. Miley Cyrus Disney’s Hannah Montana is the rare teen star who knows she is a role model for fans. Robert Downey, Jr. The actor came back from drug abuse to show his intelligence and charisma. Peter Gelb The Metropolitan Opera’s boss brought his company’s artistry to millions of new fans. Elizabeth Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love, her fine memoir of her postdivorce travels, touched countless lives. Herbie Hancock The jazz pianist, now 68, has never lost his fearless inventiveness. Khaled Hosseini With 2003′s The Kite Runner and his new novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, he has helped his large audience look past stereotypes and see Afghans as real people.
Rem Koolhaas The Dutch-born architect-polemicist is helping architecture chart a path into the future. Stephenie Meyer She mined a rich vein with her romantic vampire novels, the Twilight series. Lorne Michaels Saturday Night Live:s creator has given America its sharpest political send-ups. Takashi Murakami The Japanese pop artist playfully blurs the line between art and commerce.
Suze Orman The TV financial adviser made millions better informed on issues of dollars and sense. Tyler Perry Madea’s creator revolutionized the way Hollywood entertains urban audiences. Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy The geeks behind Guitar Hero and Rock Band made us all stars. Chris Rock The brilliant black comic takes on sex, racism, and marriage—and makes it all seem fun. Tim Russert The late host of NBC’s Meet the Press was an astute, discerning seeker of truth. Bruce Springsteen The legendary troubadour continues to give voice to America’s social conscience. Tom Stoppard He challenges audiences with the intellect, scope, and verbiage of his plays.
BUILDERS & TITANS
Jay Adelson His Digg.com site, a user-driven ranking system for Internet content, attracts millions of viewers each month.
Prince al-Walid ibn Talal ibn Abdulaziz al-Saud The Saudi investor proves that good business can unite the most diverse of cultures and nations. Michael Arrington With his TechCrunch blog, he is a leading authority on tech-biz culture. Steve Ballmer Bill Gates’s successor at Microsoft, he doesn’t just throw fits at sales conferences and play the madman—he delivers results. Jeff Bezos Amazon’s visionary CEO unveiled Kindle, a paperback-sized, battery-powered digital book. Lloyd Blankfein The cEo of Goldman Sachs wisely steered clear of mortgage-backed securities. Cynthia Carroll Anglo American’s CEO is helping revolutionize the global mining industry. John Chambers With his new virtual-meeting system, TelePresence, Cisco’s boss kept his Internet-systems company in the vanguard.
Jamie Dimon ByleadingJPMorgan Chase’s purchase of the reeling investment firm Bear Stearns, he helped head off a financial-market meltdown. Mo Ibrahim The cell-phone king is leading calls for democracy and good governance in Africa. Jeffrey Immelt General Electric’s boss is a polymath who is equally at home in a research lab, a turbine facility, or on the set of Saturday Night Live. Lou Jiwei The former deputy finance minister is now controlling China’s huge pool of investment dollars. Steve Jobs Apple’s boss is a countercultural icon and a brilliant businessman and marketer. Neelie Kroes The Dutchwoman is the European Union’s czar of competition—and a formidable voice for economic fairness and women’s rights. Karl Lagerfeld The visionary German designer showed that fashion can originate from the street, the media—anywhere.
Ali al-Naimi Saudi Arabia’s thoughtful oil minister uses his influence well in global petropolitics. Indra Nooyi PepsiCo’s boss has made healthiness and sustainability part of the company’s mission. Radiohead The British rock band made their new album available online, dealing a death blow to music’s old distribution models. Carine Roitfeld The quintessentially Parisian editor of French Vogue energizes and defines the world of fashion by mixing street culture and high society. Carlos Slim Helu The Mexican telecom superbillion-aire is also a visionary and humanist. Ratan Tata The Indian automotive mogul introduced an affordable car for India’s masses.
