Invited Speakers Appointed president in 2000, Dr. Edward Guiliano is credited with leading the transformation of NYIT from a local college into a regional institution with a recognizable national, global and digital brand. With Dr. Guiliano at the helm, NYIT has recruited seasoned administrators and world-class deans; attracted outstanding students from 50 states and more than 97 countries; and expanded NYIT’s comprehensive international and online programs. NYIT now provides career-oriented professional education to more than 14,000 students, of which more than 2,000 are enrolled in programs in Canada, Asia and the Middle East, and online programs globally. An eloquent spokesman and advocate for higher education, Dr. Guiliano’s commitment to technology has propelled NYIT to the forefront of the digital revolution. In 2002, the college installed a fiber-optic network that ranks among the fastest digital pipelines on the East Coast, and provides a conduit for advanced faculty research in such areas as computer security, alternative energy and the convergence of the Internet, radio, television and telecommunications. Further, under Dr. Guiliano’s tutelage NYIT has taken the lead in online education. In 2003, NYIT entered into an alliance with UNext, Inc. to launch Ellis College of NYIT (http://ellis.nyit.edu), one of the most unique and progressive online schools for working adults. As president, he has overseen the largest renovation and construction of campus facilities in the college’s history, and has implemented comprehensive communications, marketing and branding programs that have vaulted the college into national and international limelight. Dr. Guiliano has made his professional home at NYIT since 1974. In 1988, he became the youngest person in NYIT history to be promoted through the ranks to full professor. He advanced sequentially from an administrator to vice president for academic affairs, provost and, in 2000, president. Dr. Guiliano holds an A.B. from Brown University and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The author or editor of eight books and more than 150 articles, essays, presentations and reviews, he is a renowned expert on Victorian literature, particularly the works of Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll. Dr. Guiliano has long been involved in philanthropic causes serving as a board member and officer of several nonprofit and educational organizations. He currently serves on the boards of the United Way of Long Island and the Fair Media Council. In addition, he is the recipient of the prestigious 2001 Ellis Island Medal of Honor for personal accomplishments, social compassion and outstanding contributions to American society. Mr. Matthew Simmons is Chairman of Simmons & Company International, a specialized energy investment banking firm. Mr. Simmons is the author of the book Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy. Mr. Simmons was raised in Kaysville, Utah. He graduated cum laude from the University of Utah and received an M.B.A. with Distinction from Harvard Business School. He served on the faculty of Harvard Business School as a Research Associate for two years, and was a doctoral candidate. Mr. Simmons has been a driving force in both the energy and investment banking business for over four decades. His firm has completed more than 500 investment banking projects for its worldwide energy clients at a combined dollar value of approximately $60 billion. Simmons & Company is the only independent investment bank specializing in the entire spectrum of the energy industry. Mr. Simmons has written many papers, delivered numerous speeches, and has appeared on TV news networks like CNBC, MSMBC and CNN. Mr. Simmons' papers and presentations are regularly published in a variety of publications and oil/gas industry journals, including World Oil. Prof. Richard Heinberg is the author of numerous books including The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies and Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World. He is a journalist, educator, editor, lecturer, and a Core Faculty member of New College of California, where he teaches courses on "Energy and Society" and "Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community." His monthly MuseLetter was nominated in 1994 by Utne Reader for an Alternative Press Award and has been included in Utne's annual list of Best Alternative Newsletters. His essays and articles have appeared in many journals including Z Magazine, The Futurist, Earth Island Journal, Wild Matters, Alternative Press Review, and The Sun. He has recently authored The Oil Depletion Protocol, which will be available from New Society Publishers in June 2006. Mr. James Howard Kunstler was born in New York City in 1948. He moved to the Long Island suburbs in 1954 and returned to the city in 1957 where he spent most of his childhood. He graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport, worked as a reporter and feature writer for a number of newspapers, and finally as a staff writer for Rolling Stone Magazine. Mr. Kunstler is well known as a critic of ill-conceived architecture and urban planning in America. His thought-provoking books include The Geography of Nowhere and The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of the Oil Age, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century. Mr. Kunstler has lectured at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, MIT, RPI, the University of Virginia and many other colleges, and he has appeared before many professional organizations such as the AIA , the APA., and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.