Sinai Forum 2026

Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham is one of America’s most prominent public intellectuals. A highly sought-after commentator, Meacham regularly appears on MSNBC, CNN and other news outlets. A skilled orator with a depth of knowledge about politics, religion and current affairs, Meacham has the unique ability to bring history to life and offer historical context to current events and issues impacting our daily lives – whether we realize it or not – to audiences of all backgrounds and levels of understanding.

He served as Newsweek’s managing editor from 1998 to 2006 and as editor from 2006 to 2010.

Meacham is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers. In 2022, he published “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle,” which won numerous awards, including the Lincoln Prize and spent 16 weeks on the Times bestseller list. A #1 New York Times bestseller, Meacham’s “The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels” examines the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in U.S. history when hope overcame division and fear. Meacham’s “His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope” – an intimate and revealing portrait of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. congressman John Lewis—quickly gained bestseller status.

His latest book, “American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: An Anthology,” is an anthology that illuminates the nation’s complicated past. The rich and diverse collection covers a wide spectrum of history from 1619 to the twenty-first century with his signature commentary on the consequential speeches, letters and essays that led us to this moment.

Meacham’s Presidential biography of George H. W. Bush, “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush,” debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list. According to the Times, “Destiny and Power reflect the qualities of both subject and biographer: judicious, balanced, deliberative, with a deep appreciation of history and the personalities who shape it.” He is a co-author of “Impeachment: An American History,” which reveals the complicated motives behind the three impeachments in U.S. history. A #1 New York Times bestseller, “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power” was hailed as “masterful and intimate” by Fortune magazine. Meacham’s other national bestsellers include “Franklin and Winston, American Gospel” and “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House,” which won a Pulitzer Prize.

Meacham released two podcasts with the “History Channel: Hope Through History” and “It Was Said.” Narrated and written by Meacham, season two of the critically acclaimed “Hope Through History” podcast explores some of the most historic and trying times in American History, how the nation dealt with the impact of these moments and how we came through these moments a more unified nation. It Was Said, tells the stories of those crucial words, taking listeners back to inflection points ranging from the McCarthy era to our present time through the real-time rhetoric that shaped and suffused America as the country struggled through storm and strife. It Was Said captures the nation we’ve been and points ahead to the nation we hope to become.

Meacham is a frequent guest on Morning Joe; Real Time with Bill Maher; The 11th Hour and was featured in Ken Burns’ documentary series “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.” FOX News produced an hour-long special about Meacham’s “Destiny and Power.” Named a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the Society of American Historians. Meacham is a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University, where he holds the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency. In 2024, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Biden and was honored as a Library Lion of the New York Public Library.

His latest book, “The Call to Serve,” honors the 100th anniversary of George H.W. Bush’s birth and is an illuminating portrait of a man who was more than his politics.

Neal Katyal runs one of the world’s largest Supreme Court practices at a firm where he occupies the role formerly held by now Chief Justice John Roberts. He focuses on democracy protection, the Supreme Court, constitutional law, criminal law, intellectual property and blockchain technology.

Former Acting Solicitor General of the United States (the federal government’s top courtroom lawyer), he is also a law professor with more than two decades of experience at the Georgetown University Law Center where he was one of the youngest professors in the university’s history to have received tenure and a chaired professorship. At Georgetown, Katyal also serves as Faculty Chair of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. He has been a visiting law professor at both Harvard and Yale.

Katyal has received most every award a lawyer can win. In 2017, American Lawyer magazine named him Litigator of the Year. He earlier received the Edmund Randolph Award, the highest award the U.S. Justice Department can award a civilian. He has also been named one of the 40 Most Influential Lawyers of the Last Decade Nationwide by National Law Journal (2010); Appellate MVP by Law360 numerous times; and winner of the Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Award for 2017.

Katyal has published dozens of scholarly articles in law journals, as well as op-ed articles in every widely read U.S. newspaper and has testified numerous times before various committees of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and Dartmouth College, where he currently serves as an elected Trustee.

In 2020, Katyal gave his TED Talk “How To Win An Argument (At The US Supreme Court, or Anywhere),” which has more than 2 million views to date. Katyal is a frequent contributor to MSNBC and the New York Times, has been named one of GQ’s Men of the Year and has appeared on virtually every major American news program, as well as Showtime’s “Billions” and Netflix’s “House of Cards” (where he played himself).

Today, he brings that extraordinary depth of experience to our stage to share his insights on the Supreme Court and the future of American democracy.

David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, is co-Founder & President of Every Cure and one of the youngest faculty members ever to receive tenure at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. A physician-scientist and patient battling a deadly illness, he discovered a repurposed treatment that saved his own life and others—a story he chronicled in his national bestselling memoir “Chasing My Cure.”

Dr. Fajgenbaum has since advanced 13 more repurposed treatments for cancers and rare diseases and co-founded the nonprofit Every Cure to unlock more hidden cures from existing medicines. Every Cure has received over $190M from ARPA-H and TED’s Audacious Project and is on a mission to treat 15-25 devastating diseases with repurposed drugs by 2030.

Dr. Fajgenbaum has published 100+ scientific papers in leading journals, such as The New England Journal of Medicine and has been profiled by The New York Times, Good Morning America and TODAY. He has been honored with the Atlas Award alongside then-VP Joe Biden, 2023 Philadelphia Citizen of the Year Award and 2025 TIME100 Health list of “the world’s most influential people in health” and TIME100 Next List of “the leaders shaping the future.”

Prior to Every Cure, Dr. Fajgenbaum founded a nonprofit for grieving college students and a nonprofit to cure Castleman disease. Dr. Fajgenbaum earned a BS from Georgetown University, MSc from the University of Oxford, MD from the University of Pennsylvania and MBA from Wharton.

John O’Leary is an internationally acclaimed inspirational speaker, bestselling author, podcast host and business leader whose remarkable story of survival and resilience has inspired millions around the world.

In 1987, John was a curious nine-year-old boy when a devastating accident changed his life forever. Playing with fire and gasoline in his family’s home, he caused a massive explosion that left him burned on 100 percent of his body. Given less than a one percent chance to survive, John endured months of treatment, countless surgeries and years of rehabilitation. His extraordinary recovery became the subject of the book “Overwhelming Odds,” written by his parents in 2006 and ultimately inspired John to begin sharing his message of resilience, perspective and purposeful living with audiences across the globe.

Today, John speaks at more than 100 live and virtual events annually for organizations across healthcare, business, education, finance, insurance, safety and sales. Through powerful storytelling, authenticity, humor and practical insight, he helps individuals and organizations transform adversity into opportunity and rediscover what matters most. Consistently described by clients as “the best speaker we’ve ever had,” John has become one of the most sought-after inspirational voices in America.

In addition to his work as a speaker and author, John has a background in business and real estate development adding practical insight to his message on leadership, resilience and growth.

John is the author of the national bestselling books “On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life” and “In Awe: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning and Joy.” His award-winning “Live Inspired” podcast has garnered more than seven million downloads.

John’s story also continues to reach new audiences through “SOUL ON FIRE,” the major motion picture released in October 2025 based on his life.

He currently serves on the boards of the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri.

Regardless of his professional accomplishments, John considers his greatest success to be his marriage to his wife Beth, their four children and the relationships he shares with family and friends.

For more than four decades, Pat Hughes has been one of the defining voices of Major League Baseball, earning widespread respect for his precision, preparation and unmistakable passion for the game. A master storyteller behind the microphone, Hughes has built a career distinguished not only by longevity, but by excellence at the highest level of sports broadcasting.

Now in his 44th season as a Major League broadcaster, Hughes has spent the past 31 years as the lead radio play-by-play voice of the Chicago Cubs. Since arriving in Chicago in 1996, he has become an enduring and beloved presence for generations of Cubs fans, guiding listeners through some of the most memorable moments in franchise history with clarity, warmth and authenticity.
Among the highlights of Hughes’ remarkable tenure was his call of the Cubs’ historic 2016 World Series championship, ending the franchise’s 108-year title drought. His steady and eloquent narration during one of the most celebrated moments in baseball history further cemented his place among the game’s elite broadcasters.

Prior to joining the Cubs, Hughes established himself as one of baseball’s premier announcers during a 12-year run with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he worked alongside legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker. Their partnership became one of the most respected and entertaining broadcast teams in the sport.

In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to baseball broadcasting, Hughes received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2023, the profession’s highest honor. A year earlier, he was inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame, becoming one of the few non-players to receive the distinction.

Throughout his career, Hughes has been honored repeatedly for his excellence and professionalism, including being named State Sportscaster of the Year 17 times. Colleagues and listeners alike have long admired his meticulous preparation, descriptive play-by-play style and deep respect for both the audience and the traditions of baseball.

Away from the broadcast booth, Hughes is equally devoted to his family. He and his wife, Trish, have been married for 39 years and are the proud parents of two daughters, Amber and Janell.

Pat Hughes’ career stands as a model of broadcasting excellence — a career defined by integrity, consistency and an enduring love for the game. For millions of baseball fans, his voice has become inseparable from the timeless experience of summer nights, radio broadcasts and the enduring tradition of Major League Baseball.