Bp. Rutherford Johnson-Roma-Rus', Ph.D., ALM, M.Sc., FRGS is an international executive leader, behavioral scientist, economist, and sustainability specialist. Harvard and Georgia Tech educated with lifelong international, multicultural experience, he serves as a senior lecturer of economics at the University of Minnesota’s Crookston campus and a fellow of the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment. He holds a Ph.D. in agricultural economics with focus on behavioral/psychological economics from the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, a Master of Liberal Arts in the field of sustainability from the Harvard University Extension School, and a M.Sc. and B.Sc. in economics and applied physics respectively from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). In 2018, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2022, he was awarded the International Teaching Excellence Award for Region IV by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. Outside of academia, he leads an international humanitarian corporation in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council providing expert policy advice to the UN and government leaders around the world.

Major General Mari K. Eder, retired U.S. Army Major General, is a renowned speaker and author, and a thought leader on strategic communication and leadership. General Eder is the former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Joint and Special Troops Support Command, former Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve and former Deputy Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Army. She was the closing keynote speaker at WIN Summit 2018 and recipient of the 2018 Trailblazer Award.
General Eder has served as Director of Public Affairs at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and as an adjunct professor and lecturer in communications and public diplomacy at the NATO School and Sweden’s International Training Command. She speaks and writes frequently on communication topics in universities and for international audiences.
She is a trustee with the U.S. Army War College Foundation and has served as a senior advisor and Director with the Foundation for Self Government, and as a communications expert for the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General.
General Eder is the author of “Leading the Narrative: The Case for Strategic Communication,” published by the Naval Institute Press. Out soon, her new book is titled: Step Out of Line, Ladies: Stories of Courage, Sacrifice, and Grit – the Women of WWII.

We are pleased to announce our keynote speaker for the 2019 Boston International Academic Conference. We are very excited that this prestigious speaker with a diverse background in and understanding of business and humanitarian sciences has accepted our invitation to inspire us with his perspectives on the topic "Becoming Citizens of the Universe."

Frank White from Harvard University Extension School will share his perspectives on a topic "Becoming Citizens of the Universe" during the keynote address of the WEI conference held between July 29th -August 2nd at the Harvard Faculty Club, Boston, USA.

Frank White is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a Rhodes Scholar. He earned his M.Phil. in politics from Oxford University and is an Instructor at the Harvard University Extension School and Summer School. He has authored or coauthored books on topics ranging from space exploration to climate change. His best-known work, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, is considered by many to be a seminal work in the field. He is co-founder of the Overview Institute, a leading organization dedicated to analyzing the Overview Effect and disseminating its findings. The Overview Effect continues to be applied to multiple fields, including business, government, and psychology. His latest book, The Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect, advocates creation of a Human Space Program based on a new philosophy of space exploration.