Future of Exploration,The

Terry Garcia was the Executive Vice President and Chief Science and Exploration Officer for National Geographic for over seventeen years. In June 2010, Terry was appointed by President Obama to serve on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. He investigated the root causes of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and made recommendations on how to prevent future incidents. In 2011, Terry received Peru’s highest civilian award for his role in helping repatriate a collection of ancient artifacts taken from Machu Picchu in 1912. He is currently the President of Exploration Ventures, which provides advice to global clients in science, technology, art, media, education, hospitality, social, and nonprofit industries across private and public sectors. Chris Rainier is a documentary photographer and National Geographic Explorer who is highly respected for his documentation of endangered cultures and traditional languages around the globe. He is a fellow at the Royal Geographical Society in London. He has published books documenting traditional cultures around the globe, from the Stone Age tribes of New Guinea to the ancient tradition of tattoo body marking. Rainier is the director of the Cultural Sanctuaries Foundation, a global program focused on legally preserving biodiversity and cultural heritage. Rainier has photographed on all seven continents, focusing on the preservation of the planet's last wildernesses and traditional cultures. Sir Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, one of the world’s most irresistible brands, which has expanded into many diverse sectors, including travel, telecommunications, health, banking, music, and leisure. Having started Virgin as a mail-order record retailer in 1970, Branson founded Virgin Records. After the first Virgin artist, Mike Oldfield, released Tubular Bells, Virgin Records went on to sign household names including the Sex Pistols and the Rolling Stones. There are now more than forty Virgin companies worldwide in over thirty-five countries. Branson has challenged himself with many record-breaking adventures, including the fastest-ever Atlantic Ocean crossing, a series of oceanic balloon journeys, and kitesurfing across the English Channel. He has described Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline, as being “the greatest adventure of all.” Branson has nearly forty million followers on social media and blogs regularly on issues including entrepreneurship, the environment, and adventure to purpose. Since starting the youth culture magazine Student at age fifteen, he has found entrepreneurial ways to drive positive change in the world. In 2004, Branson established Virgin Unite, the nonprofit foundation of the Virgin Group, which unites people and entrepreneurial ideas to create opportunities for a better world. Most of his time is now spent building businesses that will make a positive difference in the world and working with Virgin Unite and organizations it has incubated, such as The Elders, The B Team, and Ocean Unite. Read more at www.virgin.com/branson-family/richard-branson-blog.