About the Authors
From The Starfish and the Spider
Ori's website is www.oribrafman.com
New York Times best-selling author, Ori Brafman was born in Israel and raised in Texas, Ori Brafman. Ori holds a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
As an alumnus, Ori has facilitated an MBA course on interpersonal dynamics at the Stanford Business School.
When he was still in college, he co-founded Vegan Action, which successfully launched a network with thirty-six national and international chapters. He brought vegan foods into numerous college dining halls.
Since then, Ori has led marketing campaigns for UC Berkeley's Young Musicians Program, prevented fast food companies from advertising in schools, led marketing efforts for a healthy fast-food startup, and been a founding team member of Courtroom Connect, a courtroom technology company. Together with Rod, Ori co-founded Global Peace Networks, which catalyzed a network of CEOs working on conflict resolution and economic development in Africa and the Middle East.
He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two cats.
Rod's website is WWW.BECKSTROM.COM
Rod presently serves as the President and CEO of Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Rod Beckstrom served as the Director of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) of the U.S. government, based in the Department of Homeland Security.
Rod grew up in Oklahoma and moved to California to attend Stanford, where he was president of the combined undergraduate and graduate student bodies. Rod was a Fulbright Scholar and worked in London for two years as a derivatives trader for Morgan Stanley.
Rod earned his MBA at Stanford and started a risk management company on the side to help cover tuition. C*ATS software grew into a multinational NASDAQ-traded company.
Rod "retired" from his position as CEO in 1999, but has since served in leadership positions with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and several technology startups. He co-founded Global Peace Networks with Ori and serves as a Trustee of Environmental Defense.
Rod has been an early stage investor in many tech companies including Mergent Systems, eMotion Inc, and serves as an advisor to numerous start up companies and venture funds. He also served on the board and helped to build American Legal Net, the leading provider of online court forms in the U.S.
Rod was a pioneer in the field of derivatives trading and risk management. Prodded and coached by Nobel Laureate William F. Sharpe, Rod co-edited the first book on Value at Risk, a modern theory of risk management. He has been cited on issues of technology and finance in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and many other international publications. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum, State of the World Forum, World Technology Summit, ETRE, and other events.
In August 2007, Rod co-founded TWIKI.NET with Peter Thoeny. Rod served as the CEO and Chief Catalyst of TWIKI.NET until March of 2007.
