America's Best Leaders 2008
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Lance Armstrong
Cyclist
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David Baltimore
California Institute of Technology
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Regina Benjamin
Le Batre Rural Health Clinic
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Jeff Bezos
Amazon.com
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Terence Blanchard
Thelonious Monk Institute
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Benjamin Carson
Johns Hopkins Hospital
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Manny Diaz
Mayor of Miami
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Marian Wright Edelman
Children's Defense Fund
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Anthony Fauci
Nat'l Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases
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Mike Feinberg
Knowledge Is Power Program
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Robert Gates
Secretary of Defense
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Herbie Hancock
Thelonious Monk Institute
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Fiona Harrison
NASA scientist
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Freeman Hrabowski
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
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Dave Levin
Knowledge Is Power Program
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Amory Lovins
Rocky Mountain Institute
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Anne Mulcahy
Xerox
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Indra Nooyi
PepsiCo
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Linda Rottenberg
Endeavor
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Jeffrey Sachs
United Nations Millennium Project
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Steven Spielberg
Filmmaker
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Michael Tilson Thomas
San Francisco Symphony
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U.S. Junior Officers
Military
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Maria Zuber
NASA scientist
David Gergen: Obama Is a Leader of Great Potential, but He Can’t Do It Alone
This year’s Best Leaders are the kind of people who can help him lead us out of our doldrums.
Lance Armstrong
Cyclist and Advocate Making tireless efforts on behalf of cancer survivors like himself.
David Baltimore
California Institute of Technology This Nobel-winning scientist leads with "a little bit of chutzpah."
Regina Benjamin
Le Batre Rural Health Clinic She believes that living in a tiny rural town shouldn't mean giving up big-city healthcare.
Jeff Bezos
Amazon.com The founder of the massive online retailer is a true Internet pioneer.
Terence Blanchard and Herbie Hancock
Thelonious Monk Institute Their Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz brings music education to public schools.
Benjamin Carson
Johns Hopkins Hospital A talented pediatric neurosurgeon and activist for inner-city kids.
Manny Diaz
Mayor of Miami A son of Cuban immigrants, Diaz leads one of the nation's major multicultural cities.
Marian Wright Edelman
Children's Defense Fund A civil rights pioneer and crusader on behalf of children.
Anthony Fauci
National Institute of Allergies & Infectious Diseases A leader on HIV/AIDS and a straight talker on key health issues.
Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin
Knowledge Is Power Program Raising educational expectations in underserved communities.
Opinion
The Financial Crisis Kills Trust in Leaders
Bill George: We must do more than fix the crisis; we need to fix the mindset that got us into it.
Obama and American Followership
Barbara Kellerman: At this moment in history, diffusion of power overwhelms leadership.
Robert Gates
Secretary of Defense Pentagon chief looks for uses of "soft power" in a hard power world.
Fiona Harrison and Maria Zuber
NASA scientists The first two women to head their own NASA robotic space missions.
Freeman Hrabowski
University of Maryland-Baltimore County He helped turn a no-name commuter college into a center for math and science.
Amory Lovins
Rocky Mountain Institute For this bright light in the field of alternative energy, it's all about efficiency.
Anne Mulcahy
Xerox In reforming a troubled company, she had the courage to say "No" to Wall Street.
Indra Nooyi
PepsiCo Karaoke-singing chief executive is taking Pepsi in an unlikely direction--toward healthful foods.
Linda Rottenberg
Endeavor Her nonprofit seeks to build profitable small businesses on a global scale.
Jeffrey Sachs
United Nations Millennium Project An academic who looks for real-world ways to beat global poverty.
Steven Spielberg
Filmmaker He addresses important issues on the big screen and through his philanthropy.
Michael Tilson Thomas
San Francisco Symphony A maverick maestro is winning big crowds of new classical music fans.
U.S. Junior Officers
Military They are rising in the military ranks with a hard-earned wisdom forged by war.
A New Leadership Style For America
Joseph S. Nye Jr.: It's time to retire the "big man," heroic warrior model of leadership.
Women Have Made Strides in Security
Paula Broadwell, Deepti Choubey, and Laura Holgate: There's still a long way to go.
PHOTO CREDITS: Lance Armstrong: Beatrice De Gea/ The New York Times/Redux; David Baltimore: Manjunath Kiran/EPA/Corbis; Regina Benjamin: Charlie Archambault for USN≀ Jeff Bezos: Brian Smale/Redux; Terence Blanchard: David Butow/Redux for USN≀ Benjamin Carson: Gurinder Osan/AP; Manny Diaz: Paul Sancya/AP; Marian Wright Edelman: Jeffrey MacMillan for USN≀ Anthony Fauci: Charlie Archambault for USN≀ Mike Feinberg: Kevin Horan/Aurora for USN≀ Robert Gates: Jeffrey MacMillan for USN≀ Herbie Hancock: David Butow/Redux for USN≀ Fiona Harrison: David Butow--Redux for USN≀ Freeman Hrabowski: Jeffrey MacMillan for USN≀ Indra Nooyi: Neville Elder/Corbis; Dave Levin: Jim Lo Scalzo for USN≀ Amory Lovins: Ben Stechschulte/Redux; Anne Mulcahy: Ben Baker/Redux; Linda Rottenberg: Peter Dejong/AP; Jeffrey Sachs: Chip East/Reuters; Steven Spielberg: Steven Henry/Getty Images; Michael Tilson Thomas: Chris Gordon/Getty Images; U.S. junior officers serving in war zones: Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Maria Zuber: Bill Ingalls/NASA
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