Kevin Salwen

Co-Author of The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Take and Start Giving Back.

Kevin was a reporter, columnist and editor at the Wall Street Journal from 1981 to 2000. At the nation’s largest newspaper, Kevin helped cover two presidential administrations, wrote two columns and launched two publications. Since leaving the paper in 2000, Kevin built several media ventures and works with such organizations as the U.S. Olympic Committee and Yahoo!

A graduate of Northwestern University, Kevin serves on the boards of Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta and the East Africa Children’s Education Fund. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Kevin has flown on Air Force One and on the NASA zero-gravity aircraft called the “vomit comet.” He has thrown out the first ball at a New York Mets game, and most recently was an extra in the movie, The Blind Side.

In 2006, at the urging of his then 14-year-old daughter Hannah, Kevin and his family embarked on a family philanthropic project to help villagers in Africa build a better future for themselves and their children.

These days, Kevin and his family spend much of their time and energy encouraging Americans to recognize that they can build more powerful relationships through generosity and service. The story of The Power of Half has been featured in The New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning, ABC World News With Diane Sawyer, The View, People and Oprah magazines and many other media outlets.

Hannah Salwen
Co-Author of The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Take and Start Giving Back

Hannah is a senior at Atlanta Girls’ School, where she is a member of the student council, co-captain of the varsity volleyball team and part of the school’s mentoring program called Girl Talk. Her favorite role at school is as co-creator of Hunger Week, a program that uses a series of experiences to teach students about the lives of kids in the developing world.

Hannah started volunteering when she was about 8 years old, at the Atlanta Community Food Bank and then at a restaurant for homeless men and women. These days, Hannah is on the board of the United Nations Foundation program called GirlUp, and in November was named one of Glamour Magazine’s Amazing Young Women for 2010.

Hannah loves yoga, hip hop and really mind-bending movies.