Eric Liu is an author and educator who has served in leadership roles in national politics and media. His most recent book, The True Patriot, co-authored with Nick Hanauer, is a pamphlet in the style of Thomas Paine that argues for a new progressive patriotism. He is also the author of Guiding Lights: How to Mentor and Find Life's Purpose, named the Official Book of National Mentoring Month, and The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, a New York Times Notable Book featured in the PBS documentary Matters of Race. He also edited the Norton anthology Next: Young American Writers on the New Generation. He served as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton in his first term and as Deputy Domestic Policy Adviser in the second. After leaving the White House, he was an executive at the digital media company RealNetworks. He has also been a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC. In 2002, he was named by the World Economic Forum as one of the 100 “Global Leaders of Tomorrow.” He lives in Seattle, where he teaches at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs and organizes the annual Guiding Lights Weekend, a national conference on the art of mentoring. He serves on the boards of numerous civic organizations, including the Washington State Board of Education, the Seattle Public Library, and Demos.

As a former Fellow at the New America Foundation, Mr. Liu wrote and spoke on patriotism, education, race, and public leadership.