25 Visionaries Who Are Changing the World

The Utne Reader has just published a great list of twenty-five forward-thinking people who, in its words, have the "rare ability to dream of a better future -- so vividly and so passionately -- that it inspires them and others to action."

The list includes the likes of "hacktivist" Julian Assange (Wikileaks); documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer); Kickstarter.com founder Perry Chen; MacArthur "genius award" winner and Project HEALTH founder Rebecca Onie; and author and environmental activist Bill McKibben.

As I said, the list makes for great reading, and I'm pretty sure it will inspire you to get up and out from behind your desk and do...something.

It also got me thinking: Who in our field has seen the future and is doing something constructive to lead the way forward? Who is unafraid to tilt at windmills and topple shibboleths? Who are the visionaries in philanthropy?

To quote the great Ritholtz: What say ye?

-- Mitch Nauffts