From TavisTalks.com:
Some would say that an exclusive interview with the President of the United States during one of the most controversial scandals to ever hit the White House is the interview of a lifetime. Others would say interviewing Fidel Castro in the wake of unprecedented U.S. sanctions relief or the conversation with Pope John Paul II was the most significant.

Time selected him as one of America's 50 most promising young leaders. Newsweek profiled him one of the "20 people changing how Americans get their news" and dubbed him one of the nation's "captains of the airwaves." Vanity Fair inducted him into their Hall of Fame. The New York Post screamed "Look out Larry King--here comes Tavis Smiley!" The Los Angeles Times says he's on the "fast track, left lane." The Washington Post declared that he's "winning friends and influencing people." The Philadelphia Inquirer says Smiley's one of the most important political voices of his generation. Essence raves that his political writings "show us how to correct America's swerve to the right." And Buzz magazine rated him one of the "100 coolest people in Los Angeles."

Host of The Tavis Smiley Show from NPR, Smiley is the first African American to host his own signature talk show in the history of National Public Radio. For the ABC Radio Network, Smiley hosts The Smiley Report heard daily on urban contemporary radio stations across America, and appears twice weekly on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. In addition, Mr. Smiley has a two-book deal with Doubleday (Random House), and a deal with Hay House to create a series of products including empowerment cards, audiocassettes, mini-books and success seminars. Mr. Smiley was previously the host of the award-winning BET TONIGHT with Tavis Smiley.

Mr. Smiley has authored six books. His most recent, Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope from Black America is an inspiring collection of personal narratives about love, loss and faith by African Americans from all walks of life. He is also the publisher of the The Smiley Report, his bi-monthly newsletter.

Mr. Smiley is founder of the Tavis Smiley Foundation, a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to encourage, empower and enlighten Black youth. Youth to Leaders (Y2L), the cornerstone program of the Foundation, is an annual series of one-day leadership-building conferences that take place in cities across the U.S. Tavis Smiley Presents, a subsidiary of the The Smiley Group, Inc., was created to bring ideas and people together trough symposiums, seminars, forums and town hall meetings.

Educated at Indiana University, Mr. Smiley was previously a top aide to former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, and has since provided analysis on everything from C-SPAN to PBS, the Today show to World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Mr. Smiley's advocacy work has been profiled on 60 Minutes.

One of ten children, Mr. Smiley is single and lives in Los Angeles. In his spare time, Mr. Smiley enjoys a good game of Scrabble with friends.