Bonnie St. John

Bonnie St. John Despite having her right leg amputated at age five, St. John became the first African-American ever to win Olympic or Paralympic medals in ski racing, taking home a silver and two bronze medals in downhill events at the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria.  Bonnie has achieved the highest levels of success in a variety of endeavors throughout her life.  In addition to her success as a Paralympic athlete, she is the author of six books, including the #1 best seller, “How Great Women Lead,” a highly sought after keynote speaker, a television and radio personality, a business owner, and the single mother of a teenage daughter. St. John was appointed by President Bill Clinton as a Director for Human Capital Issues on the White House National Economic Council. During the winter, she coaches disabled ski racers for the Adaptive Sports Foundation in Windham, New York.  Prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, St. John served as one of a handful of Paralympic Ambassadors who helped train our athletes going to China to be positive representatives of the United States.  In 2010, St. John once again represented the USA as a member of President Obama’s official delegation to the Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. St. John graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University in 1986, and won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, earning an M.Litt. in Economics.