The recognition honors 25 outstanding individuals who are making significant strides in business, education, health care and public service.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and data journalism, today announced the honorees of its Best Leaders recognition program. The 2025 edition spotlights 25 extraordinary individuals across public service, business, health care and education whose work is advancing critical sectors impacting our country and every American.
Best Leaders were selected based on key leadership traits, including empathy, generosity, and humility. U.S. News partnered with global market research firm The Harris Poll to conduct a nationally representative survey identifying the leadership characteristics Americans value most. Visitors to the U.S. News website were then invited to submit their nominations of leaders earlier this year.
"The relaunch of our 'Best Leaders' program underscores the urgent need to highlight individuals who are not just leading, but transforming important areas of our country. The 2025 honorees represent the very best of leadership today, demonstrating the vital traits and impactful work that define their preeminence in their respective fields," said Eric Gertler, U.S. News' executive chairman and CEO. "By identifying these 25 visionaries through our rigorous, data-driven selection process, we hope that our users will not only gain insight into effective leadership but also find inspiration to drive positive change in their own communities."
The 2025 Best Leaders are:
Business
- Dario Amodei, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder, Anthropic
- John Hope Bryant, entrepreneur, founder, chairman and CEO, Operation Hope
- Mark Cuban, co-founder, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company; technology and media entrepreneur; star of NBC's "Shark Tank"
- Judy Faulkner, founder and CEO, Epic Systems
- Alison Moore, CEO, Chief
- Ron Vachris, president, CEO and director, Costco Wholesale Corp.
Education
- Josefina Castillo Baltodano, J.D., founder and executive director, Executive Leadership Academy and senior associate – external relations, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley
- Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., Ph.D., superintendent, Jefferson County Schools , Birmingham, Alabama
- Adam Grant, Ph.D., professor of management and professor of psychology, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
- Christine M. Keller, Ph.D., executive director & CEO, Association for Institutional Research
- Sal Khan, M.B.A., founder and CEO, Khan Academy
- Dolly Parton, chairperson, board member, The Dollywood Foundation
Health Care
- Allyson Felix, entrepreneur and healthcare advocate
- Michael J. Fox, founder & board member, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
- Peter Jay Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., dean, the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine; co-director, Center for Vaccine Development, Texas Children's Hospital
- Carl H. June, M.D., professor in Immunotherapy; director, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
- Vijay G. Sankaran, M.D., Ph.D., Lodish Family Chair in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital; professor of pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; attending physician, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
- Eric Topol, M.D., chair, Department of Translational Medicine and Director & Founder, Scripps Research Translational Institute
Public Service
- José Andrés, founder and owner, José Andrés Group; founder, World Central Kitchen
- Stephen Curry, philanthropist, co-founder, Eat. Learn. Play; NBA point guard, Golden State Warriors
- Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, MBA, CEO, Mercy Corps
- Michael Milken, founder, the Michael Milken Foundation and FasterCures; chair, the Michael Milken Institute
- John Palfrey, J.D., president, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- Laura J. Richardson, co-chair, National Security Advisory Council, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition; former commander of U.S. Southern Command
- MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist and author
A panel of expert judges – including respected leaders from across industries – evaluated the submissions. Among the judges were Alex Azar, former secretary for the United States Department of Health and Human Services; Lindsey Johnson, president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association; Ezekiel Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives and chairperson for the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania; Kavita Patel, venture partner, New Enterprise Associates; Arun Ramanathan, CEO, PowerMyLearning; Chip Kahn, president and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals; Dan Porterfield, president of the Aspen Institute; Freeman Hrabowski III, former president, University of Maryland Baltimore County; and Christine Todd Whitman, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and president of the Whitman Strategy Group; and Teresa Carlson, president, General Catalyst Institute.
All honorees will be recognized November 18 at a reception held by U.S. News in Washington, D.C.
The 2025 Best Leaders program was made possible by the generous support of the NobleReach Foundation.
Learn more about the 2025 Best Leaders at usnews.com/best-leaders.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.
About The Harris Poll
The Harris Poll is a global public opinion, analytics, and market research consultancy that strives to reveal society's authentic values to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. With a global research reach of more than ninety countries, Harris offers advisory services across sectors to world leaders, CEOs, and business decision-makers with state-of-the-art analytics, real-time software services, and practitioners in marketing, reputation, customer experience, trends, futures, and thought leadership/research-for-public release, The Harris Poll translates shifting social sentiment into a competitive marketplace advantage. Harris is a Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW) company. www.theharrispoll.com.
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