Ryan Seacrest sits inside a bigger message here: Be The People said on June 11, 2026 that more than 50 leaders and organizations joined its National Leadership Council. The 10-year effort is now moving from call to action to organized rollout, with tens of thousands of opportunities for Americans due in the weeks and months ahead.
Elena Dussaq on division
Elena Dussaq, president of Bigger Picture US, put the pitch in direct terms: "Some say we're too divided to do big things together, but that's not what we see," and "Across the country, people are stepping up every day to strengthen their communities, solve problems, and create opportunities for others. The leaders joining the Be The People National Leadership Council see that reality firsthand." She also said leaders from every corner of American life are coming together under a shared belief that the country's best days are ahead, not behind us.
More than 50 leaders from culture, sports, business, faith, philanthropy, community organizations, and academia are part of the council. The named group includes Jon Batiste, Aloe Blacc, Demario Davis, Brian Grazer, Tim Shriver, John Bridgeland, Emma, Arthur C. Brooks, Danielle Allen, Martin Luther King III, Yuval Levin, Todd Rose, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. Be The People says each member will take on a leadership role based on the capabilities they bring and the problems they are most passionate about solving.
Trusted voices in New York
Be The People says the council is meant to connect Americans with trusted organizations and opportunities to help solve problems in communities across the country, while also encouraging them to share their stories so others do the same. Dussaq said those leaders are trusted voices in the places Americans live, work, learn, train, worship, and gather, which is the practical logic behind the list: the effort is not built around a single stage, but around multiple channels of influence.
Thousands of leaders and organizations are expected to join as the effort grows. That makes the current council less like a finished roster and more like the first visible layer of a wider system designed to recruit participation at scale.
Be The People says its next step is to announce tens of thousands of opportunities for Americans to get involved, including a problem-solving digital platform, major cultural events, and a summer-long series of activations across the country. For now, the clearest unanswered question is how many of the more than 50 council members are new to the effort and how many were already involved before June 11.
