Debra Schweiger Berg is an author, researcher, and public speaker. She holds both a B.A. in political science/economics and an M.P.A., (public administration) degree from the University of Illinois.

As an undergrad, she staffed the Watergate hearings in Washington, D.C. Post-college; Debra was one of the first women to serve on the staffs of the Illinois, Kentucky, and Minnesota state legislatures.

In all three states, she served as a finance analyst for billions of state agency dollars and led studies on special education, welfare, and education. Following that, Minnesota’s largest HMO recruited her as a senior financial analyst.

Then, in the mid-eighties and early nineties, she founded a successful international marketing and training company, TeamNet, Intl., in which she trained and mentored entrepreneurs. That success led to her eventual recruitment by Amdocs, Inc. and Gcom, Inc., both software industry leaders.

In 1995, Debra launched a 10-year personal quest during which she interviewed 130 of America’s new civic heroes, civic entrepreneurs. Her interviews exposed a hidden trend in America, which she chronicles in her book, The Power of ONE:  The Unsung Everyday Heroes Rescuing America’s Cities.

Debra speaks to a wide range of audiences and captivates them with tales surrounding her 10,000-mile quest and the heroes who’ve invented eye-opening, working solutions to America’s toughest social problems.

She’s received acclaim by the Pew Foundation and cited by the Chicago Sun-Times for her groundbreaking findings.

Debra is presently the President of Power of One Publishing and of PowerQuest, a leadership training company that empowers leaders of all ages to realize a life quest.

She is married to Paul Berg, the assistant city manager of Champaign, IL. and is the stepmother to two college-age daughters, Julie and Jane. She and Paul are empty nesters and have a Schnauzer named Binkie and a cat named Callie.

They reside in Debra’s hometown of Champaign, IL and are big fans of University of Illinois Fighting Illini athletics.

The In Search Of Heroes Program Spreads Good News World-wide Using Writing, Blogs, RSS Feeds, Photos and Audio and Video Interviews That Tell the Unique Stories of Local and International Heroes Who Help Others In Many Different Ways and Deserve Recognition For Their Good Works.