DrupalCampPDX 2008

Ben Kaplan is a best-selling author, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, and accidental web developer. He directs the Ben Kaplan Center for Educational Opportunity and has authored 12 best-selling books and CDs, including "How to Go to College Almost for Free" (HarperCollins Publishers), the leading book in the genre with more than 350,000 copies in print.

Now an award-winning public speaker and Harvard-trained economist, Kaplan delivers live presentations to audiences of more than 30,000 each year at high schools, colleges, corporations, and community venues worldwide. A regular guest expert for leading media outlets, he has been featured on more than 2,000 TV and radio programs, including appearances on "Oprah," NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox News Channel, National Public Radio, and the BBC.

Kaplan also writes the popular "Live 'n' Learn" newspaper column--a weekly education column that shows readers of every age how to maximize both traditional and unexpected learning opportunities at school, home, work, and in everyday life. Ben's column is syndicated to leading newspapers and magazines nationwide.

Kaplan became a Drupal enthusiast partially by accident: He stumbled on the wonderful world of open source web development while creating and deploying new websites in support of his books. Three years later, he manages his own Linux servers, delves into an increasing amount of PHP code, and proudly shouts, "If Drupal is wrong, I don't want to be right!"