Nine leading figures in business, politics, law, academia, science, and education focus their sights over the horizon to guide CEOs toward the new century.

Chief Executive asked Walter Wriston, Sir Michael Howard, Diane Ravitch, Pete Wilson, and Tony O'Reilly to reply to a group of critical and related questions on the future: "From your perspective, what is the greatest challenge we face as a society? Will we meet this challenge? If not, why? If so, how?" Their answers follow in Part One of a two-part series. Part Two, which will appear in the next issue, will feature the responses of Intel's Andy Grove, Fifth Circuit Federal Judge Edith Jones, Harvard historian Daniel Pipes, and Cal Tech computer scientist Carver Mead.