Speaker Biographies

Stephanie Agee

Senior Vice President, International Trade,
and Chief Administrative Officer
VEDP

Ravi Agrawal

Editor In Chief
Foreign Policy

Eric Andersen

President
Aon

Benedetta Audia

Partner
DLA Piper

Gemma Bae

Head of Structured Export Finance, Managing Director
ING Americas

Kirsten Bartok-Touw

Co-Founder and Managing Partner
AF Capital / New Vista Capital

Brendan Bechtel

Chairman & CEO
Bechtel Group, Inc.

Douglas A. Beck

Director
Defense Innovation Unit

Stephen K. Benjamin

Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement

Jude Blanchette

Freeman Chair in China Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Congressman Brendan F. Boyle

Congressman
Philadelphia

Rhett Buttle

Founder and Principal
Public Private Strategies

Dr. Kurt M. Campbell

Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs
National Security Council, The White House

Marjorie Chorlins

Senior Vice President for Europe
US Chamber of Commerce

Kyle Clark

Founder and CEO
BETA Technologies

Steve Clemons

Founding Editor
Large of Semafor

Margaret Consentino

Executive Vice President
Westinghouse

Adam Cortese

CEO
Sun Africa and UGTR

Founder, President,
and CEO
SAFE

Robbie Diamond

Eric Dresselhuys

Chief Executive Officer
ESS Inc.

Enoh T. Ebong

Director
U.S. Trade and Development Agency

Jose W. Fernandez

Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment
U.S. Department of State

Michèle Flournoy

Co-Founder and Managing Partner
WestExec Advisors

Stephanie von Friedeburg

Managing Director
Citi

Les Funtleyder

Healthcare Portfolio Manager
E Squared Asset Management

Joelle Gamble

Deputy Director
National Economic Council

Sherri Goodman

Secretary General
International Military Council on Climate & Security

Charles Goodnight

Vice President of Sales
NuScale Power

Don Graves

Deputy Secretary
U.S. Department of Commerce

Darin Green

Head of Global Accounts & Strategy
First Solar

Trevor Gunn

Vice President – International Relations
Medtronic

Nina Hachigian

Ambassador
U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy

Lance Hastings

President & CEO
CMTA

Kristin Hedger

Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Government Affairs
Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing

Pauli Heikkilä

President & CEO
Finnvera Plc

Owen Herrnstadt

Member
EXIM Board of Directors

Roy Houseman

Legislative Director
United Steelworkers

Terry Hungle

EVP, Chief Financial Officer
Mavenir

Anna-Karin Jatko

Director General Business
EKN

Karl Jensen

Executive Vice President for National Governments Business
AECOM

Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson

Commissioner
CFTC

Christine Kamil

Head of U.S. Public Sector Client Coverage
J.P. Morgan

Nino Kharaishvili

Global Solutions Director for Health System Governance
Jacobs

Maria Korsnick

President and CEO
Nuclear Energy Institute

Andres A. Lazardi

Treasury Manager
Montachem International, Inc.

Reta Jo Lewis

President and Chair
EXIM Bank

Oksana Markarova

Ambassador
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the USA

Roger Martella

Chief Sustainability Officer
GE

Dorothy McAuliffe

Special Representative for Global Partnerships
U.S. Department of State

Joan Michelson

Host, Electric Ladies Podcast
Forbes Contributor

Charles Miller

Co-Founder and CEO
Lynk Global

Scott Nathan

CEO
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation

Scott Neal

Portfolio Manager
AirTractor

Samir Parkash

Chief Risk Officer
UK Export Finance

Carol Podolak

Founder
bNutty

Judith D. Pryor

First Vice President
and Vice Chair
EXIM Bank

Geoffrey R. Pyatt

Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources
U.S. Department of State

Daniel Ricchetti

Deputy Special Representative For City And State Diplomacy
Office Of Global Partnerships

Ben Richardson

Vice President, Business Development
Our Next Energy

Mariano Rivera

Former New York Yankee and Member of the National Baseball
Hall of Fame

Lisa Blunt Rochester

U.S. Representative
Delaware’s at Large District

Jennifer Sanford

Senior Director of International Trade & Environmental Policy
Cisco

John Schaeffler

Executive Director, Global Government Affairs & Policy
GE Healthcare

Frank Scott, Jr.

Mayor
Little Rock, Arkansas

Andrea Shalal

White House Correspondent
Reuters

Venkee Sharma

Executive Chairman
Aquatech International, LLC

Dan Sheriff

CEO
Exile Group

Dan Shugar

Founder and CEO
Nextracker

Kristen Silverberg

President and COO
Business Roundtable

Dilawar Syed

Deputy Administrator
U.S. Small Business Administration

Joy Thompkins

Founder
bNutty

Masai Ujiri

Vice-Chairman and President
Toronto Raptors

David Wilhelm

CEO
Hecate Global Renewables

Richard Wilkins

Global Head of Origination and EMEA Regional Head
J.P. Morgan

John Yearwood

Editorial Director for Diversity & Culture
POLITICO

Stephanie Agee
Senior Vice President, International Trade, and Chief Administrative Officer – VEDP

Stephanie Agee serves as Senior Vice President of International Trade and Chief Administrative Officer at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. In these roles she provides leadership and oversight of programs designed to support Virginia companies in growing their international sales and oversees the agency’s human resource, information technology, and fiscal and support services. Before starting this role in July 2022, Stephanie served as Vice President of International Trade since January 2020. Prior to this, Stephanie led marketing and development activities at the Virginia Department of Agriculture, developing and implementing innovative domestic and international marketing programs and economic development strategies designed to enhance the profitability of Virginia agribusinesses. In earlier years at VEDP, Stephanie served in multiple positions in VEDP’s International Trade Division, where she worked with Virginia companies to develop and implement international sales strategies, identify and access target export markets, and provide counsel on specific international business issues. Stephanie also worked for the U.S. Government Accountability Office where she analyzed international trade and security assistance programs.

Stephanie holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Maryland and a B.A. in International Studies and Political Science from Virginia Tech.

Ravi Agrawal
Editor In Chief | Foreign Policy

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. He is also the host of FP Live, the magazine’s video channel and podcast, on which he regularly interviews world leaders and policymakers. Before joining FP in 2018, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. He has shared a Peabody Award and three Emmy nominations for his work as a TV producer, and his writing for FP was part of a series nominated for a 2020 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. Agrawal is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy. He is a graduate of Harvard University.

Eric Andersen
President | Aon

Most recently Eric was Chief Executive Officer of Aon Benfield, the world’s leading reinsurance intermediary and full-service capital advisor. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of Aon Risk Solutions Americas where he led Aon’s largest geographic unit with 14,000 colleagues on teams in the U.S., Canada, Bermuda and Latin America. Throughout his 20+ year career at Aon, Eric has served in a number of important leadership positions, including Aon Risk Solutions’ U.S. Retail Field Leader, Chief Executive Officer of Aon Global Americas’ global account segment, National Co-Managing Director of Aon’s Financial Services Group and Resident Managing Director of Aon in Southern California. He joined Aon in 1997 via the acquisition of Minet.

Eric earned an MBA in Finance from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Colgate University. He is a proud member of the board of trustees of Colgate University and sits on the board of Covenant House New Jersey, an organization that helps homeless, at-risk and runaway youth. Eric is actively involved with the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance (FACI) as well as the Insurance Development Forum (IDF).

Benedetta Audia
Partner | DLA Piper

Benedetta Audia is a Partner at DLA Piper, where she chairs the International Development Practice. Prior to joining DLA, Benedetta headed the legal and procurement units of several United Nations organizations for 17 years, where she worked on thousands of multimillion-dollar projects implemented in developing countries. Her practice guides private-sector companies in international development and business matters, and provides counsel to multilateral organizations, NGOs, and government entities on a wide array of issues. Benedetta is a Professor of Public Procurement in International Development at a George Washington University and a Professor of Contracts at Fordham Law School.

Gemma Bae
Head of Structured Export Finance, Managing Director | ING Americas

Gemma Bae heads the SEF Americas team, which is responsible for managing and enhancing the relationship with the North American Export Credit Agencies and Government Agencies (including EXIM, Export Development Canada, and OPIC), Multilateral Agencies, as well as with certain private sector risk insurers.

She has more than 25 years of experience in international banking, financial advisory services with specialization in risk-mitigation products and structuring cross-border exports, and limited-recourse project financing with an emerging markets focus. She and her team have led and executed Ex-Im Bank financial advisory assignments in the telecom, power, industrial, oil and gas, and transportation sectors, including securitizations of Ex-Im guaranteed loans and private placements. She has also advised on and lead arranged financings in excess of USD 14 billion covering all types of Boeing and Airbus commercial aircraft for airlines and leasing companies with innovative, unique and risk-mitigated funding solutions tapping the traditional bank loan markets as well as capital markets.

Prior to joining ING, Ms. Bae was with the Export Finance Team of Société Générale, the Structured Export Finance Group of UBS, and the Trade Finance Group of Westdeutsche Landesbank, New York and The Bank of New York / Irving Trust.

Ms. Bae has a Masters degree from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelors degree from Tufts University.

Kirsten Bartok-Touw
Co-Founder and Managing Partner | AF Capital / New Vista Capital

Kirsten Bartok Touw is the co-founder and Managing Partner of New Vista Capital, an investment and strategic advisory firm focused on aerospace, space, naval and defense. New Vista has three parts to their business: strategic advisory, private equity and early-stage venture capital. New Vista’s early stage investing efforts focus on emerging technologies in aerospace and defense, satellite and communications.

She is also the co-founder and a Managing Director at AirFinance and its subsidiary AF Capital Partners, who specialize in export credit and development financing globally.  AF Capital and AirFinance’s core business is as an originator, structurer and servicer of loans backed by global export credit agencies (ECAs) and infrastructure projects with development finance institutions (DFIs).  Since inception, the firms have originated and approved more than $1.5 billion in ECA/DFI financing. AirFinance/AF Capital have won numerous accolades, most recently U.S. EXIM Bank’s 2021 Lender of the Year and U.S EXIM Bank’s 2020 Deal of the Year.

Bartok Touw is also an Advisor to the Department of Defense’s newly formed Office of Strategic Capital, which sits under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering. OSC’s mission is to develop, integrate, and implement proven partnered capital strategies to shape and scale investment in critical technologies that have long term geopolitical implications. Her role at OSC is to advise on policy and provide insights and expertise about how to best partner with emerging technologies and private capital markets.

Bartok Touw currently serves on EXIM’s Council on China Competition which was formed in 2019 at the behest of Congress, who mandated a goal of reserving 20% of EXIM’s financing authority to ensure that the U.S. continues to lead in the 10 transformational export areas.

She is also on the advisory board of the Silicon Valley Defense Group and a member of BENS (Business Executives for National Security), as well as Board Directors of Electra.Aero (the blown wing electric aircraft STOL company) and Atlantic Aviation. Bartok Touw is a frequent speaker on the topics of emerging technologies in aerospace, space and defense (recent podcasts: Aviation Week, BENS Building the Base, The Air Current).

Previously, Bartok Touw was Vice President, Structured Finance & Corporate Development at Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC), the manufacturer of business, special-mission and military trainer aircraft that was spun out of Raytheon in a leveraged buyout by Goldman Sachs & Co. and Onex. Bartok Touw was integral in HBC’s expansion in Asia, specifically China. During her tenure, she was one of the senior executives responsible for the company’s expansion and strategy in China. She also was point for HBC’s negotiation with potential Chinese JV partners, investors and on strategic partnerships, primarily with AVIC and CIAGA.

Earlier in her career, Bartok Touw was a co-founder, board member and Chief Financial Officer of XOJET, a U.S. based next generation fleet operator that was later sold to the European fleet operator VistaJet.  Prior to the sale, XOJET was the third largest U.S. business jet airline. As CFO, she had responsibility for aircraft acquisitions, capital markets, finance, accounting, legal, HR and IT. She oversaw financial and strategic initiatives including capital raising and aircraft purchasing and financing for XOJET’s fleet of aircraft.

Prior to XOJET, Bartok Touw spent the prior 12+ years in venture capital and early-stage private equity. Most recently, she was a partner at Alpine Investors, a San Francisco software and services private equity firm. Before Alpine, Bartok Touw was with JPMorgan Partners, the global private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase, where she was a part of the firm’s San Francisco based technology team.  Bartok Touw was part of the Hambrecht & Quist (H&Q), the technology boutique investment bank’s private equity group, Access Technology Partners, before Chase’s purchase of H&Q in December 1999.

Bartok Touw began her career at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where she worked in investment banking and fixed income capital markets.

Bartok Touw received a BA, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania where she was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Brendan Bechtel
Chairman and CEO | Bechtel Group, Inc.

Brendan Bechtel is chairman and chief executive officer of Bechtel Group, Inc. (Bechtel).

Prior to being elected chairman in April 2017, Brendan was named Bechtel’s chief executive officer in September 2016. He was Bechtel’s president and chief operating officer from 2014–2016.

Brendan first began working for the company during summer breaks in high school. After joining the company full time, he took on roles of increasing responsibility in field construction, project management, and executive leadership. Brendan is the 5th generation of the Bechtel family to lead the company.

Brendan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geography from Middlebury College. He also earned two master’s degrees from Stanford: an MBA and an MSE in construction engineering and management.

Brendan serves on the board of directors of the Business Roundtable, where he chairs the Infrastructure Committee. Brendan is a trustee of the National Geographic Society and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and he serves on the board of advisors of Fremont Group. He is also a member of the American Society of Corporate Executives and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Brendan is based in the Washington, DC area.

Douglas A. Beck
Director | Defense Innovation Unit

Doug Beck is the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense. In this role, Doug oversees efforts to accelerate the Department’s adoption of commercial technology throughout the military and also serves as a senior advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense on technology innovation, competition, and strategic impact. In his previous experience with DIU, Doug founded and led its joint reserve component from the inception in 2015 through 2019.

Prior to joining DIU, Doug was Vice President at Apple, reporting directly to its CEO, Tim Cook from 2009-2023. At Apple, Doug co-led the worldwide business development and sales functions, led the company’s businesses across Northeast Asia and the Americas, including five years resident in Tokyo, and, most recently, led several of Apple’s purpose-driven businesses worldwide, including in health, education, and other institutions of public impact.

Before joining Apple, Doug served as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Charles Schwab. Prior to Schwab, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company, co-leader of McKinsey’s global strategy practice, and a leader of other industry and functional practices in the United States and Asia. In 2000, he was elected as one of the youngest partners in McKinsey history, while resident in Shanghai. He has lived and worked for many years in Asia, including in Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and across China.

Currently a Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Doug served in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2006-2007 with a joint special operations task force. He has also served extensively throughout the Asia Pacific region during his 26 years of service, including command of a large joint reserve unit supporting U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His personal and unit awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Presidential Unit Citation.

As a civilian, Doug has served as a member of the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board, an executive advisor to three Chiefs of Naval Operations and to Special Operations Community leadership, and, for over fifteen years, as a formal and informal advisor to senior civilian and uniformed Defense Department leaders. He also served from 2015-2023 as a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for a New American Security. He is a Trustee of the Rhodes Trust, which oversees the Rhodes Scholarships worldwide, and a member of the Advisory Board of Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs.

Doug holds a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Yale and an M.Phil in International Relations from Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Stephen K. Benjamin
Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement

Steve Benjamin is an Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Public Engagement. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Benjamin was the Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina from April 2010 through December 2021. Benjamin has served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (2018-2019), as President of the African American Mayors Association, Vice Chairman of the Global Parliament of Mayors, Executive Chairman of Municipal Bonds for America, Chairman of the FirstNet Authority, a Member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, and as a member of several corporate and nonprofit boards.

Mayor Benjamin served as the Spring 2022 Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina’s top ranked Honors College teaching a course titled “Columbia, South Carolina: Building a Great City” and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. Benjamin is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he served as President of Student Government and as President of the Student Bar Association.

He is married to the Honorable DeAndrea Gist Benjamin, a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Benjamins are the proud parents of two daughters and are members of the Saint John Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

Jude Blanchette
Freeman Chair in China Studies | Center for Strategic and International Studies

Jude Blanchette holds the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, he was engagement director at the Conference Board’s China Center for Economics and Business in Beijing, where he researched China’s political environment with a focus on the workings of the Communist Party of China and its impact on foreign companies and investors. Prior to working at the Conference Board, Blanchette was the assistant director of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California, San Diego. Blanchette has written for a range of publications, including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, War on the Rocks, the Financial Times, and the Washington Post. His book, China’s New Red Guards: The Return of Radicalism and the Rebirth of Mao Zedong, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019. Blanchette is a public intellectual fellow at the National Committee on United States-China Relations and serves on the board of the American Mandarin Society. He holds an MA in modern Chinese studies from the University of Oxford and a BA in economics from Loyola University in Maryland.

Congressman Brendan F. Boyle
Congressman | Philadelphia

Congressman Brendan F. Boyle was born and raised in the city of Philadelphia. The son of an immigrant, Congressman Boyle’s father was a janitor for SEPTA and his mother was a school crossing guard.

The first in his family to attend college, he attended the University of Notre Dame and later graduated from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government with a master’s degree in Public Policy.

He was elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature in 2008, becoming the first Democrat to ever represent his legislative district. Two years later his brother, Kevin, was also elected to the state legislature, making them the first brothers to serve together in the state House. In 2014, Congressman Boyle pulled off a major upset win over three better funded rivals to be elected to Congress.

Now in his fifth term, Congressman Boyle is the Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee. He is also Chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Political Committee.

Rhett Buttle
Founder and Principal | Public Private Strategies

Rhett Buttle is an entrepreneur, advocate, and one of the most trusted leaders at the intersection of business and policy in Washington, DC. Most recently, Rhett served as National Business Advisor to President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. He has worked for President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rhett is the founder of Public Private Strategies (PPS) and President of the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI), which works to bring together the public and private sectors to build coalitions, activate campaigns, and create strategic partnerships to drive policy and market outcomes. In these roles, he advises leading policy makers, foundations, nonprofits, and corporations. In addition to PPS and PPSI, he has helped found the Small Business Roundtable, Small Business for America’s Future, and the Next Gen Chamber of Commerce. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a regular contributor to Forbes, where he writes on the intersection of business, policy, and politics. Rhett has also been featured in The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and several other business publications.

Dr. Kurt M. Campbell
Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs, National Security Council, The White House

Kurt M. Campbell serves as Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council. He was previously chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Asia Group, LLC, a strategic advisory and capital management group.

From 2009 to 2013, Campbell served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, where he is widely credited as being a key architect of the “pivot to Asia.” For advancing a comprehensive U.S. strategy that took him to every corner of the Asia-Pacific region, Secretary Hillary Clinton awarded him the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award (2013) — the nation’s highest diplomatic honor.

Campbell was formerly the CEO and Co-Founder of the Center for a New American Security and concurrently served as the director of the Aspen Strategy Group and Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Washington Quarterly.

He is the author or editor of ten books including “Difficult Transitions: Why Presidents Fail in Foreign Policy at the Outset of Power” and “Hard Power: The New Politics of National Security.” He received his B.A. from the UC San Diego and his doctorate in international relations from Brasenose College at Oxford University.

Marjorie Chorlins
Senior Vice President for Europe | US Chamber of Commerce

Marjorie Chorlins, senior vice president for Europe at the US Chamber of Commerce, helps companies increase sales, mitigate risk, and solve problems related to trade and investment with Europe.

With decades of experience in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, Chorlins has focused on forging consensus among competing points of view. She has advised a pro-trade advocate on Capitol Hill (Sen. John Danforth R-MO-Ret); represented the US government in multilateral trade negotiations (Department of Commerce); advocated in support of global sales (Motorola, Lockheed Martin); consulted with multinational corporations on corporate responsibility (Business for Social Responsibility); and, in her current role, she fosters a robust transatlantic trade and investment ties. Chorlins holds an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA from Wellesley College.

Kyle Clark
Founder and CEO | BETA Technologies

Kyle is an aerospace engineer, pilot, entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, a Vermont-based electric aerospace company that is developing a transportation system to make aviation greener, safer and more accessible. This system, which will reshape the way we move cargo and people, includes all-electric aircraft, the most extensive multi-modal electric charging infrastructure in the U.S., and a program to train the next generation of pilots.

Since founding BETA in 2017, Kyle and team have continued to advance the aircraft along a path to certification, building out capabilities to serve its diverse customer base, which includes industry leaders across the logistics, medical, defense and passenger sectors.

Prior to BETA, Kyle co-founded Venture.co and was Director of Engineering at Dynapower, where he and his team of programmers, engineers and technicians developed a full line of inverters, pulse modulators and control systems and before that, he was a founding partner and Vice President of Engineering at iTherm Technologies. Kyle earned his Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Harvard University and played right wing in the NHL’s Washington Capitals organization for several years before pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

Steve Clemons
Founding Editor | Large of Semafor

Steve Clemons is Founding Editor at Large of Semafor, a new digital global news platform launched in October 2022. He is also the immediate past Editor at Large of The Hill, and his host of The Bottom Line, a major weekly news show that airs on the global network of Al Jazeera English. Before joining The Hill, Clemons served as Washington Editor at Large of The Atlantic and served in senior editorial roles at National Journal and Quartz. He is also proprietor of the popular political blog,The Washington Note, and is a frequent commenter on American politics and global affairs across the spectrum of news networks. Clemons founded and served as Senior Fellow of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation where he previously served as Executive Vice President. Prior to this, Clemons served as Executive Vice President of the Economic Strategy Institute, was Senior Economic & International Affairs Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingaman, and was the founding Executive Director of the Nixon Center, now renamed the Center for the National Interest. Clemons is also a Member of the Board of Directors of GLOBSEC, a European security think tank based in Slovakia and is a member of the Board of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the International Experience at Washington College.

Margaret Consentino
Executive Vice President | Westinghouse

Margaret Cosentino is Executive Vice President, Public Affairs at Westinghouse Electric Company. In this role, she is responsible for Westinghouse’s strategic approach to global government relations, public policy, communications, brand reputation, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Ms. Cosentino brings 20 years of experience in global government affairs, international business development and strategy for aerospace, defense and industrial companies. Most recently, Ms. Cosentino was Corporate Director for Policy at Northrop Grumman where she led the execution of the company’s public policy and regulatory portfolios. Ms. Cosentino was previously Vice President, Global Government Affairs for Arconic where she was responsible for advancing the company’s public affairs interests across its international operations and leading its defense business. She has held senior roles at The Cohen Group, a strategic global consultancy, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a leading bi-partisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C. Ms. Cosentino earned a bachelor’s degree in international politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (SFS) and a master’s in international economics and strategic studies from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Adam Cortese
CEO | Sun Africa and UGTR

Adam is the CEO of Sun Africa and UGTR with multi-decade experience working in emerging and frontier markets. He is responsible for meeting the strategic goals of Sun Africa and UGTR by directing and facilitating the development of projects and fostering governmental relationships. Before joining Sun Africa and UGT Renewables, he was the CEO of AfricaGlobal Schaffer (AfGS), a premier, DC-based agribusiness and energy project developer with over 900 projects completed. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Bucknell University and a Master of Global Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State.

Robbie Diamond
Founder, President, and CEO | SAFE

Robbie Diamond is the Founder, President, and CEO of SAFE. SAFE enhances energy security and supports U.S. economic resurgence and resiliency, by advancing transformative transportation and mobility technologies while ensuring that the United States and allies secure key aspects of the technology supply chain.

Diamond is also the Founder, President, and CEO of the Electrification Coalition, SAFE’s sister organization, which works with consumers, businesses, and policymakers, to launch award-winning “real-world” programs and enable the needed polices to accelerate transportation electrification.

Diamond helped found and was Chair of Rhombus Energy Solutions, a company that provides intelligent power conversion solutions including high powered bidirectional charging. It was sold in 2022 to BorgWarner. Diamond also helped found and serves on the Board of HCTSun, a rooftop solar company that focuses on commercial and industrial rooftop development and operations in Mumbai, India and its surroundings.

He is a serial for-profit and not-for-profit entrepreneur.

Diamond earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in Peace and Conflict Studies and Political Science, as well as a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School. He lives in Washington DC and has three daughters.

Eric Dresselhuys
Chief Executive Officer | ESS Inc.

Mr. Dresselhuys is the CEO of ESS Inc. and joined the company in April of 2021. Mr. Dresselhuys has over 25 years of leadership experience and is an accomplished technology and market development pioneer with a demonstrated background in growing both public and private companies. Prior to joining ESS Inc., Mr. Dresselhuys founded Silver Spring Networks, which became the leading provider of smart grid networking and data solutions, leading to an IPO in 2013 (NYSE: SSNI) and an eventual sale to Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI). Other experience includes a variety of leadership positions at Procter and Gamble and Smart Energy Water, where he helped build up the companies on a global scale. As an active member of the energy industry, he previously served on the board of directors of Autogrid, Inc. prior to its acquisition by Schneider Electric, and is a frequent speaker and author on issues related to the energy transition. Mr. Dresselhuys holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin and earned an Executive Certificate from the Sloan School at MIT.

Enoh T. Ebong
Director | U.S. Trade and Development Agency

Enoh T. Ebong is the Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. Nominated by President Biden to serve as USTDA’s Director, she was confirmed by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate. As Director, Ms. Ebong leads USTDA in its efforts to develop sustainable, clean infrastructure and foster economic growth in emerging economies, while also supporting U.S. jobs through the exports of U.S. goods and services.

Ms. Ebong assumed the helm at USTDA after starting her public service at the Agency and rising through the ranks in several roles as a career civil servant, including as General Counsel and as Deputy Director/Chief Operating Officer. As Deputy Director, she led the development and execution of USTDA’s international program and oversaw all agency operations.

In March 2023, President Biden appointed Ms. Ebong as a Federal government member to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Ms. Ebong’s professional experience includes time in the nonprofit sector, where she served as the Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, with responsibility for driving the development of strategic partnerships to expand access to education, health, financial empowerment and entrepreneurship.

Before joining USTDA, she practiced law at the Boston office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. representing public and private companies in offerings, financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance issues.

Ms. Ebong has served on the Boards of the Friends of the National Zoo and the Washington Foreign Law Society. She has also served as an Advisory Board member of Lawyers of Color, which named her to its 4th Annual Power List in 2015; and as a Global Faculty Lead for Atlas Service Corps’ Global Leadership Lab.

Ms. Ebong earned her JD from the University of Michigan Law School, a Master of Arts in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts in History, with honors, from The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bar.

Jose W. Fernandez
Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment | U.S. Department of State

Jose W. Fernandez was confirmed by the Senate as Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment on August 6, 2021. He leads the State Department’s bureaus and offices that stand at the center of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts on climate change, clean energy, health, supply chain security, and other economic priorities. Under Secretary Fernandez is also the United States Alternate Governor to the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Inter-American Development Bank. From 2009 to 2013, he served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, one of the bureaus he now oversees.

Prior to his most recent appointment at the Department of State, Under Secretary Fernandez was a partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP in New York. His practice focused on mergers, acquisitions, and finance in Europe and emerging markets, advising U.S. and foreign clients in the telecommunications, energy, water, banking, and consumer industries. He was named one of the “World’s Leading Lawyers” by Chambers Global for his M&A and corporate work, a “Highly Regarded” practitioner by the International Financial Law Review, and one of the “World’s Leading Privatization Lawyers” by Euromoney Publications. He has been chair of the Inter-American law committees of both the American Bar Association and The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as of the Cross-Border M&A and Joint Venture Committee of the New York State Bar Association. Most recently, Fernandez was an adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School, where he taught the course on international business transactions.

A life-long supporter of the arts and education, Under Secretary Fernandez has served as a trustee of Dartmouth College and NPR-station WBGO-FM, and on the Board of Directors of Acción International, the Council of the Americas, Ballet Hispanico of New York, the Middle East Institute, and the Partnership for Inner City Education. He was the Transition Policy Director for then-Governor-Elect Phil Murphy of New Jersey in 2017, and a director of Iberdrola S.A. until assuming his current position.

The Under Secretary graduated from Dartmouth College and received an honorary degree from the College. He earned a Juris Doctor from Columbia University School of Law, where he was awarded the Charles Evans Hughes Prize and a Parker School Certificate of International Law with honors.

Michèle Flournoy
Co-Founder and Managing Partner | WestExec Advisors

Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, and a Co-Founder, former Chief Executive Officer, and now Chair of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

Michèle served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012. She was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. She led the development of the Department of Defense’s 2012 Strategic Guidance and represented the Department in dozens of foreign engagements, in the media and before Congress.

Prior to confirmation, Michèle co-led President Obama’s transition team at the Defense Department.

In January 2007, Michèle co-founded CNAS, a bipartisan think tank dedicated to developing strong, pragmatic and principled national security policies. She served as CNAS’ President until 2009, and returned as CEO in 2014. In 2017, she co-founded WestExec Advisors, a strategic advisory firm.

Previously, she was senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies for several years and, prior to that, a distinguished research professor at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University (NDU).

In the mid-1990s, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Threat Reduction and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy.

Michèle is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including: the American Red Cross Exceptional Service Award in 2016; the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 1998, 2011, and 2012; the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 2000 and 2012; the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service in 1996; and CARE’s Global Peace, Development and Security Award in 2019. She has edited several books and authored dozens of reports and articles on a broad range of defense and national security issues. Michèle appears frequently in national and international media, including CNN’s State of the Union, ABC’s This Week, NBC’s Meet the Press, BBC News, NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered and PBS’ News Hour, and is frequently quoted in top tier newspapers.

Michèle serves on the boards of CNAS, Booz Allen Hamilton, Amida Technology Solutions, The Mission Continues, and CARE. She serves on the advisory boards of The Leadership Council for Women in National Security, Sesame Workshop, Intel, and PIMCO. She is a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affair, a current member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen Strategy Group, and a former member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the CIA Director’s External Advisory Board, and the Defense Policy Board.

Michèle earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Harvard University and a master’s degree in international relations from Balliol College, Oxford University, where she was a Newton-Tatum scholar.

Stephanie von Friedeburg
Managing Director and Global Head of Development Finance Institutions Strategic Partnerships | Citi

Stephanie von Friedeburg is a Managing Director at Citi leading efforts to scale DFI Strategic Partnerships. Stephanie is leveraging her extensive background in infrastructure/project finance and ESG aligned financing to support sovereign client’s national agendas as well as private client needs. She is a respected partner and trusted advisor to a global network of senior decision makers in governments, public and private corporations, and non-governmental entities. Stephanie’s extensive knowledge of global affairs and emerging markets informs her assessment of investment opportunities in fluid economic environments.

In 2022, she completed a successful 30-year career with the WBG. As IFC COO, she oversaw global investment and advisory operations across 100+ country offices, a US$1 billion annual operating budget, and 2,200+ staff. Stephanie led commercial and investment banking, venture capital, and private equity services for clients in emerging markets, generating more than US$30 billion in new business annually. During her chairmanship of the Investment Committee, the US$60 billion global portfolio had NPLs in single digits, a final 12 month rolling average return on equity of 20%, and the highest client satisfaction survey in the history of the institution. As a member of WBG’s Senior Leadership, Stephanie pioneered innovative solutions to complex development challenges, gaining support from the WBG’s Board of Executive Directors. These included IFC’s seminal capital increase, the 2030 strategy, and WBG business transformation. She successfully led the adoption of a cloud first strategy, which achieved cost savings, increased client satisfaction, and a seamless pivot to remote work.

Les Funtleyder
Portfolio Manager | E Squared Asset Management

Les Funtleyder is the healthcare Portfolio Manager for E Squared Asset Management, a family office in New York. Prior to E Squared Mr. Funtleyder was the Director of Strategic Investments for Opko Health and a healthcare strategist and portfolio manager for the Miller Tabak Health Care Transformation Fund (Symbol: MTHFX). He joined Miller Tabak after managing a healthcare portfolio for Provident Advisors and working as a medical device industry research analyst for UBS.

Les’ industry experience includes being interim CFO for Applied Therapeutics (APLT), and research and business development positions at Merck and Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield respectively. He is a board director for several companies including Applied Therapeutics and Reviva Pharmaceuticals (RVPH).

Mr. Funtleyder wrote Healthcare Investing: Profiting from the New World of Pharma, Biotech, and Health Care Services, which bridges the gap between health reform, innovation and investing. He is widely quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Financial Times, and is a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and NPR for his perspective on the healthcare sector and its constituent companies. Mr. Funtleyder is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University where he teaches healthcare investing.

Joelle Gamble
Deputy Director | National Economic Council

Joelle Gamble serves as Deputy Director of the Biden-Harris National Economic Council. Prior to that role, she was Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor and Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the National Economic Council. Joining the team on Day One, Joelle worked on a variety of issues including labor market policy, student and medical debt, and, now, industrial strategy. She joined the White House from an economic policy advisor role on the Presidential Transition. Before joining the Administration, Joelle worked as a principal for Omidyar Network’s economic program and served as a Director and Advisor to the CEO at the Roosevelt Institute.

Sherri Goodman
Secretary General | International Military Council on Climate & Security

Sherri Goodman has a three-decade track record of leading, transforming and driving lasting results in organizations as both a board member and executive in international security, national defense, defense industry, foreign policy, energy, environment, critical infrastructure and scientific research organizations.

Sherri Goodman serves as Vice-Chair of the US Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board (ISAB).  She is also the Secretary General of the International Military Council on Climate & Security (IMCCS), representing over 40 military and national security organizations addressing the security risks of a changing climate. She is credited with educating a generation of U.S. military and government officials about the nexus between climate change and national security, using her famous coinage, “threat multiplier,” to fundamentally reshape the national discourse on the topic.

She is a Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center’s Polar Institute and Environmental Change & Security Program, as well as a Senior Strategist at the Center for Climate & Security.

Sherri chairs the Board of the Council on Strategic Risks and chairs the External Advisory Board on Energy and Homeland Security for Sandia National Laboratories.   She serves on the Climate Council of the US EXIM Bank and on the National Academies’ Advisory Board of the US Global Change Research Program.  She serves as a US Board Director for the SSA operated by Schneider Electric Building Critical Systems, Inc.  and on the board of Lightbridge Corporation.  Sherri is a Board Director of the Atlantic Council and a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Charles Goodnight
Vice President of Sales | NuScale Power

Charles Goodnight, Vice President of Sales at NuScale Power, is a nuclear industry expert with more than 30 years of experience supporting the global nuclear energy industry, including nuclear plant design companies, public and investor-owned nuclear operating organizations, EPC firms, and institutional organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, EPRI, U.S. Department of Energy Laboratory complex, and international Ministries of Energy.

Prior to NuScale, Mr. Goodnight served as a Partner in the Energy & Utilities practice at Arthur D. Little (ADL), a leading global management consultancy, where he led the firm’s global Nuclear Competence Center. Prior to ADL, he founded and led Goodnight Consulting (GCI) for almost twenty years, serving the global electric power industry, with a focus on nuclear power generation. Mr. Goodnight also supported an analysis of plans for revising the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Integrated Organization.

Prior to his work in the nuclear power industry, Mr. Goodnight worked as an analyst and simulation developer. In this arena, he worked with the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons laboratories, Defense Nuclear Agency, Intelligence Community, and White House Communications Agency.

Mr. Goodnight holds a Bachelor of Science in Government and Politics and a Master of Science in Computer Systems Management (combined Master of Business Administration & Computer Science degree), both from the University of Maryland.

Don Graves
Deputy Secretary | U.S. Department of Commerce

Graves brings decades of experience in the private sector, government, and nonprofits to the Department of Commerce. Most recently, he served as Counselor to President Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. Prior to that, Graves served as Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Responsibility and Community Relations at KeyBank. In this role, Graves led KeyBank’s corporate responsibility team, including the bank’s $16.5 billion National Community Benefits Plan, the bank’s sustainability work, stakeholder engagement, and outreach, and oversaw the KeyBank Foundation and the First Niagara Foundation.

During the Obama-Biden Administration, Graves served as Counselor and Domestic and Economic Policy Director for then-Vice President Biden. He was previously appointed by President Barack Obama as Executive Director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and led the federal government’s efforts in the economic recovery of the city of Detroit. Graves also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business, Community Development, and Housing Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he oversaw the CDFI Fund, the $4 billion Small Business Lending Fund, and the $1.5 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative. He was also the U.S. Federal Representative to the G7 Task Force on Social Impact Investment.

He has served on the Board of Directors of the MetroHealth Foundation, the FDIC’s Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion, the Board of Trustees of the Community Reinvestment Fund, the Policy Advisory Board of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware, the Board of Visitors of the Cuyahoga Community College, the Advisory Board of the Commission on Economic Inclusion, and as Co-Chair of Cleveland Rising.

Graves has a rich family history connected to the Commerce Department. His four-times great grandparents built a successful horse and buggy taxi business in Washington that once stood at the site of the Department’s headquarters. Their son went on to own a premier hotel just blocks away and become one of our nation’s first Black patent-holders through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Graves holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Williams College and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he received the Dean’s Award. He is a fellow of the National Association of Public Administration. Graves is married and has two children.

Darin Green
Head of Global Accounts & Strategy | First Solar

Darin leads global strategy and strategic accounts for First Solar. In his current role, Darin manages First Solar’s module allocation, market pricing and global customer strategy. Mr. Green was previously the Head of Americas Business Development and has held prior roles incubating First Solar’s Distributed Generation vertical and scaling the company’s transition from development to module only sales.

Prior to joining First Solar, Darin was a derivatives trader at Salomon and El Paso Energy, where he focused on merger arbitrage and energy trading, respectively. Darin has an MBA from Columbia Business School and an undergraduate BBA from the University of Michigan. Go Blue.

Trevor Gunn
Vice President | International Relations for Medtronic

Trevor Gunn is Vice President- International Relations for Medtronic, the world’s largest medical technology company.

Trevor Gunn was formerly long-time Director of the Commerce Department’s Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS) the clearinghouse for US Government information for doing business in the former Soviet Union. He has served continuously for the past 29 years, and currently serves, as Adjunct Professor at CERES and the Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy at the School of Foreign Service and Georgetown University. He is a Vicennial Silver Medalist.

He received his B.A. from University of San Francisco. He received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the London School of Economics in 1992.

He has worked with the Chamber of Commerce of Southern Sweden, Dover Elevator Corporation (now ThyssenKrupp of Germany), International Executive Service Corps and on the staffs of the former San Francisco Mayor and two U.S. Senators from California. He is the Founder and Chairman of the USA Healthcare Alliance (USAHA) . He sits on the U.S. State Department’s Stakeholder Advisory Board on the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Social Responsibility; is an official Advisor to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in the “Industry Trade Advisory” system of the US Government. Gunn chairs the International Affairs Committee at Medtech Europe, Europe’s largest medical technology trade association. Further, he is Chair Emeritus and Board Member of the Executive Council on Diplomacy and is a Founding Advisory Board Member to the Geneva-based World Association of Investment Promotion agencies (WAIPA). He sits on the Board of the Washington Export Council(Washington, D.C.), the Board of Advisers of the Washington International Business Council. Finally, he serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Minnesota, Carlson Business School’s, Carlson Global Institute.

Gunn speaks Swedish, French and Russian. Gunn, his wife(Anna) and their three children live in Suburban Maryland, a short distance from Washington, D.C.

Nina Hachigian
Ambassador | U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy

Ambassador Nina Hachigian (ret) is the first U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy. In this role she seeks to bring benefits to, and learn from, mayors, governors and other local leaders in the United States and also coordinate the State Department’s engagement with local leaders across the globe.

Before rejoining the Department, Ambassador Hachigian served as the first Deputy Mayor for International Affairs for the City of Los Angeles. In that role, she oversaw efforts that sent underserved community college students on free, educational international trips; created a new public-private partnership to attract international business and non-profits, especially to underserved communities; prepared the City for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and their legacy; hosted the Summit of the Americas; founded the first global gender equity city network; planned trade missions, and worked with international city networks to advance cutting-edge climate change programs, migrant integration, healthy cities and more.

From 2014 to 2017, Ambassador Hachigian served as the second U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During her tenure, the United States established a strategic partnership with ASEAN, held the first Leaders’ Summit in the United States, launched a Presidential initiative on economic cooperation, established the U.S.-ASEAN Women’s Leadership Academy and grew the youth program to over 100,000 members. She was awarded the State Department’s Superior Honor Award for her service. She is also a founder of WASA, Women Ambassadors Serving America and of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LC-WINS).

Earlier, Ambassador Hachigian was a Senior Fellow and a Senior Vice President at the Center for American Progress focused on Asia policy and U.S.-China relations. Prior to that, Ambassador Hachigian was the director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy for four years. Ambassador Hachigian served on the staff of the National Security Council in the Clinton White House from 1998-1999. She is the editor of Debating China: The U.S. – China Relationship in Ten Conversations (Oxford University Press, 2014) and co-author of The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise (Simon & Schuster, 2008).

Lance Hastings
President & CEO | CMTA

Lance Hastings currently serves as President and CEO of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA), assuming the role in November 2018. In that capacity, he leads a prominent business-oriented trade association with a legacy of success and engagement.

Under his leadership, CMTA passed historic legislation to provide a sales tax exemption for manufacturing equipment with a broad, bipartisan coalition. Hastings also grew membership for the fourth consecutive year, including during the COVID pandemic. He also pivoted the communications team to be more focused on visual and digital storytelling to recapture the manufacturing narrative, which has garnered global media attention.

Before joining CMTA, he served as MillerCoors’s Vice President of National Affairs. During his 15 years with the brewing industry, Hastings served in state, regional, national, and international capacities. His international experience was as Head of Regulatory and Tax Affairs for SABMiller, located in London, England, from 2012-2015.
Before his extensive career as a manufacturing executive, Hastings was the Vice President of Government Relations at the California Grocers Association and Senior Director for State Affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers of America.

Hastings also served as legislative staff in the California State Legislature for almost a decade, concluding as a Chief Consultant in 1997.

His passion for community and economic development stems from his time serving on multiple boards. Hastings is on the Board of Directors of the Red Cross Sierra-Delta Chapter and also served in the following capacities: President of the Catholic School Advisory Committee (CSAC) at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Elk Grove, Board of Directors for the Food Industry Association Executives (FIAE), Advisory Board of California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), and the California Future of Work Commission as an appointee of Governor Newsom, and Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Business Federation (Biz-Fed).

Hastings most recently earned his Executive MBA and has a BA in Economics and a Minor in Government from California State University at Sacramento and is on the Board of Directors of the Sac State Alumni Association.

Hastings has been featured and interviewed for his work in global and national media outlets, including ABC and NBC News, CNN, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal, among other publications. In 2023, Hastings was recognized as one of Sacramento Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs.

Kristin Hedger
Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Government Affairs | Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing

Kristin Hedger is the Vice President of Business Development for Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing (KMM), a company her grandfather founded to create jobs for people in western North Dakota. They began manufacturing assemblies in support of defense-related electronics. Over time, through performance in support of our customer base, we were included in the Boeing Commercial Aerospace (BCA) supply chain.

She later started to work on some independent agriculture and energy-related initiatives in war-torn and developing nations. This was based on her passion for entrepreneurial endeavors and trying to use continuous improvement of relations between North Dakota industry and academic institutions to deal with such problems. They built the company’s connections in the Pentagon to form a small North Dakota-based private sector consortium to travel to Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq to help the local population start a farm-to-market to cooling oil business and build a crushing plant.

Her team also worked to build on relations with our state’s National Guard Partnership for Peace arrangement Ghanaian military. They used the same model to successfully establish a workforce development training program. She was able to see first-hand the differences in tribal relations, bureaucratic differences, and other hurdles that our own economic development efforts and foreign aid organizations face promoting commerce. These endeavors achieved some successes and resulted in a lot of learning on both sides, and a genuine understanding of the potential for what the EXIM bank could do.

Her experience in the aerospace and defense industry has provided opportunities to learn about industry demands from the perspectives of developing countries such as India, and more developed allied nations, such as Australia and others.

Pauli Heikkilä
CEO | Finnvera Plc

Dr. Pauli Heikkilä has been CEO of Finnvera Plc since 2005. Finnvera is a specialized financing company owned by the State of Finland and it is the official export credit agency (ECA) of Finland. Finnvera’s outstanding commitments are 28 bn euros.

Dr. Heikkilä was Managing Director of Digita Ltd, a broadcasting and telecom company, in 1999-2005. Before that, he was Director of Information Technology in Tekes, the Finnish funding agency for innovation (which is now part of Business Finland), and even earlier, Project and Group Manager in Nokia Corporation.

Owen Herrnstadt
Member | EXIM Board of Directors

On July 13, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Owen E. Herrnstadt to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Mr. Herrnstadt was sworn in on July 15, 2022. Owen Herrnstadt served as the Chief of Staff to the International President and Director of Trade and Globalization, at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. As Chief of Staff, he assisted in running one of the largest manufacturing and transportation unions in the world. As Director of Trade and Globalization, he developed policy for international trade, economic investment, international labor standards, and human rights matters.

Mr. Herrnstadt has taught employment and labor law as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s National Law Center and international employment and labor law at American University’s Washington College of Law. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former member of the U.S. Export-Import Bank Federal Advisory Committee, U.S. State Department Federal Advisory Committee on International Economics, Co-Chair of the State Department’s Stakeholder Advisory Board on OECD Guidelines, Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board and the Industry Trade Advisory Committee 1 (Aerospace). Mr. Herrnstadt has also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He has made numerous presentations on labor and employment law, international employment and labor law, corporate social responsibility, trade, manufacturing policy, human rights, and industrial relations in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Herrnstadt has written numerous articles and has testified before Congress and federal agencies on numerous matters, including labor and employment law, as well as trade and manufacturing policy. He is a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Law and served as a Research Associate at the Economic Policy Institute. He has received the Outstanding Practitioner Award and the Practitioner Fellow Award by the Labor and Employment Research Association and the Georgetown University Silver Vicennial Award in recognition of service to the Georgetown community.

Mr. Herrnstadt was born in Ames, Iowa and received his BS, MS (Industrial Relations) and JD degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Roy Houseman
Legislative Director | United Steelworkers

Roy Houseman is the Legislative Director for United Steelworkers (USW), which is the largest manufacturing union in North America, representing workers in a broad array of industries from steel, paper, rubber, glass, refining, healthcare and many others. Mr. Houseman’s has an oversight role regarding USW legislative priorities and has a policy focus on international trade and retirement security. On behalf of his union, Mr. Housman has testified before multiple Congressional committees on trade and labor issues and he has also represented the USW before the International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce.

Prior to his work at the USW, Mr. Houseman was a local union president and City Council member in Missoula, Montana where he worked at a paper mill as an operator. After the mill’s closure in 2010, Mr. Houseman completed a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of Montana with the Trade Adjustment Assistance program which has aided him in his current career.

Terry Hungle
EVP, Chief Financial Officer | Mavenir

Terry is the Chief Financial Officer for Mavenir, responsible for all financial operations and processes within the company. Previously, he was the Chief Financial Officer for Imagine Communications Corp. where he was responsible for the day-to-day oversight of Imagine’s financial operations and planning. He has over 40 years of business experience, principally in telecommunications. He served as the Chief Financial Officer at Mitel Mobility Inc. (formerly known as Mavenir Systems, Inc.) from April 2008 through April 2015. He served as the Chief Financial Officer of Navini Networks, Inc. and prior to Navini, Terry also served as Vice President of Corporate Planning with Spatial Wireless Inc., where he led the successful merger transaction with Alcatel. Prior to Spatial, Terry successfully held a number of senior finance and controllership positions, both domestically and internationally, including that of Chief Financial Officer for Nortel Networks Corporation, where he has guided and supported business growth and development, defined business structures and led projects that improved overall liquidity of Nortel Networks, in operations and capital structuring. He began his finance career with Peat, Marwick Mitchell, Chartered Accountants and Imperial Oil Limited, both in Canada. He has served as a valued member of various boards of directors and sub-committees. He serves as a Member of Advisory Board at Centina Systems, Inc. and Orchestra Technology. Terry holds a Diploma in Accountancy from Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Canada and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).

Anna-Karin Jatko
Director General | EKN

Director General and member of the board of EKN, appointed by the Swedish government in 2016. Anna-Karin Jatko was Permanent Secretary at the Government Offices from 2010 to 2016, she has extensive experience of strategic and operational responsibility in the public sector.

Prior to this she held various director posts at the Ministry of Finance, including the position as Deputy National Budget Director. As Financial Counsellor for the Swedish Representation to the European Union in Brussels, she was in the center of International and EU affairs.

Karl Jensen
Executive Vice President for National Governments Business, AECOM

Karl is an accomplished senior executive and board member, with demonstrated success leading global organizations. Karl joined AECOM in 2020 to lead the National Governments business line, tasked with supporting governments around the world with solutions for some of their most complex infrastructure challenges. Additionally, Karl oversees AECOM’s Disaster Resilience Solutions practice, a team dedicated to responding to natural and human-caused disasters, restoring affected communities, and developing mitigation and resilience solutions to protect against future events.

At AECOM, the federal market is a significant part of the company portfolio. The National Governments team is focused on growth and excellence across a wide range of projects that include water, environment, transportation, buildings, energy, and disaster resilience. Karl oversees a wide range of activities, from business development to operational delivery of federal projects and programs.

Throughout his career, Karl has held leadership positions in engineering and construction, defense, and aerospace. Prior to AECOM, he led strategy and sales for the National Governments Sector of CH2M / Jacobs, with more than $2 billion in annual revenue and a sales team of nearly 100. His other sales and strategy roles within the defense industry have included Deputy of Corporate Strategy at Raytheon and Senior Vice President of Business Development at CACI.

Prior to his roles in industry, Karl was a Naval Officer in the U.S. Navy. He was part of the Navy Space Cadre, a designated Acquisition Professional, and led procurements within the Intelligence Community. He was a Naval Aviator with more than 40 combat flights in Iraq and Somalia. Karl holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the US Naval Academy, an MS in Astronautical Engineering, and an Aerospace Engineers’ Degree from the Naval Postgraduate School. He also completed the Advanced Program Managers Course at the Defense Services Management College. He has held board positions with CH2M Hill Inc. and Master Singers of Virginia.

Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson
Commissioner | CFTC

Commissioner Johnson was sworn in as a CFTC Commissioner on March 30, 2022, after being nominated by President Joseph Biden in September 2021, and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. Commissioner Johnson is a nationally recognized expert on financial markets risk management law and policy with specialization in the regulation of complex financial products including the origination, distribution, and secondary market trading, clearing, and settlement of securities and derivatives. She is an internationally recognized expert on financial markets regulation and corporate governance, compliance, and risk management. Her recent work examines the implications of emerging innovative technologies including distributed digital ledger technologies that enable the creation of digital assets and intermediaries and artificial intelligence technologies that target commercial and consumer financial transactions, transfers, and assessments.

In April of 2021, she testified at a hearing before the United States House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions entitled Banking Innovation or Regulatory Evasion? Exploring Trends in Financial Institution Charters. The single-panel hearing discussed policy considerations with respect to banking charters and explored disintermediation in legacy financial markets such as banking and the provision of clearing and custody services. In July of 2019, she testified before the United States House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Task Force on Financial Technology and the Task Force on Artificial Intelligence entitled Examining the Use of Alternative Data exploring the implications of integrating artificial intelligence in financial technology (fintech) platforms.

Prior to joining the Commission, she held endowed professorships at Emory University and Tulane University Law Schools and visiting professorships at prestigious law schools around the nation. She taught courses in the regulation of securities and derivatives markets, financial institutions, including courses on fintech, the development of blockchain technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as corporations and ethical leadership. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute, an American Bar Foundation Fellow, and Chair of the Securities Regulation Section and the Executive Committee of the Business Associations and Financial Institutions and Consumer Financial Services Sections of the Association of American Law Schools.

Prior to entering the academy, Commissioner Johnson served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel in the Treasury Services Division of one of the largest financial institutions in the world supporting private funds cash management services, a corporate associate at Simpson, Thacher, and Bartlett LLP’s New York and London offices where she represented issuers and underwriters in domestic and international debt and equity offerings, lenders and borrowers in banking and credit matters, and private equity firms and publicly-traded companies in mergers and acquisitions. Before attending law school, Commissioner Johnson served as an analyst in the Asset Management Division of a storied financial institution. She clerked for a federal judge who previously served on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Commissioner Johnson has a B.S. with honors from Georgetown University Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service and a J.D. from The University of Michigan Law School where she served as a senior editor on the Michigan Law Review and received the Clara Belfield and Henry Bates International Research Fellowship.

Christine Kamil
Head of U.S. Public Sector Client Coverage | J.P. Morgan

Christine Kamil leads our coverage of public sector clients; including Federal Departments and Sub Agencies, Independent Agencies, Government Sponsored Entities and The Federal Reserve System. With more than 30 years at J.P. Morgan, she was one of the founding members of the Global Public Sector Group and was instrumental in growing our relationships with large Multilateral Institutions and Central Banks.

Christine has held many different positions within J.P. Morgan’s Corporate and Investment Bank, including Chief Collateral Risk Officer in Credit Portfolio, Head of Collateral Management, Tri-Party Repo Product management, and numerous roles in sales, product and relationship management in the US and Europe.

During her years at J.P. Morgan, she has excelled at relationship management, building teams and has developed a strong reputation inside and outside the bank for her client focus, partnership and passion for gender equality and inclusion.  Christine is based in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Studio Art from Beloit College, Wisconsin.

Nino Kharaishvili
Global Solutions Director for Health System Governance | Jacobs

Nino Kharaishvili, MD, MBA, PMP is an international health expert with over two decades of consulting experience. She brings extensive consulting and advisory experience in the healthcare sector amassed through working across 40 different countries. Dr. Kharaishvili specializes in building health systems at the national and sub-national levels, bringing multi-disciplinary approaches and innovative solutions to the partners, while driving growth of business and impact of organizations in the healthcare industry.

Dr. Kharaishvili serves as Jacobs’ Global Health Director for Health System Governance and oversees health market growth across multiple business units and portfolios. Dr. Kharaishvili received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Aieti Medical School and her Master’s in Business Administration from the College of Saint Rose. In addition, she is ICAgile Certified Professional (ICP), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Change Management Advanced Practitioner (CMAP). Dr. Kharaishvili has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and is an experienced public speaker.

Maria Korsnick
President and CEO | Nuclear Energy Institute

Maria Korsnick is president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the nuclear industry’s policy organization in Washington, D.C.

Drawing on her engineering background, hands-on experience in reactor operations and a deep knowledge of energy policy and regulatory issues, Korsnick aims to increase understanding of nuclear energy’s economic and environmental benefits among policymakers and the public.

Before joining NEI, she was senior vice president of Northeast Operations for Exelon, responsible for overseeing operation of the Calvert Cliffs 1 and 2, R.E. Ginna, and Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 nuclear power plants.

Before Exelon, Korsnick served as chief nuclear officer (CNO) and acting chief executive officer at Constellation Energy Nuclear Group. She began her career at Constellation in 1986 and held positions of increasing responsibility, including engineer, operator, manager, site vice president, corporate vice president, and CNO.

Korsnick holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Maryland, and has held a Senior Reactor Operator license. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.

Andres A. Lazardi
Treasury Manager | Montachem International, Inc.
  • BS Economics and Business Administration, Santa Maria University and Catolica Andres Bello University, respectively, Venezuela; and MBA, Nova Southeastern University, Florida.
  • 25+ years of experience in financial, treasury, credit and risk management with multinational entities
  • Previously was treasury and risk manager Evolution Lighting
  • Extensive business experience in multicultural environments
  • Certified Treasury Professional
  • Joined Montachem International, Inc. in 2020
Reta Jo Lewis
President and Chair | EXIM Bank

On February 9, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Reta Jo Lewis as EXIM’s President and Chair of the Board of Directors. Chair Lewis was sworn in by Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris on February 16, 2022. Ms. Lewis is a senior executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in international affairs, legal, public policy, business and regulatory affairs, and subnational diplomacy.

Ms. Lewis was most recently a Senior Fellow and Director of Congressional Affairs at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. At GMF, Ms. Lewis led and oversaw initiatives, programs, and bipartisan exchanges for members of the U.S. Congress and their European counterparts, focusing on leadership development and subnational diplomacy efforts. Prior to her time at GMF, she served as the first-ever Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs under Secretary Hillary Clinton at the U.S. Department of State during the Obama-Biden Administration. As Special Representative, Lewis was the chief diplomat in charge of the international efforts to build and support strategic relationships between the federal government, state and local leaders, and their foreign counterparts. In 2013, she was awarded the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award.

Ms. Lewis was the first Black woman to serve as Vice President and Counselor to the President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She led the Chamber’s initiatives focused on fostering strategic alliances between small businesses, especially women- and minority-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, and executives. She is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and former Member of the Board of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Ms. Lewis received a J.D. from Emory University School of Law, an M.S.A.J. from American University, and a B.A. from the University of Georgia. She is a native of Statesboro, Georgia.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova
Ambassador | Ukraine’s Ambassador to the USA

Oksana Markarova was appointed the Ukraine’s Ambassador to the USA and arrived in DC on Apr 20, 2021. She served in Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance in 2015-2020 as First deputy Minister and Government commissioner on investments and then since 2018 as a Minister of Finance. During her time at the Ministry she was a co-author of Ukraine’s macroeconomic revival program, has conducted unprecedented fiscal consolidation leading to deficit to GDP of 2% and debt to GDP reduction to below 50%, introduced midterm budgeting, gender oriented budgeting as well as negotiated, structured and coordinated successfully two IMF programs and other IFI cooperation programs. During her tenure she and her team has also created UkraineInvest government promotion agency, Ukrainian Startup fund and an eData ecosystem of government public finance portals including spending.gov.ua, openbudget.gov.ua and analytical instrument BOOST, which opened the majority of the public finance data to the public and increased Ukraine in all major international data transparency ratings.

Prior to career in public service Mrs. Markarova spent 17 years working in private equity and financial advisory having leadership roles in ITT investment group, Western NIS Enterprise Fund, Chemonics and and World bank, as well as founded Archidata startup electronic archive company in between service positions in 2020.

Oksana Markarova serves at the Boards of UkraineHouse DC foundation in Washington DC, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukrainian Development Foundation and supports Ukrainian Catholic University and Ukrainian Press Museum-Archive.

She holds BS and MS degrees in Environmental Science from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine and MPA in public finance from Indiana University with academic excellency and best international student awards.

On 16 December 2020, Oksana Markarova received the French National Order of Merit.

On 28 December 2022, Markova received the Order of Princess Olga, 3rd Class

By the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 370/2023, dated July 5, 2023, Oksana Markarova was appointed as Ambassador of Ukraine with concurrent accreditation to Antigua and Barbuda.

Markarova is married with four children and grandson.

Roger Martella
Chief Sustainability Officer | GE

Roger Martella is GE’s Chief Sustainability Officer. In his role, he is responsible for leading a comprehensive and cohesive approach to sustainability for GE as it relates to current issues and emerging trends in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Roger joined GE in 2017 as Director and General Counsel, Environmental Health and Safety. Prior to GE, Roger co-led Sidley Austin LLP’s global environmental law and climate change practices. Roger also served as General Counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, and the Principal Counsel for Complex Litigation for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Natural Resources Section.

Roger is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the board of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), the Environmental Law Institute, and several environmental NGOs and energy think tanks. Roger has co-authored and edited four books on the intersections of ESG, climate change law, international environmental law, and human rights, including co-editing the recently published Corporate Social Responsibility—Sustainable Business: Environmental, Social and Governance Frameworks for the 21st Century (Wolters Kluwer 2020). He also teaches a first of its kind course on International Environmental Law and Justice at Howard University Law School. In 2022, the Racial Justice Institute recognized Roger with a Racial Justice Champion Award. Roger is a graduate of Cornell University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. Roger also holds a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Dorothy McAuliffe
Special Representative for Global Partnerships | U.S. Department of State

Special Representative McAuliffe was appointed by President Joe Biden to lead the Office of Global Partnerships in the United States Department of State. Her office directly supports the Biden Administration’s commitment to U.S. global leadership by assembling public-private partnerships to advance key national security and foreign policy priorities.

Special Representative McAuliffe leads on partnership building efforts that achieve the administration’s policy objectives by advancing public-private collaborations that spearhead new technology and innovation, support entrepreneurship and economic development, combat climate change and strengthen energy security, promote gender equity and human rights, and counter malign influence across the globe. Special Representative McAuliffe has forged these partnerships by engaging a diverse set of stakeholders including civil society, business, non-profit, diaspora, academic, philanthropic, faith-based, and other private sector leaders.

Prior to her appointment by President Biden, she served as the national policy advisor for Share Our Strength and the No Kid Hungry Campaign where she worked with the private sector to build partnerships to end child hunger and advance equity in public education. As First Lady of Virginia, McAuliffe founded and chaired Virginia’s Council on Bridging the Nutritional Divide, a groundbreaking initiative which forged cross-sector, public-private collaboration to improve childhood nutrition and build food access initiatives.

Joan Michelson
Host, Electric Ladies Podcast and Forbes Contributor

Joan Bryna Michelson, MBA is a highly accomplished executive, journalist, consultant and speaker who has driven breakthrough results at Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, small businesses, and nonprofits and worked with top media organizations.

Joan specializes in corporate responsibility issues, also known as environment, social and governance (ESG) issues, and business innovation, communications, women’s advancement, and leadership. She hosts the acclaimed Electric Ladies Podcast (formerly known as Green Connections Radio), where she has conducted over 400 engaging and fascinating interviews with women leaders across industries, government, academia, media, philanthropies and nonprofits.

She writes regularly for Forbes on these issues and her work has appeared in various other media outlets including: New Thinking magazine, Harvard Business Review, HuffPost, TheAtlantic.com, Greenbiz, The New Economy magazine, WTOP-FM, as a columnist in a regional business journal chain, and on CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” ABC News, and “The Crusaders” and NBC.

Joan’s consulting work includes developing and producing high-level strategies, thought leadership content and digital courses on ESG issues, marketing communications strategies particularly related to corporate responsibility, energy, climate and women’s advancement and leading courses and workshops for professionals and firms on these issues. Joan previously spent many years in management consulting/financial services at Deloitte and American Express, and led communications and co-led sales and marketing at Chrysler’s electric vehicle division, generating “best year ever” results. She has also been a television reporter-producer with CBS, ABC and NBC, and radio, print and digital outlets.

A dynamic public speaker, Joan has addressed many events and conferences across the globe, including: Sun Valley Forum, ChangeNow 2023 Summit, The Newseum, SXSW (Eco), the U.S. Defense Department, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Naval Academy, Atlantic Council – Iceland Clean Energy Summit, the Small Business Administration, Greenbiz VERGE, Global Council for Science and the Environment’s conferences, MOVE: Mobility Reimagined conferences, Executive Women in Government summits, Women Impacting Public Policy, Women Automotive Network, GLG, and various chamber, corporate, professional and university events. She is an International Speaker with the U.S. State Department and can be found in various speakers’ bureaus.

Charles Miller
Co-Founder and CEO | Lynk Global

Charles Miller is the co-founder and CEO of Lynk Global. Lynk is the world’s only patented, proven, and commercially licensed satellite-direct-to-standard-mobile phone service provider. A serial space entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the space industry, he has served as the founder or co-founder of multiple private ventures and organizations.

In the 1990s, Charles led the team that passed the law that resulted later in a $1.8 Billion contract for SpaceX in 2008, which was critical to the NewSpace revolution. Charles was the co-founding CEO of Nanoracks, which delivered more than 700 payloads to space, which jump-started the small satellite revolution. Charles served as NASA’s Senior Advisor for Commercial Space from 2009-2012, where he advised NASA leadership on commercial public-private partnerships. Charles was the principal investigator for a study for the USAF in 2016, which recommended the creation of a new agency focused on speed, leading to the birth of the DOD’s Space Development Agency.

Scott Nathan
CEO | U.S. International Development Finance Corporation

The newest CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Scott Nathan was appointed by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate in February 2022 and brings extensive experience across the private and public sectors to the role. He worked in investment business for 20 years and worked for Secretary Kerry at the State Department in the Obama Administration. Prior to that, he served during the Obama Administration as the Associate Director for General Government Programs at the Office of Management and Budget.

Scott Neal
Portfolio Manager | AirTractor

Scott Neal is an employee-owner and the Portfolio Manager at Air Tractor, Inc. He also serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of Air Tractor’s captive finance company. Scott joined Air Tractor in 2007 as a Financial Analyst and has seen the export finance program grow to support approximately 25% of annual sales with a current portfolio in excess of $150 million. Since joining Air Tractor, Scott has been involved in securing financing solutions for overseas buyers with the support of EXIM Bank’s Medium-Term products, which can be attributed to more than 400 new Air Tractor export sales. Scott is a fifth-generation Texan and values the importance of exports to sustaining and creating good paying jobs in rural North Texas, which he believes can be achieved by companies all across the United States. Scott is married to his wife of 18 years and they have four children.

Samir Parkash
Chief Risk Officer | UK Export Finance

Samir is the Chief Risk Officer at UK Export Finance. Samir is also a member of UKEF’s Executive Committee and Management Board. From October to December 2022, Samir was UKEF’s interim Chief Executive Officer.

Before joining UKEF in June 2018, Samir held senior roles at the Royal Bank of Scotland for nearly a decade, where he was the Managing Director for credit for large corporates. Samir previously led the bank’s credit functions for global Industrials and was also the Head of Corporate Credit for Asia Pacific.

Before that, Samir spent 17 years at Bank of America across New Delhi, Mumbai, Seoul and Singapore, the last 3 were as MD/Senior Risk Manager for corporate credit for Asia Pac. Samir has an extensive background in risk management in the banking and financial services sector, with more than 30 years’ experience across numerous geographies and sectors.

Samir holds a bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Management.

Carol Podolak
Founder | bNutty

bNutty Founder, Carol Podolak is a spunky Indiana soccer moms that was looking for a nutritious, healthy product to sell as a fundraiser for their local youth soccer team. She found that product when they created bNutty gourmet peanut butter! As a former project manager and a mother of three active children, Carol brought her organizational talents and problem-solving skills to bNutty and helped grow the company from a home kitchen to a National and then International Brand. Carol is involved in multiple fundraising activities in their local area, they also serve on several boards, keeping bNutty’s focus on serving the community and making a positive impact. You can her at the soccer field on the weekends and at bNutty headquarters- ‘The Nut House!’ during the week!

Judith D. Pryor
First Vice President and Vice Chair | EXIM Board of Directors

Judith D. Pryor was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden to serve as First Vice President and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) for a term expiring on January 20, 2025.

Ms. Pryor has spent the majority of her career working with multinational businesses, primarily in emerging markets, and brings to EXIM more than 25 years of business leadership experience in corporate and marketing communications, public affairs, and business development. From Asia to the Middle East, Africa, and Western Europe, and from international start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, her work has focused on the broadcast, satellite communications, and international finance sectors.

Ms. Pryor served on EXIM’s Board of Directors from May 2019 to July 2021. Her portfolio included Africa and the Middle East, renewable energy, storage and efficiency, and minority and women-owned business. She also served during the Obama Administration as Vice President, Office of External Affairs, at OPIC, now the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). She was responsible for all external engagement including congressional relations, public affairs, communications, and U.S. small business development. She was a member of the Executive Leadership Team and held a seat on the Agency’s Investment Committee, providing input on all projects valued at more than $20 million.

Before entering public service, Ms. Pryor spent nearly a decade with WorldSpace Inc., a multibillion-dollar satellite radio start-up company, servicing developing markets worldwide. As Senior Vice President for global corporate affairs, her work included establishing marketing and communications functions in 11 international offices, taking the company public, serving as corporate spokesperson, and spearheading the strategy and execution for the company’s global brand.

Ms. Pryor held similar positions with COMSAT and Orion Network Systems and has worked with respected advertising and public relations firms. She began her career in the Washington offices of Gray & Company, continuing with the firm after its acquisition by Hill & Knowlton Public Affairs Worldwide.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Pryor holds a B.A. in Communications from Bowling Green State University and studied at the Universidad de Madrid.

Geoffrey R. Pyatt
Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources | U.S. Department of State

Geoffrey R. Pyatt, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources on September 19, 2022. Ambassador Pyatt served as U.S. Ambassador to Greece from 2016 to 2022 and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2013 to 2016. Among other recognitions, he received the State Department’s Robert Frasure Memorial Award in recognition of his leadership of the U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014. Previously, Ambassador Pyatt was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs from 2010-2013. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria from 2007 to 2010. He also served three times at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2006 to 2007, Political Counselor from 2002 to 2006, and Political Officer from 1992 to 1994. Ambassador Pyatt was Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2002 and Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore, Pakistan from 1997 to 1999. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1989, he has also served on the National Security Council staff, on the staff of Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott and at the U.S. Embassy in Honduras. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he worked with The Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank that brings together leading citizens of the Americas. Ambassador Pyatt grew up in La Jolla, California and holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Yale and B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.

Daniel Ricchetti
Deputy Special Representative For City And State Diplomacy Office Of Global Partnerships

Daniel Ricchetti serves as the Deputy Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy. In this role, he works with mayors, governors, and other municipal officials to strengthen local government engagement on the international stage and help bring the benefits of foreign policy to the local level. Previously, Mr. Ricchetti served as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and as a Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. Prior to joining the Department, Mr. Ricchetti served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee for seven years. Mr. Ricchetti holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and B.A. in History and Government from the College of William and Mary.

Ben Richardson
Vice President, Business Development | Our Next Energy

Ben Richardson is an energy transition enthusiast, national security expert, and bureaucracy hacker. He recently joined Our Next Energy to lead Business Development. This follows a three-year tour as an activated military reservist establishing Defense Innovation Unit’s newest technology vertical focused on the energy sector. While at DIU, he built a team of 40 energy professionals and started nearly 30 projects, ranging from e-mobility (air, land, sea), long duration storage, advanced aviation designs, alternative battery chemistries, on-site power generation (solar, wind, geothermal), hydrogen, battery recycling, hazardous material management, power management and optimization, and remote power generation.

Prior to joining DIU, Ben served in various senior positions in the Pentagon to include the Director of Critical Technology Protection in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security and the Director of Global Markets and Investments in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. In these roles, he developed and promulgated policies and oversaw the associated budgets and workforce to protect DoD’s critical technologies. In addition, Ben served as the DoD lead on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

Outside of his government experience, Ben has also been a consultant with Protiviti, an internal audit and risk-consulting firm, primarily supporting due diligence for private equity clients. Ben started his career as an intelligence officer in the United States Marine Corps, to include multiple overseas tours. He continues to serve as a Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves where he has held multiple positions with the Intelligence Community, including teaching at the National Intelligence University.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Affairs with a minor in History from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Master of Business Administration in Finance from Hofstra University, a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University, and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University. In addition, he was a Senior Executive Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard

Mariano Rivera
Former New York Yankee and Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Bio Coming Soon…

Lisa Blunt Rochester
U.S. Representative | Delaware’s at Large District

Lisa Blunt Rochester has served as the U.S. representative for Delaware’s at-large congressional district since 2017. She is the first woman and first African American to represent Delaware in Congress. During her swearing-in, she carried a scarf imprinted with the Reconstruction Era voter registration card of her great-great-great-grandfather, who had been a slave.

Blunt Rochester was born on February 10, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. She received her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Fairleigh Dickinson University and her master’s degree in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware.

After interning for U.S. Rep. Tom Carper in 1989, Blunt Rochester worked for him as a constituent relations caseworker and on his transition team when he was elected governor of Delaware. Carper appointed her deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services in 1993 and secretary of the Department of Labor in 1998. In 2001, Governor Ruth Ann Minner named Blunt Rochester the state personnel director. In 2004, she left public service to become CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. She also later served as the senior executive leadership and systems manager for the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

During Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, Blunt Rochester served as one of the campaign co-chairs and as a member of the vetting committee for the vice presidential candidate selection.

Jennifer Sanford
Senior Director of International Trade & Environmental Policy | Cisco

Jennifer Sanford  joined Cisco in April 2004, and currently serves as Senior Director of International Trade & Environmental Policy in the Government Affairs Department in Washington, DC. Ms. Sanford is responsible for developing and advancing Cisco’s international trade policy agenda. She also manages Cisco’s U.S. climate & energy policy vision, strategy and execution, in areas such as grid modernization, climate change, energy efficiency, e-waste and eco-design.

Ms. Sanford serves as Chair of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on the Digital Economy (ITAC-6) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) International Committee, as well as is a Member of the International Trade and Economic Diplomacy Advisory Committee for the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey.

Prior to Cisco, Ms. Sanford was Director of International Trade Policy for seven years at the American Electronics Association (AeA) in Washington, DC, where she successfully led the high-tech industry’s efforts to secure Congressional passage of legislation to reauthorize Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) in 2002, and to establish China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status in 2000. She also worked for many years on the development and implementation of the European Union (EU) environmental and energy laws on electronics. Her career began in 1996 in San Francisco, CA, with a customs consulting and publishing firm, Worldtariff (now owned by FedEx).

Ms. Sanford holds B.A. in International Studies (1994) and an M.A. in International Policy Studies (1995) from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey.

John Schaeffler
Executive Director, Global Government Affairs & Policy | GE Healthcare

John Schaeffler is the Executive Director, Global Government Affairs & Policy for GE Healthcare.   John re-joined GE Healthcare in March 2010.  Prior to that time, he served as Senior Leader of Government Relations from 2004 to 2009.  In between his time at GE Healthcare, John was the Senior Vice President of Federal Affairs of DaVita – a dialysis provider.  Prior to coming to GE Healthcare the first time, John spent nine years at the American Health Care Association (AHCA) ending his time there as Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Relations.  John began his career as a legislative aide to two Members of Congress from Minnesota from 1987 through 1995.  He is a graduate of American University’s School of Public Affairs with a degree in political science.

Frank Scott, Jr.
Mayor | Little Rock, Arkansas

Frank Scott, Jr. began his second four-year term as Mayor of Little Rock on Jan. 1, 2023. During his time in office, Mayor Scott has worked toward uniting Little Rock’s diverse neighborhoods through expanding our economy, creating new opportunities for educational growth for Little Rock’s students, enhancing public safety and improving the quality of life and place in Arkansas’ capital city.

Mayor Scott has pledged to be Little Rock’s Chief Growth Officer, and has overseen the creation of more than 8000 jobs to date. Little Rock’s population has grown to more than 203,000 residents as the Mayor pushes jobs growth and economic development, making Little Rock a catalyst for the new South. New developments, such as Trex, Trader Joe’s, Fiocchi, Topgolf and more highlight the momentum of this growing and thriving city.

He is the immediate past president of the African-American Mayors Association, a national organization representing African-American mayors from across the country.

As an associate pastor, youth mentor, and professional, Mayor Scott lives out the values he learned growing up in Southwest Little Rock, the same area where he lives, today. He gives back to the City that invested in him and reminds young people regularly that values are the foundation of a purpose-filled life.

Andrea Shalal
White House Correspondent | Reuters

Andrea Shalal reports for Reuters on the White House, global trade and economics, the IMF and the World Bank. Over the span of 35 with Reuters, she has been based in Europe and the United States, covering the fall of the Berlin Wall, German reunification, German politics, a host of U.S. elections, OPEC, energy and the environment, global arms sales, as well as politics, the arts and civil rights. She helped found a diversity initiative at Reuters in the United States in the late 1990s, has taught college and graduate courses on diversity and media ethics, and lectures occasionally about Arab-American literature and media issues. She has earned a “Blue Nose” for crossing the Arctic circle, hit 7Gs in a Super Hornet over the desert in UAE (without getting sick), and was among a group of Washington-based journalists selected as Reuters Journalists of the Year in 2015 for breaking news. She currently chairs the Washington chapter of the Journalism and Women Symposium and serves as a shop steward in the News Guild for her team at Reuters.

Venkee Sharma
Executive Chairman | Aquatech International, LLC

Venkee Sharma has been at the helm of Aquatech for more than 30 years. In this time, the company has transformed from a small, regional manufacturer of industrial water treatment equipment to a recognized and respected major player in the global water industry. When Venkee took over as CEO of the company, Aquatech was a small local player and had fewer than 50 employees in one location. Today, Aquatech is a Leader in the Global Water Industry with over 1000 employees in 6 major locations /subsidiaries worldwide. A Chemical Engineer by education, Venkee has worked, at some point, in almost every skill area in the company. Under his leadership, Aquatech has grown to a global technology and services powerhouse, and the largest private company in its space. He believes in speed & simplicity, focus & discipline to drive growth and continuous improvement. He is very growth oriented, but strives for balance with family values, an unassuming demeanor, and a fiscally conscious business approach. Aquatech is a global leader in innovative water technology and services for the Industrial and infrastructure markets with a focus on solving water scarcity and sustainability challenges through desalination, water reuse, wastewater treatment and zero liquid discharge. Aquatech has over 2000 major facility installations in over 60 countries. Aquatech’s Technology has been growing fast in markets such as EV/Batteries, Biofuels, Carbon Capture, Semiconductors, Data Centers and Green Hydrogen.

Aquatech has seen exciting times as it has expanded globally, added new product lines and solution offerings, acquired and developed proprietary/patented technologies and grown at an AGR of approximately >15% per year over the last 20 years. Venkee received Engineering Degrees in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, and is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School. He presently serves on the Board of the Allegheny Conference for Community Development and on the CIT Dean’s Advocacy Council at Carnegie Mellon University. Mr. Sharma also serves as one of the CEOs representing US companies as part of the US-India CEO Forum and on the Advisory Committee of the US Ex-Im Bank.

Dan Sheriff
CEO | Exile Group

Dan Sheriff is CEO of Exile Group, comprising the business intelligence brands TXF, Proximo and Uxolo.

TXF provides proprietary data, insight and world leading events to the export, agency and commodity finance sectors; Proximo for energy, project and infrastructure finance; Uxolo for development banks.

Since co-founding the company in 2013, Dan has led the strategic direction on both events and intelligence, growing from a team of four in an apartment in Deptford, London; to a team of 80 globally with operations in London, New York and Belgrade. As well as industry leading project data and information, Exile hosts international conferences in Austin, Nashville, Miami, Cape Town, Dubai, Singapore, Geneva, Berlin, Athens and Amsterdam.

Dan holds an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Manchester, and a Masters degree in International Development at the University of London, Birkbeck.

Outside of work, Dan and his wife Karen are kept busy with four young children, and a dog that means well.

Dan Shugar
Founder and CEO | Nextracker

For over 30 years, Dan Shugar has been a leading voice in business, technology and climate policy, advancing solar and climate technology solutions in the U.S. and around the globe. As founder and CEO of Nextracker, Dan brings solar expertise and technology innovation together in a way few cleantech leaders can.

In less than ten years, Dan founded a solar start-up in the Balance of Systems (BOS) solar manufacturing category, achieved sustained global market share leadership for seven consecutive years for solar trackers, and has led the company in shipping over 70 gigawatts of smart solar trackers to more than 30 countries. Prior to Nextracker, Dan grew Solaria Corporation’s annual revenue five times over a three-year period and led successful deals and acquisitions worth over $1 billion with Powerlight, Sunpower and now Nextracker. Dan help various positions in the solar businesses of New World Power, Inc., Advance Photovoltaic Systems and PG&E. Dan holds a BS in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Golden Gate University. Dan has numerous patents and published 50 technical papers. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA).

Kristen Silverberg
President and COO | Business Roundtable | Former Ambassador to the EU

Former Ambassador Kristen Silverberg is President & COO at Business Roundtable. Prior to BRT she was a Managing Director at the Institute of International Finance. She served in the George W. Bush Administration as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union from 2008 to 2009 and as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 2005 to 2008. She also held a number of senior positions at the White House including Deputy Assistant to the President.

Ambassador Silverberg served in 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq for which she received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. She formerly practiced law at Williams and Connolly, LLP in Washington, DC and served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge David Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals. She attended Harvard College and the University of Texas School of Law, where she graduated with High Honors.

Ambassador Silverberg also serves on the Boards of Vorbeck Materials, the International Republican Institute, the Forum for American Leadership, and the Vandenberg Coalition, and is a member of the Steering Committee of the Reagan Institute Strategy Group.

Dilawar Syed
Deputy Administrator | U.S. Small Business Administration

Dilawar Syed comes to SBA from the State Department where he championed American businesses as Special Representative for Commercial & Business Affairs. As the State Department’s top commercial diplomat, Deputy Administrator Syed advocated for U.S. companies to compete and win abroad and helped ensure U.S. competitiveness in markets across the globe. In this role, he mobilized the private sector to support the people of Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion and advocated for commercial deals in strategic sectors such as aviation and defense, energy, and technology,

Before joining the Biden Administration, Syed was CEO at Lumiata, an AI healthcare company focused on reducing healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes. Previously, Syed was President at the software company Freshworks. Earlier in his career, Syed oversaw business operations for Yahoo!’s platforms and infrastructure and was a product manager at Siebel Systems and SAP.

Dilawar Syed has driven civic efforts at the federal, state, and local level focusing on economic growth and entrepreneurship. As the founding Chair of the California Entrepreneurship Task Force with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, Syed promoted inclusive entrepreneurship. He served on President Obama’s White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and chaired the White House Initiative on AAPIs’ Economic Growth Committee. In that role, Syed led the administration’s engagement with small businesses across the U.S. after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2020, Syed was tapped by San Jose, Calif. Mayor Sam Liccardo to help lead Silicon Valley’s pandemic economic recovery as a member of the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable.
Syed holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin.

Joy Thompkins
Founder | bNutty

bNutty Founder, Joy Thompkins is a spunky Indiana soccer mom that was looking for a nutritious, healthy product to sell as a fundraiser for their local youth soccer team. She found that product when they created bNutty gourmet peanut butter! Joy used her background as a nurse midwife to develop the creative, delicious and healthy recipes. She then turned her attention to designing a beautiful, food facility to produce bNutty’s artisan products. Joy is involved in multiple fundraising activities in their local area, they also serve on several boards, keeping bNutty’s focus on serving the community and making a positive impact. You can find her at the soccer field on the weekends and at bNutty headquarters- ‘The Nut House!’ during the week!

Masai Ujiri
Vice-Chairman and President | Toronto Raptors

When his friends and classmates in Nigeria were playing soccer, Masai Ujiri was watching highlights of Hakeem Olajuwon. His love of the game brought him to college in the United States, and when his career on the court was complete, his career off-court began. 

He started on the ground as a scout, working for teams traveling the world and searching for talent in gyms all over the globe. Masai was named general manager of the Denver Nuggets in 2011, becoming the first African GM in pro sports, and won the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year award. In Toronto, he has served as director of global scouting and assistant general manager, and in 2013, Masai was named president of the Toronto Raptors. In 2021, after signing a new contract, Masai added the role of vice-chairman of the club to his responsibilities as team president. 

Under his leadership, the Raptors won the 2019 NBA Championship, the first team outside the United States to do so. 

Masai has said that while he is proud to be the first African team president in North American sports, he would consider it a failure if he was the last: “Being first is good, but I don’t want to be the only one. There have to be more.” Masai’s belief in equity and diversity is reflected in his organization: he has committed to hiring women, and investing in organizational inclusion and diversity. 

Masai has served as director of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Africa program. He has travelled with the Prime Minister as part of the Canadian delegation to the 2019 African Union meetings and serves on the advisory board of the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security. He has been named an officer to the Order of Canada for his contributions as an NBA executive and humanitarian. Masai and his wife, Ramatu, live in Toronto with their three children. 

In 2003, Masai founded Giants of Africa, an organization which uses sport as a tool to enrich the lives of youth on the continent, and create opportunities for them on and off the court. Masai’s ethos is to “Dream Big,” and now GOA connects with youth – both boys and girls – in 17 African countries. 

The summer of 2018 marked 15 years of the organization, and that July, Masai and former U.S. President Barack Obama opened a Giants of Africa court in Alego, Kenya. In 2021, Giants of Africa committed to building 100 basketball courts as part of a continent-wide investment in sports infrastructure. To celebrate the organization’s 20th anniversary, the inaugural Giants of Africa Festival united over 250 youth from 16 African nations to Kigali, Rwanda for a week-long celebration of basketball, education, culture, and entertainment in August 2023. 

In 2020, Masai launched thatshumanity.org, inspired by his experiences and the lessons learned from leaders like Nelson Mandela. “For me,” he says, “it’s about seeing each other. Really seeing. Trying to understand what someone else is going through. And helping if we can. Even if it’s just a kind word. Some encouragement. That’s humanity.” 

David Wilhelm
CEO | Hecate Global Renewables

David is a global renewable energy developer, currently working for Hecate Energy. Formerly, Wilhelm worked in the venture capital space and as a political campaign manager; most notably serving as Campaign Manager for the 1992 U.S. Presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, and later as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Richard Wilkins
Global Head of Origination and EMEA Regional Head | J.P. Morgan

Richard Wilkins is J.P. Morgan’s Export & Agency Finance team’s Global Head of Origination and EMEA Regional Head, based in London. His primary responsibility is the origination of Export Credit Agency supported finance globally, with an additional focus on the structuring and execution of export finance business in the EMEA region.

He has significant experience of working with ECAs across the globe, including in Ukraine, and many of the transactions have won industry recognition for their innovation and achievement in export finance.

Richard holds a B.Sc. in Banking and International Finance from Bayes Business School – City, University of London, and is a qualified English solicitor. He also acts as chairman of UK Finance’s Export Credit Working Group and is a member of the European Banking Federation’s Export Credit Experts Group.

John Yearwood
Editorial Director for Diversity & Culture | POLITICO

An award-winning multi-platform journalist, John Yearwood is Editorial Director for Diversity & Culture at POLITICO. He previously served as POLITICO’s Global News Editor and Deputy Editor, Global Trade & Agriculture.

Before joining POLITICO, Yearwood spent almost 13 years as the Miami Herald’s World Editor. Before the Miami Herald, he was National/International Editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas. He spent a decade as a senior staff writer with the Dallas Morning News prior to the Star-Telegram.

Yearwood recently concluded two terms as chair of the Vienna, Austria-based International Press Institute, the oldest press freedom organization in the world.

He is a frequent guest speaker and moderator, facilitating at gatherings around the globe. Among them: African Import-Export Bank’s annual meeting in Seychelles; Conference of Paris; Asian Leadership Conference, Seoul; Toronto Global Forum; Good Pitch, Mumbai; UN Alliance of Civilizations Conference, Cairo; and the Atlantic Dialogues in Marrakesh.

Yearwood has been the recipient of numerous honors, including Luminary of the Year, Miami-Dade County Pillar Award, ICABA Community Builder Award, the COSMOS Distinguished Citizen Award and the Media Trailblazer Award.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut.

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