Speakers
Fees and Group Rates | Agenda at a Glance
Breakout Sessions | Continuing Education Credit | FAQs
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Presidential Historian and Bestselling Author |
Michael Beschloss is an award-winning historian, scholar of leadership and bestselling author of 10 books—most recently the acclaimed New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Presidents of War. “Michael Beschloss knows more about America’s Presidents than perhaps anyone on earth,” says the Charlotte Observer. He appears regularly on television as the NBC News Presidential Historian and contributor to the PBS NewsHour. He has also been a contributing columnist to the New York Times. Beschloss has won an Emmy for his television work and received six honorary degrees and numerous other awards. He has the largest Twitter following of any American historian, in the neighborhood of 400,000. His Twitter account appears on Time Magazine’s list of the world’s top Twitter feeds. Born in Chicago, Beschloss is an alumnus of Phillips Academy (Andover) and Williams College, where he studied under James MacGregor Burns, author of what remains the classic book on leadership. At the Harvard Business School, Beschloss studied leadership in both the private and public sectors. He has served as an historian at the Smithsonian, a scholar at the University of Oxford, and a senior fellow of the Annenberg Foundation. Among his earlier books are two volumes on Lyndon Johnson’s secret tapes; The Conquerors, about Franklin Roosevelt, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust; and Presidential Courage. He was also co-author (with Caroline Kennedy) of the No. 1 global bestseller Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations about Life with John F. Kennedy.
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Editor and Publisher of The Cook Political Report and Columnist for the National Journal |
Charlie Cook is widely considered to be one of the nation’s most respected and impartial analyst of American politics, elections and political trends. As the editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report, columnist for National Journal, political analyst for NBC News and co-author of the upcoming 2020 edition of the Almanac of American Politics, Cook’s prodigious writing is a direct line to the heart of politics. Deemed “the Picasso of election analysis” by The Wall Street Journal, he produces the sharpest and most impartial political handicapping in the business, serving as the one-man, go-to source for Americans who want to be “in the know” about politics. Cook’s expertise receives endless praise. The New York Times called him “one of the best political handicappers in the nation” and noted that The Cook Political Report is “a newsletter that both Parties regard as authoritative.” The Washington Post said he is “perhaps the best non-partisan tracker of Congressional races,” and the Washingtonian called him “the man who knows more about politics than anyone else.” With his encyclopedic knowledge, memorable stories, quick wit, and meaningful insights, Cook focuses on the broad implications of the latest election results. Using poll numbers, economic indicators, and historical data, he forecasts the fortunes of each party in a nonpartisan way, leaving audiences with the concrete information they need in today’s political environment.
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Florida Insurance Commissioner |
David Altmaier was appointed as the Florida Insurance Commissioner in April 2016 by the Financial Services Commission. He leads the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) and has oversight of one of the largest insurance markets in the world. Under Altmaier’s leadership, OIR has worked to cultivate a market in Florida in which insurance products are reliable, available, and affordable.
Altmaier began his public service at OIR in 2008, serving in a number of roles including Chief Analyst of the Property and Casualty Financial Oversight unit and Deputy Commissioner of Property and Casualty Insurance. He serves as the co-chair of NAIC’s Special Committee on Race and Insurance. In 2019, Altmaier was voted Vice President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and was voted NAIC President-Elect for 2020. In his role as President-Elect, Altmaier serves as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee, Internal Administration Subcommittee and the Government Relations Leadership Council. Commissioner Altmaier was also appointed by Governor DeSantis to serve as a member Florida’s Blockchain Task Force. Prior to joining OIR, Altmaier worked as a Florida licensed 2-20 and 2-14 insurance agent and as a high school math teacher. Altmaier graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
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Former Chairman (2006-2011), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
Sheila Bair has had a long and distinguished career in government, academia, and finance. Twice named by Forbes Magazine as the second most powerful woman in the world, she is perhaps best known as Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) from 2006 to 2011, when she steered the agency through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. For her efforts to protect bank depositors and homeowners during the crisis, she received the Kennedy Library’s Profiles in Courage Award, and was named “the little guy’s protector in chief” by Time Magazine. A former finance professor and college president, Bair has been nationally recognized for her innovative initiatives to make college more accessible and affordable. She is a frequent commentator and op-ed contributor on financial regulation and the student debt crisis, as well as author of the NY Times Best Seller, Bull by the Horns, her 2012 memoir of the financial crisis. She is a founding director of the Volcker Alliance, established by Former Federal Reserve Board Chair Paul Volcker to build trust in government and is the founding chair of the Systemic Risk Council, which advocates for financial stability. In addition, she is a Senior Advisor to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation on financial issues confronting young people.
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Chief Medical Advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center |
Anand Parekh is the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) chief medical advisor providing clinical and public health expertise across the organization. Since 2015, he has led specific efforts tackling a variety of policy issues including the opioid crisis, obesity epidemic & nutrition, health & housing, domestic and global HIV/AIDS, business & public health collaboration, emergency preparedness, social isolation, rural health, and prescription drug costs. Prior to joining BPC, he completed a decade of service at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As an HHS deputy assistant secretary for health from 2008 to 2015, he developed and implemented national initiatives focused on prevention, wellness, and care management. Specifically, he played instrumental roles in the implementation of the Recovery Act’s Prevention and Wellness Fund, the Affordable Care Act’s prevention initiatives, and HHS’ Multiple Chronic Conditions Initiative. Parekh is a board-certified internal medicine physician, a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and an adjunct assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he previously completed his residency training in the Osler Medical Program of the Department of Medicine. He provided volunteer clinical services for many years at the Holy Cross Hospital Health Center, a clinic for the uninsured in Silver Spring, MD. Parekh is an adjunct professor of health management and policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. His book Prevention First: Policymaking for a Healthier America was released in December 2019 and argues that prevention must be our nation’s top health policy priority. A native of Michigan, Parekh received a B.A. in political science, an M.D., and an M.P.H. in health management and policy from the University of Michigan. He was selected as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in 1994.
