Contact: Mary-Jo Adams, mjadams@limra.com 860-285-7798
David GergenSenior Political Analyst, CNN
A true public servant, David Gergen put his country above his personal politics, serving as an advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and then Clinton. Today he helps audiences break through ideological barriers to recognize simple and lasting political truths. Gergen's unique vantage point ─ serving as an Oval Office insider to presidents from different political parties ─ provides him with insights that few others can match. For more than 30 years, Gergen has been an active participant in American political life. He currently serves as editor-at-large of U.S. News & World Report, as director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and as a regular television commentator for CNN. Author of Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton and an upcoming book on presidential transitions, he offers an inside glimpse into the corridors of power and the leadership challenges presidents face, bringing clarity to the most complex international and domestic issues.
Paul BegalaPolitical Analyst & Commentator, CNN
As a political analyst and commentator for CNN, former senior White House aide and a professor at Georgetown University, Paul Begala applies a blend of quick wit, practical political experience, media analysis and academic expertise to the political and policy landscape. A Counselor to the President in the Clinton White House, Begala helped define the administration’s agenda and strategy, confronting the domestic and international issues the White House faced each day. Outside of his government experience, he is a seasoned political consultant who has advised campaigns in Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. He quite literally brings a world of experience to the nation’s long-term political landscape and using historical guideposts, Begala provides insights into the what, why and how of pending legislation. A frequent columnist, Begala is also an author of New York Times best-selling books, including Is Our Children Learning? The Case Against George W. Bush, as well as Buck Up, Suck Up and Come Back When You Foul Up, both written with James Carville.
Tucker CarlsonContributor, FOX News,Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Caller,Senior Fellow, The Cato Institute
As a contributor to FOX News, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Caller news site and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, Tucker Carlson deconstructs the day's events with wry skepticism, a unique perspective and provocative interviews. Carlson has hosted a number of different nightly news programs on various networks over the past 10 years, including CNN's Crossfire, and several shows on MSNBC and PBS. One of the media's wittiest and most entertaining commentators, Carlson brings his informed viewpoint to discuss politics in America including his take on the 2010 midterm elections and the administration of Barack Obama. Author of Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites and a regular contributor to Esquire, Carlson's work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Reader's Digest, Forbes and GQ. He was a finalist for a 2004 National Magazine Award for an Esquire article chronicling his trip to Africa with the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Cokie RobertsPolitical Analyst, ABC News,Senior News Analyst, NPR
Cokie Roberts has covered Congress, politics and public policy for nearly 20 years at ABC News. In addition to her responsibilities at ABC, Ms. Roberts serves as Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio, where she was the Congressional Correspondent for more than ten years. She is the recipient of numerous broadcasting awards, including three Emmys. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as “One of the 50 Greatest Women in the History of Broadcasting.” Ms. Roberts, along with her husband, Steven V. Roberts, writes a weekly column syndicated in newspapers around the country by United Media.
Barry AsmusSenior Economist, National Center for Policy Analysis
As a senior economist with the prestigious National Center for Policy Analysis, Barry Asmus has testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in regards to our income tax system. He was a featured speaker in a privatizing Social Security conference for Western European leaders and has addressed the faculty of the Young Presidents Organization in Cape Town, South Africa.
Asmus is a professor of Economics and the author of nine books. His latest, entitled Bulls Don’t Blush, Bears Don’t Die (2006), explores the limitless opportunities emerging from a borderless and knowledge‐driven society, and shares the international economic and political trends shaping business and investment strategy in today’s global economy.
Lynne HughesFounder and CEO, Comfort Zone Camp
Hughes helped start Motherless Daughters, a national organization for women and girls who lost their mothers at a young age. Her association with them worked as the catalyst that created Comfort Zone Camp in 1998, a nonprofit organization offering free weekend bereavement camps for children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. In 2002, Hughes was honored as one of Redbook’s “Mothers and Shakers,” awarded to 12 women (including Laura Bush) who have helped to improve the quality of life in the United Sates. She has been profiled in numerous media outlets, including Parade magazine, People magazine, Parents magazine, and has appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, CBS news, CNN, and MSNBC, among others. In September of 2005, she published her first book for Scholastic Press: You Are Not Alone: Teens Talk About Life After the Loss of a Loved Parent. Comfort Zone Camp (CZC) is now the largest national nonprofit bereavement camp for children, with locations in Virginia, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts, helping guide campers through their grief in a fun and safe environment.
Terry JonesFounder and Former CEO, Travelocity.com,Chairman of Kayak.com
Jones led Travelocity.com as President and Chief Executive Officer from its founding until May 2002. Previously, Jones spent 24 years at Sabre Inc. in various executive positions and ultimately served as Chief Information Officer. Currently, Jones is managing principal of Essential Ideas, a consultancy he co-founded to help companies in their transition to the digital economy. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Kayak.com, and is on the boards of Earthlink, Inc. and Rearden Commerce. He is a special venture partner with General Catalyst Partners of Boston.
Dr. Richard I. KolskyLecturer, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern UniversityPresident,s Kolsky & Co.
Dr. Kolsky has spent the past twenty-nine years helping clients take marketing to the bottom line. Since receiving his Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University, Dr. Kolsky has helped his clients use action-learning to convert many of today's fads — such as strategy innovation, market-focus, channel management, corporate social responsibility, brand synergy, value-pricing, e-transformation, and relationship selling — from simple buzzwords to bottom-line reality in markets as diverse as accounting, infant formula, life insurance, cream cheese, hip-hop, and earth moving equipment.
In addition, Dr. Kolsky is a Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he teaches in and is academic director for a number of executive education programs. Prior to starting Kolsky & Co., he worked in the White House, was a consulting partner for Strategos, The MAC Group and KPMG Peat Marwick, and taught economics and consulted at Yale.
David M. WalkerPresident and CEO, The Peter G. PetersonFoundation and formerComptroller General of the United States
In his current role, David Walker advocates for specific solutions, works with grantees and partners to build strong coalitions and encourage grassroots efforts to bring pressure on Washington to act.
As comptroller general of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) from 1998-2008, Walker served as the federal government’s chief auditor. Prior to this, Walker served as a partner and global managing direct of Arthur Andersen LLP and as public trustee for Social Security and Medicare from 1990-1995 and assistant secretary of Labor for Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs during the Reagan administration.
Walker is chairman of the United Nations Independent Audit Advisory Committee. He also serves on the boards of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the Partnership for Public Service. He recently authored, Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility.