One of only two Americans to serve two terms as U.S. Attorney General, William “Bill” Barr represents the pinnacle of political and corporate law and has been among the most influential presences in American politics across five decades. Serving as the 77th and 85th attorney general under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump, Barr put forth several programs and initiatives that were viewed favorably by both sides of America’s political spectrum and was hailed as a “throwback to the days when attorney generals would actually talk to you” for his willingness to address the questions others often evaded head on.

Gen. Allen, the former Presidential Special Envoy to Counter ISIL and Ken Pollack, a former CIA official and senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute deliver a detailed presentation on the challenges in the Middle East and what it means for business in America. Their perspectives, a meld of military, diplomatic, intelligence, and policy points of view, allow them to deliver a uniquely well-rounded analysis that helps audiences breakdown the current environment and think about the short-, medium-, and long-term risks and rewards.

Ambassador Douglas Lute is the former United States Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s standing political body. Appointed by President Obama, he assumed the Brussels-based post in 2013 and served until 2017. During this period he was instrumental in designing and implementing the 28-nation Alliance’s responses to the most severe security challenges in Europe since the end of the Cold War. He received the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award.

Cory Gardner is focused on empowering people to better lives through innovation and creativity in public policy, diplomacy and the economy. He is a fifth-generation Coloradan, and was born and raised in Yuma, a tiny town on the Eastern Plains of Colorado where his family owned a farm implement dealership for over 106 years. He lives in the same prairie house his great-grandparents lived in and that his grandfather called home. He believes in common sense solutions and making institutions throughout government and the economy more accountable to the people of this country.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are best known for breaking the Watergate story for The Washington Post, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon and setting the standard for modern investigative journalism. For this work, they and The Post were awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Their work has been called “maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time” by longtime journalism figure, Gene Roberts, and the book they co-authored on their experience, All the President’s Men, went on to become a New York Times best-seller and an Academy Award-winning feature film. 

Mark Esper has led a distinguished career as a visionary leader, innovator, reformer, and change agent with a proven record of accomplishment in a wide range of roles and organizations. He attributes his success to the importance he places on character and values, coupled with boundless energy and a can-do spirit that puts the organization and its people first, and treating everyone with dignity and respect. A graduate of some of the nation’s top schools, Esper has led military organizations as small as platoons and companies, and as large as the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense. His private sector experience includes service as a senior executive in a Fortune 100 company and as a leader in major trade associations that represent a range of businesses and industries. He has an intimate understanding of the Executive Branch, Congress, and American politics, and has built a broad network of relationships globally. Mark Esper will offer any audience an array of insights, ideas, forecasts, and strategies that can help them improve as individuals and teams.