Paul Ryan served ten terms in the U.S. House of Representative and as Speaker of the House from 2015 to 2019. Known for his meteoric rise in politics and often praised for his seriousness and honesty, Ryan is a committed conservative and public servant who has spent his life advocating for real solutions that expand opportunity for Americans. Before serving as Speaker of the House, he was Chair of the House Budget Committee, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and a U.S. Vice Presidential candidate. He is exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau.

Ambassador Ron Kirk is the former United States trade representative (USTR) who was a pivotal member of the president’s economics team. With nearly 20 years in politics, he has been a Dallas mayor, U.S. Senate candidate, a lawyer with international reach. Boisterous and entertaining, Kirk analyzes the current political environment and offers audiences a glimpse behind the curtain in Washington and into what the president is really thinking. He also addresses trade, jobs, the economy, and doing business in China.

Tim Pawlenty, one of the leading voices in the Republican Party, was a two-term governor of Minnesota serving from 2003 until 2011, a candidate for the 2012 Republican nomination for President, and the co-chair of Mitt Romney for President. Tim was a solutions-oriented politician who was well-respected on both sides of the aisle. His education, healthcare, and energy initiatives were widely viewed as among the most innovative in the nation. Tim previously served as president and CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable, which represents leading financial service companies in protecting the security, integrity, and success of our nation’s financial system. The author of the book, Courage to Stand, Pawlenty offers audiences candid and entertaining presentations on politics, the future of the GOP, the economy, and issues important to the financial services industry.

A self-described “Lincoln Republican,” Michael S. Steele earned a place in history in 2003 when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, becoming the first African American elected to statewide office in the state. Subsequently, Michael was elected Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) in January 2009, becoming the first African American to hold that post in the Party’s history. As Chairman, Steele set a new direction for the Republican Party; actively challenging the Party to engage citizens across America and empowering state and local Republican organizations. Steele’s ability as a communicator and commentator has been showcased through his current role as a political analyst for MSNBC. He has appeared on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show. In addition to his work in television, Steele can be heard each week on his radio program, Steele & Ungaron, on the POTUS Channel on SiriusXM. His writings on law, business, and politics have appeared in The Grio.com, The Root.com, BET.com, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Politico.com, Townhall.com, The Journal of International Security Affairs, and Catholic University Law Review, among others. Steele is the author of the book, Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda, which is a call to arms for grassroots America where he argues for a return to core conservative principles and the launching of an uncompromising campaign for limited government and he is the co-author of the book, The Recovering Politician’s Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis.

Haley Barbour is the former governor of Mississippi and the former chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association. He also served as chairman of the Republican National Committee, leading the GOP to gain control of Congress for the first time in 40 years. POLITICO calls him “the most powerful Republican in politics.” He was also widely praised for his handling of both the Gulf Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina. One of the Republican Party’s top political strategists, Barbour addresses elections, politics, Republican strategy, the economy, and other hot political topics.

Former Senator John Breaux (D-LA), the deputy minority whip until his retirement, held key Senate committee positions. He was a senior member of the Finance Committee, chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy, and Co-Chairman of the President's Tax Reform Commission. He also held positions on the Subcommittees of Health Care and Taxation and IRS Oversight. Breaux addresses politics, health care, energy, bipartisanship, and lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill.

Billy Tauzin, a former U.S. Congressman (R-LA) and the former president and CEO of PhRMA, is the only member of Congress to have held leadership positions in both political parties, including key committee chairmanships. Tauzin left his mark on issues ranging from deregulation to environmental policy, and, after battling cancer, he left his seat in Congress to start work at PhRMA. There, he was a key player in the 2009 health care reform negotiations that produced pharmaceutical industry support for the legislation. Tauzin addresses politics, health care, and telecommunications.

Nancy-Ann Deparle and Governor Haley Barbour share insights on the current state of healthcare in our nation. With combined expertise that leaves the pair as one of the foremost duos on both the ins and outs of the Affordable Care Act and its political fate, they discuss how the legislation affects individuals, businesses, patients, providers, insurance companies, and the economy. DeParle and Barbour also share insider stories about the politics behind the ACA’s passage and how the public’s perception of healthcare reform will affect upcoming elections.

Steve Beshear served as the 61st Governor of Kentucky from 2007-2015. He also served as Attorney General from 1979 to 1983, Lieutenant Governor from 1983 to 1987 and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974-1979.

For more than two decades, Joe Crowley served in the U.S House of Representatives, where he had the honor of serving the people of New York's 14 congressional district, which includes Joe's hometown of Woodside, Queens.