2009 Speakers

speakers for the america's small business summit 2009

Joel Babbit has teamed up with keyboardist for the Rolling Stones, Chuck Leavell, to create a new online company, the Mother Nature Network, where he serves as CEO. The site's goal is to inform the public on the latest environmental news and has been described as the WebMD for the environment. Formerly, Babbit founded two ad agencies and served as Chief Creative Officer at Grey Worldwide and former President of GCI (one of the world's largest PR companies).
Rocky Bleier, a former Pittsburgh Steelers football player and Vietnam veteran, is an in-demand motivational speaker. Bleier was drafted by the Steelers in 1968 and drafted by the U.S. Army the following year. He was wounded in Heip Duc, Vietnam in August of 1969, which left him almost unable to walk. Little by little he overcame obstacles and fought his way back. He not only returned to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also eventually became a starting running back on a team that won four Super Bowls and became the greatest football team of the 20th century. As a speaker, Bleier shares the motivational message behind his story, detailing how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers, and defining success in the new American century.
Wall Street Journal Editor Gwendolyn Bounds has covered business for 15 years at The Journal and spent the last five focusing on entrepreneurship for the paper and online as the paper's small business editor. During her tenure, she has chronicled the rise and fall of companies in many industries including fashion, travel, retail, marketing and media. She is a regular on-air contributor to ABC's "Good Morning America" and CNBC's "The Call," and author of "Little Chapel on the River," a non-fiction book chronicling one small-town pub's fight to survive. Bounds now follows home improvement and housing in print, video and online for The Wall Street Journal's Personal Journal and Weekend Sections, including penning a first person column called "About the House."
Suzanne P. Clark is president of the National Journal Group (NJG), a premier provider of information, news, and analysis for the political and policy communities inside the Beltway, publishing National Journal, CongressDaily, The Hotline and The Almanac of American Politics. Clark was recently described by Washingtonian magazine as one of the "40 People to Watch Under 40."

 

Before joining NJG, Clark was COO and executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In that capacity, she not only oversaw the day-to-day operations of the $150 million-500 person organization, but also directed its Management Committee and its Communications and Federation Relations departments. While at the Chamber, Clark also headed two stand-alone affiliates-as the managing director of its public policy think tank, the National Chamber Foundation, and as president of the Business Civic Leadership Center, a governance and educational resource to the business community.
Vinton G. Cerf is vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google. Cerf served as a senior vice president of MCI from 1994-2005, as VP of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives from 1986-1994, as VP MCI from 1982-1986, and as principal scientist, U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Information Processing Techniques Office from 1976-1982. Cerf was a member of the Stanford Faculty from 1972-1976.

 

Widely known as one of the "Fathers of the Internet," Cerf is the co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet. He received the U.S. National Medal of Technology in 1997 and the 2004 ACM Alan M. Turing award. In November 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in April 2008, the Japan Prize.
Ed Gillespie's political work on behalf of former President George W. Bush included management of the 2000 Republican National Convention, spokesman during the historic recount in Florida, and most recently, counselor to the President. He played a key role in formulating the "Contract with America," which in 1994 secured Republicans control of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2002, Gillespie was general strategist for Elizabeth Dole's senate campaign in North Carolina. Gillespie led the confirmation efforts for Chief Justice John Roberts and advised Justice Samuel Alito during his confirmation process. He served as chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) for the 2004 election cycle and under his guidance, the Republican Party achieved record fundraising levels and exceeded voter registration goals.
Luxury, fashion and lifestyle expert Elizabeth Harrison co-founded Harrison & Shriftman in 1995. The agency, where she serves as principal, specializes in public relations, marketing and events for high-profile luxury brands and has three offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Harrison has assisted in building world-class brands that include Juicy Couture, Jimmy Choo, W Hotels, and Grey Goose. A 2002 top entrepreneurial leader in Inc. magazine's list of 500 fastest growing private companies, Harrison & Shriftman joined Omnicom Group, the world's largest communication company, in 2003.
Bud Konheim, CEO & co-founder of Nicole Miller, helped launch the Nicole Miller Collection in 1982. Today, Konheim continues with a hands-on approach to managing day-to-day operations for women's designer ready-to-wear and overseeing licensed categories of accessories, lingerie, fragrance, and products for the home carried in Nicole Miller boutiques and fine specialty stores around the world. As a business pioneer in American designer fashion, he has served on a number of boards and foundations connected to the industry.
SBA Administrator Karen Mills directs the federal agency in helping small business owners and entrepreneurs secure financing, technical assistance, training, and federal contracts. Since 1983, Mills has been an active investor in and successful manager of small businesses. She also has distinguished herself as a passionate advocate for small business policy that encourages innovation, economic development, and job creation.

 

During the early 1990s, her hands-on management and commitment to innovation were credited with helping several small manufacturers increase efficiency and competitiveness and, ultimately, survive in a tough economy. Mills has also been a leading voice in the U.S. competitiveness discussion and is the author of an influential Brookings Institution paper on the federal role in regional economic development clusters-geographic concentrations of businesses that share resources to spur innovation, economic growth, and higher wages.
Lida Orzeck, CEO of Hanky Panky, created a virtual lingerie empire when she designed underwear that women find both cute and comfortable. After receiving her Ph.D. in social psychology from Columbia University and heading research projects for the NYC Police Department and NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, Orzeck switched careers when her friend, Gale Epstein, made a special birthday present for her out of hand embroidered hankies. Over 30 years later, the business partners are proudly continuing to produce their quality lingerie entirely in the United States. The secret? Superior style and remarkable comfort. Through genius marketing efforts, Hanky Panky has broken into luxury retailers across the country and its advocate list includes such luminaries as Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore and Cindy Crawford.
As congressman from the 3rd District of Indiana (1991–2003), Timothy J. Roemer helped improve America's competitiveness by balancing the federal budget, reforming public schools, and improving the affordability of higher education.
After the September 11th attacks, Roemer used his position on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to support the work of a joint congressional inquiry into the nature of the attacks. He also was the key sponsor of legislation to establish the 9/11 Commission.
Since leaving Congress, Roemer has worked to strengthen national security as president of the Center for National Policy. He serves on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, a bipartisan commission created by Congress in 2007. He also serves on the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Presidential Task Force on Combating the Ideology of Radical Extremism.
Tom Scott, chairman, Plum TV and co-founder & former CEO, Nantucket Nectars, created Allserve, a floating convenience store servicing boats in Nantucket Harbor, with long-time friend and business-partner Tom First shortly after graduating college. The pair soon narrowed the stores focus to serving juice and later caught the attention of Cadbury Schweppes who bought the product hook, line and sinker. They eventually sold Nantucket Nectars in 2002 to Cadbury Schweppes for an undisclosed price. Currently, Scott serves as chairman of Plum TV, the community cable channel that spotlights exclusive destinations for cultural leaders in media, business, arts, and politics. These trail-blazers and taste-makers form Plum's audience and participate in Plum's award-winning content.
Joshua I. Smith has served as chairman and managing partner of The Coaching Group since 1998. Earlier in his career, he was a high school teacher in Washington, D.C., served on the faculties of Central State University and the University of Akron (both in Ohio), and was executive director of the American Society for Information Science (ASIS). Smith was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush to the Executive Committee of the 1990 Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations and as Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Minority Business Development. Smith serves on the board of directors of several organizations including: Caterpillar, Inc.; FedEx Corp.; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Board of Visitors of Bowie State University, where he serves as Chairman. In July 2008, Smith launched Biz Talk With Josh, a small and emerging business and entrepreneurship talk show, now found on the Radio One Network.
 

2010 Speaker Proposals

Please visit the speakers page for information on how to submit a speaker proposal for the 2010 America's Small Business Summit.

Speakers from America's Small Business Summit 2008 can be viewed here.