Just announced! Rosalind Brewer to give presentation at the Dream Big Awards Luncheon. Check out her bio below.
Rosalind G. Brewer is president and CEO of Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Walmart). Brewer joined Sam’s Club in February 2012, bringing a wealth of talent to the members-only warehouse operating segment that serves the needs of individual and smallbusiness members. She joined Walmart in 2006 as regional vice president, overseeing operations in Georgia. From 2007 to January 2012, she was division president of the Southeast. Most recently, she was executive vice president and president of Walmart East. The area includes nearly 1,600 stores in six regions—spanning from Maine to Puerto Rico—generates $110 billion in revenue, and includes more than 500,000 associates. Throughout her career, Brewer has performed as a high-impact strategist with experience in global manufacturing operations, research and development, marketing, and strategic business unit leadership. Before joining Walmart, she worked for Kimberly-Clark Corp., starting as a scientist in Nonwoven Technology and Product Development before becoming president of the Global Nonwovens Sector in 2004. Brewer earned a bachelor’s in chemistry from Spelman College. She attended the advanced management program at The Wharton School and graduated from Director’s College at the University of Chicago School of Business/Stanford School of Law. Brewer is a former director of Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE:TAP), where she was on the Human Resources/Compensation Committee. She currently serves on the board of directors for Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) and is chair of the board of trustees for Spelman College. Her achievements include being honored by Fortune magazine in 2010 and 2011 as one of the “Fifty Most Powerful Women in Business.”
James “The Ragin’ Cajun” Carville is one of America’s best-known political consultants. His electoral successes show a knack for steering overlooked campaigns to unexpected landslide victories and for remaking political underdogs into upset winners. His winning streak began in 1986 when he managed the gubernatorial victory of Robert Casey in Pennsylvania. But his most prominent victory was in 1992 when he helped William Jefferson Clinton win the presidency. In recent years, Carville has not been a paid political consultant for any domestic politicians or candidates for office, instead focusing on campaigns in more than 20 countries around the globe. Carville is a best-selling author, actor, producer, talk-show host, speaker, and restaurateur. His titles include All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President (with wife Mary Matalin); And the Horse He Rode In On: The People vs. Kenneth Starr; his children’s book, Lu and the Swamp Ghost; and his latest book, 40 More Years: How the Democrats will Rule the Next Generation. Along with pollster Stanley Greenberg, Carville founded Democracy Corps, an independent, nonprofit polling organization for making government more responsive. Carville is a frequent political commentator and contributor on CNN. He also serves as a Professor of Practice at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he lives with his wife, Mary Matalin, and their two daughters, Matty and Emma.
Thomas J. Donohue is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Since assuming his position in 1997, Donohue has built the Chamber into a lobbying and political powerhouse with expanded influence across the globe. He has advanced a competitiveness agenda that includes doubling U.S. exports in five years, strengthening capital markets, forging a national energy strategy, reforming health care and education, and protecting intellectual property rights. In addition, he spearheaded the creation of the American Free Enterprise. Dream Big. campaign, a long-term program to defend, protect, and advance a free enterprise system based on individual initiative, hard work, and personal responsibility. Donohue established the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, which has won significant legal reforms in the courts, at the state and federal levels, and in elections for state attorneys general and Supreme Court judges. He served for 13 years as president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations, the national organization of the trucking industry. Donohue and his wife, Liz, live in Potomac, Maryland. They have three sons and five grandchildren.
Colonel Greg Gadson has survived the very worst of war, but this highly decorated American soldier has not been defeated by an unfortunate circumstance. Instead, his life is a portrait of courage in the face of adversity. Gadson understands that hard work and determination are key to overcoming life-altering setbacks. His biggest challenge happened in Iraq when an IED attack led to both of his legs being amputated above the knees. For anyone else, this might have been a defining moment, but he refused to be defined by the proverbial “hail of bullets.” Gadson speaks with fervor about the role teamwork and camaraderie play when facing life’s obstacles. He applies his story to every level of an organization, showing how every team depends on each player. A highly decorated colonel, Gadson commanded the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery in Iraq. He’s served in every major conflict of the last two decades, including Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq). His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. Still an active officer in the U.S. Army, Gadson completed a master’s in policy management from Georgetown University and is a fellow at the Institute of World Politics. Gadson’s football career ended at West Point, but his impact on the sport has reached new heights. In 2008, he played a behind-the-scenes role in the New York Giants’ Super Bowl victory. At the behest of the head coach, Gadson talked to the team about service, duty, perseverance, and adversity. As a starting linebacker on the Army football team at West Point, Gadson learned the fundamentals of organization—pride, poise, team—a lesson he applies to his life, career, and family.
Randel K. Johnson joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on December 1, 1997. As senior vice president, he is responsible for labor, immigration, and employee benefits issues pending before Congress and the federal agencies. Consulting with the Chamber’s member policy committees and his staff, Johnson determines the Chamber’s position and sets strategy on a variety of issues that fall within the jurisdiction of his division. These include union-driven initiatives such as card check legislation, ergonomics, and blacklisting regulations; pension funding reform and health care; civil rights and wage and hour; and comprehensive immigration reform, including visa and border policy. Johnson regularly testifies before Congress and is quoted in the media on employment and immigration issues as a recognized expert. Johnson serves on the board of directors of the National Immigration Forum and the Lutheran Immigration Refugee Services agency and on the Quality Alliance Steering Committee. Johnson is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Maryland School of Law and earned his Master of Laws in labor relations from the Georgetown University Law Center. He received a graduate certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for Senior Managers in Government and is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
R. Bruce Josten, executive vice president for Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is the second ranking officer at the Chamber and the organization’s senior government and political affairs executive. He manages six major divisions: Congressional and Public Affairs; Economic Policy; Environment, Technology and Regulatory Affairs; Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits; National Security & Emergency Preparedness; and Political and Federation Relations. Josten is the key architect of the U.S. Chamber’s resurgent position as leader of the business community’s policy and grassroots activities in the 104th through the 112th Congresses. Josten is a frequent commentator on national legislative, political, and economic issues affecting the business community, its employees, and the economy. He is quoted regularly by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Business Week, FORTUNE, and National Journal and is often interviewed by the major television networks, including Meet the Press and talk radio. Josten has been recognized by Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill, as one of the 50 most influential Washingtonians in electing congressional candidates.
Janet F. Kavinoky is executive director of Transportation and Infrastructure in the Congressional and Public Affairs Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She is the Chamber’s senior lobbyist and policy director on all transportation issues and leads the Chamber’s Let’s Rebuild America (LRA) initiative to raise the profile of infrastructure issues, broaden stakeholder engagement, and create new opportunities for businesses to influence public policy. She is also vice president of the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) coalition, an effort by business, labor, and transportation to advocate for improved and increased federal investment in the nation’s aging and overburdened transportation system. Kavinoky has a bachelor’s degree in political economy from the University of Wyoming and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She is a resident of Washington, D.C., living on Capitol Hill.
Jennifer Kushell is president of Young & Successful Media and founder of YSN.com (Your Success Network), a leading destination for career exploration, professional development, and resources for young professionals and entrepreneurs around the world. Author New York Times best-seller Secrets of the Young & Successful and The Young Entrepreneur's Edge, Kushell started her entrepreneurial career at 13. Today she works with a wide range of corporations, trade associations, and universities. In addition, she is a speaker and strategic consultant and a recognized thought leader on the emerging global workforce. Called “The Career Doctor” by Cosmopolitan and a “guru” of her generation’s entrepreneurial movement by U.S. News & World Report, Kushell has appeared in front of more than 300 million people via major media such as CNN, CNBC, BBC, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, and Seventeen.
Mary Matalin is one of the most celebrated and popular conservative voices in America. As an author, television and radio host, and sought after political contributor, pundit, and public speaker, she is noted for her straightforward manner and insightful political repartee. Among her accomplishments, she served under President Ronald Reagan and made her mark as George H.W. Bush’s campaign director, assistant to President George W. Bush, and assistant and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney, making her the first White House official to hold that double title. Matalin was a founding co-host of the Washington-based political talk show Equal Time on CNBC and has made many appearances on NBC’s Meet the Press and the HBO series K-Street. Currently, she is a CNN political contributor and co-hosts the nationally syndicated radio program Both Sides Now. Matalin is editor at large for Threshold Editions, a conservative publishing imprint at Simon & Schuster. She and her husband, James Carville, authored the best-selling political campaign book All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President. She makes regular appearances as a public speaker and sits on the boards of numerous institutions, including Tulane University’s President’s Council and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Matalin is a visiting distinguished lecturer in political science at Loyola University New Orleans. She and her husband live in New Orleans with their two teenage daughters, Matty and Emma.
Dr. Martin Regalia is senior vice president for economic and tax policy and chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Before coming to the Chamber in 1993, Regalia served as the director of research for the Savings and Community Bankers of America. Before that, Regalia was executive vice president of policy development and chief economist for the National Council of Community Bankers. Regalia also served as a principal analyst in the Fiscal Analysis Division at the Congressional Budget Office, as an economist for the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System in both the Banking and Capital Markets Sections, and as a financial economist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Regalia appears regularly on national television news and debate programs, testifies before congressional committees, authors articles and publications on a variety of economic topics, and speaks to many groups across the country. USA Today named Regalia one of the top 10 economists in the nation, based on the accuracy of his 2008 forecasts and his predictions for 2009. Regalia has a B.A. with honors in economics from the University of Santa Clara as well as an M.A. in economics and a Ph.D. in monetary economics from the University of Wisconsin.
Edward H. Rensi is the retired president and CEO of McDonald’s USA, and the founder and owner, along with Tom Dentice and Vince Naccarato, of Tom & Eddie’s, the gourmet burger restaurant that originated in Lombard in 2010 and then expanded. Both Rensi and Dentice had 30+ year careers with McDonald’s and from that learned the hundreds of steps that take place before a burger is sizzling on the grill. Rensi joined McDonald’s in 1966 as a grill man earning 85 cents an hour, and in 1991, he was named CEO. During his 14-year term as president, McDonald’s experienced phenomenal growth. U.S. sales doubled to more than $16 billion, the number of U.S. restaurants grew from 6,600 to more than 12,000, and the number of U.S. franchisees grew from 1,600 to more than 2,700. Throughout his career, Rensi never lost sight of the fact that the success of a $32 billion corporation is driven by satisfying millions of customers at the front counter. In 1988, he received the distinguished President’s Volunteer Award from President Ronald Reagan for his extensive volunteer efforts with Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities and Ronald McDonald House which he co-founded. A graduate of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Rensi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education. He is on the boards of directors of Snap-on Tools, Great Wolf Resorts, Spin Fresh Technology, and the International Speedway Corporation.
John Ruan III is chairman and CEO of Ruan Transportation Management Systems and chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the Chamber’s Executive Committee. In addition to the transportation business, Ruan provides oversight to several Ruan organizations. He serves as chairman of the Iowa Export-Import Trading Company and the World Food Prize Foundation, chairman and president of City Center Corporation, a trustee of the John Ruan Foundation Trust, and chairman and CEO of Ruan Center Corporation and Ruan Inc. Ruan is also chairman, president, and CEO of bank holding company BTC Financial Corporation and serves as chairman for the bank subsidiary Bankers Trust Company NA. Ruan is a member of the boards of the Hubbell Realty Company, the Iowa Business Council, the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Downtown Community Alliance, Chief Executives Organization, and Castle Pines Golf Club. He is a trustee of Culver Educational Foundation and past chairman of the Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Greater Des Moines YMCA. Ruan received his B.S. in business administration from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.
Frederick W. Smith is chairman, president, and chief executive officer of FedEx Corporation, a $39 billion global transportation, business services, and logistics company. Smith is responsible for providing strategic direction for all FedEx Corporation operating companies, including FedEx Services, FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, and FedEx Freight. FedEx serves more than 220 countries and territories and has more than 290,000 team members worldwide who handle more than 8.5 million shipments each business day. Since founding FedEx in 1971, Smith has been an active proponent of regulatory reform, free trade, and “open skies agreements” for aviation around the world. Most recently, Smith has advocated for vehicle energy-efficiency standards and a national energy policy. FedEx has consistently been ranked on Fortune magazine’s industry lists, including “World’s Most Admired Companies,” “100 Best Companies to Work For,” and is on Fortune’s “Blue Ribbon Companies List.” Smith was named among the world’s best CEOs by Barron’s magazine and was Chief Executive magazine’s 2004 “CEO of the Year.” In addition, he served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966 to 1970. Smith has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University.
Margaret Spellings is a senior adviser to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and president of its Forum for Policy Innovation. As president, Spellings oversees the Chamber’s three nonprofit foundations: the National Chamber Foundation (NCF), the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC), and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW). She also serves as president and CEO of Margaret Spellings and Company and provides strategic guidance to some of the most recognized philanthropic and private sector organizations in the world. Spellings was U.S. secretary of education from 2005 to 2009. As a member of the president’s Cabinet, she led the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a historic national initiative to provide enhanced accountability for the education of U.S. public school students. In higher education, Spellings launched a national policy debate and action plan to improve accessibility, affordability, and accountability in our nation’s colleges and universities. She has appeared on major network and cable broadcast stations, including NBC’s Meet the Press and The Today Show, as well as Celebrity Jeopardy, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and the Colbert Report. Her writings have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications.
Gary Vaynerchuk (VAY NER CHUK) is a successful entrepreneur and social media guru. As director of operations at Wine Library in Springfield, N.J., Vaynerchuk’s roots in wine tasting come honestly—his Russian immigrant parents owned a liquor store when he was growing up. Bored at the cash register, he began reading Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate and realized collecting wine offered an allure. With a wealth of knowledge and an entrepreneurial spirit, Vaynerchuk spent every weekend of his college years at his parents' store, rebranding the family business and establishing himself as a respected expert. In just five years, he grew the business from $4 million to $60 million. In Vaynerchuk’s second New York Times best-seller The Thank You Economy, he discusses the shift in culture that businesses have seen, how everything has changed except human nature, and why smart people dismiss social media (and why they shouldn't). In his first New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling book CRUSH IT! Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In On Your Passion (HarperStudio) he shares how business owners can boost sales using the Internet. Vaynerchuk appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Ellen DeGeneres, NBC’s Today Show, and CNBC’s Mad Money with Jim Cramer and was featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today. He is a consultant for Fortune 100 companies. A sought after speaker, Vaynerchuk gives keynote speeches to organizations, including NIKE, ReMax, the Digital Marketing Mixer, Boston Wine Expo, DeGustibus Cooking School, and the Disney Food and Wine Festival. He lives in New York City.
View our 2011 speakers.
