Notable Speakers

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL / LOCAL BUSINESS LEADERS

• David Abney, CEO, UPS 

• Duane Ackerman, CEO, BellSouth 

• Ed Aldag, Jr., Chairman, President & CEO, Medical Properties Trust 

• Ed Bastian, President, Delta Airlines 

• Rich Bielen, President & CEO, Protective Life Corporation

• Stephanie Bryan, Tribal Chair and CEO, Poarch Creek Indians 

• Daryl G. Byrd, President & CEO, IBERIABANK Corporation 

• Kelly Caruso, CEO, Shipt 

• Dan Cathy, President, Chick-Fil-A 

• John Chidsey, CEO, Burger King 

• Brian Cornell, Board Chairman & CEO, Target 

• Mark Crosswhite, CEO, Alabama Power 

• Sam DiPiazza, CEO, PricewaterhouseCoopers 

• Sandy Douglas, President, Coca Cola, N.A. 

• Governor John Engler, Michigan; Chairman, National Association of Manufacturers 

• Tom Fanning, CEO, Southern Company 

• David Ferriola, CEO, Nucor 

• Edsel Ford, Ford Motor Company 

• Nancy Goedecke, Chairman & CEO, Mayer Electric Supply 

• John Goff, Founder and Chairman, Crescent Real Estate and Goff Capital

• Jim Gorrie, President, Brasfield & Gorrie 

• Raymond Harbert, CEO, Harbert Management Corporation 

• Jason Hoff, CEO, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International 

• Jeffrey Immelt, CEO, General Electric 

• Don James, CEO, Vulcan Materials

• Johnny Johns, CEO, Protective, Inc. 

• Bill Johnston, Past President, NY Stock Exchange 

• Dale E. Jones, CEO, Diversified Search 

• Ola Källenius, Chairman, Mercedes-Benz and Daimler

• Kelly King, CEO, BB&T 

• Libby Lassiter, President, Bayer Properties 

• Don Logan, CEO, Time Inc. 

• James McManus, CEO, Energen 

• Phillip McWane, Chairman, McWane, Inc. 

• Jim Owens, CEO, Caterpillar, Inc. 

• Jimmy Parnell, ALFA CEO

• Keith Parrott, CEO, Baptist Health System

• Craig Perciavalle, President, Austal USA 

• T. Boone Pickens, Oil & Gas Exploration and Investor

• Hunter Renfroe, Co-Founder, Orchestra Partners 

• Van Richey, CEO, American Cast Iron Pipe Co. 

• Jim Rogers, Investor and Hedge Fund Manager 

• Jeff Rosenthal, CEO, Hibbett Sports 

• Manolo Sanchez, CEO, BBVA Compass 

• Adam Schechter, President, Merck  

• Sandy Schwartz, President, Cox Automotive 

• Tom Shoupe, President, Honda Motors of Alabama

• Robert Simon, President & CEO, Corporate Realty 

• Bill Smith, Founder, Shipt and Landing

• W. Stancil Starnes, Chairman & CEO, ProAssurance Corporation 

• Warren Stephens, CEO, Stephens, Inc.  

• Randall Stephenson CEO, AT&T  

• Stephanie Stuckey, CEO, Stuckey’s

• John Stumpf, CEO, Wells Fargo 

• John Surma, CEO, U.S. Steel 

• Mark Tarr, President & CEO, Encompass Health 

• John Turner, President & CEO, Regions Financial Corporation

• Ted Turner, Founder and CEO, CNN 

• Tim Vines, President & CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama

• J. David Walker, President & CEO, EBSCO Industries, Inc. 

• Steve Zelnak, Jr., CEO, Martin Marietta 

Medical / Scientific Leaders

• Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General

• Josh Carpenter, CEO, Southern Research

• Catherine Coleman Flowers, Founder, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice

• Dr. Mona Fouad, Director, UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center

• Dr. James Kirklin, Heart Surgeon, UAB

• Dr. Jim McClintock, Marine Biologist, UAB

• Dr. Matt Might, Director, Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute, UAB

• Dr. Kathy Nugent, Executive Director, Harbert Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UAB

• Dr. Michael Saag, Associate Dean for Global Health and Founder of the 1917 Clinic, UAB

• Dr. Barry P. Sleckman, Director, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, UAB

• Victor Vescovo, Undersea Explorer

• Dr. Selwyn Vickers, CEO, UAB Health System and UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance; Dean, UAB Heersink School of Medicine

• Mike Warren, CEO, Children’s of Alabama

SPORTS LEADERS

• Charles Barkley, NBA Hall of Famer 

• Greg Byrne, Athletics Director, University of Alabama 

• Bill Clark, Head Football Coach, UAB 

• John Cohen, Auburn University Director of Athletics

• Trent Dilfer, Head Football Coach, UAB

• Paul Finebaum, Radio and TV Personality 

• Hubert Green, US Open and PGA Champion 

• Allen Greene, Athletics Director, Auburn University 

• Bryan Harsin, Head Football Coach, Auburn University  

• Archie Manning, NFL League MVP 

• Bucky McMillan, Head Basketball Coach, Samford University 

• Nate Oats, Head Basketball Coach, University of Alabama

• Bruce Pearl, Head Basketball Coach, Auburn University 

• Bobby Ross, Head Football Coach, West Point 

• Nick Saban, Head Football Coach, University of Alabama 

• Greg Sankey, SEC Commissioner 

• Nick Sellers, CEO, The World Games 2022 

• Michael Slive, SEC Commissioner 

• Gene Stallings, Head Football Coach, University of Alabama 

• Tommy Tuberville, Head Football Coach, Auburn University 

• Dominque Wilkins, NBA Hall of Famer 

ARTS AND HUMANITIES LEADERS

• Dr. Graham C. Boettcher, Director, Birmingham Museum of Art

• Mark Childress, Author 

• Marquita Davis, Deputy Director of Early Learning, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 

• John T. Edge, Director, Executive Director, Southern Foodways Alliance 

• Tushar Gandhi, Chair, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation 

• John Green, Author

• Winston Groom, Author 

• Sheldon Hackney, Chair, National Endowment of Arts 

• Bobby Horton, Musician and Recording Artist 

• Delores Hydock, Author, Actress 

• Carlos Izcaray, Music Director, Alabama Symphony Orchestra

• Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., Author

• Dr. David Mathews, CEO, Kettering Foundation 

• Dr. Henry Panion, Multiple Grammy winner 

• Paul Rogers, Academy Award-Winning Film Editor

• Frank Stitt, Restaurateur, James Beard Award Winner 

*Titles current at time of presentation
*Updated March 12, 2024

DIPLOMATS

• Daniel Ayalon, Israeli Ambassador to US 

• Bill Cabaniss, U.S. Ambassador to The Czech Republic 

• Simcha Dinitz, Israeli Ambassador to US 

• Dave Dunford, U.S. Ambassador to Oman 

• Dennis Ross, U.S. Ambassador to the Middle East)

• Margaret Tutwiler, U.S. Ambassador to Morocco 

• Andrew Young, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations  

GOVERNMENT LEADERS

• Raphael Bostic, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta  

• Dr. David Bronner, CEO, Retirement Systems of Alabama 

• Elaine Chao, 18th U. S. Secretary of Transportation, 24th U. S. Secretary of Labor

• Rob Couch, President, Government National Mortgage Association 

• John Driscoll, Director & CEO, Alabama State Port Authority 

• Dennis Lockhart, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta 

• Neel Kashkari, Interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability 

• Stewart McLaurin, White House Historical Association President

• Ted Olsen, U.S. Solicitor General 

• Charles Plosser, Chairman, Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank 

• Donald E. Powell, Chairman, U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

• Don Powell, Past Head of FDIC and Katrina Relief Effort 

• David M. Walker, U.S. Comptroller General 

POLITICAL LEADERS

• U.S. Rep. Spencer Bacchus, Alabama 

• Governor Haley Barbour, Mississippi 

• Mayor William Bell, Birmingham, Alabama

• Second Lady of the U.S. Lynne Cheney 

• President Bill Clinton 

• Betsy DeVos, U.S. Secretary of Education 

• Bill Haslam, Former Governor of Tennessee

• Governor Kay Ivey, Alabama 

• Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana 

• U.S. Senator Doug Jones, Alabama 

• President Vaclav Klaus, Czech Republic 

• Governor Ray Mabus, Mississippi 

• Mac McCutcheon, Speaker, Alabama House of Representatives

• U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, Alabama

• Governor Sonny Perdue, Georgia 

• Governor Bob Riley, Alabama  

• U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, Alabama

• U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida

• Duncan Sandys, City Councillor & Lord Mayor of Westminster, London, U.K. 

• U.S. Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina

• U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, Alabama 

• U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, Alabama  

• U.S. Senator Luther Strange, Alabama

• Governor Tom Vilsack, Iowa 

• Governor William Winter, Mississippi

• Mayor Randall Woodfin, Birmingham, Alabama

LEADERS IN ACADEMIA

• Dr. Stuart Bell, President, University of Alabama 

• Daniel Coleman, President, Birmingham-Southern College 

• E. Gordon Gee, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University 

• Dr. Chris Howard, President, Hampden-Sydney College 

• Bobbie Knight, President, Miles College 

• Dr. Stephen Leath, President, Auburn University 

• Dr. Eric Motley, VP, The Aspen Institute 

• Dr. Chris Roberts, President, Auburn University 

• Finis St. John IV, Chancellor, University of Alabama System 

• Dr. Beck Taylor, President, Samford University

• Dr. Ray Watts, President, University of Alabama at Birmingham 

• Dr. E.O. Wilson, Harvard University, Biologist 

• Dr. Andrew Westmoreland, President, Samford University 

LEADERS IN JOURNALISM

• John Archibald, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist 

• Fred Barnes, Executive Editor, The Weekly Standard 

• Chip Brantley, Co-Host & Co-Creator, White Lies Podcast 

• Monte Burke, Sports Writer, Forbes magazine 

• Gail Collins, Op-Ed Columnist, NY Times 

• Kaitlan Collins, CNN Correspondent 

• Nancy Gibbs, Editor, Time Magazine 

• Gil Grosvenor, Chairman, National Geographic Society 

• John Huey, Editor-in-Chief, Time Inc. 

• Barb McQuade, Legal Analyst, MSNBC and NBC; Co-host, #SistersInLaw podcast

• Diane McWhorter, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author 

• Eric Mills, Editor-in-Chief, Naval History Magazine 

• Will Pearson, Co-Founder, Mental Floss 

• Howell Raines, Former Executive Editor, New York Times 

• Brian Reed, S-Town Podcast Host & Co-Creator

• Joe Scarborough, Host, “Morning Joe,” MSNBC 

• Cliff Sims, CEO, Yellowhammer News 

• Scott Simon, Host, NPR Weekend Edition 

• Warren St. John, New Yorker and NY Times writer and author 

• Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Columnist, Boston Globe; Contributor, MSNBC; Co-host, #SistersInLaw podcast

• John Tamney, RealClearMarkets Editor

• Joyce Vance, Legal Analyst, MSNBC and NBC; Co-host, #SistersInLaw podcast

• Ivan Watson, NPR and CNN Correspondent 

• Jill Wine-Banks, Author; Legal Analyst, MSNBC; Co-host, #SistersInLaw and iGenPolitics podcasts

• Juan Williams, NPR and FOX News 

• Byron York, Washington Examiner Chief Political Correspondent

MILITARY LEADERS

• Maj. Gen. Walter D. Givhan, Vice Commander, Air University 

• Gen. Michael Hagee, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps 

• Albert H. Konetzni, Jr., Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) 

• Gen. Charles Krulak, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) 

• Lt. Gen. Steven L. Kwast, Commander and President, Air University 

• Gen. James C. McConville, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

• Col. James P. McDonough III, Commandant of Midshipmen, U.S. Naval Academy

• Admiral David Nash (Ret.), Past Director of Iraq Reconstruction Management Office 

• Gen. Gustave F. Perna, Commander, U.S. Army Material Command 

• Maj. Gen. Bentley Rayburn, Commander, Air Force Doctrine Center 

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENTS

• Kalyan Banerjee, 2011-2012 

• K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, 2015-2016 

• Sakuji Tanaka, 2012-2013 

other LEADERS

• James Carville, Political Consultant 

• Noah Galloway, Honorary Co-Chair, The World Games 2022 

• Fred Gray, Civil Rights Attorney 

• Lilly Ledbetter, Fair Pay Act 

• Gail McGovern, CEO, American Red Cross

• Myron Thompson, U.S. District Judge