Economic Club Of Minnesota

CEO, UnitedHealthcare Office of the Chief Executive, UnitedHealth Group Steve Nelson is the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, a $180 billion division of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) – No. 5 on the Fortune 500 list. UnitedHealthcare serves one in eight Americans, making it the single largest business dedicated to health and well-being in the United States. Previously Steve served as chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare & Retirement business, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to seniors and Medicare beneficiaries. Other past roles include leading UnitedHealthcare’s Community & State business, an organization that delivers Medicaid solutions in 30 states and the District of Columbia, serving 6.7 million beneficiaries, and leading the West Region of UnitedHealthcare’s Employer & Individual business. Before coming to UnitedHealthcare, Steve was president of the Eastern Region and Senior Products Division at HealthNet (NYSE: HNT) and served for 10 years in execut

  For 30 years Major Garrett has reported from the front lines of the nation’s pressing issues, doggedly chasing and breaking news stories. He began his illustrious journalism career as a police and general assignment reporter and has since covered Congress for two major magazines and served as White House correspondent for three television networks. He is the Chief Washington Correspondent for CBS News, and was the network’s chief political reporter covering the 2016 Republican race for the White House. He traveled the country extensively beginning in the summer of 2015, and covered every GOP debate and significant campaign event for CBS. Major also hosts the CBS News podcast “The Takeout” and serves as Correspondent at Large for National Journal. He has been called “one of the smartest people in the briefing room” by Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and “a tireless reporter and tremendous addition” to Washington bureaus by CBS News President David Rhodes. A truly non-partisan reporter, Major

Recipient of the 2018 Bill Frenzel Champion of Free Trade Award Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce 2005-2009 Carlos Gutierrez is Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group. Secretary Gutierrez served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009 under President George W. Bush, where he worked with foreign government and business leaders to advance economic relationships, enhance trade, and promote U.S. exports. Secretary Gutierrez also played a key role in the passage of landmark free trade agreements that remove trade barriers, expand export opportunities, and boost global investment. Previously, Secretary Gutierrez spent nearly thirty years with Kellogg Company, a global manufacturer and marketer of well-known food brands. After assignments in Latin America, Canada, Asia, and the United States, he became President and Chief Executive Officer of Kellogg in 1999 − the youngest CEO in the company's hundred year history. In April 2000, he was named Chairman of the Board of Kellogg Company. Secretary Gutierrez joined

DAVID BIRCH Advisor on Fintech and Digital Financial Services Author, Before Babylon, Beyond Bitcoin: From Money We Understand to Money that Understands Us David G.W Birch is an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services. He is Global Ambassador for Consult Hyperion (the secure electronic transactions consultancy that he helped to found), Technology Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation (the London-based think tank), a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey Business School and holds a number of board-level advisory roles. Before helping to found Consult Hyperion in 1986, he spent several years working as a consultant in Europe, the Far East and North America. He graduated from the University of Southampton with a B.Sc (Hons.) in Physics. Dave was named one of the global top 15 favorite sources of business information (Wired magazine) and one of the top ten most influential voices in banking (Financial Brand); created one of the top 25 “must read’ financial IT bl

J. Christopher “Chris” Giancarlo was unanimously confirmed as Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission by the U.S. Senate on August 3, 2017. Prior to becoming Chairman, Mr. Giancarlo was designated Acting Chairman on January 20, 2017, and was nominated by President Trump to serve as the Chairman on March 14, 2017, to a term that expires in April 2019. Mr. Giancarlo had served as a CFTC Commissioner since his swearing-in on June 16, 2014, after a unanimous consent by the U.S. Senate on June 3, 2014. He was nominated by President Obama on August 1, 2013. Before entering public service, Mr. Giancarlo served as the Executive Vice President of GFI Group Inc., a financial services firm. Prior to joining GFI, Mr. Giancarlo was Executive Vice President and U.S. Legal Counsel of Fenics Software and was a corporate partner in the New York law firm of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner. Mr. Giancarlo joined Brown Raysman from Giancarlo & Gleiberman, a law practice founded by Mr. Giancarlo

Food Security Summit    September 7, 2018   Keynote Address by David Beasley  Executive Director, World Food Programme  Panel discussion with David Beasley and Minnesota Food/Ag Leaders: •    Joe Stone, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer, Cargill  •    Jeff Harmening, Chairman & CEO of General Mills  •    Beth Ford, President & CEO of Land O’Lakes Panel Moderator: Dr. Beth Dunford, Assistant to the Administrator, USAID; Deputy Coordinator for Development, Feed the Future  

John C. Williams took office as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on March 1, 2011. In this role, he serves on the Federal Open Market Committee, bringing the Fed’s Twelfth District’s perspective to monetary policy discussions in Washington. Dr. Williams was previously the executive vice president and director of research for the San Francisco bank, which he joined in 2002. He began his career in 1994 as an economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, following the completion of his PhD in economics at Stanford University. Prior to that, he earned a master’s of science from the London School of Economics, and an A.B. from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Williams’ research focuses on topics including: monetary policy under uncertainty; innovation; and business cycles. Additionally, he served as senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers and as a lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Busines

Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Foreign Affairs columnist for The New York Times Thomas L. Friedman is an internationally renowned author, reporter, and, columnist—the recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes and the author of six bestselling books, among them From Beirut to Jerusalem and The World Is Flat. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up in St. Louis Park. His most recent book is Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Acceleration. Friedman attended the University of Minnesota and Brandeis University, and graduated summa cum laude in 1975 with a degree in Mediterranean studies. During his undergraduate years, he spent semesters abroad at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the American University in Cairo. Following his graduation from Brandeis, Friedman attended St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, on a Marshall Scholarship. In 1978, he received an M.Phil. degree in modern Middle East studies from Oxford. That summer he joined the London Bureau of United Pr

  Omar Ishrak has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic since June 2011. Medtronic is the world’s leading medical technology company, with $29 billion in annual revenue, and operations reaching more than 160 countries worldwide. Medtronic offers technologies and solutions to treat a wide range of medical conditions, including cardiac and vascular diseases, respiratory, neurological and spinal conditions, diabetes, and more. The Medtronic Mission is to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life for millions of people around the world. Since joining Medtronic, Omar has focused the company on three core strategies of Therapy Innovation, Economic Value and Globalization. These three strategies form the basis for Medtronic’s efforts to partner with its customers to drive high quality patient outcomes, expand patient access to healthcare, and lower costs in healthcare systems around the world. In 2014, Omar engineered the acquisition of Covidien, a $10 billion global manufacturer of surgi

During David Farr’s 16-plus years leading Emerson, the company has steadily transformed from a diversified manufacturing conglomerate into a highly focused global enterprise that provides innovative technology and service solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and residential markets. Such was the case in 2016 as Farr led a number of strategic initiatives that again reshaped the company for the future. Its two key business platforms, Automation Solutions and Commercial and Residential Solutions, delivered global sales of more than $14.5 billion in 2016, with international sales representing 52 percent of that total. Since becoming CEO in 2000 (he was named chairman in 2004), Farr has put a priority on creating long-term value for shareholders and investing for long-term growth while maintaining the company’s solid financial performance relative to earnings, cash flow, and return on capital. Emerson is one of a handful of companies with 60 consecutive years or more of increasing dividends to its sh

Sauli Väinämö Niinistö, the 12th President of the Republic of Finland, was inaugurated on 1 March 2012. Sauli Niinistö was born in Salo on 24 August 1948 and graduated from the University of Turku with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1974. He served as a rural police chief and as an assistant judge at the Turku Court of Appeal. He practiced law as an attorney and gained experience of corporate administration. He was elected to the Town Council of Salo in 1977 and continued to hold elected posts in local government until the 1990s. Sauli Niinistö was first elected to Parliament in 1987. In 1995, he was appointed Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister in the Government of Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen. He was appointed Minister of Finance in 1996 when the aftermath of the 1990s recession was at its worst, and unemployment was at record high levels. Those difficulties were overcome, however, and Finland entered the new millennium with a robust economy. In 2003, Sauli Niinistö took up the post of Vice Preside

Dr. Loretta Mester President & CEO Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland As president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Loretta J. Mester participates in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy, and oversees 950 employees in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh who conduct economic research, supervise banking institutions, and provide payment services to commercial banks and the U.S. government. She assumed her role as president and CEO in June 2014. Dr. Mester was born in Baltimore, MD. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and economics from Barnard College of Columbia University. She earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Princeton University, where she was a National Science Foundation Fellow. Prior to being named president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Dr. Mester had been executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, where she was the

The Board of the Directors of the Economic Club of Minnesota instituted the Economic Club’s Champion of Free Trade Award in 2014. This is the only national award for contributions for expanding free trade. The intention of the board was to develop an award that would honor individual national and international leaders who have made significant contributions to the expansion of international trade. The award is also intended to highlight the importance of free trade for global prosperity and security. THE HONORABLE JOSÉ ÁNGEL GURRÍA Secretary-General Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) As Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 2006, Angel Gurría has firmly established the Organisation as a pillar of the global economic governance architecture including the G7, G20 and APEC, and a reference point in the design and implementation of better policies for better lives. He has broadened OECD’s membership with the accession of Chile, Esto

Dr. John H. Noseworthy is president and chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit organization operating in five states that is dedicated to medical care, research and education. Every year, more than a million people from all 50 states and nearly 150 countries come to Mayo Clinic for care. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Noseworthy served as chair of Mayo Clinic’s Department of Neurology, medical director of the Department of Development, and vice chair of the Mayo Clinic Rochester Executive Board. During his tenure as CEO, Dr. Noseworthy and his leadership team have implemented a plan to ensure that Mayo Clinic remains a trusted resource for patients amid a rapidly changing healthcare environment – extending Mayo’s mission to new populations, providing care through more efficient delivery models, and increasing the personalization and immediacy of health care for all people. Examples of new initiatives include a proton beam cancer therapy program with two treatment centers – one in Phoe

Richard H. Anderson served as Executive Chairman of the Delta Air Lines, Inc. Board of Directors until October 11, 2016. Richard previously served nine years as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Delta. Under Richard’s leadership, Delta emerged from bankruptcy and became the most profitable, investment grade airline in the world. Anderson also served as Chief Operating Officer of Northwest Airlines, Inc. from 1998 to 2001 and from 2001 to 2004, as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Delta, Anderson was President of UnitedHealth Group Commercial Markets. He also serves as a director of Cargill Inc. and Medtronic Inc. A native of Galveston, Texas, Richard holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston at Clear Lake City and a Juris Doctor degree from South Texas College of Law. He and his wife, Susan, live in Houston, Texas. 

Richard Davis is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Bancorp, a financial services holding company, headquartered in Minneapolis, with more than $438 billion in total assets and businesses across the United States, Canada and Europe. Davis has been an influencing force in the banking industry for 38 years. He began his banking career as a teller at age 18. In 2006, he became CEO of U.S. Bancorp after serving in several senior executive roles with the organization and its predecessors since 1993. U.S. Bank has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as a World’s Most Ethical Company in 2015 and 2016. Davis was also named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by the Ethisphere Institute in 2015. His leadership and prudent approach to financial management has garnered national and international praise for U.S. Bancorp. Davis’ enthusiasm for his industry is equally prevalent in his many civic

Stephen Moore, who formerly wrote on the economy and public policy for The Wall Street Journal, is the senior economic contributor for FreedomWorks. He is also a Fox News Contributor.  Stephen previously served as president of the Club for Growth and chief economist of the Heritage Foundation.  He served as a senior economic advisor to President-elect Trump’s campaign this year. Moore’s early career was shaped by three people who had a profound influence on him: Julian Simon, the late Cato Institute scholar; Edwin J. Feulner, a co-founder of Heritage; and Art Laffer, the economist best known for the Laffer curve. Moore calls his creation of the Club for Growth the defining moment of his career. The organization, which he left in 2004, helps elect conservative members of Congress. Moore next founded the Free Enterprise Fund before joining The Wall Street Journal. As senior economics writer for the newspaper’s editorial board, he covered Washington policy debates and state issues. Moore, who grew up in New

National Editor The Cook Political Report  Amy Walter is the National Editor of The Cook Political Report where she provides analysis of the issues, trends and events that shape the political environment. Her weekly column appears at CookPolitical.com. Over the past 14 years, Amy Walter has built a reputation as an accurate, objective, and insightful political analyst with unparalleled access to campaign insiders and decision-makers. Known as one of the best political journalists covering Washington, she is the former political director of ABC News. She is also an exclusive panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press and a regular panelist on PBS’ Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier. She provides political analysis every Monday evening for the PBS NewsHour. This is Amy’s second tour of duty with The Cook Political Report. From 1997 to 2007, she served as Senior Editor where she covered the U.S. House. Walter was named one of DC's "50 Top Journalists" by Washingtonian Magazine in

Chairman  House Ways & Means Committee Congressman Kevin Brady is Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee - - considered by many to be the most powerful committee in Congress with jurisdiction over taxes, health care, Social Security, Medicare, international trade and welfare.   Rep. Brady will be leading the efforts to pass comprehensive tax reform and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement this fall.  Prior to become Chairman, Rep. Brady was the leader of the Trade Subcommittee and led the successful effort to pass new trade agreements with Panama, South Korea and Colombia.  He also served as the White House point man on the successful passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. On the Social Security Subcommittee, he fought to preserve this important program for future generations once and for all. Rep. Brady has long been a leader on important economic issues.  He previously served as Chairman of the influential Health Subcommittee for the House Ways and Means Commit