Speakers
Tuesday, November 14
Opening Session
Keynote Speaker: The Honourable Willie Brown, Former Mayor & Retired Speaker
Willie Brown is one of the most recognizable and respected figures in California politics.
Brown was elected to the California State Assembly in 1964, and he would remain there to represent San Francisco until 1995. He was the first African American to serve as Speaker of the California State Assembly and longest-serving Speaker in California history.
Brown spent the last eight years of his political career as San Francisco Mayor from 1996 until 2004, overseeing the city’s rapid expansion in the “dot-com” era.
Today he leads The Willie L. Brown, Jr. Institute on Politics and Public Service, an independent, non-profit organization providing a forum for non-partisan education, debate and discussion of public policy issues to expand the expertise available to stakeholders from the political, academic, business and scientific communities.
Valerie Coleman Morris, Three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist
Valerie Coleman Morris is a former CNN domestic and international business anchor. She is a Peabody Award and three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist who continues to write and narrate the nationally syndicated radio show “With the Family in Mind” on CBS Network Radio.
Morris' broadcast career spanned more than 35 years and includes both coasts. She came to CNN in 1996 from WPIX-TV in New York where she was both a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor. She began her career as a broadcast journalist in San Francisco where she worked for KRON-TV and KGO-TV as a researcher, general assignment reporter and ultimately an anchor. She has received a roster of awards including three California Emmy awards for both breaking news events and special reports. She was a major contributor to KCBS-Radio's Peabody Award team coverage as co-anchor in the days immediately following the 1989 California earthquake in which a portion of the San Francisco Bay Bridge collapsed.
Today she is focused on promoting financial literacy for women, young adults and people of color. Her first book, “It’s Your Money So Take It Personally”, provides practical, incremental ways for individuals and families to start building wealth and pass it on to the next generation.
Wednesday, November 15
General Session
Keynote Speaker: Erica Orange, Executive Vice President & COO of The Future Hunters
Erica Orange is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms. She evaluates emerging social, technological, economic, political, demographic and environmental trends – and identifies the strategic implications (the “So what?”) of those trends for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and public sector clients. Erica’s ability to think critically and translate that into actionable and tangible strategies is what has made her an invaluable asset to clients.
Erica speaks to a wide range of global audiences about the macro trends that are shaping and impacting today’s landscape. She has spoken at TEDx and keynoted over 250 conferences around the world, including across Europe, Latin America, and Asia. She has authored numerous articles and industry white papers, and has been featured in news outlets including Wired, NPR, Time, Bloomberg, and CBS This Morning. In 2020, she was named by Forbes as one of the world's 50 Top Female Futurists.
Lee Herrick, California Poet Laureate
Lee Herrick is 10th California Poet Laureate, and the first Asian American to serve in the role. As California Poet Laureate, Herrick is charged with advocating for poetry in classrooms and boardrooms across the state, inspiring an emerging generation of literary artists, and educating all Californians about the many poets and authors who have influenced our state through creative literary expression.
Herrick’s poetry canon explores the diversity and vitality of the California experience and the exhilarating success of the American experiment. Born in Daejeon, South Korea and adopted as an infant, he grew up in Modesto immersed in literature, art and various cultural influences.
He is the author of three books of poems: Scar and Flower, finalist for the 2020 Northern California Book Award; Gardening Secrets of the Dead; and This Many Miles from Desire.
Thursday, November 16
General Session Luncheon/ Election of Officers
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Keynote Speaker: Dr. Peter Cressy, Ed. D.
Dr. Peter Cressy has 35 years of CEO experience in both the public and private sectors including significant international experiences. A distinguished educator, a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and Trade Association CEO, Dr. Cressy has a lengthy history of leadership positions. He served for six years as Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and for two years as President of the Massachusetts Maritime College. His 28-year naval career included key appointments at the State Department, House of Representatives, the Pentagon, and several commanding officer positions. His operational assignments included duties in Alaska, Japan, Iceland, Italy, the Mediterranean, and shipboard duty off the coast of Vietnam during the evacuation of Saigon and the Mayaguez Rescue. He concluded his career as Commander, Fleet Air Mediterranean and Commander, NATO Air Mediterranean during Desert Storm where he was in command of 16,000 personnel and eight joint Naval bases in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey.
Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Churchill: “a strategic approach to leading in times of change and crisis“. This program emphasizes eight common characteristics manifested by these great leaders during times of great change and crisis. This program has been particularly relevant and popular during the post Covid era. It demonstrates the importance of strategic vision and strategic patience in dealing with the complexities of anxiety and disruption which occur during times of great change and crisis. It emphasizes the importance of visible leadership and accurate communications, and takes advantage of important lessons of history.