Past Speakers
Jeffrey (Jeff) J. Lyash
President & Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Lyash is president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Appointed by the Board of Directors in February 2019, Lyash leads the nation’s largest public utility in its mission of service to the people of the Tennessee Valley region. He is also chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute executive committee, providing oversight to NEI on policy affairs on behalf of the U.S. nuclear industry. Lyash is as comfortable talking with a crew in a plant as he is in the boardroom. His exceptional people skills and technical experience make him one of the top leaders in the energy industry.
2024 "Hometown Hero" Luncheon
Carrie was in Marvel's phenomenal Black Panther, Wakanda Forever and Avengers End Game as a Dora Milijae warrior fighting for Wakanda alongside of the Black Panther. She appeared in NOPE, Emancipation, Marvel’s Avengers Infinity War, X-Men, The Dark Phoenix, SWAT, CBS Seal Team, one of the stars in Ultimate TAG on FOX and more. She also has received more than 20 awards for her 1st documentary, The Tale of Two Carrie’s based on her namesake grandma’s upbringing in the Mississippi Delta. Carrie, like the Black Panther, “…has a good heart, and gives us a real hero[ine] —strong and honorable and, when possible, even filled with grace.”
Carrie was born in Virginia and grew up with a single-parent teenage-mother and an early nomadic lifestyle living in Panama, the townships along the Eastern U.S. coast and settled down in her latter teenage years and attended college in Memphis, TN. She started her nonprofit CB Seed Foundation 6 years ago to address the needs of children living in poverty similar to her upbringings. Carrie calls Memphis home where she ran track at her Alma Mater, the University of Memphis, Carrie is the featured alumnae in the May 2018 University of Memphis Magazine and was awarded outstanding alumni in 2022.
2024 Annual Forecast Dinner
Laurence D. Fink is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock. He and seven partners founded BlackRock in 1988, and under his leadership, the firm has grown into a global leader in investment and technology solutions. BlackRock's mission is to help our clients build better financial futures and the firm is trusted to manage more money than any other investment company in the world.
Prior to founding BlackRock in 1988, Mr. Fink was a member of the Management Committee and a Managing Director of The First Boston Corporation.
He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of New York University (NYU) and the World Economic Forum, and is Co-Chairman of the NYU Langone Medical Center Board of Trustees. In addition, he serves on the boards of the Museum of Modern Art, the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Rescue Committee. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing and on the Executive Committee of the Partnership for New York City.
Mr. Fink earned an MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1976 and a BA from UCLA in 1974.
2024 Political Climate and Trends
Mark Cate is a seasoned executive and public policy/political strategist with extensive experience in strategic planning, economic and community development, issue advocacy and project management. Mark helps clients navigate political risks, launch compelling advocacy campaigns, capitalize on business and engagement opportunities, and strengthen comprehensive public affairs efforts. Mark formerly served as Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s chief of staff, where he was his top advisor, strategist and negotiator. Mark has also advised a number of governors and other elected officials on their formal transitions into office. During his tenure with the Haslam Administration, Mark led several legislative policy initiatives, including K-12 education reform, workers’ compensation reform, civil service reform, an alternative approach to Medicaid expansion, and postsecondary education reform, including the nationally-acclaimed Tennessee Promise program. He previously worked as an executive in real estate management and development and served for 16 years as a higher education leader.
 
2024 Economic Outlook Briefing
Charles S. Gascon, a senior economist in the Research division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, spoke to the Club at a breakfast on December 1, 2023. He analyzes economic conditions nationally and in the Eighth Federal Reserve District. He reports on regional economic conditions to the Bank president and staff economists prior to Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings and is responsible for writing the bank’s Beige Book report on economic conditions. Charles will discuss the Federal Reserve Bank's outlook for the coming year.
Carolyn Hardy
Carolyn, CEO of Chism Hardy Investments and Hardy Beverages, spoke to the Economic Club at a dinner on November 9, 2024. After being the first woman and African American in several executive positions at companies such as J.M. Smucker Company, Honeywell-POMS, and Coors Brewing Company, Carolyn started Hardy Bottling in August 2006. She sold the company to City Brewing in 2011. After selling Hardy Bottling in May 2011, Chism Hardy began investing in real estate that supported the railroads and their growth in the Memphis region. She also began the transloading business, Henderson Transloading Services that attracted the largest grain companies outside of Memphis. She sold the container yards in 2021.
In 2018, Carolyn became a published author with her first book, Look Up: The principles for Intentional Leadership. She has written two additional books The Impossible Turned Possible and Step Out: Bold Moves for Business Growth.
In 2021, Carolyn started Hardy Beverages, which owns the HTWO family of brands. HTWO is a metabolic drink of molecular hydrogen water designed to boost metabolism, detox the body, reduce stress at the cellular level, relieve soreness and fatigue and protect the body & mind.
Carolyn’s family of companies has invested over $12 million dollars since 2011 in the Hickory Hill community with the hopes of revitalizing this very important community while providing employment in an area with high unemployment.
Carolyn is active in many civic and community organizations. She is Deputy Chair of the Federal Reserve 8th District.
She is a native Memphian and a graduate of Melrose High School and received her BBA and MBA from the University of Memphis. She is a CPA.
John Shin
John Shin spoke to the Club at a reception on November 8, 2023. Dr. Shin joined BofA Securities as a senior G10 FX strategist, based in New York. He is responsible for the flagship monthly publication, “World at a Glance.” Previously, Shin was both a G10 FX strategist and a U.S. economist at Lehman Brothers. He was also a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and worked in the Macroeconomic and Quantitative Studies section of the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.
Shin holds a doctorate in economics from Harvard University, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. He holds a B.A. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated with high honors.
John List
John List spoke to the Economic Club at a lunch on September 14, 2023. He is an award-winning economist and the author of the international bestseller The Why Axis, as well as The Voltage Effect, one of Amazon’s Best Books of 2022. He is the chief economist at Walmart and has previously been chief economist at Uber and Lyft. He is the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, a Fellow of the Econometric Society and Editor of the Journal of Political Economy. He has received numerous awards, including the Kenneth Galbraith Award. Dr. List will discuss The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale.
Lin William Cong
Lin William Cong spoke to the Club at a dinner on April 6, 2023. He is the Rudd Family Professor of Management and Tenured Professor of Finance at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University SC. He is also the founding faculty director for the FinTech Initiative at Cornell and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has been consulted for prominent FinTech litigation cases and invited to advise initiatives at the Department of Justice to fight against manipulations in cryptocurrency markets.
Rapid Response Roundtable: Recent Developments in the Banking Industry
The Economic Club of Memphis presented Rapid Response Roundtable: Recent Developments in the Banking Industry, on March 28th. A Zoom-based Webinar, this 75-minute session addressed recent issues in the banking industry and how our local economy has been affected, as well as how our community has responded.
The panel was moderated by David Waddell, President and CEO of Waddell and Associates.
Panelists included:
Michael Drury, Chief Economist of McVean Trading and Investments,
McCall Wilson, President and CEO of The Bank of Fayette County, and
Jim Fuchs, Vice President, Supervision Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
David Cordani
David Cordani spoke to the Economic Club on March 23, 2023 at a lunch meeting. David is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Cigna Group. He was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors in January 2022, and has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2009. The Cigna Group is a global health company committed to creating a better future built on the vitality of every individual and every community. With Cigna Healthcare, its benefits portfolio, and Evernorth Health Services, its health services portfolio, The Cigna Group has more than 70,000 co-workers and serves more than 190 million customer relationships around the world. Since joining the company in 1991, Mr. Cordani has served in a number of senior leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer; President, Cigna Healthcare; and Senior Vice President, Customer Segments and Marketing. During his tenure, The Cigna Group has grown into a Fortune 12 global health company.
Senator Phil Gramm
Former Texas Senator Phil Gramm spoke to the Economic Club at a lunch meeting on February 23, 2023. An economist by training, Senator Phil Gramm has had a long and distinguished career in public service, academia and the private sector. Before joining AEI, Sen. Gramm was the vice chairman of UBS Investment Bank, where he provided strategic economic, political and policy advice to important corporate and institutional clients. He served in the US Congress representing Texas for more than two decades, first as the 6th congressional district representative to the US House of Representatives, then later as senator. His legislative record includes landmark bills like the Gramm-Latta Budget – which reduced federal spending, rebuilt national defense and mandated the Reagan tax cut – and the Gramm-Rudman Act, which placed the first binding constraints on federal spending. As chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Gramm steered legislation modernizing banking, insurance and securities laws. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act amended the 70-year-old Glass-Steagall Act, allowing banks, security companies and insurance companies to affiliate through a financial service holding company. Sen. Gramm taught economics at Texas A&M University for 12 years before becoming a member of Congress. The Senator will be discussing his new book, The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases Policy Debate.
Larry Fink
This meeting was canceled due to inclement weather. We are working to reschedule. Larry Fink will virtually address our annual joint meeting with the CFA Society Memphis. Laurence D. Fink is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock. He and seven partners founded BlackRock in 1988, and under his leadership, the firm has grown into a global leader in investment and technology solutions. BlackRock's mission is to help our clients build better financial futures and the firm is trusted to manage more money than any other investment company in the world. Prior to founding BlackRock in 1988, Mr. Fink was a member of the Management Committee and a Managing Director of The First Boston Corporation.
2023 Outlook Briefing and Breakfast
Nathan Jefferson presented the Economic Outlook Briefing for 2023 on December 2, 2022. Nathan is an associate economist in the Research division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where he is focused on analysis of economic conditions nationally and in the Eighth Federal Reserve District. In this role, he contributes to the Beige Book reports provided to the Federal Open Market committee, as well as other publications and Bank initiatives. Prior to coming to the St. Louis Fed, Nathan completed an M.P.P. at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. This program is in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Memphis Branch.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
Asa Hutchinson spoke to the Club at a lunch meeting on Wednesday, November 9th. He is the 46th governor of the State of Arkansas. In 2018, he was re-elected with 65% of the vote, having received more votes than any other candidate for governor in the state's history. He has won recognition for the state as a leader in computer science education, cut taxes by over $250 million, and signed a law that exempts the retirement pay of veterans from state income tax. President Ronald Reagan appointed Governor Hutchinson as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. In 1996, he won the first of three successive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his third term in Congress, President George W. Bush appointed him director of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as an undersecretary in the newly created Department of Homeland Security.
 
Gabby Bruno and Kel Kearns
Gabby Bruno, Economic Development Director at Ford Motor Company and Kel Kearns, Manager of Blue Oval City, the electronic vehicle center in Stanton, Tennessee will addressed the Economic Club on October 6, 2022 at a lunch meetings. They discussed “Why TN”, how this project landed here, and the what’s now and what’s next - to include the site layout, schedule of construction and what exactly they are building. Gabby Bruno is responsible for government incentives and economic development policy for Ford. Kel Kearns is named plant manager of the electric vehicle assembly plant at BlueOval City, where Ford will produce its all-new, revolutionary electric truck, effective April 2022.
LIbby Cantrell
Ms. Cantrell addressed the Economic Club on September 27, 2022 at a dinner meeting. She is a managing director in PIMCO's portfolio management group. In her role, she analyzes policy and political risk for the firm’s Investment Committee and is a permanent member of the firm’s Americas portfolio committee, the committee that is responsible for the macroeconomic outlook for North America. She also leads policymaker engagement and policy strategy for the firm and works closely with PIMCO’s Global Advisory Board, led by former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke.
James Bullard
James “Jim” Bullard spoke to the Economic Club at a lunch meeting on June 1, 2022. He is the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In that role, he is a participant on the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which meets regularly to set the direction of U.S. monetary policy. He also oversees the Federal Reserve’s Eighth District, including activities at the St. Louis headquarters and its branches in Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. Bullard is a noted economist and scholar, and his positions are founded on research-based thinking and an intellectual openness to new theories and explanations. He is often an early voice for change.
Greg Davis
Gregory Davis, CFA, is Vanguard’s chief investment officer. He spoke to the Economic Club at a lunch meeting on May 25, 2022. In his role as CIO, he oversees the assets managed by Vanguard Fixed Income, Equity Index, and Quantitative Equity Groups. The funds managed by these groups include active and index stock and bond funds, money market funds, and stable value funds. Previously, Mr. Davis was principal and global head of Vanguard Fixed Income Group, responsible for its portfolio management, strategy, credit research, trading, and planning functions. He has also served as the company’s Asia-Pacific chief investment officer and a director of Vanguard Investments Australia. Mr. Davis is a member of the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Brian Thompson
Brian Thompson spoke to the Economic Club at a lunch on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at the University Club. He is the Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare, the health benefits business of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH). Thompson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and most recently was CEO of UnitedHealthcare's government programs including the Medicare & Retirement and Community & State businesses, serving the health and well-being needs of seniors and Medicaid beneficiaries. As CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Thompson will drive continued growth across the global, employer, individual, specialty and government benefits businesses while continuing the company’s focus on ensuring access to high-quality, affordable health care.
Richard C. Shadyac Jr.
Richard C. Shadyac Jr. spoke to the Economic Club at a lunch on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at the Butcher Shop. He was named the President and Chief Executive Officer of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in September 2009. He serves as ALSAC’s sixth CEO since the organization’s founding in 1957. As the top healthcare charity in the U.S, ALSAC employs 1,500 team members who operate from its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, and in territories and offices across the country. ALSAC relies on generous supporters and volunteers who make donations and support tens of thousands of fundraising activities annually to help support the mission of St. Jude: Finding cures. Saving children.
2022 Regional Economic Briefing
The Economic Club of Memphis in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Memphis Branch presented the 2022 Regional Economic Briefing and breakfast on Friday, December 3, 2021. The speakers were Nathan Jefferson, Associate Economist and Charles Gascon, Lead Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. This meeting was open to the public at no charge.
Cyrus Taraporevala
The Economic Club presented Cyrus Taraporevala at a luncheon on November 8, 2021. Cyrus is the president and chief executive officer of State Street Global Advisors, the investment management arm of State Street Corporation. State Street Global Advisors provides disciplined investment solutions spanning both indexing and active strategies to many of the world's largest and most sophisticated investors. Cyrus is also a member of State Street Corporation’s Management Committee, the company’s most senior strategy and policy-making team.
United States Senator Bill Hagerty spoke to the Club at a lunch meeting on October 8, 2021. Senator Hagerty was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020 representing the state of Tennessee. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Bill served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, the world’s third largest economy and America’s closest ally in the region.
Mellody Hobson
The Economic Club of Memphis presented Mellody Hobson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ariel Investment Trust and Chair of the Board of Starbucks Corporation among many other achievements, at a lunch meeting on Friday, September 17th. Ms. Hobson presented by video feed.
As Co-CEO, Mellody is responsible for management, strategic planning and growth for all areas of Ariel Investments outside of research and portfolio management. Additionally, she serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ariel Investment Trust—the company’s publicly traded mutual funds. Prior to being named Co-CEO, Mellody spent nearly two decades as the firm’s President. Outside of Ariel, She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Starbucks Corporation. She is also a director of JPMorgan Chase. She previously served as Chairman of the Board of DreamWorks Animation until the company’s sale and was also a long-standing board member of the Estée Lauder Companies.
Greg Valliere
Greg Valliere spoke to the Club on April 8, 2021. He joined AGF Investments (AGF) in February 2019 as Chief U.S. Policy Strategist. In this role, he is responsible for providing insight into how U.S. politics are shaping global markets. He brings a unique perspective to AGF with over three decades of experience analyzing policy and politics providing regular commentary and insight into Washington for financial services and investment management clients globally, including specialized coverage of the Federal Reserve, economic policy and politics.
Kevin Mandia
Kevin Mandia spoke to the Club regarding cybersecurity on March 17, 2021. He has been FireEye CEO since June 2016 and a member of the FireEye Board of Directors since February 2016. He previously served as FireEye President, from February 2015 until his appointment as CEO. Kevin joined the company as Senior Vice President and Chief operating Officer in December 2013, when FireEye acquired Mandiant, the company he founded in 2004. Widely recognized as the leading provider of security incident management products and services prior to the acquisition, Mandiant remains the core of the highly successful FireEye consulting business.
Floyd Norris
Floyd Norris spoke via a Zoom webinar to the Economic Club on February 17, 2021. He is a fellow of the Center for Financial Economics at Johns Hopkins University, and a lecturer in the Economics Department. He spent 26 years at The New York Times, where he was chief financial correspondent and assistant business editor for many years. He was a financial columnist for most of that time, but spent one year on The Times’ Editorial Board. He retired in 2014. Before joining The Times, he was the stock market columnist for Barron’s, and had worked for the Associated Press and United Press International.
Ed Yardeni
Dr. Ed Yardeni spoke via Zoom webinar on January 27, 2021 in partnership with the CFA Society Memphis. He is the President of Yardeni Research, Inc., a provider of global investment strategies and asset-allocation analyses and recommendations. He previously served as Chief Investment Strategist of Oak Associates, Prudential Equity Group, and Deutsche Bank’s US equities division in New York City. He was also the Chief Economist of CJ Lawrence, Prudential-Bache Securities, and EF Hutton. He taught at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and was an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He also held positions at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the US Treasury Department in Washington, D.C.
The Economic Club of Memphis in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Memphis Branch presented James Bullard, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in a webinar on Friday, November 13, 2020. James “Jim” Bullard is the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In that role, he is a participant on the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which meets regularly to set the direction of U.S. monetary policy. He also oversees the Federal Reserve’s Eighth District, including activities at the St. Louis headquarters and its branches in Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn.
The Economic Club of Memphis presented Shannon Brown, Vice President of the Eastern Division U.S. Operations and Chief Diversity Officer at FedEx Express in a webinar discussion titled "What Does Progress Look Like?" on Thursday, October 22, 2020. Douglas Scarboro, Senior Vice President and Regional Executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Memphis Branch conducted the interview. Shannon A. Brown is the Senior Vice President of Eastern Division U.S. Operations and Chief Diversity Officer at FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company. I
David Rubenstein
The Economic Club of Memphis presented a webinar featuring David Rubenstein on Thursday, September 24, 2020. David is a Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms. Mr. Rubenstein co-founded the firm in 1987. Since then, Carlyle has grown into a firm managing $217 billion from 32 offices around the world.
Dr. David Rudd
The Economic Club of Memphis presented a webinar featuring Dr. David Rudd on Friday, June 26, 2020 at 11:30 am. Beginning his sixth year as president, Rudd’s tenure has witnessed record-breaking improvements in student retention and graduation rates. He has spearheaded efforts to create a new division of Student Success, developed the University’s first integrated enrollment, retention and graduation plan, and offered need-based funding for the first time in UofM history.
The Economic Club of Memphis presented a webinar featuring David Heymann entitled "A Conversation with a World Health Organization Associate Director General" on Friday, June 5, 2020 at 7:30 am. Dr David Heymann is the Assistant Director-General for Health Security and Environment and Representative of the Director-General for Polio Eradication. Prior to this, from July 1998 until July 2003, Dr Heymann was Executive Director of the WHO Communicable Diseases Cluster. From October 1995 to July 1998, Dr Heymann was Director of the WHO Programme on Emerging and other Communicable Diseases, and prior to that he was the chief of research activities in the WHO Global Programme on AIDS.
Charlie Cook
The Economic Club of Memphis presented a webinar featuring Charlie Cook on Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 7 pm . Charlie Cook is the Editor and Publisher of The Cook Political Report, and a political analyst for the National Journal Group. In 1984, Charlie founded the independent, non-partisan Cook Political Report. Now, with a staff of six, it is a publication that the New York Times once said was “a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative” while CBS News’ Bob Schieffer called it “the bible of the political community.”
Richard Shadyac, Jr.
Unfortunately this event was canceled due to coronavirus concerns. We hope to reschedule in the future.
The Economic Club of Memphis will meet at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's Domino's Event Center for a breakfast and tour on Thursday, March 19, 2020. The speaker will be Richard Shadyac, Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, St. Jude's fundraising arm. A breakfast buffet will begin at 7:30 am. Rick Shadyac has been President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, since 2009. The American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) has become the largest healthcare charity in America, generating more than 75 percent of funds needed to operate and sustain St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Unfortunately this event was canceled due to coronavirus concerns. We hope to reschedule in the future.
The Economic Club of Memphis in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Memphis Branch is pleased to present James Bullard, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. A breakfast buffet will begin at 7:30 am at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis. This meeting is open to the public at no charge. Reservations are required. Bullard oversees the activities of the Eighth Federal Reserve District, including operations in the St. Louis headquarters and its branches in Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. He also participates on the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee.
Governor Bill Lee
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Governor Bill Lee, Tennessee, on Thursday, February 13, 2020 at the University Club. Registration and lunch seating at 11:30 am. Bill Lee is seventh-generation Tennessean and 50th governor of Tennessee. He was raised in Franklin where he still resides today with his wife Maria on his family’s farm. He’s the proud father of four adult children (Jessica, twin sons Jacob and Caleb, and Sarah Kate) and five grandchildren. Photos
Manny Roman
The Economic Club of Memphis, in partnership with the CFA Society Memphis, was pleased to present Emmanuel "Manny" Roman on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at the HIlton Memphis. A reception begins at 6 pm with dinner seating at 6:45 pm. Mr. Roman is PIMCO's chief executive officer and a managing director of the firm. As CEO, he serves on PIMCO’s Executive Committee and has executive oversight of the firm’s client and business areas, including broad strategy-setting and resource management. Photos
The Economic Club of Memphis in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Memphis Branch was pleased to present the 2020 Regional Economic Briefing and breakfast on Friday, December 13, 2019. The speaker was William Emmons, Lead Economist at the Center for Household Financial Stability, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. A breakfast buffet began at 7:30 am. This meeting was open to the public at no charge. Emmons speaks and writes frequently on banking, financial markets, financial regulation, housing, the economy and other topics. Photos
 
Mark Muro
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Mark Muro on Monday, October 21, 2019 at the Holiday Inn at the University of Memphis. A reception begins at 6 pm with dinner seating at 6:45 pm. Special thanks to Bank of America for their sponsorship of this program. Mark Muro focuses on regional technology ecosystems and economic development and has published extensively on digital trends, automation, advanced industries, and regional development issues. Muro’s most recent work has focused on the “digitalization of everything” as it affects efforts to construct an “advanced economy that works for all.” Photos
Safi Bahcall
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Safi Bahcall on Thursday, September 12, 2019 at the Butcher Shop at the Agricenter. A reception begins at 6 pm with dinner seating at 6:45 pm. In his instant Wall Street Journal bestselling book Loonshots, Safi Bahcall reveals a surprising new way of thinking about innovation and group dynamics, challenging everything we thought we knew about radical breakthroughs. In talks based on his book—which Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman calls “Not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand how ideas change the world”—Bahcall shows how we can stoke innovation, create better leaders, and support “loonshots”: the imperfect but ingenious ideas that have the potential to change the world. Photos
Peter Zeihan
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Peter Zeihan on Thursday, April 11, 2019. A reception begins at 6 pm with dinner seating at 6:45 pm. Geopolitical Strategist Peter Zeihan is a global energy, demographic and security expert. His freshman book, The Accidental Superpower, forecasts the coming collapse of the global order. It debuted in 2014. His newest project, The Absent Superpower, published in December 2016. It highlights what comes next. Photos
 
Rick Rieder
The Economic Club of Memphis, in partnership with the CFA Society Memphis, was pleased to present Rick Rieder on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. Rick is BlackRock's Global Chief Investment Officer of Fixed Income. He is a member of BlackRock's Fixed Income Executive Committee, a member of its Leadership Committee, and also serves as Chairman of the BlackRock Investment Council. Photos
Steve Nelson
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Steve Nelson, Chief Executive Officer, UnitedHealthcare, on Monday, December 3, 2018. Steve Nelson is 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. Photos
Michelle Meyer
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Michelle Meyer on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. Michelle Meyer is a managing director and senior US economist at BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research. She is the primary fixed income trading floor economist and specialist in the US housing market. In this capacity, Meyer provides timely analysis of the high-frequency economic data and Federal Reserve policy announcements to the sales force and traders. Photos
 
Bill Johnson and J.T. Young
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Bill Johnson, President and CEO of Tennessee Valley Authority, with J.T. Young, President and CEO of Memphis Light, Gas and Water, on Thursday, November 8, 2018. William (Bill) D. Johnson is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Tennessee Valley Authority. President and CEO J.T. Young joined MLGW in 2018 and is the 11th President to lead the utility. Photos
 
Jim Bullard
The Economic Club of Memphis in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Memphis Branch is pleased to present the 2019 Regional Economic Briefing and breakfast on Thursday, October 18, 2018. The speaker will be James Bullard, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. James “Jim” Bullard oversees the activities of the Eighth Federal Reserve District, including operations in the St. Louis headquarters and its branches in Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. Photos
Pre-debate Reception
Gubernatorial Debate, October 2, 2019
Photos
Arthur Laffer
The Economic Club of Memphis is pleased to present Dr. Arthur Laffer on Tuesday, September 11, 2018. Laffer is the founder and chairman of Laffer Associates, an economic research firm that provides global investment-research services to institutional asset managers, pension funds, financial institutions, and corporations. Since its inception in 1979, the firm’s research has focused on the interconnecting macroeconomic, political and demographic changes affecting global financial markets. Photos
Peter Freund
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Peter Freund, Principal Owner of Trinity Baseball Holdings, on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 on Redbirds opening night in the Redbird Club. A baseball oriented buffet dinner will begin at 5:30 pm. Peter will speak prior to opening night ceremonies. Peter B. Freund is a minority owner of the New York Yankees and Principal Owner of Trinity Baseball Holdings. Trinity Baseball Holdings’ portfolio of affiliated minor league baseball teams includes the Memphis Redbirds, the Charleston RiverDogs and the Williamsport Crosscutters. Photos
Don Harkleroad
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Don Harkleroad, Chairman and CEO of the Bristol Company and a senior member of the Davos Circle of the World Economic Forum, on Thursday, March 22, 2018 at the University Club. Registration and lunch seating at 11:30 am. Mr. Harkleroad, Chairman and CEO of The Bristol Company, a portfolio and management company, is an entrepreneur and founder of numerous companies. He will report on the January 2018 meeting of the World Economic Forum. Photos
Senator Lamar Alexander
February 20, 2018, the speaker was Senator Lamar Alexander, first elected to the Senate in 2002 and since re-elected twice. His Republican colleagues elected him three times to be chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. Alexander is a seventh-generation Tennessean born and raised in Maryville and was twice elected governor of Tennessee. Today, Alexander chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He has previously served as president of the University of Tennessee and as U.S. Secretary of Education under George H.W. Bush. Photos
Fredrik Voss
On February 6, 2018, the Economic Club of Memphis presented Fredrik Voss, Vice President of Blockchain Innovation at Nasdaq, who is responsible for Nasdaq's blockchain innovation initiative. Blockchain technology is a peer-to-peer network, secure by design. Blockchains are potentially suitable for the recording of events, medical records, and other records management activities. The first Blockchain was implemented in 2008 as a core component of the digital currency bitcoin, where it serves as the public ledger for all transactions. The bitcoin design has been the inspiration for other applications. Photos
Michael Cembalest
The Economic Club of Memphis, in partnership with the CFA Society Memphis, presented Michael Cembalest on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at the HIlton Memphis. Michael Cembalest is the Chairman of Market and Investment Strategy for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and author of "Eye on the Market" since 2005. In this role, he is responsible for leading the strategic market and investment insights practice across the firm’s Institutional, Funds and Private Banking businesses. Photos
Will Thorndike
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present Will Thorndike, founder of Housatonic Partners and author of The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success on Thursday, November 9, 2017 at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis. Photos
 
2018 Economic Outlook Briefing
October 20, 2017. The 2018 Regional Economic Briefing and breakfast was presented in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Memphis Branch. The speakers will be Kevin Kliesen, Business Economist and Research Officer, and Charles Gascon, Regional Economist, both with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will be discuss economic projections for the upcoming year on both a national and state level. Photos
PJ O'Rourke
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present a dinner meeting featuring PJ O’Rourke, on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, at Hilton Memphis. With more than a million words of trenchant journalism under his byline and more citations in The Penguin Dictionary of Humorous Quotations than any living writer, O’Rourke has established himself as America’s premier political satirist. Both TIME and The Wall Street Journal have labeled him “the funniest writer in America.” Photos
Francisco Santos
The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present a lunch meeting featuring Francisco Santos, on Thursday, May 18, 2017, 11:30 am, at the University Club. Mr. Francisco Santos was elected Vice President of Colombia twice, in 2002 and 2006. Prior to politics, Mr. Santos was Editor of Colombia’s largest daily newspaper, El Tiempo. Photos
Senator Trent Lott
April 6, 2017. Senator Trent Lott represented the people of Mississippi in Congress for 35 years and has held elected leadership positions in both the House of Representatives and Senate. During his 16 years in the House and 19 years in the Senate, he worked closely with seven presidential administrations and was regarded as a coalition builder.
James Bullard
March 24, 2017. James Bullard, as president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, participates in the Federal Open Market Committee and directs the activities of the Bank’s head office in St. Louis and of its branches in Little Rock, Louisville and Memphis. An economist, Dr. Bullard joined the Bank in 1990. Photos
Jonathan Rauch
February 9, 2017. Jonathan Rauch is one of the country’s most versatile and original writers on government and public policy, among other subjects. A guest scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington, he is the author of five books and many articles and has received the magazine industry’s leading prizes including the National Magazine Award. He is a contributing editor of The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. Photos
Timothy O’Neil
January 31, 2017. Timothy O’Neil is Global Co-Head of the Investment Management Division and serves on the Management Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1985 and became a Partner in 1990. Mr. O’Neill serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Museum of American History and Chairman of the Development Committee. Photos
James R. Downing, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present a lunch meeting in our “Home-Town Heroes” series featuring speaker James R. Downing, MD, on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, 11:30 am, at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis. Photos
Danielle DiMartino Booth
Author and Former Senior Financial Advisor Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present a lunch meeting featuring speaker Danielle DiMartino Booth on Thursday, October 13, 2016, 11:30 am, at the Hilton Memphis. Danielle’s topic will be “The Great Abdication.” Photos
Michael Farr
Founder and CEO, Farr, Miller & Washington, LLC The Economic Club of Memphis was pleased to present a dinner featuring speaker Michael Farr on Thursday, September 29, 2016, at the Racquet Club of Memphis. A reception will begin at 6 pm with dinner seating at 7 pm. Michael’s topic will be “Escape Velocity Remains Elusive.
2017 Regional Economic Briefing and Breakfast
Featuring Kevin Kliesen, Business Economist The Economic Club of Memphis in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Memphis Branch was pleased to present the 2017 Regional Economic Briefing and breakfast on Friday, August 12, 2016. The speaker will be Kevin Kliesen, business economist and Bank Officer in the Research Division.
Congressman Steve Cohen
March 31, 2016. U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Steve Cohen is a fourth-generation Memphian who has dedicated his life to public service. As a child, the challenges of living with polio taught him how to overcome obstacles through persistence and determination, values which would shape his career as a legislator.
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