JEFF FLAKE: U.S. Senator (2013-2018) & Congressman (2001-2013); New York Times Bestselling Author of Conscience of a Conservative

"And then rises one Jeff Flake and delivers not merely a great speech but also a genuinely important one, perhaps the single most important address given on the Senate floor in my memory. This speech will be remembered not merely for its eloquence and its moral correctness but also for its intellectual content and its courage at a particular moment in time."

- Benjamin Wittes, Journalist & Co-Founder of Lawfare

With nearly two decades of experience on Capitol Hill in both the Senate and House of Representatives, JEFF FLAKE candidly decodes what to expect from the current administration and what is and isn't achievable in a newly-divided Congress. A traditionally conservative Republican heralded as an "ideal public servant" in The New York Times, Flake has risen above the dysfunction of partisan politics as a principled defender of "country over party". His recently-published New York Times bestselling book Conscience of a Conservative was described in The Washington Post as "the single largest act of political bravery in the Trump era," and he has been in-demand for engaging and refreshingly open in-depth interviews on CNN, The View, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and 60 Minutes. Sought-out to speak everywhere from the Forbes Under 30 Conference to Harvard Law School, Flake was just interviewed on CNN, with his shrewd commentary on the future of the GOP making headlines in The Hill.

JOHN BOEHNER: Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (2011-2015); House Minority Leader (2007-2011); House Majority Leader (2006-2007); Senior Strategic Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs

"Speaker Boehner was excellent. It was clear he took into account the material we provided him about the audience and he was right on target speaking with them—especially with small business owners. He provided incredibly candid insights and opinions. The 'meet and greet' was also excellent and he told some great stories. We would absolutely recommend him as a speaker."

-Managed Healthcare Associates

"The feedback could not have been better. His comfortable presentation style created a warm and intimate environment – even in a room filled with over 1,000 attendees. His stories were funny, insightful, heart-filled and engaging."

-American College of Financial Services

"It was a home run."

-A Major American Trade Association

With unparalleled experience on Capitol Hill serving in three of the most powerful positions in Congress, JOHN BOEHNER is, as Politico wrote, "one of the most high-profile political leaders of the last three decades." He provides audiences with an unvarnished look at the dynamics in Washington, and is consistently heralded for balancing engaging (and downright funny) anecdotes with substantive takeaways. His "audacious honesty" (as the Washington Post headlined), razor-sharp analysis, and refreshing willingness to highlight issues on both sides of the aisle, make him a go-to voice on decoding our current, and future, political landscape. Recently, Boehner announced he would be publishing a highly-anticipated memoir about his time in Washington (Thomas Dunne Books, 2020), making headlines in Politico, The Washington Post, The Washington Examiner, and more. Boehner's insights at the recent 2018 Medical Innovation Summit made headlines in local news for his up-front insights on healthcare, and he has also been selected as the keynote for the The AED Summit's upcoming Centennial Celebration for 800 attendees. 

PEGGY NOONAN: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Columnist for The Wall Street Journal; Political Analyst, NBC News & MSNBC; Bestselling Author, The Time of Our Lives; Former Special Assistant & Speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan

"[Peggy Noonan] is writing with such transparent conscience that I believe that she captures the American condition and the American voice....Peggy Noonan delivers, weekly, a reasonable approximation of what the better angels of our nature may (or are supposed to) sound like. Hers is an exhortatory idealism tempered by a rare common sense. She is perceptive, persuasive, principled and patriotic."

- Tunku Varadarajan, professor at NYU’s Stern Business School, on Forbes.com

A leading conservative voice whose appeal reaches beyond partisan bounds, PEGGY NOONAN brings to life U.S. politics with fresh insights and thoughtful analysis. An iconic journalist whose exceptional commentary has been a guiding voice during America's most divisive and challenging times, Noonan was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her prescient columns during the 2016 presidential election. An in-demand speaker, Noonan is set to deliver a keynote address for 750 business, community and educational leaders at Westmont College, and hundreds of CEOs and business owners at Iowa's Association of Business and Indutry's Taking Care of Business Conference. She has also been selected to deliver Notre Dame's 2019 Commencement Address. A fixture on major news outlets, recently Noonan shared insights on the ongoing Russia investigation on NBC's Meet The Press.

CLARENCE PAGE: Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist; Member of Chicago Tribune’s Editorial Board

"A great newspaper columnist is a tour guide. He points out what's important, helps interpret what we're seeing, warns us of possible dangers. When he gets the opportunity, he'll jolly up the excursion with a bit of humor... Clarence Page meets all these tests with flying colors. His millions of readers look to him for common sense and fair-mindedness that is, I must confess, rarely found today. Like others in his league... Clarence is admired for the way his mind works. More than that, people warm to the steady hum of his conscience."

- MSNBC Host, Chris Matthews

Pulitzer Prize winner CLARENCE PAGE is one of the most nationally recognized and highly regarded syndicated columnists in the country. A member of The Chicago Tribune’s editorial board, Page is also a frequent panelist on The McLaughlin Group, commentator on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, and political analyst on MSNBC, Page decodes top political issues with clarity, balance and humor. An in-demand speaker, Page just hosted the 2018 AARP Purpose Prize Award Celebration, garnering stellar tweets of praise such as: "Fireside chat with @cptime at the @aarp #purposeprize awards at @USIP was SENSATIONAL. What a phenomenal speaker and storyteller - and what incredible stories. The audience hung on her every word." Page's columns in the Chicago Tribune are widely-shared, revealing thought-provoking insights into top issues. Recently, Page has shared analysis on the midterms results and the evolving meaning of "nationalism" in the Trump administration. 

KARL ROVE: Foremost Conservative Commentator & Strategist; Fox News Contributor & Wall Street Journal Columnist; Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush; New York Times Bestselling Author 

"Karl was a huge success and so easy to work with. He did a fabulous job and our attendees loved him."

-Alabama Bankers Association

"Karl did a wonderful job! I highly recommend him to any organization. He was so wonderful to work with and it was very obvious to me that he took the proper prep time to prepare for our meeting."

-Indiana Electric Cooperatives

With over four decades of experience in the political arena, KARL ROVE is an iconic strategist whose provocative and robust knowledge of the major issues of the day have made him one of the most sought-after commentators of our time. Rove has been described by Fred Barnes, Executive Editor of the Weekly Standard as “the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation… He knows history, understands the moods of the public, and is a visionary on matters of public policy.” An incredibly in-demand speaker thanks to his razor-sharp, engaging commentary, Rove is set to deliver keynotes at numerous upcoming events, including: UVA's National Symposium Series on Democracy, the Rancho Mirage Writer's Festival, the ASU GSV Summit for an audience of 4,500, and more.  At the recent The Seaside Summit, Rove made headlines for his refreshingly honest analysis on the results of the midterms and what they say about the future of politics. Renowned commentator Chris Cillizza highlighted the insights of Rove’s summit speech in a CNN op-ed entitled “Karl Rove is right,” writing: “[Rove’s] political track record makes clear that he’s someone who should be listened to.” 

BEN RHODES: Political Contributor, NBC News & MSNBC; New York Times Bestselling Author, The World As It Is; Deputy National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama (2009-2017)

"Ben was wonderful and generous with the students. Everybody appreciated his acute and thoughtful answers to the many questions asked... The students who attended the Q & A were enthusiastic and the public clearly enjoyed his open presentation."

- Indiana University

"Everything went smooth as silk. Ben talked with many, many people and generated lots of follow-up conversations and thinking by faculty and students — that’s just what we want."



-Stanford University

Leading international advisor and close confidante of President Obama, BEN RHODES is a leading voice on politics and foreign affairs with over 15 years experience working in Washington. Renowned for his leadership during the secret negotiations with Cuba and his role as a prominent advisor on the Join Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, Rhodes has been sought-out to speak everywhere from the Aspen Ideas Festival to Stanford University. He just delivered a keynote entitled, "The World As It Is" at the Canada 2020 Conference, generating enthusiastic tweets from the audience such as: "Insightful, inspirational and thought-provoking talk by @bhrodes via @Canada2020"; "Had a great time listening to @bhrodes talk... He even signed my book!"; "Amazing to hear @bhrodes talk about the international order." Rhode's newly-released book The World as It Is was an instant bestseller on Amazon and The New York Times, as Rhodes has been sought-out for interviews by New York Magazine, CBS This Morning, CNN, NPR and more. 

STEVE FORBES: Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media; Bestselling Author

"We could not have had a better speaker... His experience, sense of humor and easy going manner made him an instant hit with our audience. He was gracious in every regard. In addition, his vast knowledge of the subject matter was evident from every comment he made..."

-Surrey Regional Economic Summit

JIM MESSINA: CEO, The Messina Group; Campaign Manager for President Obama's successful 2012 re-election campaign; White House Deputy Chief of Staff (2009-2011)

"Jim was superlative! The whole Forum was incredibly successful and Jim was definitely a highlight, on and off the stage. "

-Global Retail Marketing Association

MAX BAUCUS: U.S. Ambassador to China (2014-2017); U.S. Senator (1978-2013); Chair, Senate Finance Committee (2007-2014)

"Sen Baucus provided a very insightful view... our clients really appreciated his unique perspective. [He] was a great keynote speaker for our event."

- Major Multinational Bank

CECILE RICHARDS: President, Planned Parenthood (2006-2018); New York Times Bestselling Author, Make Trouble

"The conversation was a big hit... when you have 1,000 people laughing, that’s really something and she kept them laughing... She was just phenomenal: pithy, on topic, personable..."

-Freedom From Religion Foundation

MICHAEL NUTTER: 98th Mayor of Philadelphia; CNN Contributor 

"It went very well. Mayor Nutter was most delightful to work with for this event."

- Novo Nordisk A/S

"Mayor Nutter... has translated theory into practice and leadership into action." 

- University of Pennsylvania IUR Co-Director, Eugene Birch 

OLYMPIA SNOWE: U.S. Senator from Maine (1995-2013); Senior Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center

"Senator Snowe gave a wonderful lecture. Her topic resonated with every audience member and highlighted Senator Snowe’s skills and reputation as a consensus builder... What is more, Senator Snowe is so gracious and engaging. This was one of the best lectures we have ever had."

-UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

RICK SANTORUM: Senior Political Commentator, CNN; U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (1995-2007); 2016 & 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate

"The event was a great success. Senator Santorum was extremely generous with his time and in sharing himself with our members. We’ve had many very pleased comments from our members about the Senator and about his remarks. "

-Economic Club Of Southwestern Michigan

HOWARD DEAN: Chairman, Democratic National Committee (2005-2009); 79th Governor of Vermont; Founder, Democracy for America; MSNBC Contributor

"Howard Dean was a wonderful, engaging, and charismatic speaker...the students found him interesting on many levels. We had a 500+ turnout last night."

- The Dowmel Foundation

As a new Democratic majority takes the House and the 2020 election season looms large, these HWA Speakers offer illuminating, substantive, and downright interesting analysis of the political climate and what we can expect.