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Former five-term Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. is the Executive Vice President and Vice Chair of Corporate and Institutional Banking for PNC. In addition to his work leading critical strategic initiatives, Ford, Jr. also served as former chairman and chief executive officer of Empowerment & Inclusion Capital I Corp, a PNC-sponsored mission-based special purpose acquisition company. He is a sought-after commentator, serving as a co-host of FOX News Channel’s The Five and a frequent contributor to Special Report with Bret Baier. Ford Jr.’s politics, as well as his time in office, are characterized by a belief in compromise and working across the aisle to make progress solving problems for businesses, industries, and people.
Cybersecurity expert, former Congressman and CIA officer, and author Will Hurd is a leading voice for bipartisanship, inclusivity, and finding unity in the face of divisive issues. While serving in Congress, Politico called Hurd “the Future of the GOP,” and he was renowned for his ability to put policy ahead of politics. Prior to his work in politics, Hurd served as an undercover officer in the CIA, honing an in-depth analysis of current national security concerns and the future of cybersecurity as the next domain of conflict. In his new book, American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done, Hurd provides a bold political playbook for today’s most pressing issues and a vision for leadership that is values-based and inspiring for audiences of all kinds.
Former five-term Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. is the Executive Vice President and Vice Chair of Corporate and Institutional Banking for PNC. In addition to his work leading critical strategic initiatives, Ford Jr. also served as chairman and chief executive officer of Empowerment & Inclusion Capital I Corp, a PNC-sponsored mission-based special purpose acquisition company. He is also a sought-after commentator, serving as a co-host of FOX News Channel’s The Five as well as a frequent contributor to Special Report with Bret Baier. A Democrat, Ford Jr.'s politics, as well as his time in office, are characterized by a belief in compromise and working across the aisle to make progress solving problems for businesses, industries, and people.
After serving in the House of Representatives, Ford Jr. spent more than ten years in investment banking with Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. In addition, he was non-executive Chair of Rx Saver, a patient-directed prescription medication search engine platform. Ford Jr. brings his robust experience as a policy maker and shrewd insights as a business leader to talks that are informative, engaging, and memorable for audiences of all kinds.
Cybersecurity & AI expert, former U.S. House Representative, and former CIA officer Will Hurd is a leading voice for bipartisanship, inclusivity, and finding unity in the face of divisive issues. Prior to his work in politics, Hurd served as an undercover officer in the CIA. His service left him with an insider’s understanding of current national security concerns and the future of cybersecurity as the next domain of conflict. While serving in Congress, Politico named Hurd “the Future of the GOP.” He was renowned for his ability to put policy ahead of politics – getting more substantive legislation signed into law in three terms than most lawmakers achieve in decades. Always forward-thinking, Hurd wrote the first national strategy on AI, held the first Congress hearing on AI, and published the first Presidential Plan for AI. He was a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. In his book, American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done, Hurd provides a vision for leadership that is values-based and inspiring for audiences of all kinds.
A renowned cybersecurity expert, Hurd was recently a managing director at Allen & Company, working with entrepreneurs on the cutting edge of technology to anticipate the shockwaves of the future. He is also a trustee of the German Marshall Fund, a past board member for OpenAI, and served as a fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. Hurd is an in-demand expert on the future of politics, national security, foreign affairs, and cybersecurity. Offering insights informed by his time in the CIA and politics, Hurd helps organizations and individuals put threats into context and directs focus toward unifying strategies for policy, economic empowerment, and America’s technological future.
Former five-term Tennessee Congressman, Harold Ford, Jr. is a co host of FNC’s The Five and is a frequent contributor to Special Report with Bret Baier. A Democrat, Ford Jr.’s politics is grounded in a belief that compromise is a lost art in politics that must be rediscovered and pursued if we are to make progress solving problems. “Ideological purity is more important than doing what is right in today’s politics. Both parties too often deem compromise a weakness, not an essential strength,” he believes. “Instead, they [both political parties] spend their time trying to marginalize and cancel each other out, leaving voters disgusted and turned off by the lack of seriousness and results.”
Ford Jr. is currently a Vice Chair and EVP in PNC’s corporate and institutional banking business. He is also the former Chair and CEO of Empowerment & Inclusion Capital I Corporation (NYSE: “EPWR”) - a PNC sponsored mission based special purpose acquisition company. Prior to joining PNC, he spent more than 10 years in investment banking with Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. In addition, he was non-executive Chair of Rx Saver, a patient-directed prescription medication search engine platform.
Ford Jr. earned a BA in history from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from the University of Michigan. He and his wife Emily and their 2 kids - Georgia Walker and Harold III (HEF)- live in New York City.
Will Hurd is currently a managing director at Allen & Company and former member of Congress, cybersecurity executive, and undercover officer in the CIA. For almost two decades he’s been involved in the most pressing national security issues challenging the country whether it was in the back-alleys of dangerous places, boardrooms of top international businesses or halls of Congress.
After stopping terrorists, preventing Russian spies from stealing our secrets, and putting nuclear weapons proliferators out of business, Will helped build a cybersecurity company that prepared businesses for the next domain of conflict – cyberspace.
While in Congress, Texas Monthly and Politico Magazine called Will “The Future of the GOP,” because he put good policy over good politics at a time when America was often consumed with what divides us rather than what unites us. He was able to get more legislation signed into law in three terms than most congressmen do in three decades – substantive legislation like a national strategy for Artificial Intelligence.
Will is a native of San Antonio and earned a Computer Science degree from Texas A&M University. Additionally, he is growing the US transatlantic partnership with Europe as a trustee of the German Marshall Fund, an OpenAI board member, and most recently served as a fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. He is also the author of American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done.
For more information, please visit willbhurd.com.
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