FEATURED SPEAKERS

Rough Notes, Oct 2004 by Zinkewicz, Phil

Returning to the Annual Conference is Ora Shtull, president of MAXIMA Communication Ltd., who will lead "Presenting Effectively for PLUS." This session will help attendees fine tune their speaking strengths and provide a methodology for projecting confidence and speaking persuasively.

The conference's opening keynote speaker is Ken Duberstein, chairman and CEO of The Duberstein Group, an independent, bipartisan planning and consulting company. Duberstein served as chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan, a post he assumed in 1988. Prior to that, he served as deputy chief of staff to President Reagan, beginning in 1987, and was assistant to the president for Legislative Affairs in 1982-1983, having served as deputy assistant to the president for Legislative Affairs (House of Representatives) at the beginning of the Reagan Administration.

John Cleese is the luncheon keynote speaker, and is best known for his contributions to the world of comedy, through "Monty Python," "Fawlty Towers," "A Fish Called Wanda," and appearances on many television shows. Less well known is the fact that he co-authored two bestselling books on psychology and spent 20 years helping run Video Arts, which was the largest producer of management and sales training films outside the United States.

Leading the general educational session is Donald J. Bailey, executive vice president of Willis Group Executive Risks Practices. He currently leads the team of global executive risk specialists concentrating on the production and service of Fortune 1000 clients. During his career, he has worked at Allianz Insurance Company, Aon, and Marsh, including serving as managing director of Aon Financial Services Group where he managed over $1 billion of premiums placed for the Executive Risk product lines.