Speakers

Kelly Loeffler

Kelly Loeffler, the 28th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is an entrepreneur, executive, philanthropist, and former U.S. Senator from Georgia who has dedicated her three-decade career to growing businesses and advancing economic opportunity for all.

A self-made businesswoman, Loeffler rose from modest beginnings. She grew up in rural Illinois working on her family’s farm, attending public school, and waitressing - becoming the first in her family to graduate college. She was recruited into the automotive industry and later earned her MBA.

She then built a 25-year career in financial services and technology, including as SVP of Investor Relations, Chief Communications Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer at Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE). As a member of the executive leadership team at ICE, Loeffler contributed to more than a dozen transactions including the company’s acquisition of the NYSE - helping grow the business from a small startup with less than 100 employees to a Fortune 500 company.

In 2018, she was the founding CEO and first employee of Bakkt (NYSE:BKKT), a fintech startup formed to bring institutional infrastructure to the crypto asset class.

Loeffler was appointed to serve in the U.S. Senate in 2020, where she brought her private-sector experience to Washington. She championed conservative values, advocated for small businesses, and passed legislation to strengthen healthcare, veterans’ services, and economic growth. A decade-long WNBA team owner, she was the first U.S. Senator to introduce a bill to protect girls’ sports.

After her Senate service, Loeffler founded Greater Georgia Action, an election integrity advocacy and voter outreach nonprofit. She also founded RallyRight, a conservative tech startup – while serving on several corporate and philanthropic boards.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois College of Commerce, an MBA from DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, and is the only CFA® charterholder to ever serve in Congress. A lifelong Catholic, she is also a tireless advocate for President Trump’s America First agenda and strongly supports the pro-growth policies that enable the American Dream.

U.S. Representative Warren Davidson (OH)

Warren Davidson represents Ohio’s 8th Congressional District. He is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, where he is focused on policies that help grow our economy, instill fiscal discipline, advance innovation, and limit runaway government expansion that threatens to bankrupt America.

After high school, Congressman Davidson enlisted in the Army as an infantryman. As part of the 3rd Infantry Division, he was stationed in Germany and witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Warren’s commanding officers recognized his potential and helped him earn an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated near the top of his class as a student of American history and mechanical engineering. As an officer, he led in The Old Guard, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and the 101st Airborne Division. In 1995, he married his wife, Lisa Davidson.

After the Army, Congressman Davidson returned home, worked with his father, earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and spent fifteen years owning and operating manufacturing companies in Ohio. In 2016, he again responded to the call of service, and came to work in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Warren and his wife Lisa have been married for 30 years and have two adult children.

Kevin Hassett

Kevin Hassett is the 15th Director of the White House National Economic Council. An acclaimed economist, he has over 300 published papers and particularly is one of the world’s most preeminent scholars on relationship between tax policy and business investment. 

In the first Trump administration, Kevin served as the 29th Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and later as a Senior Advisor to the President for the coronavirus pandemic response. More recently, Kevin was Managing Director at the Milken Institute and a distinguished fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Prior to his service in the White House, he led economic studies at the American Enterprise Institute, taught at Columbia Business School and the NYU School of Law, and was a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Board.  He also served as a senior economic adviser on campaigns for John McCain, George W. Bush, and Mitt Romney.

 

Carol J.S. Roth

Carol Roth is a “recovering” investment banker; entrepreneur and small business owner; TV/media pundit; economic, business, and financial commentator; small business expert; content developer; and 2x New York Times bestselling author. Her books include The Entrepreneur Equation, The War on Small Business, and You Will Own Nothing.

Carol has worked in a variety of capacities across industries, including currently as an outsourced chief customer officer (CCO), as a director on a public company board and several private company advisory boards, and as a strategic advisor and C-level consigliere. She also developed the Future File legacy planning system and software.

Carol has worked with hundreds of companies, ranging from a single entrepreneur with an idea to Fortune 500 businesses, on all aspects of business and financial strategy. Collectively, she has helped her clients complete more than $2 billion in deal transactions.

Carol has three decades of business advisory experience, which began at investment banking firm Montgomery Securities in San Francisco (subsequently Banc of America Securities), where she rapidly rose internally to become one of the youngest officers of the company by age 25. Her experience has encompassed a wide variety of products and services, including initial public offerings (IPOs), secondary offerings, private equity placements, private debt placements, buy-side M&A, sell-side M&A, LBOs/MBOs, recapitalizations, valuations, fairness opinions, licensing, marketing services, franchise work, start-up advisory and general strategic advisory work. She has completed licenses and joint ventures between her clients and a variety of high-profile companies and IP holders, including Paramount, Disney, Fox, Hasbro and even the pop singer Katy Perry.

She also helps private equity investors evaluate potential deal targets in key industries.

Carol is a renowned advocate for and expert in small business. She was honored five times as a Top 100 Small Business Influencer and has been hired by companies worldwide for her small business expertise.

Carol has a focus on developing proprietary customer loyalty models and running digitally-based enthusiast and loyalty programs. Leveraging a deep background and nearly 20 years of experience in building and monetizing communities, fan bases and customer bases, Carol has been called on to advise in this area by the largest companies in the world, as well as small and mid-sized niche businesses.

Coming from a blue-collar family, Carol has worked hard to seize the American Dream, and works to preserve that opportunity for all Americans. Carol was the first person in her immediate family to graduate from college. She graduated from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, Magna Cum Laude.

More information can be found on Carol’s website at CarolRoth.com.

Adam Temple

NFIB Senior Vice President, Advocacy

Adam Temple is Senior Vice President, Advocacy for NFIB. In this role, Adam oversees the organization's media relations, marketing, digital and online communications. Adam came to NFIB from JDA Frontline, a full-service public affairs firm.  He previously served on the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. John McCain and as the press secretary to U.S. Sen. Jim De Mint. He started his career at the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Jeff Brabant

NFIB Vice President, Federal Government Relations

Jeff is the Vice President for Federal Government Relations. Jeff runs NFIB's federal government relations department and is in charge of implementing federal advocacy strategies. Jeff is a former Policy Director at the House Small Business Committee and joined NFIB in 2018 with over 10 years of experience working for Members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Josh McLeod

NFIB Director, Federal Government Relations

Josh joined the NFIB federal lobbying team in December 2022.

Josh joins NFIB with over 12 years of experience in government and government affairs.  He most recently served as Senior Policy Advisor for U.S. Senator Ron Johnson.

Josh began his career with Senator Johnson in 2011.  He later served as Senior Professional Staff Member for Chairman Johnson on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Josh was born in Wisconsin but grew up in Pennsylvania.  He attained a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice from Widener University in Chester, PA.  Following college, Josh played professional baseball before beginning his career in Washington, DC.

Josh lives in Virginia with his wife, Andrea and their three children.

Elizabeth Parks

NFIB National Director of Grassroots

Elizabeth Parks is the National Director of Grassroots for NFIB. In this role, she leads the Grassroots Team in strategic guidance to develop and maintain a strong network of engaged NFIB members across the country. Additionally, she is the Campaign Director to make the 20% Small Business Deduction permanent. 

She previously served as the deputy chief of staff to U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (MS-01) and as the communications director to U.S. Representative Alan Nunnelee (MS-01). She started her career as a legislative staffer covering various policy portfolios and grew up in an entrepreneur household. Her mother owned and operated a convenience store and deli for 19 years.

Elizabeth Milito

Vice President & Executive Director, NFIB Small Business Legal Center 

Elizabeth Milito is the Vice President and Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business’s (NFIB) Small Business Legal Center. Ms. Milito handles legal and regulatory affairs for NFIB and has testified before Congress and state legislatures on a broad range of labor issues.

She is an experienced litigator and educator, having previously worked at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs representing hospital management in labor and employment matters in federal agencies and courts.

Holly Wade

Executive Director, NFIB Research Center

Holly Wade is the executive director of the NFIB Research Center, where she has over 20 years of experience conducting original research on the small business sector focusing on small business economic conditions, business operations, and public policy issues impacting small firms. She produces NFIB’s monthly Small Business Economic Trends publication and other surveys on topics related to small business operations.

She is also a frequent media spokesperson on the small business economy and related public policy issues. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Interdependence Center (GIC), and a former board member of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), where she is the current co-chair of the Small Business Roundtable.