Speaker Spotlight
Keynote Speakers
Bill Bradley
Session: We Can All Do Better
Date: Thursday, October 17 9:00–10:00 a.m.
Hear from two-time NBA champion, former US Senator, and star of the new Max documentary Bill Bradley: Rolling Along Bill Bradley as he teaches us how to meaningfully connect with those around us. Throughout his storied career, Bradley has worked with individuals from all backgrounds on and off the court. Now, he’s ready to share his stories with you. Join us as he offers a concise, powerful, and highly personal review of the state of the nation, illustrating how we can move our country forward when the path is unclear.
Senator William W. Bradley is a managing director of Allen & Company LLC. Bradley served in the US Senate from 1979–1997, representing the state of New Jersey. In 2000, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. He has authored seven books on American politics, culture, and economy, including his newest release We Can All Do Better. Currently, Bradley hosts American Voices, a weekly show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio that highlights the remarkable accomplishments of Americans both famous and unknown.
Rick Steves
Session: Travel as a Political Act
Date: Friday, October 18 9:30–10:30 a.m.
The world gets a little smaller when you realize we’re more alike than different. Embark on a journey with public television host, best-selling author, and activist Rick Steves of Rick Steves' Europe as he delves into the intersection between travel and politics and shares his perspective on travel as a political act. Like Bradley, Steves understands the crucial role that empathy plays in our interactions with others. He has helped millions connect with new cultures and communities as he documents his travels through Europe. Join us as he reveals how Americans can broaden their perspective through travel—and why it’s ultimately a powerful political act.
Widely considered America's leading authority on European travel, Steves sees himself as a teacher above all else. He taught his first travel class at his college campus in the mid-1970s—and now, more than 40 years later, he still measures his success not by dollars earned but by trips impacted. Steves produces a best-selling series of guidebooks and is the author of Travel as a Political Act. He is dedicated to making travel information accessible and has made extensive resources available for free on the Rick Steves' Europe website; via the Rick Steves Audio Europe™ app; and in Rick Steves Classroom Europe™, a searchable database of short, teachable video clips.
Featured Speakers
Mark C. Fava
Session: Creating a Culture of Collaboration for Navigating Disputes
Date: Friday, October 18 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Mark Fava has been at the Boeing South Carolina site for over 14 years since its inception. As a Naval Flight Officer and career aviation lawyer, he served in the Navy and rose to the rank of Captain in the Navy Reserve while commanding three units, including a P-3 squadron. After six years on active duty in the Navy, he worked as a federal judicial law clerk and later became a law firm partner managing a national aviation law practice group. He has had an extensive career as an in-house lawyer first for Delta Air Lines, where he was the Chief Operations Attorney on 9/11, and now for The Boeing Company.
Mr. Fava was the first South Carolinian hired to the executive leadership team in Charleston in 2010. He has served as Boeing’s lead lawyer in SC and also represented the company in regulatory matters. He has also served as the chief counsel for Boeing’s senior engineer. In 2023, Mr. Fava was selected for a newly created Ombudsperson position and is now in Boeing’s Chief Aerospace Safety Office where he reports biannually to Boeing’s Board of Directors.
His first book entitled “Lessons from the Admiral” will be released in January of next year. While he travels extensively to all Boeing sites, he and his family reside in Charleston, South Carolina.
Dan Slater
Session: Implementing a Culture of Innovation
Date: Thursday, October 17 10:30–11:20 a.m.
Dan Slater is the Worldwide Head of Culture of Innovation for Amazon Web Services (AWS), and part of AWS’s Innovation and Transformation Programs organization. Dan has been at Amazon for over 18 years, having joined in 2006 to launch the company’s first direct-to-customer digital content offerings. He then became part of the Amazon Books team to launch the Kindle family of devices, Kindle’s global content marketplaces, and Amazon’s self-publishing service, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). After overseeing content acquisition, demand generation, and Author and Vendor Relations, Dan joined AWS in April of 2020. Prior to Amazon, Dan was a Senior Acquisitions Editor at Simon & Schuster and Penguin, and led sales for a publishing software systems and services firm (Vista, now Ingenta). Dan holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University, and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.