2021 IPSA Conference Speakers
Peter Zeihan Peter Zeihan is a geopolitical strategist, which is a fancy way of saying he helps people understand how the world works. Peter combines an expert understanding of demography, economics, energy, politics, technology, and security to help clients best prepare for an uncertain future. Over the course of his career, Peter has worked for the US State Department in Australia, the DC think tank community, and helped develop the analytical models for Stratfor, one of the world’s premier private intelligence companies. Peter founded his own firm — Zeihan on Geopolitics — in 2012 in order to provide a select group of clients with direct, custom analytical products. Today those clients represent a vast array of sectors including energy majors, financial institutions, business associations, agricultural interests, universities and the U.S. military. With a keen eye toward what will drive tomorrow’s headlines, his irreverent approach transforms topics that are normally dense and heavy into accessible, relevant takeaways for audiences of all types. Peter is a critically-acclaimed author whose first two books — The Accidental Superpower and The Absent Superpower — have been recommended by Mitt Romney, Fareed Zakaria and Ian Bremmer. His forthcoming third title, Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World will be available late-2019. | |
Constance Cullman Constance Cullman is the American Feed Industry Association’s president and CEO. She also serves as the president of AFIA’s public charity the Institute for Feed Education and Research and represents AFIA on international issues, including serving on the International Feed Industry Federation’s board of directors and executive committee, as well as the Global Feed LCA Institute’s board of directors. Cullman has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and a master’s degree in agricultural economics with an emphasis on international trade and agricultural policy from The Ohio State University. She hails from Marysville, Ohio, where her family owned and operated a cow/calf farm. | |
Walter C. Coleman III Walt Coleman began officiating high school football in 1974, joined the NFL in 1989, and became a referee in the league in 1995. He worked multiple playoff games, two NFL conference championship games during his 30-year NFL career, and was the alternative referee for three Super Bowls. He was an NCAA DI football official in the Southwest Conference. Coleman retired as an official from the NFL after working the pro bowl in 2019. | |
Don Day Jr. Don Day Jr. is president and chief meteorologist of DayWeather, Inc. For over 25 years, Don and his DayWeather meteorologists have provided customized broadcast weather services to over 70 radio stations across Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska with emphasis on the rural/ag listener. Day also specializes in weather forecasting and analysis for stratospheric aviation with emphasis on lighter than air vehicles (stratospheric balloons, airships, and very high-altitude experiments). Don was the chief meteorologist for Felix Baumgartner's record and groundbreaking Red Bull Stratos Stratospheric sky dive in 2012 and also was chief meteorologist for Google's Alan Eustace stratospheric jump in 2014 (Stratex). Don has been featured in the documentaries "Mission to the Edge of Space - Red Bull Stratos" 2013 and "14 Minutes to Earth" (2016). Don was also the lead weather adviser for skydiver Luke Aikins' "Heaven Sent - No Parachute Jump" Fox Network 2016. DayWeather also provides long range and seasonal weather forecasts for agriculture and other private industries with an emphasis on long-term and known historic trends in ocean temperature and ocean circulation changes. Don utilizes “analog forecast” principles which are more weighted to past observed weather events/patterns as opposed to computer modeling. Day believes the key to accurate long range forecasts are combination of identifying past weather patterns and comparing those patterns forecast by modern computer modeling. He is an avid hunter, fisherman and hot air balloon pilot. | |
Ross Bernstein The best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books, Ross Bernstein is an award-winning peak performance business speaker who’s keynoted conferences on ALL SEVEN continents for audiences as small as 10 and as large as 10,000. Ross and his books have been featured on thousands of television and radio programs over the years including CNN, ESPN, Bloomberg, Fox News, and “CBS This Morning,” as well as in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today. He’s spent the better part of the past 25 years studying the DNA of championship teams and his program, "The Champion’s Code: Building Relationships Through Life Lessons of Integrity and Accountability from the Sports World to the Business World,” not only illustrates what it takes to become the best of the best, it also explores the fine line between cheating and gamesmanship in sports as it relates to values and integrity in the workplace. As a working member of the media in his home state of Minnesota, Ross has a unique behind the scenes access to all of the local sports franchises in the area, including the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild and Gophers. As such, he spends lots of his time in dugouts, club houses, locker rooms, and press boxes — and it’s here where Ross has met and interviewed thousands of professional athletes over the years. Ross' program is all about the DNA of what makes champions in sports so unique and how that relates to business. His PowerPoint is full of amazing photos about inspirational sports stories and about successful teams that tie into ethics and accountability, and about doing things the right way — with respect. There are reasons certain teams win consistently, whereas others don't... and he explains why. It's based largely on the "Good to Great" concept of how the best companies are able to separate themselves from the rest of the pack through servant leadership, by creating a culture of excellence, by developing deeper relationships, and by giving extraordinary customer service. Ross speaks at over 100 conferences per year, mostly at large association conferences, at franchise leadership events, and to Fortune 500 sales groups — his program is very high energy and a great way to open or close a big event. Give him a call, he would LOVE to be a member of YOUR team for the day! |