1.st U.S.- India Friendship Summit: Speakers

Distinguished Speaker - Shashi Tharoor

Former Minister of State for External Affairs(Foreign), Government of India.

Former Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Former Under Secretary General of the United Nations.

Member of Parliament of India.

Chairman of the Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

Shashi Tharoor, a former UN under-secretary-general and former Indian Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Minister of State for External Affairs, is currently an MP for the Indian National Congress and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. He is one of the best known political leaders in India. He is also the author of 16 best selling books.

Distinguished Speaker - Jeff Fortenberry

U.S. Congressman

Jeff Fortenberry was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2004 to represent the people of Nebraska’s First Congressional District, which includes 24 counties in eastern Nebraska.

Distinguished Moderator – Mike Johanns

Former Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America.

Ex United States Senator

Ex Governor of Nebraska.

Mike Johanns has a unique background acquired through more than 30 years of service at virtually every level of government, in both the legislative and executive branches. Recognized worldwide as a leader in agriculture and development, he has successfully led large and complex organizations. His bipartisan approach has earned the respect of colleagues and constituents across the political spectrum.

Distinguished Speaker – U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi

U.S. Congress Committee On Education And The Workforce

U.S. Congress Committee On Oversight And Government Reform

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi was elected in November 2016 to represent the 8th District of Illinois, which includes the west and northwest suburbs of Chicago. Raja’s policy platform focuses on growing and strengthening the middle class by supporting small businesses, rebuilding our infrastructure, and protecting Social Security and Medicare. Raja knows our economy works best when it works for all of us, and that’s why he’s fighting to make college more affordable, expand access to paid sick and parental leave, and guarantee equal pay for equal work.

Distinguished Speaker - Tarun Vijay

Leading intellectual of the BJP & RSS

Former Editor RSS publication the Panchajanya

Leading Parliamentarian (Rajya Sabha)

Shri Tarun Vijay is a leading intellectual of the BJP & RSS, the ruling political party and its ideological mentor. He was the editor of the main RSS publication the Panchajanya for 20 years, the first editor of this was A.B. Vajpayee – the former Indian prime minister.

Distinguished Speaker - Tom Osborne

U.S Congressman - 2001-06

Legendary Coach- Nebraska,Head Football Coach 1973-97

Nebraska,Athletic Director 2007- 2013

Osborne was one of the most successful coaches in American college football history,with a career record of 255–49–3,13 conference championships, and three national championships.He was inducted into the College Football Hall ofFame as a coach in 1999.Osborne was later elected U.S. Representative from Nebraska's 3rd congressional district,as a Republican.He served three terms,from 2001 to 2006.In 2007,he returned to the University of Nebraska as athletic director(AD).He retired as AD in January 2013.

Distinguished Moderators - Jim Clifton

Chairman and CEO Gallup

Jim Clifton has served as CEO of Gallup, a global leader in public opinion research and advanced analytics, since 1988. Under his leadership, Gallup has expanded from a predominantly U.S.-based company to a worldwide organization with 30 offices in 20 countries and regions.

Distinguished Speaker - Raj Kalathur

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Deere and Company

Raj Kalathur became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of John Deere in 2012. His previous employment at American Airlines and University of Albama

Distinguished Speaker - CHARLES E. MORRISON

ex President of EAST-WEST Center from August 1, 1998 through December 30, 2016

Distinguished Senior Fellow, East-West Center

Charles E. Morrison has held several positions at the Center, including president from August 1, 1998 through December 30, 2016. In these capacities he has had extensive involvement in the conceptualization, organization and funding of policy-oriented educational multilateral research and dialogue projects and is a strong advocate of the concept of Asia Pacific community.

Distinguished Speaker - Mary D. Kane

President & CEO

Sister Cities International

ex Secretary of State in Maryland

Formerly an Executive Director with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Mary D. Kane became President and CEO of Sister Cities International in October 2011. A non-profit organization founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sister Cities International serves as the national membership organization for individual sister cities, counties, and states across the U.S., uniting a network of nearly over 500 communities that have over 2100 partnerships in 145 countries on 6 continents.

Distinguished Speaker - Amit Chandra

Managing Director, Bain Capital Mumbai

Mr. Chandra joined Bain Capital as a Managing Director in early 2008, and is a part of the firm’s leadership team in Asia. He received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from VJTI, Bombay University, post which he worked at India's leading engineering & construction firm, Larsen & Toubro. He then received his MBA from Boston College and was awarded the school's Distinguished Alumni in 2007.

Distinguished Speaker - Suketu Mehta

Celebrated & Award Winning Indian Author

Suketu Mehta is the New York-based author of ‘Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found,’ which won the Kiriyama Prize and the Hutch Crossword Award, and was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize, the Lettre Ulysses Prize, the BBC4 Samuel Johnson Prize, and the Guardian First Book Award. He has won the Whiting Writers’ Award, the O. Henry Prize, and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for his fiction. Mehta’s work has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Granta, Harper’s Magazine, Time, and Newsweek, and has been featured on NPR’s ‘Fresh Air’ and ‘All Things Considered.’

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Speakers