Announcing the keynote speakers for the AAFA Executive Summit:
Opening on Wednesday, March 6: Jim Weber, Chairman & CEO, Brooks Running
Jim Weber joined Brooks as CEO in 2001 and is credited for the Seattle-based company’s aggressive turnaround story, focusing the team solely on delivering personally inspiring products and experiences that keep people running. The business and brand caught the attention of Warren Buffett, who declared Brooks a standalone Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary company in 2012.
Jim’s professional journey also includes assignments in the branded consumer products industry such as chairman and CEO of Sims Sports, president of O’Brien International, vice president of The Coleman Company, and various roles with The Pillsbury Company. Prior to joining Brooks, Jim was managing director of U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Seattle Investment Banking practice and served on the Brooks board of directors.
Jim received a master’s of business administration degree with high distinction from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Author of the book Running with Purpose, he currently serves on the boards of directors for Brooks and the Carlson School of Management at University of Minnesota. In September 2015, Runner’s World magazine named Weber one of nine most influential innovators in the running industry. As well, he’s earned a spot for more than 10 consecutive years on the Footwear News “Power 100” list, honoring greats across all footwear categories from the runway to running.
Opening on Thursday, March 7: Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Popular On-Air Political Analyst
For more than 25 years, Amy Walter has built a reputation as an accurate, objective, and insightful political analyst with unparalleled access to campaign insiders and decision-makers. Known as one of the best political journalists covering Washington, she is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the non-partisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, where she provides analysis of the issues, trends, and events that shape the political environment. A contributor to the PBS NewsHour, she provides weekly political analysis for the popular “Politics Monday” segment and is a featured contributor for the network’s election and convention special coverage events.
She is also a regular Sunday panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press and CNN’s Inside Politics, and appears frequently on Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News Channel. From 2017 until early 2021, Walter was the host of the weekly nationally syndicated program "Politics with Amy Walter" on The Takeaway from WNYC and PRX. She’s also the former political director of ABC News.
Closing on Thursday, March 7: Chuck Todd, Chief Political Analyst at NBC, Moderator of Meet the Press from 2014-2023
Fifty years from now, one journalist will be the voice and face of our political era — and that journalist is Chuck Todd. A self-described political junkie, he has earned a reputation as one of the most passionate journalists and sharpest analysts in American media. He is NBC News’ chief political analyst and, from 2014-2023, served as the revered moderator of Meet the Press — the flagship Sunday morning public affairs program, the longest-running broadcast in television history, and the number one-rated Sunday public affairs program for several consecutive years. Todd also hosted the daily NBC News Now show, Meet the Press NOW, which builds on the success of its previous iteration, Meet the Press Daily, which Todd anchored for eight seasons.
Influencers and competitors praise him as “a tireless reporter” with “an encyclopedic knowledge of politics” and the ability to “break down barriers and get people off of their talking points.” With what Washingtonian calls a “savant-like knowledge of politics,” he has become a fixture in the White House press room, a steady and constant presence on television, and a tireless voice on the campaign trail. His up-to-the-minute poll analysis and insightful commentary have made him one of the most sought-after voices in American political coverage.
Previously, Todd served as NBC News chief White House correspondent (2008–2014), as well as the host of NBC News’ The Daily Rundown (2010–2014), featuring interviews with members of Congress and other newsmakers. As the network’s chief political analyst, he plays a key role in shaping the editorial for all aspects of NBC's political coverage. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Chuck Todd has the unique ability to deliver an all-consuming passion for politics with razor-sharp analysis. As the political news of today becomes tomorrow’s American history, he offers a comprehensive picture of the current political landscape and serves as the voice of America in the early 21st century.
A Star in Political Journalism. Todd was among the media’s most-trusted voices in the run up to the 2020 elections, during which he co-moderated two of NBC’s presidential primary debates. The first, in June 2019, set records as the most-watched Democratic presidential debate in history — a record that was broken by the second debate in 2020. During the 2008 presidential election, Todd became a frequent contributor to several television news outlets, and during the 2004 elections, he had the rare privilege of moderating one of the few presidential candidate forums in Iowa.
Todd also hosts The Chuck ToddCast and teaches a graduate-level political communications course at Johns Hopkins University. In 2012, GQ named Todd “The Most Powerful Journalist in Washington.” That same year, he also won the Jeopardy! Power Players match. In 2005, Washingtonian featured him in its “Best of” issue in the journalism section, and in 2009, the magazine named him one of the top 50 journalists covering Washington. In 2001, George magazine named Todd one of the 50 most influential people in politics.
Todd was one of the founders of Sports Business Daily (now known as Sports Business Journal) in 1994, serving as the publication’s managing editor before returning to politics in 1995.
Covering Campaigns, Candidates, and Everything in Between. Todd loves to follow races, issues, and campaigns, and when he isn’t following politics, he’s writing about them. He contributes to publications like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic Monthly, where he is a contributing editor. In 2009, Todd co-authored the definitive election analysis book How Barack Obama Won. His second book, The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House, was released in 2014.
In 2007, Tim Russert, then-Washington bureau chief and Meet the Press moderator recruited Todd to join NBC as the network’s political director. Before that, he was the editor-in-chief of National Journal’s The Hotline, Washington’s premier daily briefing on American politics. In his 15 years working at the Hotline or one of its affiliates, Todd became one of Washington’s foremost experts on political campaigns of all levels. He helped to grow the publication from a single daily political exposition into an elite paper at the epicenter of politics.