Keynote Speaker
Speakers & Sessions at the 2024 NHLA Convention
Mara Liasson is the national political correspondent for NPR and a contributor to FOX News Channel (FNC). She joined FOX in 1997 and serves as a panelist on Special Report with Brett Baier and FOX News Sunday, FOX Broadcasting Company’s public affairs program that airs nationwide each Sunday morning
.Liasson joined NPR in 1985 as a general assignment reporter and newscaster. She covered Congress and served as the White House correspondent during all eight years of the Clinton administration. Now, as the national political correspondent her reports can be heard on the award-winning newsmagazines, All Things Considered and Morning Edition.
During her tenure, she has covered all the presidential elections since 1992 and reports on Senate and House races every election year. She is an expert on elections, national policy and on relations between the White House and Congress.
Liasson received a Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism. From September 1988 to June 1989, she took a leave of absence to attend Columbia University in New York. Shortly thereafter, she returned to NPR as its congressional correspondent.
Liasson has received numerous awards and honors for her reporting, including the White House Correspondents’ Association’s “Merriman Smith Award” in 1994, 1995 and 1997 for excellence in daily news reporting.
Liasson earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University.
Eric Traupe is a trusted advisor to our nation’s highest-ranking leaders. He has advised CIA directors, presidents, cabinet and military officials, and members of Congress. He has also participated in momentous White House strategic, policy, and resource decisions. Traupe’s leadership, acumen, and unmatched ability to cultivate enduring relationships between the U.S. and its foreign partners continue to be heralded in intelligence circles.
Traupe is an inclusive and transformational leader whose “exemplary leadership will reverberate across the CIA for decades,” as noted by the agency’s top officials. To complement his highly sought-after leadership insights, Traupe is masterfully skilled at engaging audiences with his captivating perspectives on today’s top issues.
Throughout his tenure with the CIA, he thrived in assignments that required crisis management skills, sound judgment, and an ability to assess internal and external risks. As a member of the CIA’s Expanded Corporate Board, Traupe led thousands of officers from different professional units, developed and executed multi-billion-dollar budgets, and addressed acute intelligence and foreign policy challenges on behalf of the CIA director. He expertly assessed geopolitical and economic trends, forecasted key budgetary investments, and weighed the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact to ensure his workforce maintained cohesion, resiliency, and mission focus.
Prior to the CIA, Traupe served in the United States Marine Corps for nearly 10 years. He held several command and staff assignments and completed deployments to the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans, Japan, and Europe. Traupe played a key role in managing three separate non-combatant evacuation operations in The Gambia, Albania, and Zaire, during which a total of 1,500 U.S. citizens were safely rescued.
Since leaving the public sector, Traupe founded Azimuth Global LLC, a consulting firm that provides strategic advisory services to Fortune 100 companies across sectors. He is also the president of Capella Federal Inc. and a senior advisor at WestExec Advisors. Additionally, Traupe is an ambassador for the Third Option Foundation and serves on the boards of large and emerging technology companies.
Consistently recognized as a strategic thinker and collaborative leader, Traupe’s contributions to the Intelligence Community have been recognized with several honors, including the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, Clandestine Service Career Award, CIA’s Director Award (twice), George W. Bush Award for Excellence, and the Presidential Rank Award — to name a few.
He holds an MBA in international business from American University and a BA in communications from the University of Michigan, where he starred as a linebacker participating in two Rose Bowls and a Gator Bowl.
Education Session: A Guide to Hardwood Trends, Forecasts, and Insights for 2024 – Part One
Sponsored by A.W. Stiles Contractors, Inc.
Come think outside the wood box with us as we hear from designers, educators, and trend influencers on the need to market and show our wood, as well as the trends that are going to impact the hardwood industry. Panelists include:
- Sally Augustin, PhD, Principal at Design With Science
- Kenn Busch, Founder of Material Intelligence LLC and Climate Positive NOW
- Mark Harms, Global Marketing Director at Sherwin Williams
Education Session: From Automation to Ale, Exploring AI over Drinks
Customer expectations, market dynamics, and technology are transforming dramatically. Hear from panelists who have embraced technology. Learn about their initiatives, challenges, and successes.
This panel will be moderated by Garner Robinson, CEO of Robinson Lumber Company.
After attending the Ed Session, hop on a quick shuttle ride to tour Robinson Lumber Company’s flagship concentration yard, which will include a CombiLift CSS Slipsheet Container Loading System. (*all convention attendees are invited)
Light refreshments will be served. Buses depart the Omni at 3:00 pm and will return by 5:00 pm. Just in time for the Bourbon, Bluegrass, and Banter Reception at 5:30 pm. All are welcome – no registration is required.
Enhancing Global Market Access—EUDR, Certification, and the Changing Policy Environment
Sponsored by Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company
American Hardwood Export Council Executive Director Mike Snow will discuss the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), certification systems, and the overall environment for U.S. hardwood exports. Guest speakers include Phil Guillery, Rupert Oliver, and the AHEC global directors.
Education Session: Personal Investing 101, Eric Lynn
A simple discussion for those attendees who want to understand how they and their company should be investing in the future.
Education Session: A Guide to Hardwood Trends, Forecasts, and Insights for 2024 – Part Two
Sponsored by Ressources Lumber
Join us for a panel discussion of hardwood consumption trends and their impacts on the hardwood manufacturing process. Topics to be discussed include standardization of frame/dimension and pallet stock, upticks in urban wood usage, rustic grades, and changes in the standard for the NHLA Facility Grade Certification Program. Panel Speakers include:
- Jason Horton, Hardwood Lumber Buyer for Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
- Michael Born, Co-Founder of Urban Wood Economy
- Dana Spessert, NHLA Chief Inspector