Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Jonathan Hoffman, former assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, have been announced as keynote speakers for FreightWaves’ The Future of Supply Chain live event May 9-10 in Rogers, Arkansas.
“The Future of Supply Chain will be a great event in a terrific location in Northwest Arkansas,” FreightWaves Founder and CEO Craig Fuller said. “Gov. Hutchinson and Jonathan Hoffman have accomplished a great deal for our nation. Having them as event keynote speakers, I know attendees will have a memorable experience.”
Gov. Hutchinson
Hutchinson is Arkansas’ 46th governor. He was reelected with 65% of the vote in 2018, receiving more votes than any other candidate for governor in the state’s history.
He has won recognition for the state as a leader in computer science education, cut taxes by over $250 million and signed a law that exempts the retirement pay of veterans from state income tax.
President Ronald Reagan appointed Hutchinson as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. In 1996, he won the first of three successive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During Hutchinson’s third term in Congress, President George W. Bush appointed him director of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as an undersecretary in the newly created Department of Homeland Security.
His experience has established him as a national resource for his expertise on trade, energy, national security and education. Hutchinson is the current chair of the National Governors Association. He is the former co-chair of the Council of Governors and the former chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, Southern States Energy Board and the Southern Regional Education Board.
Jonathan Hoffman
With more than 20 years of experience in communications, government, business and law, Hoffman has demonstrated expertise in national defense and homeland security policies and programs, public affairs, crisis communications, and government relations.
He recently served as the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs. In this role he was responsible for Department of Defense (DOD) strategic communications planning and public affairs execution, was the principal adviser to the secretary of defense for all public relations and crisis communications issues and was the chief Pentagon spokesman.
Prior to joining the DOD, Hoffman served in a similar role at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as assistant secretary of homeland security for public affairs. Hoffman also served as the Emergency Support Function-15 (External Affairs) coordinator for the entire federal government in times of national crisis.
Previously, he served as the deputy assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs at DHS, and as the director of international programs and border security policy at the White House. He is a recipient of both the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Secretary of Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal.
In the private sector, Hoffman has advised dozens of public, private, government and nonprofit sector clients on a variety of government relations and public affairs issues. He also served as an adjunct professor of homeland security at the Citadel and of military justice at the Charleston School of Law. He was a co-founder at two startups – a politics-focused social media platform and a public sentiment data analytics SaaS provider.
“I am excited to be a keynote speaker at The Future of Supply Chain in May,” Hoffman said. “I have been working with FreightWaves for the last several months and have come to appreciate the complexity and importance of an industry many people – until the last two years – took for granted because it always delivered with zero public attention.”
Hoffman added, “With worldwide economic upheaval due to COVID-19, Russia’s effective excommunication from the global economy as a result of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the explosion of disruptive supply chain technology, this event will be a well-timed opportunity to talk about how the global supply chain community must continue to adapt and enhance resilience to better serve clients and customers in a less predictable world of escalating risk.”
The Future of Supply Chain
A celebration of technology and innovation, The Future of Supply Chain – to be held at the Rogers Convention Center – will bring together thought leaders from all sectors of the supply chain to share their experiences, predictions and expertise during live interviews and fireside chats. There will also be inside looks at the technology shaping the supply chain during rapid-fire technology demonstrations from over two dozen FreightTech companies.
Attendees will learn how companies are transforming the management of their supply chains, and explore the latest technology, newest applications, trends in education and continuing evolution of the supply chain.
For more information on the event, click here.