USF Sarasota-Manatee to host four-part speaker series 'Ukraine: One Year Later'

Retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, former supreme allied commander for Europe, will be a keynote speaker for USF Sarasota-Manatee's four-part series "Ukraine: One Year Later."
Retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, former supreme allied commander for Europe, will be a keynote speaker for USF Sarasota-Manatee's four-part series "Ukraine: One Year Later."

The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee is co-hosting a four-part speaker series, "Ukraine: One Year Later,” featuring leading authorities from a variety of fields who will share insights on the global impacts of the war in Ukraine.

The series is a followup to last year’s program, “Ukraine: What’s Next?” which was organized shortly after Russia attacked Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

The new series will take place virtually and in-person from February through April on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. Briefings will include the military and geopolitical outlook; the financial and economic impacts of the war; and how the conflict is affecting agriculture, cybersecurity, world trade and other areas.

The conference series is co-chaired by retired Air Force Maj. Gen. David Scott Gray and David R. Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer of Cumberland Advisors.

Loretta Mester, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, will be the opening day speaker for "Ukraine: What's Next?" on Feb. 16 at USFSM's Selby Auditorium.
Loretta Mester, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, will be the opening day speaker for "Ukraine: What's Next?" on Feb. 16 at USFSM's Selby Auditorium.

Part 1 of the series will be held Feb. 16-17 at Selby Auditorium on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. On the first day, the keynote speaker will be Loretta Mester, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. After Mester’s presentation, there will be panel sessions on the effects of the war on monetary policy, investing, and the U.S. defense budget. The panelists will include:

· Matt McAleer, executive vice president and director of equity strategies at Cumberland Advisors.

· William Kennedy, board chair at the Global Interdependence Center, and chief investment officer at RiskBridge Advisors.

· Byron Callan, managing director at Capital Alpha Partners.

· Bill Hoagland, former staff director of the Senate Budget Committee and senior vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

· Lisa McIntire Shaw, managing partner of Cygnus Asset Management and vice chair of programs for the Global Interdependence Center.

The keynote speaker for day 2 will be retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, former supreme allied commander for Europe, who will provide an update on the military situation in Ukraine. Panel discussions on the roles of the financial system and central banks during wartime will follow. The panelists will include:

· Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO and chief strategist at Quill Intelligence.

· David Berson, chief U.S. economist at Cumberland Advisors.

· Maryanne Waldman, first vice president and financial adviser at RBC Wealth Management, and board member at the Global Interdependence Center.

· Zdenek Tuma, former governor of the Czech National Bank and Global Interdependence Center College of Central Bankers fellow.

· Kathleen Stephansen, chair emeritus of the Global Interdependence Center and senior economist for Haver Analytics.

Each program will run from 9 a.m. to noon and be followed by lunch. Future sessions will focus on drones, artificial intelligence and health (March 9); reactions to the war in the stock, bond, food, and oil and gas markets (March 23-24); and cryptocurrencies and the implications of the war in Asia (April 20-21).

“Ukraine: One Year Later” is hosted by the USF Sarasota-Manatee, the Global Interdependence Center, and the Florida West Coast Chapter of the Air and Space Forces Association. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit sarasotamanatee.usf.edu or bit.ly/3xcwmhf.

Submitted by Marc Masferrer

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: USFSM hosting four-part speaker/panel series on Russia-Ukraine war