Former Secretaries of Defense to Keynote TMA Chicago/Midwest's Premier Event

CHICAGO, Sept. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Secretaries of Defense Dr. Robert M. Gates and  Leon Edward Panetta will be the featured speakers at the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) 2015 Executive Speaker Forum on Monday, November 23 at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, 221 N. Columbus Drive, Chicago.    

Robert Gates served as the 22^nd Secretary of Defense (2006 - 2011) and is the only secretary of defense in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly elected president. Secretary Gates has been awarded the National Security Medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal, has twice received the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, and has three times received the CIA's highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal.

Previously, Dr. Gates was the president of Texas A&M University and also served as interim dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M from 1999 to 2001. He has authored two memoirs - Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War (2014), a straightforward, vividly written account of his experience serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War (1996) which details his career as a CIA officer at the center of power during a time when the threat of global annihilation informed America's every move.

Leon Panetta served as the 23rd Secretary of Defense from July 2011 to February 2013. Before joining the Department of Defense, he served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from February 2009 to June 2011.  

Before joining the CIA, Mr. Panetta spent 10 years co-directing with his wife, Sylvia, the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, based at California State University, Monterey Bay.  From July 1994 to January 1997, Mr. Panetta served as Chief of Staff to President William Clinton.  Prior to that, he was Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Panetta represented California's 16th (now 17th) Congressional District from 1977 to 1993, rising to House Budget Committee chairman during his final four years in Congress.  He also served as an Army intelligence officer from 1964 to 1966 and received the Army Commendation Medal.

His autobiography, Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace (2014) is a reflection of Panetta's values. It is imbued with the frank, grounded, and often quite funny spirit of a man who never lost touch with where he came from: his family's walnut farm in Carmel Valley, California.

"We're honored to have these stalwarts of American leadership keynote our forum," says Aaron Hammer, Chicago/Midwest TMA president. "We look forward to their insights on foreign policy, state of the world and the current political landscape."   

The 2015 Executive Speaker Forum will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a VIP Reception. A formal, sit-down dinner starts at 6:30 during which Messrs. Gates and Panetta will speak. A VIP dessert reception follows at 8:30.  Individual tickets and table package options are available, including a premier event table for $20,000, an event table for $9,000 and a corporate table for $5,000.  Individual tickets can be purchased by members for $325 each. Cost is $400 for nonmembers.  

Launched in 2009, the Executive Speaker Forum has featured internationally prominent speakers including former Gov. Mitt Romney, Timothy Geithner, former Secretary of the Treasury (2009-2013), former President George W. Bush, former Prime Minister of England Tony Blair, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of the Treasury and chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, the Honorable Henry M. Paulson, Jr.  More than 500 people are expected to attend this year's forum.

For more information or to register to attend please visit http://www.tmachicagomidwest.org.

About TMA Chicago/Midwest

The Chicago/Midwest Chapter of The Turnaround Management Association is one of the largest chapters of the only international nonprofit association dedicated to corporate renewal and turnaround management. Incorporated in 1991, the award-winning Chicago/Midwest Chapter is celebrating its 24th year of serving its community. Its active membership participates in more than 30 events annually, including educational workshops, networking programs, forums, and conferences.  For more information about the organization and membership, visit http://www.tmachicagomidwest.org.

SOURCE TMA Chicago/Midwest

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