Kendra Scott
October 18, 2023
Hyatt Regency Frisco-Dallas
Designer, founder and philanthropist Kendra Scott launched her company, Kendra Scott LLC, in 2002, just three months after her first son was born. Her commitment to innovation, quality, customer service and detail has taken her from a small startup to a billion-dollar brand. With over 2,600 employees and more than 130 standalone stores, Kendra Scott LLC is known for its design and material innovation, use of color and signature shapes. Today, Kendra Scott LLC offers fashion, demi-fine and fine jewelry, as well as watches, engagement rings, home accessories, a men's collection, Scott Bros. by Kendra Scott and includes a Southwestern-inspired brand, Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott.
While family and fashion are at the heart of her business, Kendra maintains a focus on her passion for philanthropy in all that she does. Kendra Scott LLC has given back over $40 million to local, national and international causes since 2010. In 2018 alone, the company contributed nearly $15 million in combined monetary and in-kind donations and partnered with more than 8,000 philanthropic organizations nationwide with an investment of over 2,000 volunteer hours.
Kendra has been awarded Texas Businesswoman of the Year by the Women's Chamber of Commerce and listed by Forbes as one of America's Richest Self-Made Women. She received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 National Award and was named one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Year by Upstart Business Journal, Best CEO by Austin Business Journal and Honorary Celebrity Chair for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas. She received the Breakthrough Award from the Accessories Council Excellence Awards and was also named Outstanding Mother of the Year by the Mother's Day Council.
Kendra is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and maintains her position as Executive Chairwoman of the Board of Kendra Scott, LLC.
Kevin Hassett
March 21, 2024
Hyatt Regency Dallas
Kevin Hassett served as the 29th Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers from 2017 to 2019. He returned to the White House in 2020 as a senior advisor to President Trump, during which time he coordinated the economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hassett has been involved in national politics for more than 20 years, serving as an economic adviser to the campaigns of President George W. Bush in 2004, the late Senator John McCain in 2000 and 2008 and Senator Mitt Romney in 2012.
Hassett is currently a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Global Director of Research for Affinity Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Miami. Hassett is also senior advisor of Capital Matters, the economic website of National Review.
Prior to his service at the White House, Hassett was Research Director at the American Enterprise Institute. He also served as a senior economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. His academic background includes being an associate professor of economics and finance at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, as well as a visiting professor at New York University's Law School. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and B.A. with high honors from Swarthmore College.