CFC Forum 2022 General Session Speaker Recordings Now Available

Recordings from CFC Forum 2022 general sessions are available on the CFC Member Website under the “Events & Training” section. Members must have a Member Website account to log in and access the videos. Members who do not have an account for the CFC Member Website can create an account by visiting the Member Website Login page and clicking the Request Account link at the top of the page.

CFC Forum 2022 Scrapbook

CFC CEO Andrew Don (left) moderated a discussion with Tom Porcelli (center), managing director and chief U.S. Economist for RBC Capital Markets, and Steven Ricchiuto (right), managing director and chief economist for Mizuho Securities USA, about what is next for the U.S. economy. “I think you’re looking at a pretty sluggish economic backdrop over the next couple of quarters,” Porcelli said. “Whether it’s an official recession or not, I think the pieces are in place for it to move in that direction.” Ricchiuto added regarding long-term rates, “I don’t think the Federal Reserve really understands how powerful its forward guidance is. What we’re learning in this cycle is the power of forward guidance and how quickly it translates monetary policy decisions into economic realities. The economy is already feeling it.”

Former National Security Adviser and Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton (right) joined Political Analyst and Television Commentator William Kristol (left) to discuss global threats and national security issues. “China, in my view, without doubt is the biggest threat because of its aspirations and hegemony along its periphery in the Indo-Pacific,” Bolton said. “Our problem in the Indo-Pacific is that we do not have an alliance structure that is as rich, deep and interconnected as the NATO alliance.” Bolton concluded, “We are the backbone of the world that makes our way of life here at home possible. If we don’t understand the fundamental connection between the importance of a strong American presence in the world with our allies, the vitality of our way of life here at home and the importance of a strong economy here to keep our presence viable overseas, when it disappears it will be very hard to get back.”

Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi (right) joined Wayne Stratton (left), director of Shelby Energy Cooperative and former NCSC board president, to discuss America’s economic report card. “By the early part of 2024, 18 months from now, inflation will be back to something that we all feel reasonably comfortable with,” Zandi said. “This relies on three key assumptions. The first assumption is the pandemic will continue to wind down. The second is that the worst of the economic fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine is at hand. The third is that the Federal Reserve, which is raising rates now very aggressively in an effort to rein in inflation, navigates this reasonably gracefully.”

NBA Legend and Basketball Analyst Bill Walton (right) joined Alan Wattles (left), former CFC board president and CEO at Monroe County Electric Cooperative in Illinois, to close out CFC Forum 2022 with a discussion on great coaches and leadership. “When you think about the person on top, who's in charge of everything, his or her ultimate task is to breathe life and light into the team,” Walton said. “And so you have to illuminate the path forward, show us where we're going, why we're going there, how we're going to get there.” In his conclusion, he shared his appreciation for the electric cooperative network, “I want to thank you for your kindness and generosity. Thank you for what you do for our world.”