CFC Forum 2023 Features Dynamic Keynote Speakers

Gary Sinise’s stage, film and television career has spanned more than four decades. For his performance as “Lt. Dan” Taylor in “Forrest Gump,” he received nominations for Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards. Other notable credits include “Apollo 13,” “Ransom,” “Snake Eyes,” “Impostor,” “The Green Mile,” “Of Mice and Men” and “CSI: NY.”

In addition to his film career, Sinise has advocated on behalf of America’s service members for nearly 40 years. He began supporting local Vietnam veterans groups in Chicago in the early ’80s and went on to form an enduring connection with service members throughout the military community. In 2011, he established the Gary Sinise Foundation, with the mission to serve and honor America’s defenders, veterans, first responders, Gold Star families and those in need. 

Sinise received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor awarded to individuals for exemplary deeds performed in service of the nation.

Gina McCarthy is one of the nation’s most respected voices on climate change, the environment and public health. As head of the Climate Policy Office under President Joe Biden, McCarthy’s leadership led to the most aggressive action on climate in U.S. history, creating new jobs and unprecedented clean energy innovations and investments across the country. 

Before joining the Biden administration, McCarthy served as president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Prior to NRDC, she was a professor in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she served as the director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment. 

From 2013 to 2017, McCarthy was the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama. Prior to that, McCarthy was the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.

Jon Dorenbos is a retired NFL player, a world-class magician, a survivor of immense personal tragedy, an author and a powerful motivational speaker. 

At just 12 years old, Dorenbos’s life was forever changed when his father did the unthinkable and killed his mother. Essentially orphaned, he turned to magic and sports as an escape.

Dorenbos played 14 seasons in the NFL, notably making the Pro Bowl twice as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2016, he competed on “America’s Got Talent,” where he showcased his skills as a sleight-of-hand magician, placing third overall in the competition.

Known for his great sense of humor and positive outlook on life, Dorenbos is a seasoned motivational and keynote speaker with more than 10 years of experience. His moving keynote presentations include the inspiring “Life Is Magic,” which shares its title with his bestselling book and recounts his journey from tragedy to self-discovery.

Arshad Mansoor is president and chief executive officer of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), responsible for the institute’s operation and its global portfolio of research and development and demonstration programs, spanning all sources of generation, power delivery and utilization and the environment.

Mansoor holds five U.S. patents in power electronics and distributed energy resources. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and previously served as vice president of the U.S. National Committee of CIGRE and as a member of the board for the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 

Mansoor earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and a Master of Science and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor Technology Course and the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

Bob Knott has spent the last 25 years helping Fortune 500 and middle market companies speak in authentic, differentiated voices to enhance their reputations and increase revenue. 

Formerly a global executive for Edelman, the world’s largest communications agency, and FTI Consulting, an international business consultancy traded on the New York Stock Exchange, he is the founder and principal of Timbre Strategies. Knott is an expert on reputation management, public affairs and crisis communications. 

Knott has extensive experience in the energy and financial services industries. He has represented Chevron, Exelon, GE Energy, NextEra and Royal Dutch Shell, as well as the American Petroleum Institute, American Solar Energy Industries Association and American Wind Energy Association. 

Having worked on behalf of CFC for nearly 15 years, Knott possesses an in-depth knowledge of electric cooperatives and their essential role in providing affordable electricity and broadband service to communities nationwide.

Matthew Harrington is the global president and chief operating officer at Edelman, an industry-leading communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Harrington advises leaders of some of the world’s largest and most complex companies on corporate positioning, reputation management, crisis communications, merger and acquisition activity and initial public offerings.  

Harrington’s nearly 35-year career at Edelman has encompassed work for hundreds of clients across nearly every industry sector. Longstanding clients include Charles Schwab, Microsoft, Samsung and Starbucks. His previous leadership roles at Edelman include president of the U.S., Eastern and Western regions. 

A graduate of Denison University, Harrington serves on its Board of Trustees. He is an advisory member of the Marketing 50 and serves on the boards of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the Classic Stage Company and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication’s Board of Advisers.