2010 Keynote Speakers

  • John Berry

    John Berry

    Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management John Berry is the Federal Government’s Chief People Person. As the Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, he is the highest ranking openly LGBT member of the Obama administration and also the highest ranking openly LGBT member of any presidential administration.  His responsibilities include recruiting, hiring, and setting benefits policies for 1.9 million Federal civilian employees. Calling this a new day for the civil service, he is reinvigorating the Federal workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

    Director Berry is working closely with partners both inside and outside of government to fulfill President Obama’s charge to “make government cool again" by developing flexible, results-oriented HR policies and working to change how Americans view their public servants. His goal: build a workforce of dynamic innovators who put serving the American people at the heart of everything they do.

    With over twenty years of experience in the Federal government, Director Berry is a passionate and aggressive advocate for public service and Federal workers. He first developed expertise in Federal employee and retirement issues during ten years as Legislative Director for Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland, now the Majority Leader.

    During the Clinton Administration, Director Berry served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement at the Department of the Treasury, where he had direct-line authority over 40% of the Federal law enforcement community, including the Secret Service and the ATF. He then served as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget at the Department of the Interior.

    From 2001 to 2008, Berry pursued his interest in conservation as Director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and then as Director of the National Zoo.

    He will be speaking during the dinner reception on Saturday evening.

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    Blythe Masters

    Head of Global Commodities, J.P. Morgan Blythe Masters is head of Global Commodities and serves on the JPMorgan Chase Executive Committee.  From 2004 to 2006, Blythe was chief financial officer of the Investment Bank.

    Prior to that role, she was head of Global Credit Portfolio and Credit Policy and Strategy, responsible for the management of credit and market risks of the bank’s retained credit positions arising from lending and derivatives activities, the development of credit strategy, policies, infrastructure and limits to measure and control credit risk, and coordinated the financial and risk reporting of the firm’s credit activities.

    In earlier positions, she was head of North American Structured Credit Products and co-head of Asset Backed Securitization at J.P. Morgan, managing businesses including ABS, Conduit Financing, CLOs, Synthetic Securitization, Credit Hybrids, Insurance and Pension Derivatives, Latin American Structured Finance, Repackaging and Structured Products Risk Management.

    Prior to this, Blythe was responsible for Global Credit Derivatives Marketing at J.P. Morgan Securities, Inc. Her responsibilities included structuring and distribution of credit derivative products and related credit risk management strategies, both for J.P. Morgan and its clients. In 1998-99, Blythe was also Co-Head of North American Credit Portfolio.

    Blythe joined J.P. Morgan in 1991, having completed a number of internships in the bank’s derivatives businesses dating back to 1987. She has experience in derivatives marketing and trading (spanning fixed income, commodities and credit markets), credit portfolio management, structured finance, securitization and finance.

    She has a B.A. in economics from Trinity College, Cambridge.
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    Robert Hanson

    President, Levi Strauss and Co. Robert Hanson is the President of the Global Brand for Levi Strauss and Co., which includes accountability for the U.S. Levi’s® brand, U.S. Dockers®, U.S. Levi Strauss Signature®, Canada, Mexico and Latin America businesses.  Previously, he served as President of the Americas Region.  He has also been President and General Manager of the U.S. Levi's® brand, a position he held since 2001. Prior to that Robert was the President of the Levi’s brand in Europe, Africa and the Middle East from 1998 – 2001.

    Robert is a member of the company’s worldwide leadership team, which sets the company’s global strategic direction.  He began his career with Levi Strauss and Co. in 1988.

    As a strong advocate for social justice, LGBT rights and marriage equality, Robert championed the company’s involvement as a leader in the Business Council for the “No on Prop 8” campaign.  He also supported the company’s decision to sign on to the amicus brief to the California Supreme Court in support of the freedom to marry for same sex couples.  

    He has been a strong advocate for and supporter of HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention both within Levi Strauss&Co. globally and within the communities in which the company operates.
    Robert served a 6-year term on the Board of Directors for the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York City and was instrumental in developing a partnership between the organization and the Levi’s® brand to raise awareness and financial support for high risk LGBT youth.  Robert also served as a Board Member for the Levi Strauss Foundation and has advised several other NGOs focusing in the areas of Social Justice, Youth Education and Empowerment and Economic Development.

    In 2007, Robert was honored to receive the National Gay&Lesbian Chamber of Commerce “Courage in Business” award.  In 2010, Robert was honored to receive the GLAAD “Local Hero” award.

    Prior to Levi Strauss & Co., Robert worked for Foote, Cone and Belding Advertising and The MAC Group Strategic Consulting.  He received a bachelors of arts and a bachelors of science degree from Saint Mary’s College in California and attended the Executive Program of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business Consumer Marketing.  

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