Regent University Clash of the Titans

Speaker Bios

Lawrence H. Summers | Robert Gibbs | Brett Baier | Alan Simpson| Karl Rove >

Lawrence H. SummersLawrence H. Summers

Lawrence H. Summers emerged as a key economic decision-maker in the Obama administration while serving as Director of the White House National Economic Council throughout 2009 and 2010. As the chief advisor to the President on economic policy, he developed the Recovery Act and other job creation measures, co-chaired the President's Auto Task Force to restructure the U.S. automobile industry, and played a leading role in managing the nation's international economic relationships.

Summers' wealth of knowledge about economics has earned him numerous accolades including the John Bates Clark Medal, an award given to outstanding American economists under the age of 40, which he received in 1993 following his service as chief economist of the World Bank.

From there he became a key policymaker in the U.S. Treasury Department, ultimately rising to serve as Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001—the only time within the past 60 years that America saw a decline in national debt. During this period, he played a key role in every major economic policy decision from the enactment of NAFTA and the World Trade Organization to the response to financial crises in Mexico, Asia and Russia. At the end of his term, Summers received the Alexander Hamilton Medal, the treasury department's highest honor.

From 2001 to 2006, Summers served as president of Harvard University where he was an outspoken advocate of reform in higher education. He currently serves as a professor at Harvard and a member of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

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Robert GibbsRobert Gibbs

Robert Gibbs has been an advisor and strategist to President Obama since the early days of Obama's 2004 Senate race. Most recently, he served as Obama's press secretary.

A graduate of North Carolina State University, Gibbs began his political career through an internship with former congressman Glen Browder of Alabama. He went on to specialize in Senate campaigns, serving as communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and for four individual Senate campaigns, including those of Fritz Hollings in 1998 and Obama in 2004.

Gibbs joined Obama's Senate campaign as communications director and served in that role throughout the presidential campaign until becoming Senior Strategist for Communications and Message during the general election.

Members of the media have often noted Gibb's quick wit and candid style as he presided over daily press briefings in his role of press secretary. Having spent many years as a close advisor to the President, Gibbs is able to offer a White House insider's perspective on current issues affecting the nation.

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Bret BaierBret Baier

Bret Baier is the anchor of Fox News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier, a role he took over in 2009. His illustrious journalism career has included covering a variety of major news events and interviewing numerous high-profile government officials as both chief White House correspondent and national security correspondent for the network.

During his tenure with Fox News he has covered many historical events, including the 1999 conflict in Kosovo, the 2000 election recount in Florida, the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon, the congressional vote on health care legislation and the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas. He has also provided extensive coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, traveling to Iraq 13 times since 2001 and spending two weeks embedded with U.S. Special Forces along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

He has conducted hard-hitting interviews like the one with President Obama in March 2010, the only interview granted during the week leading up to the historic health care vote in the House of Representatives. He also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in anticipation of key peace talks at the United Nations, Polish President Lech Kaczynski days after the U.S. decision to abort missile defense plans in Poland and Georgia President Mikheul Saakashvili after the Russian invasion of Georgia.

Other notable interviews include President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and an exclusive sit-down with General Patraeus live from Iraq, the general's final interview as head of U.S. operations there.

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Alan SimpsonAlan Simpson

Hailing from a family that was heavily involved in law and politics, it is no surprise that Alan Simpson has held distinguished positions in both fields. A third-generation lawyer, Simpson earned his law degree from the University of Wyoming. After serving overseas in the Army, he practiced law in Wyoming, briefly as assistant attorney general and ten years as city attorney in his hometown of Cody.

Following in the footsteps of his father, who served as both a governor and senator, Simpson later served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for 13 years, holding the offices of Majority Whip, Majority Floor Leader and Speaker Pro-Tem. He was then elected for three terms in the U.S. Senate and was named by his peers to the position of Assistant Majority Leader, which he held for ten years.

After leaving the Senate, he served as the director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government for two years before returning to his alma mater, the University of Wyoming, as a visiting lecturer in the Political Science Department. His class, Wyoming's Political Identity: Its History and Its Politics, remains one of the most popular courses at the university.

In 2010, President Obama appointed Simpson to serve on the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Simpson continues to serve on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards and travels the country speaking on a variety of subjects. His book, Right in the Old Gazoo: A Lifetime of Scrapping with the Press, chronicles his personal experiences and views of the Fourth Estate.

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Karl RoveKarl Rove

Before Karl Rove became known as "The Architect" of President George W. Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns, he was president of Karl Rove + Company, a public affairs firm that worked for Republican candidates, nonpartisan causes and nonprofit organizations. His clients included more than 75 U.S. Senate, Congressional and gubernatorial candidates in 24 states, as well as the Moderate Party of Sweden.

From that consulting role, Rove rose to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush. His winning political strategies earned him great respect. Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, described him as "the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation."

Respected author and columnist Michael Barone wrote in U.S. News & World Report that "... no Presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon."

Rove now puts these skills to use as a FOX News Contributor, and he is the author of the New York Times bestseller Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight. He also writes a weekly op-ed for the Wall Street Journal and has written for a myriad of other publications including Newsweek, The Times, Washington Post, The Weekly Standard, Financial Times and Forbes.

Rove has taught both undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of government and journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a faculty member with the Salzburg Global Seminar.

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