NACDS announces speakers for upcoming in-person Annual Meeting

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced two prominent speakers who will be presenting at its upcoming in-person 2022 Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. 

Lisa Sun, founder and CEO of Gravitas will share with attendees empowering and experience-driven insights on how to harness their superpower, and use gravitas to advance both personally and professionally, the organization said. 

Sun will present during the NACDS Luncheon on Monday, April 25. Karl Rove, senior advisor and deputy chief of staff for then-President George W. Bush, will present at the NACDS Political Action Committee (NACDS-PAC) Breakfast.

“We are delighted to welcome Gravitas CEO and founder, Lisa Sun, to the 2022 NACDS Annual Meeting,” NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson, said. “Lisa Sun's passion for style, diversity and inclusivity — along with her keen ability to encourage and empower others – make her a unique and outstanding business leader. I look forward to the enthusiasm and energy she will undoubtedly bring to this year’s highly anticipated event. NACDS celebrates the return to in-person meetings — and the unrivaled opportunities NACDS conferences and events provide members to connect and collaborate, in a safe and effective manner.”

[Read more: NACDS receives ASAE's 2021 Power of A Gold Award]

In 2012, Sun founded Gravitas as a confidence company that offers innovative apparel and styling solutions designed to makeover women from the inside out. Two months after launch, her first collection was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, People Magazine and “The Today Show” — all in the same month. Since then, Sun has appeared on CNN, and in Forbes, Fast Company, New York Magazine, Elle, Marie Claire and InStyle among other publications. 

Praised for her passion and warmth, Sun integrates anecdotes from her own journey and data and experience-driven insights from her 11 years at McKinsey and Co., into her presentations, and has provided lectures for groups including JPMorgan Chase, Mortgage Bankers Association Summit for Women in Real Estate Finance, HSN, Dress for Success Global Success Summit and The Nantucket Project.

While at McKinsey and Co., Sun advised leading luxury, fashion and beauty brands and retailers in the U.S., Asia, Europe and Latin America on strategic and operational issues. 

Karl Rove, senior advisor and deputy chief of staff for then-President George W. Bush, will present at the NACDS Political Action Committee (NACDS-PAC) Breakfast.

[Read More: NACDS poll shows support for extending policies offering access to essential services from pharmacies]

While at the White House from 2000 to 2007, Rove oversaw the Offices of Strategic Initiatives, Political Affairs, Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs and was deputy chief of staff for policy, coordinating the White House policy-making process.

“We are thrilled to welcome back Karl Rove to this year’s NACDS Annual Meeting,” Anderson said. “Attendees appreciate the strategic insights that he brings to the major political issues of the day, and much of that comes from his energetic study of history and his first-hand experience in the political arena. With the 2022 elections fast-approaching, we can look forward to sage analysis delivered in compelling fashion.”

Before Rove became known as “The Architect” of President Bush’s two presidential election campaigns, he was president of Karl Rove + Company — an Austin, Texas-based public affairs firm that served Republican candidates, non-partisan causes and non-profit groups. His clients included over 75 Republican U.S. Senate, Congressional and gubernatorial candidates in 24 states, as well as the Moderate Party of Sweden.

Rove has been described by author and columnist Michael Barone in U.S. News & World Report as “… unique … no Presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon.”

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The late David Broder, The Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote that Rove was a master political strategist whose “game has always been long term … and he plays it with an intensity and attention to detail that few can match.”

Fred Barnes, Washington Examiner columnist and Fox News commentator, called him “the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation … He knows history, understands the moods of the public, and is a visionary on matters of public policy.”

Rove writes a weekly op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, appears frequently on the Fox News Channel and is the author of The New York Times bestseller, Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight. His latest book is The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters.

Rove has been a fixture on the Texas political scene since the late 1970s, when he helped Bill Clements become the first Republican Governor of Texas in over a century. He now serves on the University of Texas Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee and on the Board of Trustees for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the Texas State History Museum Foundation.

[Read More: NACDS issues statement regarding OTC COVID-19 tests at retail pharmacies]

The bipartisan NACDS-PAC supports Congressional candidates who understand and help to advance pro-pharmacy and pro-patient policies. The NACDS-PAC Breakfast features leaders of diverse political and ideological bents, and is part of the NACDS Chain Members and PAC Breakfast, during which NACDS-related business is conducted. The event is open to NACDS chain members and to NACDS-PAC contributors.

NACDS previously announced that Mark Esper, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, will speak during the 2022 NACDS Annual Meeting Business Program on Tuesday, April 26.

NACDS invites all chain and associate members to register and attend the in-person 2022 NACDS Annual Meeting, to be held April 23 to 26.