Former presidential advisor David Gergen, along with Russell Sullivan, former staff director for the Senate Finance Committee and a pivotal figure in drafting the nation’s health reform law, are featured speakers for the 11th Annual Healthcare and Life Sciences Private Equity and Finance Conference on Feb. 25-26 presented by McGuireWoods LLP and McGladrey LLP.
Gergen, who held advisory positions in the Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton White Houses and is now a featured political analyst for CNN, chronicled his experiences in his 2001 New York Times bestseller “Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton.” He is a professor of public service and co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Gergen has been a journalist and a widely sought commentator on public affairs since the 1980s. He is a former chief editor of U.S. News & World Report and has been part of two Peabody and one Emmy Award-winning election coverage teams. Among the boards on which he serves are the Aspen Institute, Teach for America, the Mission Continues, and the Elon University School of Law.
Sullivan began his career on Capitol Hill in 1995 and was Senator Max Baucus’s top aide before Sullivan joined McGuireWoods last year. Sullivan became a respected figure for his leadership of the Finance Committee staff from 2004 to 2013 under Baucus, the Montana Democrat who won Senate confirmation Thursday as U.S. ambassador to China. Sullivan was regarded as an honest broker and a knowledgeable problem solver by Democratic and Republican senators alike. He helped draft the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and is regarded as a top authority on its taxation provisions. He is a partner with McGuireWoods’ tax practice and a senior advisor to McGuireWoods Consulting, the firm’s public affairs subsidiary.
Sullivan also serves on the board of Capital Area Reach, a mentoring program for students in Washington. He has also served as the legal or designated guardian for 18 teenage boys.
The conference each year brings together hundreds of senior and mezzanine lenders, investment bankers, C-level executives, private equity funds and consultants to share information about the newest trends that influence investments in the healthcare and life-sciences industries. It will be held at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago at 160 E. Pearson St. in Chicago. To register, visit healthcareprivateequity.com.
McGladrey LLP is the largest U.S. provider of assurance, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market with more than 6,500 professionals and associates in 75 offices nationally. For more information, visit www.mcgladrey.com.