2022 KnowledgeNow Conference | Madrid

George W. Bush served as 43rd President of the United States of America from 2001 to 2009.  As Commander in Chief, President Bush worked to expand freedom, opportunity, and security at home and abroad.  At home, he championed the No Child Left Behind Act to raise standards in schools and cut taxes for every federal income taxpayer, restoring economic growth and launching an unprecedented 52 straight months of job creation.  The Bush Administration also negotiated new free trade agreements, worked with Congress to pass landmark healthcare reforms, and instituted robust environmental protections.  Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, President Bush responded with a comprehensive strategy to protect the American people.  Under his leadership, the United States built global coalitions to remove violent regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq that threatened America and provided unprecedented support for young democracies and dissidents around the world.  President Bush also launched global HIV/AIDS and malaria initiatives that have saved millions of lives, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.  Prior to serving as President, he was the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995-2000.

After the Presidency, President Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush founded the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.  The Bush Center is home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the George W. Bush Institute, a nonpartisan public policy and leadership development center that engages communities across the United States and around the world by developing leaders, advancing policy, and taking action to solve today’s most pressing challenges.

President Bush is the author of three bestselling books: Decision Points (2010), 41: A Portrait of My Father (2014), and Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors (2017).  In April 2021, President Bush released his fourth work, Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants, which brings to the forefront the stories of forty-three individuals who exemplify our proud history as a nation of immigrants with powerful paintings.  He and Laura are the parents of twin daughters: Barbara, married to Craig Coyne, and Jenna, married to Henry Hager.  The Bushes also are the proud grandparents of Margaret Laura “Mila”, Poppy Louise, Henry Harold “Hal” Hager, and Cora Georgia Coyne.

Dr. Mekala Krishnan is a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey’s business and economics research arm.

Her research focuses on various topics related to inclusive growth and economic development, including climate risk, globalization, productivity growth in advanced economies, and women’s role in labor markets. Her most recent research focuses on the near-term impact of physical climate risk across sectors and geographies, including its implications for companies and countries. Her past research has focused on the future of globalization including the evolution of global value chains, prospects for emerging markets, and the impact of services trade, intangible assets, and digital globalization on value chains. Mekala is a frequent speaker on these topics at global conferences as well as with executives at Fortune 500 companies. She has authored numerous articles and her work has been cited in leading business publications.

Mekala is a member of a task force at the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings focused on improving productivity measurement. She also serves on an advisory board for the Sibley School of Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University and is a board member of the Global Fund for Women, a leading public foundation dedicated to improving global gender equality.

Previously, Mekala worked as a consultant for McKinsey’s advanced-industries group, where she focused on innovation, strategy, and operations projects for engineering clients.

Mekala received her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in 2011. Prior to Cornell, she received a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2006 from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

A fifth generation Montanan, Steve Daines brings 28 years of private-sector business experience to Washington, D.C. as he serves the people of Montana in the U.S. Senate.

Growing up in Montana, Steve attended public schools (K-12) in Bozeman, worked his way through college at Montana State University and graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He then spent thirteen years in a management role for Procter & Gamble, six of those years, Steve lived in Guangzho, China, where he helped launch one of the first American consumer products for P&G in China, which ultimately grew to be the most successful, non-Chinese companies marketing to the Chinese consumer.  

In 1997, Steve and his wife Cindy moved their family back home to Montana, where Steve joined his mom and dad in the family construction business. In 2000, Steve joined RightNow Technologies, a small start-up business founded and headquartered in Bozeman, where he served as Vice President and oversaw operations in the Asia-Pacific. RightNow was a pioneer in cloud computing and experienced rapid growth, later becoming a publicly traded software company in 2004. RightNow employed over 1,000 people and was one of the largest employers in Bozeman before being acquired by Oracle.  

Steve uses his business background to drive legislative efforts in Congress. As a member of the Senate Committees on Finance, Banking, Energy and Natural Resources and Indian Affairs, Steve is working to rein in big government, crack down on reckless spending, lower taxes for American families and support the rule of law.

Steve has been married to his wife, Cindy, for 36 years. They live in Bozeman and are the parents of four children and grandparents of five. Steve and his family are actively involved in their church and community volunteer organizations and enjoy backpacking, hunting, skiing and fishing.