Secretary of defense 2006-11, CIA director, university president and a historian: Dr. Robert M. Gates has spent a lifetime as a student of history in the intelligence and defense arenas, serving eight U.S. presidents and earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. Gates will round out the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s 17th Perspectives set for Friday, Sept. 23 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Olympian Dara Torres will also speak at the event, which has a new half-day format. Gates began his government service in 1966 when he joined the Central Intelligence Agency and then spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence professio

Perspectives 2011 will feature five-time Olympian swimmer Dara Torres who has proven that age doesn’t limit your dreams. At age 41, Torres, then a new mother, returned to compete in the 2008 Beijing games, winning three silver medals. In all, she has competed in five Olympics—a feat unprecedented for an American female swimmer. Torres joins Twitter co-founder Biz Stone on stage during the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Perspectives, set for Friday, Sept. 23 at the Sacramento Convention Center. The event returns for its 17th year in an all-new half-day format that will run 8 a.m. to noon. The final speaker will be announced Aug. 4. In 2007, at the age of 40, Torres twice broke her own America

A speaker lineup to include Twitter co-founder Biz Stone kicks off the new format for Perspectives 2011, offering more businesspeople the opportunity to attend the region’s premier annual speakers forum. “As with so many things these days, it’s not business as usual,” said Sacramento Metro Chamber Vice Chair of Events and Sponsorships Kathy McKim of AT&T. “We wiped the slate clean and started over—re-designing a program from the ground up that will meet the needs of more businesspeople and provide a greater networking and educational experience. We are especially thrilled to have Biz Stone in our lineup this year for this reason.” Over the last decade, Stone has been instrumental in craf

Despite nationally known speakers Sarah Palin and Howard Dean headlining the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Perspectives 2010 forum, it was the lesser-known speakers who had a greater effect on the audience. Terrence McNamara, a Sacramentan in the construction industry, said he found management consultant and author Marcus Buckingham to be the most interesting. “I’ve been coming to this for seven years, and it’s always the speaker you’re not interested in seeing who has the biggest impact,” he said. Buckingham offered his views on dealing with strengths and weaknesses. Traditionally, Buckingham said, people tend to think that weaknesses need to be worked on. According to Buckingham, howeve

Two acclaimed speakers set for Perspectives 2010 approach career excellence from diametrically opposed start points: Marcus Buckingham believes you should find your strengths and manage your weaknesses while Chef Jeff Henderson says passion and hard work are needed for success. In its 16th year, Sacramento’s premier speakers forum will also feature former Governors Howard Dean and Sarah Palin. The Sacramento Metro Chamber brings Perspectives to the Sacramento Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 15, with presenting sponsor Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. Marcus Buckingham Co-author of the best-selling book series on managing workplace strengths, Marcus Buckingham is an internationally acclai

Two former governors will headline the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Perspectives 2010 line-up: Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. They will appear Friday, Oct. 15, at the Sacramento Convention Center. “We are pleased once again to bring dynamic speakers whose current contribution to our nation’s political dialogue will captivate the Perspectives audience,” said Matt Mahood, president & CEO. Other speakers for this 16th annual event will be announced shortly. Dean, a physician, served for six terms as governor of Vermont. He is the former Democratic National Committee chairman, a 2008 presidential candidate and founder of Democracy for America. Palin burst onto the natio

The Sacramento Metro Chamber office has been buzzing this week as Chief Executive Officer Matt Mahood and the rest of the staff finished last-minute details for their big annual event. One of the most important things they've done to prepare for Friday's "Perspectives 2009: An American Experience" is to work closely with each of the nationally recognized guest speakers. Surrounded by signed and framed programs from past Perspectives, Mahood talked earlier this week by phone with speakers preparing for their presentations. The work continued Thursday when speakers started flying in from around the country and Metro Chamber staff became chaperones for the VIPs. Such behind-the-scenes work

Perspectives 2009 announces Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D., will be added to the Friday, Oct. 9 lineup, substituting for Howie Long. “Due to an unavoidable and unforeseen conflict, regrettably, Howie Long will not be able to attend Perspectives,” said Matt Mahood, president & CEO. “However, we are very excited about having creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson as our new speaker. Sir Robinson challenges his audiences to think differently about how we are educating our children and how many organizations are inhibiting innovation. With our region's emphasis on improving our competitiveness through innovation, intellect and influence, he is a perfect addition to this year's Perspectives line-up.” Th

SACRAMENTO—No American Experience has been more photographically reproduced than the raising of the American flag over Iwo Jima in 1945. Perspectives 2009: An American Experience brings to Sacramento James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, whose father is one of the figures in the photograph. Bradley’s book recounts the story of the boys’ lives, beginning as his quest to discover why his father remained silent about the wartime experience. In telling the story behind the Greatest Generation’s iconic photo, Bradley relates basic fundamentals of the American Experience: teamwork and digging in to do what’s called for. The figures in the photo, he said, were boys of common virtue doin

SACRAMENTO—Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice returns to the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s day-long premier speakers forum, Perspectives 2009: An American Experience, this year to address a Sacramento audience that last saw her nine years ago when she was advising then-presidential candidate George W. Bush. With her first visit in 2000 pre-dating the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it will be interesting to hear how she relates her tenure as national security advisor to President Bush and Secretary of State. In September 2000, Rice told the Perspectives audience that the United States can’t continue being the “world’s 9-1-1” and respond to every international conflict. The next pr