SIMON WLODARSKI, is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America and is a member of the U.S. State and Local Government Relations Team, overseeing State/Local Government Relations for the company in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Colorado. In this regional role with the company, Simon works on public policy issues impacting the financial services industry. In his leadership role with the company, he engages with public officials and banking industry leaders across the country. Simon serves as the Bank’s liaison with the National Council of State Legislators, a national trade association of state legislators. He also serves as Vice Chair on the Executive Board of the Civic Federation, a non-profit organization advocating for responsible fiscal health of state and local government in Illinois.

Prior to joining Bank of America, Simon served in the Administration of Pat Quinn, Governor of Illinois. Simon began his public policy career supporting the Office of Management and Budget before serving as Chief of Staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In that capacity, Simon oversaw finance, human resources, operations and legislative affairs.

Simon served in the United States Marine Corps, enlisting in 1995 as an infantry Marine. Transferring to the Reserves to attend college, Simon went on to pursue a commission in 2003, serving as an Infantry Officer during combat tours in Iraq. Simon transferred to the Illinois National Guard in 2011, serving in Afghanistan as an advisor, as well as an embedded officer in the Polish Task Force. Simon most recently served in Ukraine as an advisor, leading a multi-National NATO team working with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Amongst his awards, Simon is most proud to have earned the Army’s Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Marine Combat Action Ribbon, and retired in December 2022 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard.

Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, and currently lived in Arlington Heights with his wife and two sons. He completed a BS in Engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from Northern Illinois University.

Tre Hargett was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2009 to serve as Tennessee’s 37th Secretary of State. He was reelected to four-year terms in 2013, 2017, and 2021.

Secretary Hargett is the chief executive officer of the Department of State with oversight of approximately 300 employees. With his role on fifteen boards and commissions; oversight of nine functional divisions, including elections and the Tennessee State Library & Archives; and his responsibility for rules and regulations, the department interacts with all three branches of state government and impacts every agency in the state.

Previously, Secretary Hargett served as chairman of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority. Before joining the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, he was regional vice president for a publicly traded emergency services provider. Secretary Hargett served in the Tennessee House of Representatives for a decade representing District 97 (Bartlett and Memphis) and was twice elected Republican Leader by his colleagues.

A native of Ripley, Secretary Hargett now lives in Hendersonville with his wife, Dawn, and their two sons. He is a Southern Baptist and worships at Indian Lake Peninsula Church.

Rachael Eckles has worked in the health care industry for over twenty years. A lawyer and bioethicist by training, she began her career in clinical research, ran a hospital medical ethics committee, and began a bioethics program at a pharmaceutical company. Her love of shaping the environment evolved into a career in policy and government affairs.

During a brief stint away from health care, she worked in securities litigation. It was then that she began writing fiction, which has evolved into the award-winning Wall Street thriller series, Trading Secrets, with two books released and a third on the way.

Rachael believes each of us has a responsibility to shape the best future possible, and she embodies this through her philanthropic commitments both locally and globally. She donates a portion of her proceeds to local and global programs that empower women and girls through her foundation, Aphrodite Gives.

In her free time, Rachael practices yoga, meditation, and strength training. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and her dog.