2026 SPEAKERS
Keynote Speaker
Andrew (Andy) Busch
Thursday, March 5, 8:20 AM
Andrew Busch is the former 1st Chief Market Intelligence Officer for the US government and economic futurist at AndrewBusch.com. For the CFTC, he was charged with improving and enhancing the government’s understanding of the markets and the economy. His job was to take all the news, information and data on the economy and markets; and filter it into condensed, easily understood research; then communicate it to the government and public.
Andy provided economic and market briefings to White House, US House, US Senate, the SEC, the Federal Reserve Board and the US Treasury staff on a wide range of issues including interest rates, inflation, China’s influence on trade, and the impact of technology on the economy.
Prior to joining the CFTC, Mr. Busch was CEO and founder of the boutique financial markets and policy research firm, Bering Productions, Inc (BPI). Before BPI, he was the Global Currency and Public Policy Strategist for Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Chicago. He is author of the book “World Event Trading” covering large crises, like infectious disease outbreaks and war, and their impact on the economy and markets.
Today, he’s a consultant and keynote speaker with a wide range of clients including technology, financial services, energy, real estate, manufacturing, construction and agriculture.
Contracts, Capacity, and Collaboration: Building Trust in a Complex World
Thursday, March 5 | 2:00pm
Bryan Kitchen
President & CEO, Ascent Industries Co.
Moderator
Bryan Kitchen has nearly two decades of senior leadership experience in the chemicals industry, having held management roles for several global industry leaders. Most recently, he served as president, CEO and chairman of the board for Clearon Corp., a leading specialty chemicals manufacturer of essential sanitizers and disinfectants for household, industrial, institutional and water treatment applications. Prior to Clearon, Bryan served as the president of Xingfa USA, a division of Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Ltd, a global leader in specialty phosphates manufacturing. He also served as vice president of business operations at ANGUS Chemical Company, which was carved-out from The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW). Bryan previously spent over a decade in various management roles at Dow AgroSciences and later, Dow Chemical, one of the world’s largest chemical manufacturers. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing from Anderson University.
Cameron Whaley
President, Southern Chemicals & Textiles
Speaker
Cameron Whaley is the President of Southern Chemical and Textiles, Inc (SCT) and has 23 years of experience in the Chemical Industry. He is a proven leader in expanding and diversifying business into new markets with a focus on improving culture, managing growth, sustainability initiatives, industry needs, and partnerships. In addition to leading SCT, Whaley is active in community outreach programs such as the National Kidney Foundation, Andrew P. Stewart Center (Atlanta), and a supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Aside from work, Cameron enjoys spending time with his wife Erin and their children Reece and Eva. He earned a B.A. in Mass Communication from Auburn University.
Amanda McCraw
Contract Manufacturing Manager, BASF
Speaker
Amanda McCraw is the Sr. Global Contract Manufacturing Manager for BASF Care Chemicals Business for The Americas. With over 17 years of experience, all at BASF Corporation, Amanda has been instrumental in fostering process change and excellence in the company’s procurement team. Her success is driven by her passion for process and people. Amanda’s diverse job experience, in engineering, business development and procurement, gives her a unique perspective across the whole value chain behind BASF’s needs. She holds an MBA from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Managing Global Uncertainty: Policy Trends that Shape Supply Chains
Friday, March 6 | 8:15am
Samir Varma
Partner, Thompson Hine LLP
Speaker
Samir is a partner in the International Trade and White Collar Defense & Investigations practice groups. He advises multinational corporations on export controls, economic sanctions and customs, and counsels individuals and corporations on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other anti-corruption laws. He represents clients in enforcement actions before U.S. regulatory agencies and conducts corporate internal investigations.
Samir participates in many firmwide activities, including the pro bono program. He was a co-recipient of Thompson Hine's 2013 Diversity Champion Award for his work developing and launching the Diversity Externship Program, which provides law students in Washington, D.C. with rewarding educational opportunities and real-life work experience on pro bono matters.
While in law school, Samir served as a judicial extern for Judge Douglas Eaton of the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Also, he interned for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada.
