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Geopolitical and Economic Uncertainty

Friday, April 24, 2026 | Schreiber Center 1001

Geopolitical and Economic Uncertainty: 2026 and Beyond

Understanding Global Risk in a Fragmented World

As we navigate through the past several years, we find ourselves at an era where predictable and settled international norms have given way to what many experts describe as a “turbulent” global outlook. The defining theme of our time is no longer just "change," but a systemic geopolitical and economic uncertainty leading to an uneasy prospect for peace, in the Middle East, the rise of an uncertain political and economic environment in Latin America, the evolving growth of an asymmetric AI-driven logistical and informational threats and opportunities in Asia, and the continuation of a hybrid war in Eastern Europe.

Please join us on April 24, 2026 for the conference on “Geopolitical and Economic Uncertainty: 2026 and Beyond” to learn from a cadre of expert diplomats and industry leaders who will attempt to catalogue these risks while identifying the resilient political and economic strategies necessary to survive them. Put differently, managing the risk of the gap between "what is happening" and "how we respond.

Agenda

Click here to view the line-up

Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Time: 2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Schreiber Center, Room 1001


1:30pm | Registration Opens

2:00pm | Opening Remarks and Introduction

2:15pm |
Panel 1: Emerging Geopolitical Environment

David Hale, Former US Ambassador to Pakistan, Lebanon, and Special Envoy for Middle East Peace
David Jacobson (moderator), Former US Ambassador to Canada
Valerie Nielsen, Managing Director, Longview Leader Corporation
David Wilhelm, Founder and CEO, HGR Energy

3:45pm | Q&A with Panel 1

4:00pm | Coffee Break

4:15pm | Panel 2: Future Economic Landscape

Erik Heuser, EVP, Chief Corporate Operations Officer, Taylor Morrison
Abol Jalilvand (moderator), Professor of Finance and Director, Risk Management and Insurance Center, Loyola University Chicago
Tassos Malliaris, Walter F. Mullady, Sr., Professor of Economics, Loyola University Chicago
Robert Ruffolo, CEO, Global Initiatives Consulting Group
Arup Varma, Frank W. Considine Chair in Applied Ethics, Loyola University Chicago

5:45pm | Q&A with Panel 2

6:00pm | Networking Reception

7:00pm | Adjourn

Meet the Panelists

David Hale

David Hale

Former US Ambassador to Pakistan and Lebanon; Special Envoy for Middle East Peace

Erik Heuser

Erik Heuser

EVP, Chief Corporate Operations Officer, Taylor Morrison

David Jacobson

David Jacobson

Former US Ambassador to Canada

Abol Jalilvand

Abol Jalilvand

Professor of Finance and Director, Risk Management and Insurance Center, Loyola University Chicago

Tassos Malliaris

Tassos Malliaris

Walter F. Mullady, Sr., Professor of Economics and Department Chair of Economics, Loyola University Chicago

Valerie Nielsen

Valerie Nielsen

Managing Director, Longview Leader Corporation

Robert Ruffolo

Robert Ruffolo

CEO, Global Initiatives Consulting Group

Arup Varma

Arup Varma

Frank W. Considine Chair in Applied Ethics, Loyola University Chicago

David Wilhelm

David Wilhelm

Founder and CEO, HGR Energy

As we navigate through the past several years, we find ourselves at an era where predictable and settled international norms have given way to what many experts describe as a “turbulent” global outlook. The defining theme of our time is no longer just "change," but a systemic geopolitical and economic uncertainty leading to an uneasy prospect for peace, in the Middle East, the rise of an uncertain political and economic environment in Latin America, the evolving growth of an asymmetric AI-driven logistical and informational threats and opportunities in Asia, and the continuation of a hybrid war in Eastern Europe.

Please join us on April 24, 2026 for the conference on “Geopolitical and Economic Uncertainty: 2026 and Beyond” to learn from a cadre of expert diplomats and industry leaders who will attempt to catalogue these risks while identifying the resilient political and economic strategies necessary to survive them. Put differently, managing the risk of the gap between "what is happening" and "how we respond.