2024 Special guest speaker: Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Ambassador Huntsman began his career in public service as a staff assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He has served each of the five U.S. presidents since then in critical roles around the world, including as the Ambassador to Singapore, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Asia, U.S. Trade Ambassador, U.S. Ambassador to China, and most recently, U.S. Ambassador to Russia. In all Senate confirmations, he received unanimous votes. Twice elected governor of Utah, Governor Huntsman brought about strong economic and tax reforms, tripled the state’s rainy-day fund, and helped bring unemployment rates to historic lows. Historically Huntsman was one of Utah’s most popular governors, reaching approval ratings as high as 90 percent. During his tenure, Utah was named the best managed state in America and ranked number one in the nation in job growth.
Previously he served as Chairman of the Atlantic Council and on the boards of Ford Motor Company, Caterpillar Corporation, Chevron Corporation, Hilton, the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he served as a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institute, a trustee of the Reagan Presidential Foundation, and Chairman of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
Ambassador Huntsman has served as a visiting fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, as well as a distinguished lecturer at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. He was recently inducted into the American Academy of Diplomacy.
Huntsman is a seventh generation Utahn and has been married for 36 years to Mary Kaye Huntsman. Together they are the parents of seven children, including two adopted daughters from China and India. His two sons, both graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy, are active duty naval officers. Huntsman is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and has ten honorary doctoral degrees.
