WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been announced as the PAC keynote speaker at the 2022 annual convention of the American Bakers Association.
The 70th US Secretary of State, Mr. Pompeo served in the post from April 2018 through January 2021. Before that he was director of the Central Intelligence Agency beginning at the start of the Trump administration. Earlier, Mr. Pompeo was a four-term member of the House of Representatives from the Fourth District of Kansas. He will speak March 28 at the American Bakers PAC Dinner, a ticketed event at the group’s convention in Palm Springs, Calif.
“We are delighted to offer PAC supporters access to a high-profile leader of American diplomacy, policy, and security during this important industry event,” said American Bakers PAC Chair Stephanie Tillman, chief legal counsel, Flowers Foods, Inc., Thomasville, Fla.
A native of Orange, Calif., Mr. Pompeo is a 1986 graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated first in his class.
He served as a cavalry officer patrolling the Iron Curtain before the fall of the Berlin Wall and also served with the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry in the US Army’s Fourth Infantry Division. After his military service, Mr. Pompeo graduated from Harvard Law School where he was editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Before his election to Congress, Mr. Pompeo founded Thayer Aerospace. He was chief executive officer of the company for more than a decade, and he later became president of Sentry International, an oilfield equipment manufacturing, distribution, and service company.
“Mr. Pompeo holds a unique perspective, and we look forward to hearing his take on the current political and diplomatic climate and how we can come together to promote ideas that can grow the baking industry,” said Robb MacKie, president and CEO of the ABA. “He has led several significant initiatives throughout his career, all with the goal of strengthening and reflecting America’s core values. We can learn how he managed America’s best interests during some of the most tumultuous times in our country’s history — and how we can apply those tactics today.”
