Upcoming Speaker

Romina Boccia, Director of Federal Budget and Entitlement Policy, Cato Institute

Topic:  Defusing the US Debt Crisis

Date:  Wednesday May 14, 2025

Romina Boccia is director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, where she specializes in federal spending, budget process, economic implications of rising debt, and Social Security and Medicare reform.  She also writes The Debt Dispatch on Substack.

Boccia advises presidential administrations and the Congress on US federal fiscal policy and Social Security reform. She’s best known for being ‘an economist who speaks English’ and for promoting a fiscal commission modeled after the Base Realignment and Closure process. She’s co-author of the edited volume A Fiscal Cliff: New Perspectives on the US Federal Debt Crisis and is currently working on a new book to publish in 2025, titled Reimagining Social Security: Global Lessons for Retirement Policy Changes.

Upcoming Speaker

Shane David Hall, Director, High Profile Division, The Fine Art Group

Topic: Art as an Asset

Date:  Wednesday November 12, 2025

Shane David Hall represents The Fine Art Group as Director of their High-Profile Client Division where he serves as the firm’s primary point of contact for celebrity entertainers, musicians, and professional athletes as well as their support teams including business managers, wealth managers, accountants, attorneys, and family offices. Shane and his team adhere to strict security protocols, which adds levels of privacy and discretion to The Fine Art Group’s industry-leading fine art and collectibles management approach including appraisal, advisory, sales/agency, and bespoke financial services.

Shane holds over 15 years of extensive art market experience and 7 years of appraisal and advisory experience dedicated to managing investment-quality collectible assets for sports and entertainment industry personalities. Shane earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Historic Preservation and Art History from the College of Charleston (Charleston, SC) and later received a Master of Arts in American Fine and Decorative Arts from Sotheby’s Institute of Art (New York, NY). Shane began his career as a Curatorial Assistant at the Historic Charleston Foundation and interned with the prestigious Winter Show prior to working with three international auction houses. Shane holds deep knowledge of the global art market and is a nationally sought-after speaker, having lectured at the annual Trusted Advisor Summit, the premier leadership organization for celebrity client advisors, the North Carolina conference for Certified Financial Advisors as well as various collector groups nationally. Shane has also valued art and collectibles for Fortune 500 corporations, museums, and private collectors around the world.

Shane serves on the National Advisory Committee for Trusted Advisor, Atlanta Art Week’s Advisory Board, and is a Board Member for The Gibbes Museum of Art’s Society 1858 where he serves as Co-Chair of the Fundraising Committee. Shane resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his husband Nic and their dog, Goose.

Upcoming Speaker

Paul Schwennesen, Director, Global Strategy Decisions Group

Topic: TBD

Date:  Wednesday September 17, 2025

Dr. Paul Schwennesen is a military affairs analyst and environmental historian. His major research interests are in the geopolitics of liberty movements and the environmental and transatlantic history of the 16th century. He holds a PhD from the University of Kansas and a Master’s degree in Government from Harvard University.

Paul obtained his undergraduate degree in history and science at the United States Air Force Academy where he graduated with distinction as the John R. Rupp scholar in interdisciplinary studies and gained his first formal introduction to classical liberal thought. He served six years as an Air Force Officer including a combat-zone deployment to Afghanistan and was named Company Grade Officer of the Year shortly before separating as a Captain in order to pursue private business. Paul has a Master’s degree in Government from Harvard University where he did his thesis under the direction of Harvey Mansfield.

Paul served ten years in the US military in weapons-systems acquisition, foreign area intelligence, and flightline operations which included deployments to Central America and Afghanistan. In 2022 he volunteered in Ukraine to provide civilian aid and combat training on the frontlines against the Russian invasion. He was presented with the Verhkhovna Rada medal by the Ukrainian Parliament for “Merit to the Ukrainian People.” His writing has appeared at Law & Liberty, the New York Times, American Spectator, Claremont Review, and in textbooks on environmental ethics (Oxford University Press and McGraw-Hill).

He is a regular contributor to AIER and his writing has appeared at the New York Times, American Spectator, Claremont Review, and in textbooks on environmental ethics (Oxford University Press and McGraw-Hill). He is the father, most importantly, of three delightful children.