Dakota Wood of Heritage Foundation to Address 2021 PLC
Jesse Watters and Jason Chaffetz of Fox News to Keynote
(Harrisburg, PA) – Dakota Wood, Senior Research Fellow for Defense Programs at the Heritage Foundation will speak on the Global Role of the United States during the 2021 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference to be held Friday, June 11th and Saturday June 12th at the Radisson Penn Harris Convention Center in Camp Hill, PA.
This year’s premier gathering of Pennsylvania conservatives will feature Jesse Watters of Fox News’ The Five and the Jesse Watters Show as the Friday evening dinner speaker. Fox News contributor and former congressman Jason Chaffetz will be the Saturday luncheon speaker. Wood will Join Tim Goeglein of Focus on the Family, Jonathan Willliams from the American Legislative Exchange Council, Congressman Dan Meuser, Pittsburgh Radio Host Rose Somma Tennent, Congressman Scott Perry, Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Policy Institute, Jeff Bartos of the 30 Day Fund, Bill McSwain, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; C.L. Bryant of FreedomWorks, John Gizzi of Newsmax, Jason Snead of the Honest Election Project, State Senator Kim Ward, PA Auditor General Tim DeFoor, State Treasurer Stacy Garrity and state Senator Doug Mastriano as speakers at the event.
Dakota L. Wood, who served America for two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, is the Senior Research Fellow for Defense Programs at The Heritage Foundation.
Wood’s research and writing focus on programs, capabilities, operational concepts, and strategies of the U.S. Department of Defense and military services to assess their utility in ensuring the United States has the ability to protect and promote its critical national security interests. Mr. Wood originated and serves as the editor for Heritage’s “Index of U.S. Military Strength,” the only annual assessment available to the public of the status of America’s military and its ability to carry out its core functions.
Before joining Heritage, Mr. Wood served as the Strategist for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Special Operations Command. His professional and personal travels over nearly four decades have taken him to over fifty countries on five continents and transit through many of the world’s oceans and seas, experiences that included multiple deployments to Asia and the Mediterranean region, NATO support operations in the Balkans, and contingency operations in W. Africa, along with numerous conferences, symposia, and war games.
Wood graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in oceanography. He was named a distinguished graduate for his work in earning a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College. He was also recognized for meritorious distinction by the Marine Corps’ School of Advanced Warfighting.
Wood and his wife, Dixie, have three grown children.
This year’s PLC panels include:
Re-Opening PA
Guy Ciarrocchi, Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry
Christopher Brooks, East Stroudsburg University
Phil English, Arent Fox
Jennifer Fertenbaugh, Restaurant Owner
Powering PA: Responsible Energy Policy
Greg Wrightstone, CO2 Coalition
Rachel Gleason, PA Coal Alliance
Joe Pittman, State Senator
Health Care Reimagined
Ashley Klingensmith, Americans for Prosperity-PA
Dean Clancy, Americans for Prosperity
Matthew McCoy, Villanova University
Valerie Gaydos, State Representative
Ensuring Election Integrity
Rebecca Oyler, Former Policy Director PA Department of State
Seth Grove, State Representative
Scott R. Davis, Judge of Elections’
Christopher Wright, Potomac TEA Party
This year’s “conversations” include:
Future of the Conservative Movement
John Gizzi, Newsmax
Dr. Paul Kengor, Grove City College
Colin Hanna, Let Freedom Ring USA
Empowering Parents Through School Choice
Lenny McAllister of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Cyber Charter Schools
Susan Selby, Immanuel Christian School
Fairness in Women’s Sports
Judge Cheryl Allen, PA Family Institute
Barbara Gleim, State Representative’
Political Power of Labor Unions
David Osborne, Americans for Fair Treatment
Gina Diorio, Commonwealth Partners
Proper Role of Courts
Keith Naughton, Silent Majority Strategies
Russ Diamond, State Representative
Conservative Civility
Joe Watkins, Host, State of Independence
Jeff Coleman, Churchill Media
The 2021 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference will include four workshops: Recruiting Friends & Neighbors by Telling Your Story presented by Americans for Prosperity, Critical Race Theory presented by the Pennsylvania Family Institute, Taking Back Your School Board: How to Grow a Parent Lead Movement presented by FreedomWorks, and Election Integrity Training presented by American Majority.
Registration for the 2021 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference is now open at www.paleadershipconference.org.