SPEAKER BIOS
The Keys to Success for Your eBay Sales
Learn how selling on eBay can open the doors to consumers worldwide
Bigger profits for your business utilizing e-commerce
Understand how to open a PayPal account to accept online payments
Setting a price for your item and easy shipping techniques
Jason Miner has been a PayPal employee for over nine years and has bought and sold on eBay for more than a decade. As an eBay University instructor, he has taught tens of thousands of people on three continents how to sell on eBay and collect payments through PayPal. He is also the host of PayPal Radio (www.paypal.com/paypalradio) a twice-monthly internet radio show that provides information and interviews for online merchants about all aspects of operating a successful business. This is his second presentation for the National Federation of Independent Business.
Healthcare for Small Business
What can Congress do to help small businesses afford health insurance?
Legislative Update -- Is Washington getting the health care issue right?
Lessons learned from the states - what they have done right & what they are doing wrong.
Dr. Stuart Butler has been generating ideas for The Heritage Foundation since 1979. A leading proponent of finding bipartisan ways of widening health insurance coverage, he has brought together some of the most liberal and most conservative members of Congress to craft and introduce House and Senate bills to reduce the number of uninsured Americans. National Journal cites Dr. Butler as one of Washington's twelve "key players" on health care. As Heritage's Vice President of Domestic and Economic Policy Studies, Butler's ideas continue to change the course of public policy in America.
Butler has been published in leading academic journals, such as the Journal of the American Medical Association and Health Affairs, and in leading newspapers, including The New York Times. In addition to the dozens of research papers he has written for Heritage, Butler is the author of three books, Enterprise Zones: Greenlining the Inner Cities (1981), Privatizing Federal Spending (1985), and Out of the Poverty Trap (1987), co-authored with Anna Kondratas. He has been profiled by The Washington Post and has appeared on all the leading television networks commenting on policy issues. He has testified before Congress dozens of times on a range of policy issues.
Kent Hoover has been the Washington bureau chief for American City Business Journals since 1999. He covers Congress and federal agencies for 40 business journals around the country, primarily focusing on laws and regulations affecting small businesses. Hoover also has served as editor of business journals in Washington and Orlando, and as special report editor of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Before that, he worked for daily newspapers around the Southeast.
Len Nichols
Dr. Len Nichols, a highly respected healthcare economist, directs the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, which aims to expand health insurance coverage to all Americans while reining in costs and improving the efficiency of the overall health care system. In the 1993-94 healthcare debate, Len served as the Senior Advisor for Health Policy at the Office of Management and Budget. Dr. Nichols has testified frequently before Congress and state legislators and has published widely in a variety of health related journals.
Amanda Austin (Moderator)
Amanda Austin is Director of Federal Public Policy for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association. In this position, Austin is responsible for all issues concerning healthcare and small business. She works directly with policymakers on Capitol Hill to ensure that lawmakers are aware and responsive to the healthcare concerns facing the small business community. Additionally, Austin leads the organization’s healthcare task force and also co-chairs a bipartisan small business coalition for affordable healthcare, which represents more than 150 organizations.
Prior to joining NFIB, Austin was a staff member for U.S. Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire. Before joining Senator Gregg’s office, Austin held positions in Former Speaker Bob Livingston’s office and the office of former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas. Austin, a native of Arkansas, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mississippi at Oxford, MS.
Focus on the Economy
Credit issues for small business
Small business economic forecast
Impact of the federal deficit and government spending on the economy
As President and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Dave is now able to do what he wasn't able to do while running the Government Accountability Office: advocate for specific solutions, work proactively with grantees and other partners to build strong coalitions, and encourage and engage in grassroots efforts to bring pressure on Washington to act.
As Comptroller General of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) from 1998 to 2008, spanning both Democratic and Republican administrations, David served as the federal government's chief auditor. Appointed by President Bill Clinton and confirmed unanimously by the US Senate, he was an outspoken, nonpartisan advocate for addressing the major fiscal and other sustainability challenges facing the country.
Prior to his appointment to run the GAO, David served as a partner and global managing director of Arthur Andersen LLP and in several government leadership positions, including as a Public Trustee for Social Security and Medicare from 1990 to 1995 and as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs during the Reagan administration. David holds a B.S. in accounting from Jacksonville University, a Senior Management in Government Certificate in public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and several honorary doctorate degrees. He has won numerous leadership and other awards during his career.
Denny Dennis
Denny Dennis has been the senior research fellow at NFIB for over 30 years. He has served as president of the International Council for Small Business. Besides managing the research program of The NFIB Research Foundation, his responsibilities include long-term policy planning, policy conferences and annual surveys. He has testified numerous times before congressional committees regarding key small-business issues such as, availability of credit and health care. In the past he has been honored by the Small Business Administration with the Special Advocacy Award. The award recognized him as "one of small business' most committed advocates, with considerable expertise in small business research."
William C. Dunkelberg
Currently Professor of Economics at the School of Business and Management , Temple University, where Dr. Dunkelberg served as Dean from 1987 through 1994 and as Director of the Center for the Advancement and Study of Entrepreneurship from 1991 through 1994. Dr. Dunkelberg received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan. He has served as the Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business since 1971.
A nationally known authority on small business, entrepreneurship, consumer behavior and consumer credit and government policy, Dr. Dunkelberg has presented expert testimony before the U.S. House and Senate. He has appeared on CNN, CNBC, the ABC, CBS and NBC EVENING NEWS programs, GOOD MORNING AMERICA and numerous local news and business TV and radio shows. He is frequently quoted in major news publications and serves on the economic forecasting panels for USA Today and Business Week and Fortune. He has authored and co-authored numerous books and articles and writes a monthly small business economic report for the National Federation of Independent Business. He had his own radio show on WPHT 1210 AM Philadelphia (50,000 watts) every Sunday for 2 years and his editorials have been carried by KYW NEWS RADIO for nine years.
Bill Rys (Moderator)
Bill Rys joined the National Federation of Independent Business in July of 2007 as Tax Counsel and provides recommendations on Federal tax policy for the organization by analyzing the impact of legislative proposals on the nationwide membership of NFIB’s small business owners. He completed his undergraduate studies at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, earned a law degree from the Boston University School of Law, and an LLM in Taxation from Georgetown University.
Prior to NFIB, Bill served as the Deputy Executive Secretary at the Department of the Treasury. Before joining the Treasury Department, he worked as Legislative Director and Counsel to Congresswoman Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania. Bill handled tax and pension issues relating the Congresswoman’s assignment on the Way & Means Committee, as well as a variety of other issues including small business, budget, and financial services
Digital Marketing and Social Networking
Understand free resources available online including Google Docs and Google Calendar
How to use YouTube to promote your business
Building your online presence and directing people to your website through Google
Creating a Facebook business pages to engage customers and build brand loyalty As a member of Google's Communication and Public Affairs team, Dorothy helps to manage Google's Small Business Network, which gives small business owners the information and tools to operate and grow online, while promoting business-friendly policies in Washington, D.C. and state capitols.
