The Renewable Fuels Association has announced key speakers for the upcoming National Ethanol Conference in Orlando Feb. 28 – March 2.

The featured luncheon speaker will be Salvatore “Sal” Giunta, the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, as the featured luncheon speaker at the 2023 National Ethanol Conference. Giunta will share his courageous story with NEC attendees and discuss the importance of teamwork, selflessness and leadership.

An Iowa native, former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Sal Giunta was presented with our nation’s highest military decoration—The Medal of Honor—for his heroic actions during combat in Afghanistan. After Giunta’s unit was ambushed and pinned down by at least a dozen Taliban fighters, Giunta was hit twice while running into enemy fire to pull his fellow soldiers to cover. When insurgents began carrying away a fellow soldier, Giunta engaged the enemy, provided medical aid to his wounded comrade, and ultimately saved a soldier from being taken by the enemy.

Kevin Book, managing director of ClearView Energy Partners, will offer a keynote presentation at the conference on market trends and the global energy transition. Book will provide a timely outlook on world energy markets against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, rapidly changing geopolitics, emerging clean energy and climate policies, the ESG movement, growth in EVs, and other emerging issues.

“Global market and policy dynamics are rapidly shifting and, in response, the energy industry is quickly evolving,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “It is more important than ever before that the ethanol industry stays on top of these emerging challenges and opportunities. Kevin Book has the expertise and experience to help us understand what lies ahead, and we look forward to his perspective on how renewable fuel producers and other stakeholders can best navigate the changing energy landscape.”

For more information and registration, go to NationalEthanolConference.com.