Michael Hayden, retired U.S. Air Force four-star general and former director of both the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, will present the keynote address Tuesday, Sept. 29 at the opening general session breakfast of the 2015 United Fresh Washington Conference.

“We’re honored to have General Hayden join us to examine the United States’ role in today’s dangerous and unpredictable world,” Tom Stenzel, United Fresh president and chief executive officer, said in a press release.Michael Hayden “His unique perspective and insights into today’s tumultuous global environment are important to every one of us, as business leaders and also as citizens.”

Hayden served as director of the CIA from 2006-09, capping a career in service to the United States that included nearly 40 years in the Air Force. From 2005-06, he was the country's first principal deputy director of national intelligence and the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the country. From 1999-2005, he served as the director of the NSA and chief of the Central Security Service after being appointed by President Clinton. He worked to put a human face on the famously secretive agency, explaining the role of the NSA and making it more visible on the national scene.

A foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, Hayden is now serving in that capacity for former Florida governor Jeb Bush. He has been a frequent expert and commentator on major news outlets and in top publications, valued for his expertise on intelligence matters such as cyber security, government surveillance, geopolitics and more. He was featured in the HBO documentary Manhunt, which looked at espionage through the eyes of the insiders who led the secret war against Osama bin Laden.

Hayden is currently a principal at the Chertoff Group and a distinguished visiting professor at the George Mason University School of Policy, Government & International Affairs. He was elected to the board of directors of Motorola Solutions in January 2011 and serves on a variety of other boards and consultancies. In 2013, the Intelligence & National Security Alliance awarded Hayden the 29th annual William Oliver Baker Award. In 2014 he was the inaugural Humanitas visiting professor in intelligence studies at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

"General Hayden’s geopolitical perspectives are sure to fascinate Washington Conference attendees as we kick off our meeting in the nation’s capital,” Robert Guenther, United Fresh’s senior vice president of public policy, said in the release.

In addition to the opening general session breakfast, Washington Conference attendees will take part in strategic, face-to-face dialogue with key members of Congress, their staff and top regulatory officials. The event also includes education sessions on today’s issues facing the industry, networking activities with industry peers and the Rising Leaders program for up-and-coming industry employees.