Whether it's a former segregationist in Little Rock or a future president in Chicago, memorable speakers are the hallmark of any NCEW convention. This year, the convention in Dallas will feature cabinet members from the United States and Mexico, and some of the biggest names in journalism. There are even a few more big names whose ink isn't dry on the schedule yet, but whom you'll hear more about later.

For me, given that two of the biggest stories of our time are immigration and the failings of major corporations, nothing makes me more excited about the convention than having the chance to hear from Janet Napolitano and Kurt Eichenwald.

Although Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano is certainly well-versed on a number of issues -- and we could even ask her to talk about the U.S. Supreme Court, because she has been on the president's short list for two vacancies now -- her background as a border state governor and her role in immigration reform efforts make her the right keynote speaker for the right place at the right time. Early on, we debated whether immigration would be a big issue in 2010. It looks like it just may be, thanks to Napolitano's home state of Arizona.

(For more on Napolitano and immigration, check out a major immigration speech she gave in El Paso late last year.) 

We will also have the opportunity to hear about corporate greed and conspiracy from one of the best investigative reporters in the country. Kurt Eichenwald, author of The Informant and Conspiracy of Fools, knows what it takes to dig deep within complex organizations and explain to readers how these goliaths fail themselves and their stockholders. As NCEW members will be coming to Texas, I highly recommend Conspiracy of Fools as advance reading. It's the definitive book on the collapse of Enron.

That book is certainly not on the typical tourism reading list for visitors to Texas, but NCEW members are different. We want expertise, depth and an opportunity to better understand our world. Eichenwald and Napolitano will deliver all three.

Note: This is part of a series written by NCEW members from across the country about various parts of this year's convention in Dallas.