Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, bestselling author Eric Metaxas headline 2026 CEO Summit

As a keynote speaker at Liberty University’s 2026 CEO Summit on Wednesday night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged business executives and LU students and staff to find “true north” and hold fast to their convictions regardless of the consequences.

Liberty’s annual CEO Summit provides a platform for an extensive network of CEOs, government leaders, innovators, and world-changers to join students, faculty, and staff in promoting one of the largest Christian business networks in the country. The event features various panel discussions and special sessions dedicated to forwarding the Great Commission through business and beyond. DeSantis provided the main address at Wednesday’s keynote dinner.

Referencing America’s founding 250 years ago, DeSantis noted the founding fathers understood the important role objective truth and virtue played in establishing a just nation. He said he often faced pressure to compromise on his political views to gain support during his gubernatorial campaigns, but his refusal to bend to popular opinion proved crucial in serving as an effective leader in Florida.

“You’ve got to have that compass set to true north,” he said. “Because every single day, when you’re in a position like mine, (opponents) are going to come at you. They are going to do all kinds of things. If you know where you’re going, then you are going to be able to surmount all of that. If you don’t know where you are going, you are going to twist in the wind and you are not going to be worth the paper the ballot was printed on that elected you.”

DeSantis said faith in God is the ultimate source of every human’s inalienable rights, regardless of what government is in power. He said his goal throughout his political career has been to reinforce those rights.

“The purpose of government is to protect what we already possess as virtue of being children of God,” he said. “(The Founding Fathers) knew that wasn’t something historically that had ever been done. They knew republics throughout history had failed. They knew they were swimming against the tide of history, but they said, ‘You know what? We’re going to take a stand.’”

Prior to DeSantis’ message, Liberty President Dondi E. Costin joined New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas on the stage to discuss Metaxas’ newest work, “REVOLUTION: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World,” which offers an extensive history of the founding of the United States. Metaxas argued that many of the nation’s Founding Fathers established the new country on the foundation of biblical truth and that America can only find its true purpose by returning to these principles.

“You can never get America without Christian faith,” he said. “America was God’s idea in history, and the men of the revolution understood that. They understood you have to go back to the Sinai Covenant of the Old Testament where people came out from under Pharoah and looked directly to God as their king. That’s the idea at the heart of America.”

Metaxas was the speaker at Liberty’s Convocation on Wednesday morning, where he emphasized the responsibility of all Americans to understand the nation’s history and celebrate her accomplishments.

The keynote dinner also opened with a fireside panel on American brands, moderated by former? Ford head of Enthusiast Brand Management and current Liberty Senior Vice President of Business Relations Dave Rivers. Panel guests included former Arlington, Texas, Mayor and Graham Associates President and CEO Jeff Williams; Publicis Sports CEO Susie Deering; and Rabine Group CEO and founder Gary Rabine. The leaders shared how they have lived out their faith in the secular business world and have been able to effectively serve as leaders in their respective companies.

The dinner was one of numerous events held at the newly opened Champion Center on Wednesday in conjunction with the 2026 CEO Summit. Earlier in the afternoon, Liberty students were invited to the annual Future CEO Luncheon: How Champions Are Made to meet with various high-level business executives and begin fostering connections for potential future employment. For project management sophomore Quinlan Kohler, who is in his first year on campus, the event provided an opportunity to glean valuable insight.

“It’s really cool to look to leaders who are already in the field, where I can come to (this event) and see what I can learn,” he said. “I know there is so much I can learn in any field and any part of life. It’s really cool to have access to something like this where I can get poured into, meet people, and just grow as a person and in my career as well.”

BWX Technologies President and CEO Rex Geveden provided the keynote address for the Future CEO Luncheon, sharing insight into his extensive career and offering advice for students entering the workforce.

“This is a spectacular event,” he said. “I really marvel at the scale and the ambition of it. I think it’s an incredible thing you are doing here at Liberty. I think this session here is interesting where you are bringing together executives with the students here to presumably inspire them to achieve similar things. In doing so, you are capturing the energy of professionals who can really achieve success. You’re combining that with the rising ambition of the students. That gives this room a distinctive charge.”

Executive Vice President of Development Dr. Brian Mentzer said a major purpose of the CEO Summit is to connect CEOs and business leaders with current Liberty students so they can gain knowledge and experience.

“They can hear from seasoned leaders and bridges can be built and pipelines can be made for our students to find employment with many of these companies after they graduate. For many of these companies, workforce development is a very big issue. The students are a tremendous product for all of these companies who are like-minded.”

Executives also attended panel discussions on American manufacturing, the trade industry, and the advantages of artificial intelligence.

On Thursday, the CEO Summit continues with panels on national security, the importance of transformational leadership, real estate, the future of American politics in Washington, the impact of future leaders on the next 250 years of America, and leadership in light of social media.

The attendees will also have a chance to cheer on the Flames during their visit, when Liberty Football kicks off against CUSA opponent Sam Houston State University at 7 p.m. Thursday at Williams Stadium.

The 2026 CEO Summit will conclude with School of Hard Knocks co-founder James Dumoulin as the featured speaker at Friday morning’s Convocation.