Announcing our Keynote Speaker!

Dave Sanderson

“Brace for Impact”

Inspirational Survivor of the “Miracle on the Hudson”

On January 15, 2009, returning home to Charlotte from a routine business trip in New York, Dave Sanderson survived “The Miracle on the Hudson.” When US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of birds just minutes after take-off, the crew made the decision to ditch the plane into the icy Hudson River. Sanderson assisted the other passengers out of the aircraft and was the last passenger to exit the back of the plane. He swam to the nearest ferryboat and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors feared he would suffer a heart attack or stroke due to the trauma. Just days after the incident, Sanderson returned to his job as a sales manager for Oracle.

Heeding his mother’s advice to always do the right thing and take care of other people first, Sanderson became a true American hero on that fateful January day. Everyone on board survived the crash, due in large part to Sanderson’s heroic efforts.