Derek Jeter to speak at LIA fall luncheon

The Long Island Association has added former New York Yankees star Derek Jeter to its lineup as its featured luncheon speaker this fall.

The former Yankees' captain's Oct. 28 appearance at the biannual luncheon of the region's largest business group will come a day after the tentative start of the World Series, said Kevin Law, LIA president, who noted that both the Yankees and the Mets currently lead their divisions.

"There's going to be a nice baseball buzz," he said of the timing. "Imagine if the Yankees and the Mets are in the World Series."

Jeter, 41, who retired last year after five World Series rings and 20 major league seasons, follows current presidential candidates Hillary Clinton (Oct. 2013) and Jeb Bush (Feb. 2014), former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke (Oct. 2014) and former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney (March 2015).

"We thought we'd take a break from politicians and bring in a world-renown sports icon," Law said. "Whether you're a sports fan or not, Derek Jeter is a terrific leader."

Jeter will be fielding questions in a one-on-one conversation with Law at the noon event at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.

Law said Jeter and others typically keep their speaking fees confidential. Along with an annual gala, the luncheons are important funding sources for the LIA, which promotes Long Island business to officeholders in Washington, Albany, Mineola and Hauppauge, Law said.

The roughly 90-minute luncheon is expected to draw an audience of more than 1,000, he said.

Though Jeter follows a streak of political celebrities, he is not the first sports figure to speak at an LIA luncheon. In October 2011, a decade after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, former Yankees' manager Joe Torre spoke at a luncheon along with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

By Ken Schachter

kenneth.schachter@newsday.comkschach

Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.