The Camden Conference and Patten Free Library in Bath will host John Doughty on Wednesday, February 8 at 5:30pm. The event is in-person and on Zoom and is open to all.

The launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1957 marked the beginning of the space era and of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.   Today, a new arms race is brewing in orbit.  Access to space has become much more affordable as launch and equipment costs have declined sharply.  These factors are fueling a thriving space industry as dozens of countries and companies are exploring ways to utilize space.  Meanwhile, China is a pacing challenge to U.S. primacy in space.  Increasingly, space is becoming more militarized as several nations have developed, tested, and deployed various counterspace systems.  Given the importance of space to the U.S. economy and national security, the Pentagon has bolstered spending directed toward space-based systems.  Indeed, space is becoming more congested, competitive, and contested.  We will discuss the commercial and security aspects of the new space race as well as some of the major space exploration programs.

John Doughty is currently the Chief Investment Officer for R. M. Davis, a Registered Investment Advisor with $7 billion of assets under management located in Portland, Maine.  John leads the firm’s research effort and is Chair of the Investment Committee and is responsible for the firm’s investment strategy.  John specializes in energy, economics, markets, and geopolitics and presents regularly on global economic and market trends to business partners and others in the community.

Prior to joining R. M. Davis, John was a Vice President of Equity Research at Credit Suisse First Boston in New York. Before joining Credit Suisse, John was a Vice President of Fixed Income Research at Bear Stearns in New York. John also was a Senior Financial Analyst at General Dynamics, after completing the company’s two-year Management Development Internship program.

John earned his B.A. (cum laude) in History and Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College and his MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. John also completed graduate course work in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago.

He is a member of the Economic Club of New York, the Boston Economic Club, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the Royal United Services Institute, the National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts, and the Foreign Policy Association.

John has served on numerous community boards. Presently, he serves on the Camden Conference’s Advisory Board, the Portland Museum of Art’s Investment Committee, and the Maine Historical Society’s Investment Committee.  John also serves as an Alumni Fund Class Agent for Bowdoin College.