2021 Club for Growth
Foundation Fellows

Rick Barnes

Keller, Texas

The Honorable Rick Barnes was elected Chairman of the Tarrant County GOP at a specially called meeting of the TCGOP Executive Committee in January 2019.  He was re-elected to the position through a Countywide Primary Election in March of the same year.

Rick is a life-long conservative who believes in God, the Constitution and traditional family values.  He is an established speaker, author, business coach and leadership trainer.  He has been a featured speaker, presenter and consultant to over 2-million audience members through corporate, international, and non-profit organizations throughout the United States and three other countries.

Prior to serving the Tarrant County GOP as Chairman, Mr. Barnes was the Treasurer of the TCGOP and was the Mayor Pro-Tem of Keller, Texas 2014-17.

Mr. Barnes was born in Fort Worth as a “Gladney Baby.”  Adopted and raised in West Texas by educators, he received his bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and a master’s from Texas Christian University.

Rick and Sheila Barnes will celebrate 33 years of marriage in 2021.

Rick is a dedicated and visionary leader, and as Tarrant County GOP Chair, he is committed to serving as the leader of the Tarrant County Republican Party.

Brandon Brice

Wilmington, Deleware

Brandon has stayed true to his commitment to service and learning, by earning a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Howard University and a Master’s of Science from Rutgers University. As a Graduate student, he served as a fellow for the United Nations Foundation and the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. Brandon is currently earning his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Detroit-Mercy.

Brandon began his career as a staffer working on Capitol Hill for the Office of former United States Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. Upon graduation, he would serve as an Associate with the National Urban League’s Economic Opportunity Institute, fighting for financial literacy.  He would then serve as Director of Education and African American Affairs in the Office of the New Jersey Governor, Hon. Chris J. Christie. His work focused on early Head Start programs, youth and education for stakeholders in the cities of Camden, Newark, Patterson and Trenton.  He later relocated to Atlanta, where he worked with Veterans Empowerment Organization of Georgia, focusing on military families and homeless returning veterans and served in an Executive role with the Boy Scouts of America’s Career Apprenticeship Programs. Today, Brandon serves as Director of Philanthropy, Equity and Social Justice for the United Way of Delaware.

Brandon has given lectures at Princeton University, the Baltimore Harbor League, the National Black Law Students Association, the American Enterprise Institute and the Hamilton Society in Washington, D.C. He is a 2018 recipient of the Michigan Chronicle’s Distinguished Men of Excellence Award and the Spirit of Detroit Award in 2018.  He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., 100 Black Men of Greater Detroit and Prince Hall Masonic Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. Brandon serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Advantage Health and Insight Charter Network of Central Michigan University. He resides in Wilmington, DE.

Jeffrey Bristol

Tampa, Florida

Jeffrey Bristol is a lawyer, Naval officer and scholar. He currently works as an attorney with the Paul Parrish Law Firm handling civil litigation. Previously, he worked as an Assistant Public Defender in Pinellas County handling a variety of challenging criminal cases. Dr. Bristol is a veteran of both the US Army and Navy. He enlisted in the Army in June 2001 and served five years on Active Duty as a Persian-Farsi linguist. He has since accepted a commission in the Navy Reserves. He deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Bristol is also an anthropologist. He has conducted fieldwork researching Islamic law in both the Sahara and the United States. During the course of his work as a scholar, he taught at several universities. He holds a PhD in Anthropology from Boston University, a JD from the University of Michigan Law School, an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago, a BA in History/Anthropology/Languages from Marlboro College and an AA in Persian-Farsi from the Defense Language Institute. He lives in Tampa with his wife and son.

Joelle Cannon

Springfield, Missouri

Joelle Cannon wrote a book on wasteful government spending. She spent over a decade on Capitol Hill staffing conservatives in Congress on federal budget and tax policy. Joelle co-wrote the annual Wastebook and other revealing reports, and her work investigating federal spending has been profiled in Fox News, Forbes, Barron’s, and the Washington Post, which dubbed her a “rising budget hotshot.”  Before moving home to work for Senator Roy Blunt, Joelle served as Budget Director for the late Senator Tom Coburn, was the Deputy Policy Director for the Senate Republican Conference and worked for the Republican Study Committee under then Congressman Mike Pence.  Joelle now lives in southwest Missouri with her daughter, and is the Director of Government Affairs for Liberty Utilities. She spends her spare time teaching federal budget classes at Johns Hopkins University, running, and rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Aaron Cichon

Houston, Texas

Aaron Cichon is Director of Sales and Operations for 512 New Media, a leading political and retail media and marketing firm based in Texas. Their work includes national, state, and local campaigns throughout the nation where they strive to elect strong conservatives. Their TV and radio spots, websites, and other media assets have been seen and heard by countless Americans. Aaron also serves as a precinct chair for the Harris County Republican Party in Houston. He recently worked as a grassroots volunteer manager for the Tony Buzbee for Mayor campaign where he observed first-hand the dire need for reigniting conservative enthusiasm and activism on the local level.

Born in Houston, Aaron graduated from Texas A&M University and was a member of the Aggie Corps of Cadets. He also attended Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston. An Eagle Scout, Aaron has two brothers, Maxwell and Brett, and enjoying training at the gym, running, traveling abroad, and spending time with his family.

John Cowan

Rome, Georgia

John Cowan MD is a board-certified neurosurgeon with the Harbin Clinic in Rome, GA. He currently is the Georgia Chair for US Term Limits and the president of the Georgia Neurosurgical Society. He holds a Bachelors of Science with Honors in Physics from Davidson College and Doctorate of Medicine from John Hopkins. He completed a Neurosurgery residency at the University of Michigan. He completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship in Population Health with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He has over 50 publications in the medical literature primarily evaluating quality and utilization of healthcare. He is a noted inventor with numerous patents and 5 medical devices currently in use globally. He was captain and four-year starter on his college football team and won the prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship, the Goodwin-Exxon award, and the Computers in Physics Magazine software competition. He was valedictorian of Cartersville High School class.

Dr. Cowan is committed to constitutional conservative principles. He believes in free and fair markets and robust international trade with agreeable partners. The broken tax code, budgeting process, and healthcare system remain our biggest domestic threats. He believes that policy and principle should replace the current puff and persona of political discourse and leadership.

Dr. John Cowan is married with four children. His wife is an Anesthesiologist at. He serves as an Elder and Sunday School teacher at First Presbyterian Church in Rome, Georgia and believes spreading the good news is essential in every endeavor. He is past-president of the Rome Area Medical Society and on the boards of the Community Foundation of Greater Rome, the Rome/Floyd Chamber of Commerce, and Harbin Properties. He is a proud member of Rome Rotary Club. A serial entrepreneur, Dr. Cowan has started numerous small businesses from an ice cream franchise to an international toy and game company. He has served as basketball coach, soccer coach, mentor, and friend to many in the community.

Matthew Denhart

Athens, Ohio

Matthew Denhart is president of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Fund and CFO of the Coolidge Foundation. Over the past eight years, Matt has led the growth of the Coolidge Foundation into a national institution and launched the Coolidge Scholarship, a full-ride, four-year undergraduate award that each year shares the legacy and values of America’s most underrated president with thousands of America’s most promising future leaders.

Earlier in his career, Matt served as a research fellow at the George W. Bush Institute where he focused on pro-growth economic policy. Prior to that he was the administrative director of a free-market higher education policy think tank, the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. Over the years, Matt has written and spoken widely on numerous policy topics, including education, immigration, labor, and taxation, and his work has been featured in publications including: The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Bloomberg, National Review, and the New York Post, among others.

Matt was born and raised in Athens, Ohio, the second oldest of six siblings. He graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University with degrees in economics and political science. In 2017 he was named by Forbes to its “30 Under 30” list in the area of law and policy. Matt and his wife Andrea live in Columbus, Ohio with their two young daughters and their two not-so-young labradors.

David Eastman

Wasilla, Alaska

David first entered public service as a member of Huntington Beach Search & Rescue, rising to the rank of crew chief before donning the uniform of a West Point Cadet. At 21, he graduated from West Point and was assigned to Alaska as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps. As a military officer, David experienced first-hand America’s transition from a peacetime force to the global war on terrorism, with service during the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations. His deployments included Operation Terminal Fury, Operation Enduring Freedom, and time spent training soldiers at the U.S. Army National Training Center. In Afghanistan, David came face to face with those who have vowed to see the destruction of the United States, and he is under no illusion concerning the dedication and single-minded purpose of some of America’s enemies today. One of his final assignments on active duty was Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Branch Chief for the Armed Forces Presidential Inaugural Committee, where he took part in the planning and execution of the 56^th Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies.

In 2009, David left active duty to complete the Summit Oxford Fellowship as an associate member of New College at the University of Oxford. Upon returning to the United States, he completed the John Jay Fellowship at the John Jay Institute. He has been privileged to serve at all levels of government; city, county/borough, state and federal. At various times, he has worn the badge of a military police officer, firefighter, EMT, and member of National Ski Patrol.

David served as the 2016 Alaska Deputy State Director for the Trump/Pence Campaign, and as a campaign manager for U.S. Senate Candidate Joe Miller in his successful primary election campaign against Lisa Murkowski in 2010. David holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the Acton School of Business, a Master of Arts in Apologetics from Biola University, and a Bachelor of Science in Law & Legal Studies from West Point. As a three-term member of the Alaska House of Representatives, David is the only member of the Alaska Legislature to consistently maintain a 100% conservative voting record according to the American Conservative Union. When he is not at work in the state capital, David and his wife Jennifer live outside of Wasilla, Alaska with their four children.

Julie Ellsworth

Boise, Idaho

Julie Ellsworth was elected as Idaho’s State Treasurer in 2018. Treasurer Ellsworth has a long history of public service which includes twelve years as a Representative in the Idaho legislature.

As a legislator, Julie served in leadership as the Majority Caucus Chairmen. She also worked to draft model legislation which allowed individuals and businesses to purchase health insurance across state borders.  Ellsworth successfully passed legislation cracking down on Medicaid fraud, which resulted in the state recouping millions of dollars. Julie played a key role in maintaining the state’s high credit rating by presenting and discussing Idaho’s financial status and public policies with Wall Street rating firms.

As Idaho’s State Treasurer, Julie operates as the chief financial officer and banker of the state. Her duties include securing the state’s yearly credit rating, investing idle state monies, issuing state tax anticipation notes, investing local government monies and acting as custodian for both the worker’s compensation insurance securities and the Endowment Public School Income Funds.

Ellsworth also oversees the administration of Idaho’s Unclaimed Property Program, the 529 College Savings Program, the Idaho Bond Bank, and the Idaho School Bond Guaranty Program.

Treasurer Ellsworth is honored to have the opportunity to serve her fellow Idahoans and is grateful for the trust they have placed in her.

In addition to her elected public service, Julie has functioned as a Civil Mediator/Facilitator and Business Consultant. She was a Foundation Grant Evaluator and Judge as well as a teacher in Idaho’s public schools.

Julie Ellsworth grew up in Idaho and has worked to promote a pro-family environment for the state. She and her husband have three children and two grandchildren.

Kimberly Fiorello

Greenwich, Connecticut

Kimberly Fiorello is a member of the Connecticut General Assembly elected as State Representative for Greenwich and Stamford.  She serves on the Education, Planning and Development, and Judiciary Committees, championing “Money Follows The Child,” fixes to the Police Accountability bill, and stopping state takeover of local zoning decision rights.  She is in her first term.

To advance freedom in her state, Kimberly is the State Director for the Charter Oak Leadership Program, CLP, a Connecticut-based non-profit that trains community, business, and political leaders in the core principles of our country and free market enterprise. CLP is the first national chapter for the Leadership Program of the Rockies.  An avid organizer, she holds a U.S. patent for a storage bag design that was licensed by a CT-based manufacturer and sold online.

Kimberly was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Reston, Virginia.  She served one year at the United States Military Academy at West Point before transferring to and graduating from Harvard College, A.B. Economics.  She and her husband, Jon, live in Greenwich, CT, and have four children, two dogs, and four pet hens who daily provide yummy eggs for breakfast!

Jason Fischer

Jacksonville, Florida

Jason Fischer serves portions of southern Duval County in the Florida House of Representatives. First elected in 2016, Fischer currently serves as Chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee and the Chairman of the Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining. As State Representative for District 16, Jason is a leading voice in the Florida House for education, transportation, and infrastructure policy. Before serving in the Florida House, Jason was the youngest member ever elected to the Duval County School Board, where he worked tirelessly to provide Jacksonville students with a top-rate public education.

Jason graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Inspired by his love of country, Jason became a civilian engineer for the United States Navy. In 2010, his peers at the Association of Energy Engineers recognized him for his vital work and named him a “Legend in Energy.” After his work with the Navy, Jason joined CSX, one of the largest transportation companies in America. Currently, Jason works for HNTB as a business strategy leader.

A Jacksonville native, Jason resides in Mandarin with his wife, Melinda, and their three young sons, Jason Jr., Luke, and George.

Clayton Fuller

Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Clayton Fuller is from Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he serves as an Assistant District Attorney for Georgia’s Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, where he prosecutes some of the circuit’s toughest violent and sexual crimes.  He also has argued criminal cases before the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Court of Appeals of Georgia.

From 2018-2019, Clay was one of fourteen Americans selected and appointed by President Donald J. Trump to serve as a White House Fellow, the nation’s most prestigious program for leadership and public service.  During his White House Fellowship, he served in both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Defense (DoD).  He advised the Office of the Vice President on the response to the opioid crisis as well as improving processes that impact families of the POW/MIA community.  At DoD, he was assigned to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD/SOLIC) where he assisted senior Pentagon and National Security Council leaders with the oversight of the worldwide employment of special operations forces in counterterrorism.  Because of his work in SOLIC, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In addition, Clay is a Major and a Deputy Staff Judge Advocate in the Alabama Air National Guard (ANG), where he advises commanders in order to provide the nation with superior F-16 capabilities.  During the Guard’s initial response to COVID-19, Clay was handpicked as an officer in charge of all ANG personnel who were called up to serve in Alabama’s historic Task Force 31 mission which disinfected over 200 nursing homes in the state.

Inspired by Clay’s personal victory over cancer in 2013, following a thirteen-hour surgery and a two-week ICU stay at Walter Reed, which led him to leave Air Force active duty, he and his wife Kate cofounded Atticus Impact Investing, a strategic investment firm focused on revolutionizing the economies of Appalachian small towns.  In founding Atticus, Clay and Kate have chosen to focus their efforts on the renewal of communities and fight the opioid and methamphetamine epidemics impacting their home.

Clay played basketball at Emory University and graduated with a B.A. in English before earning an M.P.A. from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University. He is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force’s Officer Training School, a graduate of the Marine Expeditionary Warfare School, and earned a Master’s in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.

Priscilla Giddings

White Bird, Idaho

Representative Priscilla Giddings was raised on a ranch in White Bird, Idaho and graduated as student body president and valedictorian of Salmon River High in Riggins. She earned a B.S. in biology from the United States Air Force Academy where she was also a NCAA Division I track athlete. She completed an online program for a M.S. in physiology from California University of Pennsylvania while serving overseas. She served nine years on active duty, then in the Idaho Air National Guard and is currently a Major in the Air Force Reserves. During her service she accumulated nearly 1,000 combat flight hours and nine air medals during three combat deployments. During flight training she was awarded “Top Gun” as an A-10 fighter pilot. After separating from active duty she was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives, she authored the book, Curiously Strong: A Female Fighter Pilot’s Story of Developing Strength and was distinguished with Idaho’s 2018 Outstanding Woman Veteran Award. Priscilla and her husband Matt have two daughters.

Tommy Gregory

Sarasota, Florida

Florida State Representative Tommy Gregory is a proud American, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and Florida native. He attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and graduated with military distinction. He also earned a law degree, with honors, from the University of Texas. In addition to serving in the Florida House, Tommy is a commercial litigation attorney and small business owner. Tommy served on active duty in the United States Air Force for 20 years, including 14 years as a judge advocate or “JAG.” He was assigned to 6 different states and 4 different countries during his career and deployed multiple times in support of Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, where he advised aircrews during real-time strikes of terrorist targets. Tommy’s wife, Erica, is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel. They met as cadets at the Air Force Academy and have been married 25 years. Tommy and Erica have 3 teenage sons – two of them attend Florida State University and one attends high school in Sarasota. They are active supporters of children, family and pro-life organizations. Tommy is an avid outdoorsman, hunter and scuba diver.

Michael Hamilton

Xenia, Ohio

Michael T. Hamilton is an editor and entrepreneur serving at the intersection of language, liberty, and learning. As founder of Good Comma Editing and Good Comma Classroom, Michael leads his team in helping current and future leaders think and state the most important things clearly. The Good Comma Companies have edited more than 5 million client words for a diverse network of business and ministry leaders. Additionally, Michael and his team supply writing coaching to students, schools, and professionals, and they lead travel studies to cities important to the Western heritage, including Boston, Charleston, DC, Edinburgh, and London. Michael has given legislative testimony on free-market policy in two states and has published in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, World Magazine, The Federalist, and Townhall.com. Currently Michael chairs the board of the Miami Valley Women’s Center, and he is a founding board member and the board secretary of the Forge Leadership Network, which trains, mentors, and connects students who are considering public service of any kind. His patient wife classically homeschools their four children. Michael graduated from Hillsdale College with a B.A. in 2004.

Jonathon Hill

Townville, South Carolina

Jonathon is a stalwart defender of liberty and has been a driving force behind defunding Planned Parenthood, reforming civil asset forfeiture, and defending our Second Amendment rights. His positions are sometimes an irritation to his less enthusiastic Republican colleagues.

In 2008, Rep. Hill entered politics as a campaign volunteer, and shortly after started the Anderson TEA Party. He has served in the House since 2015 and is the Second Vice Chairman of the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee.

Among his political maxims: “Every act of government is an act of force, and should be used sparingly.”

Born in Anderson, S.C., Jonathon was home educated in the rural upstate town of Donalds. He skipped college, taught himself software development, and achieved professional success at tech firms from Atlanta to Silicon Valley.

Jonathon and his wife Amanda live in Townville, SC with their dogs Argos and Bob, and parrotlet, Cora.

Jake Hoffman

Queen Creek, Arizona

Jake Hoffman is a Christian, husband, father of 5, businessman, contributing columnist at Townhall.com, public servant, conservative, and fierce defender of the Constitution.

Jake is currently serving the people of Arizona as an elected member of the Arizona House of Representatives, including as the Vice Chair of the House Committee on Government and Elections and member of the House Committee on Appropriations. In his freshman term, Representative Hoffman has been lauded by conservative think tanks, policy organizations, pundits and media outlets for his package of election integrity legislation that would, in part, prohibit the private funding of election administration and management, as well as, prohibit the mass mailing of ballots to voters who did not request one, block high risk and insecure voter registration practices, and prohibit the modification of statutorily prescribed election dates or deadlines.

Previously, Jake has served his community and state on the Higley School Board, the Queen Creek Town Council, as chairman of the largest local Republican Party in Arizona, delegate to the 2016 and 2020 Republican National Conventions, including as a member of the Credentials Committee for the RNC in 2020, as a member of the Fifth Congressional District’s Education Advisory Council under both Congressman Andy Biggs and Matt Salman, and at his local church in the youth ministry.

Professionally, Jake is the President and CEO of multiple public policy, technology, marketing and communications strategy-focused small businesses. His nationally recognized work has given him the opportunity to advise elected officials, including members of Congress, the Senate, and a U.S. President, among countless corporate leaders, non-profits and policy-oriented organizations.

Jake’s work played a key role in helping elect President Trump, running one of the most effective digital campaigns in the country in the final weeks of the 2016 general election. Jake was invited to attend the President’s inauguration, has visited the White House for meetings on numerous occasions, and has been publicly lauded by President Trump as one of his “very good friends.” Additionally, Jake has been recognized for his efforts to help secure numerous conservative public policy victories that benefitted hundreds of millions of Americans during the Trump administration.

There’s an old saying that behind every strong man is a stronger woman, and Jake is living proof of the axiom’s accuracy.  He is married to an amazingly strong, smart, and beautiful woman, Kimberly, who like him serves as a leader in their community, inventor and entrepreneur, and faithful follower of Christ.

“America needs modern day Washingtons, Jeffersons, Reveres, and Franklins to step forward and lead. Our nation needs a rekindling of the quiet heroes of the Greatest Generation—the men and women who selflessly sacrificed to overcome fascism and communism in the 20th century.  No matter how insurmountable the challenges we face may feel, the answer lies with everyday Americans simply having the courage to faithfully step into the lion’s den as unwavering voices for truth and freedom.”  -Jake Hoffman

Mike Hurst

Brandon, Mississippi

Mike Hurst is a partner with Phelps Dunbar LLP in its Jackson, Mississippi, office, assigned to the Litigation Practice Group and focused on government investigations, corporate compliance, general litigation, and white collar defense work. Hurst most recently served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi from October 2017 until January 2021. Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Hurst created the Mississippi Justice Institute, a division of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, a nonprofit law firm focused on litigating people’s constitutional rights in Mississippi courtrooms. In 2015, Mike was the Republican nominee for Mississippi Attorney General. From 2006 until February 2015, Mike served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Jackson, where he focused on public corruption, financial fraud, immigration, and other work. Before becoming a federal prosecutor, Mike worked on Capitol Hill, serving as Legislative Director and Counsel for Congressman Chip Pickering and, before that, as Counsel to the Constitution Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.  Mike began his legal career as an Associate at Troutman Sanders LLP in its Washington, DC, office.  Mike is originally from Hickory, Mississippi, and is a graduate of East Central Community College, Millsaps College, and The George Washington University Law School.

Mackenzie Kelly

Austin, Texas

Council Member Mackenzie Kelly was elected to serve the people of Austin City Council District 6. An Austin native, firefighter, police advocate, and health care worker, Council Member Mackenzie Kelly has embraced a lifetime of public service. She is grateful to the voters of District 6 for allowing her to work to represent them in this pivotal moment in Austin’s history. District 6 is the largest district in Austin, about fifty square miles from the area around Steiner Ranch on the southwestern end, to southern Williamson County to the north, located in far northwest Austin. Councilmember Kelly hopes her varied experiences, deep community connections, and neighborly Texan tone will help her well represent this diverse and growing area.

Before being elected to City Council, Kelly served at the Round Rock Fire Department Training Division, Williamson County Emergency Management and with the City of Austin Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). In 2019, Kelly was elected president of the 100th class of Austin Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy. Her close working relationship with APD gives her a rare perspective on local law enforcement and why it must be passionately supported and fully funded. Kelly volunteered with the Jollyville Fire Department from 2005-13, where she gained a profound respect for those who protect life and property in our capital city. While there, she completed a year-long fellowship through the Disaster Science Academy.

Serving Austin’s elderly population is another passion of Kelly’s, having worked in home health care for several years, and has been an appointee by then-Governor Rick Perry to the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities. Kelly is an advocate of good geographic representation, having run in the first city council election under the 10-1 plan in 2014.

As for her greatest accomplishment, Kelly is mother of an inquisitive daughter, Rebekah, a student in the Round Rock ISD, and is happily married. She is a 2005 graduate of Westwood High School (Go Warriors!).

RJ May

Lexington, South Carolina

RJ May is a conservative lawmaker from South Carolina. Elected to the Palmetto State’s House of Representatives in 2020, RJ made an immediate impact on the state’s lower chamber by helping organize the fractured far-right.

While not legislating, RJ runs Ivory Tusk Consulting (ITC), the go-to public relations firm for conservative primary challengers and longshot Republicans in South Carolina.

Prior to founding ITC, RJ served as the Executive Director of the South Carolina Club for Growth, the state’s leading conservative watchdog group. In that capacity, he led the organization’s candidate recruitment, independent expenditure efforts, legislative involvement, issue advocacy, research, training, and educational activities.

RJ is a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Criminal Justice. He received his master’s degree in security and diplomacy from Tel Aviv University in Israel and is a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

RJ lives in Lexington County with his wife (Beth), son (Bobby), and dog (Veto). He is an avid traveler, having been to over 40 countries in North and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Grant Moody

San Antonio, Texas

Grant is currently a Director of Innovation, at Valero Energy. Before joining Valero, he served in various executive roles at USAA, the premier military financial services firm. He previously served 10 years on active duty as a Marine F-18 pilot with combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and he continues to serve as a LtCol in the Marine Reserves.

Since leaving active duty, Grant has been politically active supporting conservative veterans for public office. He founded and chaired Support and Defend PAC, and then served as the Republican Political Director for With Honor. He also briefly served on former Congressman Mike Pompeo’s congressional staff. In 2017, he was appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to serve on the Texas Veterans Land Board alongside Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. He also served on the Board of Directors for Soldiers’ Angels a national non-profit and now sits on their Advisory Council. Grant is a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval Academy and was named a  2^nd team Academic All-American playing football for the Midshipmen. He holds an M.S. in Statistics from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School.

Grant is married with 3 young children. They reside on the north side of San Antonio.

Ronald Nate

Rexburg, Idaho

Ronald M. Nate, PhD, MA, is a professor of economics at BYU-Idaho.  He specializes in applied microeconomics, public economics, quantitative methods, economics of education, poverty economics, and public choice. He has been teaching for a combined 26 years, beginning at the University of Connecticut, Ohio University-Eastern, and the last 17 years at BYU-Idaho. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ron studied at the University of Utah, and earned a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Connecticut. He serves in the Idaho House of Representatives (2014-2018, 2020-present) and was appointed to the Idaho Judicial Council, chaired the Idaho Republican Presidential Caucus in 2012, and is currently on the Board of Scholars at the Foundation for Economics Education.  Ron and his wife, Maria, have four children.

Cheraya Pena

Fort Worth, Texas

Cheraya Peña is the owner-operator of Spotlight Communication Strategies, LLC, a company that provides strategy, marketing, and crisis communication services to clients within the education policy, governmental affairs, and private investment sectors. Most recently Cheraya served as the full-time director for the Best Place for Kids™ and the Best Place for Working Parents™ initiatives, unique public-private partnerships designed to increase family and childhood outcomes through business- and family-friendly workplace policies. Prior to forming Spotlight, she served as press secretary for the Fort Worth Mayor and Council. Cheraya is a TCU grad with a B.S. in Communication Studies with an international emphasis and holds professional certificates from FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for crisis communications. Cheraya and her husband, Gustavo, live in Fort Worth with their two young children where she is active in the local community in a variety of volunteer and leadership roles.

J. Michael Reichenbach

Florence, South Carolina

Mike Reichenbach is Owner and President of three Automotive Dealerships that include Mike Reichenbach Ford Lincoln, Mike Reichenbach Volkswagen and Mike Reichenbach Chevrolet.

Originally from Ohio, Mike graduated Valedictorian from Bluffton High School and earned an academic scholarship to Bowling Green State University’s Honors Program majoring in Accounting.  After graduation, Mike worked for two Fortune 500 Companies, State Farm Insurance and Owens Corning.

In 1996, Mike married Charisse Edwards, and went on to obtain his MBA from the University of Michigan – Ross School of Business.  After graduation, Ford Motor Company recruited Mike to join their Automotive Strategy division.  After years with Ford, Mike left to pursue a dealership.  After graduating from the NADA Dealer Academy in McLean, VA, Mike and Charisse realized their entrepreneurial dream of owning a dealership and living in the Carolinas when they purchased what would become Mike Reichenbach Ford Lincoln in Florence, SC in 2008.

Due to their success with the Ford dealership, the couple was awarded the Open Point Volkswagen dealership in Florence in 2013, and the Open Point Chevrolet dealership in Hilton Head/Bluffton that opened in 2014.

Active community involvement is a major priority and focus for Mike.  In 2011, he was honored by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce as “Businessperson of the Year” and was voted Florence’s First “Dancing with the Florence Stars” Winner.  He was appointed as a member of the inaugural Board of the Francis Marion University – School of Business, Center for Entrepreneurship. And in 2015, Mike was honored to be named a Charter Member of the Florence-Darlington Technical College’s Entrepreneurial Forum.

Mike currently serves on the following Boards of Directors:

• Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce – Chairman
• McLeod Health Foundation – Vice Chairman
• Coastal Carolina Hospital – Vice Chairman
• Florence-Darlington Technical College Foundation
• Florence School District 1: Southside Middle School Advisory Council
• Francis Marion University School of Business Advisory Board

Law enforcement is one of Mike’s passions, and he earned his law enforcement commission through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as a Game Warden/Deputy Law Enforcement Officer. In 2012, he was selected for the U.S. Army War College’s National Security Seminar, and in 2018, he was promoted to Major in the South Carolina Military Department’s Joint Services Detachment.

Most recently, Mike was nominated and selected for Leadership Florence Class of 2020, Leadership South Carolina Class of 2020, Liberty Fellowship Class of 2019 (an Aspen Global Leadership Network Fellowship) and The Riley Institute’s Diversity Leadership Initiative Class of 2018.

In November 2019, Mike successfully launched a program called “Helping Florence Work”, with a mission to make Florence 1 Schools Guidance Counselors and Career Development Facilitators more aware of the significant career opportunities available in the Pee Dee requiring less than a four-year degree, and to empower them to guide students toward rewarding career pathways via quality technical education.

Mike and Charisse have two children, ages 19 and 18.

Spencer Roach

North Fort Myers, Florida

Spencer Roach represents District 79 in the Florida House of Representatives, which covers the unincorporated areas of north and east Lee County, Florida.

Spencer retired as a Judge Advocate from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2016 after 20 years of active-duty military service as both an enlisted member and commissioned officer. His last assignment was as a staff attorney in Washington, DC, where he was responsible for providing legal counsel to members with service-related disabilities. He spent his first 10 years in service serving as a search and rescue coxswain and counter-narcotics officer before earning an officer’s commission.

During his two decades of service, Spencer’s assignments included tours of duty in Alaska, a six-month combat deployment to the Middle East enforcing UN sanctions against Iraq, and service in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast.

Spencer was later selected for the prestigious Judge Advocate General Program (JAG) and attended the University of Miami School of Law on a military scholarship. He is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Texas.

Spencer is a certified ESL teacher and has been active in a variety of volunteer work for well over a decade. While in law school, Spencer managed a program that provided Financial Literacy classes to children aging out of foster care. He currently he serves as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem in the 20th Judicial Circuit and recently became a licensed foster parent. He is also an avid scuba diver, having traveled all over the world with a focus on Central and South America.

Philip Singleton

Sharpsburg, Georgia

Philip is a native Georgian who married his high school sweetheart, the former Julie Ruth Young of Senoia, GA. They met at youth group while attending Grace Evangelical Church in Fayetteville, GA. They have four beautiful children: Timothy-17, Denver-13, Tyler-12, and Emma-10. Originally pursuing a pre-med degree at Georgia State University, Philip joined the Army nine days after the Sept. 11th attacks to answer the Nation’s call and defend our freedom. After spending two years in the Georgia Army National Guard and completing a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern History, he commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.

Philip spent the next 13 years as an active duty officer flying the AH-64D Longbow both in and out of combat. He deployed to combat for one tour in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan with the storied 101st Airborne Division, and was awarded two bronze star medals and five air medals for his combat actions. Philip led troops at every level of his career, was consistently rated ahead of his peers, and rapidly progressed to the rank of Major. He was selected to attend the Intelligence Officer Advanced Course, the Command and General Staff College, and is certified as both a Strategic and Joint Planner. Since leaving the military in 2017, Philip became a Commercial Airline Pilot and currently flies for American Airlines’ regional airline PSA.

In addition to his military training, Philip has obtained two Masters Degrees and a Top Secret Clearance. He has a Masters of Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and a Masters of International Relations from Webster University. He graduated both programs with honors.  Philip has spent 7 of the last 18 years serving overseas and he and his family have lived in several states across the US as well as Germany and South Korea. 

Every US Army Officer swears the following, an excerpt from the officer oath of office:

“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”

Philip believes in this oath with his whole heart and has vowed to spend his life serving that end. 

Antonette DeLauro Smith

Centennial, Colorado

Antonette DeLauro Smith is director of marketing at the Centennial Institute, the public policy think tank at Colorado Christian University in Denver. In addition, she is the executive director of the Colorado OutReach Exchange, a leadership development and community engagement program of the Colorado National Guard. A Colorado native, she started her career in D.C. working for Senator Bill Armstrong then returned to Colorado as Director of Public Affairs for Colorado State Parks. She held executive roles in Fortune 500 companies First Data, Western Union and CH2M HILL. Antonette is a graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, a member of the AEI Leadership Network, and a co-founder of the persuasion messaging program Engage to Win. Undergrad: Colorado College. MBA: University of Denver.

Lisa Song Sutton

Las Vegas, Nevada

Lisa Song Sutton is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, former Miss Nevada, and former Congressional candidate for Nevada’s 4^th District. Lisa started her business career working in a top Las Vegas law firm, specializing in business litigation. She then went on to create companies of her own. Lisa started her first business, Sin City Cupcakes in 2012, and today it is an iconic Las Vegas treat that delights tens of thousands of locals and visitors each year.  Lisa is also co-founder of Ship Las Vegas, Elite Homes – Christie’s International Real Estate, and Liquid & Lace swimwear.

In addition to her work as an entrepreneur and real estate investor, Lisa has published numerous articles for Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Business Insider on business and entrepreneurship.  Lisa shares her message of leadership, empowerment and action with audiences from the TEDx stage to local schools, encouraging private sector to come off the sidelines and get involved.

Lisa continues to stay actively involved in her community serving on non-profit boards, including StartUpNV – Nevada’s only statewide business incubator. Lisa has been selected as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum and was named a Top Ten Social Entrepreneur to Watch by Inc. Magazine. Find more information about Lisa at www.lisasongsutton.com

Kirk Uhler

Granite Bay, California

Kirk’s professional career is a unique mix of government administration and small business start-ups.  Most recently, Kirk finished 18 years as an elected official and served as the managing member of The Rensa Group, a consulting company that specializes in government relations and strategic business communications.

Kirk’s business experience includes serving as a partner in a company delivering state-of-the-art software solutions to the Tv and film production industry, the Chief Operating Officer of the Electric & Gas Industries Association, and a founding employee of two publicly traded companies: CarsDirect.com and Solar Power, Inc.

Kirk represented the 4th District on the Board of Supervisors from 1993-96. He was only 25 years old when elected to the post, becoming the second youngest County Supervisor in California history. Kirk returned to the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 19, 2006 and completed his service on January 4, 2021.

Kirk has extensive media experience as well.  He has hosted a radio talk show on a top-rated Sacramento station, and has been a newspaper columnist and a radio news reporter.

A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Kirk has been a Placer County resident since 1970.  He is an Eagle Scout from Granite Bay Troop 121.  Kirk and his wife, Tami, Assistant Director of Placer County Child Support Services, currently live in Granite Bay with their daughter and son.

Steven Utroska

Brandon, Mississippi

Steven is a former Professional Engineer and small business owner that left the private consulting world to pursue his passion of making Mississippi the best place to live, work, and raise a family through policy reform. As a former small business owner, Steven is an advocate for business development and economic growth in Mississippi. Steven started a Hattiesburg area based small business centered organization, Liberty Pinebelt, in 2018 supporting economic freedom in the Pinebelt region of Mississippi, in order to get business leaders, employees, and citizens of the Pinebelt to come together as one strong voice against burdening taxes and regulations that hindered economic growth. The organization saw incremental growth prior to Steven leaving the Hattiesburg area to accept the position as State Director for Americans for Prosperity – Mississippi in 2020. Prior to working full time with Americans for Prosperity, Steven was also on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, Mississippi’s only state-based conservative think-tank.

Steven believes that the problem in today’s society is that we’ve always been taught to NOT talk about hard topics like religion and politics, but instead we should have been taught HOW to talk about those hard topics. Steven is a Liberty-Minded Conservative that is dedicated to talking about the hard topics so that we may protect our rights as free citizens and allow for economic growth through private enterprise. He is passionate about protecting the individual rights and economic freedom of all people. Steven is a 4th generation Mississippian raising two children, Asher and Adeline, along with his wife April.

Edward Walker

Billings, Montana

Ed Walker is a former Montana State Senator, first elected in 2010 to represent the families living in the western neighborhoods of Billings. A fifth generation Montanan, he grew up in a family of natural resource entrepreneurs. Whether its oil and natural gas, gold, copper, coal, uranium, or sand and gravel –Walker is a rockhound, and Montana is the Treasure State. For more than a decade, Ed earned a reputation as a First Amendment absolutist by introducing bills that ensured the rights of Americans to freely assemble, speak, and petition their representatives. Outside his legislative role, he organized social welfare groups that helped educate citizens of the activist and law-making tendencies of the Judiciary. In his private life, Ed Walker is a free market enterpriser and small business owner. Ed and his wife Kathleen are parents of five children and two grandchildren.

Michael Watson

Pascagoula, Mississippi

 Secretary of State Michael David Watson, Jr., was born and raised in Mississippi. He is a husband to his loving wife Lauren, father of three beautiful young daughters, the son of a shipyard worker and bank teller. After his work as a pipefitter, Michael’s father entered the ministry and continues to serve as pastor at Liberty Church in Gautier. His mother passed away shortly before Michael became Mississippi’s thirty-sixth Secretary of State. 

A graduate of Pascagoula High School and the University of Mississippi, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a law degree, Michael began his work in public service in the summer of 1999, serving as an intern for then U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. That experience strengthened his desire to one day enter public service in order to improve the quality of life for all Mississippians. 

Prior to taking office as Secretary of State in January 2020, Michael served three terms in the State Senate, where he represented District 51 in Jackson County. He authored the Fetal Protection Act, which strengthened the penalties for injuring an unborn child. He also wrote Mississippi’s first comprehensive law to tackle illegal immigration, as well as legislation to allow alternate-track diplomas—one of the first efforts to return a focus to career and technical training for high school students. More of Michael’s proposals came to fruition in the State Senate, including the Catastrophe Savings Accounts, which allows for pretax savings accounts to be used on deductibles or other catastrophe-related expenses, and the Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act that provides scholarships for parents with a special-needs child, allowing them the ability to choose which education option best fits their child. In addition, former Governor Phil Bryant asked Michael to introduce the legislation adding “In God We Trust” to our state seal. During his time in the State Senate, Michael became known as a conservative fighter for his work to preserve Mississippians’ rights and religious liberties and to limit government overreach and spending. Michael brings these same conservative principles to the Secretary of State’s Office. 

As Secretary of State, Michael is focused on protecting the integrity of our elections by emphasizing the importance of clean voter rolls and continuing strong enforcement of Mississippi’s Voter ID law. Since taking office, he’s fought to push legislation to ensure only United States citizens are registered to vote in Mississippi. Michael is also dedicated to bringing about a more efficient and effective state government by working to reduce regulations and red tape so small businesses can grow and flourish in a free market economy. During his first year as Secretary of State, he launched the Tackle the Tape initiative, which aims to help increase economic opportunities for all Mississippians by promoting competition and encouraging innovation and job growth. 

As a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Michael understands the importance of properly managing Tidelands and other public lands. He is committed to keeping the decisions in the 

hands of local officials as much as allowed by law while monitoring these decisions to ensure Mississippians receive fair value. 

During his time in the private sector, Michael opened his own firm where he focused on business law, construction law, and probate law. He is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the American Council of Young Political Leaders, the Mississippi Bar Association, the Ole Miss Alumni Association, and the Ole Miss Hall of Fame. He and his family spend time volunteering with the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and the Dream Program. As a dedicated family man, Michael and his wife, Lauren, have three daughters—Gracie Pierce, Annie, and Cora Elizabeth. The Watsons are members of First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula and enjoy visiting church families all over Mississippi. 

Ellen Weaver

Columbia, South Carolina

Prior to serving as Palmetto Promise Institute’s Founding President & CEO, Greenville-native Ellen Weaver worked in a wide variety of roles in U.S. Senator Jim DeMint’s Washington and South Carolina offices. Her final assignment as State Director included management of staff, communications, and outreach strategy. Her work portfolio also includes development, speech-writing, coalition-building, and authorship of editorials published nationally and across the opinion pages of South Carolina. Ellen learned the value of initiative and hard work early in life, helping her dad on the job sites of his small residential construction business.  She currently serves as Chairman of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee and on the board of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. She is also a deacon and chorister at the First Presbyterian Church of Columbia.

Manfred Wendt

Fort Worth, Texas

Manfred Wendt is the Executive Director of the Young Conservatives of Texas. He was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas until attending Trinity University from 2015-2018. He graduated from Trinity University with a degree in political science. During his time at Trinity, he revived the conservative movement on his campus. What started as three kids in a dorm room has grown into a vibrant YCT chapter that helped elect Congressman Chip Roy.

Manfred got his start in politics when he began interning for Ben Carson’s Super Pac during the finals of his senior year of high school. After interning, he started what would become the Young Conservatives of Texas at Trinity University. During his tenure, YCT at Trinity brought Dr. Ryan Anderson to speak.

During the summer of 2017, Manfred interned at the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) for the Center for Effective Justice. At TPPF, he met the future congressman Chip Roy. When Congressman Roy announced, Manfred led the efforts of Trinity YCT to get Chip Roy elected to congress. After the primary, Manfred was brought on full-time to the Chip Roy campaign where he served as a Field Manager and the volunteer coordinator for the campaign. In each of the pivotal elections, YCT at Trinity knocked the margin of difference. After the election of Chip Roy, Manfred became the Executive Director for the Young Conservatives of Texas. Under his tenure, the organization has grown from 8 to 28 chapters and broken fundraising records.

In his free time, Manfred likes to watch football, play flag football, read books, and retweet Chip Roy. His favorite authors include Russell Kirk, Edmund Burke, Bill Buckley, and Rod Dreher.

Christy Zito

Hammett, Idaho

As a proud Idahoan, daughter, mother, grandmother, gun owner, and many other things, Christy was blessed to raise her children on their small family farm. It is there where she taught them the importance of putting in a hard day’s work, of earning your way forward. As an Idahoan, Christy knows how critical it is that we take care of our state as well. As a grandmother, she understands how precious life is, at any stage. As a former school board member, she knows how frustrating it is to have your local authority usurped by a state or federal mandate. Along the way, she learned that it pays to listen, and it pays to let others have a say.

Serving in the Idaho Republican Party as an Elmore County Precinct Committeeman from 2014 to present, Christy has represents her county as State Committee Woman, and has served at various times on the  State Republican Party Resolutions, Rules, and Redistricting Committees.

Following two terms in the Idaho House of Representatives, she is now in her first term in the Idaho Senate.  As a member of the Idaho House of Representative she was a member of the House Republican Caucus and served on the House Agriculture Committee; House Judiciary and Rules Committee; and, House State Affairs Committee.  In the Senate. she serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee; Senate Health and Welfare Committee; and, Judiciary and Rules Committee, and is a member of the Senate Republican Caucus.

Christy was the recipient of the Ally of Freedom Award for Occupational Licensing Reform and the Friend of Freedom Award (2017) for having a Top Idaho Freedom Index Score which she has continued to maintain through her legislative career. She was the Idaho Library Association, Legislator of the Year for 2020.  Also Christy is a Friend of Agriculture, Farm Bureau winner for 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 legislative sessions.  She maintains a  100% Economic Score with the Club for Growth, and above 95% and above conservative rating with the American Conservative Union from 2017 through 2020.

A strong supporter of the Second Amendment, Christy was the first Friends of NRA Committee Chairman in Elmore county, her founding committee was the second in the nation to be staffed with all women including the FFL and was the second highest earning founding fund raising event in the country that year.  In the legislature, Christy has sponsored legislation to make Idaho a full constitutional carry state, to United State Residents 18 and older, has sponsored castle doctrine legislation and in 2021 legislation to strengthen Idaho’s Sanctuary State law.  She is also a supporter and member of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance.

Christy feels her greatest honor is to be the mother of five and grandmother of 11.  Faith, Family and First Freedoms!