John is a Schenectady City Councilmember and the EOPA Department of Energy Taskforce Chair, and serves on the New York Leadership Council He is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Albany, New York. His research interests examine the intersections between economic development and the environment. This includes energy efficiency and sustainability, economic development, and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Polimeni was awarded the Senior Fulbright Fellow (2009) in Romania where he worked at the Academy of Economic Studies, as well as the Institute for Economic Forecasting in the Romanian National Academy in Bucharest. Dr. Polimeni is a Honorary Member of the Scientific Council of the Romanian National Academy of Science: National Institute for Economic Research, Institute of Economic Forecasting
Joe has been practicing law for 28 years. A lifelong resident of Bangor, he has represented Maine families and small businesses in his small private practice in downtown Bangor. Joe served for 12 years on the Bangor City Council — including twice as Mayor and Council Chair — and has promoted and supported several important economic redevelopment projects throughout the city. Joe successfully worked to keep the Bangor City Nursing Home open when it was threatened with closure. He helped the Fire Department establish its ambulance and paramedic unit, which now brings in millions in revenue to the City and provides people with life-saving services. In 2004, Joe was appointed by the Council to negotiate an agreement with the City of Halifax concerning their airport. The successful agreement reached protects Bangor International Airport’s preclearance business on international flights. Joe is a member of Elected Officials to Protect America's National Leadership Council.
Chris is an entrepreneur and investor focused on finance and technology based in Falls Church, Virginia. He is a government, family office, venture capital, and angel investor veteran who has built technology, consulting, and investing businesses. He has a particular interest in renewable energy, water, waste management, food, and affordable housing. He served in the United States Air Force in technology and intelligence fields both operationally and in research and development. He has worked at a US government think tank supporting the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in a $20B per year investment vehicle evaluating technology investments across multiple disciplines. Chris is on the board of Operation Snow Leopard which supports Afghanistan refugees as well as the advisory board of Veterans in Media and Entertainment supporting fellow veterans in the industry working on strategic development.
When Martha was one year’s old her family moved to Fresno, California, looking for more job opportunities. As a family of immigrants, her parents biggest dream was to help their two daughters achieve the American dream. They wanted their two daughters to get higher education and Martha led the way majoring in Liberal and Latin American Studies. After college, Martha became a teacher and has been one for the past 23 years. She is currently teaching Spanish Immersion program and little did she know that life would lead her to branch out and engage with the community in another role than teaching alone. As a newly elected city councilmember, she felt obligated to equip herself better by further learning about political topics that will be beneficial to her and her community.
US Army veteran with more than twenty years of service in the U.S. Army; Wanda Blackwell retired in 2006 as an E-8/42A- Human Resource Specialist. Her years of service as an officer of the US Army has afforded her opportunities to specialize and receive training in diverse areas of personnel management that include leadership, equal opportunity (trained at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute), conflict resolution, media and training & development. Wanda holds a Master of Public Administration with concentration on Criminal Justice from Troy University and a Master’s in Organization Management and Behaviour with concentration in Leadership from Capella University. Currently a federal employee, Wanda has a daughter and two grandchildren who are the guiding light in her continued fight for democracy, freedom and the American values while also working on her own professional development.
Donovan M. Dela Cruz is a state senator from District 17, which encompasses Wahiawā, Whitmore, portion of Mililani, Mililani Mauka, Launani Valley, and Waipi’o Acres and also serves as the Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means. Senator Dela Cruz, born and raised in Wahiawa, is a graduate of Leilehua High School, the University of Oregon where he earned a BA in Journalism and Communication Studies, and Masters in Organization Leadership from Argosy University. Senator Dela Cruz was instrumental in initiating the Whitmore Project, a detailed plan to revitalize Central Oahu by re-establishing agricultural dominance in our local ag industry by bringing farmers and the state together to increase local food production, create jobs, engage in partnerships, and to provide workforce housing resulting in creation of jobs and promoting economic development.
This Vallejo, CA, 21-year-old investor and entrepreneur, began his journey at the age of 10 when he became the youngest person to attend Stanford for computer science. He launched his first app on the App Store when he was 14 and two more the following year, reaching the Top Charts within eight hours of launch. As a Senior iOS Engineer at 15, he worked for various startups before co-founding two of his own, one in social networking and the other a successful investor-backed social e- commerce platform in the fashion and beauty community. Tragically, his second startup was shut down following the unexpected passing of his co-founder due to COVID-19. At 18, Christian graduated from UC Berkeley- Haas School of Business under their comparable MBA program (COBE), making him the youngest and fastest to do so. Additionally, Christian is dedicated to philanthropy and mental health, with a focus on teen suicide prevention.
Representative Daniel Holt is dedicated to making the community, where he was born and raised, as well as the entire State of Hawai'i, a better place to live for all its residents. He is privileged to represent House District 28, which encompasses Palama, Sand Island, Iwilei, and Chinatown and currently serves as the Chairman of the Committee on Economic Development. Representative Holt is also a member of the House Committees on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs and the Committee on Tourism. Since his first term as a legislator, he has taken a strong stance against crime and continues to advocate for increased funding for social services who assist our most vulnerable populations. Now in his fourth term as an elected official, he continues to be committed to fighting for safer communities for the people of Hawai'i and advocate for Native Hawaiians as Co- Chair of the Native Hawaiian Caucus.
Senator Steve Jarvis is a North Carolina Senator who was initially elected to office in 2020 representing the 29th District of North Carolina. A native of Davidson County, he previously served as county commissioner of Davidson County, North Carolina and as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, serving the 80th district from 2019 until 2021. Senator Jarvis has been a successful businessman crediting his success to various jobs in the community after high school and taking specific classes in DCCC as well as being a graduate of the UNC School of Government’s Advance Leadership Corps Program. He also is a mentor with the Local Elected Leaders Academy and as a State Senator he accepts the responsibility of representing his constituents in the State House. Senator Jarvis also believes that the Public Leadership Certificate is a strong and multi- faceted platform for further development.
Councilmember Johnson is a resident of Clarkston with ten years of experience in public service with the Emory Healthcare. As a recently elected official, Ms. Johnson is looking to establish a platform of dialogue and discussion in the city council of Clarkston and ensure Clarkston’s success economically and financially. She also is looking to bring transparency in city and council functions, good communication between the council and the community, create the best professional policies and procedures and adhering to them to ensure that neighbourhoods and residents are receiving the best of services from their elected officials. She’s a former member of the Clarkston Historical Preservation Commission and supporter & volunteer with Positive Peering Inc.
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