Starla Brown Featured at January Lunch

Please join us at the Airport Holiday Inn on Wednesday January 24th. Starla and Maryann will bring us up to date on some of the AFP-Florida projects with which they are involved.

---

Starla Brown, Grassroots Director for Americans for Prosperity Florida, has volunteered and worked to promote grassroots outreach in Florida to impact change at all levels of government. As a campaign consultant in the South Florida area, she led grassroots activities throughout the Sunshine State for local, state and federal campaigns. As an activist, Starla has participated in thousands of door-to-door and phone bank activities and the recruitment of volunteers. Originally from Mississippi, Starla has called Palm Beach County home since moving to Florida in the late 80’s. The preservation of a free society and the American dream are two or her most passionate goals.

Maryann Connors was born in the Bronx and raised on Long Island. She has spent her adult life living in Fort Lauderdale, raising her son and three stepsons and enjoying her 5 grandchildren. She was in the printing and advertising industry for 35 years as both a salesperson, advertising coordinator and a production manager.
Maryann joined Americans for Prosperity in May of 2016 as a Field Director after volunteering for over two years. She passionate about economic freedom and a free society where everyone can live their version of the American Dream and is dedicated to that vision.

Dimensional Harmony Will Sing at Lunch on 12/6

Join us at the Holiday Inn, Airport on Wednesday, December 6th for Holiday Music from Boynton Beach High School’s phenomenal “Dimensional Harmony, as they dance, sing and harmonize their way through another great and successful year! Their outstanding performance in London led to an invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall in April 2017! This group is on the move and shows what creativity is all about!

---

Dimensional Harmony is a sensational choral group of 50 extraordinarily talented Boynton Beach High School students that has received state and nationwide acclaim for its amazing singing ability!

Under the direction of innovative director, Mr. Sterling Frederick, Dimensional Harmony has been widely recognized nationwide over the past few years, winning first place gold in several competitions in New York and Atlanta; and also winning the prestigious National Show Choir Title. Members have performed their creative interpretations of inspirational songs, ballads, and popular hits live on the “Today Show,” as well as at numerous theaters. Other venues for Dimensional Harmony’s accomplishments include the Florida Music Educators Association Music Conference, openings for renowned gospel singers, and at events held at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Resort.

Dimensional Harmony members are a proven example of the positive impact dedicated students, their dedicated leader, and the Performing Arts can have on the local community and on developing future successful, well rounded, and responsible, young individuals and citizens! With their incredible talent, grace, harmony, and unlimited enthusiasm, they deserve the opportunity to become our ambassadors and compete at the highest level.

Congressman Brian Mast will Highlight our November 18th Lunch

Please join us at the Airport Holiday Inn on Saturday November 18th. As this is our annual Salute to Veterans meeting, veterans eat free! Bring your friends.

---

Prior to his election to Congress, Brian followed in his father’s footsteps by serving in the U.S. Army for more than 12 years, earning medals including The Bronze Star Medal, The Army Commendation Medal for Valor, The Purple Heart Medal, and The Defense Meritorious Service Medal. While deployed in Afghanistan, he worked as a bomb disposal expert under the elite Joint Special Operations Command. The last improvised explosive device that he found resulted in catastrophic injuries, which included the loss of both of his legs.

While lying in bed recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center, Brian’s father gave him advice that has stuck with him to this day–to ensure the greatest service he gave to our country and the best example he set for his children was still ahead of him. Brian took this advice to heart and dedicated himself to finding new ways to serve our country and his community.

Brian remained on active duty following the injuries and provided expertise to the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms during his recovery process. After his retirement from the Army, he continued working in counter-terrorism and national defense as an Explosive Specialist with the Department of Homeland Security. Brian subsequently received a degree from the Harvard Extension School and volunteered to serve alongside the Israel Defense Forces to show support for the freedom Israel represents throughout the Middle East and the world.

In Congress, Brian strives to serve as he did on the battlefield: without regard for personal gain or personal sacrifice. He is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where his priorities include fixing the pressing water quality issues stemming from Lake Okeechobee, and the Foreign Affairs Committee, where he uses his military expertise to help strengthen the safety and security of the United States.

Brian lives in Palm City, Fla. with his wife Brianna and three children, Magnum, Maverick and Madeline.

Daniel Peterson, James Madison Institute for October Lunch

Our guest speaker in October is the Director of the Center for Property Rights at the James Madison Institute in Orlando.

The Orlando-based Coalition for Property Rights established in 2001, is incorporated under JMI as the Institute’s new Center for Property Rights. Daniel Peterson, the Coalition’s former executive director, is the director of this Center and continues to reside in Orlando. As the director for the Center for Property Rights at The James Madison Institute, he oversees the efforts of securing the fundamental right to property for all Floridians. Dan has been deeply involved in the central Florida business and political communities since 1999. Previously, he worked in both the Florida Senate and the Florida House as a legislative assistant. Prior to that, he was a public affairs manager for SPRINT. His responsibilities included lobbying, community affairs and serving on numerous boards.

Before moving to Orlando in 1998, Dan served as Campus Crusade’s director of affairs for Eurasia (the former Soviet Union). During his 14 years of residency in Moscow, Russia, Dan traveled extensively as a seminar leader and conference speaker. Dan is also a former recording artist with SSS International Records. He still plays as a solo artist at various venues around Central Florida.

Please join us at the Airport Holiday Inn on Wednesday October 25.

Professor James Todd at September Meeting

The Supreme Court has an outsized influence on American life, and the lifetime appointment of justices means an ideological inbalance in the court can resonate for years. The President’s replacement of Antonin Scalia with Neil Gorsuch maintains the balance for now, but future vacancies will be fraught with peril.

Our guest speaker in September is an expert in this area and did his dissertation on the evolution of Supreme Court power in America. A professor at PBAU with 10 years of experience as a practicing attorney, Professor James Todd will give us his insights on the current Supreme Court dynamics.

Please join us at the Airport Holiday Inn on Wednesday September 27.

---

Dr. Todd has a B.A. from Jacksonville State University, a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law, and a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama.

Dr. Todd joined the Palm Beach Atlantic faculty in 2015 and specializes in American governmental institutions and constitutional law. He serves as advisor to the pre-law students at PBA and directs the PBA Mock Trial team, and he teaches on the subjects of American government and politics, constitutional law, political science research methods, the Freedom in American Society core course, and courses in the humanities sequence.

His current research focuses on Supreme Court influence in American society. He has presented numerous conference papers on this topic, and his dissertation “Neither Sword Nor Purse: The Development of Supreme Court Influence over Lower Courts” traces the evolution of Supreme Court power in America. He regularly gives public talks about the Constitution and the Supreme Court in the West Palm Beach area.

Dr. Todd spent ten years in law practice, working in real estate law and as an in-house attorney in the oil and gas industry. He is a past member of the board of directors of the American Association of Professional Landmen, an oil and gas industry professional society.

In 2008, Dr. Todd won the Mont Pelerin Society’s F.A. Hayek Essay Contest for his essay “Governments, Peoples, and their Uses of Technology” and received recognition for his award at the Society’s meeting in Tokyo.

Outside of the classroom, Dr. Todd spends as much time as possible with his wife, Annie, their daughter, Elizabeth, and their two rescue dogs, Mr. Darcy and Buckley. He and his family attend Family Church in West Palm Beach.

Lobster Fest 2017

Join us for Lobster Fest 2017. In addition to keynote speaker James O’Keefe, we will hear from Agriculture Commissioner and candidate for Governer Adam Putnam, Congressmen Brian Mast and Ron DeSantis, and State Senator Jack Latvala.

The Club has a table started at Headquarters under the name of Fran Hancock, so please call 561-686-1616 for reservations and say you are with the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches.

For more information, see lobsterfest.gop

August Meeting Features County Commissioner Steven Abrams

This year has been a busy one for the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners. Approving plans for spending the sales tax windfall, dealing with the opioid crisis, sober homes, new development, the future of the Agricultural Reserve and passing bigger and bigger budgets have all been on their plate.

Join us at the Airport Holiday Inn on Wednesday August 23 to hear Commissioner Steven Abrams speak about these and other county issues.

---

Steven L. Abrams has been a member of the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners since 2009, winning re-election twice. He had the distinction of serving as the first mayor of Palm Beach County in 2013 and is currently the longest serving commissioner on the Board.

Commissioner Abrams has a lengthy record of public service. He is the former mayor of Boca Raton, elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2003 without opposition. In the 2005 election, Abrams received the most votes in city history and was later named mayor emeritus when he stepped down in 2008 due to term limits.

The Commissioner also served five terms as a city council member in Boca Raton from 1989 to 1999 and was a member of the city’s Planning and Zoning Board between 1987 and 1989. Abrams is a past president of the Palm Beach County League of Cities and a founding board member of the Florida League of Mayors.

As mayor of Boca Raton, Abrams gained national exposure and local respect during the first bioterrorist attack in American history when anthrax was discovered at the AMI building in Boca Raton in 2001. He received the Distinguished Service Medal from the Israel National Police for his leadership during the ordeal and testified on national television on the government’s response at the invitation of a United States Senate subcommittee.

Abrams is a member of the Florida and District of Columbia Bars. Prior to moving to Florida, he served in the White House as law clerk to the counsel to President Reagan and current Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

While attending Harvard University, Abrams received the Philo Sherman Bennett Prize for the best government senior thesis and was graduated magna cum laude in 1980. He received his law degree from The George Washington University in 1985. In 2005, Everglades University awarded Abrams an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

Commissioner Abrams was born in Des Moines, Iowa and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and Debbie have been married for 34 years and have two children.

Currently, Abrams serves as chairman of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority and secretary of the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority. He also chairs the county’s Broadband Committee, Intergovernmental Coordination Program, and the Value Adjustment Board.

In addition, he sits on the boards of the Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering Advisory Board, Metropolitan Planning Organization, National Association of Counties Transportation Policy Steering Committee, and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. He also serves on the Boca Raton Bowl Executive Committee.

Long Time Club Member Carol LaPlaca

Carol passed away on May 4 after a long illness. To sign the guest book or send flowers, please see: In Memory of CAROL LAPLACA

PBAU President William Fleming to Present 2017 Anne Roberts Scholarships

Presenting the awards for the club will be our featured speaker, PBAU President William Fleming.

---

William M. B. Fleming, Jr. was elected 8th president of Palm Beach Atlantic University on May 7, 2012, after serving as interim president for the previous 14 months. Up to that time, he served Palm Beach Atlantic as vice president for development, joining the University in 1992.

Under President Fleming’s leadership, the University has gained significant momentum as illustrated by ratings as a “best” choice in U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, and inclusion in the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. During President Fleming’s tenure, enrollment has grown from 3,668 (2011) to 3,764 (2016).

The University has established five Centers of Excellence; The LeMieux Center for Public Policy, The David and Leighan Rinker Center for Experiential Learning, The Gregory Center for Medical Missions and The Center for Integrative Science Learning and the Titus Center for Franchising.

PBA was chosen as a model for community engagement by the NCAA Division II; and increasedits local economic impact to $395 million in 2016. In addition, the 80-acre Rinker Athletic Campus opened on Sept. 4, 2014. President Fleming has been instrumental in raising more than $157 million for Palm Beach Atlantic during his tenure as vice president for development and president.

Prior to coming to Palm Beach Atlantic, Fleming served in several administrative roles at Wingate University and Guilford College, both in North Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Guilford. Judson University in Illinois presented him with an honorary doctorate degree.

Civic and Community engagements include:

St Mary’s Medical Center Board Member
Forum Club of the Palm Beaches Board Member
2016-18 Chairman Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF)
Past President of two Rotary Clubs; Member West Palm Beach Rotary Club
Paul Harris Fellow

He lives in Wellington, Florida with his wife, Pam.

Florida Legislative Session with Representative Rick Roth

---

Rick Roth, a 37 year Wellington resident, grew up in Belle Glade. He is the President of the 5000 acre Roth Farms east of Belle Glade, and has been producing vegetables and sugar cane there since 1976.

Although never holding a public prior to the 2016 election , Rick has been involved in politics for years, including fund-raising for former Governor Bob Martinez, and he has held a variety of leadership positions with the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and is on the board of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida.

« Previous Page — Next Page »