WHO WE ARE

Dr. Chad Payne has dedicated over 20 years to pastoral service. Currently, Dr. Payne is on sabbatical to care for his father. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Evangel University and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, MO. Throughout his ministerial career, Dr. Payne has launched numerous initiatives to support impoverished and struggling communities, frequently collaborating with nonprofit organizations such as Convoy of Hope. He is actively engaged in fostering awareness and building relationships across racial, ethnic, cultural, and political divides.

Originally from Florence, Alabama, Dr. Payne now lives near Birmingham. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Kim, and they have two adult children. In his leisure time, Dr. Payne enjoys science fiction, reading, and all things Apple. He also proudly identifies as a coffee connoisseur.

Michelle currently serves CommonSense American (CSA) as a Convo Facilitator and State Ambassador for Alaska. Joining CSA as a Member in 2019, Michelle excelled as a Facilitator in the initial roll-out of CSA Convos in 2022. She continues in this role while growing as the new State Ambassador for Alaska. Michelle is looking forward to engaging more Alaskans in CSA Membership opportunities as well as conducting briefings for the Congressional Offices of Alaska’s representatives in Washington, DC.

Michelle has led a variable path during her life as each plan was adapted to reality. From missing persons recovery, emergency medical services and firefighting, Michelle propelled forward after college to a short career in workforce planning. She then supported her family during her husband’s tenure as a U.S. Air Force Officer, maintaining a stable and supportive environment for her three children, each with unique special needs, while residing in Upstate New York, South Dakota, rural Alaska, and Utah.

During years of advocating for the educational needs of her children, including homeschooling at times, Michelle volunteered as a French teacher, library clerk, scouting leader, PTO board member, religious education teacher, religious service leader, Officers’ Spouses Club Thrift Shop Manager, Town Hall Renovation Committee member, Library Feasibility Committee Chair, soccer coach and historical walking tour host for elementary students.

At the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, Michelle completed an Honors Thesis: The Diffusion of Gifted Education in America. This capstone led to graduation with a B.A. Sociology, summa cum laude. She continues to pursue new understanding in how people relate to one another in groups and building productive relationships through effective communication. Michelle’s greatest strength lies in meeting people where they are, listening to understand their needs, matching them to the resources to reach their goals, and assisting to guide a course of action to completion.

Born and raised in small-town Massachusetts, Michelle and her husband now call Fairbanks, Alaska home. Their three grown children are in college or graduated. They have two beautiful huskies, Tikaani and Cloie. Michelle works elections with both the Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk’s Office and the State of Alaska Region III Elections Office. She maintains a personal blog and is active in several civil discourse opportunities through CommonSense American, One Small Voice, Living Room Conversations and Braver Angels.

Kathleen Rahn, a retired school psychologist, and her family have lived in Mesa, Arizona for 30 years. In addition to her work in public schools, she has served her community on advisory boards and committees in the city of Mesa, Mesa Public Schools, and other nonprofit organizations. Kathleen has a history of advocating for public school funding, early childhood education and mental health services.

Through community service and interactions with her neighbors, Kathleen has learned that citizens of Mesa have more in common and share more values than disagreements. The city of Mesa works to envision a city “where all those living in, working in, or visiting Mesa are entitled to equal dignity and respect and have fair access to opportunities to thrive.”

In early 2020 Kathleen received an email inviting her to join CommonSense American and she discovered an organization that also shared her desire to work together to “instill common sense into American politics.” By reading briefs where all members review the same data- based information through CSA, the majority of members can find consensus. In 2023 Kathleen became a CSA Facilitator of conversations and became acquainted with other members yearning for a safe space to have conversations about vital issues such as infrastructure and revising the Electoral Count Act. She is proud to be an Arizona Ambassador.

Michael Bartelle serves as one of CommonSense American’s Arizona Ambassadors after retiring from a distinguished service career. A native of the Bronx, NY, Michael Bartelle retired in 2009 after over 30 years of active-duty service in the U.S. Army. Upon retirement from military service, Michael served as a Senior Management Analyst for Lockheed Martin Corporation and then Vice President of Overseas Operations for a military affiliated credit union in Europe.

During his travels with Lockheed Martin in Africa and South America, he developed Security Sector Reform Programs for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, with a focus on Military Capacity Building for U.S. partner nations.

Currently a resident of Oro Valley, Arizona, Michael is an Executive Advisor for several non-profits in the greater Tucson community.

Twila E. Bonser, a retired nurse with 32 years of experience, is the owner of a non-profit assisted living facility and serves as the regional director for a group of memory care units in Colorado. In the summer of 2013, she relocated to Arkansas and joined another non-profit senior housing and care campus. In Mountain Home, Arkansas, Twila assumed the role of Assisted Living Administrator for Good Samaritan, a position she held until December 2019.

Upon retirement, Twila embraced her passion for storytelling and fiction writing. She has always been a strong advocate for those in need, championing common-sense solutions and the power of words. Twila believes that the greatest humanitarian efforts lie in engaging others with hope and action for the common good of all people.

After many years working in the public and private sectors as lawyer, teacher, advocate, student, peacebuilder and conflict resolver, Dr. Irmer retired from fulltime work and moved with her husband from the Washington, D.C. area to Southern California. She has a passion for acknowledging under-represented voices and for comprehending social complexity. As volunteers, she and her husband: conduct outreach to the homeless in San Diego, putting people in touch with services; pick up, yearly, tons of trash from the San Diego Riverbed; support the creation of the San Diego Braver Angels Alliance; study and respond to CommonSense American (CSA) detailed policy briefs. She also serves as the CSA volunteer state ambassador for California.

Jane is the founder of Common Ground, an organization dedicated to promoting grassroots civil discourse and civic engagement. Jane's work focuses on fostering meaningful conversations and active citizenship at the local level, aiming to bridge divides and strengthen democratic participation.

In 2014, Jane founded The Women's Impact Alliance (WIA), a 501 c3 non-profit organization dedicated to advancing young women social change leaders worldwide. More than 2000 women from 90+ countries have received access to leadership development and coaching to accelerate their leadership capacity and impact. Her efforts were recognized with a 2020 Women Forward Gold Award from the Business Council for Peace.

Jane's expertise lies at the intersection of community building, civic engagement, and human potential. She has held senior leadership roles at global organizations such as Mozilla, eBay, and Sotheby's where she focused on building communities that reached hundreds of millions of people.

Jane is also the author of the book Unlocked — How Empowered Women Empower Women, a referendum on women's inequality and a toolkit for leveling the playing field for women and girls.

She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband, a rescued greyhound and two horses. Jane is originally from the UK, and became a proud American citizen in 2018.

Richard Porth has served in government (local, state and regional council of governments) and for nonprofits and private funders in a range of jobs aimed at strengthening communities and enabling better access to opportunities and supports.

Most recently, he worked for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities on initiatives to promote civility in local government and to promote racial equity in communities. Prior to this he served as President/CEO of United Way of Connecticut (2008 to 2020), which helps to meet the needs of Connecticut residents by providing information, education, and connection to health and human services and crisis intervention services.

Richard Porth also served as Vice President for Grantmaking for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (2003-2008), the community foundation for the Greater Hartford region. And, before joining the Foundation, Rick served as the Executive Director of the Capitol Region Council of Governments for nine years. In this work, he promoted the policy priorities of mayors and first selectmen and town managers in Greater Hartford among elected and appointed officials in the state and federal governments. During this time, he collaborated with business, civic, and government leaders to advocate regional solutions to regional challenges, and in particular better access to opportunity for people living in lower income neighborhoods.

Rick started his career in City government in Trenton, New Jersey, ultimately serving as the City’s chief administrative officer. He then served two appointments in New Jersey state government.

Rick currently serves as a volunteer tutor for students at Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford. He and his family live in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Alex Dewey, a lifelong Delawarean, is currently pursuing a degree in Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Delaware, with a minor in Economics. He plans to further his studies at UD by earning a Master's in Public Policy.

Alex actively engages in his community through his extensive involvement at UD. He serves as a Senator in the university's Student Government Association (SGA) and participates in the Biden Institute's Student Advisory Council. As a Peer Mentor, Alex guides first-year students through their transition to college life, offering resources and support.

Despite being early in his professional journey, Alex is a dedicated learner and advocate for civil discourse on bipartisan issues. He has interned with the NICD and aims to launch his career in policy within Delaware. Looking ahead, Alex aspires to expand his expertise to Capitol Hill, contributing his skills and experience beyond the First State.

Jackie Sanders, Common Sense American Ambassador to Florida, retired from teaching in New York State only to extend her career in education another three years in the Sunshine State. After leaving teaching, Jackie became a Guardian ad Litem, advocating for children who have been taken out of their homes through no fault of their own, and serving as a volunteer for the county sheriff's department. In addition to enjoying all-things related to living in a beach community, Jackie and her husband use their creative talents as actors in commercials.

Carlotta Ungaro serves as the CommonSense American’s Ambassador for Georgia. Carlotta has spent nearly 30 years working with nonprofits, providing growth and development for its members and their communities. She works with Convergent Nonprofit Solutions, where she works with economic development and chambers of commerce with fundraising and telling their economic impact story.

Before moving into consulting, Carlotta spent more than 20 years working for chambers of commerce, serving as CEO for the last 13 years, leading these organizations to heighten their community impact by strengthening their public policy and economic development strategies.

Carlotta is a Georgia native and works in her local community as the chair of the Senoia Development Authority.

Jason Honn is the Chief Technology Officer for the National Institute for Civil Discourse. He has created and helps manage NICDs websites including: NICD.Arizona.edu, CommonSenseAmerican.org, NxtGenUSA.org, EngagingDifferences.org, GoldenRule2020.org, and NICDResearch.org. He also assists with video production and graphic design.

Jason brings over 20 years of experience in development and design. He has a wide range of familiarity with different web platforms and technologies. He has worked with varying businesses and organizations in both the private, nonprofit and public sectors. Jason has created and managed over a 100 sites that range in both scale and function. He aligns tightly with NICDs purpose and objectives, and is passionate about helping this organization successfully make a difference.

Jason graduated with a degree from BYU Idaho. Jason and his wife Sheri have 5 children ranging in age from 21 to 5 (Talia, Braden, Cooper, Finley, and Gracie). They are active in their church and enjoy supporting and coaching their kids in sports, music, and life.

My name is Carolyn Mendenhall and I am an Illinois Ambassador for CommonSense American. I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I am a graduate of University of Illinois Chicago with a degree in Philosophy. I attended Kellogg School of Management in the 80’s while I was climbing the food chain. I have always lived in Illinois, except for a mid-life crisis in my thirties when I moved to San Francisco for a year.

I come to this work via a rather circuitous route. The last presidential campaign that I cared about was 1968 when Bobby Kennedy ran for president. I was sixteen, idealist and believed that the world could be reformed. After his death, I decided that Americans got the kind of government they deserved, so I exited the political sphere.

Fast forward to 2016 and on one side I saw glee and on the other side it was “the end of the world as we know it.” Since I did not see the existential threat, I embarked on a journey. I wanted to understand how politics changed while I was not looking.

I started to listen to podcasts. I joined Braver Angels, formerly known as Better Angels, and actually attended their annual convention in 2018. I left the convention on-fire. I attended moderator training, committed to reading Conservative thought leaders and spent several hundred dollars on books. As a bibliophile, I turn to books whenever I need to understand.

I quickly noticed that the Republican/Democratic divide had little to do with the argument between Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine. I also noticed that I could not find first principles in the cacophony of voices on either side.

In speaking with my colleagues at Braver Angels, I found that the norms had changed. Our two major parties, like our populations, had self sorted. We were no longer Americans who disagreed on the best way to solve a problem; we were enemies involved in combat who could not agree with anything proposed by the opponents on the other side. Our morality, our identity, our faith and our beliefs had all been rolled-up into our politics.

As a philosophy major who specialized in political and moral philosophy, the new worldview left me politically homeless. I have always felt that the most interesting moral cases lived in the land where our moral beliefs conflicted; the cases where we must balance two deeply held moral beliefs against each other. So I could not find a home in either political camp.

Braver Angels led me to Common Sense American. Keith Allred spoke at one of our member meetings and I thought CSA would provide an opportunity to supplement conversation with action.

So, even though I still am not a policy wonk, I care about processes. I do not want to be part of the generation that loses the republic. I want to leave the republic in good health for my granddaughter and the next generation.

That is why I choose to spend my time working in the margins to change the current status quo.

Incidentally, the least interesting part of me is my previous profession. I was an IT professional for over four decades. I started out as a computer programmer, did a brief spell as a middle level manager and a final retreat into specialized individual contributing. Despite my best efforts I could not keep the first company I worked for (Sears Roebuck and Co.) afloat. So I became a mercenary and retired from J.P. Morgan Chase.

Sam grew up in Ohio but has lived in Indiana for the past decade and proudly calls the Hoosier state home. A graduate of DePauw University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Sam has spent the past seven years building a career in financial advice. In 2021, Sam earned the Certified Financial Planner™ designation, a testament to his dedication to providing trustworthy and personalized financial guidance. This commitment led to the founding of WealthGuides in April 2024, a financial planning, investing, and wealth management firm with a focus on helping millennials navigate their unique financial challenges.

When he's not working, Sam enjoys running, reading, cooking, traveling, sipping whiskey and rooting for his hockey team, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sam considers himself a lifelong learner, always exploring new ideas and challenges. Whether it’s diving into a new hobby or pushing himself to master a skill, he's passionate about growth—in his personal life and his work life. He has a fascination for understanding history and the lessons that it teaches us. And he believes respect and common decency are characteristics that are severely lacking in today's world and that CommonSense American and the National Institute for Civil Discourse can be a leader in restoring these values in our communities alongside the meaningful work of promoting bipartisan legislation. He serves as the Indiana Ambassador for CommonSense American and takes pride in supporting the work of the organization in his home state.

Caron stumbled across Commonsense American quite by accident. She has been an active advocate for most of her adult life, speaking out to better people’s lives. To Caron, It is refreshing and exciting to work on legislation and lend her experience to the process. As a retired accountant, auditor, and clinical therapist, she has heard the life stories of many people and has a unique perspective to share on a wide variety of issues.

As a born and raised Iowan, Caron is proud to represent the Hawkeye State in this endeavor. The opportunity to really weigh in on the legislation of the day is rare. Caron believes everyone has an important role to play in the governance of our individual states and our country, and encourages her fellow Hawkeyes (and Cyclones) to join in!

Brad Lingafelter was born and raised in Central Illinois. Still a huge University of Illinois fan, though his travels have taken him to many destinations. First, to Phoenix, AZ where he got his Counseling degree from Arizona Christian University. While In Arizona Brad married KC Reeser and had their first child, Shayna. While going to school Brad worked in a block of Boy's homes that were broken up by age. This was the first encounter with a broken system that would shape Brad and KC's life forever.

Upon graduating from ACU, Brad, KC and Shayna packed up and moved to Huron, SD for a teaching job at James Valley Christian School. Brad also coached Basketball, Baseball and Track while at James Valley. Two more littles joined the Lingafelter family as Sierra and Seth were born. Brad and KC looked into the options for Foster Care but at that point felt like they were not equipped for such an endeavor.

Brad later moved to Haviland, KS where he has called home since 2002. Brad has coached numerous sports in College as well as being a recruiter and Athletic Director. He was approached in 2013 to be a part of new Organization called Jobs for America's Graduates-KS, or JAG-K. JAG-K worked with those kids under served in the current educational climate. Seeking to motivate and ultimately help kids graduate from HS was the biggest goal. Setting these kids on a path towards a career was always the outcome.

Brad spent three years in the classroom before becoming a Regional Director for SW Kansas. During this time Brad and KC became certified Foster Care parents. They also welcomed Shelby, Sawyer and Selah to make them a cozy family of 8. One more gift was missing and that was Jude Charles. Jude came to us as an 8 week old foster child but is now a full-fledged member of the Lingafelter family!!! 9 is enough!

Brad is currently the Executive Director of True North, an organization looking to help fix the broken foster care system. He is also Mayor of his town and a Board member of the South Central Community Foundation.

His 4 oldest have graduated from or are currently enrolled at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO. Brad and KC are also the proud grandparents of Winston, with another grandbaby on the way!!!

Common Sense America is an exciting endeavor to be a part of!

Liza Holland is a long time advocate for education and civic engagement. She is passionate about effective communication and education, believing that many experiences in work and society benefit from intentional conversations.

She was named by the United Way as a Bluegrass Community Connector, recognizing her as one of the great civic connectors in the Bluegrass region who make significant things happen in communities. Liza is the proud host of the Education-Perspectives Podcast, which examines the wide variety of people who impact education and discusses changes that are happening in the space.

Liza has a strong commitment to education and has served at all levels of PTA, including as the president of the 16th District PTA, which had over 10,000 members, and the KY PTA, where she served as VP of Communications. She enjoyed working with committees to create a better learning environment for children and was a significant part of advocacy efforts, chairing the successful Our Kids Can’t Wait campaign and the Healthy Lifestyles promotion, including the PTA 5K, which brought over $50K to local schools. She was recruited as a consultant with the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, a citizen’s advocacy group for education excellence, where she brought business and policy leaders together in support of early childhood education.

Liza’s advocacy extends to her involvement with the League of Women Voters, where she is deeply committed to promoting civic engagement and effective communication. Her work with the League focuses on empowering voters and ensuring that every voice is heard.

The horse industry has also been a significant part of Liza’s life. She served as Executive Director for the Paso Fino Horse Association, the American Youth Horse Council, and the KY Horse Council, leading these organizations to greater financial stability and expanding programs to enhance the member experience. She also served in an advocacy role at the state and national levels.

Liza believes that the key to success is continual learning and effective communication. She invites others to join her on their communications and problem-solving journey.

I'm a Louisiana born and bred girl, but have been fortunate to live in a few other places before returning to my home state. Currently, I'm in my 15th year of working at LSU of Alexandria where I advise students, make the Ms. LSUA pageant sash, and perform in plays (when I'm not making costumes). I hope to expand my understanding of politics and become more involved in helping to shape this country as a member of CommonSense American.

Tracy St. Pierre serves as a CommonSense American (CSA) Ambassador for Maine. She started with the organization by providing input to an annual brief. After receiving a request to become an Ambassador, she realized that she wanted this opportunity to get involved with an organization that works directly with American citizens on critical issues while avoiding the partisan discourse enveloping America.

Tracy has her Master's in Leadership and Organizational Studies and recently retired from Marketing in higher education. She enjoys reading fiction and non-fiction, landscaping and gardening, and hikes with her dog - really anything that allows her to enjoy the outdoors.

She lives in Portland, with her wife of 27 years and their CKC spaniel, Lincoln.

Janice Swindell is the Massachusetts Ambassador for Common Sense American, connecting with congressional offices at the state and federal level. In this she has the honor of representing the commonsense views of Massachusetts CSA members to Congress. Additionally, she is blogging as a climate change educator @climatechangesimplyexplained.blog.
Janice is also involved with various environmental groups, among them Th!rd Act, where she is the liaison to the Leadership Committee.
She has a background in science and science education, having taught Environmental Science, Biology, and Physics in the public schools. As well, she has many years’ experience as a Field Biologist for MassAudubon. Other involvement has been at the Ecotarium, a museum for Environmental Exploration, and as a Senior Technical Assistant and manager of a Microbiology Laboratory at the UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA. Janice has a B.S. in Natural Science from Worcester State University, and is currently working towards her Master’s in Education. Her passion is Environmental Education and empowering people to act as advocates for the environment and clean energy.
Currently living in central Massachusetts, Janice enjoys nature photography, hiking, solo kayaking, and habitat restoration through garden design.

Susan Onan-Swartz was born in 1961 in Lapeer Michigan. Her father's family was from the Boyne Falls area and her mother's from Reed City. Her father was a Navy veteran and served in WW2. When not in the service he was employed by Michigan Bell and was able to transfer back up north to Traverse City, MI when Susan was in 3rd grade.

In 1979 Susan graduated from Traverse City Senior High School, now called Central. She attended Northwestern MI College and received an Associates Degree which she transferred to Ferris State University and later graduated with a BS-Accountancy degree.

She worked in the private sector as a controller and senior accountant before moving to BrickWays as Finance Director in 2001. Susan became Executive Director in 2012 and continues to serve in that capacity providing housing and supportive services to benefit adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

She now lives in Lake City MI since her marriage to Richard Onan in 2007 who passed in 2015. Susan remarried in 2016 to Mark Swartz and continues to live in Lake City and commute to Traverse City daily for work.

She belongs to Lake City Christian Reformed Church and plays bass as part of the worship team.

Jeff Thiemann, in addition to serving as CommonSense American's Minnesota state ambassador, volunteers with Braver Angels and is the co-chair of the Reduce the Rancor, Minnesota campaign to lower the political temperature and to build capacity for bridgebuilding. He is a retired ELCA pastor and former CEO of Portico Benefits Services, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He served as the Executive Director for the Church Benefits Association and the Church Alliance to foster excellence in policy and practice for employee benefits for pastor, priest, rabbis, cantors and lay workers in faith-based nonprofits. Prior to answering a call to ordained ministry, Jeff worked in a variety of business settings including President and CEO of a Silicon Valley startup and nearly 20 years at Hewlett-Packard. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Divinity from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and graduated from Harvard Business School’s The General Manager Program.

Cody Steger is the founder of Helping Families Heal. In 2014 Cody and his wife went through the unfortunate loss of their child Mark. They both know what it is like to deal with the stress of trying to make sure things are paid for and trying to grieve properly. They vowed that one day they would start an organization that helps families take the financial stress away so that those families can grieve properly. So HFH was born.

Cody and his wife Leonna have been married for 12 years and have 4 great children at home. Cody sits on the board of directors as the President and also acts as the Executive Director.

Joe Reese is a dedicated U.S. Army veteran with over 30 years of experience in information technology and public service. At the age of 17, driven by a strong desire to serve his country, Joe enlisted in the Army in 1984. He began his military career with the 5th Infantry Division at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and later served with the Southern European Task Force (SETAF) in Vicenza, Italy, as part of the 559th U.S. Army Artillery Group.

After completing his first tour of duty in 1989, Joe transitioned to civilian life, where he gained valuable experience working for an Italian software distribution company and as a contractor for the U.S. Army. However, after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, his commitment to service led him to re-enlist. Joe was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, answering the call to serve once again.

Throughout his career, Joe has contributed his skills to the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and the Interior, as well as various Army contractors. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology and has accumulated extensive knowledge and expertise over the course of his 30-year career.

Beyond his professional achievements, Joe is passionate about finding common ground in today's polarized world. As a member of CommonSense American, he collaborates with others who share his vision of working together for the greater good, focusing on meaningful solutions that benefit all Americans.

Joe now calls Billings, Montana, home, where he enjoys the friendly community and wide-open spaces. He lives with his 13-year-old son and their three beloved dogs!

Michele Reeder brings a unique blend of global business acumen having transitioned to the oral health industry from aerospace-grade composite materials over a decade ago. Currently serving as the Senior Vice President of Affiliate Services at the American Dental Association, Michele previously held the role of Executive Director for the American Academy of Oral Medicine. Recognized for her leadership to bridge business and oral health when she was invited to the White House in 2014 to participate in key discussions on Medicare and small business.

Prior to working in oral health, she spent two-decades as CEO of two corporations, where she spearheaded the introduction of innovative products, earning recognition in Inc. Magazine. A passionate advocate for women in leadership, Michele is a founding member of GoLead Idaho, is a member of CHIEF, and has dedicated nearly a decade to mentoring through the Service Core of Retired Executives.

With a Summa Cum Laude degree in business administration, Michele’s commitment to community is matched by her dedication to her very full family, which includes her husband, five children, five grandchildren, a happy dog, and one feisty (aka angry) cat.

Susan Infantine Smith is a long-time New Hampshire resident currently living in Milford with her husband, two sons, and rescue puppy. Susan graduated from Milford Area Senior High and has a BA in English from Bucknell University. After graduating, she lived in Massachusetts and California before returning to New Hampshire. Susan has worked in publishing, media sales and marketing for 30+ years. Currently, Susan is a Senior Director of Product Marketing for TechTarget in Newton, MA. Susan currently volunteers for the town of Milford's planning board, master plan committee, and capital improvement plan committee. She enjoys New Hampshire's natural beauty by going on camping trips with her family each summer and skiing the local peaks each winter.

Linda was born in New Jersey, where she and her husband raised their two children. She is a retired educator who now has more time to devote to those interests she is passionate about, such as the CommonSense American program.

Linda earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Upsala College and her master’s degree in teaching from Marygrove College. During her tenure in education, she worked for a county vocational school system and witnessed firsthand the benefits of career connected learning. She worked with industry partners to secure paid internship positions providing students with invaluable work-related experience. Not only did this help students build the required technical skills, but it also helped them learn the much-needed softer skills employers desire.

Linda is an avid reader and a lifelong learner. She is currently researching her family genealogy and learning how to play chess. She enjoys walking, biking, and going to the beach.

Patrick is a native of Denver, Colorado and attended the University of Denver where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. He worked as a CPA in Colorado for a few years and then started a 40-year career in banking, initially in Wyoming and later in New Mexico, where he has resided since 1984. He retired in 2020. His banking career included involvement in virtually all areas of banking at one time or another and included some time as the President and CEO of what was then known as First Community Bank, headquartered in Albuquerque. Most recently he was a Senior Vice President for U.S. Bank and managed the New Mexico Wealth Management group.

He has served on numerous non-profit boards over the years, including the New Mexico Museum of Natural History Foundation, ACCION New Mexico (now Dreamspring), the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce (including the Albuquerque Reads Committee), the University of New Mexico Lobo Club and the Better Business Bureau serving New Mexico and Southern Colorado. He served as Chairman or President of the Board for four of those organizations.

He has been married to his wife Debi for nearly 37 years and has been blessed with three children and two grandchildren. His favorite activities in retirement are golfing, fishing, camping, photography and spending time with his family.

Professionally, RJ serves as the co-director of the Manresa Program at Le Moyne College. Manresa is a campus-wide, comprehensive vocational discernment program that serves students, faculty and staff. He began his journey in Higher Education 19 years ago as an adjunct instructor at Finger Lakes Community College, eventually directing their US Department of Education TRiO program serving first-generation, low-income college students for several years. RJ also leads a consulting company that provides SafeSpace training to folks who work with people of all ages and identities to better provide a community where LGBTQ+ people can thrive.

Helen is a retired career federal civil servant, with 30 years experience. She began her career as an Army JAG, then after a short stint in the private sector, moved on to serve as a civilian attorney, first with the Library of Congress, then with the Defense Mapping Agency. She concluded her service with 13 years in the Office of the General Counsel to the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon, including serving as a senior level attorney.

After retirement, Helen moved to Western North Carolina with her husband John. There she served as a Board member and president of an art-related nonprofit based in McDowell County and also as a Board member and Board President of the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority.

Kim Koppelman has led a distinguished career in business and public service. He retired from the North Dakota Legislature as Speaker of the House in 2022 after serving for 28 years, many of them as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He previously also chaired the Constitutional Revision and Administrative Rules Committees.

During his years as a legislator, he sponsored landmark legislation and Constitutional amendments to preserve important Constitutional principles, protect individual rights, improve criminal justice and government efficiency and protect our freedoms.
Speaker Koppelman has served in leadership roles on the state and national level. He was elected National Chairman of the Council of State Governments—which consists of all three branches of government in all 50 states—and organized and hosted the First
National Interbranch Summit of the States, which included leaders from all three branches of government, nationwide.

As CSG Chairman, he also presided over its 75th Anniversary, organized and led the first national search in 19 years for a new Executive Director and, from a large pool of notable applicants, hired the current Executive Director who has now served for 15 years. He cofounded the national CSG Interbranch Working Group and has represented his state and nation before world leaders, from Ottawa to Berlin; from Taiwan to Prague, where he led a delegation to confer on governing principles with Czech President Vaclav (pron. “Vass-lav”) Klaus. He also led a delegation of American dignitaries and state officials to Iceland.
He is a graduate of the Bowhay (pron. “Bowwee”) Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) and the Toll Fellowship leadership programs and participated in the Rising (American) State Leaders Program of the Canadian national government. He has led delegations of American state leaders to international exchanges and had helped facilitate civility training workshops for legislatures of other states.

He served on the Executive Committees of the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Midwest Legislative Conference and the Council of State Governments and also on the CSG Governing Board and the Twenty-First Century Foundation Board, as well as in many other leadership roles. He has helped author model legislation on regulatory reform.
Speaker Koppelman is the recipient of several awards for his legislative service and business achievements. He is the founder and President of Koppelman & Associates, LLC, an award-winning, full-service communications, public relations, marketing and advertising firm serving clients in a variety of fields on a local, regional, national and (on occasion) international scale, which now also offers government relations consulting. He has been active in his local community and church as has served on numerous boards. He has been a guest lecturer in colleges and universities and has spoken before government, business, and general audiences throughout the nation.

He and his wife, Torey, reside in West Fargo, North Dakota.

After being dissatisfied with partisanship and loud voices speaking over each in today’s politics, Ken searched for an organization that was able to bridge the partisan divide and find common ground. This search led Ken to joining CommonSense American where he now serves as Ohio Ambassador.

Ken has lived in Ohio all of his life, being born in Cleveland and growing up in Lake County, a suburban county east of Cleveland. Ken feels a special connection to Ohio as it is where his immigrant grandparents chose to settle when they came to the United States from Italy. As the grandson of laborers who built many of the buildings and landmarks in downtown Cleveland, his heritage is interwoven with the area.

Ken led a career in telecommunications for 40 years in sales and sales management, spending 31 years with AT&T and its predecessors. He completed his career at AT&T managing a team that worked with state and local government, K-12 schools and higher education institutions across 22 states. Ken retired from AT&T in February 2019.

Ken graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with minors in Economics and Spanish from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois in 1979 and with an MBA from Cleveland State University with an emphasis in Marketing in 1982.

Ken lives in the Concord area where he volunteers with his Catholic parish and serves on the board of trustees for an Americans of Italian Heritage Club. In his free time he enjoys photography, travel and hiking, as well as participating in Postcrossings, an internet-based project that promotes postcard exchanges with random people all over the world. Ken is married and lives in the same house where he raised his two daughters, only now it is filled with his two rescue dogs.

Josh is a native of Oklahoma and is also a member of the Cherokee nation. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology. For the past 10 years he has worked for Enovation Controls, an electronics design and manufacturing company based out of Tulsa, Ok., and currently serves as Director of Operations. He is pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Rogers State University in Claremore, Ok. Josh also serves on industry advisory boards for Oklahoma State University’s Electrical Engineering Technology and Mechatronics and Robotics programs.

Josh is a father of four and has been married to his wife Andrea for 19 years. His hobbies include anything outdoors, hunting, fishing, hiking and kayaking. These hobbies have led to conservation group memberships with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.

Allen is a first-generation Cuban-American originally from Miami, Florida, and is now proud to call the Pacific Northwest home. His guiding principles of curiosity, empathy, and kindness aligned with the values of CommonSense American. As a member since 2020, a conversation facilitator, and state ambassador for Oregon, Allen takes pride in supporting an organization that brings people from across the political spectrum together to engage in productive dialog and then sharing that collective wisdom with our elected officials and their staff.

Ted B. Borek has been employed by a state or Federal government for over 50 years. After spending his teenage years in Phoenix, AZ, he attended the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY. He spent the majority of 24 years military career as an attorney in the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAGC). Serving in Germany, Washington, D.C., and several states, he graduated from the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College, Carlisle, PA. He retired from his assignment as the legal policy advisor in the Office of an Assistant Secretary of Defense.

After retiring from the Army as a colonel he spent ten years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in Tucson, Arizona, before being appointed and retained as a state Superior Court Judge for nearly 14 years. As an AUSA he spent three years as a criminal prosecutor and seven defending a wide variety of civil law suits against the Federal government.

As a state Superior Court Judge in Tucson, Judge Borek served on the civil, criminal, and juvenile benches where he tried criminal, civil, and juvenile cases. During a period of time on the civil bench he managed settlement conferences and mediation education programs for the bench and bar. He served for eight years as a Judicial Representative on the state Judicial Performance Review Commission.

During years of government service and private practice he participated in bar and community activities such as the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Pima County Bar Association, the State Bar Committee on Legal Education and Professionalism, church boards, Rotary Clubs, a Tucson community service organization where he became certified as a mediator, and the Arizona Public Media (AZPM) Community Advisory Board.

After his mandatory retirement as a judge due to a statutory age limitation, he joined a law firm in Tucson and focused on mediation and arbitration. In October 2023 he and his wife moved to a seniors’ community in Lancaster County, PA. He believes strongly in the mediation process for settling and resolving disputes, and he was honored to become an ambassador not only for the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) but also for Braver Angels, a growing national organization that conducts programs that emphasize civil discourse in addressing controversial issues between parties with contrary viewpoints.

Carol Craig, the Common Sense American Ambassador for Rhode Island, is a retired secondary mathematics and science teacher who taught in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and for 17 years overseas in eight different countries. Before teaching for 23 years, Carol worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Forestry Department. She also had several years of experience in retail management and worked in food sales, specifically shellfish, before becoming a teacher.

Carol earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and then her Master’s degree in Education and Biology from the University of Rhode Island. Carol (now widowed) married her husband, who was Trinidadian, and has a home there with an extended family that includes four stepchildren, seven grandchildren, and many cousins, aunts, and uncles. She spends a lot of her time there.

Currently, Carol serves as a Conservation Commission member in her town in Rhode Island and is active in several environmental and civic groups. She is also part of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County, where all are welcome. The Common Sense Americans group appeals to Carol because she has always believed that bipartisan cooperation is a way for everyone to be heard and realizes that we have a lot more in common with each other than we have differences. She is excited to be a member of this very American community.

Sarah Tenney Sharman joined CommonSense American in 2022 and is excited to fill the role of Ambassador for South Carolina.

After serving as a staff member of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, she earned her doctorate in international politics at the University of Mississippi. She moved to the Lowcountry in 2008, where she is an Associate Professor at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. Dr. Tenney Sharman’s research interests include international political economy and international organization, and she is a keen observer of US foreign relations.

A native of Virginia, Dr. Tenney Sharman lives with her husband, Howard, in Charleston. They are blessed with two adult children, grandchildren, and a great-grandson. They also have two dogs and a parrot. Dr. Tenney Sharman is an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and enjoys reading and sewing.

She looks forward to engaging with South Carolina citizens and congressional staff members to help address pressing issues before our country.

Mr. Andrews has over 40 years experience in the development and direction of energy, environmental and policy analysis projects and organizations. This includes systems analysis, decision support, risk management, program development and management, international business, public communication, and stakeholder engagement.

Ron is a recently retired IBM Distinguished Engineer from their Sustainability Software organization, with products that manage Assets, Building Facilities, Supply Chains, Weather and Environmental Intelligence and ESG Reporting product suites, featuring climate risk analysis and financed emissions. He led the Environmental Insights Strategy, the SRE discipline and operations technology for SaaS offerings. Having previously led the design and delivery of the expansion of AI and Analytics on Internet of Things content. Prior to this, he was the Director of Geospatial Content & Analytics in the Weather Company, leading the curation of global location data from our mobile and web properties and their use in industry and consumer applications. This global data lake is one of the largest IOT platforms in the world, with world-class spatial-temporal analytics capabilities. Ron was also the technical executive leading the IBM Smarter Cities software portfolio, and its corresponding domain products in Transportation, Water, City Planning & Operations, Video Analytics, and Energy. This software supports cities, regional municipal entities, stadiums, airports, and other operations-based organizations. Bringing together different agencies into a single view, these products were named the industry leader for three straight years by Frost & Sullivan, IDC, and Navigant for their vision and breadth of features. He holds over a dozen software patents.

Ron has served on the Board of MEASURE, a non-profit dedicated to elevating the experiences of people of color, using data and analysis to educate and recommend policy change and the President of the Board of Austin Smarter Cities Alliance, working to bring technology to the City of Austin to improve citizen services and the effectiveness of city agencies. He was the co-chair of the Affordable Housing Committee, where he is working to ease the effects of rapid growth on lower income families and individuals.

As Chief Growth Officer Maury leads all sales and marketing efforts at Heart+Mind Strategies, bringing over 25 years of market research, analytics, and communication strategy expertise across numerous industries.

Prior to joining Heart+Mind, Maury founded and led a global strategic consulting group at Ipsos called Strategy3—launched after Ipsos acquired his own consultancy PURSUIT, a blend of branding, marketing communications, design, and market research disciplines.

A story-teller at heart, Maury is a three-time David Ogilvy Award winner for his work at Wirthlin Worldwide, Omnicom’s GSD&M, and PURSUIT. Maury started his career as a journalist before entering the consulting world of political strategy on behalf of candidates, associations, and non-profit organizations. He spent 10 years with Wirthlin in the US and Singapore. At GSD&M, Maury launched a new internal division at the ad agency called analytical solutions. His team developed tools and frameworks to link creative, media, and planning teams in a unified focus on accountability to deliver real, in-market results for the agency’s clients.

For the last 15 years, Maury has pioneered the development and application of systems thinking to mapping journey of human decision-making across categories. The solutions his teams have created provide the foundation for Heart+Mind Strategies’ journey mapping offer.

Over his career at both the research firm and ad agency side, Maury has consulted clients on five continents in most major verticals.

Maury studied at BYU and New Mexico State University. He regularly gives guest lectures at universities across the country and is an adjunct professor now at BYU. He also continues to lead the National Advisory Board for the NMSU College of Arts & Sciences.

Maury and his wife Jody live in Herriman, UT. They have a blended family of 10 kids from the ages of 29 to 16 – lots of love, chaos, and joy!

She grew up in New York City and attended college in Boston, earning a degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. She spent the early years of her adult life as an Air Force spouse, residing in England, Louisiana, Kansas, Florida, and New Mexico. After her husband retired from the Air Force, they relocated to Louisiana with their two children, where she lived in Alexandria for 14 years. In 2012, she moved to Vermont and currently resides in Burlington with her second husband.

With 25 years of experience as a Realtor across New Mexico, Louisiana, and Vermont, she has been actively involved in the Louisiana Board of Realtors, Rotary, and United Way during her time in Louisiana.

Her career in real estate and extensive travel have provided her with profound insights into human behavior and the commonalities that unite people beyond apparent differences. She is eager to serve as an Ambassador for Common Sense American and contribute to efforts aimed at fostering greater national collaboration and unity.

Lisa Row served as a US Marine for 27 years. Her military career included multiple tours in Virginia. After retirement from the Marine Corps, she attended Old Dominion University, earning a PhD in Education. Then Lisa undertook another challenging assignment as the homeschool administrator and teacher for her sons. Now that these young men have graduated from high school, Lisa is deciding what to do in the "next phase" of her life.

Presently, Lisa is drawn to bridge-building across political chasms. She worries about partisanship creating artificial divides in communities and across America. Lisa wants to help others understand the complexity of contemporary issues, the nuance in most people's views, and the areas where common ground exists. This calling led her to Braver Angels and CommonSense American, which both seek to help Americans understand diverse viewpoints and to find common ground. It then led her to discover some balanced news sources that present viewpoints from varied perspectives. With a related interest in bridging divides between practitioners of various faith traditions, she is now contemplating ordination as an interfaith minister.

Lisa and her family share a farm in northwestern Virginia with a dog, a cat, a few chickens, and some itinerant cows. She and her husband dream of boating the great loop one day after he retires.

Born and raised in central Texas, Deanna spent thirty years working in healthcare. Ten years ago she moved to Washington State so she could legally marry her wife after the US Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. Deanna found an amazing rural home with great neighbors who have a variety of political viewpoints, as do many family members. They may not always agree on policy issues but all agree on love and kindness for each other. Public policy makes a big difference in individual lives and public policy is better when it is refined through quality discussion and civil engagement. CommonSense American is committed to uniting our voices from all walks of life and that is why Deanna is honored to represent Washington State as its CommonSense American Ambassador.

After graduating from Duke University with a degree in zoology and a special interest in marine invertebrate ecology, Jack DeWolf worked as a field biologist for the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Having previously been a factory certified motorcycle mechanic, he decided that dentistry might be a good synthesis of these two interests. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine Jack was fortunate enough to fulfill his NHSC scholarship obligation at what is now an FQHC medical and dental clinic in Lakewood, WI. After his scholarship obligation was satisfied, Jack entertained an offer to become head of IT for the Chicago Regional Office of the USPHS but he and his family had grown fond of rural living in Wisconsin so he bought a private practice from a retiring dentist which he sold a few years ago to become fully retired himself. Jack's hobbies include amateur radio (KA9TQC), sailing, and both types of biking. Both of his daughters now practice dentistry in WI and MN and Jack's lovely wife of 49 years and he split their time between northern Wisconsin and southwest Florida.

Rosie Berger has been a trained Facilitator since 2015. She has more than twenty years of experience in public service and government, serving in senior-level leadership positions in the Wyoming State Legislature, Council of State Governments, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Congressional Conference on Civic Education. She served seven terms in the Wyoming House of Representatives as a member of the senior leadership team, serving as Majority Leader 2014-16. During her tenure in the Wyoming State Legislature, Berger championed economic development and education initiatives that benefitted Wyoming’s landowners, workers and families. Since leaving the legislature, Rosie has served on the Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission, and the Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming (ENDOW) initiative.

Berger served six years on the Wyoming Parks and Cultural Resources Commission as well as on numerous local civic boards, including the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce, Dog and Cat Shelter, Sheridan Arts Council and WYO Theater, and the Wyoming Film Division Task Force. She spent decades working as a travel consultant and travel business owner, along with various business management, film location and event coordination positions. Rosie spends time as a facilitator and trainer for NICD and Leadership Wyoming. She currently serves on the Brinton Museum National Advisory Council, Healthier Democracies Advisory Council and boards of Climb Wyoming, the Wyoming Women’s Foundation and the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus – which she founded in 2008.

With over three decades of professional dedication to mental health, Dr. Schwartz has become a beacon of compassionate care in the community. Leading as a Clinical Neuropsychologist, she specializes in creating a safe and confidential environment that encourages personal growth and transformation with Ketamine Assisted Therapy.

Dr. Schwartz’s commitment to integrity and a humanistic, client-centered approach remains the cornerstone of her mission to heal and transform lives.

She has attained 2 doctorates, and has over 30 years expertise in neuropsychology, both as an academic and clinician. Dr. Schwartz is a dedicated mom, volunteer, minister and ambassador to congress for mental health.

Kerry serves as an Ambassador-at-Large focusing on briefing members of Congress and policy staff on the selected legislative issues in current focus for bipartisan support. He also assists the National Staff and State Ambassadors in advancing membership participation and development.

In 2023 Kerry retired from a 28-year career with global investment firm Cambridge Associates, LLC during which span he served as a Managing Director and executive consultant to major endowments, foundations, and healthcare organizations on all aspects of asset management policy and implementation. Kerry has also worked in the banking profession managing commercial and consumer banking activities and serving on a merger & acquisition team. Prior to joining the private sector, Kerry served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps with deployments to the Far East, Middle East, the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Scandinavia.

Kerry is a distinguished graduate of the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree.