US Constitution Week

Dr. Thomas Krannawitter is President of Speakeasy Ideas. He knows that every valuable human creation begins with an idea, and he specializes in distilling the most important ideas—starting with the idea of human liberty—so that others can understand them and use them to improve their own lives.

He holds a Ph.D. from the School of Politics & Economics at
the Claremont Graduate University. He has taught at
Claremont McKenna College, Hillsdale College, Ashland
University, and George Mason University, among other
places. He was Director of Academic Programs and Vice
President for Development at The Claremont Institute in
California.

He’s one of the principal instructors for the Leadership Program of the Rockies, based in Colorado, and the Charter Oak Leadership Program in Connecticut. He frequently
advises businesses and charitable organizations on communications, cultural development, and strategy.

Dr. Krannawitter has testified before state legislatures, though he doesn’t put much faith in politicians. That’s among the reasons why he focuses on teaching citizens, helping teachers, students, business owners, and others to improve our modern American culture through persuasion and moving stories. Americans won’t get better policies from their government until they demand better politicians to serve in government.

Dr. Krannawitter’s research and published writings have ranged from politics to constitutional law to economics to social commentary, from specific historic events to
timeless philosophic questions. His 2008 book, Vindicating Lincoln, was featured by The History Book Club and endorsed by the United States Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

His 2014 book, Crisis of Our House Divided: A Guide To Talking Politics Without The Noise, applies the lessons of Lincoln to our challenges today. His most recent book,
Save the Swamp: Career Guidebook for Budding Bureaucrats, is different. Swamp is funny. It’s satire. Feel free to check out Dr. Krannawitter’s author page at Amazon.

Dr. Krannawitter has received numerous research fellowships throughout his career, including an H.B. Earhart Fellowship. He was a Winston Churchill Society Fellow, a
Henry Salvatori Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and a Richard Weaver Fellow at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

Allie grew up in Northern California with her family, and learned early on how to defend her strong conservative values by the way she was raised in the leftist stronghold state. She remembers her mom talking openly with her about those suffering in communist countries, specifically China and North Korea, and those conversations instilled a deeper sense of individual freedom at a young age. With a background of over 10 years working with newborns-preschoolers, and having studied Infant and Childhood Development in college, she developed a strong philosophy about what children need in order to thrive in their environment: trust, respect, security and family. During the pandemic, she connected with the Founder of Young Americans Against Socialism, Morgan Zegers, at a political summit and shortly after, she began working with the organization. Allie's passion for writing, sincere love for our nation's values, experience with developing young minds, and knowledge of the importance of the family unit and how to guide parents in developmentally appropriate conversations with their children has opened new exciting pathways for our organization's new learning program, Educate Freedom. In March 2024, Allie became the CEO of Young Americans Against Socialism and is dedicated to sparking a sincere love for freedom in the hearts and minds of this generation!

Sunny was born and raised in the suburbs of New York and has always had a passion for liberty, history, and individualism. Strong American values and worldviews were instilled in her by her freedom-loving father and her mother, who immigrated from France because she was so drawn to the opportunity for success that is the American Dream. From a young age, Sunny would debate her classmates with conviction on the topics of American independence and free market economics. After graduating from New York University with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts, Sunny relocated to Los Angeles. She became involved with grassroots campaigns and fundraising in order to restore law and order to one of America’s most beautiful cities that has been destroyed by detrimental radical left policies. She is now the Chief Operations Officer of Young Americans Against Socialism and feels it is her highest purpose to combine her reverence for history and American ideals and skills in media and public speaking to be a staunch voice and advocate for freedom. She believes it is our responsibility as Americans to understand the horrors of socialism and communism to ensure America remains a beacon of hope and liberty. Sunny is honored to be inspiring and empowering young patriots of the rising generations to lead with respect and love for our great nation through Educate Freedom.

Retired SES Intelligence Community officer and former USNR Captain (Intelligence)

Current Position: President, QUINTUS Consulting, LLC, an independent Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) Consulting Group. Science Fiction Author.

Attributes:   

• Space-based and Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Expert;

• Broad Senior Intelligence Community, International Partner and Defense Acquisition Experience;

• Senior Leader in Deployed Combat/Armistice Conditions (Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea); 

• Extensive DoD and IC Programming and Budgeting Experience; 

• Congressional Staff Experience, as a Congressional Staffer and as an Executive Branch Official;    

Department of Defense Career Hightlights (32 years Federal Service):

• Director, Acquisition Intelligence Requirements Task Force (AIR/TF), managing Intelligence support to DoD’s Major Defense Acquisition Programs comprising a $1.4 trillion investment; Led concept designs for a future, agile, sentient intelligence architecture for 5th-Generation weapons;

• Director, Defense Analysis, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USDI&S); policy oversight and budget authority for the Defense Intelligence Enterprise.

• Deployed National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) Senior Representative to Task Force 714, Bagram, Afghanistan and Balad, Iraq.

• NGA Director for Military Support, responsible for 2000 deployed combat support personnel.

• Chair of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) committee controlling space-based reconnaissance.

• NGA Director of Warning, advising the White House, DNI, Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Combatant Commanders of threat warning from imagery reconnaissance, 24x7. 

• Director, Congressional Affairs, NGA.

• Associate Deputy Director, Imagery Acquisition and Operations (IMINT), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), leading 4500 satellite acquisition engineers and space operations officers. 

Education: 

CAPSTONE Fellow, National Defense University, 2012;

M.S., Defense Industrial Management, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, 1995;  

M.A., National Security Studies, Georgetown University 1984;  

B.A., Government and International Relations, College of William and Mary, 1980; 

Read Economics, Christ’s College, Cambridge University, England, 1978. 

Awards: 

Presidential Rank Award-Meritorious Executive; Secretary of Defense Global War on Terror Medal; NGA Distinguished Civilian Service Medal; NGA Meritorious Civilian Service Medal; NRO Superior Service Medallion; military awards and decorations as a Reserve Officer (DMSM, JSCM, NCM, NAM). 

Military Service:

Retired U.S. Navy Reserve Captain (O-6); two command tours; Wartime Reserve J2, US Forces Korea.  

Personal:

Married to the former Jane N Bush, a Tax Attorney with Bloomberg; Rock drummer; Painter; Amateur Astronomer; Fly Fisherman; Eagle Scout; American Legion Post 88, and Grampa. 

Thomas L. Bock born March 10, 1947 in David City, Nebraska

Thomas is a Past National Commander of The American Legion the nation’s largest veteran’s organization with a membership of nearly 2 million members. He has been a member of this organization since April 20, 1970 and has served in various positions of leadership from the local Post level to the National level.

Tom is a Viet Nam era veteran of the United States Air Force serving from 1966 through 1970. He served as a Defensive Fire Control Technician on the B-52 aircraft obtaining the rank of Sargent. 

As National Commander he traveled extensively to all 50 states ad 13 foreign countries including Europe, SE Asia, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay Cuba. During his term he met with the President of the United States, George W. Bush and the members of his cabinet including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and many members of Congress.

AFFILIATIONS:

• Active in obtaining the State Veterans Nursing Home at Fitzsimons

• Active in obtaining the VA Hospital in Aurora

• Director of the American Legion Boys Nation

• Director of American Legion Colorado Boys State program for 15 years

• National Commander of The American Legion, 2005/06

• Chairman of the National Foreign Relations Commission, 2002-2004

• National Executive Committeeman, 1995-2001

• The American Legion Colorado State Commander, 1992

• Chairman of the Department of Colorado Finance Committee for 10 years, responsible for creation and management of an annual budget of over $1 million

• Served as The American Legion Colorado Deputy Department Adjutant for 20 years

Tom retired from AT&T in 2000 after a 30 year management career. He has been married to his wife Elaine for 57 years and they have 4 children, 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandson.

Colorado Native, grew up in Arvada, CO graduated from Arvada High School. Attended the United States Military Academy, West Point in 1978 graduating in 1982, in the 3rd West Point Graduating class with women. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Field Artillery, then branch transferred to the Medical Service Corps in 1983. Her first active-duty assignment was to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC in the Directorate, Operations and Information Management. After 5 years on Active Duty transferred in the US Army Active Reserves where she served 9 years in the Maneuver Training Command (MTC), Medical Service Unit. This assignment included conducting training and deployment readiness evaluations for National Guard and Army Reserve Medical Units; Mobile Hospital units, Medical Evacuation units including air and ground ambulance, Dental units and Medical administration units. During Desert Storm assigned for 5 months at Fort Carson to conduct deployment readiness training and evaluation for Medical Units being deployed to Desert Storm. Served as the Logistics Officer (S4) for a Combat Support Hospital for 1 year. She resigned her commission from the Army after 15 years total Active and Reserve duty.

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Transitioned from the military to civilian career completing Graduate School at University of Denver with a Master of Technology Management (MOTM). Completed a17 year career as a Project Manager at Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory working in Bioenergy, Hydrogen and Solar Energy Programs. Of special interest was the opportunity to use both military background and civilian experiences in a special assignment as a liaison from NREL (DOE) to the US Department of Army (DA) to examine renewable energy opportunities for US based installations and local energy providers to adopt/install sustainable renewable energy. Resulting in coming full circle from a young US Army Lieutenant (DA) to a Senior (DOE) Renewable Energy Project Manager working with US Department of Army.

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Retired in 2014 and lived full time in Grand County with her husband Jerry. Embraced the community becoming actively involved with American Legion Post 88, Election Judge for local and general elections for the Grand County Clerk and Reorder. Also, volunteered at the Sulpher Ranger District Arapahoe & Roosevelt National Forests Visitors Center.

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Currently enjoying boating life on a 42-foot Grand Banks Motor Yacht “Troublesome Phoenix” and traveling America’s Great Loop and enjoying three beautiful grandchildren.

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Eastman is a Senior Scholar in Residence, Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, University of Colorado, Boulder

Sorbo received international stardom as the lead role in “Hercules, the Legendary Journeys” (1993-1999) the most watched TV show in the world! Sorbo directed/acted in “Let There Be Light”, a faith/family movie, which ranked number 4 out of the top 10 family movies of that year. For release in 2019, “One Nation Under God”, deals with the controversy over that quote in our Nation’s Pledge of Allegiance.   Also, “The Reliant”, which is a faith/drama dealing with the economic collapse of America. “The Mustard Seed” will be in theaters in 2020. Sorbo acted/directed “Miracle in East Texas”, a comedy based on a true story set in 1930, which will open nationwide in Spring of 2020.  Kevin released his memoir in 2012, “True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life”.  The book chronicles his near-death experience when he suffered three strokes and the battle back to regain his life.  Sorbo also co-authored a Chicken Soup for the Soul, “Think Positive for Kids”. In real life, Kevin leads "A World Fit for Kids”, a successful mentoring model that trains inner-city teens to use school, fitness, sports and positive role models for themselves.

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David J. Garrow is the author of Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama, a 1,460 page pre-presidential biography which HarperCollins published in May 2017 and which Garrow began working on in 2008. A HarperCollins paperback edition will appear in May 2018.

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Dr. Joseph Postell is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and holds a B.A. from Ashland University and a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Dallas. He is a speaker, teacher, contributing non-staff member of the Heritage Foundation and has contributed to several publications including Freedom and the Rule of Law.

Dr. Thomas E Woods, Jr. who holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, both in History and is a Senior Fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and is an American historian, political analyst, and author of twelve books including Rollback • Repealing Big Government Before the Coming Fiscal Collapse.

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Alan S. Kahan is the 2021-22 visiting scholar at the University of Colorado Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization in Boulder, Colorado.

Kahan received his PhD in History from The University of Chicago in 1987, and is currently Professor of British Civilization at the Université de Paris-Saclay. He has been living in France since 2007. Previously he taught at Florida International University in Miami. Professor Kahan is the author of Aristocratic Liberalism: The Social and Political Thought of Jacob Burckhardt, John Stuart Mill and Alexis de Tocqueville (Oxford, 1992); Liberalism in Nineteenth-Century Europe: the Political Culture of Limited Suffrage (Palgrave, 2003); Alexis de Tocqueville (Bloomsbury, 2010); Mind vs. Money: The War Between Intellectuals and Capitalism (Transaction, 2010, Routledge 2017); and Tocqueville, Democracy, and Religion  (Oxford, 2015). He is currently working on “Liberalism – An Incomplete History," which will be published by Princeton University Press.

Akhil Reed Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law in both Yale College and Yale Law School. After graduating from Yale College, summa cum laude, in 1980 and from Yale Law School in 1984, and clerking for Judge (later Justice) Stephen Breyer, Amar joined the Yale faculty in 1985 at the age of 26. He is Yale’s only currently active professor to have won the University’s unofficial triple crown — the Sterling Chair for scholarship, the DeVane Medal for teaching, and the Lamar Award for alumni service.​

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Amar’s work has won awards from both the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society, and he has been cited by Supreme Court justices across the spectrum in over 45 cases — tops among scholars under age 65. He regularly testifies before Congress at the invitation of both parties; and in surveys of judicial citations and/or scholarly citations, he typically ranks among America’s five most-cited mid-career legal scholars. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has written widely for popular publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and The Atlantic. He was an informal consultant to the popular TV show The West Wing and his scholarship has been showcased on many broadcasts, including The Colbert Report, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Morning Joe, AC360, 11th Hour with Brian Williams, Fox News @ Night with Shannon Bream, Fareed Zakaria GPS, Erin Burnett Outfront, and Constitution USA with Peter Sagal.

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He is the author of more than a hundred law review articles and several books, most notably The Bill of Rights (1998 — winner of the Yale University Press Governors’ Award), America’s Constitution (2005 — winner of the ABA’s Silver Gavel Award), America’s Unwritten Constitution (2012 — named one of the year’s 100 best nonfiction books by The Washington Post), and The Constitution Today (2016 — named one of the year’s top ten nonfiction books by Time magazine). His latest and most ambitious book, The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840, came out in May 2021.

A FREE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF PROFESSOR AMAR’S BOOK WILL BE GIVEN TO ALL ATTENDEES OF HIS PRESENTATION. He has recently launched a weekly podcast, Amarica’s Constitution. A wide assortment of his articles and op-eds and video links to many of his public lectures and free online courses may be found at akhilamar.com. 

In 2021, Kelly Johnston returned to his roots in journalism and politics with his blog, Against The Grain, where he does deep dives and provides unique insights on politics, history, and public policy. He’s also one of the top contributors at Ricochet.com, a popular national conservative blog site. His work can be found at kellyjohnston.substack.com and, occasionally, at the North State Journal, a statewide newspaper in North Carolina.

Kelly retired from the Campbell Soup Company in October 2018 after a 16-year career as Vice President for Government Affairs. His work in the food industry spanned 26 years, including his first job in high school behind the counter at a Braum’s Ice Cream Company store in southwest Oklahoma City.

Previously, Kelly spent nearly 25 years in Washington, DC in several leadership positions within the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, politics, and the trade association worlds.  He was Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications at the National Food Processors’ Association (NFPA), serving as the organization’s chief government affairs and communications officer for nearly 6 years. He also served as a Deputy Director of Communications for the National Restaurant Association in 1980.

From 1995 to 1997, he was the Secretary of the US Senate, the Senate’s chief legislative, financial and administrative officer. How he came into that job was discussed by Bob Woodward in his best-selling book about the 1996 presidential race, The Choice. Kelly has also served as Staff Director of the Senate Republican Policy Committee; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs in the US Department of Transportation; and chief of staff or press secretary to three Members of Congress. 

During his time on Capitol Hill, Kelly worked on 35 US Senate and House campaigns in 25 states on behalf of the National Republican Congressional Committee (1984-86) and National Republican Senatorial Committee (1989-90). He was once named a “rising star” by the magazine Campaigns and Elections.

Kelly remains active in the non-profit community. He is a founding board member of the Bonnie and Bill Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communication at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV. He also currently serves on the board of Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), which is dedicated to helping employers educate and mobilize their employees on public policy issues of importance to their jobs. He is a former chairman of the Canadian American Business Council and former co-chair of the Congressional Management Foundation.

A native of Oklahoma, Kelly earned his B.A. degree in Communications in 1976 from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, where he has been named to the Alumni Hall of Fame. He began his career as a state capitol correspondent for the Donrey Media Group in Oklahoma, and later served as editor of the Henryetta Daily Free-Lance. He attended Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Demography in Washington, D.C.  He has guest lectured on politics, government, lobbying and communications at several universities, including Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, George Washington University, Shepherd University, and Burlington County College in New Jersey.

He and his wife, Adrienne, live in Arlington, Virginia.  They have two grown sons and a new grandson.

Jay joined the US Army in July 1971, leaving his home in Memphis, TN immediately after graduating High School. His service included three overseas tours in the Federal Republic of Germany and a temporary highly classified assignment to Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield. He rose through the enlisted ranks to Staff Sergeant (E-6) and was appointed by the Secretary of the Army as a Chief Warrant Officer, spending his entire military career supporting current and emerging Air Defense Missile systems.

Immediately following the first Gulf War and after 20 years of distinguished service, Jay culminated his US Army career when he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer, CWO-3.

Jay has never stopped serving. After moving to Colorado Springs from Memphis in 2005, he immediately continued his active involvement in The American Legion, and serving our Colorado Springs community and Veterans through organizations such as The Colorado Veterans Resource Coalition (a.k.a. The Crawford House on which he served as President and currently serving as Vice President on the Board of Directors), a safe haven for homeless Veterans.

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In 2019, Jay was given the privilege to serve as National Chairman of Membership and Post Activities (M&PA), a position on which he continues to serve. Jay served as The American Legion, Department of Colorado State Commander during the 2016/2017 term and is an active member of the Neal Thomas Jr.-Centennial Post 209 in Colorado Springs, the largest Post in Colorado. He is also currently serving as Vice President on the Board of Directors for Colorado American Legion Boys State.

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Jay received his Bachelors of Science degree as Summa Cum Laude from Southern Arkansas University with an emphasis in Industrial Technology and his Masters of Arts degree from Webster University with an emphasis in Procurement and Acquisition Management.

Host of The Kim Monson Show on KLZ 560 Radio

Drew joined the US Army in 1962 in Pueblo Colorado at the age of seventeen. He was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division where he was deployed to the Dominican Republic for his first combat tour. He remained with the 82d until he met the age requirements for the US Army Special Forces. Following graduation from the operations & intelligence course, he attended Spanish language and High Altitude parachute training courses before being deployed to the Republic of Vietnam; where he was assigned to a highly classified project with the mission of eliminating enemy infrastructure. Assigned as a lone American, he led multi ethnic mercenaries on missions throughout the region. After receiving a direct commission, Drew was assigned back to Vietnam as a Company Commander of A co, 2/502,101st Airborne Division. In addition to the 82d, and the 101st, Drew was assigned to the 5th & 6th Special Forces Groups, Aide to the CG of the JFK Special Warfare Center, aide to the CG XVIII Airborne Corps. He was instrumental in establishing the Joint Special Operations Support Element (JSOSE) at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL., and was assigned to the 4th BN, 9th INF at Ft Wainwright, Alaska.

Following the attacks of September 11, He was asked by the Governor of Alaska to advise him on the strategies that should be used to protect the oil infrastructure in Alaska. He served as Alaska’s first Director of Homeland Security. Drew retired from the State of Alaska as a Deputy Commissioner within the Department of military and Veterans affairs.

As a Special Forces Sergeant, during his first tour he was awarded the Medal of Honor and became the first enlisted man in the US Army Special Forces to receive the Medal of Honor.

This early beginning in special operations paved the way for Drew to work in numerous anti- terrorist assignments following his twenty years of service in the US Army. While living in Alaska he worked on a classified contract from 1985 to 1995, with the mission to establish Ice Stations on the Arctic Ocean to track Soviet Submarines. He also served in the Middle East and Central America.

While in Alaska, he owned and operated an air service and flew throughout the northern regions of the state.

He is the C0-Founder of the “Center for American Values” an educational nonprofit in Pueblo, Colorado where he served as the Board Chairman until being elected as President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. He is on the board of The Center for American Values. He founded REMUDA, LLC which specializes in providing training to active military and other government entities, speaking to those deploying and/or returning from deployment. 

He now lives with his wife Patricia on their ranch in Westcliffe, CO.

Andy Peth is a KLZ radio personality and Founder of The Party Of Choice.  Raised in leftwing, academic surroundings, Andy realized he was being taught to control others, not liberate them.  Eventually, Andy embraced Liberty, and has spent decades refining a simple approach to spread the truths of Liberty in a nation that has forgotten it.  

Andy knows why people distrust Liberty activists, and how, in just minutes or seconds, we can break through!  Wherever Andy speaks, listeners are surprised to realize the difference we make with our delivery—good or bad. 

Do you want to be more effective, more relaxed, and more liked when those liberty moments arise?  Then listen to a simple change in approach, as Andy Peth shares the secrets in “How To Sell Liberty.”