Advisory Board
Deanna Ballard
A native of North Carolina, Ballard began her political career as a volunteer and rose her way through the ranks to become one of the youngest female commissioned officers to serve President George W. Bush. As Special Assistant to the President and Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady, Deanna reorganized the functions of Scheduling and Advance into one office, greatly improving the efficiency of the two operations. In this capacity, she planned and managed a wide variety of events from brief White House meetings to multifaceted international travel. Most notably, she facilitated Mrs. Laura Bush’s 2007 trip to the Middle East to highlight the U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research, as well as her 2008 trip to Afghanistan. While having to balance the art of anticipating the unknown with a skillful style of execution, Mrs. Bush described Deanna as always maintaining a “calm in the storm” composure.
Previously, Ballard served Secretary Michael Chertoff at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Rod Paige at the U.S. Department of Education.
Deanna Ballard earned a degree in Hospitality Business from Belmont University in Nashville, TN and currently serves Franklin Graham, CEO/President of Samaritan’s Purse and Billy Graham Evangelical Association, as Director of the CEO/President’s Office. In this role, she performs a variety of tasks from strategizing and directing administration, financial and operational activities for the President/CEO to advising and assisting employees, top management, and other stakeholders with effective solutions to organizational and personnel issues.
Rebecca S. Beach
Rebecca Beach is a fund raiser, event planner and consultant for numerous projects and clients. Her wide and diverse range of clients in the political arena have included the Republican Party of Iowa, Senator Charles Grassley, President George HW Bush, President George W Bush, McCain for President, Lamberti for Congress and others. Her political career began in 1978 while working for George and Barbara Bush having served as Personal Assistant to Mrs. George Bush for four years. After working in the Reagan administration and Bush administration, Mrs. Beach returned to her home state of Iowa in 1993.
Back in Iowa, Becky worked with the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. In 1997 she became Administrative Assistant to the President of the Iowa Senate—first for Senator Mary Kramer and then for Senator Jeff Lamberti. During this same time, Beach worked on the campaign of George W Bush handling scheduling, event planning and advance. In 2001, while working on the Presidential Inauguration, she was responsible for the coordination of activities for the immediate family of President-elect and Mrs. George Bush. Additionally, at the request of Laura Bush, Beach oversaw the President's Box at the Republican Convention in 2000.
After eleven years in the Iowa Senate, Beach formed her own company, RSB Associates. The company continues to do political work as well as non-profit clients and issue advocacy groups. Recent non-profit projects have included a successful $4 million capital campaign for Roosevelt High School, the Robert Ray Asian Gardens, restoration of the Battleship USS Iowa and Paws & Effect. She is currently on the Finance Committee for the George W. Bush Library Center which will be located on the campus of SMU in Dallas. Beach and Jeff Lamberti are partners with Riverside Partners, established in 2007.
Becky graduated from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, IA and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA with a BA in political science. Interests include needlepoint, golf, her golden retriever and raising a service dog that will be placed with a military veteran returning to Iowa from Iraq or Afghanistan. She is married to Charlie Beach, the recently retired US Marshal for the Southern District of Iowa.
Karen Giorno
Karen R. Giorno has 20 plus years experience in launching and expanding large, complex, and highly successful national and international programs and campaigns, across a broad range of enterprises in the for-profit, political and non-profit environments.
Since 2006, Karen has been a strategic consultant specializing in External Affairs, Grassroots & Coalition Management, and Issues Advocacy for clients across the United States. She is affiliated with a national consortium of distinguished professionals, independent consultants, specialty venders and industry experts. Together they help clients craft and implement integrated strategies that connect them with top decision makers, shape public opinion, and transform public policy.
Karen also advises political candidates, elected officials, C3's and C4's, on strategic communications and grassroots tactics, infrastructure development, operations management, and large scale organization of premium events. She uses her unique skill set and comprehensive relationships to coordinate public affairs projects for lobbying firms, corporations, political parties and other organizations, helping her clients connect business with government -- creating partnerships that work.
Prior to consulting, Karen held a variety of notable positions. She has served as the Director of External Affairs for Governor Rick Scott, Senior Advance Representative for First Lady Laura Bush, as well as the Director of VIP Services & Strategic Outreach at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Karen began her career in 1989 as a Presidential Intern in the Office of Scheduling and Appointments for President George H.W. Bush. Upon graduating from college, she served as a staff assistant in the East Wing-Visitors Office, handling public relations activities for the First Family. After the White House, Karen continued to work in the political arena, serving as the Director of Field Operations for the New Jersey Republican State Committee until 1995 when she joined the staff at the American Museum of Natural History. She held several key positions at this world-renowned cultural institution for twelve years, successfully supporting the global promotion of science literacy, education and technology.
Karen is a graduate of Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She currently lives in Florida.
Georgia Godfrey
Georgia Godfrey is Chief of Staff to former U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice. In her role, Godfrey supports Dr. Rice through her various business and academic endeavors, coordinates her long term strategic planning and media appearances, and manages her office staff.
Prior to working for Dr. Rice, Godfrey founded and ran her own public affairs firm, Trailblazer Public Affairs. Godfrey consulted clients on media strategy, business development, and community outreach. Clients included sports teams, professional athletes, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, Department of Defense contractors, oil companies, and music industry entertainers.
Previously, Godfrey served as a member of the White House communications team for President Bush’s administration. In her first role at the White House from 2001-2005, she worked in the Press Office overseeing and managing presidential events, logistics, and national and international media interactions. Godfrey returned to the White House in 2008 to serve as the primary on-site communications representative for the President as he traveled the country and the world. She focused on strategic messaging, local issues, and coordination of major presidential events.
Between stints at the White House, Godfrey served at the U.S. Department of Commerce as a Public Affairs Specialist advising the Secretary on environmental, economic, and census issues. She also served as Senior Strategist at Outside Eyes Public Relations in Newport Beach, California where she advised and provided strategic media direction to music industry entertainers, actors, major non-profit organizations, and publicly traded companies.
Godfrey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Regent University and currently resides in Palo Alto, California.
Jillian Hasner
Jillian Hasner is a strategic planning, communications, and management specialist. She has made her mark in business, politics, advocacy, and government – efforts that impacted business fortunes, ensured political careers, contributed to political movements, and lent a helping hand to nations in need around the world.
Politically, Jillian has worked at every major campaign level including campaigns for President (Bush-Cheney 2000 and Bush-Quayle 1992), Governor (George Voinovich-Ohio; Jeb Bush-Florida; Meg Whitman-California), U.S. Senate (Mike DeWine-Ohio; Paul Coverdell-Georgia) and U.S. Congress (Rob Portman-Ohio; Steve LaTourette-Ohio) and has comprehensive campaign experience in the key national battleground states of Ohio and Florida.
Jillian most recently focused on the historic effort to elect California's first female Governor by serving as Campaign Manager for former eBay CEO Meg Whitman in her run for Governor of the Golden State. Jillian also personally led the development of the MEGaWomen platform, which became the nation's largest active political women's coalition with over 100,000 members.
In addition to working on several statewide ballot initiatives across the country, Jillian has also served as the Director of Corporate and Association Affairs for the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego.
In Washington, D.C., Jillian helped Secretary of State Colin Powell launch the U.S. Global Development Alliance, a landmark, award-winning, public-private initiative that has helped nations rebuild after wars and earthquakes, created clean water irrigation infrastructures, improved labor standards in Latin America, created a global alliance for vaccines, and built information technology capacity worldwide. Jillian subsequently had the opportunity to serve under former Florida U.S. Senator and former Republican National Committee Chairman Mel Martinez during his time as U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development.
Believing strongly in the spirit of public service and serving others, Jillian's long list of community and charitable work includes Guardian Ad-Litem, The Debbie Rand Memorial Service League at Boca Raton Community Hospital, The Junior League of Boca Raton, Kids-In-Distress, The Boy Scouts of America, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, The American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, The American Heart Association, AIPAC, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), the Florida-Israel Business Forum, and former member of the Board of Directors for The Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park. Jillian also founded and launched the National Women's Committee of the RJC where she served as Executive Director. She is also honored to have been appointed by Florida's U.S. Senators to serve two consecutive terms on Florida's Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.
Jillian is a graduate of New York's Nyack College and is married to Adam Hasner, former Florida House Majority Leader and candidate for US House (CD-22). Jillian and Adam make their home in Boca Raton, Florida.
Amy Kremer
Amy Kremer considers herself a true Southern Belle. She was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and attended Auburn University. She is a former Delta Airlines flight attendant who that has traveled all over the world. Before flying, Amy had a successful career in Real Estate in the Atlanta market. After leaving Delta, Amy enjoyed the opportunity to stay at home with her only daughter until she went away to college.
Prior to the Fall of 2008, Amy had never been involved in politics. During the campaign season, she found she had a real interest in politics and began blogging. After many months of yelling and screaming at her TV and radio, she decided to get engaged as an activist. Amy became politically active early in 2009 through social media. She was one of the original founders of the Atlanta Tea Party and was also the nationwide event coordinator for the first round of tea parties that took place across the country on February 27th. After the February 27th tea parties, Amy worked very closely with the Don't Go Movement, Smart Girl Politics, and TCOT (Top Conservatives on Twitter) as the Nationwide Event Coordinator for Tax Day Tea Party. She was instrumental in coordinating the efforts for Tax Day Tea Party 2009. During the first week of March 2009, after realizing through all of her hard work with activists across the country, there was a movement being born out of the tea parties, she founded Tea Party Patriots (no longer affiliated).
In August of 2009, Amy joined the Tea Party Express bus tour and traveled across the country. Shortly before the second Tea Party Express tour, Amy left Tea Party Patriots and joined the Tea Party Express PAC as the Director of Grassroots and Coalitions. Amy is now the Chairman of the Tea Party Express and has four successful nationwide bus tours under her belt.
During the 2010 election cycle, Kremer played a major role in several key elections. From supporting Scott Brown’s historic victory in the Massachusetts Senate race, to victories for Sharron Angle for Senate in Nevada, Mike Lee for Senate in Utah, Joe Miller for Senate in Alaska and Christine O’Donnell for Senate in Delaware. Kremer and the Tea Party Express also played critical roles in defeating Arlen Specter’s bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, and Bart Stupak’s bid for re-election to Congress in Michigan – after Congressman Stupak sold out and voted for Obama’s government-run healthcare scheme.
The Tea Party Express played a vital role in several other races including Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Raul Labrador of Idaho, Allen West and Marco Rubio of Florida.
Most recently Amy and the Tea Party Express have been working in Wisconsin to support Governor Scott Walker and his fiscally responsible legislation. They were instrumental helping to re-elect David Prosser to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and to defeat a liberal activist who was expected to overturn the Walker legislation.
In addition to her role with Tea Party Express, Amy is also a co-founder of a nonprofit organization, American Grassroots Coalitions. American Grassroots Coalition's mission is to work with other organizations in order to educate citizens in an effort to empower them to make a difference on local, state, and national levels. American Grassroots Coalition wants to educate and empower, so that all citizens become engaged in the political process.
Amy has joined the Doctor Patient Medical Association as a co-chair of the Patient Power Project. DPMA is a nonpartisan association of doctors and patients dedicated to preserving free choice in medicine. In her position as co-chair of the Patient Power Project, she conducts workshops and training for patient empowerment across the country. In addition to training, Amy also does advocacy work for Doctor Patient Medical Association.
In October 2009, Amy was awarded the Shining Scalpel Award by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. This award has only been awarded three times in the 66 year history of AAPS. The award was given to honor outstanding service to the American people and to the profession of medicine by mobilizing the Tea Party movement, and organizing public town hall meetings to “cut” through the political rhetoric on “health care reform.” Amy was given this award because her leadership helped to “shine a light” so that patients can make informed political choices.
Since becoming involved with the grassroots movement, Amy has spoken at many tea parties and rallies across the country. She was a speaker at the 9/12 March on D.C. and was a keynote speaker at the Tea Party Convention in Nashville. In the fall of 2009 and 2010, Amy participated as a panelist at the Value Voters Summit in Washington, D.C. She has appeared on Fox News Channel numerous times and was the original tea party contact with the Sean Hannity Radio Show. In the spring of 2010, Amy was honored to be the first guest from the tea party movement to appear on The View. Amy has also appeared on the Colbert Report, CNN, Fox News, NBC, CBS and MSNBC and other media outlets as one of the original grassroots coordinators within the movement.
While tea parties and political activism have consumed Amy's life for the past two years, she still enjoys traveling, cooking, gardening, wine, and antiquing in her spare time. Amy is your average Mom that loves her country and wants her child to have what she has always had. She will continue to work tirelessly in an effort to protect the documents and freedoms upon which America was founded. Amy resides in Atlanta with her family and two chocolate labs.
Lindsay Matlock
Lindsay Matlock works for a public policy think tank in Arlington, Virginia promoting free market economics and limited government through grassroots involvement. Previously, she served as Political Director of the Susan B. Anthony List, a grassroots lobbying organization supporting pro-life women running for Federal or Statewide office. In 2010, the organization earned a 73% win ratio and endorsed 42 women candidates. Prior to her time at SBA List, Lindsay served as a Witherspoon Fellow for the Family Research Council but first became politically involved in high school as a Congressional Page. She graduated from Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee and now lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Elizabeth Dial Pinkerton
A consultant specializing in government affairs, Elizabeth has been involved in numerous political campaat the state, local and federal level. Most recently, she was Chief of Staff for Michelle Bachmann's Presidential Campaign from June to October 2011. During her eight years in the George W. Bush Administration, she served as Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce under Secretaries Don Evans and Carlos Gutierrez and as a White House Advance Representative. Before moving to the Washington, DC area she worked with the Speaker of the South Carolina State Legislature, David H. Wilkins, Governor David M. Beasley and the late Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr.
Pam Pryor
Pam Pryor has more than 25years of experience in politics, public affairs and communication. In Washington, DC she has run the gamut of working for a public affairs company, owning her own business, consulting with a wide range of groups and finally landed on "The Hill" as a congressional staffer.
She worked as U.S. Rep. JC Watts' press secretary and was named deputy chief of staff in October of 1995. In 1998, she took over the Washington office as Watts' chief of staff and served in a dual role overseeing his leadership post of the Republican Conference until his retirement in January 2003. In 2001, she was named to the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington by WASHINGTONIAN Magazine.
Post Watts' retirement, she continued the work begun in their office on the faith-based initiative and served as Vice President of Government Relations and public policy for We Care America. When We Care America disbanded, she consulted for a range of clients from the Department of Labor to Americans for Redistricting Reform and a faith-based organization: Convoy of Hope.
After the Primary season of 2008, Pam was tapped to be the McCain/Palin liaison inside the Republican National Committee and served as the senior advisor to the Deputy Chairman, Frank Donatelli.
Most recently she worked for two issue campaigns: Spending Revolt (affecting the 2010 election cycle) and CPPR – a group to stop the government takeover of healthcare. She specializes in coalition and grassroots outreach for issues campaigns and overall management of campaigns.
Launching Governor Palin's Sarahpac in 2009, Pam continues to aid Mrs. Palin with communications, media and coalition building. In the 2010 election cycle, she vetted candidates and worked on candidate endorsements.
Pam attended Southern Nazarene University - has a B.A. and M.A. in communications and did post graduate work at the University of Oklahoma. She resides in Arlington, VA and attends McLean Bible Church.
Princella Smith
Princella Smith is the founder and CEO of American Pride Strategies in North Little Rock, Arkansas and the American Pride PAC in Washington, DC.
She has been involved in the political arena since the age of 17 when she was elected as the Arkansas Girls State Governor and served as a summer intern and speechwriter for then Arkansas Lt. Governor Win Rockefeller. She began public speaking at the age of 4.
Princella has been a Director of Communications on Capitol Hill, the National Spokesperson for Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions policy organization, and a consultant for the Van Scoyoc & Associates government affairs firm in Washington, DC.
She has experience advising and working for numerous campaigns and candidates and has been a frequent lecturer both independently and for organizations such as The Leadership Institute and Engage the Nation.
Princella is a regularly featured guest on several national and local cable news and radio shows including FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, XM Satellite Radio, and KARN. She has been published and or featured in several publications including USA Today, The Daily Caller, The NY Times, and Politico among several others.
She has held additional titles such as Visiting Fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum, International Delegate for the American Council of Young Political Leaders (Turkey, 2010), and currently sits on the Advisory Board for the Republican Women’s Federal Forum.
Princella was propelled into the national spotlight in 2004 when she won MTV's "Stand Up and Holla" speech contest sponsored by the Republican National Committee. Smith spoke primetime at the Republican National Convention in New York, New York on the same night as then First Lady Laura Bush. She also served as the official greeter at Air Force One for the President, First Lady, and then National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice.
Princella has worked with or been associated with such national leaders as former RNC Chairman, Ed Gillespie and his wife, Cathy Gillespie; Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Senator John Boozman; former Lt. Governor Win Rockefeller; former RNC Chairman, Michael Steele, political strategist, Mary Matalin; and RWFF Chairman, Martha-Ann Alito among others.
In 2010, she ran for Congress and was defeated in the Republican primary but received several prominent endorsements including ones from the Arkansas’ largest newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, and from the Susan B. Anthony List, one of America's most prominent pro-life groups.
Princella is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas and the Buckley School of Public Speaking in Camden, South Carolina.
She currently holds a Foreign Expert License from the People’s Republic of China for oral English education and is an Instructor of English at the Changsha Joy Enterprise in Hunan, China. She has also served as a lecturer at the Hunan International University in Changsha, China. In 2011, she was named a Young Ambassador for the Save a Child’s Heart organization in Azur, Israel.
Janine Turner
Janine Turner is a celebrated actress known to millions of fans for her roles in such TV shows and films as Northern Exposure, Friday Night Lights, Steel Magnolias and Cliffhanger, but recently, Janine has won a whole new following as a talk radio host, political commentator and author.
Janine’s two-hour weekly radio program, The Janine Turner Show, airs Saturdays at 10pm ET on Dallas radio station 570 KLIF, and was named the Best Talk Radio Show for 2011-2012 by the Dallas Observer. Janine also hosts a weekday radio program that airs at 1pm ET, Monday through Thursday on The Janine Turner Network, accessible via www.janineturner.com.
As a political commentator, Janine appears each Friday evening on The O’Reilly Factor, the nation’s highest-rated cable news show. She is also a weekly contributor for The Washington Examiner. Her book, Holding Her Head High: 12 Single Mothers Who Championed Their Children and Changed History, made The Washington Post Best Seller List.
Janine Turner is founder and co-chair of Constituting America, a non-profit, non-partisan foundation aimed at engaging America’s adults and youth in learning about the U.S. Constitution and our nation’s founding principles. Janine lives in Texas with her daughter, Juliette, who serves as national youth director for Constituting America. Juliette is the author of the book, Our Constitution Rocks, published by Zondervan, due in September in time for the 225th Anniversary of the Constitution, and Juliette is a contributing columnist for Red Alert Politics.
Ruth Ulrich
Ruth's interest in politics grew while producing a state-wide syndicated radio talk show. After several years of talking about politics, she decided it was time to stop talking and get involved. Ruth is a member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee where she served as Vice Chairman of Resolutions and chaired the 2004 Louisiana Electoral College. She was elected to the PEC in Ouachita Parish, is a member of OPWRC, LFRW and the NFRW. In 2008, Ruth was elected to serve Louisiana as Republican National Committeewoman. In January of 2011, Ruth was elected Vice Chairman of the RNC's Southern Region. Committees include RNC Site Selection Committee, RNC Redistricting Committee, Committee on Arrangements and subcommittee on News and Media for the 2012 National Convention. Ruth has been married to Mark for 25 years and they have 1 daughter.
