Speakers
(In alphabetical order)
Colonel Christopher Himsl, retired
After 32 years in the US military, Christopher Himsl is now fighting for Americans at home. He is the Midlands leader of Principles First and the Statewide Lead of Veterans for All Voters.
Jermaine Johnson
Dr. Jermaine Johnson is a community activist, avid volunteer, public servant and current State Representative serving the people of Richland and Kershaw Counties. As a husband and proud father, Jermaine knows the value and importance of giving back to the community that has helped him raise his family and grow as a leader.
At an early age, Jermaine witnessed firsthand the effects of poverty, gun violence and homelessness. Raised by two working-class parents who struggled with substance abuse and addictions, he was determined to overcome the obstacles he experienced in his childhood and make a better life for himself in the future. So he decided to put in the hard work to achieve his goals. As a gifted athlete, Jermaine used his skills on the basketball court to earn his way to a full scholarship to the College of Charleston. After playing abroad, he returned to South Carolina to pursue his passion for serving others.
Jermaine continued his educational pursuits and attained a graduate degree in Project Management and a doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership. After working in the community for several years, he noticed there was a gap in access to employment assistance services in the community. Therefore, Jermaine founded New Economic Beginnings Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit workforce development organization that provides employment and life skill building assistance to underserved citizens in Richland County.
Frank Knapp
Mr. Knapp co-founded the SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce in February of 2000. He serves as the president and CEO of the statewide advocacy organization which has over 5,000 supporters and has taken a leadership role in making South Carolina more small business friendly in areas such as taxation, regulation, worker training, Workers Compensation Insurance, utility costs, health insurance, energy/conservation and economic development.
Mr. Knapp serves on the Advisory Board for the South Carolina Small Business Development Center and was recognized by the Small Business Administration as the 2014 South Carolina Small Business Financing Advocate of the Year.
He has held leadership roles with the American Sustainable Business Network and Small Business for America’s Future. He has led national business efforts in the areas of health insurance, regulations, access to capital, election reform, taxation, and the environment/energy.
Mr. Knapp Jr. is also the president of The Knapp Agency, a full service advertising/public relations firm he founded in 1991 in Columbia, SC.
Mr. Knapp holds a master’s degree in social psychology from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Danny Morales
Danny Morales is the Co-Chair of the Soda City Alliance and South Carolina state Co-Coordinator for Braver Angels (BA). This past July, Danny joined the national BA Office of Field Operations, an advisory board serving all BA field volunteers. When he's not trying to save America, Danny works full time in the physical security space. He is a proud transplant from San Juan, PR, and has lived in the Columbia (SC) metro area for over 30 years.
Chris Saxman
Chris Saxman is the Executive Director of Virginia FREE a non-partisan, non-profit established in 1988 that informs the business community in order to advance free enterprise and responsible, pro-business government.
Delegate Saxman served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2010. During his time in the Virginia House, he served on Commerce and Labor; General Laws; Transportation; Counties, Cities, and Towns; and Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committees and also chaired two subcommittees. In 2007, U.S. Senator John McCain asked Saxman to co-chair his Virginia campaign for president along with U.S. Senator John Warner. In 2010, Saxman co-chaired the K-12 transition team for Governor-elect Bob McDonnell.
Saxman served as the General Manager of his family’s bottled water business based in Staunton, Virginia from 1995 until 2010. As part of his commitment to the industry, Saxman became the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Bottled Water Association in 2007.
Saxman was born in Pittsburgh, PA but primarily grew up in Staunton. He graduated from Washington and Lee University with a B.A. in European History in 1987. Saxman and his wife, Michele, relocated the family to the Richmond area in 2013. They have four grown children.
Erik Sickinger
Elected to the Irmo Town Council in 2020 and now in his second term, Councilman Sickinger has been named Mayor Pro Tem. He gained popularity for his accessibility, willingness to engage with the community and Irmo’s best Christmas lights awards. Continuing his desire to connect people, his day job is to sell software to municipalities across the country designed to build the community engagement that he cares so deeply about.
Councilman Sickinger is also an advisor for several government tech start ups as well as Irmo future growth. He has also served on the National League of Cities Information Technology Advocacy Committee and the FCC governmental advisory board.
Kasie Whitener
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