RandySF
RandySF's JournalFLIPPABLE: JD Wooten for NC-SD24
JD Wooten is an intellectual property attorney and former U.S. Air Force officer and engineer. He was nominated to the U.S. Air Force Academy by U.S. Senator Jesse Helms and U.S. Representative David Price and received his appointment in 2003. While at the Academy, JD earned his parachute wings, commanded Cadet Squadron 40, raced for the USAFA Cycling Team, and studied aeronautical engineering. He was a 2007 Rhodes Scholar nominee and recipient of the Gladys Noon Spellman Fellowship Award to attend the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. At UMD he earned a Masters of Public Policy in International Security and Economic Policy.
While on active duty, JD first served as an engineer and program manager for the Situation Awareness Data Link, an air to ground radio system used extensively in close air support and homeland defense missions. He later served as the Commander's Action Officer to Lt. Gen. CR Davis, managing all communications on behalf of General Davis for his +9,000 person, $5 billion per year organization operating from 28 international locations. JD also had the privilege to serve as Officer-in-Charge of the Patriot Honor Guard where he performed 108 military funerals and oversaw more than 1,200 funerals per year throughout New England.
After a decade of service, JD left active duty to attend Wake Forest University School of Law. Upon graduation, JD joined the intellectual property group at Womble Bond Dickinson where he helps clients secure and protect their creative rights through patents, trademarks, and copyrights. JD's primary focus is on patent and trademark litigation in federal courts. JD's family has called North Carolina home for over twenty generations, and they are proud to still call North Carolina home today.
https://jdwooten.com/
FLIPPABLE: Allen Wellons for NC-SD11
Allen Wellons, 70, born and raised in Smithfield, NC; where he has made a career as a family farm manager and practicing law. Allen has a proven record of his leadership, for six years he served in the North Carolina Senate where he supported public education, workforce training, and agriculture policies that helped boost exports and strengthen North Carolina farm communities.
Today, Allen is running for the North Carolina Senate in the newly drawn 11th District representing Johnston and Nash counties. Allen knows in Raleigh we need leaders who will focus on our local issues and will work to get things done to help our citizens here at home.
Allen will focus on critical issues facing our district:
• Investing in our public schools
• Expanding workforce training programs
• Recruiting new high-wage jobs
• Supporting common-sense reform for Medicaid
• Building roads, bridges, and broadband internet in rural NC
• Practical tax policies that invest in our people and our state
Allen is married with three adult children. He is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and holds a Juris Doctorate from NC Central University School of Law. He previously served in the North Carolina Senate from 1996 until 2002.
Allen is a member of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Smithfield, NC. He has served his community as a former Scout Master, member of the Smithfield-Selma Chamber of Commerce, co-chairman of the Johnston YMCA and served on the boards of the Children’s Hospital at UNC-Chapel Hill; the Foodbank of North Carolina and Habitat for Humanity. He is a former member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors and served on the NC Board of Community Colleges.
https://wellonsfornc.com/
FLIPPABLE: Harper Peterson for NC-SD9
Harper grew up on a farm in Huntington, NY, sharing a two bedroom house with his parents, five siblings, and grandparents. It was there he learned the importance of a strong work ethic, gratitude, and caring for others less fortunate, values he has carried with him throughout his life.
A graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Harper was inducted into the institution’s oldest and most prestigious honors society, the Order of the Golden Fleece, and received All-American honors in lacrosse. Upon graduating, he volunteered as an English teacher in Thailand before moving to New Hanover County in the ‘70s. Harper is married, has five children and one grandson, and he and his wife Plunkett are partners in several local businesses.
Harper served on Wilmington City Council from 1995-1999, and as Wilmington Mayor from 2001-2003. He is a founding member of Cape Fear River Watch and Clean Cape Fear, established the Northside Plan, Affordable Housing Task Force, Mayor’s Task Force on Disabilities, Mayor’s Task Force on the Arts, served on the NC General Assembly’s Wilmington 1898 Race Riot Commission 2001-2006, and has been a staunch advocate for the Film Industry. He has been instrumental in spearheading a variety of economic development activities including the New Hanover County Room Occupancy Tax, Northside Plan and sustaining the Wilmington Riverwalk initiative.
https://www.harperpetersonsenate9.com/
FLIPPABLE: Donna Lake for NC-SD7
Retired Air Force Colonel Donna Lake has been on the front lines of health care as a combat veteran, intensive care and community health nurse, and healthcare CEO. Currently an East Carolina University professor, Donna Lake, Ph.D., is a first generation college graduate and served 25 years in the US Air Force. Donna has firsthand experience in servant leadership, complex project management, effective communication, and is ready to work hard every day for the people of NC Senate District 7.
Having served in several combat zones, Donna is a tested leader who can maintain calm in a crisis and leads with steadiness. Donna makes precise, well thought out decisions by listening to all voices and considering all perspectives. Over a decade as a Clinical Professor with ECU College of Nursing, Graduate Programs, she has served Eastern NC by teaching 85 faculty and 450 students patient safety principles, leadership, and finance skills. Donna’s expertise has contributed to the awarding of $5M in grant funding impacting NC.
Donna is equipped with decades of experience as a collaborative, problem-solving leader. As a previous USAF Medical CEO, she ensured the well-being of the base community (approximately 21,000 people) to include safe roads, clean water, food accessibility, disaster preparedness, affordable housing, and increased mental and dental health access. Donna also ensured that special needs children of military families had access to the right schools with the proper resources by recruiting special education professionals to the community. She facilitated communication between the military and local school board, which created ongoing dialogue and improvements within the school system.
Before moving to Goldsboro to serve at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Colonel Lake received two Bronze Stars while serving in some of the most dangerous conflicts around the globe. She knows tough times and has true grit to make things happen. In Goldsboro, Donna and her husband Bob, also a retired USAF pilot, have built their post military life and raised two children.
https://www.donnalake2020.com/
FLIPPABLE: Ann Johnson for TX-HD134
Ann is a former chief human trafficking prosecutor, current teacher and small business owner who works in our criminal justice system as an attorney for many who cannot afford a lawyer. Ann has a long history of standing up for the most vulnerable in our community. When told a righteous challenge doesn’t stand a chance – she works harder to bring people together to reach the right result. She has successfully taken on the system by reaching across the aisle and breaking down old barriers to create common sense solutions for victims of human trafficking. She knows penny-wise and pound foolish decisions for political gain end up costing the rest of us in the long run. Ann knows we can do better and promises to lead with an eye on the collective future and not her next election.
Ann knows more unites us than divides us and sees an opportunity for the State Representative of the citizens of House District 134 to lead on all our most daunting challenges.
Ann Johnson is from Houston, Texas, the youngest child of Hon. Jake Johnson, a former Texas State Representative, and the Hon. Carolyn Marks Johnson, senior retired District Judge. Ann is the youngest of 6, including Ret. Lt. Col. Jake Johnson, Cheryl Larkin, Cynthia Straughan, Frances Kenyon and Jennifer West.
As the youngest, Ann would most often go to her family’s law firm after school where she learned from her parents the honor of being someone’s trial attorney. As a lawyer herself, Ann has experienced the awesome responsibility of standing in a courtroom and speaking for those who are unable to speak for themselves.
Ann earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas. While attending The University of Texas, she worked for Texas State Rep. Mike Martin and Rep. Craig Eiland. Ann later worked for United States Congressman Jack Brooks in the House Judiciary Committee and then in the Legislative Affairs Office of the White House during the Clinton Administration.
Ann went on to get her law degree from the South Texas College of Law. After graduation, Ann worked as a briefing attorney for the Hon. Leslie Brock Yates, then a Justice on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals. Afterward, Ann became a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. In 2005, Ann left the District Attorney’s Office following a cancer diagnosis.
Ann beat cancer and entered private practice with her dad, Jake, where she represented citizens with civil, criminal and juvenile matters. Ann’s docket included the representation of many children in a mental health court specialty docket and victims of prostitution. She was a founding member of the GIRLS Court (now CARE Court), a special court dedicated to assisting children lawfully brought to the juvenile justice system who may also be victims of human trafficking.
Ann also pursued an active appellate practice, litigating cases in the First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court. One of her most significant cases was In re B.W., in which the Texas Supreme Court reversed the Harris County District Attorney’s prosecution of a 13-year-old child for prostitution and created a framework for protecting child victims of exploitation and human trafficking.
Ann returned to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in 2013 as the Human Trafficking Specialist focusing on increased identification of victims and prosecution of exploiters such as pimps and johns. In addition, Ann was instrumental in the creation of SAFE Court, a program designed to help those charged with prostitution, between ages 17-25, to escape the revolving door of criminal justice. Her work led to the establishment of the Human Trafficking Section where she served as the Chief until 2017.
Ann is now in private practice at Johnson Martinez LLC. She continues to fight on behalf of victims of human trafficking. She represents children in juvenile courts and CARE court and represents many in our system who do not have the ability to hire a lawyer in our criminal justice system.
Ann is also a teacher. A tradition she carriers on from both her parents. Her father, a retired Marine Corps Aviator, was a public school teacher and the ROTC instructor during his early career at Jones Middle School and Milby High School. Ann’s mother, Hon. Carolyn Marks Johnson, was a teaching fellow at the University of Houston, taught at Alvin Community College and South Texas College of Law Houston. Today, Ann loves that she gets to teach along side her mother.
Ann’s strength in working with others was recognized by her appointment to the American Leadership Forum’s Criminal Justice 2 Fellows Program, a program designed to join and strengthen leaders involved in the criminal justice community.
Ann is an active member of the Texas Children’s Justice Act Task Force.
Ann and Sonya married as soon as the law allowed. They have 3 rescue dogs and lots of wonderful nieces and nephews.
https://www.annjohnson.com/
FLIPPABLE: Brandy Chambers for TX-HD112
Brandy is a respected attorney who has practiced in the Dallas area since 2001. She earned her law degree at the University of Oklahoma in 1998. During law school, Brandy interned at a law firm and developed a passion for employment law while representing a plaintiff on a wrongful termination claim. After law school, Brandy practiced a broad range of employment, medical malpractice, civil rights defense and basic commercial litigation.
Brandy moved to Dallas in 2001 to serve as Professional & Financial Claims Litigation Counsel, providing substantive legal analysis and litigation strategy to defend a wide variety of matters nationwide and internationally. Since 2012, Brandy has served in different roles providing quality legal support to individuals and companies.
Brandy met Denny Chambers in 2005. They married in 2007 and had a daughter, Julia, in 2009. Julia has proven to be the perfect blend of Brandy’s curious nature and Denny’s fearless athletic prowess.
https://brandykchambers.com/
FLIPPABLE: Joanna Cattanach for TX-HD108
My name is Joanna Cattanach and I am a teacher, mom, and community advocate. I was honored to serve as your Democratic nominee for House District 108 in 2018. Our grassroots campaign moved the district from a 20-point Republican advantage to one separated by just 220 votes after a recount. It was the largest margin gained by any state house candidate in Dallas County with record setting voter turnout. Our district, our values, our families are worth fighting for and I invite you to join me and finish what we started.
My family and I proudly call East Dallas home. We love our neighborhood public schools, our parks, and the diversity of this district. I am a native Texan and was born in Fort Worth. At three, my brother and I were placed into the state’s foster care system and I know all too well the challenges the most vulnerable children in our community face each day. That’s why I’ve worked as an advocate and leader on issues from immigration to women’s rights to education and public safety. As a former foster care child, I will fight for children in foster care and work to alleviate the overburdened system.
I am running for office because our district needs a new voice and new leadership in Austin. Perspective matters and having roots in this district, an investment in this district, having worked in areas and neighborhoods to increase voter turnout, to fight for community issues, that’s why I want to continue to represent you as your Democratic nominee. I have stood on your porch steps, at your community events, at your clubs, and with your families because that’s what representation looks like, that’s what leadership means.
https://t.co/sfbr0w49zk?amp=1
FLIPPABLE: Joe Drago for TX-HD96
Joe Drago is a native Texan, born and raised right here in Southwest Fort Worth. He's a father, lawyer, and experienced leader. Joe comes from a family of hard-working public servants and knows what it takes to lead.
Joe was born at All Saints Hospital in Fort Worth in 1967. After graduating from Nolan Catholic High School he followed his parent’s footsteps to the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated with a BBA in Marketing 1990. He earned his law degree from Baylor Law School in 1993. While at Baylor, Joe made the Honor's List and was a member of the Harvey M. Richey Moot Court Society and the Baylor Order of Barristers. Joe has been licensed to practice law in the state of Texas since 1993 and is a member of the Texas Bar Foundation. He's spent his entire 26-year professional career at Brackett & Ellis, P.C. in downtown Fort Worth. He became a shareholder at the firm in 2001.
Joe learned the values of integrity, honest, hard work and service from his family. Joe's greatest inspiration in his life was his father, the late Judge Joe Drago III. Judge Drago proudly and selflessly dedicated his life to public service for almost 45 years working with the Fort Worth City Attorney’s Office, as a Fort Worth Municipal Court Judge, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, and as judge of Criminal District Court #4. Although Judge Drago was the inspiration, Joe’s sense of right and wrong, caring and devotion to others came from his mother Diane. She keeps the family grounded and has played a pivotal role in shaping Joe’s character. Joe is also the grandson of Italian immigrants. His grandfather Joe Drago, Jr. emigrated to Southeast Texas through Ellis Island in 1921. In 1931, his grandfather started a hardware business with his brother. Joe is proud that the hardware store has been in continuous operation for over 88 years.
Joe is the proud father of two amazing, smart and independent young women. Renee Drago Gini and Gabriella Drago both grew up in Fort Worth and graduated from Paschal High School. Renee received her degree in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University and currently lives in California with her husband. Gabriella is currently attending Azusa Pacific University as a student-athlete where she's working on her dream of becoming a Physical Therapist.
My decision to run for House District 96, is not unlike my grandfather’s decision to come to America so many years ago or my father’s decision to leave Port Arthur, Texas and pursue a career in law and public service. There is something in my soul from the way I was raised pushing me to give more than I receive. Instilled in me through my parents and education, I’ve tried to live my life as I was taught and that is to “treat others as you would want them to treat you.” It’s simple and certainly not complicated. This is the way I try to approach life everyday. Unfortunately, all too often this simple mindset falls by the wayside because we are all human saddled with all the failings that being human entails.
Life is about treating people fairly, compassionately and with love – no matter who they are, where they are from, the color of their skin, their faith, or whom they love. No one is perfect, nor should we expect them to be. However, it is not unreasonable to expect that people respect each other, be honest with each other, and see the good in others without tearing them down. I’ve have tried to do this my whole life. Is it always possible? Of course not. There are always disagreements, but we can disagree without being disagreeable. Solving problems is what I do. However, you cannot solve problems without listening, learning and loving those around you. This is what I will try to do everyday for all residents of House District 96. I will listen, work hard, and keep the best interests of hard-working Texans as my first priority if elected to the State Legislature.
https://dragofortexas.com/
FLIPPABLE: Jeff Whitfield for TX-HD92
I’m Jeff Whitfield, and I’m running as a Democrat to serve as your State Representative from House District 92. I’m asking for your vote and for your support.
I grew up here in the Mid-Cities, where my family taught me the values of kindness, hard work, and service. My Mom, Ruth, a hairdresser, has worked in the community for decades. My Dad, Val, worked with the Ben Hogan Company, manufacturing golf equipment. We struggled with the same issues many other folks around us faced: loss of jobs; limited access to affordable healthcare; and uncertainty about the future. And like many of our neighbors, we didn’t have a lot of money. But what made us rich was our love of family, our faith, and our belief in the opportunities afforded to us as Americans and Texans.
My family and community inspired me into military service. My grandfather and others of his generation placed service before self during World War Two by leaving their homes and families to fight one of the greatest evils this world has ever knownI learned, early and often, that education coupled with hard work was the path to opportunity. And the educators who led me along that path are my heroes and friends still today. Seeking a top-notch education and an opportunity to serve our country, I headed to the United States Air Force Academy after graduating from Haltom High School.
The Air Force Academy led to opportunities I could never have imagined. I met two U.S. Presidents, spoke with leaders of other countries, led hundreds of my fellow cadets, flew planes, traveled around the country, argued points of law to one of the highest courts in the country, published on the Nuremberg Trials, and received the education my family and community had hoped for me. I was proud to represent the folks back home with distinction and, at the end of that experience, I was named a Distinguished Graduate and commissioned an Air Force officer.
My wife, son, and I live in this community. It’s our home. No matter where I have been called to serve, I have always been drawn back to where it started for me. I know the people. I know our character. I know we love our families, our country, and the Great State of Texas very deeply. This place, the people here, and all I have experienced have shaped me into who I am.
It was also here, in junior high, where I first met the love of my life, my wife Shelly. In fact, we had our first meal together at the food court in North East Mall as tenth graders. She too spent her formative years in this community, surrounded by a large and supportive family who still live here. I’m blessed that my parents chose this community for our home and I’m glad it has been a central part of my life.
I’m running for office because we deserve better representation in the Texas Legislature than we’ve been getting. For too long in the Mid-Cities, our state representative has ignored the needs of constituents by voting against bills that would fund our schools, broaden access to affordable healthcare, strengthen the economy, improve our infrastructure, and support our first responders and veterans. He tells you “you’re on your own.” And he wants you to believe it.
But that’s not who we are. That’s not what our faith teaches. In this community, we help our neighbors. In this community, we know the value of self-reliance is balanced by the responsibility to lend a hand up to those who are less fortunate than we are. In this community, we can no longer accept mediocrity when what we deserve is excellence. In this community, we know you’re not “on your own.” We’re Texans. We’re in this together.
We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in the life of our democracy. We are engaged in a struggle for the soul of our country. The 2020 election cycle will be a battle like we have not seen in Texas for decades. We need a candidate who has the heart and the experience to fight, and I’m ready to serve. Join me in the fight to reclaim Texas for us all.
https://www.whitfieldfortexas.com
FLIPPABLE: Sharon Hirsch for TX-HD66
Sharon, her husband Jim, and their four children moved to Plano and House District 66 in 1996 when Jim accepted a position with Plano ISD. Sharon feels fortunate that her children have established their careers in the area. An added bonus is having their two beautiful granddaughters close by. Her entire family fully supports her campaign to represent HD 66 in Austin.
Sharon had the privilege of serving for 12 years as an administrative support staff member on Plano ISD elementary, middle and high school campuses. During that time, she was twice nominated for the Superintendent’s Service Award and was awarded Texas PTA Honorary Life Memberships from both Rice Middle School and McMillen High School. At McMillen H.S. she served as the faculty liaison to the PTSA. She participated in the School Based Improvement Committee (SBIC) at Rice Middle School as a community member and was appointed to the district’s School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), serving for three years. Throughout her children’s academic careers, she was an active volunteer with parent groups, booster clubs, and after-school activities.
In 2012 Sharon and Jim established and fully fund the Hirsch-Collin College Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to a Plano ISD graduate who has completed the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program and enrolls in Collin College. Many students who participate in AVID become first generation college students. It has been a pleasure to help these deserving young students on their path to higher education.
Active in our community, Sharon is a proud graduate of Leadership Plano Class 34 and was elected by her class to serve on the LP Board of Directors. Dedicated to education, she is in her first year as a member of the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation board. Sharon is a strong supporter of the arts and showed her commitment by serving two terms on Plano’s Cultural Affairs Commission.
Sharon was a founding member, past president, and former fundraising co-chair for Women Organizing Women Democrats. She remains an active member and supporter of this dynamic group. Sharon was elected as the Senate District 8 Committeewoman to the State Democratic Executive Committee in July 2016 and served one term. She has been a precinct chair and served on both the volunteer and candidate recruitment committees for the Collin County Democratic Party. She is an active member of the League of Women Voters.
Sharon is a graduate of Collin College (Associate of Arts, General Studies) and the University of North Texas (Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences). The BAAS faculty at UNT named her the Outstanding BAAS Student for 2013-2014. She graduated summa cum laude from Collin College in December 2012 and summa cum laude from UNT in December 2014. Sharon retired from her position with Plano ISD in June of 2013 in order to concentrate on completing her coursework. Her degree was housed in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service where she focused on coursework that emphasized civic engagement and work in the public sector.
After moving to Texas, she incorporated running into her exercise routine and has finished one marathon, 23 half-marathons, and dozens of other events. She and her husband enjoy taking road trips and are close to achieving Sharon’s goals of visiting all 13 Presidential Libraries and all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. She is also an avid reader.
https://www.sharon4tx.com/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit Area, MI
Home country: USA
Current location: San Francisco, CA
Member since: Wed Oct 29, 2008, 02:53 PM
Number of posts: 59,279
