Gilbert K. Davis, Chairman

Gilbert K. Davis is partner with the law firm of Davis & Associates, Fairfax, Virginia.  Mr. Davis earned a B.A. from Cornell College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.  He directed two state agencies in Iowa following graduation from college.  Before entering law school, he was a teacher of American history in the public schools of Iowa City, Iowa and he is currently president of the Fairfax, Virginia based Para-Legal Institute.  Mr. Davis was Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia from 1969 to 1973 and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the District of Columbia Superior Court, the Supreme Court of Virginia and many other federal district and circuit courts.  Mr. Davis has tried cases in 20 states and the District of Columbia.  He was Associate Editor of the 1969 revision of the Virginia Lawyer Handbook and authored the Criminal Trial Manual for the United States Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia.  Mr. Davis was chairman of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia in 1973-74, and served as Parliamentarian for the White House Conference on Small Business in 1986.  He has instructed trial lawyers in various aspects of litigation at numerous seminars, and is in demand as a public speaker.  Mr. Davis also served as an MSNBC TV news analyst.  He is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the American Trial Lawyers Association.  During a distinguished legal career, Mr. Davis brought the first prosecution under the Clean Air Act and the first prosecution of an aircraft hijacker.  Mr. Davis obtained for a client the largest judgment in Kentucky history.  He also prosecuted the Director of the United States Marshall Service, the first Nixon administration official to go to prison, and brought the first civil case against a sitting President of the United States (Jones v. Clinton).  He successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court, which unanimously held that a sitting President is not immune from prosecution for personal misconduct.

Richard J. Bishirjian, Ph.D.
President and Professor of Government at Yorktown University, is an entrepreneur and educator.  He earned a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh (1964) and a Ph.D. in Government and International Studies from the University of Notre Dame (1972) under the direction of Gerhart Niemeyer.  While a graduate student at Notre Dame, and later as a member of the Faculty of the University of Dallas, he studied under Eric Voegelin.  After completing graduate work at Notre Dame, he did advanced study with Michael Oakeshott at the London School of Economics (1968/69).  On sabbatical from the College of New Rochelle in 1978, he studied Sanskrit at the Southern Asia Institute, Columbia University (1978).  Dr. Bishirjian taught at universities and colleges in Indiana, Texas and New York from 1968 to 1981.  He is the author of a history of political theory and editor of A Public Philosophy Reader.  Dr. Bishirjian is the author of more than thirty-five professional essays and reviews in the field of political theory.  He is a student of classical Greek philosophy, and specializes in analysis of modern ideologies, 19th century philosophy and political theory.  His interests include American Government and Constitutional Law, Ethics, and the problem of secularization of Western culture.

Dr. Bishirjian has been a member of the Philadelphia Society since 1975 and serves as an Editorial Advisor, and frequent contributor, to the quarterly journal founded by Russell Kirk, Modern Age.  Recent articles published in Modern Age include, “The Creation of a Conservative Intellectual” (Spring 1998), “Daimonic Men” (Winter 1996), “Hegel and Classical Philosophy” (Winter 1992), “Origins and End of the New World Order” (Summer 2004), “The United States in the World Arena” (Winter 2007), “Why I am a Conservative” (Summer 2007).  Dr. Bishirjian’s forthcoming review of Sam Tanenhaus’ The Death of Conservatism titled “The Boogeyman is Dead,” will appear in the Winter 2010 edition of Modern Age.  Dr. Bishirjian is working on several book projects including “Seven Epochs in the Dumbing Down of Conservatism” and “The Higher Education Con:  Why a College Education Costs Too Much.”

Sean Duffy, a former business and financial news journalist, is a graduate of Dickinson College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English and political science.  Mr. Duffy served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications for Colorado Governor Bill Owens.  As a member of the Governor’s senior staff, Duffy manages the Administration’s external affairs team, including media relations, constituent services, computer operations and event planning.  He serves as the Governor’s chief speechwriter and personally directs his national public relations.

Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, he served as president of The Commonwealth Foundation, a statewide, non-partisan public policy research organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  In addition to his duties as the Foundation’s chief executive, Duffy focused on education and technology policy and edited two newsletters.

He is also the founder and director of the Charter School Resource Center, a statewide catalyst for innovative charter public schools, providing hands-on assistance to parents, citizens and educators who are interested in creating charter schools.  He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School, a “cyber charter” affiliated with K12 Inc.,  a company founded by former U.S. Education Secretary Bill Bennett.

Prior to joining The Commonwealth Foundation, Mr. Duffy was press secretary to Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher.  He also worked as press secretary to Pennsylvania Education Secretary Eugene Hickok, serving as a key spokesman for Gov. Tom Ridge’s Administration on education policy.  He served as spokesman for the state Senate Republican Caucus, and has been a volunteer advisor to a number of political campaigns.

In the mid-1990s, Duffy was president of the Pennsylvania Leadership Council, the state’s largest, pro-taxpayer citizens’ lobby.  In that role he worked closely with hundreds of local taxpayer groups throughout Pennsylvania and was an aggressive and prominent advocate for local tax reform, education reform, and pro-free-enterprise public policy.

Mike Rosen is the host of a daily talk show from 9:00 a.m. - noon on KOA radio in Denver, Colorado.  He is an editorial page columnist for the Rocky Mountain News, and has been a regular commentator on Denver television stations.  His articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country, including the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and the Washington Times.  He has appeared as a political analyst on “Good Morning America,” “The Larry King Show,” “Hannity and Colmes,” CNN Tonight, and National Public Radio.  He has traveled extensively in Europe, the Far East, Latin America, Southern Africa, and the Soviet Union.

Mike was Vice President of the Shavano Institute for National Leadership, the Colorado-based, public policy center of Hillsdale College in Michigan, where he directed a variety of public outreach programs and was executive producer of Shavano’s nationally broadcast PBS television program, “Counterpoint.”

He was a finance and strategic planning executive for Samsonite Corporation and Beatrice Foods for eight years in Denver, and before that at General Cable Corporation in New York City.  He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in Germany from 1965-1967.

In 1979-1980 he was selected as a Presidential Exchange Executive, a White House program that exposes private sector executives to the workings of the federal government at the highest levels across broad areas.  In Washington, he served as Special Assistant for Financial Management to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, at the Pentagon.  Upon completion of this assignment, he was awarded the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Medal for exceptional meritorious service.

A graduate of the University of Denver, he holds BSBA and MBA degrees.  He was the first recipient of the Theodore S. Cutler Faculty Award for outstanding scholastic achievement.

Mike is a frequent speaker and debater before business, government, civic and student audiences around the country on economic, defense, foreign policy and political issues.  He has been a United Way loaned executive and Divisional Vice Chairman as well as a volunteer consultant to minority businesses through the U.S. Small Business Administration.

He has been a Senior Fellow and Trustee of the Independence Institute, has served on the Board of Directors of Metro Denver Junior Achievement, and has been a member of the Denver Chapter of the National Association of Business Economists.  Mike is active in Republican politics.  He has been a delegate to the Colorado State Assembly and has held staff positions in national and local campaigns supporting candidates for public office.

R. Allen (Al) Angell of Dallas, Texas, recently retired from his position as owner of Angell Financial Group representing Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.  From its inception in 1975, Angell Financial Group provided financial security products and services including life insurance, disability income, and investments and had become one of the largest network offices in Northwestern Mutual Life Investment products were marketed through The Frank Russell Company, a subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual.  In addition to his service as a member of the Board of Trustees of Yorktown University, Al is president of Constituent Voice, a new division of National Write Your Congressman whose board he serves on.  He also serves on the board of Free Market Foundation and on an advisory committee for a Young Life chapter in South Dallas.  He is also involved in planting a church, private school, and recreation center for South Dallas Ministries.  Al Angell earned the AB degree from Harvard University in 1963.

W. Lee Gaines, Jr. is President of Gaines & Company of Reisterstown, Maryland with an office in Raleigh, NC.  A solid professional with more than thirty years in the construction business.  Gaines & Co was selected as the Home Builders Association of Maryland’s Contractor of the Year in 2004.  The company is also listed by Engineering News Record as a top ten utility contractor in the nation.  Lee’s credentials are representative of the accomplishments of the Trustees with whom he serves.  He is a past president and board member of the Associated Utility Contractors of Maryland, as well as a long-time board member of the National Utility Contractors Association.  He has received both of the AUC’s most prestigious awards, the “Ditchdigger of the Year” and the Founders Award.  A graduate of Yale University, Lee takes an active role in education.  He was for eight years trustee of Boys’ Latin School a school that has educated Maryland’s leaders for one hundred and sixty years, and also a past trustee of Gilman School, founded in Maryland in 1897 as the first American country day school.  Still an active tennis player, Lee is “retired” from coaching AAU girls basketball and others of his four children’s recreational teams.  One of Lee’s sons attends Colorado State University.

H. Kent Mergler is a 1963 graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, with Honors, and an MBA with a Finance Major in 1964.  While he was a student at U.C, he was a Graduate Instructor in Finance.  He also has served as a member of the Business College’s Corporate Advisory Board and was a member of both the Board of Directors and Board of Advisors of Pine Crest Preparatory in Fort Lauderdale.  Kent is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Investment Counselor.  He is Chairman, CEO and a Portfolio Manager at Northstar Capital Management, an Investment Counsel in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  Before founding Northstar Capital Management, Kent was a Managing Partner of Loomis, Sayles and Company, President of Stein, Roe and Farnham, and has been in the money management business for over 40 years.  He has been active on numerous community and financial industry boards and church committees in Cincinnati, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale and Stuart, Florida over the past decades and is a member of the Club for Growth.

Bob Schaffer is Chairman of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, an educational organization providing economic and political leadership training for future leaders of Colorado.  He is an opinion columnist for The Northern Colorado Courier and is employed by Aspect Energy.  He was appointed by Governor Bill Owens to serve as Commissioner of the Eighth Judicial District Nominating Commission and in 2005 was elected Colorado’s Republican National Committeeman.

Bob Schaffer was first elected to Congress in November, 1996 and served from 1997 until early 2003 representing Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.  His predecessors representing that District were Wayne Allard and Hank Brown.

Bob Schaffer’s career in the U.S. House of Representatives included election as president of the 1996 class, a post to which he was elected by his newly elected colleagues in the House of Representatives.  Bob served on three House Committees; Agriculture, Resources and the Education and the Workforce.  Of Ukrainian descent, Bob is an advocate for Ukraine and was a co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus.  He was a member of the GOP Theme Team, the “one-minute conservative debate squad” seen nearly every morning on C-SPAN from the House floor.  In addition, he was an active member of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) a group of approximately sixty conservative House Republicans organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives.

Prior to election to Congress, he served nine years in the Colorado State Senate, where he was Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.  Bob voluntarily resigned his Congressional seat to honor a Term Limit pledge he made.

Bob Schaffer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Archbishop Moeller High School.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dayton majoring in Political Science.

Todd J. Zywicki is George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law and Senior Scholar of the Mercatus Center at George Mason.  He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia, where he was executive editor of the Virginia Tax Review and John M. Olin Scholar in Law and Economics.  Professor Zywicki also received an M.A. in Economics from Clemson University and an A.B. cum Laude with high honors in his major from Dartmouth College.

Professor Zywicki clerked for Judge Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and worked as an associate at Alston & Bird in Atlanta, Georgia, where he practiced bankruptcy and commercial law.  Professor Zywicki is the author of more than 70 articles in leading law reviews and peer-reviewed economics journals.  He served as the Editor of the Supreme Court Economic Review from 2001-02.

Professor Zywicki is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bill of Rights Institute, the Governing Board and the Advisory Council for the Financial Services Research Program at George Washington University School of Business, the Executive Committee for the Federalist Society’s Financial Institutions and E-Commerce Practice Group, the Advisory Council of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the Program Advisory Board of the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment.  From 2005-2009 he served as an elected Alumni Trustee of the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees.

Bob Guzzardi is a coalition builder who graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School of Philadelphia in 1963.  He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Georgetown University in 1966 and the J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1970.  Mr. Guzzardi is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and a businessman who works constantly to enlist support for Israel and to hold Pennsylvania state legislators to a low tax diet.  His passionate desire to reform the Pennsylvania legislature is represented in support for Republicans and Democrats.  In addition to his service as a Trustee of Yorktown University Bob Guzzardi serves on the Middle East Forum and Zionist Organization of America.

Steven Warshawsky is a native of Anaheim, California and is now committed to the East Coast where he lives in New York City with his wife Kim.  Steve Warshawsky is a graduate of Princeton University (1990) where he majored in politics and wrote his senior thesis on the development of democracy in ancient Athens.  He then earned a M.Ed. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1992 and taught American history, government, and economics at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1992 to 1994.  He continues that interest in historical and political subjects by publishing articles and opinion essays in AmericanThinker.com, AmericanSpectator.org, RealClearPolitics.com, and other news and opinion websites.  Some recent essays he has published are “Reclaiming Higher Education From The Left,” “Bringing Conservatism Back to the American People,” “Jack Kemp’s White Guilt” and “Atheists, Conservatives, and Christianity.”

After teaching at Montgomery Bell Academy, Steve Warshawsky earned a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1997.  He clerked for Judge Paul V. Niemeyer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Judge Catherine C. Blake of the U.S. District Court for Maryland and currently serves as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division for the Eastern District of New York.

Peter Wood is Executive Director of the National Association of Scholars.  He is the author of A Bee in the Mouth: Anger in America Now (Encounter Books, 2007) and of Diversity: The Invention of a Concept (Encounter Books, 2003) which won the Caldwell Award for Leadership in Higher Education from the John Locke Foundation.  He is a graduate of Haverford College, Rutgers University, and the University of Rochester, from which he received a Ph.D. in anthropology in 1987.  He previously served as provost of The King’s College in New York City, and as associate provost and the president’s chief of staff at Boston University, where he was also a tenured member of the anthropology department.  His essays on American culture have appeared in The National Review Online, Partisan Review, Frontpage Magazine, Minding the Campus, The Claremont Review of Books, The American Conservative, Society and other journals.

Lewis G. (Lew) Pringle, Ph.D. earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Harvard, a Masters in Business from MIT, and a doctorate at MIT with specialization in statistics and operations research. Choosing to go into "business" was unusual for Ph.D. statisticians, but Pringle felt that business offered greater economic and personal satisfaction than the traditional course followed by newly-minted PhDs, so he accepted a position as Associate Director of Research in 1968 at BBDO, a large New York advertising agency.

At BBDO, Dr. Pringle was first given responsibility for quantitative methods and then for all research conducted by the agency, on behalf of clients and otherwise, outside the New York Company.  In addition, he became responsible for BBDO’s Marketing Department,  Information Center as well as the training of young account executives within the agency.  Then, in 1978, Lew was named Director of Research Services for all of BBDO Worldwide.  He was elected Senior Vice President and member of the BBDO Worldwide Board of Directors (1978) and then Executive Vice President (1981).  Even as Director, Dr. Pringle was able to participate personally in the improvement of the company’s techniques as well as in the creation of marketing and advertising strategy.  BBDO, during this period, devoted substantial resources to research, employed between 100 and 200 professionals in this function and had documented credentials as the very best in research and strategy formulation.

In 1984, after six years as BBDO Worldwide’s Director of Research Services, Lew left that position to work with the Chairman/CEO and COO of BBDO Worldwide, to help them formulate a plan for the global future of the company.  The task was a highly practical one; to answer the question "what organizational, structural and professional changes were needed in BBDO Worldwide to permit it to optimally address the rapidly evolving needs of its clients on a global scale?"  In April of 1986, Dr. Pringle was named Chairman/CEO of BBDO Europe and, from his base in the U.K., assumed responsibility for BBDO’s interests in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.  At the time, the agency’s Capitalized Sales were $550,000,000.  During his four years tenure in this position, those sales tripled to over $1,600,000,000, while profit grew at about the same rate.  Pringle regarded his biggest challenge in Europe as the integration of BBDO agencies, market by market, into an organization culturally and professionally committed to serving multinational clients in cross-border marketing and advertising efforts.  Pringle numbers among his accomplishments that, during the era of glasnost, he brought BBDO to the Soviet Union, where it became a pioneer in the integration of modern Russia with the rest of the developed world.

In 1995, Dr. Pringle accepted a Chaired Professorship at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  In that capacity, he taught, several times, the Capstone Course in Marketing Strategy as well as several courses in Market Research.  Dr. Pringle also served six years as member of the Visiting Committee of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, as Associate Editor of Marketing Science for 15 years and has published a number of times in that journal as well as in such journals as the Journal of Marketing Research and the Harvard Business Review.  He is currently a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Advertising as well as a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.

R. Jay Scheideman is President and CFO of AFS Funding Corp. in Ft. Worth, Texas.  Mr. Scheideman is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the Financial Executive Institute, Mr. Scheideman began his financial career in 1978 with Ernst & Young as an auditor.  He joined Wm. Rigg Companies in 1981 as Controller, rising to Executive Vice-President and CFO at its parent company before moving to the AFS/IBEX division.  Currently, he is active in the American Society of CPAs and the Texas Society of CPAs where he has been a trustee of the Insurance Trust for members of the Texas Society.  He also has served on the Finance Committee for the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and Trinity Valley School, as precinct chairman for the Tarrant County Republican Party, and as president of his congregation.  Mr. Scheideman presently serves as a director of First Command Bank and as chairman of its audit committee.

Jay Scheideman earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, with a major in accounting and a minor in economics and religion.  He has been an in-demand speaker at insurance industry mergers and acquisitions seminars.  In addition to spending time with his family, he enjoys golf, bird hunting,and racquetball.  Jay has been enthusiastically involved in activities of the Tarrant County Jail Ministry and the TCU School of Business Alumni Association Council, as well.