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On Learning...and Leading

For some reason, I've become introspective this week, as I come to the end of my undergraduate college experience- a process that was deliberately truncated because of a deep and pressing desire to get out into the "real world," and as the realities of my organizational leadership position become defined. I've been thinking a lot about learning- comparing how I know (or how I think I know) I learn best versus what I've been or are currently being taught in a classroom and versus the work that I'm doing or have done outside of campus.

Here's an example that really struck me. I made a point this weekend to get caught up on school work and even ventured over to the University Library so I would be in an appropriate academic setting. For one class, Marketing and Business for Communications, the assignment was to read four short articles and write a one-page essay on "which one was the most enjoyable." I became immensely frustrated and instead started including some analytical details in my piece- because I considered it a complete waste of my time, busy-work if you will, to write about "feelings" after reading four articles. Don't get me wrong: I'll be the first to tell you that reflection is important, but it has to be guided and structured in a more appropriate way- a point that obviously must have been lost on this professor.

Meanwhile, in my day job, I am gearing up for the final push in the monthlong Pepsi Refresh Challenge. myImpact.org continues to hold a strong 3rd place lead. Although the campaigning is vitally important and enjoyable despite being tedious at times- the most important part of this monthlong contest, I am learning, is the opportunity that comes with it to make the case for myImpact- introduce what it is that I am working to advance- and gain additional support. It comes at a perfect opportunity in our organization lifecycle- as we take the jump from unofficial to official and as I assume unilateral control of the day-to-day responsibilities. I only wish that there were more hours in the day, but at this point I'm working to leverage this contest for all that it can be worth.

Where am I learning more? Where can I contribute more? Although I pulled an example from a single class this semester (I am in some other great ones that I feel are the best offered at the University), it reaffirms the decision that I made a year ago to graduate in 3 years instead of 4 and to continue learning what I think is the more difficult route- personal and professional leadership.

The Great Snowpocalypse

It's been nearly a month since I've posted a blog entry- that's an unfortunate trend that I hope will not continue. The month of February so far has been very busy for me.

My work leading myImpact.org has gotten more intense and as the result of some successes that have accumulated in the past few weeks I now find myself with more responsibility and, with them, new challenges. By far our biggest project this month is a national online contest, Pepsi Refresh, where we are competing for a $25,000 grant. After 3 weeks of planning before the contest opened, the first two weeks of the four-month contest have been very successful, and we have held the Third Place position for the last nine days. I fully expect that the contest will become increasingly more intense in the second half and am gearing up for a large final push.

This funding will go along way towards moving myImpact from an idea into an organization and behind the scenes we are working through the hairy details of forming a Board, creating bylaws and transitioning from two friends working on something cool to the responsibilities that come with a public charity. This is a difficult process, but a necessary one in the life cycle of an organization, and I continue to learn so much as we go through it. On February 1st, I officially assumed the position of Executive Director- and will be formally "hired" by our newly formed Board in the weeks to come.

Then, with a busy February schedule filled with conferences, speeches, meetings and events, DC gets hit with a series of historic snow events that was popularly called "Snowpocalypse." In the course of one week, we were hit with three storms that dumped 6 inches, 27.5 inches and 12 inches respectfully. I was literally snowed-in for a week- and the crippled capital city is just now beginning to get back to normal.

Although it might have seemed fun (and potentially productive) to be snowed in for a week- it was surprisingly very stressful. City transportation services ground to a halt. Bus service was suspended for nearly a week. Above-ground Metrorail stations were closed, opened in shifts, and then closed again for the second snowstorm. Below ground, trains were only running at 30 minute intervals- and that was before a derailment during Friday morning's back to work commute. The residential street where I live was only plowed sporadically through the week- until Thursday night when a bulldozer came to plow (an unbelievable sight that I have never experienced before!). Then, events and meetings that were scheduled were canceled- some at the last minute- and still have yet to be rescheduled. Even an online meeting that I had scheduled for Wednesday night was postponed because one of the participants did not have power. And I haven't even mentioned the grocery stores- I went on Thursday and Wednesday before the respective storms and stood in line for over a half hour both times to check out- had to fight for a basket- and had to dig through a small selection of available food items. I felt that we were living in a city under siege, and in many ways, we were. Although I survived (and so did the city), it was not as cool as a week of snow may seem- and we all will be working through the effects of the storm at least for the rest of this month.

Not a lot has happened in the news- because Washington ground to a halt last week and the President's schedule was suspended. Congress didn't even bother to come in for work. There's going to be a big health care summit at the end of the month- although whether or not this is an opportunity to move forward is a subject for debate. The President signed PAYGO legislation that also includes an increase in the public debt limit. This morning, a current and former Vice President went at each other during different Sunday Morning talk shows. And the Olympic Winter Games have begun in Vancouver- where ironically they are in need of the snow that we have too much of back East.

As we move into this next week, the third of Pepsi Refresh and a return to normality, I'll attempt to update the blog more regularly (as well as the website..Google Reader...Digg...Google Buzz...).

Reminder News: Project Grants Available in The Last Green Valley

While snowed-in in DC this past week, I wrote a brief article for Eastern Connecticut's ReminderNews on the return of a popular grant program sponsored by the Last Green Valley, which is the non-profit steward of the Quinnebaug & Shetucket National Heritage Corridor in Eastern Connecticut and Southern Massachusetts

Region —  02/12/2010

Project grants available

BY CHRIS GOLDEN ReminderNews

Non-profit and civic organizations located in the 35 towns of The Last Green Valley, the management entity of the Quinebaug and Shetucket National Heritage Corridor, are invited to apply for funding during the 2010 Last Green Valley grant process.

After a two-year hiatus, the grant program has returned to fund projects that “conserve, celebrate, interpret or enhance” the region, including through economic development and tourism.

“There are lots of great projects in our region that we want to bring to light and leverage the resources of The Last Green Valley to do so,” said Lois Bruinooge , the organization’s executive director .

The Last Green Valley manages Congressionally-appropriated funds to the region. The grant program allows the organization to ensure that funds are dispersed as widely as possible, Bruinooge said.

In the past, grants have been used to fund trail preservation, downtown streetscape community enhancement projects, events and festivals, school curriculum, community gardens and river clean-ups .

In Brooklyn, a grant at the Brooklyn Middle School was used to create a water quality monitoring project. With this project, The Last Green Valley was able to provide additional support and trainings and form a partnership with an existing program in the region.

The grant requires that project budgets include a 50-percent match, either in direct funding or in-kind donations, including volunteer time. In addition, applicants are encouraged to build partnerships with other organizations at the community level.

“It shows a commitment to the project , and it is very important to build support and leverage all of our resources ,” Bruinooge said.

Applications are available on The Last Green Valley’s Web site, www.tlgv. org, and are due March 31, 2010. $150,000 in total funding is available and will be dispersed in grants ranging in size from $500 to $25,000.

For more information, contact The Last Green Valley at (860) 774-3300 .

Our Union is Strong

President Obama gave a bold deliverance of the state of our Union tonight in an address to a joint session of Congress and, in turn to the American people. Using the occasion to frame the first year of his administration in the context of his historical presidency, the President refrained from issuing new sweeping policy proposals and instead opted to demonstrate his commanding leadership and desire for post-partisan politics. The President delivered a speech that accomplished these goals while connecting with an electorate that has become more cynical, divisive and angry. The Democratic Party, who lost a special election for a Senate seat in Massachusetts last week, face a challenging midterm election cycle this fall and tonight's speech may be seen as part rallying cry past mission directive.

To the substance:

On Tone: The President spoke the way that, I gather, the majority of Americans want their President to talk. In general, he was relaxed and collected, in control and reassuring. On complex issues, he was professorial. On contentious subjects, he sought reconciliation. On base policy, he was clear and concise. Where mistakes were made, he admitted error. Where rewards were achieved, he accepted praise. I think the President captured the essence of the multi-faceted role of the Office of President in his speech tonight.

On Health Care: It didn't come until over 30 minutes into the speech (not counting applause) and it still lacked specificity, but the President renewed his commitment to passing a health care bill and assuring reform in the insurance industry. This issue should be considered in the totality of the speech: it is part of the larger narrative of the Obama Presidency, and the New Foundation that has become its cornerstone.

On Taxes: It may have come as a surprise to many Americans that the President began the policy portion of his speech by trumpeting tax cuts for 95% of working Americans. That was in the stimulus package that the Republican Party unanimously opposed. By beginning with that, the President was trying to do what he should have done months ago: talking up the benefits of the bill & its policies instead of letting them get buried by the opposition of the other side.

On Jobs: Again, this should be considered in the largest narrative. But let's be clear: the President promised jobs tonight. If he does not deliver the next time he reports to Congress, then he will and should be held accountable. There is very little room to walk back on the bold promise he made tonight

On Iraq, Afghanistan, Terrorism and Foreign Policy: This was not a key component of this speech and there were very little specifics. The section seemed added just because its absence would have been damaging. It was a segway into a big announcement the President made, that got less play in the speech than had been expected: the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell military policy of gays and lesbians in service.

At over 70 minutes, this was President Obama's longest speech since he became a public figure, according to ABC's Jake Tapper. At times, it was folksy. At others, it was specific. Will it be a game-changer for the Obama Presidency? Unlikely, but it did succeed in framing the Administration to date and setting a course going forward.

Liveblogging the State of the Union Address

From Social Government: White House Strives for New Forms of Engagement During State of the Union

Cross-posted from SocialGovernment, a site looking at how government is adapting to Web 2.0 and to which I am a contributor. 

When the President addresses Congress tonight on the State of the Union, the American people have one more way they can tune in to listen live. Last week, the White House announced the launch of an application with streaming video for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch. The application also features updates from the White House blog, the latest photos from the Administration’s Flickr album and archived video of the ongoing series “Inside the White House.” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs even made a short video saying that his daily press briefings will be streamed live and watchable on the free application, which is available for download in the iTunes Music Store.




Most presidential events and White House briefings are now streamed at whitehouse.gov/live — allowing the public to watch Administration events live and in their entirety. The addition of the streaming video application could drastically expand the potential reach of the Administration’s message and connectivity to the average citizen, making it a powerful political tool.

The State of the Union Address tonight will also be watchable on the White House Facebook application, where users will be able to post comments in real time and engage with others on Facebook.

On its surface, advocates of open and transparent government should applaud these moves — which show how a tech-savvy administration is using innovative technology to open the doors of the White House. However, users should understand where the content is coming from. Both the White House Web site and its applications are streaming content that is being produced by the White House, which ultimately is in control over which events are broadcast and by what methods they are accessible. There is no oversight or C-SPAN-like public access filter. That said, one would suspect that any attempts to manipulate media messages would not go unnoticed, given the increasing size and engagement of the audience.

Also this week, the White House and YouTube announced a partnership, Citizen Tube, where the public is invited to submit questions for the President via video and, next week, the President will respond, via YouTube, to answer them. Users will be able to vote on favorite questions using Google Moderator, according to the site. YouTube will also be live-streaming the State of the Union Address tonight.

Finally, WhiteHouse.gov released a series of short video statements from ever member of the Obama cabinet giving an update on the work of their department- the longest video is 90 seconds. The “Cabinet Reporting to You” videos are a first of its kind.

With these new ways of watching and interacting with the White House and the President, the administration is setting a high standard for engagement in its first State of the Union Address.

First Lady's Box

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2010

GUEST LIST FOR THE FIRST LADY'S BOX AT THE 2010 STATE OF THE UNION

Mrs. Michelle Obama

Dr. Jill Biden

                                                      

Clayton Armstrong (Washington, DC)

Clayton was a DC Scholar with the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs during the summer of 2009.  He is currently a freshman at the University of Arizona.  Clayton grew up in Southeast Washington, DC and graduated from Ballou High School where he was the captain of the football team. 

Li Boynton (Bellaire, TX)

Li is a 18-year-old senior from Bellaire, Texas whose passion for science and global health has led her to new and potentially ground-breaking methods for testing the quality of drinking water. Almost one billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and 3.5 million people die each year from water-related diseases.  Observing the limitations and significant expense of conventional chemical-specific tests, Boynton saw a need for a broader, more efficient assay for testing – and developed a bacteria bio-sensor. Li’s work, which has the potential to be significant in improving public health worldwide, received the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair award for 2009.

Li has always had a passion for science and invention: in 5th grade, she designed a solar-distillation device after reading Life of Pi in case she ever got stranded in the middle of the ocean. Li is also an avid painter and participates in high school debate, which is where she originally developed her environmental interests.

Jeffrey Brown (Philadelphia, PA)

Jeffrey Brown is the founder, President and CEO of Brown’s Super Stores, Inc., a growing ten-store supermarket chain trading under the ShopRite banner. As one of the leading supermarkets in the Philadelphia area, the company employs 2,300 associates who are committed to making a difference for their customers and the local communities they serve.

Brown graduated from Babson College, Massachusetts with a degree in entrepreneurial studies. He resides in southern New Jersey with his wife Sandy and their four sons Joshua, Alex, Lenny, and Scott.

Mayor Mick Cornett (Oklahoma City, OK)

Mick Cornett became Oklahoma City's 35th mayor on March 2, 2004, and was re-elected on March 7, 2006.  In 2007, he was elected as a Trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  Cornett is also the national President of the organization representing Republican Mayors and Local Officials.

Cornett is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a degree in journalism, and after graduation embarked on a 20 year career in broadcast journalism. In 2001, Cornett was elected to City Council, where he served until becoming mayor.

Cornett was born and raised in Oklahoma City, and together, he and his wife Lisa have raised three sons – Michael, Casey and Tristan.

Tina Dixon (Allentown, PA)

Tina is currently employed by Lehigh Valley Health Network as a Technical Partner Trainee, a job that she was able to secure through the EARN program (Employment Advancement and Retention Network – a program focused primarily on Paid Work Experience placement) at the Allentown, Pennsylvania CareerLink in preparation to re-enter the workforce after years as a stay-at-home mother to three girls, Olivia, Allison, and Lauren. 

It was at CareerLink that Tina met President Obama on the first White House to Main Street Tour in December 2009.

Gabriela Farfan (Madison, WI)

Gabriela is a 19-year old from Madison, Wisconsin whose passion for geology started at a young age – collecting rocks as a seven-year old with her father. In 2009, as a senior in high school, her hard-work and research won her one of the top awards in the Intel Science Talent Search, winning a scholarship for her independent research describing why certain gemstones appear to change color when viewed from different angles—a finding that directly affects the gemstone industry and may have applications in the nano and materials sciences. Gabriela is now in college as a freshman at Stanford University, and a declared geology major.

Gabriela is also a National Hispanic Scholar awardee, has two very proud parents, Abigail Farfan and Carlos Peralta, and has a real dedication to the arts: singing, drawing, painting, speaking French and Spanish, and following operas and musicals.

Julia Frost (Jacksonville, NC)

Julia is a former Marine bandsman trumpeter, a wife of an active duty Marine, and current student at Coastal Carolina Community College. She served a four year term with the United States Marine Corps stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Her husband, Sergeant Ryan Frost, is also a Marine bandsman, stationed at Camp Lejeune North Carolina.

With the aid of the GI Bill, Julia is currently enrolled in the Elementary Education program through a partnership between Coastal Carolina Community College and the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Julia hopes to complete her associate degree this summer and bachelors in the spring of 2012.

Dr. Biden, a community college professor, first met Julia when she visited her campus last October as part of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to support America’s community colleges and their students. 

Ping Fu (Chapel Hill, NC)

Ping Fu co-founded Geomagic, a company which pioneers technologies that fundamentally change the way products are designed, engineered and manufactured around the world from automobiles to medical devices. Geomagic, under her leadership, has been an active participant in the SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.  Fu has led Geomagic to deliver broad-based economic impact to the US economy with tangible results – the company tripled its customer base and employment while achieving high growth and profitability.  As such, the NSF awarded Geomagic the prestigious Tibbetts Award for exemplifying the very best in SBIR.

Fu has more than 25 years of software industry experience in database, internet technology, and visual computing. Before Geomagic, she was the Director of Visualization at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and is also, actively involved in promoting entrepreneurship and women in mathematics and sciences.

Janell Holloway (Washington, DC)

Janell was a DC Scholar with the White House Domestic Policy Council during the summer of 2009.  She is currently a freshman at Harvard University where she is a member of the Harvard College chapter of the American Red Cross, dances with the CityStep dance troupe, and is active in the Black Student Association. Janell is interested in the connection between child abuse and youth violence and has served as a volunteer at Safe Shores: DC Children’s Advocacy Center for more than three years. She is a native of Washington, DC and graduated from Benjamin Banneker Academic High School.

Ambassador Raymond Joseph

In 1990 Raymond Joseph was called to be Haiti’s Chargé d’Affaires in Washington and his country’s representative at the Organization of American States.  After helping with the first democratic elections in December 1990, he returned to the Haiti Observateur where he remained until he was called back to Washington in March 2004, where he is currently the Ambassador.

Joseph is a graduate pastor from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, a B. A. holder in Anthropology from Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.  He also has a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology/Linguistics from the University of Chicago.

Don Karner (Phoenix, AZ)

Don Karner is the President, CEO, and Co-Founder of eTec (Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation).  As President of eTec, Don provides strategic direction, conducts research and leads the company’s development of new products and services.

eTec received $99.8 million from the Recovery Act’s Battery and Electric Vehicle Grant program, which the company will match with another $99.8 million in locally raised funds.  The funding will be used to manufacture and implement the charging infrastructure for an 11 city pilot program intended to research electric vehicle charging infrastructure.  Cities involved are Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, Salem, Portland, Eugene, Seattle, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.  The award will create at least 50 new permanent clean economy jobs working directly at eTec, has already saved numerous positions, and will require construction workers across the country to implement the project.  

Don participated in a Recovery Act roundtable discussion with Vice President Biden in Phoenix in November 2009 where they discussed the importance of the public/private partnership to a green economy.

Janell Kellett (Sun Prairie, WI)

Janell has served as a lead volunteer within the Wisconsin Army National Guard for approximately six years, including during her husband’s fifteen  month deployment from 2005-2006 and recent twelve month deployment from 2009-2010.  Janell’s husband, Major Michael Hanson, serves with the 32^nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and recently returned home to Wisconsin. During Major Hanson’s deployment, Janell served the 3,200 families of the 32^nd Brigade and over 50 volunteers of the 32^nd Brigade with dedication.  Janell was honored for her service with a 2009 Wisconsin National Guard Volunteer of the Year award by the Wisconsin State Family Program.  Under Janell’s leadership, the 32^nd Brigade was selected for the prestigious Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Award in December 2009 for the Army National Guard.  Additionally, Janell served as the Battalion Volunteer for the 2^nd Battalion, 128^th Infantry when it received the same award, the Department of Defense Reserve Family Readiness Award, in 2006.

Janell and Michael have two children, Jaclene and Lucas.

Rebecca Knerr (Chantilly, VA)

Rebecca is representing her husband, Captain II Joseph Knerr, the Task Force Leader of Fairfax County’s Virginia Task Force 1 serving in Haiti.  Having worked as a Fairfax County Firefighter for 15 years, Joe currently serves as Station Commander at Fairfax Fire and Rescue Station 18.  He initially joined the USAR team in 1998 serving in a variety of operational capacities and now in leadership positions.  Joe is also involved in the coordination, teaching and training of other international rescue teams.  A former Fairfax County Firefighter and Paramedic herself, Rebecca works as an Emergency Physician’s Assistant in a Northern Virginia Hospital and for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department developing and delivering emergency medical services  education to uniformed personnel.  Rebecca, 24 month old son Jackson, and 12 week old daughter Grace are eager to welcome Joe home.  

Chris Lardner (Albuquerque, NM)

Chris Lardner is a patient service manager at the New Mexico Heart Institute and her husband, Scott, owns a small family business. Together they have three children, two daughters in college at Regis University in Denver, Danielle and Caitlin, and a son in 7th grade, Sean.  As a result of the economic downturn they resorted to paying for some of their daughters’ education with a credit card. Lardner realized she was close to reaching the card limit, so she contacted the college to change the card on file. The school mistakenly charged another payment to the original card, which then put her above the limit. In response, the credit card company more than tripled her rate to nearly 30 percent, despite of record of responsibility with her finances and payments. Lardner submitted a letter to the President online expressing her frustration with the rate hikes leveled as a result of the mistaken charge.

Chris shared her story when she introduced the President at a Town Hall in May 2009 – since that time her issue with the credit card company was eventually resolved; their rate was lowered to 7 percent and the company returned the over-the-limit fees that had been charged. 

In May 2009, President Obama signed the credit card reform bill that bans credit card companies from unfairly raising interest rates on existing balances, protects against unfair fee traps (including requiring the consumer’s permission before processing an over-the-limit transaction), and increases accountability and transparency from credit card companies.

Anita Maltbia (Kansas City, MO)

Anita Maltbia is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and has over 30 years experience in city government, and community activism. In August 2009, at the request of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, Anita assumed the director position of the Green Impact Zone.  This initiative works with the residents of a 150 square-block area in the urban core of Kansas City to raise the quality of life environmentally, economically and socially.  Energy efficiency and environmental conservation, including home weatherization and energy upgrades are critical goals as is job training and acquisition. 

The Green Impact Zone in Kansas City, Missouri is an urban success story that reflects President Obama’s national urban policy vision of breaking down silos and building strong communities of opportunity that will, in turn, contribute to the economic prosperity and the sustainability of cities and metropolitan areas. 

Kimberly Munley (Killeen, TX)

Kimberly was born and raised in North Carolina. In 1999, she completed Basic Law Enforcement Training and began her career in law enforcement.  Kimberly spent the next 11 years working as a University of North Carolina, Wilmington undercover vice/narcotics agent, a Wrightsville Beach uniformed patrol officer and beach patrol officer, a Special Police Officer for New Hanover County Regional Medical Center, a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Operations Specialist Soldier in the United States Army, and is currently a federal police officer serving on the Special Reaction Team for the Fort Hood Police Department in Fort Hood, Texas.

Cindy Parker-Martinez (Belle Isle, FL)

Cindy is a mother of two young children, who shared her story of the problems her family faces with the current health care system at a Health Care Community Discussion held at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, one of thousands of discussions held nationwide in December 2008.  In April 2008, Cindy, her husband, and her son were all denied insurance coverage on the individual insurance market because of pre-existing conditions. Her 11-month old daughter was also denied coverage due to an insurance company age requirement of 12 months.  Both Cindy and her husband are currently uninsured because they cannot afford the insurance offered at her husband’s employer.  Although they previously paid their premium, they could not afford to keep up the monthly payments after receiving thousands of dollars in medical bills from her husband’s unexpected 6-day hospital stay for pneumonia.  Their family’s income is too high for them to qualify for Medicaid.  Cindy and her husband currently have no insurance and have thousands of dollars in medical debt. 

Deborah Powell (Hugo, OK)

Deborah Powell is a Native American Development Specialist for the Housing Authority of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Having earned only a high school diploma, Powell built her experience outside of college and soon became interested in accounting and finance. After spending 43 years of her life in her hometown of Flagstaff, Arizona, she moved to Oklahoma in April 2004 for a change of pace and is currently working on a project funded by the Recovery Act. A member of the Choctaw Nation, she is currently helping to track budgets and ensure bids for independent elderly homes. This project, which is still under construction, will provide homes for more than 86 elderly people in the Choctaw Nation. Powell is recently remarried, and enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with her family.

Sergeant First Class Andrew Rubin (Savannah, GA)

Sergeant First Class Andrew Rubin entered the Army in 1997 from Boston, Massachusetts and completed One Station Unit Training, Airborne Training and Ranger Assessment and Selection at Fort Benning, Georgia before becoming a Ranger assigned to the 75^th Ranger Regiment. 

Andrew has spent his entire military career serving in the 75^th Ranger Regiment in positions of increasing responsibility.  He is currently assigned to 1^st Battalion, 75^th Ranger Regiment, headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, which recently redeployed from a combat tour supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in December 2009. 

SFC Rubin currently leads 45 Rangers as a Rifle Company Platoon Sergeant.  In the Regiment, he has also served as an anti-tank gunner, sniper, sniper team leader, sniper section leader, and rifle squad leader, Ranger Assessment and Selection Instructor, and Rifle Platoon Sergeant.

SFC Rubin has served four combat tours in Iraq and two combat tours in Afghanistan.  He has been involved in countless fire fights, was wounded on two separate occasions and has received two awards for Valor.  During his recent deployment to Iraq, he was shot by enemy forces while risking his life to save one of his Rangers who lay wounded and immobilized in the streets of As Sadiyah, Iraq during an intense firefight.  For that action, he received the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart.  Previously, he was wounded in Afghanistan when he was hit by a rocket propelled grenade during an enemy ambush.

SFC Rubin and his wife Megan have three children, Michael, Joseph and Kendal.

Mark Todd (Killeen, TX)

Mark Todd was born and raised in San Diego, California.  Todd enlisted in the United States Army as a Military Policeman in 1985.  He was selected to attend Military Working Dog Handlers Course and later assigned as a K-9 handler at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, Fort Polk, Louisiana, and Wurezburg, Germany.  Later he was assigned as a K-9 Trainer and Instructor at Lackland Air Force Base Texas. Todd earned an Associate in Applied Science – Instructor of Technology and Military Science from the Community College of the Air Force in 1997.  His last two assignments were Grafenwoehr, Germany and Fort Hood, Texas.  In 2007, he joined the Directorate of Emergency Services and is currently the Lead Police Officer, Military Working Dog Branch – Acting Chief at Fort Hood Texas.  Todd is married to Lisa Dalton and together they have three children; Jennifer, Mark Jr., and Kristyn; and two grandsons.

Army Specialist (ret.) Scott Vycital (Ft. Collins, CO)

Specialist Scott Vycital served as a paratrooper in the 82^nd Airborne Division. Vycital spent 8 months deployed in Iraq as a Specialist with 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 3-505 Parachute Infantry Regiment and was medically retired due to injuries received in defense of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  On February 15, 2004, while on patrol of suspected mortar sites, his fire team was engaged by enemy fire and he sustained gunshot wounds on the right side of the face, neck, and shoulder.  As a result of his injuries, the right side of SPC Vycital’s face has been paralyzed and he lost the hearing in his right ear. After spending some time rehabilitating from injuries, SPC Vycital returned to school and with the assistance of the VA and the Army Wounded Warrior (AW2) program. He completed his degree in Business Administration with an Accounting concentration from Colorado State University in December 2008.  Following graduation, with the help of his AW2 advocates SPC Vycital landed a position within the Federal Highway Administration.  He has since been promoted to the position of Programs & Planning Financial Specialist and will have been with the Agency for one year in March. The President's executive order on employing Veterans in the Federal Government has made employing Veterans like Vycital a priority. Vycital resides in Fort Collins, CO with his wife of 7 years, Jarah, and has a 4 year old son, Breccan, and a 17 month old daughter, Micah. 

Trevor Yager (Indianapolis, IN)

Trevor Yager began his career in 1995 while in college by founding TrendyMinds, a full-service advertising/public relations firm. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Anderson University and went on to work with various motor sports sponsors, team owners and sanctioning bodies. Today, at TrendyMinds, Yager provides strategic planning, business development, marketing and technology guidance and support to various local, national and international clients. In 2009 the agency grew by more than 200 percent, doubled the number of employees and gained 15 new accounts.  Yager credits President Obama’s welcoming climate for small businesses, including the many initiatives under the Recovery Act, for this success.

He is also passionate about helping non-profits and TrendyMinds is committed to giving back to the community by donating in-kind services to organizations throughout Indiana. 

Yager resides in Indianapolis with his partner of seven years, Tyler Murray. The two have recently started the process of adoption and look forward to adding a new member to their family.

Juan Yépez (Lawrence, MA)

Juan Yépez, and his brother Luis, are Ecuadorian-natives, who in ten short years, have built a successful and growing commercial real estate company in addition to growing Mainstream Global, a worldwide distributor of computer products, consumer electronics, and electronic components, in mills once inhabited by earlier generations of immigrants.

The Yépez brothers were the recipients of the 2009 Small Business Administration Phoenix award for recovering from a major flood that destroyed almost $400,000 of inventory while still managing to flourish in the midst of an economic downturn.  They believe that doing business in an area hit by 17 percent unemployment is more than just giving back and that hiring first generation Americans like themselves who want to work and contribute to society is the cornerstone of long-term success.

Phil Schiliro, Assistant to the President and Director, Office of Legislative Affairs

Tina Tchen, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director, Office of Public Engagement,

Executive Director, White House Council on Women and Girls

Pre-SOTU Questions & Thoughts

Well Washington is definitely abuzz about President Obama's State of the Union Address tonight. Here are some of my thoughts T-5 hours before the speech:

1) How "big" a speech is this, really? Sure, every time the President addresses a joint session of Congress, it is a big deal, and especially when it's the first SOTU of an Administration, but with no expected major policy announcements and an American public seemingly anxious, distracted and angered- will tonight's speech really be remembered as a "turning point," "crossroads" or "pivotal moment" as it is being described in the media today? I'm doubtful.

2) Will there be any surprises? This week the White House tested expected SOTU announcements to freeze non-discretionary non-security related spending, present a five-point Middle Class Agenda and create a budget reduction task force. Today, reports are all but confirming that the President will make repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy a part of the speech. And in just a few hours, the first leaks of the actual text of the speech will come out. It's possible that the Administration will have some surprises, but they are likely to be subtle, at best.

3) My biggest question tonight: does the President continue with the narrative that drove his election and the first year of his Administration and use the speech to give a progress report of that journey, or is the speech narrowly focused on job creation and the economy with just brief mention of other issues. In the President's first two addresses to Congress, we heard a similar theme: American renewal. Build a better future. A permanent, lasting economic recovery. Will the same language that has been used throughout the Administration make a return tonight, or will it be replaced with something new?

4) How partisan is the rhetoric of the audience (inside the room and of TV pundits)? In September, Congressman Joe Wilson became a national disgrace (to some) and a hero (to others) for interrupting the President by yelling "You Lie!" during a health care address. Although another outburst is unlikely tonight, we'll be able to sense the partisan atmosphere by the number of standing ovations that are split (one side or the other). House Minority Leader Boehner has said that he has a war room team to send out rapid responses during the President's speech rebutting his claims- even before the GOP Response. The SOTU has become the ultimate spin game and, unfortunately, it seems that Republicans already know their election-year talking points before the President even reaches the podium.

On the policy side, I'm really interested in the President's talk on education reform tonight. I also hope that he makes mention of the accomplishments that the Administration and Congress have had this year: from reforming the tobacco industry to cracking down on credit card companies and predatory lenders, passing a historic national service law and making progress towards eroding waste, fraud and abuse in military contracts. The economic urgency and the consumption of health care in the media's agenda obscured these key victories, and the President should remind the American people just how productive Congress and his White House have been.

I'll be liveblogging the President's State of the Union Address beginning around 8pm tonight.

An Address on the State of the Union

President Obama addresses a joint session of Congress tonight, for the third time in his young presidency but for the first as a formal, Constitutionally-mandated, Address on the State of the Union.

The last time that the President addressed Congress was in September, specifically on the issue of health insurance reform and just one week after the passing of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy.

Four months later, the President returns to the House chamber having not signed the bill he had hoped to, even though both houses of Congress did pass, by razor-thin margins, health reform packages in 2009.

A Senator from Massachusetts will also be mentioned in tonight's address, White House aides say, although he is not expected to be in the Chamber. Massachusetts Republican Senator-elect Scott Brown has become a symbol for a growing national populist anti-incumbent sentiment.

The President is not expected to announce any sweeping initiatives or packages in his speech, which is also expected to be heavily slanted towards domestic issues rather than foreign policy. In the days leading up to the speech, the White House leaked word of perhaps the most talked about element of the speech: a 3-year freeze on non-discretionary non-military spending.

There are also hints that the President may announce a policy position on revoking the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" military policy towards gays and lesbians.

As always, all eyes will be on Washington for the annual speech. I'll be live-blogging it beginning at 8pm tonight.