Judge Steven C. Teske, Morning Keynote Speaker
Judge Steven C. Teske is the Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court of the Clayton Judicial Circuit. He was appointed juvenile court judge in 1999 and serves as a Superior Court Judge by designation.
Teske has testified before Congress on four occasions and several state legislatures on detention reform and zero-tolerance policies in schools. He was appointed by the Governor to the Children and Youth Coordinating Council, Governor’s Office for Children and Families, Department of Juvenile Justice Judicial Advisory Council, JDAI Statewide Steering Committee, Georgia Commission on Family Violence, and the Georgia Criminal Justice Reform Commission.
Teske served two terms on the Federal Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and is the National Chair of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice. He is a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and has served on the Board of Directors. He is past president of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges and the Clayton County Bar Association.
He has written several articles on juvenile justice reform published in the Juvenile and Family Law Journal, Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, Juvenile Justice and Family Today, Family Court Review, and the Georgia Bar Journal. His book, “Reform Juvenile Justice Now,” is a collection of essays on juvenile justice issues.
Teske is the 2018 recipient of the Juvenile Law Center Leadership Prize Award. He is a Toll Fellow of the Council of State Governments and received his J.D., M.A. and B.I.S. degrees from Georgia State University. Teske is an adjunct law professor at John Marshall Law School in Atlanta.
Chuck Reed, Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Chuck Reed was Mayor of San Jose from 2007 through 2014. As Mayor, his top priority was saving the city from insolvency and fiscal disaster. After 10 years of cutting services to balance the budget, his Fiscal Reform Plan was implemented in 2011, saving the city hundreds of millions of dollars, stabilizing the budget, and allowing some services to be restored. The Fiscal Reform Plan included a pension reform ballot measure which was approved with a 70 percent yes vote.
Reed has been recognized as a national leader on pension reform by the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, other national media, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. The Wall Street Journal called Reed “A Liberal Mugged by Pension Reality.” Known alternatively to voters as “Captain America,” “Mr. Integrity,” and “the Green Mayor,” his work on pension reform in America’s 10th-largest city paved the way for many other cities to tackle their own fiscal retirement planning. The story of his work in San Jose has been noted in books (“Boomerang,” by Michael Lewis and “Fate of the States,” by Meredith Whitney).
Reed is a founder and board member of the Retirement Security Initiative, a national, bipartisan advocacy organization focused on protecting and ensuring the fairness and solvency of public sector retirement plans. (www.retirementsecurityinitiative.org). He is now a member of the real estate group of the law firm of Hopkins & Carley, San Jose office.
Thomas Albert
Thomas Albert is a Michigan state representative who chairs the Michigan House Financial Liability Reform Committee. A graduate of the University Of Michigan, where he majored in both political science and history, he was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer and was deployed to Iraq as an advisor to the Iraqi army. After leaving active duty, he continued to serve as a reservist and used the G.I. Bill to attain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Michigan State University with a concentration in finance. He then obtained the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) certification. After completing his MBA, Thomas worked as an investor for the State of Michigan Retirement Systems.
Naomi Lopez Bauman
Naomi Lopez Bauman is the Director of Healthcare Policy for the Goldwater Institute. She most recently served as the Director of Research and the Director of Health Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute. During that tenure, she also served on the executive committee for the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Health and Human Services Task Force.
Lopez Bauman previously worked as a public policy consultant conducting research on federal and state health care programs, social and economic well-being, pension reform, federal and state health and welfare programs, barriers to entrepreneurship, and tax expenditure programs. She was director of both the Center for Enterprise and Opportunity and the Project on Children at the Pacific Research Institute and was a member of the California Senate Bipartisan Task Force on Homelessness.
Lopez Bauman also worked as a research associate in health care and welfare at the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies and as an entitlements policy analyst at the Cato Institute. She also served as special policy advisor to the state of Michigan’s Secchia Commission, which provided recommendations for state government reform.
A frequent media guest and public speaker, Lopez Bauman has authored hundreds of studies, opinion articles and commentaries. She holds a B.A. in economics from Trinity University in Texas and an M.A. in government from Johns Hopkins University.
Brian Cooksey
Brian Cooksey is the Director of Operations Training for Shaw Industries Group, Inc., in Dalton, Georgia. Shaw, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., is one of the world’s largest floorcovering manufacturers (carpet, hardwood, laminate, ceramic, resilient & sports turf products) with over $6.0 billion in annual sales, 100+ manufacturing & distribution facilities and 23,000 associates across the globe. Brian currently serves on the board of directors for two College & Career Academies, the Georgia College & Career Academy Network, Georgia FIRST® Robotics and Great Promise Partnership®. He is a member of the State of Georgia’s Charter Advisory Committee and serves on the workforce development committee for the Georgia Association of Manufacturers and co-Chairs the Education Partnership Committee for Believe Greater Dalton.
Terry England
Terry England is a Georgia state representative and chairman of the Georgia House Appropriations Committee. Elected in 2004, the farmer and small-businessman has served as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee since 2011, focusing on cutting government waste, streamlining services and reforming Georgia’s tax code. He is co-chairman of the Rural Hospital Stabilization Committee, which seeks out a sustainable solution to meet the health care needs of rural hospitals, and serves on the House Rural Development Council that is studying ways to boost our state’s rural communities. After attending the University of Georgia, he became a farmer and agribusinessman and provides consulting services for construction and agribusiness industries as president and CEO of Pete’s Enterprises, Inc. Before his election to the Legislature, England was chairman of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce.
Leonard Gilroy
Leonard Gilroy is Senior Managing Director of the Pension Integrity Project at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets. The Pension Integrity Project assists policymakers and other stakeholders in designing, analyzing and implementing public sector pension reforms. The project aims to promote solvent, sustainable retirement systems that provide retirement security for government workers while reducing taxpayer and pension system exposure to financial risk and reducing long-term costs for employers/taxpayers and employees. The project team provides education, reform policy options, and actuarial analysis for policymakers and stakeholders to help them design reform proposals that are practical and viable.
In 2016 and 2017, Reason’s Pension Integrity Project helped design, negotiate and draft pension reforms for the state of Arizona’s Public Safety Personnel Retirement System and Corrections Officer Retirement Plan, which both passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the state legislature and were signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey. Gilroy is also the Director of Government Reform at Reason Foundation, researching privatization, public-private partnerships, infrastructure and urban policy issues.
Gilroy has a diversified background in policy research and implementation, with particular emphases on competition, government efficiency, transparency, accountability, and government performance. Gilroy has worked closely with legislators and elected officials in Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, California and several other states and local governments in efforts to design and implement market-based policy approaches, improve government performance, enhance accountability in government programs, and reduce government spending.
Gilroy is the editor of the widely-read Annual Privatization Report, which examines trends and chronicles the experiences of local, state, and federal governments in bringing competition to public services. Gilroy also edits Reason’s Innovators in Action interview series, which profiles public sector innovators in their own words.
Gilroy’s articles have been featured in such leading publications as The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The Weekly Standard, Washington Times, Houston Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arizona Republic, San Francisco Examiner, San Diego Union-Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Sacramento Bee and The Salt Lake Tribune. He has also appeared on CNN, Fox News Channel, Fox Business, CNBC, National Public Radio and other media outlets.
Prior to joining Reason, Gilroy was a senior planner at a Louisiana-based urban planning consulting firm. He also worked as a research assistant at the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech. Gilroy earned a B.A. and M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech.
John Haupert
John Haupert has served as President and CEO of Grady Health System in Atlanta since 2011. Grady Health System is the safety-net health care system serving Fulton and DeKalb counties and the primary Level I trauma center and burn center for metro Atlanta. In addition, Grady is home to many nationally recognized clinical services including the Marcus Neuroscience and Stroke Center, the Correll Cardiac Center, the Georgia Cancer Center and Grady EMS. Grady also serves as the primary training site for the Morehouse and Emory Schools of Medicine.
A native of Ft. Smith, Ark., Haupert is a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, where he earned a M.Sc. in Health Care Administration and a B.Sc. in Business Administration.
His career in health care management began at Methodist Health System in Dallas, Texas in 1992 where he served 14 years in various roles including president of one of the system’s hospitals and as executive vice president for Corporate Services and Business Development before leaving to become COO at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas.
Haupert is a board-certified Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and recipient of the ACHE Regent’s Leadership Award. He served as an ACHE Regent and currently serves on the Nominating Committee. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Hospital Association, is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Central Atlanta Progress and The Atlanta Committee for Progress. In 2015, he was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve as a member of the Board of the Georgia Department of Public Health. He is also Chairman of the Advisory Board for The Healthcare Institute at Georgia State University. Nationally, Haupert serves as Immediate Past-Chairman of the Board of Directors of America’s Essential Hospitals and on Regional Policy Board 4 of the American Hospital Association.
Patrick Jones
Patrick Jones is the founder and CEO of VOCATIO, an award-winning, liberal arts-inspired media network and talent-scouting platform that connects employers with high-caliber, high-fit interns and entry-level job candidates. Working with universities and students directly, VOCATIO helps employers discover hidden talent among a more diverse population of student candidates utilizing predictive talent analytics, employer branding and career engagement strategies. The company has recently been in the LA Times, KGO-810 Silicon Valley’s “Techonomics”, and on Bloomberg TV’s morning show “Day Break Americas.”
Jones has operated as an entrepreneur and management consultant on several diverse new media, technology and software industry related projects for such clients as Atlanta Gas & Light, Promethean, Turner Entertainment, Manheim/Auto Trader, Coca Cola and BellSouth (now AT&T). Previously, he was a Client Partner with Siebel Systems (now Oracle), a Principal at Diamond Technology Partners (acquired by PwC) and Senior Consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Jones started his professional career in Georgia in 1988 in the field of politics, including a year as the state GOP Deputy Political Director. Over the last 20 years, he has worked on numerous national and local political campaigns. He was a panelist in President George W. Bush’s National Economic Summit in 2002 and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s Commission for a New Georgia Task Force, and was appointed to the Georgia State Film, Video & Music Commission. In addition, he was a board member for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation for several years. He also previously worked as the Director of Programs for the widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, at the MLK Jr. Federal Holiday Commission. Patrick is a graduate scholar of the Coverdell Leadership Institute founded by former Georgia U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell and the Conservative Policy Leadership Institute. He’s a former board member of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, current member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network and is a member of the 2013 class of Leadership Atlanta.
A sought-after speaker, workshop presenter and panelist, Jones has been invited to speak to more than 75 college and corporate audiences on education-to-career related topics and was the keynote speaker for the 2018 California Internship & Work Experience Association annual conference. Jonesreceived his M.B.A. from Duke University and his B.A. in Economics from Miami University.
Roger Lotson
Dr. Roger Lotson is the Director of the Youth ChalleNGe Academy (YCA) at Fort Stewart, Ga., where he and his staff help more than 450 Georgia youth a year obtain the discipline, education and life skills needed to become successful in life. In 2018, he was chosen, over 40 peers, to be the National Director of the Year for Youth Challenge. He joined the YCA after 22 years in the U.S.Navy, where he retired as a Naval Officer. Dr. Lotson earned several degrees, among them Master’s degrees in Education and Public Administration, and a Ph.D. in Management. He was previously the Lead Counselor and Deputy Director for Youth Challenge. With the assistance of his wife, he authored two parenting books based on their experiences with thousands of young people and their parents. He is a Baptist pastor and Adjunct Professor for Brewton Parker College.
Callie Majors
Callie Majors serves as Vice President of Brand Strategy and Investor Relations for 3DE National, LLC. She maintains a leadership role in the sustainable growth of 3DE schools to further drive economic opportunity and build towards the vision of systemic transformation of public education. Callieis responsible for communicating the organization’s strategy, growth opportunities, and business initiatives to constituents and the investor community. She also leads efforts to evaluate real-world performance and integration within 3DE schools.
Previously as Vice President of Marketing, Callie led the development and launch of the national 3DE brand with responsibilities including designing, executing and deploying the visual identity with accountability to external and internal communications.
Currently, Callie oversees the Brand Identity, Strategy and Model Alignment, Investor Relations and Operational Alignment, Research and Evaluation Reporting.
Kelly McCutchen
Kelly McCutchen is a native of Ellijay, Georgia, and a graduate of Georgia Tech. He worked in the Trust Department of Trust Company Bank in Atlanta and served as President and CEO of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation before becoming executive director of the High Impact Network of Responsible Innovators (HINRI.org), a venture philanthropy, in 2017. HINRI was created with a mission of bridging the “implementation gap” between innovation and access using the health care ecosystem in Georgia as a working model to implement solutions nationally and globally. McCutcchen has served on the boards of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and Leadership Georgia and was a founder and Governing Board Chair of Tech High, a math, science and technology-focused public charter school in Atlanta. He currently chairs the board of The Warrior Alliance.
Mark Peevy
Mark serves as the Technical College System of Georgia’s Assistant Commissioner for Secondary Education where he manages all Secondary-facing initiatives (to include all Dual Enrollment efforts and the Georgia College & Career Academy network) across the entire state. Under his leadership, the system has experienced unprecedented Dual Enrollment growth over the last three years and an expansion of the Georgia College and Career Academy Network (GCCAN) to over 40 CCA’s around the state. He is also a seasoned leader in the charter school and education reform arenas and has wide-ranging experience as Board Chair for the Georgia Charter Schools Association, former Executive Director of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, and as CEO of one of Georgia’s College & Career Academies. He has an extensive entrepreneurial experience from his previous business-world background as both a start-up entrepreneur and a business owner. He is a 1992 graduate of Princeton University, a 2008 graduate of Leadership Georgia, and a proud 20-year Veteran of the U.S. Army.
Dr. Tom Price
Dr. Tom Price, an orthopaedic surgeon, most recently served as the 23rd Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). A physician by profession, he earned his bachelor’s and M.D. at the University of Michigan and completed his General Surgery Internship and Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at Emory University.
After his training, Price – a third-generation physician following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather – began a solo medical practice in Atlanta that eventually grew to become one of the largest, non-academic orthopaedic practices in the country, which he led as Chairman of the Board. During his 20-plus years as a practicing physician, he also was Medical Director of the Orthopaedic Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital and an Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine.As with many physicians and health care providers, Price’s experience caring for patients gave him a unique perspective about the impact of public policy on the practice of medicine. He ran for public office and was elected to four terms in the Georgia State Senate – during which time he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as Senate Minority Whip and later as the first Republican Senate Majority Leader in the history of Georgia. He was elected as the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District from northern suburban Atlanta (2005-2017) and served in various leadership roles including chairing the U.S. House Budget Committee, House Republican Policy Committee and Republican Study Committee.
Price is a fierce advocate for a patient-centered health care system that adheres to six key principles: affordability, accessibility, quality, choices, innovation and responsiveness. He serves on the boards of a number of entities in the private and non-profit arena, as a consultant or advisor to numerous companies, and is a sought-after public speaker. Dr. Price and his wife, Georgia State Rep. Betty Price (also a physician), have lived in metro Atlanta for nearly 40 years.