Congressman Rodney Davis
Rodney Davis is currently in his third term in Congress serving the 13th District of Illinois, a 14-county district covering both urban and rural areas of Central and Southwestern Illinois. Prior to being elected, Rodney served as Projects Director for Congressman John Shimkus (IL-15) for 16 years helping Illinois citizens and communities cut through government red tape and secure federal funding. For the 115th Congress, Rodney serves on the House Agriculture Committee, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the Committee on House Administration. He serves as the Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research and is Vice Chair of the Committee on House Administration. Additionally, Rodney serves as Chair of the Franking Commission. Rodney has established himself as an effective lawmaker who is able to work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation. Serving on both the House Agriculture Committee and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has allowed Rodney to be a leader on issues essential to commerce in Illinois. Rodney resides in Taylorville with his wife, Shannon, and their three children, Toryn, Clark, and Griffin.
Annie Griffiths
One of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in nearly 150 countries during her illustrious career. She has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for the Society, including stories on Lawrence of Arabia, Baja California, Galilee, Petra, Sydney, New Zealand, and Jerusalem. In addition to her magazine work, Annie is deeply committed to photographing for aid organizations around the world. She is the Executive Director of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers who document the programs that are empowering women and girls throughout the developing world, especially as they deal with the devastating effects of climate change. Annie is known for her warmth, and for her ability to quickly create photographs that humanize various situations and cultures. In 2008. Annie published A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel, a photo memoir about balance, and the joy of creating a meaningful life. In 2010, she published Simply Beautiful Photographs, which was named the top photo/art book of the year by Amazon and by Barnes and Noble. Annie is currently at work on three new books. Annie has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Associated Press, the National Organization of Women, The University of Minnesota and the White House News Photographers Association.
Becky Andrews
Becky is following her dreams blindly. Literally. She loves living an active life including running, tandem biking, hiking and traveling with family, friends and her guide dog, Georgie. She has been married to her best friend, Steve for 31 years and they have two children, Natalie and Kendall. Becky has run six marathons including Boston and NYC with her friends as her guides. Becky is passionate about advocating for people with disabilities and has conducted numerous trainings to schools, corporations, and communities. She is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and clinical director of Resilient Solutions, Inc. – an individual, marriage, and family therapy practice that employs 16 therapists. She also is president of the nonprofit, Oasis Center offering retreats and events for those experiencing a loss and is a motivational speaker. Her book: Look Up, Move Forward was released in the Spring of 2016.
Rebecca Latham
In January 2015, Governor Susana Martinez appointed Rebecca Latham as the Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department. With more than a decade of experience in advertising and marketing, Rebecca is a passionate tourism professional who has served New Mexico’s hospitality industry since 2006. She brings a wealth of experience across all aspects of the marketing spectrum including economic development, strategic messaging, brand development, public relations, and communications. In 2013, Rebecca was named New Mexico’s Tourism Professional of the Year. Rebecca is the proud mother of two joyful children. She and her husband, Scott, enjoy serving the people of New Mexico through their work for the state, along with skiing and being outdoors with their family. Rebecca is the 2017 National Mother of the Year.
Moraima Oyola-Pizarro
Moraima Oyola helps mothers of children who are school dropouts or have criminal records to get their sons and daughters lives back on track. Through a program she calls “Overcome”, Moraima has been able to take one hundred young people out of the drug points in the public residencies and transform their lives forever. Through her foundation, “Forjando Un Nuevo Comienzo”, she places these young people in different private companies and pays them five hours of work a day. In addition, she is the founder and leader of the international movement “Pero hoy NO es el día” (But today is not the day). Moraima was able to unite the seventy-eight municipalities of Puerto Rico for a simultaneous march by mothers who have had their sons killed and mothers who have been victims of domestic violence. Moraima Oyola’s projects have helped provide comfort to the people whom she serves. She is an enterprising woman, transforms, and motivates others to dream and to be productive people in society.
Jenay Sherman
Jenay is a mother of four young boys, all under the age of eight years old. Jenay was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and attend Ohio University where she received a B.S. in Communications. After teaching Leadership at Indiana University, she went on to the University of Dayton to earn her M.A. in Communications. When her husband’s job moved the family from Ohio to Texas, Jenay stayed home with her four young boys, teaching Public Speaking at multiple campuses of Collin College, and providing marketing services for small businesses. During this time, she also started a popular parenting blog, became a featured writer for Scary Mommy (a leading mommy web community), and published a children’s book in an effort to introduce both black and special need’s characters to mainstream fiction. In 2016, she began teaching Leadership at Lovejoy High School, and served as the JV Cheer coach at the school. She was honored to receive a Teacher Appreciation recognition from one of her students as a teacher who had made a profound impact in their life. Jenay, and her husband Willie, live with their four boys in McKinney, TX.
