Jonathan Jakubowski is the Author of an award-winning book that has gained national attention. Jonathan and Bellwether Blues – A Conservative Awakening of the Millennial Soul have been featured on the Rush Limbaugh Show, Newsmax, the Washington Times, Newsweek, The New York Times, BBC World News, The Federalist and dozens of other leading media outlets. He is also President of SmartSolve, an award-winning startup business focused on sustainable packaging. Jonathan played football and received his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and Masters Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University. Jonathan is the Founder of Champions in Action, Chairman of the Forge Leadership Network Board of Directors, and Executive Chairman of the Wood County Republican Party. Jonathan, his wife Missy, and their four children reside in Northwest Ohio.
Twitter: @jonjakubowski
Julie Beaman is committed to serving God and Country. Julie left Tennessee State Government at the end of 2024 where she had served as Chief of Staff and Strategy since early 2023 after being appointed Chief Strategy Officer for the TN Department of General Services by Governor Bill Lee in January 2019. During her service at the State, Julie was known as a collaborator across government operations. She is most proud of the silos that were broken down as initiating business practices that focused on the dynamic duo – culture and strategy.
Prior to TN State Government, Julie worked as the personnel director for the Bill Lee for TN Transition Team and wore multiple hats for Lee’s gubernatorial campaign. As a former director of organizational development for privately-owned regional businesses, Julie is known for finding a way to deliver exceptional outcomes and being a leader that inspires trust. Her experience includes project and organizational change management, strategic plan development and implementation, and public relations.
Julie’s passion for building connections can also be traced back to her leadership in the TN Republican Party and with many community organizations. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in corporate and organizational communications from Western Kentucky University.
Julie and her husband, Lee, reside in Nashville where they continuously open their home to support causes to further God and Country. Julie and Lee also stay busy with their five children and six grandchildren.
Michael Hamilton is a Heartland research fellow and managing editor of Health Care News. Michael writes and edits at the intersection of liberty, language, and learning. His efforts to reform public policy date to summers he spent working for The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions while a student at Hillsdale College. Upon graduating, Michael taught International Baccalaureate English at an innovative charter school near Boston, Massachusetts, followed by Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics in Dayton, Ohio.
In 2013, Michael co-founded the website Ohio Conservative Review and the freelance writing and editing company Good Comma Editing, LLC. He has written for The Federalist, PJ Media, WORLD, The Philos Project, Canon & Culture, LifeSiteNews.com, the Washington Free Beacon, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation blog Dissident, and other sites and publications. Michael serves as vice chairman of the board of Forge Leadership Network to help identify, train, and connect America’s future statesmen.
John Hart serves as the General Counsel for Cedarville University. John just recently returned to his alma mater to become its first ever full-time in-house lawyer, having served as University Counsel/ Director of Legal Affairs at the University of Dayton for over 25 years. His areas of special emphasis include employment/labor law, academic and student development policy issues, athletics, real property, contracts, and the like. He has made numerous presentations to various professional, educational, and community groups, and was invited to and participated in the Blackstone Colloquium on Higher Education Law at the Oxford University’s Round Table on Education Policy.
John has also been involved extensively with NACUA (National Association of College and University Attorneys), serving on their Board of Directors in addition to various committee responsibilities. Currently, he serves on the Legal Services Review Panel of NAICU (National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities). John is engaged with community organizations like the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project, serves as an advisor to the Christian Legal Society chapter at the law school, is active in church ministries, and loves his family. He received his B.A. from Cedarville College in 1981 and his J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law in 1985.
Heather Pfitzenmaier serves as Senior Talent Program Advisor at the State Policy Network. In addition, she is the Director of Strategic Engagement at the Network of enlightened Women, previously serving as Vice President. Before that, Pfitzenmaier was Executive Vice President, and earlier Vice President and Director of Chapter Programs, at America’s Future Foundation. Prior to her time at AFF, Pfitzenmaier served as Director of the Young Leaders Program, and earlier as Intern Coordinator, at the Heritage Foundation. She is the recipient of Forbes magazine “30 Under 30” in law and policy, the Young Conservatives Coalition Buckley Award, and “30 Under 30″ recognition by Red Alert Politics. In addition, Pfitzenmaier serves on the Advisory Board of the Forge Leadership Network, leads AFF’s Detroit chapter, and is a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from the University of Michigan and currently resides in the great state of Michigan.
Justin Powell is the founder and CEO of Huntington Outdoor, Blue Ash Media, and Aurora Marketing Group, serving a variety of clients with their marketing and advertising needs in Ohio, Indiana, and Florida. Prior to starting his business, Justin was the Director of Social Media for the Family Research Council. In 2012, he co-founded Ohio Conservative Review, a platform for conservative beliefs to be expressed, debated, and promoted in Ohio. He has also served on numerous political and issue campaigns on the local and state levels.
Justin earned a degree in Business Management from Liberty University. He grew up in Arcanum, Ohio where he still resides and is an active member of his community, serving on the board of Ohio Christian University and leading Crossing, a young adult ministry program at his church. Justin co-founded Forge Leadership Network and now serves on its board of advisors.
Twitter: @JustinGPowell
Eric Teetsel is the Chief Executive Officer of The Center for Renewing America. CRA’s mission is to renew a consensus of America as a nation under God with unique interests worthy of defending that flow from its people, institutions, and history, where individuals’ enjoyment of freedom is predicated on just laws and healthy communities.
Teetsel has a long track record of experience in government at the federal, state, and local levels. He was Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri where he also held the roles of Legislative Director and Special Assistant. Teetsel previously served as Vice President of Government Relations at The Heritage Foundation, President of the Family Policy Alliance of Kansas, Director of Faith Outreach for the Marco Rubio presidential campaign, and Executive Director of the Manhattan Declaration for life, marriage, and religious freedom, and more.
Teetsel graduated from Wheaton College and holds a master’s in education from Azusa Pacific University. Originally from Kansas, he and his wife live in Virginia with their four children. You can follow him on X at @EricTeetsel.
PJ Wenzel, a Founding Partner at RING, is an entrepreneur and political consultant. He has worked on political and issue campaigns since 1994 in over 45 U.S. states and internationally on three continents.
PJ has built and sold a multi-million-dollar business, has a Masters in Political Management from George Washington University, and is working (slowly) on his masters in theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He is a life-long learner (Webster’s def. n. dor_küs) and loves books, plays too much golf, and used to enjoyed basketball until he got too old. He loves to teach, to preach and to speak, attempts to paint and swim, travels a ton, is a Star Wars and LOTR junkie, and like the rest of you, enjoys eating good food. Of course he loves the obligatory “long walks on the beach.”
He’s worked at the White House, and in Congress (though that’s not much to brag about these days), and on four presidential campaigns at all levels. He grew up caddying, valet parking cars, delivering papers, helping at job sites with carpentry, plumbing, and electrical, and even managed some darn good janitorial work as a kid. He has advised, and been promptly ignored, by dozens of members of congress and Canadian parliament, and admires Winston Churchill as the greatest statesman of the 20th century. He lives in Dublin with his wife, Katie and their four rambunctious kids.