i.6:00 PM · Master of ceremonies
Sam Cooley
Welcome, overview & introductions
Sam will open the evening, thread the program together, and bring the room to a close.
— Full bio coming soon
ii.6:25 PM · Speech
Andrew Kirk
The Star-Spangled Banner
Andrew will share the story behind America's anthem — the night at Fort McHenry that gave the country its song.
— Full bio coming soon
iii.6:30 PM · Speech
Robi Sen
Common Sense — a book that stirred a nation
Robi will examine Thomas Paine's Common Sense — the forty-eight-page pamphlet that stirred the hearts of a generation.
Robi Sen is a technologist, inventor, and entrepreneur with 29 patents and a career spent building advanced systems for the U.S. military, including co-inventing MESMER, a counter-drone system used by military and law enforcement around the world. He served on the Obama White House counter-drone advisory board and has worked with DARPA and U.S. Special Operations Command. Alongside his technical career, Robi holds a master's degree in history and is a lifelong student of the Revolutionary era, with a particular interest in the remarkable people and acts that shaped America's founding.
iv.6:40 PM · Speech
Jacob Liston
The Great Debate
Jacob will recount the debates and dissents within the Second Continental Congress that produced the Declaration of Independence.
— Full bio coming soon
v.6:50 PM · Speech
Christie McElroy · DAR
Women in the Revolution
Christie will speak on the women whose work and resolve shaped the founding of the American republic.
— Photo & bio coming soon
vi.7:00 PM · Speech
Kimberly Ruisi · DAR
Women in the Revolution
Kimberly will continue the reflection on women of the Revolution — their voices, their service, and their legacy.
— Photo & bio coming soon
vii.7:20 PM · Speech
Arthur Broady
Diverse nation
Arthur will reflect on what it means to call this a diverse nation — and what 250 years of shared and varied experience has made of us.
— Full bio coming soon
viii.7:25 PM · Speech
Steve Lehto
Life of a 1776 soldier
Steve will speak on the daily life of a Revolutionary-era soldier — the rhythms, hardships, and motivations of the men who fought for independence.
Raised in Oregon, Steve Lehto joined the U.S. Navy in 1970 and served nearly four years aboard the USS George C. Marshall SSBN 654, working in the missile house. After a 45-year career in the grocery industry, Steve dedicated himself to serving fellow veterans. Today, he continues that mission as Mentor Coordinator for the Benton County Veterans Therapeutic Court and as a staff member at the Columbia Basin Veterans Center.
ix.7:35 PM · Speech · Pending confirmation
Bishop Christopher Childers · LDS
Divine influence
Bishop Childers will speak on the Divine influence on the founding of the United States.
— Photo & bio coming soon
x.7:45 PM · Speech
Dr. Catherine Wiberg
Freedom to be me, 250 years later
Catherine will consider what individual liberty looks like a quarter-millennium into the American experiment — and what we still owe each other inside it.
— Full bio coming soon
xi.7:55 PM · Closing speech
Brian Kreitzer
Let freedom live
Brian will close the program with a forward-looking reflection on the freedoms still in our keeping — and what it takes to pass them on.
— Full bio coming soon