Speakers for the evening.

Sam Cooley

Welcome, overview & introductions

Sam will open the evening, thread the program together, and bring the room to a close.

Sam Cooley is the Executive Director for the Calyx Foundation, which seeks to build stable permanent supportive housing solutions for those who have faced homelessness, drug addiction, incarceration, or behavioral health issues. Sam is also the current Director for Division G in Toastmasters International, which includes areas from Wenatchee to Umatilla and Pendleton.

Kelly Schultz · SAR

Principles from Common Sense

Kelly will draw out the founding principles articulated in Thomas Paine's Common Sense — a brief opening to the longer reflection that follows.

Kelly Schultz is a Pasco native, with the Mid-Columbia Sons of the American Revolution. He is a retired US Navy Corpsman and high school teacher. His patriot ancestor was James Clark Johnson, a Scottish Quaker from Virginia who raised and sold cattle to the Continental Army.

Robi Sen

Revolutionary Concepts

Robi will draw out the revolutionary concepts that emerged from 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.

Christy McElroy · DAR

Tempest in a Teapot

Christy will tell the story of the Edenton Tea Party — the first recorded woman-led organized action against the British during the American Revolution.

Christy McElroy was born and raised in Puget Sound Country, growing up on a small hobby farm which piqued her interest in American History. She joined the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2004. She moved to the Tri-Cities in 2015 when she accepted a teaching position in Pasco. She currently teaches elementary music at Columbia River Elementary School, as well as playing in the Columbia Basin College Band and other performing groups in the area. Christy will be serving as the Regent of Kennewick Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

Steve Lehto

A Soldier's Life in 1776

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.

Bishop Christopher Childers · LDS

A Divine Influence

Bishop Childers will speak on the Divine influence on the founding of the United States.

— Full bio coming soon

Christine Crowder · DAR

Women in the Revolution

Christine will continue the reflection on women of the Revolution — their voices, their service, and their legacy.

Christine has been a DAR member for over thirty years. She has served as Washington State Society State Regent and chaired various state committees. She is now Columbia River Chapter Regent. Christine is also Honorary State Regent and state American Heritage Chair.

Arthur Broady

A Diverse Nation

Arthur will reflect on the diverse hands that helped shape the founding of the United States — including the story of his fifth-great-grandfather John Broddy, one of approximately 5,000 enslaved men from the original thirteen colonies who fought alongside American Patriots in the Revolutionary War.

A native of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Arthur Broady has been a resident of the Tri-Cities since 1978. Since retiring nearly eighteen years ago, he has become a widely sought-after storyteller, delivering presentations from the West Coast to the East Coast. His engagements often explore the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the story of his great-grandfather, John Broddy — known as “The Patriot.”

Russ Herath

Why America?

Russ will reflect on why people choose America — the ideas and opportunities that draw them, and what they find when they arrive.

Rasitha Herath is a digital transformation leader and technology strategist with more than 25 years of experience leading innovation across healthcare, research, and mission-driven organizations. Originally from Sri Lanka, he brings an immigrant's perspective to his speaking engagements, with a passion for the ideas and opportunities that drive progress in America. Rasitha holds an MBA in Marketing from Clark University and completed postgraduate studies in Disruptive Strategy at Harvard Business School. He is also an active Toastmaster and enjoys mentoring others in leadership and public speaking.

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.

Dr. Catherine Wiberg is an Army Reserve wife and a Marine mom. Two years ago, she started working as the training manager for Valley Residential Services in Walla Walla. Valley Residential Services seeks to help all their clients and staff have the freedom to be themselves, achieve true success, and live their best lives. Valley Residential serves adults with developmental disabilities, Veterans with housing and substance-use challenges, and families working toward reunification. Dr. Catherine personally encourages empowerment, living one's best life, and gratefully using freedom to help everyone reach each person's next level of excellence.

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.

An accomplished businessman in Hospitality and Construction, Brian is known as a passionate speaker. A consistent placer in Toastmasters speech competitions, he is often found at events sharing stories and perspectives, encouraging people to take action and obtain higher levels of achievement.