On this episode my guest is Brian Bond, Executive Director of PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents, families, and allies. With over 400 chapters and 200,000 members and supporters crossing multiple generations of families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas across America, Brian leads PFLAG providing support and initiatives to ensure the equality of LGBTQIA persons. Brian is no stranger to being front and center on positions of what some people would identify as controversial, but instead of sidestepping these initiatives he finds himself embracing the opportunities. It’s doubtful Brian had much of a choice considering his mother was a notable leader in the Missouri Democratic party and he himself came out publicly to his parents in high school launching him on a path of leadership that he continues forward with to this day. Brian was the former executive director of the Victory Fund, the executive director of the Democratic National Committee Gay and Lesbian Leadership Fund, the National Constituency Director of Obama For America and the Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison during the Obama Administration. Anyone in the LGBTQIA community in the United States would be hard pressed not to have benefitted from the life long dedication to equality that Brian has been committed to his entire adult life. https://pflag.org

On this episode Alan Solow a former advisor on Middle East policy to President Obama and the Obama Administration joins me for a dynamic conversation on the current state of affairs in Israel. Mr. Solow is a public affairs consultant, political advisor and notable leader in the U.S. Jewish community. He is the former Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations having met with the leaders of multiple countries around the world. In addition, he served as Chairman of JCC Association of North America, the Chairman of Chicago's Jewish Community Relations Council, President of the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago, President of Young Men's Jewish Council and as a member of the board of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, including on its Executive Committee. He also served as a Trustee of the Jewish Federations of North America and was a Director of Sinai Health Systems. In addition,  Mr. Solow is the former Chairman of Interfaith Youth Core, a national organization promoting interfaith dialogue and service projects on college campuses. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Truman National Security Project and is the Vice-Chair of the Israel Policy Forum. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and served as a partner at the international law firm of DLA Piper. Mr. Solow was a senior advisor and national co-chair of the 2012 Obama re-elect campaign and accompanied the former President on his first trip to Israel in 2006. 

Jake Kheel joins me to discuss his recent book “Waking The Sleeping Giant, Unlocking The Hidden Power of Business to Save The Planet”. For fifteen years Jake Kheel www.jakekheel.com has confronted social and environmental challenges in the Dominican Republic as Vice President of the Grupo Puntacana Foundation and Vice President of Sustainability for Grupo Puntacana. Under his leadership, the company’s sustainability programs have been recognized with numerous prominent international awards. Jake was instrumental in pioneering one of the Caribbean’s largest coral reef restoration projects, implementing the Dominican Republic’s largest integrated solid waste program known as the Zero Waste initiative and directs the Center for Sustainability, a think tank that works with some of the world’s most notable universities to conduct research and devise experiments related to sustainable development. The Punta Cana development has become a global example of how the private sector can implement sustainability programs and simultaneously turn them into profitable enterprises. 

U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell who currently represents California’s 15th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and was first elected to Congress in November 2012. His top priorities include national security, intelligence, criminal justice reform, voting rights, LGBT equality, comprehensive immigration reform, and protecting a woman's right to make her own health care decisions and responsible gun registration. His father, a police officer and his mother an administrative assistant raised four sons, Eric being the oldest. He attended public schools and as a result of earning a Division 1 soccer scholarship to the University of Maryland he became the first person in his family to attend college. After completing his education he returned home to serve as the Alameda County district attorney for seven years. The congressman currently serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Judiciary Committee, and the House Homeland Security Committee, in addition to a variety of policy subcommittees and a member of several progressive and bipartisan caucuses.  In this episode, Congressman Swalwell discusses the success of passing the Covid Relief Bill and providing opportunity to Americans who are suffering as a result of the global pandemic. Sit back and join our conversation with a glass of wine or take a listen while running, riding your bike or on your drive to work! Subscribe for free  to receive notification of all episodes and please leave your comments.

Texas has gone off the grid…. LITERALLY! The week of February 14, 2021 the electrical grid in the State of Texas, it’s independent in case you didn’t know, virtually shut down completely. My guest Craig McCartney breaks down the tragedy that caused millions of Texans to remain without power for days causing people to lose the ability to heat their homes.  People died of hypothermia, water pipes busted causing billions in damage, the sewer backed up in the streets, grocery store shelves were completely bare and the so called “rolling blackouts” provided electricity for barely a few.  All the while Senator Ted Cruz, #FledCruz, found it all entirely unbearable and fled the country with his family to Mexico leaving his precious poodle home alone.  But probably the most devastating thing of all to happen was the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott had to call President Joe Biden and ask for help. In Texas relying on the federal government for anything is looked upon as treason to the Lone Star State.  Fortunately the lights came back on after several days, the weather warmed up and now the Texas State Legislature has to decide should they power forward along the status quo or completely deconstruct the isolationist approach that caused all this in the first place.

WELCOME to Breaking Protocol, on this episode we welcome one of the foremost democratic campaign strategists in the United States with an impressive resume of winning elections. Scott Fairchild serves as the Executive Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. I met Scott Fairchild in 2010 when he arrived in Chicago to run the successful mayoral campaign of Rahm Emmanuel. In addition, Scott has served in the position of Chief of Staff in the U.S. Congress and successfully ran the U.S. Senate Campaign for Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman, Senator Catherine Cortez- Masto later to serve as her Cheif of Staff. In addition, Scott served as the national campaigns director for the League of Conservation Voters. Leading the DSCC to victory in Nevada, Arizona and Georgia we discuss the future of the Democratic Party and what blood red state is next to change. Grab your favorite beverage or take us for a car ride or run and join the conversation. Please subscribe for free to receive notification of future episodes!

Kristin Towers-Rowles is an award-winning singer, actor, director in a world without an audience.  Kristin is a third generation Musical Theatre actress from a very musical family.  Her grandmother was the MGM Film actress, Kathryn Grayson. Her grandfather was musician, film actor and Broadway leading man, Johnny Johnston. Her mother Patricia Towers, was a stage actress and singer and her father, Robert Towers, is a Film/TV/Stage/Radio veteran of almost 65 years! In this episode we discuss the impact of Covid on the entertainment community and is there an opportunity for a comeback. An extraordinary conversation with an incredible advocate for her industry and humanity. You can read more about Kristin on her website https://www.kristintowers-rowles.com and find up to date information on her new projects and upcoming performances. Grab a coffee or a cocktail and join this insightful conversation or take us for a drive or a run. Please click and subscribe for notification of future episodes and feedback is always welcomed!

This episode features U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul an international foreign policy expert who has literally spent a lifetime researching, studying, working on and writing about the importance of international government relationships, specifically the relationship between the United States and Russia.  He is the author of several books, most recently the New York Times bestseller From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia. His current research interests include American foreign policy, great power relations, and the relationship between democracy and development. Dr. McFaul was born and raised in Montana. He received his Bachelors in International Relations and Slavic Languages and his Masters in Soviet and East European Studies from Stanford University in 1986. As a Rhodes Scholar, he completed his Doctorate in Philosophy in International Relations at Oxford University in 1991. In this episode he provides his extraordinary insight on the future of international relationships and foreign policy and specifically addresses his experiences as the U.S. envoy to the Russian Federation.