United States Consensus Council Roster

Honorable Steve Bartlett [click here for bio]
President
Financial Services Roundtable
Washington, DC

Lawrence Bathgate II [click here for bio]
Senior Partner
Bathgate, Wegener, and Wolf
Lakewood, NJ

Stuart Butler [click here for bio]
Vice President
Domestic and Economic Policy
Heritage Foundation
Washington, DC

Jessica Dibb [click here for bio]
Founder and Director
Inspiration Community, Inc.
Owings Mills, MD

Maria Echaveste [click here for bio]
Co-Founder
Nueva Vista Group, LLC
Washington, DC

Wilson Goode [click here for bio]
Public/Private Ventures
Philadelphia, PA

Robert Goodwin [click here for bio]
President/CEO
Points of Light Foundation
Washington, DC

Christopher Harte [click here for bio]
Former President
Portland Press Herald
Portland, ME

Stephen B. Heintz [click here for bio]
President
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
New York, NY

Khalil Jahshan [click here for bio]
Director of DC Internship Program
Pepperdine University
Fairfax, VA

Kelly D. Johnston [click here for bio]
Vice President, Government Affairs
Campbell Soup Company
Camden, NJ

Bernard Rapoport [click here for bio]
Chairman and CEO
The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation
Waco, TX

Dennis Ross [click here for bio]
Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Washington, DC

Faith Roessel [click here for bio]
Bethesda, MD

David Saperstein [click here for bio]
Director
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Silver Spring, MD

Harris Wofford [click here for bio]
Washington, DC

Founding Co-Chairs

Marc Racicot [click here for bio]
President
American Insurance Association
Washington, DC

Dan Glickman [click here for bio]
President and CEO
Motion Picture Association of America
Washington, DC

Biographies

Honorable Steve Bartlett
Served as a U.S. Representative from Texas' 3rd District from 1983 until his resignation in 1991, and served as Mayor of Dallas from 1991 to 1995. Following his government service, Bartlett has served on a number of Boards of Directors, including IMCO Recycling, Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation, Sun Coast Industrial and the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. In addition, he has also served on the Board of Governors of the National YMCA, the Fannie Mae National Advisory Council and the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Board. He is currently Chairman of Easter Seals of Washington, Maryland, and Northern Virginia.

Top

Lawrence Bathgate II
Has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. He is involved in a diverse array of civic, philanthropic and political activities. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; a Council Member of The Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, DC; the Board of Regents of Seton Hall University; the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center; Board of Trustees of Liberty Science Center; and the President's Advisory Committee of Arts (Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. - appointed by President George W. Bush). Bathgate served as Republican National Finance Chairman from the end of 1987 until September 1992 under President Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. During his tenure as Finance Chairman, he founded "Team 100" the pre-eminent and largest fundraising arm of the Republican National Committee.

Top

Stuart Butler
Has played a major role in shaping the policy debate on a wide range of domestic policy issues from health care and Social Security to welfare reform and privatizing government services. He was Listed in the National Journal as "one of 150 individuals outside government who have the greatest influence on decision-making in Washington." Butler's bipartisan approach to solving urban problems is typical of his belief in reform. He has gained respect in policy and academic circles for his willingness to reach across the ideological divide to develop bipartisan solutions to problems. In addition to the dozens of research papers he has written for The Heritage Foundation, Butler has published in leading academic journals, newspapers, authored three books, and appeared on numerous television networks. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Graduate School.

Top

Jessica Dibb
Is the founder and director of Inspiration Community, Inc., an integral Consciousness School, dedicated to promoting personal, relational and planetary wellness. She is also the Co-Director of the International Breathwork Training Alliance, Co-Chair of the International Breathwork Foundation's Integrity Committee, and a Founding member of Ken Wilber's Integral Institute. Over the past 21 years she has developed a unique, highly-integrated model of psycho-spiritual healing and growth which supports people's self-actualization.

Top

Maria Echaveste
Has built a distinguished career working as a senior White House official, long-time community leader, and corporate attorney. Echaveste's background provides her with a unique understanding of how to develop and implement a successful legislative strategy and how to build new alliances to support the work of her non-profit and corporate clients. Prior to founding the Nueva Vista Group, she served as Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for President Clinton, a position she held from May 1998 through January 2001. Echaveste is a researcher and lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley's Boalt School of Law and Goldman Graduate School of Public Policy.

Top

Wilson Goode
Began a political career in 1969 when he was appointed executive director of the Philadelphia Council for Community Advancement. The council's mission was to revitalize neighborhoods and create affordable housing for the poorer citizens of Philadelphia. During his tenure, he organized outreach programs in education, employment and economic development. His hands-on approach to city problems, such as sanitation and urban decay, further increased his popularity. Goode was elected mayor of Philadelphia in 1983. His support reached across racial and economic lines and he served two terms as mayor, leaving office in 1992. Goode remains a pillar of the Philadelphia community. He received his doctorate of ministry in May 2000. He is the senior adviser on faith-based initiatives and serves as chairman of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Top

Robert Goodwin
Has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Points of Light Foundation since July 1, 1995. He joined the Foundation in March 1992 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In that position, he managed every aspect of the Foundation's mission and operations. Prior to joining the Foundation, Goodwin served as executive director of the U.S. Department of Education's White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's). Before that, he was assistant deputy chancellor for external affairs for Texas A&M University. Earlier in his career, Goodwin was publisher of his family-owned weekly newspaper, the Oklahoma Eagle in Tulsa. While a student, he served as an associate pastor of several churches in Oklahoma and California.

Top

Christopher Harte
Is a private equity investor and former publisher of the Akron Beacon Journal and the Portland Press Herald. He is a director of three public companies - Harte-Hanks, Geokinetics and Crown Resources and a director or general partner in numerous private companies and partnerships. He is a director of Outward Bound USA and the National Audubon Society as well as several other non-profit organizations.

Top

Stephen B. Heintz
Has held top leadership positions in both the nonprofit and public sectors. Until he joined the RBF on February 1st, 2001, Heintz was Founding President of Demos: A Network for Ideas & Action. Demos is a new public policy research and advocacy organization working to enhance the vitality of American democracy and promote more broadly shared prosperity. Prior to founding Demos, Heintz served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the EastWest Institute (EWI), where he worked on issues of economic reform, civil society development, and international security. Based in Prague, Czech Republic, from 1990 through 1997, Heintz worked extensively throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States. Prior to joining the EastWest Institute, he developed an extensive track record as a policy analyst and cabinet official in the State of Connecticut, where he served as Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development and Commissioner of the Department of Income Maintenance (Social Welfare).

Top

Khalil Jahshan
Is a lecturer in International Studies and Languages at Pepperdine University and Executive Director of its Seaver College Washington DC Internship Program. Jahshan is a Middle East consultant with extensive expertise in Arab-American bilateral relations and United States policy in the Middle East. Between 2000 and 2003, he served as Executive Vice President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the premier Arab-American civil rights organization. Prior to that, between 1990 and 2000, he served as President of the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA).

Top

Kelly D. Johnston
Coordinates the company's activities and relationships with local, state, federal, and international government legislative and regulatory agencies, as well as the company's participation in trade associations. Johnston has more than 25 years of leadership experience in association management, government, politics and the media. Prior to joining Campbell, Johnston served in several leadership positions in government, politics and food industry associations in Washington, D.C. He served as Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications at the National Food Processors Association from 1996 until 2002. Prior to joining NFPA, Johnston was the 28th Secretary of the United States Senate, serving as the Senate's chief administrative, legislative, and financial officer. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation in the first Bush Administration.

Top

Bernard Rapoport
Founded American Income Life Insurance Company in 1951, growing it into a multi-million dollar enterprise and running it for more than 40 years before selling it in 1994. He established the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation in 1987, benefiting childcare, education, the Waco community and other enterprises.

Top

Faith Roessel
Is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and has spent her career working with and on behalf of Indian tribes and groups across the country. Roessel has served in government (federal and tribal) having been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, and Director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office, respectively. Much of her emphasis in government involved policy development and interagency and intra-agency coordination. She has represented Indian tribes, groups and individuals before the courts, Congress, administrative agencies and tribal organizations in her capacity as a senior staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund in Washington D.C. and in her tribe's then general counsel's law firm in Phoenix Arizona. Roessel is currently a member of the board of directors of the Child Welfare League of America and the board of Americans for Indian Opportunity.

Top

Ambassador Dennis Ross
Served as special Middle East envoy and negotiator for Democratic and Republican US Administrations, first under George H.W. Bush and then under Bill Clinton. He played a critical role in brokering peace between Israel and Jordan, and worked to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ross is the author of several books, most recently The Missing Peace - The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace, published in August 2004. President Clinton has awarded Ambassador Ross the Presidential medal for "Distinguished Federal Civilian Service" and Secretaries Baker and Albright presented him with the State Department's highest award.

Top

David Saperstein
During his 30-year tenure as Director of the Religious Action Center has headed several national religious coalitions. Rabbi Saperstein currently co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty and serves on the boards of numerous national organizations including the NAACP and People For the American Way. In 1999, Rabbi Saperstein was elected as the first Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom created by a unanimous vote of Congress. Also an attorney, Rabbi Saperstein teaches seminars in both First Amendment Church-State Law and in Jewish Law at Georgetown University Law School. His latest book is Jewish Dimensions of Social Justice: Tough Moral Choices of Our Time.

Top

Honorable Charles Stenholm
Was elected to the House as a Democrat in 1978, representing the Abilene-based 17th District through early 2005. For six years he was ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. Stenholm has consistently advanced fiscal responsibility in the federal budget leading to the crafting of balanced budget plans in both the 104th and 105th Congresses. In addition to agriculture and budget, Stenholm has shown leadership on an unusually wide portfolio of legislative activities, including health care, small business protections, social security, welfare reform, juvenile justice, and restricting unfunded mandates. He has been consistently known to play the role of bridge builder between political parties, ideological extremes, and generational opposites. Stenholm is currently employed at Olsson, Frank, and Weeda P.C. as a Senior Policy Advisor.

Top

Honorable Harris Wofford
Was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1991, elected in six months later on a central platform of universal health insurance, before being defeated in 1994. Wofford has held various government, academic and private positions, including CEO for the Corporation for National Service (Americorps), 1995-2001; chairman and then co-chairman of America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth 2001-2004; chairman of the Pennsylvania State Democratic Party 1986; Pennsylvania secretary of labor and industry 1987-1991; president of the College at Old Westbury (State University of New York) 1966-1970, and Bryn Mawr College 1970-1978; special assistant to President Kennedy and chairman of the Subcabinet Group on Civil Rights 1961-1962, where he worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. He also assisted in the formation of the Peace Corps, serving as special representative to Africa and subsequently as associate director 1962-1966; associate professor of law, Notre Dame Law School 1959-1960; was legal counsel to Rev. Theodore Hesburgh for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1954-1958. Mr. Wofford is the author of Of Kennedys and Kings: Making Sense of the Sixties and is currently writing his memoirs of eight decades titled Slightly Mad: Stories of War and Peace from an Elder of the Tribe.

Top

Founding Co-chairs

Marc Racicot
Was the governor of Montana from 1993 until 2001 and was Attorney General of Montana 1988-1993. He also served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2002 until 2003, when he was appointed as the chairman of President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign. Racicot serves on the Board of Directors for Siebel Systems, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Jobs for America's Graduates, and the Board of Visitors for the University of Montana School of Law. He has served as a director of Allied Capital since March 2005. Racicot served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps and was stationed in West Germany where he served as chief prosecutor for the largest U.S. military jurisdiction in Europe.

Top

Dan Glickman
Represents the US filmed entertainment industry before governments around the world. Glickman came to the MPAA following a long career of public service. He led the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's JFK School of Government. He served with distinction in President Clinton's Cabinet, leading the Department of Agriculture through a period of profound change and modernization, placing new emphasis on nutrition, food safety, natural resources, civil rights, and export policies while ensuring the maintenance of an effective safety net for America's farmer and ranchers. He served eighteen years in the House, representing Kansas' 4th Congressional District where he was involved in farm legislation, general aviation policy, and intellectual property protection.

Top