Colonial Williamsburg, VA
Bill has enjoyed portraying Thomas Jefferson in a variety of settings over the past twenty years. He first came to Williamsburg in the spring of 1993 to perform as Jefferson in a film made to honor Ambassador and Mrs. Walter H. Annenberg. He has continued to appear as Jefferson for Colonial Williamsburg, and assists in the development of Jefferson programs for the Foundation.  Born and raised in Philadelphia, Bill's interest in Thomas Jefferson reaches back to his youth. He enjoys researching the American world Jefferson knew, with an interest in the role the man played and continues to play in our American identity.  Bill received a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in history, from Villanova University and attended the University of Pennsylvania for a brief time. Attracted to the stage at an early age he became a professional actor, director and producer. He was cast as Jefferson in many different venues including the musical 1776. Bill is the same height, weight and general appearance as Mr. Jefferson.  Over the years he has evolved a repertoire of Jefferson presentations tailored to corporate and government audiences, as well as schools, societies and festivals. Bill performed as Jefferson at the White House, the Palace of Versailles and throughout the United States, Great Britain, France and the Las Vegas Strip! He presented for Chautauqua and has been featured as Jefferson in several magazines including Time, People, Atlantic, Philadelphia, Southern Living, Reader’s Digest, and the Colonial Williamsburg Journal. 

Boling, Norman C. "Moni"

Pace, Florida
Norman C. "Moni" Boling is a new presenter at the Chautauqua Assembly this year.  He holds a BS degree in Business from Florida State University and is a retired Major from the military.  He ws awarded the Bronze Star Award for service during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, as well as many other awards and decorations.  His last assignment was at the University of West Florida Pensacola as military science insructor, operations-training, and executive officer.    He is a Scoutmaster of Troop 400 in Pace, Florida, where he lives with his wife, Dr. Charlotte Boling, assistant dean and professor at the University of West Florida.  They have two daughters, one married and one a junior at FSU.  Moni will be portraying the Creek Indian Chief, William Weatherford, with President Andrew Jackson (portrayed by Jim Moore) as they discuss the Treaty of 1814, a major milestone on General Jackson's road to the presidency.

DeFuniak Springs, FL
The man holding the umbrella for Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy in the photo to the right is Tyrone Broadus, the first African American to serve in the Honor Guard at the Kennedy gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery.  Rev. Broadus is retired detective from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.  Prior to his law enforcement career, he served in the U.S. Army Honor Guard and practiced his ceremonial duties in 1967 at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.  He was featured in a documentary titled "The Big Picture" November 22, 1966, commemorating the 3rd anniversary of President Kennedy's assasination.  Today, Reverend Broadus resides in DeFuniak Springs, Florida and serves on many boards and committees in the area.  Reverend Broadus will share his many stories of serving President Kennedy while he was alive and supporting the Kennedy family and President Lyndon Johnson during their visits to the late president's grave.

Alexandria, VA
Todi Carnes earned her B.A. (political science and anthropology) at Florida State University and her J.D. (law) at the University of Florida.  She is a member of the Florida Bar and admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.  Following 21 years on active duty as a judge advocate with the United States Air Force, she retired to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area where she continues to work for the Air Force as a civilian attorney.  While on active duty, Todi completed both Air Command and Staff College and Air War College through distance learning.  The views she conveys in her presentation on the world-renowned aviatrix Jackie Cochran are her own and not those of the Air Force or
the Department of Defense.  Also of her own development is her presentation on Presidential Musicians, deriving from her personal interest in music and her professional interest in American Government.

Orlando, FL
Thomas A. Cloud is a shareholder in the law firm of Gray Robinson and is the head of the firm's Public Law Department.  He has extensive state and local government experience in municipal, public infrastructure, energy, water, environmental, land use, and all aspects of utilities law.  Thomas has represented utilities, individuals, and local governments.  He is City Attorney for Haines City, Fort Meade, and Polk City.  For almost 30 years, Thomas has been a frequent author and lecturer in Florida on a variety of municipal, land use, and legal topics.

Pensacola, FL
Dean DeBolt is University Librarian for Special Collections at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida where he has been on the faculty since 1981.  He has lectured widely on the American Chautauqua Movement and the history of the Florida Chautauqua including presentations at the New York Chautauqua and the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly.  He is a frequent speaker on topics of West Florida history and genealogical research.

Pensacola, FL
Judy DeBolt is retired from the University of West Florida.  She was born in Springfield, Illinois and lived there until 1981 when whe moved to Pensacola, Florida with her husband Dean and daughter Jennifer.  She has a deep interest in the history of the Titanic and has spoken on this subject to numerous historical groups and Sunday school classes in and around Pensacola.  She has also appeared at the Monteagle Chautauqua in Tennessee, the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, New Jersey Seniors Group, as well as previous Chautauqua Assemblies in DeFuniak Springs. 

Alexandria, VA
Gregory L. Garland is a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. department of State. His more recent assignments include the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Research Fellow, the National Defense Intelligence College; and Media and Outreach Coordinator in State’s Bureau of African Affairs. He has also served in Mozambique, Angola, Guinea, Mexico, Poland, and on the staffs of the former Board for International Broadcasting and the Jacksonville, Florida, International Relations and Marketing Commission.   Greg has spoken and written widely on U.S.-African relations and public diplomacy, including a book manuscript tentatively titled, “Why They Like Us.” Originally from Lakeland, Florida, he holds a B.A. from Duke University, an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a J.D. from California Western School of Law. 

Tallahassee, FL
David Hawk is the Chief Operating Officer in Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Florida Division Office in Tallahassee, FL.  He has held this position since December 2009.  The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides stewardship over the Interstate System from new construction of highways, bridges and tunnels; to maintenance and preservation.  Through its Federal-aid Highway Program, the FHWA provides Federal financial assistance to State and local governments for constructing, preserving, and improving our nation’s highways. Through its Federal Lands Highway Program, the FHWA provides funding for public roads and highways within Federally-owned lands (e.g., National parks, forests, and wildlife refuges) and tribal lands.  Prior to this assignment, David served as a Transportation Specialist in FHWA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. where he was responsible for advancing program evaluation and quality improvement.  He also gained valuable experience in various engineering positions in New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia, Virginia, Montana, and Vermont.  David joined FHWA in 1992 as a Highway Engineer Trainee.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Vermont.

Hoyt, Amy
Panama City, FL
Amy started her broadcasting career in radio at the age of 19 at WPAP-FM in Panama City.  She moved into television news at the NBC affiliate in Panama City in 1980. Amy also worked in Clarksville Tennessee as a radio news director in the mid 80's while her husband served in the U.S. Army.  After returning to Panama City, Amy resumed her television news career. In 1994, she accepted a position at WMBB News13.  Amy is currently the Senior Evening News Anchor and Assistant News Director.  Amy takes pride in volunteering her time with different charitable organizations, including the Girl Scouts.  She has served on boards for The American Heart Association, Guardian Ad Litem and Children's Miracle Network.  She was recently named First Lady of the Year by Beta Sigma Phi International.  Amy has been named the 2010 Favorite News Anchor in a Panama City Living Magazine survey…as well as The News Herald's Best of Bay Media Personalities.  Amy and her husband Robert have two grown daughters.

Pensacola, Florida
Mr. Manning has practiced law for twenty-five years, is licensed to practice in Florida, Alabama, and California, and is currently a partner at the Pensacola law firm of Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry, Bond & Stackhouse. Alan also serves as a Faculty Associate in the Department of History at the University of West Florida, where he teaches courses in American history. He is an authority on American presidents and the presidency, and he frequently speaks and lectures to various groups and organizations on presidential history. Alan's interest in presidential history includes biography, the presidency as an institution, and the theory, practice, scope and limits of presidential executive power as expressed in the Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, and as tested by presidents during their terms in office.  Alan holds a B.S., summa cum laude, in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, a Master of Arts in History from the University of West Florida, and a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law, where he was an editor on the UCLA Law Review.

Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Karen McGee has a deep interest in the life and contributions of Lady Bird Johnson and has performed monologue presentations of the former first lady at local events during the past several years. She will be "in character" as Lady Bird Johnson during a performance tea at the official 2012 Florida Chautauqua Assembly.  She has been a presenter at past assemblies including a monologue performance about Walton County History titled Graveyards in the Pines. She has also been seen onstage at The Chautauqua Theater as Kate in Sylvia in the 2004 season. She was Assistant Director of “I Hate Hamlet,” also in DeFuniak Springs.  She appeared in Girls of the Garden Club and The Farnsworth Avenue Townwomen’s Guild Murder Mystery. She makes her home in Seagrove Beach in South Walton County.

Poverty Creek Community, FL
Jim Moore is a yarn spinner by hobby.  A graduate of Florida State University and the University of Florida, he started storytelling as a Scoutmaster years ago and has parlayed his performance for regular appearance for the Florida League of Arts and the Florida Chautauqua Assembly, historical societies, and civic clubs.  He has authored several historical books on the history of Florida's panhandle.  He resides near the Poverty Creek community in Okaloosa County, Florida and is one of the owners of the Holiday Inn Express in Niceville.

Jacksonville, FL
Pianist Joy Myers graduated from Jacksonville University summa cum laude with departmental honors and a dual major in music education and music performance.  She has been pianist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Lyric Opera Theater, Starlight Symphonette, Amadeus Trio of Jacksonville, and the Palm Court Society Orchestra.  Joy also played viola with the Jacksonville Symphony.  Joy has certification in Yamaha piano, Kindermusick, Suzuki violin, and Suzuki piano.  The Girl Scouts honored Joy as Woman of the Year, World of Arts.  Before touring, Joy was the Performing Arts Director at St. Johns Country Day School.  She is the founder of Concert on the Green, a 20-year old non-profit organization which brings the Jacksonville Symphony and award scholarships to students in her county.  Joy enjoys spending time with her husband and family of five children, traveling, being in the outdoors, and restoring their 100-year old home.

Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Britt Poulson obtained his B.A. in English at Allegheny College, his M.A. in Guidance at George Washington University and his Ph.D. in Curriculum at Penn State University.  He has taught and been a principal at the elementary, middle, high school and adult levels of public schools.  He was a professor at Penn State and Florida State universities.  He was a Director of Curriculum for several Florida school districts.  Dr. Poulson created an academic competition called the Big Bend High School Bowl in the 1970s and is currently the director of this competition, which is sponsored by the Tallahassee Democrat Newspaper.  He created the Big Bend Middle School Bowl in the 1980s and created a senior citizen bowl competition that once had a statewide competition in Orlando.

DeFuniak Springs, FL
Jeffrey Stuart Powell has a B. A. in Interdisciplinary Humanities from the University of West Florida and is currently a Staff Writer/Photographer for the DeFuniak Herald/Beach Breeze. Born into an Air Force family, the offspring of a Virginia father and a Kentucky mother, Jeffrey had lived in or traveled through much of the southeast, the central plains and the island of Okinawa by the age of 12. While visiting the old home places of his grandparents and great-grandparents he was instilled with a deep sense of the past and the impact that past has on the present. His father has joked for years that Jeffrey was "raised in the back of a four-door ford." The Powells arrived at Eglin AFB in 1973 and Jeffrey has lived in the panhandle since then. Over the ensuing years he has searched out and traveled to countless historical locations focusing on American Civil War and Native American sites. Most recently he has focused himself with locating and visiting the graves of Confederate generals. With each trip he has found that the most interesting features of a journey are the unexpected events.

Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Don Rapp received his Ph.D. in Child Development from Florida State University.  He taught at the University of Illinois, University of Georgia, and was Professor Emeritus at Florida State University where he taught Academic Field of Child Development and Gerontology.  He is certified as a personal trainer by the American College of Sports Medicine.  Dr. Rapp has been a juggler for 67 years and is a motivational speaker.  He also originated Kinetic Arts Training, which is designed to enhance balance.  In May of 2007 he was appointed to the Florida Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and is the author of "On Balance:  Mastery of Physical Balance for Life."

Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Brenda Rees, a Walton County, Florida native, is a frequent Florida Chautauqua presenter.  Previous Chautauqua presentations include "John Wesley in Spanish Florida" and "Shaping Florida" an indepth Florida history program.  Brenda developed and premiered her Madame Octavia Walton Le Vert portrayal at the 2008 Florida Chautauqua.  With Octavia's vast travel and personal experiences, original Octavia portrayals were presented with the "Journey to the Caribbean" and "Journey to Africa" Chautauqua themes. Brenda has a B.A. from Sam Houston State University, a M.Ed. from Texas A&M University, additional history work at University of West Florida, and a Florida Master Naturalist Certificate. Her great uncle has a museum named for his collection, the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum in Pensacola.  She initiated and hosts the annual Walton County 200 Countdown Celebration on December 29. Brenda has a history blog at shapingfloridabrendarees.blogspot.com and email ShapingFlorida@aol.com .

DeFuniak Springs, FL
Wayne Sconiers is Chairman of the Walton County Genealogy Society and assisted in publishing the Heritage Book for Walton County in 2006.  He first became interested in genealogy research when his Aunt Alice gave him information she gathered on the Sconiers family tree.  In 1998, he continued the research just before his retirement and has accumulated a Walton County genealogical database of over 38,000 people.  He says he enjoys the thrill of genealogical research and sharing this knowledge with others.  He was born and raised in DeFuniak Springs where he and his wife, Janice, still reside.

Sebring, FL
Mr. Smtih is one of the 2012 Florida Chautauqua Assembly's keynote speakers.  He is the curator of the State of Florida's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum at Hammock State Park in Sebring, Florida and will speak on the role of the CCC during a difficult economic time in America's history.  Being a college trained professional photographer, a teacher and a certified picture framer has enhanced his ability to portray a 90 years old man who served in and loved the CCC.  His program has been developed by meeting and talking to many former CCCers plus, as curator of the State of Florida’s CCC Museum, access to maps, blueprints and meeting minutes for both Highlands Hammock and Florida Botanical Gardens.  Mr. Smith presented his first person interpretation at many of the CC events at parks across the state.  His main priority is to preserve the history and memory of the best vocational school/welfare program that helped save millions of people and to renew our country.

Clayton, WA
Brian Staples is owner of Brian Staples Animal Reserve and Rescue in Clayton, Washington.  He tours the United States with his many animal friends to bring awareness of the amazing animals with which we share our world.  Brian Staples Animal Reserve and Rescue is home to animals that have been confiscated at the United States border during illegal importation or rescued from abandoned or abusive situations.  In its third generation, the Rescue seeks to continue to offer sanctuary to these otherwise forsaken animals.  Brian shares his story about the protection of animals around the world through his remarkable presentations and shows.  His exhibit will be at the Walton County Fairgrounds during the official Florida Chautauqua Assembly and is free to the public to enjoy.

Flutist Donna Wissinger has been hailed as a dynamic international star whose concerts include acclaimed recitals on the mainstages of Carnegie Hall and the renowned Glinka Capella.  Recital tours have included Europe, Asia and the USA, as well as the former Soviet Union.  Donna has, with her golden flute, keynoted international conferences for such companies and associations as Starbucks, ASCD, IODA, McGill and Wharton Universities, and several Excellence in Government Conferences.  Donna is the inaugural recipient of the prestigious Doris Leeper Award for Excellence in Arts Education.  She has been a premier artist on the rosters of the Florida State Touring Program; The New York based Learning Arts; the Southern Artist Registry and numerous Arts Councils nationwide.  Donna is a USPTA tennis professional and long distance runner.  Her bicycle/flute performance tour of 2000 miles and 82 concerts from NYC to Miami were featured on the National Geographic Channel.  Donna's CDs, Amazing Grace: An American Tapestry and A Chipola Family Christmas are heralded worldwide and can be sampled, along with program information, at www.donnawissinger.com.