Johnny Barnes is the self-described “People’s Lawyer” who spent more than a quarter of a century in various Congressional staff positions, including service as Chief of Staff for three Members of Congress. In addition, he has taught law and college courses at area schools and has practiced law in the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Of his time spent in the Virgin Islands as a trial lawyer, Barnes unapologetically states, “Someone had to do it.  So I made the sacrifice.”

Other related experience includes his appointment as the first male Member of the D.C. Commission for Women; as a Member of the D.C. Commission on Residential Mortgage Investment, an entity that tackled the prevalent problem of redlining and mortgage loan discrimination; as a Member of the D.C. Human Rights Commission; and as an attorney on a Special Task Force that addressed ill treatment of small Minority farmers by the Reagan and Bush administrations and discrimination by rural loan officers. That activity resulted in a resolution --- supported by the Congressional Republican Leadership --- in which billions of dollars was slated to flow to the Minority farmers. Barnes is particularly proud of the role he played in helping to create the “Street Law” Program at Georgetown University Law Center; a program that began in two D.C. High Schools and is now taught throughout the United States in schools and prisons and in thirty-five foreign countries.

A Distinguished Military Graduate, Commissioned and Honorably Discharged, Regular Army, Combat Engineer Officer, Barnes graduated, Cum Laude, from Central State University and received his Juris Doctor Degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He is the Father of two grown sons, a grown daughter and three grandchildren; his latest, a girl, is named in part after his Mother, Pinkie, who Barnes believes was a modern day Saint on earth. Barnes recently retired after serving a decade as the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union for the Nation’s Capital. He is currently in private law practice as a trial lawyer, taking and litigating select “cause” cases.

During his time at the ACLU-NCA, he led several successful efforts to conserve the Constitution and preserve the Bill of Rights. Among those efforts were resisting the proliferation of video surveillance cameras in D.C.; fighting against proposed warrantless searches by the D.C. Police; standing up against unconstitutional police checkpoints in the Trinidad Neighborhood; and pushing back against the Secure Communities program in behalf of D.C.’s Immigrant population.  Barnes recently worked with several interns in updating and completing a soon-to-be-released law article on D.C. Statehood, the unfinished human rights business in America. He continues to devote much of his time to the quest for D.C. Statehood and predicts it will happen in our lifetime.

Jonni Redick is a retired Assistant Chief with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), a 29-year veteran from one of the largest police agencies in the country with over 12,000 employees. Overseeing large-scale civil disturbance and officer-involved incidents; natural disaster response coordination and oversight; and managed hundreds of personnel within daily operations.

She is a graduate of the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Command College, Class 56. She holds a Master of Science degree from the University of San Diego (USD) and is also an adjunct professor at USD and for San Joaquin Delta College POST Academy.

Redick is a National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) member and is the current NOBLE National Chair for the Safety and Wellness Committee.

Karl Honegger, a member of the Steamboat Institute Emerging Leaders Advisory Board, an exclusive group of you

Karl Honegger (Republican Party) ran for election to the Colorado State Senate to represent District 23.

Karl Honegger is a Senior Accountant of Financial Reporting for ModivCare, a tech-enabled healthcare company. Karl assists with the Liberty Scorecard in Colorado, the most inclusive rating of lawmakers in Colorado, based off of how they vote according to Constitutional Principles. He is also a board member of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers and a former candidate for city council for the Broomfield City and County.

Emerging Leaders Advisory Council. Karl Honegger is a Certified Treasury Professional and works in accounting for an Oil and Gas company in Denver. He is a board member of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers where he is working to hold elected officials accountable to their constituents.

Toufic R. Jildeh, MD attended Michigan State University where he graduated summa cum laude and from the Honors College. He attended medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He went on to complete his residency at Henry Ford Health System where he was selected as an Administrative Chief Resident and was chosen as an American Orthopaedic Association Emerging Leader. He concurrently completed the Davidson Fellowship in Entrepreneurship. He was awarded the prestigious distinction of Most Outstanding Resident by the Henry Ford Health System. Dr. Jildeh was selected for and completed a specialized sports medicine fellowship at the world renown Steadman Clinic/Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado. While in fellowship, he served as a team physician for the US Olympic Ski and Snowboard team and was involved in the medical and surgical care of elite athletes from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA, PLL, and Olympics. 



Dr. Jildeh is an assistant professor at Michigan State University, as well as a team physician for Michigan State University athletics and the US Olympic Ski and Snowboard team.He specializes in sports medicine, joint preservation, cartilage restoration, and joint reconstruction of the shoulder, knee, hip, and elbow. Academically, Dr. Jildeh has published more than 100 peer reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and abstracts. He has presented over 100 papers at conferences nationally and internationally. He has been the recipient of accolades such as the O’Donoghue Sports Injury Award from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, as well as top research projects at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society, and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.

A ten year resident of Arlington, Virginia, Dr. Ben Pearl has been a practicing physician in the Arlington and McLean area since 1992.

Recently selected as one of the Washingtonian Magazine’s top sports doctors, he is a graduate of the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. He is a consultant at NIH and he is on an advisory board at FDA.

Dr. Pearl was recently featured in the Washington Post Magazine depicting his passion for skiing and teaching. He has had television interviews with Dr. Nancy on MSNBC on barefoot running and provided foot health information for News Channel 8.

Dr. Pearl is a fellow of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. He is the team podiatrist for the District Track Club, an elite Olympic development track team in Washington DC.He serves as medical director for the SUNY New Paltz high school cross country camp. He offers foot and ankle care to patients of all ages.

He has also been a consultant at the National Institutes of Health and the FDA, and is currently a Fellow of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine.

Dr. Pearl has a special interest in sports medicine, which is enhanced by his own participation in running, bicycling, and ski instruction.

Dr. Pearl has authored a number of articles on podiatric health. He also blogs regularly on foot care and athletic performance at Docs for Jocks.