Patricia Kurgan is the founder and President of Astro Logistics, Inc., a business consulting and transportation logistics firm, and researcher for The Kim Monson Show. Patti has extensive interaction with businesses, community boards and constituents on policy issues through grassroots efforts. Additionally, she has testified numerous times on behalf of small business owners and constituents in state hearings. Patti enjoys the beauty of Colorado and hiking with her family.

Our guest is Mike Russell from Shreveport, Louisiana and got his undergraduate in finance at UOFA and his MBA from UCLA. He comes from a family of republicans but views himself as more of a libertarian. He has never been involved in politics but has recently wanted to get involved. He hopes to run for office some day on a platform of balancing budgets and reducing government bloating. He has found it incredibly hard to go into the political world as an outsider with no family in politics as well as never having gotten involved in a party during college.

Crista Ray is the Young Adult Engagement Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region, where she oversees and manages the AmeriCorps program at the organization. Crista’s career with Habitat Charlotte and passion for AmeriCorps began when she served two terms with Habitat AmeriCorps as a Resource Development VISTA member and Construction Crew Leader. Crista’s previous positions also include roles with Habitat Charlotte’s Family Services team and with the local branch of the American Red Cross. Crista is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Greg Simpson

Greg is an AmeriCorps Construction Crew Leader with Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region. Prior to his AmeriCorps service, Greg served in the United States Navy as an electrician onboard the USS Ronald Reagan and was part of three deployments in four years. During his time in the Navy, Greg volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Singapore and in Thailand, which helped him to develop a strong desire to help the community and a caring spirit towards others around the world. Greg received his degree in aeronautics after leaving the military in 2012 and later became an airline and commercial helicopter pilot. Not finding the fulfillment he desired, Greg left the aviation industry in pursuit of a more meaningful career, which ultimately led him to an opportunity with Habitat Charlotte in April 2020 as an AmeriCorps member. Greg is currently wrapping up his first term as a Construction Crew Leader and is preparing to begin his second term.

Sue Moore, Chairman Republican Liberty Caucus of Colorado, former Chairman Denver County Republican Party, 2016 graduate of Leadership Program of the Rockies, owner Elizabeth St. Properties.

Former Chairman at Denver Republican Party

Former Captain at Denver District 2 GOP

Former Owner at Moore Media

Former Account Executive, Media Planner/Buyer at Kothe Howard & Roche

Former Media Planner / Buyer at Fahlgren & Ferriss

Went to Thomas Worthington

Studied Finance at University of Denver

Studied Communications/Advertising at University of Kentucky

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-moore-b762776/

https://www.facebook.com/SueRoseMoore

FELECIA FORD

Felecia Ford’s singing career has taken her over seas and to almost every state in the U.S., singing in many of the most prestigious theaters in America as well as many famously acclaimed rock venues and her voice has been heard in over 157 countries world-wide.

KIM WEISS

For over 30 years, Kim has been a seasoned publicist—serving companies, products, organizations, artists and authors. From 1994 -2020 she headed up the PR department of a major book publisher, HCI (Health Communications, Inc.), best known for launching health, wellness, inspirational, women’s, nonfiction and self-help including the bestselling  Chicken Soup for the Soul series and  A Child Called “It.” While at HCI, she worked with legendary actor Kirk Douglas on one of his final books, Life Could Be Verse: Reflections on Love, Loss, and What Really Matters.

She also helped put books on the NY Times bestseller list including I Want! by former CNN/HLN reporter Jane Velez-Mitchell and Getting It Through My Thick Skull by internationally recognized survivor and motivational speaker Mary Jo Buttafuoco, She worked on other popular books including What The Bleep Do We Know and books for The Brahma Kumaris. While at HCI she headed up a division called Simcha Press which focused on books of Jewish interest which she launched at the Jerusalem Book Fair.

Prior to entering the book business, for many years Kim ran her own PR firm in Boca Raton, FL, where she managed a varied clientele of companies, municipalities, financial pros, fine artists and businesses—from The Unity School in Florida to Waste Management, Inc. Kim was most recently Chair of the Arts Commission in Boynton Beach, FL, and published her own book of photos and inspirational passages called  Sunrise Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude. 

As a storyteller, Kim has contributed to the hugely popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series and The Ultimate Bird Lover with “America’s Vet” Marty Becker. You can also find Kim’s stories and photos in Arielle Ford’s acclaimed book Hot Chocolate for the Mystical Soul

When she’s not working with authors, Kim is studying opera, playing guitar, being entertained by cats, or taking photos from her new home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

IVAN WILZIG

Banker–turned–singer, reality TV celebrity and social activist Ivan Wilzig has led a life that Hollywood movies are made of; all of which ultimately ties back to his passion to see the world live in peace and harmony.

IN THE BEGINNING

Born in Clifton, New Jersey (January 6, 1956), Ivan grew up with two siblings and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in European Intellectual History from the University of Pennsylvania and then later, he went on to earn a law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Rather than practicing law however, Ivan joined his father Siggi in running The Trust Company of New Jersey.

After more than twenty years working for his family’s multi-billion dollar commercial banking business, where he also sat on the Board of Directors, Ivan left the banking world behind to reinvent himself as recording artist “Sir Ivan”. His love for music and his passion for peace and equality translated into a very unique sound that ultimately led to him becoming a Top 10 Billboard-charting artist.

THE RECORDING ARTIST

Sir Ivan’s journey began in 2000, when he played a demo tape for Dave Jurman, Senior Executive Director of Dance Music at Colombia Records. Dave was so impressed with Ivan’s talent and enthusiasm that he immediately introduced him to Ernie Lake, half of the two–time Grammy nominated producer team known as Soul Solution who produced Sir Ivan’s first single.

For that first single, Sir Ivan chose the iconic John Lennon song “Imagine”, as the lyrics and message closely mirrored his own beliefs of creating a world without violence and hatred. The reason these lyrics resonated so strongly with Ivan is because his father was an Auschwitz concentration camp survivor and 59 of their Jewish family members were murdered during the Holocaust.

“Imagine” was signed to Tommy Boy Records, by label founder Tom Silverman, and was released on September 4, 2001, exactly one week before the horrendous September 11th tragedy; where it broke into the Top 40 on the Billboard Club Play Chart.

It was the first time in history that a recording artist had converted the slow rock ballad into a high energy dance record. In fact, it was the first time that a recording artist remade any Beatles or John Lennon ballad into a dance record. Incredibly, thirty years after Lennon’s original release, Sir Ivan had made the song popular again for a whole new generation.

In 2011, Sir Ivan hit another milestone. After enjoying various degrees of success with other songs on the Billboard Charts, Sir Ivan finally got the recognition from the music industry he was seeking when, for the first time, he ranked in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play chart with his hit single “Hare Krishna”, sharing the top 10 slots with superstar performers like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna.

After this monumental feat, the momentum never stopped. Sir Ivan went on to release another hit single “Live For Today,” where he ranked in not one, but two different Top 10 Music Week Magazine Charts, in the UK, in 2011 and 2012.

His first original song “La La Land”, in which he co-wrote the lyrics, also made the Top 10 in UK’s Music Week Chart in 2012. Next up, Sir Ivan co-wrote his anti-bullying anthem, “Kiss All The Bullies Goodbye”, created specifically to address the nation’s teen bullying epidemic and the high suicide rate occurring within the LGBTQ teenage community. This time Sir Ivan reached out to heavyweight dance music producer Paul Oakenfold and well-known singer Taylor Dayne and the song landed in the Top Ten in UK’s Music Week Chart in 2015. Sir Ivan’s dream of becoming an “electro-pop” star had become a reality.

THE PHILANTHROPIST

Inspired by the success of “Imagine”, Sir Ivan decided that all of his music would be about universal love, human rights and peace. The ’60s were both the most evolutionary and revolutionary period in history – when civil rights, women’s rights and gay rights were bravely fought for. The fight for these rights is still being waged today and Sir Ivan is leading the battle through his music and philanthropy.

In 2005, Sir Ivan founded The Peaceman Foundation to fight hatred and violence. Since then, he personally and The Peaceman Foundation have donated over $500,000 to various charities, including many LGBTQ, anti-bullying, and other organizations that help those directly affected by violence, such as people suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Sir Ivan is known as “Peaceman” because he portrays a superhero when he performs, complete with a cape adorned with a large peace sign centered on his back. He has been spreading his message of positivity, acceptance and goodwill around the world for more than 18 years.

THE CELEBRITY

Because of his music success, charitable work and fabulous medieval-style castle in the Hamptons, Sir Ivan has been featured on TV shows all over the world, and has quite a large following in France and Germany due to his appearance on numerous programs that have aired in those countries. Stan Lee, the most famous superhero creator of all time, personally selected Sir Ivan to star as a finalist on the SciFi Channel reality TV series Who Wants to be a Superhero. Sir Ivan has also made featured appearances on VH1’s The Fabulous Life of the Hamptons, Discovery Channel’s Epic Castles and Bravo’s Chef Roble & Co.

Sir Ivan’s movie experience consists of a major part in a full length documentary, King of the Hamptons, and, a minor role in an independent SAG film, called The Gold and the Beautiful. In addition, Sir Ivan has worked with four-time Emmy® award-winning director Jim Brown, who has also done documentaries on Billy Joel, Pete Seeger, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

Dabbling in the Hollywood film finance business, Sir Ivan was one of the Executive Producers of full-length movie Freak Show, an adaptation of James St. James’ best-selling book.

IN MIAMI

In 2018, Sir Ivan joined the Board of Directors for the College of Communication, Architecture + the Arts (CARTA) at Florida International University (FIU).

Sir Ivan is co-owner of the Wilzig Erotic Art Museum (WEAM), the largest privately owned collection of fine erotic art in America, which is one of the reasons he was invited by FIU Dean Brian Schriner to join the Board of Directors.

On December 12, 2018 Miami Beach, Florida commissioner Michael Góngora issued a proclamation for “Sir Ivan Wilzig Day”, in perpetuity, to acknowledge and show appreciation for his work and contributions, in his fight against bullying.