William J. Althaus An
attorney, Mr. Althaus served for 12 years as Mayor of York,
Pennsylvania, where he resides with his family. He is currently
an international public affairs consultant with both public
and private sector clients, and an international consultant
in local government, public administration and association
development.
While
mayor, he was active in the National League of Cities,
and the Pennsylvania League of Cities, which he served
as President in 1991. He was particularly active in the
U.S. Conference of Mayors, serving as President of USCM
in 1993. He received two presidential appointments (1985
and 1989) to the National Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation, and another as member of the Advisory Council
to the U.S. Trade Representative. He is past-President
of the National Republican Mayors Association, and was
elected President in 1991. He continues to be active in
public affairs.
Charles F. Becker Mr.
Becker is Director of the Alaska Export Assistance
Center in Anchorage, a unit of the U.S. Department
of Commerce. A specialist in marketing and public
relations, his career has included service as Washington
Representative for a number of local governments
throughout the country, including Phoenix, Albuquerque
and Anchorage, as well as a number of positions in
the private sector. He was governmental relations
consultant for Brown & Root and business development
director for VECO Corporation, and the Alaska Support
Industry Alliance. Mr. Becker has represented U.S.
commercial interests in Europe, Asia, the Middle
East, Russia and the Newly Independent Sates.
Thomas C. England President
of Mendez England & Associates, an international
consulting firm based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. A
native of Buffalo, New York, Mr. England has been
actively engaged in business in Puerto Rico for the
past twenty years. For eight years he served as Washington
Representative of the City of San Juan, as well as
other cities in the U.S. He served as a Principal
at the National Center for Municipal Development
in Washington, DC, and in federal service with the
U.S. Information Agency, Motion Picture and Television
Service, and the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity,
Office of Economic Development. He is a co-founder
and Board member of the Albanian American
Trade and Development Association.
Richard S. Kochan A
businessman from Washington, DC, Mr. Kochan is President
of PPED, Inc., a professional consulting firm specializing
in local government, intergovernmental relations,
housing and economic development. Mr. Kochan began
his career in the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity,
as a specialist in community organization and community-based
economic development. As a Democratic Party activist,
he resigned from the government to join the vice
presidential campaign of Sergeant Shriver. On the
local level he served as Director of Economic Development
for Chautauqua County, NY. As a principal of the
National Center for Municipal Development in Washington,
Mr. Kochan provided numerous municipalities with
federal affairs consultation. A native of Niagara
Falls, New York, Mr. Kochan is active in business
in Puerto Rico.
Michael Krull Michael
Krull is managing director in the Washington, DC office
of Gordon C. James Public Relations (GCJPR), a public
relations, government affairs and event management firm
based in Phoenix, AZ. GCJPR provides services to government
agencies, Fortune 500 companies, privately-held firms
and the non-profit sector. He previously worked for Mendez
England & Associates, an international consulting
firm based in Bethesda, MD. Mr. Krull has worked extensively
in the international business and trade sectors through
his positions as executive vice president of the Corporation
for International Trade, director of the Midwest Agribusiness
Trade Research Information Center, and vice president
of the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce Federation.
Mr. Krull was appointed by President George H.W. Bush
to positions at the US Agency for International Development.
He has also worked in the United States Senate for Senator
Charles E. Grassley (R-IA).
Major General Orlando Llenza, USAF (Ret.) Partner
in Llenza & Llenza, an architectural firm in
San Juan, PR, Llenza retired from the U.S. Air Force
as a Major General. A fighter pilot and veteran of
the Korean War, he served for six years as the Adjutant
General of Puerto Rico and was elected President
of the Adjutant Generals Association of the U.S.
He
was awarded the United States Distinguished Service
Medal, the Puerto Rico National Guard and State of
Florida Distinguished Service Medals. He served as
Director, U.S. Agency for International Development
in Ecuador, and was awarded the National Order of Merit
by the President of Ecuador. A professional architect,
he resides in Puerto Rico with his family.
Major General Orlando Llenza, USAF (Ret.) View Bio
Dr. Antonio M. Longo Dr.
Longo is a retired physician. A native of Puerto Rico, he
was a founding member of Estadistas Unidos at its inception,
possibly one of the first formally organized statehood
movements, which evolved into today’s Statehood (New
Progressive) Party. He has been a lifelong member of the
Republican Party and was National Committeeman of Puerto
Rico Young Republicans. He has resided and practiced in
Virginia during the last 44 years. He was President of
Pulmonary Internists, and served as Medical Director of
Circle Terrace Hospital. He subsequently worked for Genesis
Elder Care and directed their office medical laboratory in
Alexandria, VA. A graduate of Georgetown Medical School, he
was a Fellow of the University Hospital of San Diego and
Georgetown University Hospital. He served on the 8th
District Medical Board and as its Vice-Councilor. He
presided the Alexandria Medical Society and was Chief of
Medicine at National Hospital in Arlington,VA.
Hugh Nichols A
native of Alabama, Mr. Nichols is an international
consultant serving most recently in Eastern Europe.
He has compiled a distinguished record of public
service during his career, including six years as
County Executive of Howard County, Maryland; Member
of the Howard County Legislature; Member of the State
of Maryland House of Delegates and Chairman of its
Appropriations Committee; Assistant Budget Director
for the State of Maryland, and Chairman of the Baltimore
Regional Planning Council. In the private sector,
Mr. Nichols was Director of Regional Economic Development
for the Energy Corporation of Louisiana. He currently
serves on the Southern Growth Policy Board representing
the State of Alabama.
Justin O'Brien Mr.
O'Brien is a municipal affairs consultant in Washington,
DC specializing in local government and intergovernmental
relations. His career has included service as a Washington
Representative for a number of local governments, organizations
and private sector clients. A graduate of the Universidad
Interamericana de Puerto Rico, he has lived, worked and
studied in Puerto Rico. Over a five year period as senior
associate at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he worked
in a variety of capacities including liaison to Puerto
Rico's mayors, the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration
and Staff Director for the Conference's Task Force on
border issues. He earned his Master of Arts degree in
international political economy from the American University
in Washington DC. Mr. O'Brien is also an officer and
10 year veteran of the United States Air Force Reserve.
He resides with his wife and family in Washington DC.
Dr. Hernan Padilla Dr.
Hernan Padilla is a retired physician specializing in
nephrology. He was Physician-In-Chief of the National
Capital Area for Kaiser Permanente, and a member of the
Board of Directors of The Capital Area Kaiser Permanente
Medical Group. A native of Puerto Rico, he served in
the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and as Speaker
of the House before being elected Mayor of San Juan,
an office he held for eight years (1977-1985). While
Mayor he was nationally active in local government issues
through his involvement as a leader in the National League
of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He served
as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1985,
becoming one of our Nation’s foremost spokesmen
on local government issues at that time. A
founding member of the New Progressive (Statehood)
Party in Puerto Rico, he has been a strong advocate
of statehood for the island for most of his life.
He also served as National Committeeman for the Republican National Committee
representing Puerto Rico. Long a leader in public service, he was honored to
be appointed as Alternate Representative of the U.S. Mission to the United
Nations in 1982, and a Member of the Presidential Scholars
Commission for six years.
He lives with his family in Miramar, Florida.
Thomas J. Scanlon Mr.
Scanlon is President of Benchmarks, Inc., a professional
consulting business in Washington, DC specializing
in international trade, federal relations, and development
of charitable organizations. He is a regional specialist
in Latin America, being active in the Americas since
serving in Chile in the Peace Corps. He is a Director
and Chairman of the Board of the Public Welfare Foundation.
He also serves as Executive Director of two nonprofit
foundations in the Peoples Republic of China that
support a hospital and other charitable projects.
His clients have included USAID, the Peace Corps,
the Interamerican Foundation and many private businesses
throughout the world. One of our country’s first
Peace Corps Volunteers, he recently authored the
well-received book entitled, "Waiting for the
Snow," which focuses on his experiences in Chile.
Guy F. Smith Managing
Editor of the U.S. Mayor, a bi-monthly newspaper
of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mr. Smith is a
professional journalist with many years’ experience
in federal affairs and local government issues. Originally
from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mr. Smith served on the
staff of three Resident Commissioners of Puerto Rico
in the U.S. Congress. In addition to his years of
service at the U.S. Office of Education, Mr. Smith
has served in a variety of senior staff assignments
with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. With Panuzio
and Associates, Mr. Smith was project director of
a major study of federal aid to Puerto Rico. He is
a resident of Alexandria, Virginia.
