Speaker and Contributor Bios

Linda Curtis - Linda Curtis is a 40-plus-year advocate for open government, independent voters, and competitive elections. She is co-founder of the League of Independent Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) membership association, and has been a Bastrop County resident since 2002.

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Michele Gangnes - is a native Texan and has been a licensed attorney in Texas since 1975, specializing in public finance and corporate trust. A rural Lee County resident since 1998, she helped found two local 501(c)(3) organizations, Neighbors for Neighbors and the Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund. She is also a co-founder of the League of Independent Voters of Texas.

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Andrew Griffith - is a political strategist and 13-year veteran educator with over 15 years of experience building grassroots movements and empowering principled candidates. He is the founder of an independent political consulting firm Open Ballot LLC., who advises LIV.

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David Jones - serves as a board member of the League of Independent Voters of Texas. He is a USAF veteran and is LIV’s webmaster and the golden voice in LIV videos. David has a master’s degree in business administration and over 20-years in health care and housing advocacy in Austin.

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Donald A. Loucks - is a Certified Texas Emergency Manager, former Bastrop County Commissioner, retired USAF fighter pilot, civic volunteer, and 34-year resident of Cedar Creek.

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Jenai Marek - is a Bastrop disability advocate, medically retired Texas teacher, published author, and former journalist. Founder of the Bastrop County Leftist Women’s Club, she brings investigative experience and community organizing skills to her advocacy work in Cedar Creek.

 

Sid Miller - is the 12th Texas Agriculture Commissioner and an eighth-generation farmer and rancher. First elected statewide in 2014, he leads the Texas Department of Agriculture’s work supporting Texas agriculture, rural communities, consumer protection, school nutrition, water access, infrastructure, and the GO TEXAN program promoting Texas-grown products and businesses.

 

Nick Lealos –  is an attorney with significant experience in regulatory law and open government. He currently serves as Vice President of the Autism Society of Texas and lives in Elgin with his one dog, two children, and two cats.

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Michele Rutherford - is a dedicated community leader and current Chair of the Bastrop County Democratic Party, and a Smithville resident for 26 years, where she and her husband raised their children. She helped found the Smithville Education Foundation. Michele is an RN with almost 30 years of experience.

 

Leslie Scouras - is a long-time resident of Lee County who has been involved for many years in water issues affecting the area. She is retired from Hewlett Packard, where she worked for 27 years as a Technical Events Program and Project Manager.

 

David Sissom – is a 20-year resident of Bastrop and a retired IT professional. He holds a B.S. from Texas A&M University and an AAS from Texas State Technical College. His professional background includes service as Math Department Head for Harlingen ISD, Network Manager for HCC, and Technical Trainer for Forcepoint.

 

Carol Spencer - is a lifelong Republican and very well known as a former leader of the Lost Pines Republican Women. She is also a former mayor of a small city in New Jersey and therefore has a bone to pick for local control in Texas, including giving counties zoning rights.

 

Andy Wier - is the executive director of the Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund, a Central Texas nonprofit working with landowners, business leaders, and government representatives to protect access to groundwater and the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. Through research and collaboration around shared goals.