Topic: Ep. 201 – The Genius of the Town Hall
When: Tuesday 2/27/2024 at 2:00 pm ET
As written by Thomas Jefferson, “the influence over government must be shared among all the people.”
Town hall meetings encourage dialogue between elected officials and their constituents, allowing people to discuss local issues, interests, and policy solutions.
Join us this week to discuss the importance of the town hall.
Constitutional Chats are hosted by Janine Turner, Cathy Gillespie, student ambassadors, and experts who join us weekly to discuss hot-topic issues! The audience is not on camera, but you may ask questions!
Meet the Guests
The Honorable Lynn Stucky
State Representative Dr. Lynn Stucky serves House District 64, which includes both Wise County and a northwest portion of Denton County. Communities in Dr. Stucky’s district include Denton, Krum, Sanger, Alvord, Aurora, Boyd, Briar, Bridgeport, Chico, Decatur, Lake Bridgeport, New Fairview, Newark, Paradise, Rhome, and Runaway Bay.
A native of rural Kansas, Dr. Lynn Stucky was raised on a farm with his five siblings. A proud graduate of Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979 followed by his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1983. Shortly after graduating, Representative Stucky headed to Texas to find a place to begin practicing veterinary medicine. He stopped in Denton County and has never left after 40 years of dedicated service to more than 9,000 clients.
Prior to his legislative service, Dr. Stucky served for 15 years on the Sanger Board of Trustees, including four terms as board president. He also is a graduate of Leadership Denton, a former member of the Board of Directors of the Sanger Chamber of Commerce, a long-time member of the Denton Chamber of Commerce, and since 2002 has served on the Board of Directors of the Kanakuk Institute, a graduate discipleship program for young men and women to intensively study scripture. In 2003 & 2007, he was named “Citizen of the Year” by the Sanger Chamber of Commerce.
Elected to the legislature in 2016, Texas state Rep. Lynn Stucky has served with distinction earning awards and accolades as one of the most effective Conservative lawmakers in Texas. He has previously served on the House Committees on Agriculture & Livestock, Land & Resource Management, and Appropriations, where he lead on funding for education across Texas. He has previously served as a Vice Chair on the House Committee on Higher Education and was interim-chairman of County Affairs in the 87th Texas Legislature. He is currently the Vice-Chair of the House Committee on County Affairs and serves on the Article II appropriations subcommittee, which focuses on healthcare funding. He also is a member of the Committee on Resolutions.
Rep. Stucky and his wife, Lori, a former Denton ISD teacher and coach, celebrated 32 years of marriage this year. They are the proud parents of three grown children, Evan (wife Courtney), Lyndi, and Malori, and in 2022 became first-time grandparents to Beau. The Stucky family are members of the Denton Bible Church.
Rochelle A. Porto
Rochelle A. Porto is a Philadelphia public elementary school teacher and a proud single mother. A native of Wildwood Crest, NJ, Rochelle completed her education degree at Glassboro State/Rowan University.
Upon graduation, she was employed by the American Red Cross in Philadelphia where she began a workplace health and safety education program. She took time off to raise her daughter and returned in 1993 to start a business in educational workplace health and safety and through this found her calling to become a teacher in literacy.
In 1999, she began her current career as a public school teacher and finished her Masters in Education at St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania. Then in 2009, she earned her Special Education Certification from Holy Family University. Rochelle serves on Constituting America’s Education Advisory Board and is active in her community, attending local town halls, city council and school board meetings.
Meet the Hosts
Janine Turner
Actress Janine Turner is famous for her role as Maggie O’Connell in television’s Northern Exposure. She is the Founder of Constituting America which launched in 2010. She is still acting but is also actively teaching kids about the U.S. Constitution and has given over 540 speeches to classrooms across the country.
Cathy Gillespie
Cathy Gillespie is the Chair of Constituting America, a former Congressional Chief of Staff and former Commissioner of the White House Fellows Commission. She is currently serving as one of 16 private citizens serving on the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, helping organize the celebration of our country’s 250th birthday in 2026!
Tova Love Kaplan
Tova Love Kaplan is a student at Harvard University. She currently serves as the National Youth Director for Constituting America and runs the National Youth Advisory Council. She is a three-time winner of the “We The Future” Contest and is passionate about educating and empowering young people to use their constitutional rights!
Jorne Gilbert
Jorne Gilbert is a recent graduate of Moravian University where he designed a major entitled Dramatic Production and Musical Performance. He used what he learned to further develop the charitable organization Sing For America which he co-founded to produce musicals portraying the art of Truth and Light.
Jewel Gilbert
Jewel Gilbert is Executive Producer of Sing for America, a charity founded by him and his family. Sing for America reveals the Art of Truth and Light through live performance. He is the Operations Director for a new business venture, J. Barker Paving. Jewel holds a BA in Musical Performance/Dramatic