We are thrilled to announce our moderators for our four mock presidential debates this Thursday, October 8, and Friday, October 9, 2020. See below for their bios.

These debates are open to the public and will be held at the outdoor stage by the lake at Pinewood Forest (now Trilith) at the following dates and times…

Elementary (ages 8-10), Thursday, October 8, 2:30-4:00pm
Middle School (ages 11-14), Thursday, October 8, 4:00-5:45pm
High School (ages 14-18), Thursday, October 8, 7:15-8:45pm
Spark (ages 5-7), Friday, October 9, 8:30-9:30am

When in attendance, bring your own lawn chairs for seating and kindly wear face coverings where social distancing is impossible. Park near 290 Heatherden Avenue Fayetteville, and walk down to the stage.

Why are our learners debating about the future of America? Read more about The Making of a Politician Quest here.

The Moderators

MAYOR ED JOHNSON

Edward Johnson has been a Fayetteville elected official since Jan. 2012, serving first as a city councilman. He has served as mayor since Jan. 2016. He has lived in Fayetteville since 1994.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Johnson is a retired U.S. Navy commander and educator who now serves as full-time pastor of Flat Rock African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Fayetteville area. He and his wife Dr. Vanessa O. Johnson have two sons and three granddaughters.

Johnson says he moved to Fayetteville to put his sons into an excellent school system. He says he is encouraged by the city’s growing sense of community as it encounters well-managed development and growth.

PARK CANNON

Park Cannon is the youngest member of the Georgia House of Representatives. She is excited to represent Midtown, Downtown, and Southwest Atlanta. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Representative Cannon said, “We need to trust black women!” and will continue to stand up for LGBTQ and minority visibility in the South. Park serves on the Executive Committee of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, the nation’s largest state black caucus, as the Chair of the Civil and Human Rights Committee as well as the Co-Chair of Communications. She serves on Insurance and Small Business Development House Committees, City of Atlanta Delegation, Fulton County Delegation, Bi-partisan Future Caucus, and is the secretary for the Women’s Caucus.

EVAN R. KARANOVICH

Lead Advisor to the Chairman & CEO of Chick-fil-A, Inc

Evan began his career with Chick-fil-A in 2016 and became the first administrative and strategic advisor for Chick-fil-A’s Chairman and CEO, Dan T. Cathy. In this role, Evan is a natural connector and influencer for advancing key initiatives across the company and within the larger communities in which Chick-fil-A serves. First serving as a 14-year-old political campaign volunteer, Evan would serve as a trusted policy, political, and communications advisor to a variety of elected leaders including current and former governors, a U.S. Senator, a Commissioner of Agriculture, and numerous candidates. Now at Chick-fil-A, Evan is committed to serving as a provisionary leader as he influences and leads alongside Chick-fil-A’s 2nd generation visionary leadership of Dan T. Cathy.

Among the many projects, initiatives and areas of Evans’s support he co-leads and coordinates with directly reporting individuals to the Chairman & CEO that are tasked with non-core ventures and community partnerships; serves as designee and/or proxy for various internal and external boards, committees and cross-functional teams; partners to Chick-fil-A Culture Council; serves as an advisor and leader to the Office of the Chairman & CEO in managing scheduling, speaking, and internal/external requests; develops and executes key strategic communications to the Office of the Chairman & CEO; he also further partners with Chick-fil-A Corporate Communications Public Affairs and Public Relations, Government & Regulatory Affairs, and Corporate Social Responsibility teams on special projects and strategic initiatives.

A native of Atlanta, Evan obtained his bachelor’s degree from Georgia College and State University in Political Science and his MBA from The University of Georgia. Evan is an Eagle Scout, former volunteer firefighter, and is an active member and volunteer at Buckhead Church in Atlanta, GA.

RUTH MALHOTRA

Ruth is passionate about helping Christians communicate truth with clarity and grace, and supporting the global church to effectively cultivate and steward influence in the public square. Since 2013, Ruth has served as Public Relations Manager at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), a global organization dedicated to "helping thinkers believe and helping believers think." Headquartered in Atlanta, GA with offices in sixteen countries, RZIM seeks to reach and challenge those who shape the ideas of culture through evangelism, apologetics, humanitarian work, spiritual disciplines, and training.

Prior to joining RZIM, Ruth was actively involved in the Republican Party and conservative movement, working on several statewide and national campaigns including Bush-Cheney 2004, Mitt Romney for President 2008, and Romney-Ryan 2012. Ruth's areas of focus in civic engagement include religious liberty, free speech, pro-life efforts, and higher education reform. She has coached students in speech and debate, mock trial, and Model UN, and is passionate about helping young people engage in public policy and civil society.

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Ruth attended the Georgia Institute of Technology where she studied International Affairs and Public Policy in college and graduate school. In 2006, Ruth filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Georgia Tech and won a series of precedent-setting victories in which the Institute was ordered to repeal its unconstitutional policies and restore the free speech and religious liberty rights of all students.

Ruth has appeared on local and national television outlets including ABC News, Fox News, and CNN as well as local and syndicated radio programs, and she has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, TIME, and Newsweek. She has received numerous awards for her efforts, and was the youngest recipient of the Ronald Reagan Award from the American Conservative Union. Ruth lives in Atlanta and is involved at First Baptist Church Atlanta and Passion City Church.

TAMMY WISCO

Tammy is a professional engineer and land use planner with expertise in land use planning, infrastructure planning and design, and environmental management. An Oregon native, Tammy received her engineering undergraduate degree from University of Portland, then travelled the country for 16 years with her military husband, managing large infrastructure projects as an engineer with Parsons Brinckerhoff. Tammy paired her technical experience with a public administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School to lead regions in planning, environmental restoration and economic growth. She then landed on the Gulf Coast, and focused on regional planning and environmental restoration of shorelines hard hit by hurricanes and oil spills. Upon returning home to Oregon, Tammy founded Retia Consult and currently consults for multiple cities and developers on land use, economic development and environmental restoration. One of her recent project highlights has been managing the planning of a new net zero (for energy) university campus in Bend, Oregon, through the revitalisation of a land fill and pumice mine.

JO ANNA POTTS

Jo Anna Potts is a 4th Generation Native of Atlanta. She attended Peyton Forest Elementary, Southwest Middle School, and North Fulton High School, serving as a young diplomat to its International Studies and Arabic Language Magnet Program. Jo Anna is a member of the graduating class of 1990 at BE Mays High School and furthered her studies at the University of Georgia, graduating in 1994 with a degree in Psychology. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Jo Anna is the mother of one daughter, Harper Elizabeth, whom she adores. Harper is a graduate of Westlake High School in College Park and is now a Sophomore at Georgia State University.

Jo Anna’s work as a Community Leader in Georgia has always served as a priority. She is an active participant in the political landscape. As a voting Post Seat Holder in the Georgia Democratic Party in Fulton County, Jo Anna holds a seat on the Executive Committee of the South Fulton Region, now serving as its Vice Chair. Jo Anna founded and serves as the Executive Director of The Native Atlanta Alliance, an organization of over 4,000 interested and active community professionals – born, raised, and generationally invested in Atlanta and its metro area businesses.

Jo Anna’s professional resume is a unique leverage between business and community. Jo Anna brings to the Capitol over 30 years of business leadership, from her early work in her family’s Landscape Design Build & Maintenance companies operated in District 39 to her to experience with Fortune 500 corporations, where she has led teams in Commercial Construction Management, Federal Disaster Restoration, and Risk Management & Insurance. As an entrepreneur and small business advocate, Jo Anna is a well known fixture in the winner’s circle in RFP, RFQ, Government Contracting and Competitive Bidding spaces. Jo Anna’s colleagues best describe her as the one who “knows how to take an idea and make it 3D” and one who is “not afraid of big numbers!”

MARCUS DENNARD

Marcus Dennard is the son of Willie and Frances Dennard. Marcus has one brother (Willie Jr.) and a sister (Brittany). He is married to the lovely Sherese and they have two beautiful daughters; Lyndzi and Neva’eh. Marcus was born and raised in Americus, Georgia. He graduated with honors from The Almighty Sumter County Comprehensive High school and continued his education at Albany State University and graduated from Fort Valley State University majoring in Agronomy and minoring in Chemistry. As a young boy, Marcus discovered his first gift; music. He was one of the youngest members of his father’s quartet group, The Jenkins Jubilees. He learned and mastered several instruments; however, his main love is the bass guitar. Marcus has been blessed with opportunities to play for world renowned artists to include, Angie Stone, Montel Jordan, and in 2012 he was blessed to play on national television at the NFL Alumni Awards at the Super bowl in Indianapolis with the country group “Badhorse”. In 2003, Marcus accepted his call into the ministry, under the late Dr. John W. Pace (Red Oak United Methodist Church). Marcus later transferred to one of the sister churches, Love Life Christian Fellowship to further his education in the word under the Leadership of Pastor Grace C. Washington. Marcus attended Grace C. Washington Bible Institute and was licensed in 2007. Presently, Marcus is a Captain with the South Fulton Police Dept., where is proudly serves in the Criminal Investigation Division. Marcus loves spending time with his family, playing music, and staying physically fit. God has truly covered Marcus with his grace and mercy. If you ask Marcus who he is, the answer is simple, “A Real Country Boy from Americus, GA” that loves God!!!

LEONARD PRESBERG

Leonard Presberg has represented Post 4 (formerly 5) on the Fayette County School Board since being appointed in December 2011. He was elected to four year terms in 2014 and 2018.

Leonard currently serves as the CFO for Women’s Medical Center, an Obstetrics and Gynecology practice located in Tyrone. He is also a former Montessori pre-school teacher, the Headmaster of a Place-Based Montessori School, and a local attorney.

Currently Leonard is on the Board of Directors for Fayette Votes, which promotes voter registration, serves as the Chief Bard of the Red Clay Festival, a local storytelling festival, and as President and Founder of the Association of Secular Elected Officials. He has formerly served as the Chair of the Fayette County Democratic Committee, Treasurer for AVPRIDE, and on the Fayette County Advisory Board for the United Way. He has also served as a PTO officer, and as a coach and volunteer in various youth sports leagues.

A Fayette County resident since 1997, Leonard moved here so his wife of 30 years, Elizabeth Moore, could pursue the family business as a local obstetrician and gynecologist. Leonard and Elizabeth have three children who all graduated from Sandy Creek High School.

Leonard graduated with a BA from Oberlin College and a JD, magna cum laude, from University of Richmond.

Announcing our Debate Moderators!