THE FIRST ACFC BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
DIRECTORS and OFFICERS
David A. Roberts, Chairman
Dr. Stephen Baskerville, President
Michael McCormick, Executive Director
Ileana Basil, Treasurer
John G. Maguire, Director of Communications, Media and Public Relations
DIRECTOR AND OFFICER BIOGRAPHIES
David A. Roberts, Chairman - is a founding director of ACFC. Mr. Roberts is responsible to the Board of Directors for achievement of ACFC objectives in accordance with policy, as established by the Corporate Organizational 2000-organization manual, which he wrote for ACFC. This manual is based on 17 years of experience as a consultant on quality assurance and project management for defense and aerospace contractors.
Mr. Roberts previously owned and operated his own precision machine tool job shop, Roberts Machine Tool, which specialized in critical quality items for the Navy's Level 1-subsafe program, and the nuclear power industry. He brings a rigorous "zero-defects" quality assurance philosophy to the management team of ACFC.
Mr. Roberts was involved as a lobbyist on the state level in Maryland for Fathers United. He was instrumental in temporarily defeating some of the worst anti-family legislation coming from Washington. It was this experience that convinced Mr. Roberts of the need for a new national organization founded on solid business principles. His experiences led him to found ACFC, an organization with a positive and mainstream message about the need to re-involve fathers in their children's lives.
Mr. Roberts is also a published author and contributor of dozens of quality assurance, military history and strategy articles for small magazines ranging from Tooling and Production, to The General. An expert chess player, he has also published or contributed to several military history simulation gamed by The Avalon Hill Company. In 1971 he won every "wargame" tournament on the East Coast before retiring from this field. Mr. Roberts brings a wealth of strategic developmental knowledge, as well as business experience, to ACFC management.
Dr. Stephen Baskerville, President - Dr. Baskerville joined ACFC in January of 2004 as President of the organization while fulfilling his current contract as political science professor with Howard University. He is internationally known for insightful commentary on the dismal state of family courts in America and the obstacles faced by fathers attempting to remain a significant part of their childrens lives after divorce. Among the numerous publications in which Dr. Baskerville's articles and commentary have appeared are the Washington Post, Washington Times, Insight Magazine, Human Events, The Boston Globe, Reason, National Review and the Journal of Political Science. Additionally, he has appeared on a number of national television shows including Fox New's O'Reilly Factor, Hardball with Chris Matthews and Court TV.
Michael McCormick, Executive Director - Michael McCormick joined the ACFC board in 1998. His professional background developed in the financial services industry, working with non profit organizations in the area of corporate and member development, as well as community relationship building. McCormick acted as the primary spokesman for ACFC during the Elian Gonzalez situation and has been interviewed extensively by the media regarding shared parenting.
Ileana Basil, Treasurer - Ileana Basil is a founding director of ACFC, and Treasurer of the ACFC Board of Directors. As a committed second wife who had not previously been involved in these issues, Ileana now knows the problems of divorced fathers first-hand. Ileana brings rigorous financial expertise to ACFC developed through her years of business experience as project manager, corporate treasurer and director of a large international conglomerate. She also has served as financial advisor and director for a number of other organizations.
John G. Maguire, Director of Communications, Media and Public Relations - Mr. Maguire comes to ACFC with an extensive background in journalism and media relations. He has held media related positions with Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and Tufts Medical School. John directed the science journalism program at Boston University. Additionally, he has experience as a reporter with several major daily newspapers.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Stuart A. Miller - Washington, DC
Stuart Miller is nationally recognized as an expert in domestic policy as it pertains to the family. He is frequently called upon to testify before Congress, state legislatures, committees and regulatory groups. In addition to drafting legislation for Virginia and Texas lawmakers, he has drafted amendments to the 1994 omnibus crime bill on family violence and has co-authored the proposed by Representative Randy Forbes. Mr. Miller has engaged in top level policy development with the White House Domestic Policy Counsel, the Welfare Reform Task Force and the Administration for Children & Families Office of Child Support Enforcement. Mr. Miller also writes for the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Playboy and is under a blanket freelance agreement with the Washington Times. He is the former host of a nationally broadcast radio show on 450 radio stations throughout the country. Mr. Miller is Senior Legislative Analyst for the American Fathers Coalition, a national coalition of 250+ fathers rights groups in the United States. AFC's primary constituency is comprised of responsible fathers who want to participate in their children's lives emotionally, physically and financially.
Jeffrey Leving, Esq. - Chicago, Illinois
Mr. Leving is a Chicago matrimonial attorney who helped write the Chicago joint custody bill that has been in effect for over a decade. In addition to his legal and legislative efforts, Mr. Leving speaks on domestic relations in both print and broadcast media. Jeffery has appeared on Nightline with Ted Koppel, Talk Back Live on CNN, 20/20, AM-Philadelphia, the Montel Williams Show and the Oprah Show, as well as numerous radio shows. Mr. Leving is in continual demand as a keynote speaker and lecturer on the importance of fathers and joint custody. He is the author of the book, "Fathers Rights" by Basic Books.
Martin Whitbeck - St. Louis, Missouri
Marty Witbeck has a Bachelors degree in Business Management with an emphasis in accounting. Marty spent two years working as a business manager for a non profit organization. Marty is president of the Missouri chapter of the ACFC. His chapter has had an excellent year with several major victories in the legislature. One such victory resulted in making the calculation of child support more equitable. ACFC-Missouri is currently working on pro-child legislation.
Reginald Brass - Los Angeles, California
Reginald Brass is the Founder and President of "My Child Says Daddy", a non-profit organization established in 1991 to help African-American Fathers share responsibility in raising their children. The purpose of the organization "My Child Says Daddy" is a parenting organization committed to serving as a bridge for building better families in the community. Mr. Brass has experience as a teacher/counselor and was the co-sponsor of the First Public Community Forum on Child Support in Los Angeles. Reggie has been instrumental in educating the public on the importance of fatherhood in both print and broadcast media.
Reggie's work has been featured in newspaper articles in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Los Angeles Sentinel. Reggie has debated Gloria Allred on Good Day LA and appeared on CNN-Talk Back Live, the 700 Club and various other radio and television talk shows. His varied community service projects include: Member of the "Pregnant Minor Task Force", on the Sex Equity Commission of the L.A.U.S.D. Mr Brass is the community resource person for Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie-Hudson's office engaged in making recommendations for legislation pertinent to parenting issues. The Senate Select Committee on Teenage Pregnancy, with Senator Teresa Hughes, and he was the community resource person for the Director of Community Affairs at the Governor's Office.
Carol Hopkins - San Diego, California
Carol Hopkins, and educator by profession, was selected for the 1991-92 San Diego County Grand Jury, and served as Deputy Foreman. The Grand Jury received a complaint from a local Congressman regarding possible misconduct by those investigating child abuse. This led to a year-long investigation of the entire Juvenile Dependency System. Also investigated were problematic allegations of abuse and molest during family court custody disputes, and a number of wrongful criminal prosecutions of child abuse. Five Grand Jury Reports were issued with numerous recommendations for local reform. San Diego County adopted most of the recommendations in 1992. Other recommended reforms required changes in state and federal law over which the Grand Jury had no jurisdiction.
Since 1992 Ms. Hopkins has been active in drafting and supporting reform legislation both in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. and has provided testimony before the California State Legislature as well as before the U.S. Senate, in her capacity as a private citizen. Carol Hopkins serves on the S. D. District Attorney's Ad Hoc Committee on Child Abuse, San Diego County's Child Protection Services Task Force, and is a board member of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform.
As co-founder of the Justice Committee, Carol previously served as a advocate for the falsely accused and the unjustly convicted. She has been a highly visible proponent of reform whose comments have been cited in dozens of national media stories including CBS's Eye on America, Before Your Eyes, Gordon Elliott, Inside Edition and 48 Hours, ABC's Prime Time Live, and Turning Point, NBC's The Leeza Show, and in national publications such as; Newsweek, Time, The Washington Post, New York Times, The Washington Times, LA Daily Journal, LA Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Esquire, Gentlemen's Quarterly, National Review, Mother Jones, etc.
Carol Hopkins is the former Executive Director of the Justice Committee. The Justice Committee was formed out of a concern for abuses in the criminal justice system. These abuses have resulted in wrongful prosecutions of innocent citizens, a vast waste of community resources, and an eroding public confidence in the judicial system. A series of high profile and unjust child abuse prosecutions in San Diego led to the founding of the Justice Committee.
David Knox, Ph.D - Greenville, North Carolina
David is divorced dad of two, with a Ph.D. from the Inter-Divisional Doctoral Program in Marriage and Family Living at Florida State University. Dr. Knox is a marriage and family therapist and Professor of Sociology at East Carolina University. He is also the author or co-author of ten books including "Choices in Relationships" and "How to Be Your Own Family Therapist". He recently authored the book "The Divorced Dad's Survival Book".
Dean Tong – Tampa, Florida
Dean is an internationally known family rights activist and authority on the issue of false child abuse/sexual impropriety accusations. Tong, a published author, speaker and consultant for the A-Team, has appeared on more than 600 radio talk shows this decade, numerous TV programs, and articles in the Boston Globe, Washington Times, and Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. He is the author of a hard hitting reference handbook for parents, attorneys, therapists educators and students, concerned with the popular trend, but unpopular issue, of false child abuse allegations, "Ashes to Ashes...Families to Dust". He is the co-author of the soon to be booklet "Love and Loathing".
Warren Farrell, Ph.D. - Encinitas, California
Dr. Warren Farrell is the author of two award winning international best sellers, "The Myth of Male Power"and "Why Men Are the Way They Are", published in over 50 countries in 8 languages. His first book, "The Liberated Man", is still selling well after 20 years. Dr, Farrell listens to both sexes, He is the only man in the U.S. to have been elected three times to the Board of Directors of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in New York City; he has also served on the boards of 3 national men's organizations. He is the only person to speak at both Governor Pete Wilson's conferences on both men and women issues in 1995.
Over a period of twenty five years, Warren has worked with more than a quarter million men and women from all walks of life. The Chicago Tribune described Farrell as, "The Gloria Steinem of Men's Liberation". Dr. Farrell has served as an educator at the School of Medicine, University of California in San Diego, as well as teaching at Georgetown University, Rutgers, Brooklyn College, American University and the California School of Professional Psychology. His range of subjects includes political science, psychology, sociology, sexual politics and public administration.
In 1965, President Johnson chose Warren as one of the nation's outstanding young educators. Warren later served as an assistant to the President of New York University and revived NYU's highest honor for his Ph.D. thesis on changing men's roles and behavior in response to women's roles.
Warren appeared on the Donahue show eight times, and numerous occasions on the Oprah Winfrey show. Additionally, he has been on ABC World News with Peter Jennings, the Today Show with Barbara Walters, 20/20, Crossfire, and Larry King Live. Warren has been featured in People and on Real People; in Time and the New York Times; on the CBS Morning News and Good Morning America, Geraldo
and To Tell the Truth. He has written for publications ranging from Psychology Today to World Book Encyclopedia; from Cosmopolitan to Ms.; from Glamour to Journals of sociology and psychology.
Caroline Schacht, MA - Greenville, NC
Caroline Schacht, has a M.A. in Sociology and M.A. in Family Relations, is Instructor of Sociology at East Carolina University where she teaches Courtship and Marriage and Introduction to Sociology. Her clinical work includes marriage and family relationships. She is also a divorce mediator and the co-author of several books including Marriage and the Family: A Brief Introduction (Wadsworth, 1999).
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