The Showalter Group

With Jodi Chappell (a fellow Buckeye) of the American Academy of Audiology at their annual convention. Jodi and the AAA have kindly invited me to work with their State Leaders the last two years. This year I conducted a workshop on how to develop persuasive grassroots communications.

Mike Sullivan (l) and Bruce White (r), the Public Affairs Specialists for State Farm Insurance in George and South Carolina demonstrate their "can do" attitudes during their Key Person workshops for their annual Day at the Capitol events.

Susan Goodman (l), Director of Legislative Awareness for Southwest Airlines and her team generated over 13,000 hand-written, personal letters to members of Congress on an aviation issue that saved SWA millions of dollars per year! Nice ROI.

Amy Showalter, Susan Goodman, Jose Bravo
I am privileged to continue my collaboration with Southwest Airlines. Here I am with Susan Goodman, Director, Legislative Awareness and Key Contact Jose Bravo at their "Days on the Hill IV" event. Susan is holding a copy of her latest best-seller. (Susan is the missing identical twin of Life Coach and best-selling author, Cheryl Richardson.)

The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists are committed to taking their activism to the next level, which means imparting presentation skills and volunteer recruitment training, among other topics. Here, Liz Schultz and Wendell Spencer practice one of my eye contact exercises during our presentation skills module.

Sue Pechilio Polis (l) with me at the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting's (AALU) extra curricular activity. While at the AALU, Sue had some of the most well-connected Key Contacts I've ever worked with. She's now Direct of Advocacy at the American Heart Association.

As a part of the American Cancer Society's Campaign Against Cancer, I had the privilege to train dedicated grassroots volunteers like cancer survivor Betsy Duany of New Hampshire. Here Betsy talks about the campaign at an ACS press conference. Joining the press conference, l to r: actor Elliot Gould, Margaret Slyby, former ACS Chairman of the Board Dr. John Kelly, and ACS CEO Dr. John Seffrin.

The folks at Southwest Airlines always make me laugh. Here I am sharing a tidbit with Suzanne DeWitt-Monothofer of SWA at their Key Contact training.

Ken Schwartz and Alan Drazen of the Jack and Jill Ice Cream Company work on a project during a member workshop for the International Dairy Foods Association. Alan is really a nice guy; he just looks intimidating in this picture!

Catherine Goldstein, (second from left) Grassroots Manager for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, with her State Leaders.

Karen Endres from Alto Dairy Cooperative and Bill Oldenburg of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream work on an exercise during the IDFA workshop.

The advocates in children's hospitals are extremely results-oriented. Above, some of the best, l to r: Keith Goodwin, COO, Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; me, Larry McAndrews, President and CEO of NACHRI, and David Fisher, M.D., Medical Director of Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.

I am fortunate to be encouraged and inspired by the stellar grassroots advocates I meet. Top on my list is Garalynn Tomas, CRNA, with the American and Ohio Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

Here I am with Andi Johnson, a grassroots avatar with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International. The fence we are holding was created by her daughter after learning that her Congressional Representatives were "on the fence" regarding increased funding for juvenile diabetes research. The fence displays names of children in the state who are afflicted with the disease.

My brother, Marc Showalter, is a certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) instructor. Here he is working with the NFIB-Ohio's Leadership Council. That is his "Take it, or leave it" look as he offers various options for the group exercise.

Peggy Radabaugh (center), NFIB Ohio Leadership Council member, extols the virtues of her MBTI personality type.

Here is Laura Feldman (center) of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. She is one of the best grassroots motivators in the country! She is pictured at one of our training breaks with two of her most active members, Gertrude Pugh (left) and Irene Wirtschafter (right).

She works hard for the money! Linda Moore (left), PAC Chairperson for the AANA, takes a well-deserved break from raising money with long-time AANA grassroots activist Weller Head.