• To empower guests/attendees with information relevant to our times through classroom discussions, museum exhibits, and out-of-classroom activities relating to art, education, recreation, and religion—all pertinent to the annual theme of the Assembly.
• To provide program content that is cross-cultural, ethnically diverse, and historically significant.
• To promote a public forum for informed discussion and debate.
• To provide high profile presenters.
• To welcome visitors to quality museum exhibits and enhance their learning journey.
• To include Walton County students as “Chautauqua presenters” by tasking them with the creation of a museum exhibit relating to the annual theme.
  

	Dennis Ray, Ph.D., Chair Dr. Dennis Ray is Chair of the Florida Chautauqua Center, Inc.  He is a retired professor of management from Mississippi State University where he served as Head of the Management Department.  His teaching career also included the University of Florida and the University of Alabama.  Dennis attended public schools in DeFuniak Springs from the first grade through the twelth.  He received his BSBA, MBA and PhD in economics and industrial management from the University of Florida and honorably served four years in the US Navy.  His practical experience includes extensive consulting work with several major American companies and the US Federal Government.  In recognition of his contribution to management theory and the management discipline, Dennis was voted a Fellow by the prestigious Fellows group of the Academy of Management.  He is the founding editor of the internationally recognized Journal of Management.  Since retiring and moving back to his hometown, Dennis has been active in numerous community service organizations, city government, preservation efforts, and local businesses. Jody Cockrell, Treasurer Jody Cockrell is the treasurer of the Florida Chautauqua Center, Inc.  She has worked for Walton County in the ambulance billing department for several years and is currently a Walton County Public Information Assistant.  She is currently taking marketing courses at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville and lives in nearby Westville, Florida. Lane C. Rees, Secretary Lane C. Rees is Secretary of the Florida Chautauqua Center, Inc.  He is President of Human Resource Solutions, Inc. and has over 35 years of human resource experience serving as Human Resource Director at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the largest oilfield in North America, as well as Human Resource Manager with SONARCO in the Sahara Desert in Algeria.  Additionally, he has worked with progressive firms and non-profit organizations sharing his broad HR experience.  Lane graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor in Business Management and a Master in Educational Administration.  Lane serves on the Texas A&M University International Board, the University of West Florida Business Council and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management.  He also served as Chair of the Republican Party of Alaska and as a County Commissioner (Chair 2001/2) in Walton County, Florida. Christopher Mitchell, President Christopher Mitchell is President of the Florida Chautauqua Center and program chair of the official Florida Chautauqua Assembly.  He is the Public Information Officer for the Board of County Commissioners in Walton County, Florida and is a resident of DeFuniak Springs.  In 2007, he concluded a 9-year career as an award-winning broadcast journalist with WMBB-TV, an ABC affiliate in Panama City, Florida.  Chris grew up in Foxboro, Massachusetts and is a 1985 graduate of Georgia Southwestern College (now named Georgia Southwestern State University) in Americus, Georgia, where he received a B.A. in political science.  Following his graduation, Chris worked as a personal aide to former President Jimmy Carter at The Carter Center in Atlanta, a non-profit, non-partisan public policy institute affiliated with Emory University.  His work with the Carters took him to numerous countries throughout central Africa and England. Nell Baker, Chair, Monologue Teas Nell Baker is the chair of our Monologue Teas.  She owns Garden & Home Gift Shop on Baldwin Avenue in DeFuniak Springs.  Mrs. Baker is a 42-year native of the area and has taught numerous arts and craft classes throughout the past four decades.  She has been featured on numerous television shows and national magazines. Jennifer Pankow, DuFuniak Springs Rotary Club Jennifer Pankow is the DuFuniak Springs Rotary Club’s representative on our board and is our volunteer coordinator for the 2010 assembly.  She recently moved to Northwest Florida from a suburb of Chicago, IL where she was an Event Manager for the last seven years. She completed a golf outing in August for a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Chicago, which fundraising proceeds exceeded all expectations. Prior to this, Jennifer worked for a large corporation planning annual sales meetings for as many as 1,200 employees. She also planned and managed the company’s international sales incentive trips. Winners were flown from various places around the world to locations such as the Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, etc. Jennifer has also worked in marketing and communications writing advertisements and various press releases. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Born and raised in Marietta, GA, Jennifer’s move back to the south has allowed her to be closer to family. Dewey Ray Dewey Ray was born and raised in DeFuniak Springs, Florida and is the direct descendent of a pioneer family that settled northwest Florida.  He is a managing partner with MacGrath Partners, Inc., an Atlanta-based firm that provides information technology due diligence and integration services to the mergers and acquisitions market.  Dewey earned his BSBA degree from Auburn University, is an Instructor Pilot, and a veteran of the Vietnam conflict.  In addition to his career-related activities, Dewey has been involved in the performing arts for many years and has performed in, produced, and co-directed community-based musicals in Tallahassee, Florida and Roswell, Georgia.  He also actively promotes his Scottish heritage by performing traditional Scottish music at events throughout the southeast.  He is a member of several social and cultural organizations including the Clan MacRae Society of North America, the St. Andrews Society of Atlanta.  He is also a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Roswell, Georgia and is a Master Mason and Shriner. Aaron Warren, Chair, Camp Conservation Aaron Warren is chair of our Camp Conservation Exhibit.  He grew up in northwest Florida and South Alabama as the son of a United Methodist preacher.  He attended Alabama Southern College in Monroeville, Alabama to earn his Associates degree, and continued his education at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama where he completed his undergraduate in Civil Engineering and Masters Degree in Civil Engineering Materials.  While attending Auburn University and serving in the National Guard as an Intelligence Analyst, Aaron was called to active duty to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom.  After graduation Aaron worked for Mobile County Public Works Department serving over 450,000 citizens, overseeing the construction and installation of the utilities, roads, and bridges.  Moving back to the panhandle Aaron went to work for Walton County Public Works Department serving approximately 50,000 citizens building roads, bridges, and overseeing the solid waste disposal program.  Currently, Aaron is a licensed engineer in multiple states and spends his time as a consulting engineer and a real estate investor.