Hot Topics- 214.1
November Hot Topic- Strengthening Medicaid & Medicare
Mel’s Way Bistro 3536 Via Poinciana, Lake Worth, FL, United StatesPlease join us as Scott Darius tells us about the latest developments around Medicaid and the campaign for Medicaid expansion, as well as, recent changes to Medicare and campaigns to improve the oral health benefit. Scott Darius is the Executive Director of Florida Voices for Health. Scott graduated from the University of Florida College of Law in May of 2013. He also completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida with a major in political science in 2010. As a law student, he focused on health policy, insurance law and social justice issues. He began his career in health advocacy in 2012 when he joined Florida CHAIN where he eventually helped to coordinate the statewide campaign for Medicaid expansion. Scott has always had a passion for healthcare issues and hopes to be engaged in the process until quality affordable healthcare is truly available for everyone.
January Hot Topic- State of the County
Mel’s Way Bistro 3536 Via Poinciana, Lake Worth, FL, United StatesRegistration is closed. Verdenia, a certified government financial manager, began her service in 1987 as a budget analyst and was chosen as the next Palm Beach County Administrator in 2015. Palm Beach County is Florida’s third largest county and is one of four Florida counties and one of 50 counties nationally achieving the AAA bond rating, critical for financial stability. Verdenia led initiatives such as the Mandatory Inclusionary Workforce Housing Program and the Community Land Trust, re-implemented the small/minority/women business enterprise program in 2019, and the recently created Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Verdenia holds a Master of Science Degree in Public Administration, Bachelor of Science Degree in Rehabilitative Services, both from Florida State University. Most recently, Verdenia was one of 15 awarded Women Who Move the Nation by COMTO, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials in Washington D.C.; received the Joseph C. Bova Award from The Palm Beach
Hot Topic- Dress for Success: The Road to Resilience
Mel’s Way Bistro 3536 Via Poinciana, Lake Worth, FL, United StatesRegistration is closed. Joe Ann Fletcher Executive Director, Dress for Success Palm Beaches Bringing over two decades of leadership experience in nonprofit management, Joe Ann Fletcher is the Executive Director of Dress for Success Palm Beaches. She holds a master’s degree in Counseling and Staff Development and has completed all but her dissertation in her doctoral studies in Adult Education and Human Resource Development at Florida International University (FIU). Joe Ann has served on numerous nonprofit boards and in several C-level positions such as CEO of Saint Laurence Chapel Day Shelter, COO of HGH Education Foundation and as the Shelter Director for Women in Distress and Lippman Youth Center. Joe Ann enjoys volunteering in her spare time and has served two consecutive terms as president of her local AKA Sorority Alumni Chapter and recently served two consecutive terms as President of the North Broward County Chapter of The Links, Incorporated:
July Hot Topic- Rank Choice Voting
via ZoomRank Choice Voting-
Join us to learn more about Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), a non-partisan electoral reform that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than choosing just one. Supporters say RCV encourages voters to focus on issues and reduces negative campaigning and polarization. The electoral system is used worldwide and by 13 million U.S. voters.
Guest Speaker: Vilia Johnson grew up in Tampa and currently serves as VP and a Board member of LWV Sarasota. She is also a Director with Rank My Vote Florida and is team leader for the RMVFL Speaker’s Bureau.
August Hot Topic
via ZoomSAVE THE DATE!
Details coming soon!
September Hot Topic- Education in Palm Beach County
Mounts Botanical Garden 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL, United StatesPlease join us on September 20th, as Michael Burke, Superintendent of the Palm Beach County School District, tells us about the status of the schools today and a look at the future.
November Hot Topic 2023- THE SUPREMES: Greatest Hits & Misses
Mounts Botanical Garden 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL, United StatesTHE SUPREMES: Greatest Hits & Misses Former Justice Barbara J. Pariente will discuss recent decisions by the Supreme Courts in both Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. With a legal and judicial career that has spanned a half-century, Barbara J. Pariente spent 21 years as a Florida Supreme Court Justice before retiring in 2019. After first clerking for a federal district court judge, she settled in West Palm Beach, where she practiced civil trial litigation, was involved with the local Legal Aid Society, and was a founding member of the Palm Beach County Florida Association for Women Lawyers. In 1993, Justice Pariente was appointed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, where she served until her appointment as the seventy-seventh Justice of the Florida Supreme Court in 1997. During her time on the Supreme Court, she worked to improve methods for handling cases involving families and children in the courts. A breast cancer survivor, Justice
January Hot Topic 2024- The Crisis in Local Journalism
Mounts Botanical Garden 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL, United StatesHot Topic Luncheon with Stet Media Group - "The Crisis in Local Journalism" at the Mounts Botanical Garden The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County (LWVPBC) is inviting friends and supporters to another fascinating Hot Topic Luncheon next January at Mounts Botanical Garden, where the three co-founders of Stet Media Group will discuss the crisis in local journalism and the ongoing erosion of fact-based civic engagement. An informative discussion about Palm Beach County’s newest and toughest investigative news source with the three co-founders of the online newsletter: Carolyn DiPaolo, respected editor who for 20 years managed the news operation of The Palm Beach Post, overseeing more than 50 editors and reporters including the “Corruption County” coverage that led to multiple arrests of local elected officials and winning numerous national awards. Joel Engelhardt, who spent more than 40 years in the newspaper business, including 28 years at The
February Hot Topic 2024- Election Issues Roundtable on Healthcare, Immigration & Voter Rights
Hilton Palm Beach Airport 150 Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL, United StatesElection Issues Roundtable (West Palm Beach, FL – January 11, 2024) The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County (LWVPBC) is inviting friends and supporters to another fascinating Hot Topic Luncheon next month at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport, located at 150 Australian Avenue in West Palm Beach 33406. With another heated election year underway, the League will host informative presentations by leading experts on three critical issues: Healthcare Guest Speaker: Brent Schillinger, MD Co-chair of the League of Women Voters Palm Beach County Healthcare Committee, past president of the Palm Beach County Medical Society, and currently chairs its Opioid Healthcare Response Initiative. He also serves as chair of the Florida Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on the fiscal impact of education, affordable housing, food supply, and health care issues. He holds clinical academic appointments at the medical schools of Nova Southeastern University, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Miami. Dr. Schillinger will focus on the status of healthcare in Florida with regard to reproductive rights, the
March 2024 Hot Topic- Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link
Hilton Palm Beach Airport 150 Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL, United StatesRegistration is closed. League of Women Voters of Palm Beach to Host Post-Primary Luncheon with Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link at the Airport Hilton in West Palm Beach, March 20 (West Palm Beach, FL – February 22, 2024) The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County (LWVPBC) is inviting friends and supporters to another fascinating Hot Topic Luncheon next month at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport, located at 150 Australian Avenue in West Palm Beach 33406. Wednesday, March 20 – 11 am to 1 pm Guest Speaker: Wendy Sartory Link, Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections The day after this year’s Republican Presidential Preference Primary in Florida, Wendy Sartory Link will discuss the latest voting results and look forward to both the Primary Election on August 20 and the General Election on November 3. The recipient of the League’s prestigious Mavericks & Heroes Award in 2023, Link is the current top elections official in the county, overseeing a multimillion-dollar budget,