July 21, 2016

2016 GOP Convention Program for Thursday, July 21st

CLEVELAND – The 2016 Republican National Convention (RNC) holds its final day of proceedings in Cleveland, Ohio, today with a program of speeches and events that reflect the theme: “Make America One Again.”
 
Tonight’s theme acknowledges America’s serious challenges at home and the threats we face abroad. In order to turn our challenges into opportunities and keep America secure, we need leadership that will focus on what unites us, not what divides us. Donald Trump and Mike Pence will move our country beyond the divisive identity politics that have been holding us back by restoring leadership, building trust, and focusing on our shared love of country and our common goal of making America great again.
 
Thursday’s program will highlight the Republican Party’s vision for bringing Americans together and creating the conditions that will allow everyone – young people, working families, and entrepreneurs from all walks of life – to pursue their aspirations. Featured speakers include Reince Priebus, Peter Thiel, Tom Barrack, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump.
 
A list of today’s program speakers and their backgrounds follows.

 
MAKE AMERICA ONE AGAIN
THURSDAY, JULY 21
 
Brock Mealer, Motivational Speaker
Brock Mealer is a walking miracle. After suffering a spinal cord injury on Christmas Eve of 2007, he was told that he had a one-percent chance of ever walking again. Mealer’s story struck the hearts of millions of Americans.
Mealer sustained his injury in a car crash involving several members of his family just five minutes away from their home. His brother Elliot, an offensive lineman headed to the University of Michigan to play football, was able to free Brock from the wreckage, but the two brothers lost their father, David, and Elliot’s girlfriend, Hollis Richer, in the crash. Today, Brock has conquered the odds and is able to walk again.
 
U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (TN-7)
Rep. Marsha Blackburn was first elected to Congress from the 7th District of Tennessee in 2002. As a small businesswoman, author, mother, grandmother, and Member of Congress, she is dedicated to making America a more prosperous place to live. No stranger to adversity and hard work, Blackburn went to college on a 4-H scholarship and worked her way through school selling books for the Southwestern Company. She was one of the company’s first female sales associates and one of their first female sales managers. She assisted the company in establishing a division focused on women.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin is the governor of Oklahoma. The first woman elected to the job, Fallin earned the position through years of service to the people of her state. Fallin started her career in politics by serving two terms as a state representative. She later serves as lieutenant governor and the congresswoman from the 5th District of Oklahoma.
Fallin has served as the chairman of the National Governors Association, where she led a nationwide initiative to help better align education with the needs of a modern-day workforce.
 
Dr. Lisa Shin, National Diversity Coalition for Trump
Dr. Lisa Shin, OD, is the owner of Los Alamos Family Eyecare, P.C. in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She is known and trusted as an authority on eye care and vision protection. Dr. Shin is a member of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump and a Trump delegate to the Republican National Convention.
 
Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee Chairman
Reince Priebus’ three terms make him the longest-serving chairman in modern history. During his first term as chairman, Priebus oversaw a dramatic turnaround of the RNC, rescuing its finances, rebuilding its operations, and implementing the best ground game effort the committee had ever organized. Priebus dedicated his second term to taking the party’s message of freedom and economic opportunity to all states and all communities. By welcoming new voices and voters and harnessing the power of new technology, he led the RNC in building the infrastructure needed for a landslide GOP victory in the midterm elections. Now in his third term, Priebus is working to deliver victories in races across the country in the 2016 campaign.
 
Jerry Falwell, Jr., President of Liberty University
Jerry Falwell, Jr. is the president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was appointed in 2007 after the death of his father, Jerry Falwell, Sr. Falwell attended Liberty University himself, and after obtaining his undergraduate degree, he earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. During his career, Falwell has worked in private practice and served as General Counsel for his father’s entities. Falwell is an evangelical leader and a proven Republican who stands up for America’s faith and liberties.
 
Peter Thiel, Venture Capitalist
As a venture capitalist and entrepreneur, Peter Thiel has been involved in some of the most dynamic companies to emerge from Silicon Valley over the past two decades. In 1998, Thiel made e-commerce easier, faster, and more secure by co-founding PayPal, defining a new era of fast and secure online commerce. He was the first outside investor and director at Facebook, and also launched Palantir Technologies, where he serves as chairman of the board of directors. Peter established and funds the Thiel Foundation, which promotes freedom in all its forms while working to advance technological progress and long-term thinking about the future.
 
Tom Barrack, CEO of Colony Capital
Tom Barrack is a real estate investor and the founder and executive chairman of Colony Capital. Prior to starting his own business, Barrack served in the Reagan administration as deputy undersecretary of the Department of the Interior. Barrack and Donald Trump have worked together on many real estate deals during their time in business.

Ivanka Trump, Executive Vice President at The Trump Organization
Ivanka Trump is a real estate executive, entrepreneur, wife and mother. As executive vice president of Acquisitions and Development at The Trump Organization, she is leading some of the company’s most high-profile deals, including the $200 million conversion of the historic Old Post Office in Washington, D.C. into a luxury hotel and the $250 million renovation of the iconic Doral Golf Resort in Miami, Florida. Ivanka is also the founder of the fashion line Ivanka Trump Collection.
 
Donald J. Trump, Republican Nominee for President of the United States
 

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