- Now through Feb 20
Meet Our Fabulous Speakers
Douglas Carswell
Lt. Col. Tommy Waller
Pamela Leslie
Steve Goreham
Joshua Umbehr
Mark Herr
Douglas Carswell
Douglas Carswell served in the British Parliament from 2005-2017, and subsequently co-founded Vote Leave. He is currently is a visiting fellow at the John Locke Institute. He recorded several PragerU videos, including “Patriotism: Why We Need It” and “From London to Mississippi Why I Love America.” Author, economist, former member of the English Parliament, and now CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, Carswell will offer real solutions and share recent advancements accomplished in Mississippi.
Lt. Col. Tommy Waller
Lt. Col. Tommy Waller is President and CEO of the Center for Security Policy (CSP). Founded in 1988, CSP has been a home for national security experts with the mission of protecting our nation from a variety of threats. Partnering with actor Dennis Quaid, Waller produced the documentary Grid Down Power Up, which shines a light on the vulnerability of our power grid. Waller has been actively working in multiple states on the solutions necessary to secure a resilient power grid for generations to come.
Pamela Leslie
Pamela Leslie is a wife, mother of five, and passionate champion of personal, relational, and societal self governance. As Executive Director of the Center for Self Governance and a holistic health coach, she brings together practical leadership, wellness, and purpose. Pamela actively learns, uses, and teaches artificial intelligence—not as a trend, but as a practical tool for enhancing individual effectiveness and civic responsibility. She is also co-authoring a book with her husband about Elizabeth Willing Powel, illuminating her influence on early American political culture and self governance.
Steve Goreham
Steve Goreham, MS/EE, MBA is an author, speaker, researcher, and futurist in the fields of energy and environmental policy, as well as a former engineer and business executive with Fortune 100 companies. He is the Executive Director of the Climate Science Coalition of America and policy advisor to the Heartland Institute. He has authored 4 books on energy and is a frequent guest on radio and TV, including Sean Hannity, Dennis Miller, and Fox Business Channel.
Joshua Umbehr
Josh Umbehr, MD is a family physician, entrepreneur, and national leader in the Direct Primary Care (DPC) movement. In 2010, he founded Atlas MD, one of the earliest DPC practices in the country, with a simple goal: make primary care straightforward, affordable, and human again. He later built Atlas.md, now the nation’s leading DPC-focused electronic medical record platform, used by thousands of clinics, helping thousands of physicians transition to direct care—often at no cost—by providing education, tools, and hands-on support. He has worked at the local, state, and federal levels to advance DPC-friendly legislation and policy. More recently, he launched Atlas.Direct, a direct insurance company designed to pair with DPC and make health insurance radically simpler and less expensive.
Mark Herr
Mark Herr is the President and Co-Founder of the Center for Self Governance, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring constitutional literacy and practical civic leadership. His work focuses on applied self-governance principles that help communities develop informed leaders capable of producing real political outcomes. He is also a founding board member of the American Social Science Association, advancing non-partisan systematic policy development nationwide.
James Galyean
James is an attorney by trade, and prior to founding Icelaven, he was a partner at Nexsen Pruet and served as Assistant US Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of SC. James has also founded four charter school facilities, and assisted other charter efforts with advice and back office support services. He believes strongly that public education is a public good, but that it needs to be reformed to fit the needs in the 21st Century.
Michael Burris
Michael Burris brings extensive expertise to the South Carolina Policy Council (SCPC) from his previous role as Vice President of Operations at Acme Marinas, a Charleston-based real estate private equity firm. With 15 years of leadership experience across both the military and private sectors, Michael has demonstrated a consistent track record of success. His seven-year tenure as a naval officer included three deployments during the Global War on Terror, underscoring his commitment to service. In 2022, Michael was selected for the prestigious Presidential Leadership Scholars program, where he engaged with former U.S. presidents and cabinet officials, reigniting his dedication to public service.
Diane Hardy
Diane Hardy is a former nurse anesthetist, business franchise owner, and Executive Director of the Mom and Pop Alliance of SC. She is passionate about growing personal and economic freedom in SC and has written numerous articles on the the topic. She and her husband, Jim founded the original Palmetto Panel Conference which was held from 2015 - 2019 at Clemson University. In 2020 (in response to Covid) they launched the Mom and Pop Alliance, now a 501(c)(3), that provides education and facilitates communication between the small business community and elected officials. Later they started Mom and Pop Advocacy to give SC’s hard-working family-owned businesses a greater voice in our State House.
Register Today For The Bigger And Better Than Ever Palmetto Panel 2026
Registration Pricing
$249
-
Showcase your organization, products, or services, and engage directly with attendees
-
Build relationships in a professional, non-partisan environment
-
Also includes breakfast, lunch and snack