Seventh Edition Marquis Who’s Who INSIGHT 11 MARY ELIZABETH KING, PHD Political Scientist, Educator, Author Spotsylvania, VA http://www.maryelizabethkingphd.com/ How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? What it takes is tenacity. If you are flipping from one issue to another, you will not see results from your labor. If there's something you believe to be important for the United States, the future of the country or the nature of lasting democracy, it becomes much easier to maintain a constant grip and never let go. I may never live to see what I hope to see, but I won't let go. I believe that we must face the historical racism that was created in this country, and we still have a lot of work to do. What is the most important issue/challenge you are dealing with in your industry? The United States is a war-making society; this is well-documented. Wars are not necessarily the ways to bring justice or solutions. Fortunately, there is the development and growth of recognition that violence is not necessarily the most productive route toward accomplishing goals. There are ways of fighting for justice, equality and other virtues that require no violence at all. Nonviolent means have been utilized since ancient times. What excites you the most about your industry? The fact that I was 7 years old when I was taught about the War of Independence is very revealing. This was not the best way to bring about change. What was used against the British were techniques like boycotts, publications that stopped publishing reports coming from England, and the development of ideas that were never discussed before. This is something that we now know how to do well without any negativism. BOB KRAUSE Board Chair, President Veterans National Recovery Center Burlington, IA https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-krause-87903b9/ How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? Many people who started groups like us disappeared. The interest declined, but we kept chugging; there was always someone wronged by the system. Quite a few were military sexual assaults, and the military was notorious for hiding assaults and forcing young women out when they spoke up. We went to the state legislature and got a law passed in Iowa on non-federal orders that if a rape or assault occurred, it could go to civil court, which was revolutionary. It was so successful that the Iowa National Guard asked that the jurisdiction be broadened. How do you feel your industry has changed/evolved? There was a movement to create the Veterans Treatment Court. We have some districts that don’t have them, so we proposed a bill to create a Veterans Treatment Court in every jurisdiction. The judge in the city had an 85% success rate. Veterans joined the treatment court voluntarily and agreed to a two-year program. So, they would sign up, do counseling with local VA social services, and if they fall off the wagon or get arrested, instead of going back to jail for two years, they might go to jail for a week, which would hopefully allow them to keep their job and family. Once we have a statewide system, we intend to broadcast success stories to other states. What innovations or technologies do you feel will shape the future of your industry? We’ve been promoting hyperbaric oxygen therapy for traumatic brain injuries.
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