Follow the Prophet to Citizen Engagement
On Sunday evening, attend an informative and engaging fireside at the Rocklin Stake Center. This is a five-stake event: Antelope Stake, Auburn Stake, Lincoln Stake, Rocklin Stake, and Roseville Stake.
Follow the Prophet to Citizen Engagement
June 26, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
2610 Sierra Meadows Drive, Rocklin CA
The fireside will be comprised of several panels of experts (from all five stakes) discussing topics like what it’s like to run for and be on a school board/committee or city/town council. You will also learn more about the legislative process and how to engage as a concerned citizen.
This is a nonpartisan event. Panelists are instructed not to endorse political candidates or parties. This intent of this evening is to help you understand how to get involved in your community.
Subscribe to receive updates about how you can become more involved in your community. You may be contacted by a member of your stake communication council.
The Program
The keynote speaker will be Dean Forman, who will share his personal experiences and explain the “why” of getting involved in public service. Click on his name to read his bio.
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Dr. Forman completed his undergraduate education in Family Financial Planning and Counseling at Brigham Young University. He has also completed a Master’s Degree in Retirement and Estate Planning from the College for Financial Planning and earned his PhD from George Wythe University in Philosophy and Constitutional Law. Dr. Forman served on the Roseville Joint Union High School District Governing Board from 2000 to 2004 and as President of the Governing Board in 2003/04. He served as Board Member and President for CORE Academy, a charter school in Placer County from 2006 to 2009. He also currently serves as Founder, and Board Chairman of John Adams Academies, Inc.
Panel 1: City Council and other elected offices
Moderator Maria Duncan will ask panelists Ryan Ronco, Linda Kelly, and Bill Halldin about their experiences in city government. You will learn what their jobs entail, the process of running for office, types of offices people can run for, and how to get involved. Click on any name below to read a bio.
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Bill Halldin was elected in to the Rocklin City Council in November 2018 and was chosen by the Council in December 2021 to serve a one-year term as Mayor.
Bill and his wife, Susan, moved to Rocklin in 1999 to raise their family and launch a small business, Halldin Public Relations. Bill led the award-winning business for 20 years, growing the business and setting a culture for giving back to the community. Halldin PR was repeatedly listed as one of the region’s top corporate supporters to non-profit organizations. Bill now serves as a senior leader in media relations for a large financial services company.
Bill’s commitment to giving back to the community has included leadership in local non-profit organizations. He currently serves on the boards of the Placer Feed My Starving Children MobilePack and previously served as a Sierra College Trustee, chairman of the Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce, and president of the Sierra College Foundation. He is a past board member for the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Rocklin Educational Excellence Foundation, Blue Line Arts, Roseville Chamber of Commerce, and William Jessup University Community Relations Council. William Jessup University honored Bill with its Faith & Service Award and in 2018 the Roseville Chamber awarded him its Edward M. Friedman Award for Community Service.
As a City Councilmember, Bill represents Rocklin on the Western Placer Waste Management Authority Board of Directors and the Placer County Economic Development Commission. He is an alternate on the board of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
Bill earned a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Public and Private Management from Yale University.
Bill and Susan have two children: Kathryn, a graduate of Whitney High School and Wheaton College who is now studying to become a Physician Assistant; and Michael, a Whitney High School graduate. -
Linda Kelly is Planning Commissioner for the Town of Loomis.
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Ryan Ronco is Placer County’s clerk-recorder-registrar of voters.
Ryan started in the Placer County Elections Office in 1993 as an entry-level clerk. He worked his way up the ladder and was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to the position in 2016. He was elected by the voters in 2018.
Ryan was on the ballot again in June of 2022 and while ballots are still being counted, it appears he will be reelected to another four-year term.
Ryan has lived in Placer County since 1976. He grew up in Loomis and is an Eagle Scout from Troop 121. He attended Sierra College before graduating from Sacramento State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government.
Ryan also has extensive private sector experience, both in restaurant management and as a writer/researcher for a local taxpayers’ organization.
Ryan is certified by the California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials (CACEO) as a professional elections administrator. He has served on the boards of local nonprofits and currently sits on the Board of Directors for KidsFirst. When not working, Ryan likes to read, play ice hockey, and goof around with his grown
children, Samantha and Jack.
Panel 2: School Board
Learn about what the responsibilities are of a school board trustee, the basic steps of running for school board, and what advice these experts have for parents who have children in the school system. Click on any name below to read a bio.
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Rachelle Price is a small business owner, mother of five, twenty two year Rocklin resident and currently serving as Rocklin Unified School District Board of Trustee President.
Trustee Price has served in a number of RUSD leadership roles and activities including, Granite Oaks Middle School Strategic Planning Committee (2015), Rocklin High School Strategic Planning Committee (2016), Granite Oaks Middle School Site Council President (2015-2019), the RUSD Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Committee (2017), and the Rocklin High School Parent Club where she served as President until her unanimous appointment to the RUSD Board in 2019. Rachelle was elected in the 2020 election to her current position for a four-year term.
Although she spends much of her time helping RUSD schools, Mrs. Price goes above and beyond in the Rocklin Community as well. For the last several years, Price has volunteered her time coaching the Rocklin Pony Champions special needs baseball team; leading the Rocklin Day of Service, leading the Rocklin Historic Quarry District Christmas Tree donation program, and as a Director on the Rocklin For Excellence in Education Foundation. -
Pat Seeley moved to Nevada County in 1969. She attended Nevada Union High School and graduated mid-term in 1972. Following graduation Pat established her career in business and has enjoyed living in Lake of the Pines for the last forty years. Her son graduated from Bear River High School. She has a granddaughter who graduated in 2021 from Bear River High School and a grandson who is currently a junior.
Pat originally applied for a vacancy on her local school board in 2017 to pursue her passion in serving the educational needs of the community. Her wish has been to ensure that today’s students have access to the best education possible. She is retired and loves to golf, garden, travel and spend time with family.
Panel 3: School committees
In this panel discussion, you will learn how to get involved as a parent. Learn about many committees and groups and what engaging with a school looks like. Click on any name to read a bio.
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Chadwick is the Lincoln Stake Education Specialist. Mendi is a Placer County local who grew up attending Auburn schools. As a member of the Lincoln Stake, she has been tasked with familiarizing herself with the school districts in Lincoln and Loomis. She attends school board meetings, has built relationships with district administration, and viewed the sexed curriculum approved by each school district.
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Attended schools in Rocklin and was active with leadership at Rocklin High School. Now my own children attend Rocklin schools, last year we had kids at elementary, middle school and high school. I am the current Rocklin High School Parent Club President, entering my 4th school year.
Panel 4: Civic Engagement
In this final panel, hear from two experts on how every citizen can get involved on a foundational level. Learn about common misconceptions of bills and laws. Find out what you can do if you have a minority opinion on a topic. Understand the layers to the legislative process. Click on any name to read a bio.
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Lance Christensen, Vice President, Education Policy & Government Affairs, California Policy Center
Lance Christensen brings nearly two decades of public policy and political experience to the California Policy Center where he serves as the Vice President of Education Policy and Government Affairs. He actively oversees the operations with two of their central projects, ParentUnion.org and California Local Elected Officials.
Before stepping into the nonprofit world, he worked as a legislative consultant in the California State Senate, as well as a finance budget analyst at the Department of Finance. More recently, Christensen served as chief of staff and senior policy advisor to California State Sen. John Moorlach.Outside of government, Christensen served as director of the Pension Reform Project for Reason Foundation, setting the stage for major reforms in state and local retirement funding across the country. His research and commentary on education issues and state and municipal fiscal policy is regularly published in national and local publications. He is a regular guest on radio, television and podcast shows across the state and nation.
Christensen served in the New York Rochester Mission, earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree from Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy, specializing in international relations.Based in northern California, Christensen is fully engaged in his community, coaching any number of youth leagues, sitting on various boards and serving in various leadership positions in the church. He is happily married to Kelsey and a father of 5 children, all of whom are seventh-generation Californians.
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Audrey Perry Martin is a national and California political law expert with over 15 years of experience.
She lives in California with her husband and three daughters, who are regular recipients of her lectures on the wonders of women running for political office. She’s also an election law expert with extensive experience; including working on multiple presidential campaigns. She has worked for Congress, at private law firms in Washington, DC and California, and taught election law at Brigham Young University law school.
Project Elect gathers women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to first, educate members of the Church about the importance of women’s involvement in public service; second, encourage and recruit each other to run for public office; third, support each other in campaigning for and participating in public service.
