Board Members
American Constitution Spirit Foundation

LAWRENCE A. CREEGER
A Richmond Virginia native, Mr. Creeger attended Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ where he received a BA degree in history. He worked in the retail drug industry until joining Aarrow Rent-Alls in 1972. The company was founded by Mr. Creeger’s father in 1952 and had achieved a dominant position in the general rental industry in Virginia by 1972. In 1977 Mr. Creeger became President of the Aarrow Group which expanded rapidly into a new national equipment rental and service industry. Mr. Creeger was instrumental in creating a national special events industry and moved Aarrow Special Events into a preeminent position in that industry. He is recognized for innovations in tenting and temporary structures, premium seating, temporary lighting and HVAC, industry computerization, and event sponsorship development and acquisition. His development of the modern temporary use Skybox has altered the nature of sponsorships on the PGA Tour.

Mr. Creeger worked directly with the Honda Classic Foundation, The Dan Marino Foundation, The VCU Children’s Medical Center Foundation, and many others in support of their event-based fundraising efforts. He is an original member of the advisory board of Special Event Magazine, a founding member of the International Special Event Society (ISES), a former member of the standards committee for the Industrial Fabrics Association Industry (IFAI), and has served on many committees for the American Rental Association (ARA). He was instrumental in developing the "Tents R Us" seminar series and has presented seminars and key note addresses at numerous meetings and conventions.

Mr. Creeger became associated with the "National Monument to the U.S. Constitution", the "Monument to the U.S. Presidency", and the "Constitution Plaque Initiative" in 1989. His vision, drive and energy have brought the Foundation’s effort to its current nationally recognized position.

AARON SIEGEL
Mr. Siegel has been involved in the facilities and entertainment industry in local, national, and international markets for over thirty years. He is currently President and CEO of Siegel Ventures, LLC, A Philadelphia based company. Formerly, Mr. Siegel was Executive Vice-President and COO of Spectacor Management Group (SMG) in Philadelphia and later President and CEO of Spectacor Management Group International (SMGI) where he established facility management and operations agreements with some of the largest event venues in Europe and Russia.

Most recently, Mr. Siegel served as President and CEO of The Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania where he was responsible for overall management and funding development. He is a contributor to national and international publications and sits on numerous panels. Mr. Siegel was an advisor to the National Bureau of Standards to develop safety criteria for crowd control in public assembly facilities.

Mr. Siegel is Chairman Emeritus of the Arts and Business Council of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. He sits on the board of directors of the Freedoms Foundation, The Philly Pops, Philadelphia Hospitality, Philadelphia Music Foundation, SpectAthlete, Immaculata University, as well as The U.S. Russian Exchange, representing 41 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 8 members of the U.S. Senate.

A graduate of the prestigious Philadelphia University of the Sciences, Aaron Siegel is a welcome member to the Board of Directors of the American Constitution Spirit Foundation.

SIDNEY GUNST
Mr. Gunst is one of the original developers of The Innsbrook Corporate Community which began construction in 1979. His entrepreneurial vision at the age of 28 initiated the 850 acre environmentally-sensitive business park in Henrico, Virginia. 

He has been involved with the Innsbrook Owners Association Board of Directors since 1985 and is a founding member of the Innsbrook Foundation. The Innsbrook Foundation is a non-profit organization with a highly responsive team that coordinates and delivers over 100 events and activities each year. It functions with a year-round schedule of activities from volleyball and softball leagues, to annual Richmond Corporate Games, and the Innsbrook Classic golf tournament as well as the Foundation’s signature Innsbrook After Hours concert series.

Sidney Gunst was one of the founders of CyCor whose goal is to promote youth and local participation with respect to the nation's junior cycling programs.

 Mr. Gunst also founded "The Innsbrook Business Alliance” (IBA) whose mission is, 'An alliance of businesses brought together by a mutual desire to strengthen and support an increased awareness of commerce within the Innsbrook community.

Recently, he assisted with the establishment of the Ayn Rand Institute in Washington, DC and founded The Objective Standard: A Journal of Culture and Politics.

Gunst is a dynamic speaker who promotes economic freedom as a driver of business leadership, innovation and growth. He is passionate about the Constitution  and will be a valuable member of the American Constitution Spirit Foundation.

A graduate of High Point University with a degree in business, Mr. Gunst currently splits his time between managing his real estate interests and governmental involvement.

WILLIAM H. SYDNOR
Mr. Sydnor has an extensive background in history and professional writing. He is the executive producer and author of the one-hour documentary, "Our Inspiration": The Story of Maggie Lena Walker. The documentary was broadcast nationwide on PBS and won state, national and international awards. Mr. Sydnor lectures to schools, civic organizations and is also a freelance writer of speeches, radio and magazine ads, industrial articles, U.S. Army training films, and corporate histories.

Mr. Sydnor is the Founder and current President of the Virginia Foundation for Theatre and Film and is a former officer of the Virginia Screenwriters Forum. He is a current member of Colonial Williamsburg Duke of Gloucester Society, Lewis Ginter Botanical Society, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Virginia Historical Society

Mr. Sydnor is a graduate of Princeton University with a B.A. in History. He also attended Alliance Francaise, Paris, France and the University of Southern California Professional Writing Program.

JULIE EMMERICH
Ms. Emmerich is a teacher and educator based in Woodruff, Wisconsin. She is employed by the nonprofit Forward Service Corporation (FSC Inc.) of Madison, Wisconsin as an instructor for the Wisconsin Association of Educational Opportunity Program. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the "Upward Bound" governmental mandate. It serves high school students from low-income families and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.

Ms. Emmerich provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance by providing one on one tutoring instruction in specified course curriculum and social mentoring. She also trains and places other instructors in similar positions throughout Wisconsin.

She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, La-Crosse with a degree in education.

Julie Emmerich is a great asset to the American Constitution Spirit Foundation and provides a wealth of information on the education programs that the Foundation supports.

LINDA WINKLER
Ms. Winkler spent many years in the program development and administration field, working for Albermarle County, Virginia where she organized and developed procedures for the county’s first purchasing department. Additionally, she administered the county’s first rental assistance program. In her capacity as promotions and marketing executive, Ms. Winkler initiated a program geared toward landlords about the benefits of participating in Section 8 housing incentives. She also developed a fundraising program to “Save the Paramount” an historic Charlottesville theater. 

Ms. Winkler became immersed in the special events industry at its inception in the mid 1980’s working with one of the largest event companies in America as a special event coordinator, managing major PGA and USTA events on the East Coast. She sold sponsorships for Volvo Tennis, AT&T Challenge, Lipton International Tennis, Jack Nicklaus Memorial Tournament, and Florida Breeder’s Cup.

She has served on the Board of Directors of Muscular Dystrophy, as coordinator for the Red Skelton Benefit for the YMCA, and coordinator for the Celebrity Players Tour, Children’s Medical Center Classic, benefitting the VCU Children’s Medical Center.

Ms. Winkler currently consults with events and event companies throughout the region.

GEORGE MCGRADY
Mr. McGrady is an active member of the Renewable Energy Industry. He is President of American Commercial Solar and a representative of five EPC’s in the renewable energy industry, focusing on Photovoltaic Solar and the Bloom Energy Server. Mr. McGrady was the originating co-founder and VP of Marketing & Sales of International Cogeneration Corporation (ICGN), an innovative leader in small cogeneration development in the U.S.

As a Principal of George Mc Grady & Associates, an entrepreneurial advisory services firm, Mr. McGrady consulted with various energy related companies throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region.

As a small business development specialist, he reported directly to the VP Marketing & Sales at Merrill Lynch’s Corporate HQ, then in NYC. Mr. McGrady also served for seven years in various marketing & sales capacities with IBM. Prior to that he was a science teacher. He resides in the Philadelphia area and is a hiker of the Appalachian Trail and an avid ocean sailor.