Lisa Reichert / Executive Assistant and Associate Producer, The Herman Cain Show
Shane Backler once described Lisa Reichert as the glue that holds the team together. As the executive assistant and right hand to Herman Cain, Lisa is responsible for managing his calendar, handling the logistics of his travel, negotiating and scheduling speaking engagements, managing his correspondence and basically knowing everything that is going on at all times, just in case he asks. Lisa’s responsibilities also include working as an associate producer. Not only does she support the production of The Herman Cain Show on the radio, but she is also the on-site associate producer for all of Herman’s Fox News and Fox Business appearances with over 300 live TV shots under her belt. Plus, she produces and edits our Pure Cain Video series.
Lisa is an authentic Georgia peach, born and raised here in Atlanta. She has always been passionate about politics, having worked in her first campaign at the young age of 16, while still in high school. She is an avid reader, so much so that she helped Herman compile and edit his last two books, This Is Herman Cain and The Right Problems.
She also highlighted the fact that when she started working for Herman as a volunteer in his business office nine years ago, she had a head full of dark brown hair . . . just sayin’. She loves “digging in the dirt” and usually has fresh flowers, from her garden, on her desk. She especially loves spending time with her husband David, son Richard, and their fur baby – a chocolate schnauzer named Reese.
Dan Calabrese / Media Division Director
Dan has had many ideas in his career, and they haven’t all been great. One was to launch a newspaper syndicate, North Star Writers Group, which he did in 2005 just as the newspaper industry was beginning its decline. But God works through fiascoes, and one result of this fiasco was the signing of a columnist named Herman Cain. Dan and NSWG continued to syndicate Herman’s weekly column up to and through his presidential campaign, at which point Herman asked Dan to join his organization – first as communications director and soon thereafter as media division director. In this position, Dan oversees the operations of this web site, as well as other media ventures.
In addition to his work with Herman, Dan is a veteran journalist, copywriter and author. He has published four Christian spiritual warfare novels, and lives in his hometown of Royal Oak, Michigan with his wife Angie and their son Tony. Dan and Angie are also working on a radical disruption of the Christian entertainment field.
Robert Laurie / Columnist, HermanCain.com
Robert was born in Detroit, grew up in the ‘burbs, and (with the exception of a collegiate detour to the University of Colorado) has been a lifelong Michigander.
After abandoning the graphic design world, where he made concert posters for Detroit musicians and venues, he began writing about politicians – the only people more ego-maniacal than rock stars. He spent a short time behind the wheel of his own blog before his work was picked up by the The Detroit News and The Daily Caller.
Eventually, he became a staple of Detroit talk radio both as a regular guest and occasional guest host. As Herman Cain’s 2012 campaign wound down, he was asked to join Team Cain as a full-time columnist, social media director, and general content provider.
When he’s not complaining about Washington, he can be found skiing, digging through the dusty grooves of his out-of-control record collection, our scouring the nation for the perfect Mai-Tai. He and his family currently live “Up North” on the Lake Michigan shore, and his first novel is headed your way sometime in 2018.
Melanie C. Gallo, PhD / Organizational Consultant
Dr. Melanie Gallo has been working with the Herman Cain team in one capacity or another for nearly 15 years. She currently manages special projects for the organization, some of which have included graphic and digital design, book print production, strategic planning, social media, writing and business consulting. She is also Herman’s daughter and the only family member who somehow worked her way past his “I don’t hire family” rule.
After moving around as a child and spending years in Virginia, Georgia, Minnesota, New Jersey and Nebraska, she ultimately settled back in Georgia, where her parents were born and raised. Once back in Georgia, she earned her BA in psychology from the University of Georgia, an MBA, and finally a PhD in Business Psychology. Today, she is also Managing Principal of Melanie C Gallo Coaching & Consulting, LLC., a Metro Atlanta executive coaching practice, and a Forbes.com contributor specializing in human behavior within the world of work.
In her “free” time, she serves as a member of several academic, professional, and service organizations. Above all, Melanie loves devoting time to her loving husband David, two children Celena and Preston, and their three dogs, Mack their 88lb. rescue, Milkshake their 8lb. Coton de Tulier, and the baby Ava, a 100lb Brazilian Mastiff.
Lisa Shiflett / Finance Director
Honeybell aka Lisa Shiflett joined the Herman Cain team in 2010 as part of the presidential campaign staff, and eventually as director of finance. After the campaign ended, she joined T.H.E. New Voice in the same capacity. Prior to this she spent more than 18 years as a paralegal in the metropolitan Atlanta area.
When she is not working, she loves being a wife to her loving husband Lee, and a mother to two growing boys, one with two legs, William and Charlie, the one with four. She also likes to sew and scrapbook. She is a former state and regional baton-twirling champion and currently judges with NBTA and AAU. In fact, her ability to twirl fire knives came in handy during her time in politics.
She is also proud to be a drama mama to her son in his theatrical and television endeavors. She serves as president of a local community theater, The Front Porch Players. Herman gave her the name Honeybell, and being born and raised in the south, a nickname is the biggest form of flattery. He says, “If you ever hear her talk, y’all will know how she got her name.”
Barry Tolli / Chief Creative Officer
Barry Tolli was drafted out of Newbury Park, CA H.S by the Detroit Tigers in the Major League Baseball draft of 1998. He went on to play 4 seasons of professional baseball for the Tigers and Angels. After baseball he decided to pursue his other passions of film and football. In Jr. College he was an all conference and record setting football player. Also competing in track and field he finished 7th in the state of California in the 200m. Barry then chose to attend Utah State on a football scholarship.
In college, he was able to study acting, writing, screenwriting, and film-making. After graduation, he attended an open call for the Columbia Pictures feature film Gridiron Gang where he was cast and eventually featured. Other feature films such as Urban Justice and The Express followed, along with principal work on TV shows like Friday Night Lights and Glee, and commercials for company’s such as Nike, Vizio, and Chevy Silverado.
In 2009 Barry’s life long dream of being a filmmaker finally came to fruition when he wrote, directed and produced his first 35mm film ‘Guided.’ He has since gone on to direct and star in multiple projects in addition to being nominated for and winning multiple awards. Barry’s first feature film that he wrote and directed, ‘End of The Trail’ will be released by Bridgestone Media Company, and his feature documentary ‘From Poor To CEO’ will be released November 26, 2019.
