Executive Board 2026
Karl Schmalz
Red Co-Chair, Co-Founder
Karl Schmalz is a retired oil and gas industry tax lawyer. He grew up in Massachusetts and received a degree in economics from Princeton University and a law degree from the University of Texas. He currently serves as a senior advisor to the International Tax and Investment Center. Karl is a long time member of the board of Communities in Schools Dallas Region, a stay in school non-profit that works with at risk students. He and his wife, Bonnie Martin, their two children and four grandchildren all live in Austin, Texas.
Joanne Richards
Blue Co-Chair
Joanne Richards (blue) is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in, what is now, Eritrea from 1966-68 where she met her husband, a fellow volunteer. In 1981 she joined the University of Texas at Austin faculty and retired in 2015. In 2010, Joanne founded Common Ground for Texans. She currently serves as Chair of the Braver Angels Central Texas Politics Group, VP of Community and Policy with the Austin Area League of Women Voters and Vice-Chair of Ranked Choice Voting for Texas. She is committed to not othering folks who think different from herself.
Blue Co-Chair
Joanne Richards (blue) is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in, what is now, Eritrea from 1966-68 where she met her husband, a fellow volunteer. In 1981 she joined the University of Texas at Austin faculty and retired in 2015. In 2010, Joanne founded Common Ground for Texans. She currently serves as Chair of the Braver Angels Central Texas Politics Group, VP of Community and Policy with the Austin Area League of Women Voters and Vice-Chair of Ranked Choice Voting for Texas. She is committed to not othering folks who think different from herself.
Norman Kaderlan
Executive Board, Co-Founder
Norman Kaderlan has studied life sciences, led arts organizations, advised design professionals on managing and marketing, mentored technology startups, taught marketing to engineers, and helped researchers around the world move their innovations from the lab to the market. He loves traveling, eating, cooking and photography.
Executive Board, Co-Founder
Norman Kaderlan has studied life sciences, led arts organizations, advised design professionals on managing and marketing, mentored technology startups, taught marketing to engineers, and helped researchers around the world move their innovations from the lab to the market. He loves traveling, eating, cooking and photography.
Josh Kline
Executive Board
Joshua Kline (purple) lives in the Austin Texas area with his wife and son. He owns a small production company; JKP Image Fusion. Joshua assists organizations with their virtual, hybrid, live events and multimedia content as a producer and technologist. He is also a photographer, documentarian and filmmaker. Joshua studied Psychology and Political Science at the University of South Florida. He then worked for ABC News in Washington DC as an editorial producer at the television assignment desk before going to film school at Full Sail University. After film school Joshua worked in Production and Post Production in Los Angeles before starting his own production company in 2004. Based in Austin since 2019; he enjoys the outdoors and travel.
Executive Board
Joshua Kline (purple) lives in the Austin Texas area with his wife and son. He owns a small production company; JKP Image Fusion. Joshua assists organizations with their virtual, hybrid, live events and multimedia content as a producer and technologist. He is also a photographer, documentarian and filmmaker. Joshua studied Psychology and Political Science at the University of South Florida. He then worked for ABC News in Washington DC as an editorial producer at the television assignment desk before going to film school at Full Sail University. After film school Joshua worked in Production and Post Production in Los Angeles before starting his own production company in 2004. Based in Austin since 2019; he enjoys the outdoors and travel.
Steve Saltwick
Co-Founder, Past Red Co-Chair
Steve Saltwick is a bio-psychologist whose career took a path through high-tech (Tandem, Compaq, HP, and two startups) on six continents. He studies the guiding principles of the mammalian brain especially as it relates to artificial intelligence. He has published in SCIENCE but prefers to dote on his first grandchild and two border collies. Steve was the founding Co-Chair (Red) of the National Office of Field Operations. He is now the Inaugural Senior Fellow of Braver Angels.
Mike Seay
Co-Founder, Past Blue Co-Chair
Michael Seay is an attorney and CPA and founding member of Seay & Traphagan -- a law firm that practices state and local tax law. Mike is also the immediate past president of Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest synagogue in Austin. Mike is a progressive (blue) organizer for Braver Angels and committed to reducing political polarization. He is the father of two kids, Jude (10) and Joy (8).
Peter Yoder
Executive Board
Peter Yoder (Red) has worked for over a decade in the entertainment and technology sectors innovating with fortune 500 companies (Bechtel, ConocoPhillips, Disney), bringing new startups to market (Dosh, SmartAC.com, etc), and running film productions (Corruption, The Ascent). With a broad range of experience including starting companies of his own (Rocksauce Studios, ProCliq), to running over 200+ technology projects, Peter brings clear strategic thinking and battle-tested instincts to each project he takes on.