Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies

Senator Nan Rich is recognized as one of the most passionate and dedicated members of the Florida Legislature, Nan Rich was first elected to the State Senate in 2004 after serving 2 terms in the House of Representatives. She was the first woman to be elected Senate Democratic Leader – a position she held from 2010 until she was term-limited in November 2012. In November of 2016 Nan Rich was elected to serve as Broward County Commissioner, District 1 and re-elected, unopposed, in 2020.

Richard Scher is a professor of political science in the Political Science Department at the University of Florida. His research interests include: voting rights, legislative districting political campaigns in America, state politics, Southern politics, political culture and regionalism, Florida politics, and American federalism.

Daniel A. Smith is a professor and chair of Political Science at the University of Florida. He has been an expert witness in numerous voting rights lawsuits in Florida and across the country. He researches how political institutions affect political behavior in American states. His books include Tax Crusaders and the Politics of Direct Democracy; Educated by Initiative; and State and Local Politics: Institutions and Reform. He is widely quoted in the Florida and national media. You can follow him on Twitter @ElectionSmith.

Kenneth D. Wald is a distinguished professor emeritus of political science and Jewish studies at the University of Florida. He has written extensively about the relationship of religion and politics in the United States, Great Britain, and Israel. His newest book, The Foundations of American Jewish Liberalism won the 2019 National Jewish Book Award in the category of American Jewish Studies.