Our nation’s laws governing drone warfare, charter schools and trade with Cuba are topics that curious PBA students have explored as fellows for the University’s LeMieux Center for Public Policy. The Center empowers students to think critically about these and other issues affecting the direction of our country through individual research as well as interaction with respected thought leaders. These deep discussions take place on the PBA campus through the work of the Center’s advisory board, which recently added two members.
J. Kimble Vardaman Ratliff, Jr. and Bradley Saft are the newest appointees to The LeMieux Center for Public Policy.
“Today, more than ever, Americans yearn for respectful dialogue around important policy issues,” former U. S. Senator George LeMieux said. “These outstanding new members of the LeMieux Center Advisory Board will guide the Center forward in its mission of enhancing the student experience and engaging the community to tackle the issues of tomorrow.”
A resident of Birmingham, Alabama, J. Kimble Vardaman Ratliff, Jr. is the managing member of Southwood Family Holdings, LLC, a diversified investment company having a number of investments in technology and commercial real estate ventures.
He is a former board member of SG Partners, an Atlanta private investment firm which purchases multi-family properties throughout the Southeastern U.S.
Ratliff has over 30 years’ experience in commercial real estate finance. He earned the Certified Real Estate Financier (CRF) designation from the National Society of Real Estate Finance and was selected a member of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Committee for the Mortgage Bankers Association of America.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington & Lee University and was chosen for membership in the Newcomen Society of the United States and the Japan – America Society of Alabama. He was appointed to the State of Alabama Governor’s Advisory Council – Community Partnership for Recovery and Re-Entry helping to coordinate vocational training and job placement services for incarcerated individuals.
Bradley Saft is the founder and CEO of EverBright Media. Prior to starting the business, Saft served as a principal at Centre Partners, a private equity firm in New York, and worked in Morgan Stanley’s Higher Education Group. He previously served as a director of Bravo Sports, a sporting goods and outdoor products company; Autoland, a provider of consumer car buying services; IIMAK, a manufacturer of automatic identification products, and ELS, an environmental logistics business. He has an A.B. in history from Princeton University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Established in in 2012, The LeMieux Center for Public Policy connects students with opportunities to dialogue with state and national officials, journalists, authors, academics and other notable thought leaders through its popular on-campus speaker series and its Freidheim Fellows program. The LeMieux Center moderates important conversations for serious thinkers on issues important to Florida, the United States and the world.
The Center’s founder, Sen. George S. LeMieux, served in the U.S. Senate for Florida during the 111th session of Congress and gifted his senatorial papers and other memorabilia to the Palm Beach Atlantic University Warren Library archives. Sen. LeMieux and journalist Laura Mize, a Palm Beach Atlantic alumna, are the authors of “Florida Made: The 25 Most Important Figures Who Shaped the State” (Arcadia Publishing, 2018). Book sales and private contributions support the work of the LeMieux Center for Public Policy.
Sen. LeMieux currently serves as chairman of the Gunster law firm.
Photo 1: J. Kimble Vardaman Ratliff, Jr. is the managing member of Southwood Family Holdings, LLC.
Photo 2: Bradley Saft is the founder and CEO of EverBright Media.
