Robin (Rob) Olson serves
as the president of the Dallas Philosopher’s Forum. He holds an MLA in philosophy from Southern
Methodist University. As a vocation, he is the author and senior research
analyst for International Risk Management Institute’s Personal Risk
Management and Insurance, a 3,300-page reference
manual. He also writes and lectures frequently on emerging trends
in the risk management business, specializing in the impact of genetics,
artificial intelligence, robotics, and nanotechnology on the industry and
society. He is a Chartered Property
Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and holds five other risk management
designations. Mr. Olson is also an
active member of the CPCU Society, having held a number of chairmanships and
offices, including president of the Dallas Chapter and national interest group
governor.
ddrumm@ccsb.com
David G. Drumm serves as the Treasurer of the Dallas
Philosopher’s Forum. David received a BA
from the University of Texas at Austin with a major in anthropology and a JD
from Southern Methodist University Law School.
For the last 40 years, David has been with the Dallas
law firm of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP. David is currently a partner and a member of
the Executive Committee of the firm and practices in the area of real estate
and oil and gas transactions.
David is currently the Treasurer, and for seven years
was President, of the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, a private foundation pursuing
a mission of promoting civic education and participation.
David is a licensed Unity teacher credentialed by the
Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute and lectures and teaches at Unity of Dallas
and other venues in the areas of comparative religion, philosophical theology,
and cultural and intellectual history.
Ken Sauter is an independent designer who graduated from
Carnegie-Mellon University with a degree in Design. He subsequently earned an MBA at LeTourneau
University. Ken has designed
three night vision sights for the Military, as well as designing commercial
speed ovens for a Dallas R&D firm.
Ken has been operating his own business, Sauter Industrial Design, since
2007.
Ken’s interest in Philosophy began when he realized that
there are some questions in life that don’t lend themselves to black and white
answers. There is a philosophy behind
every answer to a question, and it makes a difference in the answer if there’s
a different philosophy behind it.
Ken has been handling A/V needs for the Dallas Philosophers Forum for about 20 years.
rob.mckellar91@gmail.com
Rob has been
on the board since about 2018. He coordinates the Speaker Schedule for the
Forum and manages the collaborative workspace. Rob has a B.S. degree from Southern
Methodist University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Texas at
Arlington. Dr. McKellar has conducted research in areas ranging from Medicinal
Chemistry to Material Science at the Air Force Research Laboratories, the
University of Dayton Research Institute, the University of Cincinnati, Wright
State University, Alcon Laboratories and with a couple of small companies. He
has taught Chemistry at the college level and at the high school level. He is certified, in Texas, to teach all
science subjects, 7th to 12th grade. Dr. McKellar is an
independent inventor with five U.S. utility patents granted for which he is currently
pursuing marketing and licensing. In addition, Dr. McKellar is a Chemistry tutor
as well as a tutor for other science subjects.
So far, Dr.
McKellar has given two talks at the Dallas Philosophers Forum: one on
“Consciousness” (Fall 2021) and a second on “Follow the Science? Stories of
When the Consensus Scientific Belief was Wrong and One Person was Right:
Implications for Public Policy, Science and Education.” (Spring 2023) (Videos of these talks can be
found on the Dallas Philosophers Forum website under “archives.”) Dr. McKellar
is an avid reader and beyond science is interested in all intellectual pursuits
especially philosophy, religion, history, language, and psychology and the
intersectionality of these disciplines.
Dr. McKellar
is currently working on a grant from the MSW (Ministry of Silly Walks). His recent
results include the following: his right leg does a half turn every alternate
step, but, unfortunately, his left leg still isn’t silly at all.
jacksezer86@gmail.com
Jack holds a Bachelor's degree in Christian studies and theology from Dallas Baptist University, a Master's degree in Biblical and theological studies from Dallas Theological Seminary, and is currently acquiring a Master's in philosophy at the University of Dallas. He continues to publish on Substack where he writes essays regarding politics, philosophy, and theology. He also hosts the Veridical Podcast where he conducts interviews, analyzes essays, and reviews literature. He says "I have benefited greatly from the Dallas Philosopher's Forum and am excited to be a part of its future."
tjwilliams87031@gmail.com
Raised just up the road in Southwest Arkansas, TJ Williams studied Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State. After graduation he lived and worked for 20 years in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he also completed his Masters in Mechanical Engineering Controls at the University of New Mexico. TJ has 25 years’ experience in the defense industry working computer modeling and simulation, Systems Engineer, and team leadership.