2023 Emerald Torch Award Recipients
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lois Pope,
Philanthropist
One of America’s leading philanthropists, Lois Pope is recognized as the country’s foremost advocate for veterans and especially disabled veterans, earning the moniker, “The Pope of Disabled Veterans.” She created and spearheaded the legislation, building, and endowment of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which was dedicated on October 5, 2014, in Washington, D.C. as the nation’s first permanent public tribute to the four million living disabled American veterans and all those who have died.
Pope worked with members of Congress to pass a resolution in 2016 declaring October 5 as a “National Day of Honor” for America’s disabled veterans. Moreover, she conceived, funded, and is the executive producer of two widely acclaimed PBS films about disabled veterans -- “Debt of Honor” and “VA: The Human Cost of War,” both directed by six-time Emmy Award winner Ric Burns.
She also created the Pups4Patriots initiative, within the Lois Pope Center for Military Affairs at American Humane. This program takes dogs primarily from shelters and provides them with specialized training as service dogs. They are then given free of charge to veterans suffering from PTSD and other traumatic brain injuries.
With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially how it has affected needy children close to home, Pope made a $1 million donation to the Palm Beach County Food Bank to endow its meal program for food-insecure kids in the county. In gratitude, the Food Bank renamed the program Lois’ Food4Kids. Since its inception, thousands of underserved children have now received healthy and nutritious meals when they are not in school – weekends, holidays, vacations, and other school closings. In addition, Mrs. Pope provided the funding to the Food Bank for a new refrigerated trailer to enhance its ability to store and provide more perishable goods to those in need.
Spurred by the heart-wrenching images of Ukrainian refugee children fleeing their homeland, Pope donated $1 million to Save the Children, the global humanitarian organization working to meet the needs of children and families fleeing the escalating violence in Ukraine. The gift established a fund called Lois’ Care for Refugees and is earmarked specifically for children impacted by the Ukraine crisis by providing them with food, water, hygiene products, medicine, and other humanitarian assistance.
Pope was also named a Daily Point of Life recipient by President George W. Bush, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell appointed her to the board of the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies at City College of New York (now the Colin Powell Center for Civic and Global Leadership). She also serves or has served on the boards of the Foreign Policy Association, University of Miami, Palm Beach Opera, Armory Arts Center, and Florida Atlantic University.
Many organizations have bestowed honors and awards on Pope in recognition of her generosity and humanitarian endeavors. These organizations include: Florida Atlantic University, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Ellis Island Foundation, Rabbinical College of America, Magen David Adom, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
A mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Pope has rescued many dogs and cats. A resident of Manalapan, Fla., she has trained for and completed five marathons.
To learn more about Pope and her various foundations, visit www.life-edu.org.
Emerald Torch Award Inaugural Class of 2023
Clarence E. Anthony
CEO & Executive Director, National League of Cities
Clarence Anthony is CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities, the largest and oldest organization representing America’s cities, towns and villages and their leaders. Under his leadership, NLC delivered billions of dollars in direct, flexible federal relief through the CARES Act and historic American Rescue Plan Act to help support local governments respond, recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anthony is also a member of the Council on Underserved Communities, appointed by U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and tasked along with his fellow committee members with developing supportive policy recommendations for underserved small business owners. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Urban Forum and is a member of the Board of Destination DC. In 2020, Mr. Anthony received the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) Marks of Excellence Award.
Most recently, Mr. Anthony has focused his efforts on helping local leaders combat the rising tide of partisanship at the local level. He authored a report in 2021 titled, “On the Frontlines of Today’s Cities: Trauma, Challenges, and Solutions,” which focused on the decline of civility and democratic institutions at the local level.
Anthony began his career in public service as the Mayor of South Bay, Fla., for 24 years. He is known as a creative and thoughtful leader in his community. He is considered an expert in citizen engagement and techniques that build a sense of community within cities.
Anthony earned his Associate in Arts degree from PBSC in 1979. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration with a specialization in City Growth Management policy from Florida Atlantic University.
Ric Bradshaw
Sheriff, Palm Beach County
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is a career law enforcement professional responsible for leading the largest law enforcement agency in Palm Beach County. Bradshaw has a successful track record of 50 years in law enforcement. He rose through the ranks of the West Palm Beach Police Department and in 1996 was appointed Chief of Police.
On January 4, 2005, Bradshaw was sworn in as sheriff of Palm Beach County. He is the sixteenth sheriff to serve as the county’s chief law enforcement officer since the agency’s origin in 1909. He is currently the longest reining sheriff in Palm Beach County.
Bradshaw has knowledge and training in all aspects of law enforcement with special emphasis on domestic security, field operations and community-based policing. His inter-personal and communication skills demonstrate competence as a leader who “gets things done,” yet maintains a balance between assertiveness and diplomacy while remembering that his first and foremost duty is to keep citizens safe.
Bradshaw is Chairman of the Florida Sheriffs Emergency Task Force for Region 7, a member of the Executive Board of the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force, Chairman of Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region 7, member of the Palm Beach County Chiefs of Police, Law Enforcement Planning Council, Police Executive Research Forum, Florida Sheriff’s Association and has been designated Who’s Who in Academic Excellence in America. Bradshaw proudly and honorably served in the United States Marine Corps. He is a Mason in good standing and a Shriner with Amara Shrine.
Bradshaw’s holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Human Resources Management and a Master of Science in Administration with honors with a specialization in Emergency Management. He also graduated from the Administrative Officers Course at the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky.
Fatima Cajas
Weather Anchor, TelevisaUnivision
Fatima Cajas recently moved to Phoenix to begin what she calls a dream job with Univision. She will appear on a morning television show airing on Oct. 6, hosting one segment of an eight-part series on weather wear.
While she was a Palm Beach State Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College student, she was mentored by former PBSC vice president of growth and expansion and provost of the Belle Glade and Loxahatchee Grove campuses Dr. Maria Vallejo, who encouraged her to attend PBSC and awarded her a ASPIRA scholarship.
Because of the support she received from Vallejo and PBSC, she landed a notable internship at ESPN in West Palm Beach which helped launch her broadcasting career.
She later moved to New York and Houston. While working at the Univision station in Houston last year, she and the production crew were nominated for a group television Emmy award for their mock hurricane awareness project.
She graduated from Palm Beach State in 2017 with an Associate in Arts degree in communications and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Florida International University.
Brad Peacock
Professional Baseball Pitcher, Major and Minor Leagues
Brad Peacock is an American professional baseball pitcher who has played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox.
Currently a starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, Peacock was playing baseball at Palm Beach Central High School as a third baseman when Palm Beach State recruited him in 2006.
Instead of third base, former PBSC baseball coach Alex Morales signed him to be a pitcher. Peacock played for PBSC during the 2006-2007 season and helped take the Panthers to the state tournament before he signed with the Washington Nationals for their 2011 season.
From 2013 to 2020, he was a pitcher for the Houston Astros. In 2017, the Astros won the American League West with 101 wins, and faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
In Game 3, Peacock earned his first major league save by completing the final 3+2⁄3 innings of a 5−3 win, allowing no hits and striking out four. It was the longest hitless relief outing since Ron Taylor's four innings in Game 4 of the 1964 World Series, and tied Ken Clay for the longest hitless postseason save, first accomplished in the 1978 American League Championship Series. The Astros would then win the 2017 World Series, their first in franchise history.
After 2020, he played for one season with the Boston Red Sox.
