Jen Appel, M.A.
Jen Appel, Founder
Harvard-Trained Visionary | Producer | Strategist for National Renewal
Jen Appel founded Somewhere I Read to reclaim America’s identity - the one promised in our founding documents and echoed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he declared:
“But…somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right.”
Through truth, beauty, and courage, Jen is uniting artists, political leaders, educators, veterans, technologists, and citizens to restore decency, dignity, and true patriotism to public life - and to ensure that We the People remain the driving force of this republic.
Her understanding of narrative was forged early and viscerally, growing up with a front-row seat to the making of an American icon, as her eldest half-brother discovered, produced, and managed Mr. Bruce Springsteen. Jen witnessed firsthand how art can give voice to a nation’s soul and encourage hearts and minds to rise - looking out to ever higher and better horizons. Standing in sold-out stadiums, she watched tens of thousands sing in unison, songs that celebrated and challenged, comforted and confronted, embodying what President John F. Kennedy once observed:
“If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and concern for justice make them so.”
Jen watched that truth unfold night after night. And she learned what it takes to hold a mirror up to a country without turning away - with spirit, grit, determination and a love for rock-n-roll.
Like Kennedy, King, and all the artists and mavericks who have carried America’s conscience through its hardest chapters, Jen believes a nation cannot flourish without its storytellers and renegades, nor can democracy survive without passion and moral imagination. She believes we are being called to complete the original revolution, to realize, together, the full promise of America’s founding ideals through empathy, courage, and truth.
A three decade long educator and seasoned television and film producer, Jen has taught A.P. U.S. History, Government, English, Fine & Performing Art, and Entrepreneurship, while designing transformative curricula that bridge education, media, and civic responsibility. Certified in Pollyanna’s Racial Literacy Curriculum, as well as Judith Hochman’s Writing Revolution, and trained at Harvard Graduate School of Education in differentiating curriculum and Cultural Studies, Jen taught her students to see the world though a lens of truth, based in historical fact, and to write their own personal stories to give voice to their strong, powerful positive contributions to society. She now brings these lessons to a larger national audience. Her film work includes producing for Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues, Broken Lizard Productions, and Cataland Films, and she now leads Traitor: A Story of Patriots, a feature documentary and concert series exploring how music can once again help reawaken America’s spirit.
Earlier in her career, Jen served as Senior Communication & Pursuit Strategist at Ernst & Young, guiding Fortune 500 leaders in defining purpose, shaping narrative, and translating vision into measurable impact. That experience sharpened her understanding of how power moves, and how stories, when framed well, can either liberate or manipulate.
But Jen also recognizes a hard truth of the 21st century: storytelling alone is no longer enough. In an age of surveillance capitalism, AI-driven influence, and platform-controlled speech, protecting democracy requires more than inspiration. It requires infrastructure.
Under Somewhere I Read, Jen is leading a movement that empowers citizens not only in spirit, but in systems – combining culture, education, and technology to ensure the people retain their voice, their privacy, and their power.
Aligning what has been fragmented and amplifying what has long been silenced, Jen has been building a unified cultural front committed to finishing what America’s founders, artists, and moral leaders began. She created Somewhere I Read to further define our National Identity and declare that we are, indeed, “a people” – and a people with a secure, bright future at that.
Because the fight for America’s future is not merely political: it is cultural, spiritual, technological, and deeply human. The story we tell ourselves matters – and we have been telling ourselves the wrong story for nearly 250 years, as most Americans have been left out of the narrative. And the only way to heal a divided nation is to tell a louder, braver, more honest story, and to secure the systems that carry it – together.
This, is a republic we intend to keep.
And Jen, alongside her incredible team, are reporting for duty.
For more on Jen, please follow her Substack and LinkedIn or visit her site.
Ambassador Gentry Smith, Founder
Ambassador Gentry O. Smith has joined Somewhere I Read as our head strategic advisor, bringing rare diplomatic authority and global leadership experience to our media and education initiative devoted to renewing the American conversation.
Hand-selected by President Barack Obama, Ambassador Smith was appointed Director of the Office of Foreign Missions at the U.S. Department of State, a position of extraordinary trust and influence at the center of America’s engagement with the world. In this role, he helped shape how the United States is represented, understood, and experienced by foreign governments and diplomatic communities, enforcing diplomatic privileges and immunities, ensuring compliance with bilateral protocols, and strengthening the treatment of U.S. missions and personnel abroad.
Over more than three decades of service, Ambassador Smith also served as the 11th Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security, appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In that capacity, he led the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Department of State’s law enforcement and protective arm, overseeing security operations for more than 50,000 personnel across 270 diplomatic posts worldwide.
Reporting directly to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ambassador Smith provided strategic counsel on global security challenges and operational imperatives that underpin U.S. foreign policy. In this role, he shepherded complex protective and security missions, ranging from providing 24/7 cybersecurity defense against sophisticated intrusion attempts to directing high-level dignitary protection operations, including safeguarding U.S. Secretaries of State, visiting world leaders, and foreign delegations during major international gatherings such as the United Nations General Assembly.
What distinguishes Ambassador Smith’s leadership is not simply where he has served, but how. Across cultures and continents, he has built trust where it is most difficult, mentored leaders under pressure, and upheld the principles that allow institutions, and democracies, to endure. His work reflects a belief that leadership is ultimately an act of stewardship, grounded in responsibility, discipline, and service.
Ambassador Smith’s operational portfolio has encompassed some of the most demanding global security challenges of recent decades. He directed security strategy during the evacuation of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan, supported the protection and relocation of diplomatic staff in high-threat environments, and helped manage security considerations related to the temporary closure and continued diplomatic engagement surrounding Ukraine and other conflict zones.
Throughout his career, Ambassador Smith has emphasized that diplomatic security is not an end in itself, but the essential foundation that allows diplomacy, negotiation, and international cooperation to occur. He has consistently framed security leadership as a balance of vigilance and restraint , protecting people and institutions while enabling thoughtful risk-taking in service of democratic values.
At Somewhere I Read, Ambassador Smith contributes this lived experience to a civic and cultural initiative committed to dialogue, historical truth, and democratic renewal. His voice helps anchor the project’s storytelling and education in real-world leadership, offering perspective on power, accountability, and the human dimensions of public service.
United States Ambassador, Gentry Smith
Dr. Larry Guerra, Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Larry Guerra, Founder
Dr. Larry Guerra brings more than three decades of clinical, organizational, and advisory experience to Somewhere I Read at a moment when America is confronting not only political division, but a profound mental-health and relational crisis.
A New York State licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Guerra has spent his career working at the intersection of individual psychology, family systems, institutional dynamics, and conflict resolution. While widely respected for his long-standing private practice on Long Island’s North Shore, his work extends far beyond the therapy room; into boardrooms, international family offices, schools, courtrooms, and complex organizational environments where human behavior, power, and decision-making collide.
Dr. Guerra has advised international private family offices, facilitated negotiations between corporate entities, and supported senior leadership through high-stakes internal conflicts, restructurings, and moments of institutional strain. Known for his exceptional skill in internal business administration, organizational management, and mediation, he is frequently called upon as an expert witness and trusted consultant in matters requiring psychological insight, ethical judgment, and clear communication under pressure.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Guerra served as Director of Counseling Services at Friends Academy in Locust Valley, New York, where he led multidisciplinary teams, trained educators, and guided families through developmental, academic, and emotional challenges. He has also served as a clinical supervisor and treatment team leader at residential treatment facilities, working with vulnerable populations facing trauma, behavioral disorders, and systemic instability.
Clinically, Dr. Guerra specializes in child, adolescent, family, and adult development with deep expertise in anxiety and mood disorders, impulse-control challenges, aggression, social anxiety, life transitions, and the emotional complexities that accompany illness, aging, and change. His doctoral research focused on the cognitive-emotional factors influencing adolescent risk behavior, reflecting a career-long commitment to understanding how internal states shape external outcomes.
At Somewhere I Read, Dr. Guerra’s role is foundational. He helps ensure that the project’s cultural, educational, and technological efforts are grounded in psychological reality, not abstraction. In a time when fear, isolation, and unresolved trauma are driving polarization, his work reminds us that democracy cannot be healed without tending to the inner lives of the people who sustain it.
Dr. Guerra also champions innovative, human-centered approaches to healing, including the integration of emotional-support animals into therapeutic and community settings, further reinforcing the project’s belief that restoration happens through connection, dignity, and care - and also, a healing of our national land and all the creatures within it.
As Somewhere I Read advances its nonprofit initiatives, Dr. Guerra’s leadership helps bridge the gap between civic ideals and human capacity - ensuring that the call to unity, accountability, and renewal is not only aspirational, but psychologically sound and sustainably humane.
Advisory Board
Ty Cobb, esq.
Ty has joined us to help us produce our kickoff film, bringing with him extraordinary legal, strategic, and cultural depth. A veteran trial lawyer and nationally respected legal strategist, Ty Cobb served on the White House legal team representing the President of the United States, where he was entrusted with managing the administration’s response to one of the most consequential investigations in modern political history. A graduate of Harvard and Georgetown Law, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, he led major drug enforcement and organized crime prosecutions before becoming a partner at Hogan Lovells and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Over his decades-long career, he has represented global clients including AIG, IBM, Medtronic, Office Depot, and the House of Saud, and served as special trial counsel in a federal investigation into the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Known for his bipartisan approach and unwavering commitment to institutional integrity and the rule of law, Ty remains a leading voice on constitutional issues…and what most people don’t know is, he’s also one heck of a musician. Ty also brings his vast media experience and love of art to helping SIR produce their debut film.
Film Producer
Deanna Tryon
Silicon Valley Chief of Protocol Deanna Tryon, a San Francisco native raised in Los Altos Hills, holds a B.A. in Government from the University of San Francisco and a Master’s from Harvard, and began her career with the British Consulate-General in Los Angeles before serving in the LA Mayor’s Offices of Protocol and Economic Development and the LA County Office of Protocol; she returned to the Bay Area in 2014 as the first Silicon Valley Chief of Protocol. A protocol expert since 1994, she is a published authority on sub-national diplomacy with foundational work on orders of precedence, and has lectured at institutions including Stanford GSB and San José State. She helped establish the Silicon Valley Office of Protocol in partnership with the U.S. Department of State in 2013, now the only regional protocol office in the U.S., serving 54 cities and 5 counties with support from the Silicon Valley Host Committee. Known as Silicon Valley’s “Connector in Chief,” she has welcomed nearly every visiting Head of State since 2014, facilitated high-level global partnerships, driven billions in foreign direct investment, and played a key role in bringing the Xi-Biden summit to Silicon Valley during APEC 2023, earning recognition from the White House, the U.S. Department of State, and the California State Assembly.
Strategic Advisor
Non Profit AdvisorDr. Nicole Roberts
Dr. Nicole Roberts is a global public health leader and media voice shaping conversations at the intersection of health, human rights, and global impact. As host of The Global Good Podcast and a contributor to Forbes, she brings international insight to the people, ideas, and innovations transforming public health worldwide. A sought-after speaker featured by the United Nations and major media and sports platforms, she is also the founder of Health & Human Rights Strategies, an advisory firm advancing healthcare and human rights globally. She holds a Doctorate in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and a degree from the University of Missouri, with a background in neuroscience. She is also the author of Generosity Wins: How and Why this Game-Changing Superpower Drives Our Success, exploring generosity as a powerful force for individual and societal success. SIR is grateful for Nicole’s wisdom and insights as we work together to build a better world.
Music & Indigenous Culture AdvisorStevie Salas
Stevie Salas is a globally recognized guitarist, producer, and cultural force, best known as Executive Producer of the groundbreaking documentary Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, which premiered at Sundance and won a Special Jury Prize, reshaping the narrative of American music by uncovering the profound and often overlooked influence of Native American artists on rock and popular culture. A top-tier musician who has recorded on over 70 albums with legends including George Clinton, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, and Justin Timberlake, Salas has sold over two million records worldwide and has been named one of the top 50 guitarists of all time; his career launched after being discovered by George Clinton and accelerated through a world tour with Rod Stewart, leading to a record-breaking deal with Island Records and international success as a solo artist. Beyond performance, he is an accomplished composer and producer with credits spanning major films like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and leadership roles such as Music Director for American Idol, where he helped shape artists like Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. A proud Native American, Salas has dedicated his work to elevating Indigenous voices, serving as Advisor of Contemporary Music at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and earning the Native American Lifetime Achievement Award, with a career that continues to redefine the place of Native artists in the American story.