JOHN PALMER

 John N. Palmer, telecommunications pioneer, civic leader, and philanthropist, served as United States Ambassador to Portugal during the administration of President George W. Bush.  A devoted patron of the arts, Ambassador Palmer has served as Chairman of the National Trustees of the National Symphony Orchestra based at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Other civic leadership includes serving as a director of the Ogden Museum for Southern Art, board of directors of Millsaps College, chair of the University of Mississippi Foundation, and the Foundation for the Mid-South.