KSU College of Continuing and Professional Education

December 12, 2016 by Danny

KSU College of Continuing and Professional Education

Jennifer Henderson, program manager at KSU’s College of Continuing and Professional Education. She handles the following certificate programs: Paralegal, Human Resources, Personal Financial Planner, Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis, Payroll and Professional Investigator.

Melissa Amavisca knew from an early eage she wanted to enter the healthcare fiels. After graduationg Harrison High School, she enrolled at KSU and began working on her undergraduate degree core studies. The original plan was to enter KSU’s renowned WellStar School of Nursing, but after several years of applying to no avail, Melissa began to explore other options and considered the continuing education route. Amavisca has taken the Certified Nursing Assistant, Phlebotomy Technician and EKG Technician healthcare programs at KSU’s Continuing Education. After completing each certificate training course, she passed the state and national exams for each program and acquired a CPCT (Certified Patient Care Technician) certification. Amavisca currently works in the ER at WellStar Paulding Hospital.

David Drake is the founder and CMO for reOneSpot.com, LLC. He re-did his corporate site as the final project in class. reOneSpot is a turn-key, cloud-based, enterprise solution for real estate brokers, agents and their clients. His business streamlines and automates the entire real estate transaction workflow from lead management, client management, all the way though the closing, including financial management and commission calculations for each transaction.

KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring Parish Kohanim

December 8, 2016 by Danny

Where can a young entrepreneur figure out how to turn their dreams into reality? Just take a step into the Shrimp Tank. The Shrimp Tank brings you interviews with some of the most successful business owners in the United States to learn the do’s and don’ts of starting and running a successful business. Then, the fun really starts when we bring in high school and college students to pitch their business ideas to the Shrimp Tank. We don’t fund any business, but we do teach kids how to turn their business ideas into a successful business.

Hosts of The Shrimp Tank Chris Hanks, Ted Jenkin and Lee Heisman

Parish Kohanim / Parish Kohanim Photography
Photographer

Parish Kohanim has been intimately involved with professional photography for over 25 years. Parish, who is a renowned commercial photographer, is now devoting his efforts towards his first love, fine art photography. Parish’s passion for the subtle beauty of life is apparent in his photographs. He has focused on many exquisite subjects, and is able to bring them out of the frame and into the live imagination of the viewer.

After working in San Francisco and New York, he decided to open his professional photography studio in Atlanta. He has been very successful in his commercial endeavors for many years in Atlanta. Advertising agencies, design firms, and Fortune 500 companies have been his primary clients, some of which include IBM, AT&T, Coca-Cola, DeBeers Diamonds, Hanes, Fossil, and Kimberly Clark. His work has repeatedly appeared on pages of such publications as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Forbes, Time and Newsweek.

Women in Technology (WIT) Special Edition

December 8, 2016 by Danny

The work of Women in Technology has an incredible impact.

Since 1992, Women in Technology has had a mission dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in Georgia’s technology community. Through the WIT COMMUNITY, WIT Also educates and encourages girls and young women to pursue careers in STEM.

Sandy Welfare / WIT

Sandy D. Welfare is the Executive Director of Women In Technology (WIT). Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of Cool Girls Inc, an award-winning early intervention after-school program dedicated to the empowerment of girls (2009-2015).

Sandy’s career began in 1989 in Greenwich, Connecticut where she joined Rand Insurance as the Controller. Six years later, she accepted a position with Lucent Technologies, an international telecommunications leader, holding a number of positions including serving as Accounting and Treasury Manager in Singapore (1999-2000) and then as Senior Manager in Australia and New Zealand (2000-2002). Sandy returned to Atlanta in 2002 as Senior Manager of Global Financial Services.

In 2003, Sandy accepted a position as Director of Operations for Xchanging, a business processing outsourcing company. In 2006, her career took her to London, England as Managing Director for professional services, where she managed global business processing services for bank financial transactions, insurance and retail.

Sandy received her undergraduate degree from St. John’s University in New York, and a Master of Business Administration from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. She serves on the board of several non-profits, including Kiwanis Club of Atlanta. Sandy resides in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, Cliff and son, Soloman.

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Jill Gostin (medium category) has an MS in Applied Mathematics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is a Principal Research Scientist and the Deputy Director of the Information and Communications Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). She has served on multiple GTRI and Georgia Tech committees and is currently the chair of the GTRI Awards Council. She has worked at GTRI since 1985, where her work has focused on algorithm assessment and software testing and evaluation, specifically related to sensor systems. She has authored and co-authored over thirty technical papers, won multiple techni-cal and service awards, managed large technical programs, was instrumental in creating an acoustic environment simulation, and has successfully developed fractal geometry applications. See her full bio at http://jgostin.wordpress.com. As a volunteer, Ms. Gostin currently serves as a member of the IEEE Computer Society (CS) Board of Governors and as the CS Member and Geographic Activities Board (MGAB) Vice Chair for Outreach and Geographic Activities. She also serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the IEEE Sensors Council, as the IEEE Region 3 Leadership Training Chair, and on the IEEE Technical Activities Board Awards committee and the IEEE MGAB Awards committee. She recently began serving as the Volunteer/Team Development Chair for the IEEE humanitarian disaster relief program, MOVE. She is a member of the CS, the Aero-space and Electronic Systems Society, and Women in Engineering.

Her other volunteer work has included multiple activities at her church, serving as a Girl Scout troop leader, and participating in IEEE and GTRI STEM activities, including being featured on a YouTube STEM careers video and at trycomputing.org.

Errika Mallett (non-profit category) is an executive with sales, marketing and professional development experience. She is currently the Vice President of Member Services and External Affairs for IT Senior Management Forum (ITSMF). Errika has been an Account Executive for IBM in the oil & gas industry, a BMC Software Marketing Director impacting over 1,100 customers and 3,000 employees and an HR Strategist for Southwire reporting to the VP of HR working with business unit presidents. Errika is committed to serving the community as the co-lead for the state of Georgia for the National Million Women Mentors initiative and as President of the Georgia Tech Business Network. She also serves on the boards of the American Diabetes Association Regional Leadership Board, the PremierCIO Advisory Council, Leading Women @ Tech, and the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy. Previously she’s served on several boards such as Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s Board of Trustees, the Arbor Montessori Board of Trustees, Georgia Tech’s Industrial Engineering Advisory Board, Georgia Tech’s Women Alumnae Network Executive Board, the National Society of Black Engineers and as the national President for the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and the Atlanta Diversity Managers Affinity Group (ADMAG). She is also a former track coach. Errika is an effective communicator and student champion who has served as a presenter for national organizations, youth groups, women empowerment organizations, engineering programs and most recently U.S. News STEM Solutions on topics such as strategic planning, succession planning, leadership development, career development, strategic volunteerism and solutions for creating a sustainable STEM pipeline. Errika has been honored as a Young Alumna of the Year and a Mentor of the Year at Georgia Tech, a Volunteer of the Year Honoree by the Midtown Rotary Club and the Alumni Trailblazer Award by GTSBE. In 2011 she was selected for the Diversity Leadership Academy and in 2014, InSpire Magazine’s honored her as one of the Top 40 Inspirers in America. But her greatest honor is being a mother of two boys Jaylen & Jordan.

Tracy L. Garner (large category) began her career in 1983 in Jacksonville, Florida working as an Outside Plant Engineer in the Southeast Jacksonville District. Over the last 33 years, Tracy has held positions of increasing responsibility in Outside Plant Engineering, Infrastructure Planning, Consumer Services, Strategic Relationship Development, Strategic Marketing, and Network Operations. Tracy currently serves as Vice President – Internet and Entertainment Field Services for the Southeast Mountain Shores region. Additionally, she serves as AT&T’s ACE Executive for the Southern Company, one of the largest generators of electricity in the United States. Prior to joining BellSouth/AT&T, Tracy attended Georgia Tech and graduated first in her class from Southern Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Engineering Technology. Tracy is a member of the Women of AT&T, HACEMOS, OxyGEN, Community Network, 50 and Forward, The AT&T Veterans, The AT&T Telecom Pioneer, and is a graduate of Georgia 100 and the Turknett Leadership Group Executive Development Program. Additionally, she serves as Executive Advisor to the Atlanta Chapter and the National Chapter of the Women of AT&T. She currently serves as Capital Campaign Chair and President Elect – Alpha Delta Pi Foundation, Inc. Tracy was recognized in 2012 with the Turknett Leadership Group Leadership Character Award. She was recognized by Women of AT&T in 2013 as the Leadership Award recipient and in 2014 as the RAVE (Recognition Award for Value and Excellence) Executive of the Year. In 2015, she was named the Distinguished Alumna in Career Achievement from Stratford Academy. She has been recognized as a Patriotic Employer by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. Tracy has been recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Award every year since 2011 and as one of the Top 40 Women Who Inspire in AT&T.

Earl Rogers with Georgia Hospital Association and Fran Baker-Witt with Effingham Health System

December 6, 2016 by Danny

Earl Rogers / Georgia Hospital Association

Earl Rogers was named president and CEO of the Georgia Hospital Association on July 1, 2013. As GHA’s top executive, Earl leads GHA’s 55-member staff and the association’s subsidiary organizations.

Prior to being named GHA president, Rogers served for more than 30 years in the Georgia government relations arena carving out a reputation as one of the most influential, respected lobbyists under the Gold Dome in Atlanta. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1976, Earl served the first 20 years of his professional career in various roles with the Georgia Power Company including legislative affairs and regional management. In 1996, he was named senior vice president, government affairs for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce where he led the chamber’s legislative activities.

Earl began his career at GHA in November 2005 when he accepted the association’s position as senior vice president, government relations. Since then, he was instrumental in the passage of major legislation benefitting Georgia hospitals related to tort reform, Certificate of Need and Medicaid funding.

Earl and his wife, Mary, are the proud parents of four grown children and grandparents to one grandson.

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Fran Baker-Witt / Effingham Health System

Mrs. Baker-Witt is the Interim Chief Executive Officer at Effingham Health System in Springfield, Georgia. She is a Registered Nurse first. She has a MBA and is working on her doctorate in nursing. Mrs. Baker-Witt is also a Nursing Home Administrator.

Fran Baker-Witt served in key leadership roles at Grady Health System in Atlanta for 17 years. In January 2016 she joined Effingham Health System as the Chief Transformation Officer. Mrs. Baker-Witt was named Interim Chief Executive Officer at Effingham Health System in June 2016.

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Veterans Connect Radio Episode 020 Mike Hilliard and Dan Charron

December 6, 2016 by Danny

Veterans Connect Radio

A spotlight episode of Atlanta Business Radio and powered by Business RadioX. Co-Hosted by Ryan “Redhawk” McPherson and Brandon Skolnick with Gathering Of Angels. Featuring veteran entrepreneurs, support organizations, outreach groups and more in the Atlanta area continuing to serve our families, our communities and our country.

#VetsConnect
@VetConnectRadio

Dan Charron / First Data Salutes
Executive Vice President, Head of Global Business Solutions

Dan Charron serves as Executive Vice President, Head of Global Business Solutions, with operations in North America, EMEA, APAC and LatAm. It provides First Data’s 6 million clients across the world with the products, services and solutions they need to grow their business. Dan is responsible for First Data’s client and partner relationships worldwide and will target strategic expansion of the firm’s footprint, both in terms of geographic reach and the depth and breadth of solution offerings for clients all around the globe.

Prior to his arrival at First Data, Dan spent 14 years at Chase Paymentech, the global payment processing business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. He joined that company in 2000, taking on roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in his appointment as president in 2013. Prior to Paymentech, Dan was a managing partner at US Web-CKS, a global internet consultancy, and served in multiple executive roles at Total System Services (TSYS), a credit card processor, merchant acquirer and bank credit card issuer.

As an industry leader, Dan serves on the Board of Directors of the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), an international trade association that influences, monitors and helps shape the payments industry. He also has served as Chairman of the Board of Merchantlink, a company that offers cloud-based payment gateway and data security solutions to hotels, restaurants and retailers.

Dan is one of 5 kids; his father spent his career in the Air Force, and Dan grew up around the world as a military brat. Dan and all his siblings served in the military; 3 Air Force, 2 Army. Dan is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and served in the Gulf War Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield as a combat engineer. After his military service, Dan received a master’s degree in business administration from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

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Mike Hilliard / Georgia Aquarium

Michael Hilliard joined the Army in the summer of 2004. He graduated basic training and Infantry school at Ft. Benning, Ga later that fall. He was stationed at Ft. Campbell, Ky with 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. This is where he would deploy to Iraq in 2005. On a dark spring morning April, 7th 2006 he prepared to go on a mission to interrupt Improvised Explosive Device cells in South Baghdad. After his Platoon discovered a cache of bomb making material they detained the owner and headed to the next objective. Shortly after walking through an open fence Michael hit the ground. When he awoke he was informed that he just received a gunshot wound to the left side of his head. Due to the outstanding leadership and training of his platoon. He was medvac to Baghdad E.R. in around 17 minutes. He was later flown to Walter Reed Army Medical hospital where underwent rehabilitation. Michael joined his unit when they returned where he reenlisted and prepared for his next deployment to Afghanistan. After his deployment, the Army found that he was no longer fit for duty and medically retired him in 2013. While in the Army Michael discovered SCUBA diving and fell in love with it as soon as his head submerged he knew that he needed to share it. Michael now lives in the greater Atlanta area with his wife and two children working as a Senior Divemaster with the Georgia Aquarium introducing his love of the water to the Veterans every Wednesday.

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors Features Alicyn McLeod and Emma Foulkes

December 6, 2016 by Danny

Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors interviews industry experts from in and around the Metro Atlanta Area. Our goal is to provide valuable information that all business owners and managers can use in their day-to-day work to help them succeed.

Alicyn McLeod / FinLogic, LLC
Tax Partner

Alicyn McLeod specializes in tax planning and compliance for closely-held businesses and not-for-profits. She also offers fiduciary services, including serving as trustee, administrator, financial power of attorney, and conservator. She previously ran her own solo practice and brings the same drive and dedication to her clients at FinLogic, along with 15 + years of accounting & tax experience.

Alicyn, a Georgia native, is a graduate of Augusta University where she earned both her Bachelors in Business Administration in Accounting and her Masters of Business Administration. She is an animal-lover who wanted to be a veterinarian as a child and accidentally stumbled into accounting while working her way through school. She quickly appreciated that each day holds its own unique professional challenges and learning opportunities. She enjoys applying her specialized knowledge to her clients’ business and tax situations to help them understand and navigate confusing issues that have a large impact on their finances.

Alicyn resides in Buckhead and is an active member of the Atlanta business community. She contributes her professional skills by volunteering with several organizations including serving as President-Elect of the American Woman’s Society of CPAs – Georgia Chapter, Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta (a German cultural center) as treasurer, Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s finance committee, and Georgia Lawyers for the Arts’ advisory board.

Emma Foulkes / Foulkes Steele Wealth Management
Certified Financial Planner, Managing Partner, Branch Manager

Emma Foulkes is a Certified Financial Planner, Managing Partner and Branch manager of Foulkes Steele Wealth Management. Emma Has been guiding clients to financial freedom for over 15 years. She is a board member & the Past President of the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and Past board member of the Financial planning association. She is a disabled veteran of the U.S. Army – Operation Desert Storm.

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Host) / bbr Marketing
President

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success having worked with clients in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

Rob Consoli with Liaison Technologies, Ria Story with Top Story Leadership and Sean Hardy with CarMax, Inc.

December 5, 2016 by Danny

Rob Consoli / Liaison Technologies
Chief Revenue Officer

Rob Consoli is responsible for Liaison’s overall revenue strategy which includes overseeing U.S. Sales and Global Marketing. Since joining the company in 2010, Rob has held various leadership roles in sales and marketing and has been instrumental in establishing Liaison as market leader. Prior to joining Liaison, Rob held key sales leadership roles at I.D. Systems, Visiprise (acquired by SAP), Jacada, Forte Software, and Programming Research. Rob has Master of Engineering Management degree from SMU and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University.

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Ria Story / Top Story Leadership
Leadership and Motivational Speaker

Ria is a motivational speaker, author, and professional coach with a passion to help others make the right choices today to reach their goals tomorrow. She triumphed over being sexually abused from age 12 – 19 by her father, and escaped by leaving home at 19 without a job, car, or even a high school diploma.

Ria successfully applied leadership principles throughout her career in the healthcare industry, learning to lead at all levels with increasing responsibilities, before resigning from corporate life to pursue her passion for coaching, motivational speaking, and leadership development. Ria holds degrees in Office Administration, Human Resource Management, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She is a certified leadership coach, speaker and trainer with The John Maxwell Team.

A published author, Ria is also a fierce health and wellness advocate. She is a certified fitness instructor, teaches group fitness classes several times a week, runs marathons and is an avid mountain biker – winning the 2011 and 2012 State Mountain Biking Championships in both Alabama and Georgia.

Ria is an accomplished speaker, sharing her inspirational victim-to-victor story of overcoming adversity with humor and a down-to-earth style that connects with audiences. Ria speaks on leadership and personal growth topics including:

Making the Right Choices Today to Achieve Your Goals Tomorrow
Overcome Adversity and Setbacks with Resilience
Finding Your Purpose
Dealing with Change
Time Management/Effective Planning
Communication Skills
Leadership for Women

Ria lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Mack Story.

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Sean Hardy / CarMax, Inc.
Location General Manager

Sean is the Location General Manager for the Norcross CarMax location, and has been with CarMax for 12 years. Prior to coming to CarMax, Sean managed stores for Circuit City.

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Core Dialogues Radio: James D. Ludema, Ph.D. CVDL Co-founder and Director; Professor, Global Leadership and Core Faculty

December 4, 2016 by Danny

James D. Ludema, Ph.D.

CVDL Co-founder and Director; Professor, Global Leadership and Core Faculty

jludema@ben.edu

Dr. James D. Ludema is the Co-founder and Director of the Center for Values-Driven Leadership and a Professor of Global Leadership at Benedictine University. He is Past Chair of the Academy of Management’s Organization Development and Change Division and is the author of two books and dozens of articles on leadership, strategy and organizational change. His book The Appreciative Inquiry Summit: A Practitioner’s Guide for Leading Large-Scale Change is widely considered a classic in the field.

Dr. Ludema has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America and has served as a consultant to a variety of organizations including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, BP, McDonald’s, John Deere, USG, U.S. Cellular, the US Navy, World Vision, and many local and international NGOs. Dr. Ludema received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Case Western University and a B.A. in Philosophy from Calvin College.

Research interests: Global leadership; values-driven leadership at the individual, organizational, and societal levels; appreciative inquiry and positive organizational scholarship; the link between culture and profit in small and mid-size businesses.

Pensacola Business Radio–UWF Cyber Security Competition and Center for Cyber Security

December 4, 2016 by Danny

John Barlow-Winner

Eman El Sheikh, Ph.D. Director Center for Cyber Security

Anthony Pinto-UWF

UWF Cyber Club places first in statewide Cyber Defense Challenge

Pensacola, Fla. – Nov. 14, 2016 – The University of West Florida Cyber Club recently placed first in the Cyber Defense Challenge at the Florida Center for Cybersecurity’s third annual conference, held in Tampa.

This was the first year that the annual competition included a cybersecurity competition, which features several live cyber challenges for various teams. The UWF team competed in the invite-only Cyber Defense Challenge, where they were tasked with defending their networks against pre-programmed cyber traffic and attack scenarios. They faced teams from top Florida universities, including the University of Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida. A non-collegiate team placed second and the University of Florida placed third.

“The UWF Cyber Club students are very dedicated,” said Anthony Pinto, lecturer in the UWF computer science department and faculty advisor for the Cyber Club. “They practice several times each week, on their own time, and they’re interested in learning as much as possible about the field. More than that, they worked well together, organizing the team tasks to get the most out of their talents and time.”

John Barlow, senior cybersecurity major and president of the UWF Cyber Club, said it was an invaluable opportunity to practice what he’s learned in the classroom in a hands-on, real-world scenario.

“Taking part in competitions forces me to adapt to an unfamiliar environment, apply what I know, learn from those who may know more, and still have fun in the process,” he said. “The Cyber Defense Challenge helped me gain a deeper understanding of cybersecurity, and now I can share what I’ve learned with my fellow students. As a result, the cybersecurity program at UWF will continue to grow and flourish, with new ideas and processes being exchanged between current and future members.”

The conference featured keynote presentations from Industry leaders Scott Charney, vice president of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group, and Art Coviello, retired executive chairman of RSA, the Security Division of EMC. Participants also attended sessions focused on cybersecurity workforce development, research, current trends and more, as well as exhibitor displays, panel discussions, networking opportunities and live demonstrations.

“The Cyber Defense Challenge provided our students with the experience of applying the knowledge gained from their education to a real world situation,” Pinto said. “Networking with industry professionals and other university students was also an invaluable opportunity.”

The UWF Center for Cybersecurity enhances student success through scholarships, professional development opportunities and support for the Cyber Club. The Center for Cybersecurity is the regional hub for cybersecurity education and research, including multidisciplinary programs and certificates, research opportunities, outreach activities, and industry partnerships.

Created during the 2014 legislative session, the Florida Center for Cybersecurity is a shared resource for cybersecurity research, education and outreach across the state and beyond. The Center fosters collaboration between higher education, government, defense and business communities to share knowledge, resources and training opportunities that help mitigate cybersecurity threats and create opportunities for innovative solutions. Located at the University of South Florida, FC² is leading efforts to position Florida as a national leader in cybersecurity.

To learn more about the UWF Cyber Club and the Center for Cybersecurity, visit uwf.edu/cybersecurity.