As VP of Design & Innovation at 352, Robert Berris leads the innovation and strategy practice to co-create human-centered solutions, by uncovering problems worth solving.
In addition to building new business strategies, Robert leads the design department and product design practice. He blends his expertise in web development, user experience design, storytelling and product marketing to position 352 as a leading innovation and digital product development agency.
Connect with Robert on LinkedIn and Twitter.
The Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project story was made possible because of the generosity of Ricky Steele with Steele Technology Partners. Learn how you can help tell a story like this one here.
Brandon P. Fleming is the founder and Executive Director of the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project. Fleming is Assistant Coach of Debate at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA and one of the “Master Educators” at the highly-acclaimed Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, GA. The Georgia Center for Nonprofits & Young Nonprofit Professionals Network selected Fleming as a 2016 recipient of the Georgia ’30 Under 30′ award. Fleming was recently inducted into the 2017 class of Outstanding Atlanta and the 2018 class of LEAD Atlanta – Atlanta’s premier young professional’s program for emerging leaders. At Ron Clark Academy he teaches social sciences, trains thousands of educators worldwide, and coached the middle school speech & debate team to consecutive high school championships, including an undefeated record. Fleming went from being a high-risk youth to a college dropout to an influential educator who has used his story to inspire many throughout the world. As freshman undergraduate student at Liberty University, Fleming founded the S.Y. Scholars Program, Inc., a competitive non-profit college preparatory and leadership development institute. Through rigorous training in academics and leadership, the student body, consisting entirely of at-risk teens, increased from a 1.2 to a 3.0 cumulative GPA only 9 weeks after the program’s inception – 90% of them having achieved honor roll for the first time. He instituted a leadership development curriculum that cultivated the students into community organizers, hosting events that galvanized the community in support of education reform in Central Virginia and beyond. Fleming had soon become a community trail blazer, initiating projects that assembled members of the community to raise education awareness. In 2012, Fleming hosted the first annual Harlem Renaissance Festival, which drew over 300 members of the Lynchburg community. This same year, he hosted the Symposium, an education gathering that united political leaders, educators, students, parents, and the community for a forum discussing, “The State of Education in America.” The successful event had soon evolved into The Symposium Tour, in which Fleming and his students traveled to prestigious colleges & universities in an effort to motivate members of the community to undergird the local education system. Institutions involved in this tour included Liberty University, University of Virginia, Duke University, Howard University, Wake Forest University, and many more. In 2013, the News & Advance recognized him as one of Lynchburg’s most significant people. In 2015, Fleming was recruited by famous educator Ron Clark, subject of the TNT film The Ron Clark Story.
Connect with Brandon on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
David Shands is an inspiration to anyone with an idea to create what doesn’t yet exist. From employee to employer David worked in various customer oriented industries, all while building his own apparel business. David coined the phrase “Sleepis4Suckers” starting out with wristbands and a cool story; later evolving into a clothing line, and an established national business coaching program, ‘Sleepless Knights’. With entrepreneurship being his overarching area of expertise, David works to inspire and uplift many with his brands tag line ” If you lose sleep doing what you love, you will eventually live the dream that you only would have dreamt.” Since David quit his job at The Cheesecake Factory in 2012, his successful businesses, compelling story and unique teaching style has taken his speaking platform all across the country. David has the unique ability to teach complicated subjects like entrepreneurship, marketing, leadership and mental toughness in a way that is being grasped and understood by audiences of all ages. David was named one of Urban Shakes Magazine’s favorite Atlanta entrepreneurs and also featured in major mainstream publications; not to mention countless online blogs, podcasts, and radio stations. David has also been traveling alongside his mentor and world renowned motivational speaker, Dr. Eric Thomas. David has been requested to be on Dr. Eric Thomas’ latest cross country tours, “Stay Ready” in 2017 and “School Days with E.T.” for 2018. David’s approach to speaking is a fusion of traditional education and the knowledge of life experiences. David has built a nation wide business coaching program that teaches entrepreneurs all across the country how to turn their ideas into income. Painting pictures with words and using everyday life illustrations, David harbors a gift for speaking and uses that gift to invoke ambition. David is bringing up a new generation of entrepreneurs and continues to have a relatable message for everyone regardless of age.
Connect with David on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Andy Decker is a regional president for recruiting firm Robert Half in Georgia where he oversees operations for the Accountemps, OfficeTeam, Robert Half Finance and Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources divisions. Founded in 1948, Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm. As regional president, Andy focuses on business development while managing and training the region’s branch teams. Since joining Robert Half in 2006, he has held a variety of roles with increasing responsibility Prior to joining Robert Half, Andy was the executive vice president of a training and development company located in San Francisco, Calif. where he trained thousands of business professionals each year on leadership and team development. In addition, Andy was a part-time lecturer at Indiana University and an instructor with San Jose State University. He is a graduate of James Madison University.
