Transformational Leadership Archives

Jody daSilva, Leaders Team, on Breaking Growth Barriers

October 9, 2025 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Jody daSilva, Leaders Team, on Breaking Growth Barriers

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Jody daSilva, Leaders Team, on Breaking Growth Barriers (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 907)

Early in her career, when a McDonald’s location she managed flooded with a foot of water, Jody daSilva didn’t shut it down. She fixed it, reopened it, and never looked back. That same instinct to figure things out has powered her entire career.

Now with Leaders Team, Jody helps executives do the same inside their companies: fix what’s really broken. In her conversation with host North Fulton Business Radio host John Ray, she explains why so many mid-market firms stall out: not because of weak systems or bad hires, but because of the stories leaders tell themselves.

Jody and John dig into how those hidden beliefs shape culture, create silos, and kill growth. She shares what “ontological coaching” really means, why it’s not just pep-talk psychology, and how companies transform when leaders stop managing content and start changing who they are being.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Why leadership transformation starts with who you’re being rather than what you’re doing
How personal stories and limiting beliefs can cap organizational growth
The role of ontological coaching in reshaping leadership effectiveness
How to recognize when a company culture or structure is holding back performance
Simple ways to begin dismantling silos and building alignment across teams

Topics Discussed in This Episode

00:00 Introduction to North Fulton Business Radio
01:52 Meet Jody daSilva: Leadership Insights
02:57 Jody’s Eclectic Career Journey
05:56 The Importance of Being in Business
07:32 Ontological Training and Its Impact
11:32 Transforming Company Culture
16:07 Exploring Company Silos
18:26 Identifying Symptoms of Dysfunction
21:38 Addressing Women Leaders’ Challenges
25:39 Success Stories and Transformations
27:50 Contact Information and Closing Remarks

Jody daSilva, Leaders Team

Jody daSilva is a senior manager and leadership consultant with more than 30 years of experience leading and advising across Fortune 500 companies and start-ups. Her career is defined by a track record of improving profitability, productivity, and organizational performance. Drawing on that experience, she now helps companies identify the unseen barriers that stall growth and performance.

Jody combines sharp business acumen with deep ontological training in the study of being and human nature to offer a distinctive approach to leadership development. Through her work with Leaders Team, she helps executives and teams uncover limiting beliefs, shift culture, and create alignment that drives sustainable results. Her clients credit her with breakthroughs that include doubling revenue, strengthening leadership teams, improving customer satisfaction, and building more cohesive, purpose-driven organizations.

Website | LinkedIn

Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $17 billion in assets and more than 180 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from each banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way to better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio

Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.

Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray

With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!

The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their markets, communities, and professions. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.

John Ray, host of North Fulton Business Radio, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors — **John Ray, host of *North Fulton Business Radio* and Owner, Ray Business Advisors**

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

You can find the complete archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.

John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

John is the author of the five-star rated book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.

A Transformational Approach to Leadership, with Chief John Robison, Ph.D., Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, and Author of Compelling Force Leadership

September 25, 2023 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

A Transformational Approach to Leadership, with Chief John Robison, Ph.D., Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, and Author of Compelling Force Leadership

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Chief John Robison, Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, and author of Compelling Force Leadership, joined host John Ray on North Fulton Business Radio to talk about a transformational approach to leadership. They discussed his book and why he wrote it, why it is so important to understand your purpose as a leader, why you need to be intentional in your engagement with your team members, how to ensure you are growing as a leader, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Compelling Force Leadership: How Leaders Can Use Their Influence to Effectively Lead People with Purpose and Passion

Today’s leaders are challenged more now than ever to create and maintain vibrant organizational cultures. In this book, Dr. John Robison shares what he has gained through research and his personal leadership experience to help equip current and future leaders with the tools needed to create a dynamic workplace environment.

Readers will gain a working knowledge of ways to increase employee job satisfaction and commitment to the organization. Whether you are a seasoned leadership veteran or brand new to leadership, the mindset and tools you will gain from this book will help ensure you are a COMPELLING FORCE leader by adding value to your people through leading with purpose and passion.

Amazon

Alpharetta Department of Public Safety

It is the mission of the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety to enhance the quality of life of those that live, work, and play in the City of Alpharetta.

They do things a little differently than your average emergency services department. Unlike most jurisdictions, their services are not separated into different departments. Police, fire, and 911 are all part of a single, streamlined team. This allows each service to work more closely, train more efficiently, and communicate together to provide the optimal service to those in Alpharetta. For the community they serve, that translates into low crime rates, faster responses to emergency calls, and the lowest possible ISO rating so homeowners enjoy lower insurance rates.

Chief John Robison serves as Director of Public Safety for the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Chief John Robison, Ph.D., Author of Compelling Force Leadership and Director of Public Safety, Alpharetta Department of Public Safety

**Dr. John Robison, Author of *Compelling Force Leadership* and Director of Public Safety, Alpharetta Department of Public Safety**

Dr. John Robison has over 15 years of leadership experience in the public safety profession, and he currently serves as Director of Public Safety with the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety. He leads over 250 police officers, firefighters and 911 dispatchers. John is also a leadership instructor for a national training agency where he teaches and develops leaders from organizations throughout the country. Additionally, John works as an instructor for two different universities in Georgia.

LinkedIn | X

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

What led to your decision to write a book on leadership?
Why do you so strongly believe in a transformational leadership approach? Discuss your dissertation research on transformational leadership.
Why is understanding your purpose as a leader so important?
You talk a good bit about engagement in your book. Talk about why you emphasize the need for leaders to be intentional when it comes to engaging with their people.
Talk about the importance of always growing. What are some keys to ensure you are growing as a leader?
What do you hope people will take away from your book?

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Since 2000, Office Angels® has been restoring joy to the life of small business owners, enabling them to focus on what they do best. At the same time, we honor and support at-home experts who wish to continue working on an as-needed basis. Not a temp firm or a placement service, Office Angels matches a business owner’s support needs with Angels who have the talent and experience necessary to handle work that is essential to creating and maintaining a successful small business. Need help with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, presentations, workshops, speaking engagements, and more? Visit us at https://officeangels.us/.

Transformational Women Highlights Jennifer Dorian, SVP Turner Entertainment Networks

May 26, 2012 by angishields

Transformational Women

Transformational Women Highlights Jennifer Dorian, SVP Turner Entertainment Networks

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We sat down to talk with Jennifer Dorian, senior vice president, strategy development, for Turner Entertainment Networks (TEN) and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media group (AYAKM). In this lively and fun-filled interview, listen to Jennifer’s stories about what it takes to succeed. She embodies someone who is very comfortable in her own skin and has these four pieces of advice:

1) Be your own agent, 2) Act like you belong, 3) Be fearless, 4) Be a catalyst for change.

Scroll down below to read the fun “Declaration of Personal Responsibility” that Jennifer and her team enacted in 2009 to get better work life integration.

In her role, Jennifer serves as a strategic business and branding consultant for TEN, which includes TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and truTV, and AYAKM, which includes Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang. Dorian is based in Atlanta and reports to Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, and to Stuart Snyder, president and chief operating officer of AYAKM

Previously, Dorian served as senior vice president, network strategy and brand development, for TEN. She oversaw strategic business planning and brand identity development and image marketing for both networks. Prior to that position, Dorian was vice president of branding for TNT where, in 2001, she led the network’s launch and on-going strategic brand positioning as “TNT: We Know Drama.” Dorian’s positioning of the brand became a resounding success, with TNT ranking as ad-supported cable’s #1 network in delivery of key adult demos for six consecutive years. TNT has been able to monetize its positioning with advertisers in large part because of the groundwork laid by Dorian and the network team.

Dorian also oversaw the June 2004 creation and implementation of the “TBS Very Funny” brand. The positioning proved enormously successful, with TBS consistently ranking as one of basic cable’s Top 5 networks with young adults. On the strength of her work with TNT and TBS, Dorian was honored with a Brand Builders award from Brandweek. She is also leading Turner Entertainment Networks’ strategic business planning, brand development and portfolio management. Her work in that area includes a focus on innovation for the organization and exploration of extending brands into new arenas and platforms, such as the highly successful TCM Classic Film Festival.

Prior to joining Turner in 2000, Dorian was director of strategic services for sports and leisure marketing at The Coca-Cola Co., based in Atlanta. In that capacity, Dorian oversaw a portfolio of U.S. sponsorships, assessing proposals and evaluating brand alignment and potential returns on investments. Previously, Dorian was manager of kids marketing for Pizza Hut, Inc., a division of PepsiCo. She joined the company as assistant manager of new product development. Dorian also served as director of marketing for InfoVentures of Atlanta, a partnership of Cox Enterprises and the former BellSouth.

Dorian holds a master of business administration degree in marketing from the University of Texas and a bachelor’s degree from Emory University. Within Turner, she is involved in mentoring through Turner Women Today and TEN Mentoring. She serves on the board of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau; the National Marketing Committee of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF; and the board of the PATH Foundation. In 2009, she was recognized by Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) with the Horizon Award. In 2011, WICT named Dorian as a Woman to Watch.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Declaration of Personal Responsibility by Jennifer Dorian and Team

The unanimous declaration of the Strategy Development Department

When in the course of work/life events, it becomes necessary for one team to dissolve the traditional habits and norms that pre-dated them in the corporate world, and to proactively assume leadership of their own destinies and create the best working environment, norms and personal habits to propel them to do their best work and live their best lives.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all team members are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Having a Life, Personal Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Employers provide outlets for creativity, constant learning, making a contribution, teamwork, challenges, self-esteem and financial compensation and benefits. We embrace the role of employers in our lives but cast off the yoke of tradition.

It is our duty to throw off such conventional out-dated habits which may hold us back, and to provide new norms for the future success of our enterprises and our personal selves.

We cast off the following conventions of corporate life:

Traditional, rigid work schedules
Staying late at the office to impress others
Bound to working only at our desks
“Dress for success”
Lunch “hour”

We replace these conventions with an invitation to find personal work habits that are most effective for the individual and still effective for the group and clients. These may include (but are not limited to):

Telecommuting and working off-site
Pre-established flexible hours (core hours and communication to immediate manager)
Exercise during business hours
Appropriate dress for the occasion
Thinking time, exploring time
Spending time with outsiders
“Meetings management” (the right to say ‘no’)
Punctuality

We solemnly publish and declare that these employees of the strategy and brand development team are absolved from all allegiance to “the old ways” and may act as free and independent people with the full power of personal responsibility to produce excellent work and make full contributions while achieving our unalienable rights. We mutually pledge to each other our work lives, our fortunes and our honor.

Signed this 24th day of September, in the year of 2009. We the undersigned affix our signatures to this document:

Transformational Women Highlights Linda Klein, Managing Shareholder, Baker Donelson

May 26, 2012 by angishields

Transformational Women

Transformational Women Highlights Linda Klein, Managing Shareholder, Baker Donelson

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We sat down to talk with Linda Klein, managing shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Georgia offices and a member of the Firm’s Board of Directors. In our interview Linda talks about why she decided to go into law practice (listen to her story about her grandfather’s grocery store), how she finds purpose in the work she does (it’s about helping people by solving their problems), and her tips for what it takes to be successful:

1) Show enthusiasm for the work you’re given, 2) Work hard, 3) Have self-confidence because you deserve it, 4) Take credit for your success, 5) Know yourself and be authentic in your own leadership.

Linda is also the Chair of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates for the 2010 – 2012 term. Her practice includes most types of business dispute resolution, including contract law, construction law, fidelity and surety law, employment law and professional liability. In 1998, Georgia Trend Magazine named her one of the 100 most powerful and influential Georgians. Atlanta Magazine has named her a Georgia Super Lawyer and one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Georgia annually since 2004. In 2010 and 2011, she was named by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of Georgia’s Legal Elite. In 2004 the American Bar Association honored Ms. Klein with the prestigious Margaret Brent Achievement Award. In 2009 Ms. Klein was honored with the Randolph Thrower Award for Lifetime Achievement and was named to the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers. Ms. Klein is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Who’s Who in America and Chambers USA.

In June 1997, Ms. Klein became the first woman to serve as President of the State Bar of Georgia. She served as Chair of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association from 2003 to 2004. She is a Past Chair of the Committee on Rules and Calendar of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association and Chair of the Association’s Coalition for Justice. She also currently holds numerous Board of Director positions, including Southface Energy Institute and Neighbor to Family. She is a Past President of the Board of Directors’ Network, Past President of the Caucus of State Bars, and Past Chair of the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Georgia and the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia. She currently serves on the advisory boards of Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers.

Ms. Klein has authored numerous published works, most on construction topics. Her lecture schedule has included presentations in France, Sweden, Spain and Canada, but most extensively in the Southeast United States. She is a member of the American Law Institute, and a certified mediator and arbitrator, frequently serving as a neutral as well as a client advocate.

Transformational Women Highlights Stephanie Nelson, Founder CouponMom.Com

January 17, 2012 by angishields

Transformational Women

Transformational Women Highlights Stephanie Nelson, Founder CouponMom.Com

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How do you get from teaching 20 women in your living room about saving money with coupons to teaching 5.8million moms? Hear the fascinating story of grass roots entrepreneurship, pursuing purpose, and getting on Oprah from Stephanie Nelson, Founder CouponMom.Com. Learn from her about the hard-earned and learned principles of what it takes to pursue your dream. Her story is a live example of what entrepreneurship really is: “the pursuit of opportunity regardless of resources”.

Since 2004 Stephanie has appeared frequently on television and radio teaching savings tips, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, NBC Nightly News, Fox Business, The Doctors, The View, Dr. Oz, The 700 Club, The Mike and Juliet Show, and CNN.

Over 5.8 million members belong to her free grocery deals website www.couponmom.com. Stephanie holds a degree in finance and has ten years of experience in sales and marketing with both Procter & Gamble and Marriott Hotels. In 1995 she retired from the corporate world to stay home with her sons. In 2001 she founded her free website www.couponmom.com committed to helping consumers save money and feed the hungry by increasing food donations to hunger organizations with the Cut Out Hunger program.

The Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bill in Half, released in January 2010, became a New York Times Best Seller in its first month of publication. Websites, newspapers, and magazines across the country have featured Stephanie’s savings advice including USA Today, MSN.com, AARP, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Family Circle, Reader’s Digest, Guideposts, Parenting, Woman’s World, Quick & Simple, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Chicago Tribune, the Orange County-Register, the Seattle Times and the Denver Post.

Cut Out Hunger shoppers nationally have donated tons of food to hunger organizations in their communities. In 2004 the Coca Cola company honored the Cut Out Hunger program by selecting Stephanie to be a torch runner in their Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay. Coca Cola selected participants for their “ability to inspire others and make a positive difference in people’s lives.” In 2003 the Dannon Company recognized the Cut Out Hunger program in their Families Feeding America contest. In 2002 North Fulton Community Charities named Stephanie one of their “Volunteers of the Year” for the food donations generated by the Cut Out Hunger

program.

Stephanie lives with her husband and two sons in Atlanta, Georgia.

Transformational Women Highlights Executives in Media & Cable TV

November 23, 2011 by angishields

Transformational Women

Transformational Women Highlights Executives in Media & Cable TV

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We sat down today to talk with Veronica Sheehan, SVP Turner Broadcasting, Ann Hart VP Sales Digitalsmiths, and Kathy Hatala, President of WICT (Women In Cable & Telecommunications) and VP Business Development for Speakeasy. Hear us talk about what it takes to be an authentic leader, to articulate our personal brands, and to keep pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones.

Veronica Sheehan is Senior Vice President of Global Network Operations and International Information Technology (IT) for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), with executive oversight of U.S. Network Operations and International Operations and Technology in the Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East Africa (EMEA) regions. She is based in Atlanta and reports to Dan Darling, chief information officer for TBS, Inc.

Most recently Sheehan served as Senior Vice President of U.S. Network Operations for TBS, Inc., responsible for leading the broadcast operations, engineering, traffic and media management functions for Network Operations, the division that provides 24-hour technical and operational support for Turner Broadcasting’s entertainment networks, including TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Turner Classic Movies, truTV, NBA-TV and NBA-TV International, as well as content offerings and products on numerous other platforms such as portable handsets, tablets, and the Web.

Sheehan joined Turner Broadcasting in 1999 as Director of broadcast operations and later that year moved to TBS, Inc.’s in-house production/post-production division, Turner Studios, where she served as vice president of operations and original productions. Previously, she was director of operations/division services for National Video Center/Recording Studios, Inc. in New York City.

Sheehan earned a bachelors degree in communications and journalism at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY and currently serves on the President’s Council, advising the college on the evolution of the cable and broadcast industry. She is the founding chair of TBS, Inc.’s business resource group, Turner Women Today, whose mission is to inspire, encourage and empower women to achieve their full potential. Currently, Turner Women Today has chapters in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles and plans to expand internationally. She is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). In 2002, WICT inducted her into the prestigious Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and in 2010, she was awarded the national honor of WICT “Woman to Watch.” For several years, Sheehan has served as the National Chapter Advisor for the WICT Atlanta Chapter and was named 2008 WICT “Chapter Advisor of the Year.” Since 2006, she has been named one of the most powerful women in technology by CableWorld magazine. In 2007, she was named to Atlanta Woman magazine’s “25 Power Women Awards” list and that same year also received WICT Atlanta’s Red Letter Catalyst Award for Women in Technology. Most recently, she was named one of the 2011 Working Mothers of the Year by Working Mother Magazine and was also awarded the 2011 Champion for Success by Dress for Success Atlanta.

Ann Hart is Vice President of Sales for Digitalsmiths, a technology leader in Video Search and Recommendations. Ann is responsible for surfacing sales opportunities within the Telecommunication’s Industry with high caliber content owners and distributors. Ann’s leadership within the Telecommunication’s industry has been spent building a diverse, multi-platform career. The majority of her professional life was spent within the Weather Channel Companies in various Vice President roles in Distribution, Affiliate Sales, Strategic Marketing and Promotions.

She transitioned a 14-year career within the Distribution group and moved over into The Weather Channel Interactive Digital Media Group. This transformation allowed Ann to maximize her skill set and exposed her to Fortune 500 brands where she developed strategies to drive revenue for digital platforms including weather.com and Mobile. After leaving weather.com, Ann was hired by Digitalsmiths to “open doors” within the Cable industry. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for securing strategic partnerships, strengthening value proposition and sales solutions across multiple industries to achieve revenue and marketing goals. Digitalsmiths has opened new doors within the technology side of the business and empowered Ann to grow and transition her skills into a new industry.

Ann has been recognized for her personal and professional philanthropic volunteer work including Women in Cable & Telecommunications and Cable Positive (HIV/AIDS Education). She is a fellow in the prestigious WICT Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and currently serves on the Board of the National Parkinson’s Unity Walk, playing key roles in fundraising on both the local and national level. Ann received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Radio, TV, Film from Oklahoma State University and currently resides in Marietta, GA. Ann is married and has a 16 year-old son. About Digitalsmiths Digitalsmiths is the technology leader in the rapidly growing segment of video search and recommendations. Digitalsmiths Seamless Discovery™, revolutionized the accuracy and ease with which end-users find relevant, personalized entertainment across multiple channels and devices. Digitalsmiths has become a competitive edge and trusted resource for customers such as Warner Bros, Paramount, Technicolor, Turner, the NBA and NASCAR.

Kathy Hatala is VP Business Development for Speakeasy. She has been in the cable television industry for 25 years. Most recently, she was Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Turner Network Sales (TNS), the domestic distribution arm of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. As Vice President, Kathy was responsible for staff management and distribution activities of Turner’s 10 networks, focusing on top cable affiliates: Time Warner, Cox, Cablevision and Mediacom. In addition, she oversaw the execution of strategic marketing promotions designed to maximize exposure for Turner networks through affiliate partnerships. Prior to Turner, Kathy worked for Nickelodeon (MTVN) as VP Affiliate Marketing, MTV Networks as Director of National Accounts, and The Weather Channel as Manager, Local Ad Sales. Kathy has been an active member of Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) serving on the SE Chapter Board as Director of Mentoring for 2 years, Vice President of the chapter in 2010 and now President of the WICT Southeast Chapter for 2011. In 2009, she was a recipient of the WICT Southeast Red Letter Award for Mentoring.

Transformational Women Highlights Kelly Regal, EVP Turner Broadcasting System

November 8, 2011 by angishields

Transformational Women

Transformational Women Highlights Kelly Regal, EVP Turner Broadcasting System

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We sat down with Kelly Regal, EVP of Turner Broadcasting System to discuss what it takes to succeed in corporate careers as well as hear her personal story. Listen in on what it takes to climb the corporate ladder, to make a great career transition, and to be both successful and fulfilled in the work you do. Here’s more background on Kelly Regal.

Kelly Regal is Executive Vice President of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.). Her leadership portfolio includes the company’s programming and sales research; public relations, corporate communications and philanthropy; human resources; and media strategy and buying functions. In addition, she directs wide-ranging strategic and operating initiatives bridging Turner’s global news; entertainment; animation, young adult & kids; and sports networks and businesses. Regal is based in Atlanta and reports to Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of TBS, Inc.

Regal joined the company in 1996 as employment counsel, overseeing employment litigation and related matters including contracts, policy development and consistent enforcement of day-to-day employment policies. She was promoted to senior counsel in January 1998, with subsequent promotions leading to her being named executive vice president in March 2003.

Prior to joining TBS, Inc., Regal was an attorney with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Boston College and a juris doctor degree from Boston College Law School. Regal is a member of the national board of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and the Georgia Bar Association.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Transformational Women Highlights CEO’s Genevieve Bos and Judy Willis

November 2, 2011 by angishields

Transformational Women

Transformational Women Highlights CEO's Genevieve Bos and Judy Willis

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We sat down today with CEO’s Genevieve Bos and Judy Willis who, in addition to being serial entrepreneurs and CEO’s of their companies, also are serial power networkers. Hear their advice and wisdom on how to transform your business with a powerful network and how to be powerful in growing your own business.

Genevieve Bos is CEO and Global Connector of People and Ideas at IdeaString. An accomplished entrepreneur, she has started and sold multiple venture-backed and privately held corporations in the technology and media sectors. Genevieve has been featured sharing her success and start-up secrets in Forbes, CBS Good Morning, NBC, CNBC, WE TV and CNN. Genevieve is also known for launching and successfully running then selling the publishing lifestyle brand PINK (www.littlepinkbook.com), created exclusively for today’s professional woman that has been described as “Fortune Meets Oprah.” Genevieve’s newest venture, www.IdeaString.com is is a place where people come together to connect, collaborate and create valuable world-changing ideas. A cloud-based service, it harnesses the thinking power of groups, then manages, promotes and evaluates the best ideas for innovation and business process optimization. With her celebrated international business background and various board, executive and business interests, Genevieve is a sought after speaker for organizations like Cisco, Dell, Morgan Stanley, GE, Ernst & Young, The Home Depot, KPMG, The Coca- Cola Company, Johnson & Johnson, Harvard University, and many more. She is also a regular guest lecturer Emory University’s MBA program.

Judy Willis is the President & CEO of Judy Willis Marketing, LLC. Pulling from both sides of her brain, Judy has the ability to quickly analyze complex business situations and determine the best course of action to meet and exceed client goals and expectations. Having been a pre‐med student with a minor in fine arts undergraduate, and having earned her MBA in Marketing, Judy has been combining the art and science of marketing for over 27 years. During her career, Judy has successfully identified and solved strategic internal and customer-facing marketing challenges for hundreds of companies, including UPS, LexisNexis, IHG, Procter & Gamble, GTE, SITA, IBM, Disney, Square D/Schneider Electric, NCR, TSYS, Merck, Delphi, Per‐Se Technologies, Georgia‐Pacific, Cox Enterprises, Fujitsu, Johnson & Johnson, and United Healthcare. She has a proven track record in the areas of strategic marketing, integrated communications, social media, market research, sales support, direct marketing, business consulting, finance, and business management experience with entrepreneurial businesses, advertising agencies and design firms, as well as large Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to starting her second company, Judy Willis Marketing, LLC, Judy headed up Porter Novelli’s Consumer Practice for the Atlanta office. Porter Novelli (PN) is a global public relations firm that is part of the publically-traded Omnicom family of companies. While with PN, Judy led all new business development, business operations, P&L, market research, client services, talent management and support for the practice. Judy also directed and managed the PN Atlanta Digital & Social Media Group, and served as the Interim Chief Marketing Officer for one of Porter Novelli’s Fortune 500 clients, Asbury Automotive Group.

Prior to joining Porter Novelli, Judy was the Chief Marketing Officer of Merge Agency. Prior to joining Merge, Judy was President, CEO and Co‐Founder of Bright Impact, Inc., a strategic branding firm that specialized in business‐to‐business marketing for companies in technology, health care, manufacturing and professional services. Judy has also held a series of high‐level marketing, advertising and consulting positions with several notable companies, such as Foote, Cone and Belding (Vicom/FCB) and LexisNexis.

Judy has been on the Board of the Georgia Executive Women’s Network (GEWN) and served as Board President in 2006. Judy is also very active in the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and has served as a Judge for the Emory Goizueta Business School Marketing Strategy Competition. Judy earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology/Pre‐Med from Mt. Holyoke College, and her Master’s in Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Connecticut.

Transformational Women Highlights Karen See, Susan O’Dwyer and Mary Barton

November 1, 2011 by angishields

Transformational Women

Transformational Women Highlights Karen See, Susan O'Dwyer and Mary Barton

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Do you know how to grow your business in these tough times? If you’re wanting to start a business, what are the critical traits required to be an entrepreneur? Hear from powerful business developers who know how to Pitch Like A Girl and win!

Karen See is co-founder of two companies: Abovo Partners, an opportunity catalyst consulting firm specializing in fund-raising and sponsor/member strategy for not-for-profits, trade associations, political and educational organizations. With her partner, based in Washington, D.C., they have worked for such organizations as the Smithsonian Institute’s National Zoological Park, National Institute of Health, AARP, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, the National Commission on Orthotics & Prosthetics Eduction, Merrill Lynch, and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.

ClarityClose, is a strategic win consulting firm for business-to-business enterprises who have complex selling environments. Working with executive teams, the firm focuses on ensuring successful “sales closings” by conducting win/loss performance audits and analysis, “deal-based” strategic planning, competitive differentiator messaging, and sales material asset packaging. ClarityClose clients include Skanska, Datex Corporation, Carefx, North Highland Group, Prenova, and ThanksAgain.

Prior to starting ClarityClose, Karen was CEO of Abovo Group for over 11 years. Abovo Group, a marketing and branding firm reached $15 million in service fees and 70 employees within its first three years, earning the company a spot as the 7th fastest-growing, privately-held company and 4th fastest-growing, female-owned business in Atlanta. Karen’s corporate positions include serving as Sr. Vice President of Marketing & Business Development for HOK, Southeast Area Director of Marketing for KPMG, Director of Marketing Communications for First Data Corporation’s Health Systems Division, and as a sales representative for Xerox Corporation.

Karen has served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit boards, (including three years as a member of the WIT board). She holds bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Kansas State University.

Susan O’Dwyer is responsible for driving business development across the various sectors that her firm Habif, Arogeti &Wynne, LLC serves. She has over 30 years of experience with professional services firms, specifically in the high technology industry, in both Silicon Valley and Atlanta. Previously, she served as the National Director of Venture Capital Research for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ MoneyTree (a quarterly survey of over 1,000 venture capitalists that measured venture capital activity) throughout the country, including benchmarking work with various constituencies: venture capital investors, C-level executives of technology start-ups, governmental economic development units, universities, and the media. She was responsible for designing and managing all industry-focused, firm-sponsored events, including a major fund-raising effort for Tech High (Atlanta charter school), alumni relations and the “AJC Top 100” program. She also served, for 15 years, as the Program Director for the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia. She represents HA&W in the community and performs liaison work with industry trade associations.

Susan received her BA degree from Fresno State University in Journalism. She is a Board Member of B&TA (Business & Technology Alliance), ICAPP (University System of Georgia’s economic development program), and GIFT (Georgia Industrial Fellowships for Teachers, a program of Georgia Institute of Technology). In addition, she is on the Executive Committee of the CEO High Tech Council and the chairperson of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Marketing Committee’s Venture Capital Program. She serves on the National Council for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and was a mentor for the 2011 Ambassadors class at High Tech Ministries. In addition she is on the Board of Advisors for InVasc Therapeutics, an Atlanta-based drug development company. She serves as President of the Georgia Alumni Chapter for Fresno State University. Susan is also a lifetime member of Sigma Delta Chi and Phi Kappa Phi.

In addition to her work, Susan is the proud mom of her kids including James O’Dwyer who was recently recognized by Nickolodeon TV in the work he did marshalling resources when Alabama was hit with tornadoes in April 2011. His work was followed by Taylor Swift who declared him her “hero”. More about this here. http://www.teennick.com/videos/clip/teennick-halo-awards-2011-hero-spot-taylor-swift.html

Mary Barton has been collaborating to reach marketing goals with clients for almost three decades. Her marketing communications expertise has expanded as the number of channels available to marketers grew. Today, she is expert at integrated marketing, lead generation, lead nurturing and getting the attention of C-level decision-makers. She has worked with an impressive list of clients in many industries including:

Manhattan Associates, a recognized leader in supply chain software.
Fiserv, a multi-billion dollar financial leader.
Porsche North America, one of the finest luxury automobiles in the world.
Motorola, an innovator in smartphone technology and more.
Coca-Cola, consistently lauded as one of the world’s most recognized brands.

Mary occupies a unique position, because she has run her own successful business plus she has worked in the corporate world. Currently, she is a Senior Account Executive at Standard Press. Mary chose to come on-board at this long-time leader in print because they are an innovative company committed to providing customers with strategic thinking, flawless execution and a superior customer experience. At Standard Press, Mary is able to leverage her knowledge about marketing and print to create campaigns that get results.

Prior to her position at Standard Press, Mary was CEO of Mary Barton Productions. She grew the company from the start-up phase with $0.00 sales to a thriving business that employed 12 people and had over $3.5 million in billings. In 2006, Mary merged her business into a $55 million dollar company. After it experienced an unexpected economic event, she came to Standard Press.

Over the years, Mary has given back to the community in many ways. She has served on the board for the Business Marketing Association, and also chaired the print committee for Share Our Strength, an organization committed to overcoming hunger. She’s also been involved in Women in Technology, the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia and High Tech Ministries.

Mary’s personal philosophy about client and personal relations has served her well over the years. She believes you should surround yourself with the best people, operate with integrity in the client’s best interests and be passionate about what you do. Mary believes that what you give will come back, so give to the fullest extent.