The Advisory Board helps the College remain closely connected to alumni and current business leaders and monitors the priorities and needs of industry, including talent recruitment and development, strategic research and innovation, and business trends and forecasting. Board members are chosen by the Dean and Board's Executive Committee. Members serve for a two-year term, with an option for a second and third term at the discretion of the Dean and the Executive Committee.
John Wells is the CEO and Leadership practice head for The Goodwin Group in the US. John was the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Interface Americas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Interface, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of modular carpet tile and a publicly traded company with more than $1 billion in revenues. Wells had overall responsibility for Interface and Interface Services in the United States, Canada and Latin America.
Under John’s leadership, the Interface Americas business expanded and became an industry leader, providing modular carpet products to office, retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, residential and institutional/government segments. During his tenure, John was able to organically grow sales by 3x over 12 years. In addition, he championed a strength based, talent focused approach to recruiting and developing the industry’s leading selling organization. This approach more than doubled each salesperson’s book of business. Through the years, Wells has been a champion in developing and articulating Interface’s Mission Zero™ brand promise both internally and to the world – a commitment to sustainability and a promise to eliminate any negative impact the company has on the environment by 2020.
Prior to joining Interface, Wells worked with Shaw Industries for 13 years where he advanced to several sales and sales management positions. He was a lead member of the startup team for Shaw’s Networx® Modular Carpet Division. John’s career with Interface began in January 1994, as Vice President of Sales. In July 1995, he was promoted to President and CEO of InterfaceFLOR. In November 1999, Wells was again promoted to CEO of Interface Americas. John retired from Interface in 2016 after a 30+ year career in the global manufacturing industry serving in top executive leadership roles.
John was awarded the prestigious Titan Award by the International Interior Design Association in 2012.
Wells earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology through a cooperative educational program, and he completed the Executive Education Program at the UNC at Chapel Hill, NC.
John serves on the Georgia Tech Foundation’s Board of Trustees, the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business Advisory Board, and the Scheller College of Business Ray C. Anderson Foundation Advisory Board. Wells also serves on the Board of Directors of the WC Bradley Company and the Board of Trustees for The Lovett School.
John and his wife, Wendi, reside in Atlanta and have two adult children, Brant and Audrey.
Contact
Address: 469 Manor Ridge Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30305
Email: wells.jray@gmail.com
Phone: 404-992-5436
Dennis is a Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of ScoresMatter, a company that helps consumers understand how businesses use the data originating from their on-line activities.
Dennis has spent over twenty years leading consumer marketing businesses focused on industries such as credit card marketing, credit reporting, consumer analytics and digital media.
Following his graduation from Georgia Tech, Dennis went to work for SunTrust as a corporate banker and then moved on to some entrepreneurial endeavors while also earning his MBA from The Wharton School. Dennis has been very active at Georgia Tech having served two terms on the Advisory Board of the Business School and most recently chairing the Class of 1992 Homecoming Reunion Committee.
He resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, Molly and three sons: Hamilton, Georgia Tech BSBA 2024, Andersson, Georgia Tech BSBA 2026, and Henry.
Contact
Address: 635 River Chase Point, Atlanta, GA 30328
Email: dennis@scoresmatter.com
Phone: 404-386-2057
Dick Bergmark graduated from Georgia Tech in 1975 with a major in Industrial Management. He also has an MBA from the University of Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas.
While working in London, he was fortunate to be involved in a management-led buyout of a small, unprofitable division of a Fortune 100 technology conglomerate. In his role as the chief financial officer of this geological research laboratory, he led the company’s IPO on NASDAQ, then later moved the listing to the New York Stock Exchange followed by a dual listing on the Amsterdam Euronext Stock Exchange. Prior to Dick’s retirement, the company had grown substantially with laboratories and operations in more than 50 countries with over 5,000 employees.
Today, Dick enjoys mentoring students on career development decisions as well as serving as an advisor to a STEM-related educational foundation. He also stays engaged with Georgia Tech as a Trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation, the Scheller College of Business Advisory Board and the Alexander-Tharpe Board of Directors.
During his time in London, he met Toni, now his wife of more than 25 years. They reside in Houston, Texas.
Address: 60 Tiel Way, Houston, TX 77019
Email: gcfb.hmd75@outlook.com
Phone: 832-271-9070
Teresa retired as the Senior Vice President of Customer Advocacy for Applied Systems where she was responsible for the customer success strategy, working closely with clients, partners, and organizations across the company to ensure alignment between Applied’s solutions and overall business requirements. Prior to joining Applied Systems, she held executive management positions at Intergraph Corporation, Solution 6 Holdings, Indus International and Dun & Bradstreet Software.
Teresa has more than 30 years of experience in software and technology serving global sectors including financial, insurance, manufacturing, utilities, public safety, government, and defense & intelligence markets. Throughout her career she has led product strategy teams and operational teams to deliver mission critical software solutions for enterprise customers including: Agency Management, Accounting, Manufacturing & Distribution, Workforce Management & Optimization, Asset Management, 911 & Records Management, and Military Defense systems.
Teresa has had the opportunity to lead global teams in public companies, foreign owned companies and private equity portfolio companies and has served on the Board of Directors for India-based Hexagon Capability Center. Through several mergers and acquisitions, whether representing the acquiring or acquired company, Teresa has led or participated in the operational due diligence and enjoys product innovation and serving as a change agent.
Teresa earned her B.S. in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master’s in Business Administration from Georgia State University.
Teresa and Wayne reside in McDonough, Georgia and enjoy traveling, hiking and supporting the Yellow Jackets football and basketball teams.
Address: 707 Indian Hawthorn Court, Peachtree City, GA 30269-1548
Email: jacket1983@icloud.com
Phone: 678-457-5164
Mark Alexander holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Cloud Communications division of NTT. In his role as CEO, Mark is responsible for the operational management of the Cloud Communications division of NTT. He will oversee the strategic evolution of NTT’s world-class suite of cloud communication solutions, to strengthen its position as a major player in cloud-based Unified Communications and Collaboration services and enable digital workplace transformation for customers globally.
A Cloud Communications and Internet veteran known for an energetic, results-oriented leadership style, Mark was formerly EVP Sales & Marketing for PGi and previously held many senior leadership positions in the Webhosting and Cloud Communications industries.
Mark has a Bachelor of Science in Management from Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Emory University.
Contact
Address: 4950 Riverlake Drive, Peachtree Corners, GA 30097
Email: mkaalexander@gmail.com
Phone: 770-778-3797
At the end of 2002 Robert A. Anclien retired after 33 years with Accenture, PLC, a management and technology consulting firm. Throughout his career, Mr. Anclien focused on clients in the Utilities Industry, primarily directing numerous large and complex change programs. These projects helped companies align their people, processes and technologies with their overall strategy to achieve dramatic performance improvement. During his last seven years with the firm, Mr. Anclien was the Global Managing Partner for the Utilities Industry practice, responsible for coordinating Utilities Industry client service activities around the world, setting the strategic direction for the practice, research and development, and the development and training of all Accenture Utilities personnel.
Mr. Anclien joined the firm in 1971. He was admitted into the partnership in 1980. He served for four years as Managing Partner of the Atlanta office and he also headed up the consulting practice in Arizona and New Mexico. Prior to his appointment as Global Managing Partner for Utilities, he served as Managing Partner of the South Region of the United States.
Since his retirement from Accenture, Mr. Anclien has been involved in a number of real estate development projects and he currently is a limited partner/investor in several ventures across the Southeastern United States. His hobbies include reading, golf, travel and spectator sports.
Throughout his professional career, Mr. Anclien has been active in a number of charitable and civic organizations, and over the past several years his focus has been on Georgia Tech activities. He served a three-year term on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and was a trustee for the Alexander-Tharpe Fund. Mr. Anclien is currently a trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation; he was past Chairman and is currently a member of the Board of Advisors for the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.
Mr. Anclien was a member of the Accenture Global Leadership Council since its inception, and also served on a number of other firmwide committees. In the past, he has chaired the Board of Partners Nominating Committee, and has also served on the Partner Income Committee and the Committee of Professional Standards.
Mr. Anclien attended the United States Naval Academy and the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he received a Master of Science degree in 1970.
Contact
Address: 1235 W. Garmon Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30327-4403
Email: bob.anclien@gmail.com
Phone: 404-441-9987
Mr. Avery has over 37 years of investment banking and venture capital experience which includes serving as a Managing Director at Raymond James & Associates from 2000 until 2014; the head of the investment banking group at Interstate/Johnson-Lane from 1995 to 2000; a general partner at Noro-Moseley Partners from 1989 to 1995; a general partner at Summit Partners from 1984 to 1989; and Senior Vice President at The Robinson-Humphrey Company from 1977 to 1984.
During his career as a venture capitalist, Mr. Avery served on numerous private company boards, assisting those companies with advice and help in financing their enterprises; planning and executing growth strategies; and building effective management teams.
Mr. Avery is currently serving on the board of directors of KIPP Metro Atlanta, a national charter school organization serving low income, minority children. Mr. Avery also serves on the board of Charles River Associates, a leading global consulting firm, Southeast Pet Distributors, the largest independent pet supplies distributor in the Southeast, ArborGen, Inc., and PowerUp, a non-profit he co-founded serving underprivileged children in the Atlanta area. Mr. Avery has previously served as a board member of The Lovett School, serving twelve years as chair of the Finance Committee.
Mr. Avery graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Industrial Management and from the Harvard Business School with an MBA. He is married to his high school sweetheart Debbie and they have three grown children.
Contact
Address: 465 Laurel Chase Ct NW, Atlanta, GA 30327
Email: tavery77@gmail.com
Phone: 678-641-1576
Kelly Barrett retired from The Home Depot as Senior Vice President of Home Services where she oversaw the strategy of home services business, including in-home sales and installation, operations, customer contact centers, as well as contractor sourcing, onboarding and compliance. In addition, Kelly was also responsible for revenue and profitability for four Home Depot subsidiary businesses: HD Interiors, Home Renovations Services, HD Measurement Services and HD Exteriors.
Kelly joined The Home Depot in 2003 as vice president and corporate controller and held roles of increasing responsibility including vice president of internal audit and corporate compliance. Prior to joining The Home Depot, she served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Cousins Properties Incorporated and as an audit manager at Arthur Andersen in Atlanta.
Kelly graduated from Georgia Tech in 1986 with highest honors, earning a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management. In April 2006, she was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Management’s Council of Outstanding Young Alumni which recognizes alumni for their career achievements and contributions to Georgia Tech and Society.
She and her husband Rick reside in Buckhead.
Contact
Address: 4555 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA 30327-4573
Email: kellybarrett100@gmail.com
Phone: 404-513-7703
Jany got into the financial services industry in 1997 after graduating from Georgia Tech. She is a Certified Financial Planner™ and has been advising her clients at UBS for the past 25 years.
Jany currently serves as President of the Board of the Dunwoody Nature Center and is on the Board of Ferst Readers. She is still active with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, having served on their National Selection Committee and the Alumni Advisory Board. Jany founded a charity event 17 years ago called Chili for the Children which raises money annually to support children’s health, education, and welfare. She is past President of the North Metro Georgia Tech Club and started a family photo event called Santa Buzz which brings together two of her favorite things – service and photography.
During her time at Tech, Jany was President of the Student Alumni Association, served on the Student Foundation Board and as a Georgia Tech Ambassador. Jany and her son Graham live in Sandy Springs with their rescue, Bailey.
Contact:
Address: 1777 Brandon Hall Dr, Atlanta, GA 30350-3706
Email: jany.brown@ubs.com
Phone: 404-229-1967
Scott Brown is Accenture’s Growth & Strategy Lead for North America. In this role, he is responsible for working with the North America Market Units and Services to develop and implement Accenture’s growth strategy. Scott is a member of the North America Leadership Team, as well as the Accenture Global Leadership Council.
Previously, Scott was the Growth & Strategy Lead for Healthcare & Public Service. Prior to that, Scott served as Managing Director of Corporate Strategy and Competitor Intelligence reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer.
Scott served on the board of the City of Refuge for seven years and also served on the board of the Accenture Foundation.
Prior to joining Accenture, Scott served eight years in the U.S. Navy as a Naval Aviator flying the SH60-B helicopter including service as a Navy ROTC Instructor at Georgia Tech from 1992 to 1995. He is a veteran of Desert Storm where he was awarded the Naval Air Medal.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University and a Master of Science in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He resides in Dunwoody, Georgia with his wife Lisa where they have raised three children, Matthew, Molly, and Gracie.
Contact:
Address: 5176 Meadowcreek Dr, Dunwoody, GA 30338-3846
Email: scott.brown@accenture.com
Phone: 404-964-3626
Travis Collins is the Founder and recently retired CEO of Incident IQ, the leading SaaS-based workflow management platform for K-12 school districts. Prior to Incident IQ, Travis was the founder and CEO of Lexicon Tech Solutions, Inc., (large-scale specialty technology maintenance programs), CEO of the ChannelMax subsidiary of ScanSource, Inc. (specialty technology hardware distribution), the co-founder of Black Arrow eCom (web storefront technology), and the co-founder and CEO of AccuScan, Inc. (automatic data capture systems).
He also served three elected terms (12 years) on the Rockdale County (GA) Board of Education, including terms as Chair and Vice-Chair; he completed his board service in 2008. Travis began his professional career with NCR Corporation and is a 1979 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Industrial Management.
He and his wife of 44 years, Rose, reside on their Rockdale County farm and have two grown sons and four grandchildren. They are active in their church (St. Augustine's Catholic Church, Covington), where they serve as volunteer catechists, assisting with teen faith formation.
Finally, Travis is a dedicated and life-long supporter of Georgia Tech Athletics and serves on the Board of the Alexander-Tharpe Fund.
Contact
Address: 3181 Zingara Road Northeast, Conyers, GA 30012
Email: Travis.Collins1910@gmail.com
Phone: 678.637.7403
Rich DeAugustinis is the CEO of DeAugustinis Associates, LLC. He recently retired from The Coca-Cola Company after a 30+ year career and is presently on sabbatical as he explores new leadership opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
Rich is a seasoned executive and leader with broad international management experience. Rich’s career at Coca-Cola spanned customer leadership, strategy and planning, new business development, marketing and more. Most notably, he served in a variety of leadership roles on the global team responsible for Coca-Cola's business with McDonald's (Coke’s largest and most strategic foodservice customer). Rich’s international experience is built from traveling to and working in over 70 countries around the world.
He also has significant experience in the Atlanta community and non-profit sector, having served on the boards of many non-profit organizations. Rich currently serves on the board of the Inspire Aviation Foundation and The Myositis Association. He is a past chair, vice chair and member of the board for Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). He has also served on the boards of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.
Rich graduated from Georgia Tech in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and has completed the Executive Development Program at Northwestern’s Kellogg Business School. Rich resides in Chamblee, Georgia with his wife Nina and is blessed with 3 young adult children – Megan, Christian (GT AE ‘21) and Aubrey (GT BA ’24). On a lighter note, Rich is still a kid at heart. He is a Disney fanatic, an aspiring Lego master builder and loves to travel.
Contact:
Address: 3599 Vanet Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-2050
Email: rich.deaugustinis.com
Phone: 404-547-8153
Stephen M. Deedy is a Managing Director and the Chief Administrative Officer for AlixPartners and its affiliates. Steve joined the firm’s New York office in 2005 and is responsible for leading the support functions of the firm including finance, human resources, information technology, administration and real estate. He has more than 30 years of hands-on experience in building, managing and transforming businesses.
His expertise includes carve-out and post-merger integration, process transformation, information technology, operations restructuring and improvement, strategic planning, business development, and revenue and profitability growth. In industry roles Steve has managed research and development, accounting/finance, information technology, manufacturing, planning, procurement, and warehousing/inventory control organizations. Steve’s industry experience includes retail, media, internet, software, IT, manufacturing, high-technology, consumer products, business services and others.
Throughout his career, Steve has led significant transformation, SG&A, information technology and performance improvement projects both as a consultant and as an industry executive.
Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also studied business administration at the Florida Institute of Technology’s graduate business school. He holds certifications in production and inventory management as well as procurement and purchasing.
Steve is a past Chairman of The Scheller College of Business Advisory Board.
Contact
Address: 4600 Gateside Trace, Marietta, GA 30067
Email: deedys@bellsouth.net
Phone: 404-307-3218
Gary Dennis is Co-Founder, Vice Chairman and CEO (retired) of Mammoth Holdings, a top-10 acquirer, developer and operator of retail car washes in North America. The company currently operates 150 locations, washes more than 20 million cars annually and has approximately 1,500 employees. In October 2018, Mammoth partnered with Red Dog Equity which, through its partnership with Tom Pritzker’s family business interests (advised by the Pritzker Organization) provides the equity for Mammoth’s corporate development initiatives. Gary is Past President of the International Car Wash Association (www.carwash.org) and served on its board of directors for 7 years.
Gary was an early pioneer of the most significant change in the evolution of the car wash industry, the move from a pay-as-you-go revenue model to a monthly subscription service. Now widely accepted as a “game changer” in the car wash unit economic model, Gary is widely recognized as having a deep understanding of the subscription model that resulted in converting up to 80% of revenues to monthly subscriptions and removing weather-impacted volatility of the business thereby significantly reducing wash volumes required to reach break-even.
Prior to entering the car wash industry, Gary was an Equity Research Analyst and subsequently an Investment Banker in the consumer/retail space.
Gary’s wife, Elizabeth, is a consulting partner with EY and 3 of their 4 children reside in Atlanta while their youngest is a sophomore in college. Gary and Elizabeth split their time between Atlanta and Highlands, NC.
Gary holds a B.S. in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Contact:
Address: 4986 Long Island Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30327Joseph W. Evans is Vice Chairman of Cadence Bancorporation and a director of Cadence Bank, NA. Prior to merging with Cadence on January 1, 2019, he was the Chairman and former Chief Executive Officer of State Bank Financial Corporation and State Bank and Trust Company, which he co-founded in 2009.
Prior to founding State Bank, Mr. Evans was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Flag Financial Corporation from 2002 until its acquisition by RBC Centura Bank in 2006. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bank Corporation of Georgia from 1984 until it was acquired in 1997 by Century South Banks, Inc., and later as President and CEO of Century South Banks, Inc., until it was acquired in 2001 by BB&T. Mr. Evans was the 2018 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from The American Banker.
Mr. Evans is actively involved in the Atlanta and Georgia business communities, where he is Chairman of the Buckhead Coalition, a trustee of the Foundation of the Methodist Home of the South Georgia Conference, Inc., where he chairs its Investment Committee, and on the board of directors of Southern Trust Insurance Company. He also is a member of Rotary Club of Atlanta and of the Board of Councilors of The Carter Center.
Additionally, Mr. Evans, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech, serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Tech Foundation and on the advisory board of Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech, where he previously served as Chairman. He also is a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.
Mr. Evans is a native of Smarr, Georgia, where he has a home and beef cattle operation on a farm which has been in his family for six generations. He is married to Raena Weaver Evans and has two adult daughters and eight grandchildren.
Contact
Address: 2724 Peachtree Rd NW, Apt 202, Atlanta, GA 30305-2958
Email: joe.evans@bcgllc.net
Phone: 404-702-9729
Dr. Valentine Fontama is the Head of Contact Center AI Services at Google Professional Services, where he advises strategic customers on business transformation with AI and Machine Learning. Before Google he was a principal data scientist manager on Microsoft’s AI Data Science team in Azure. As a new technology consultant at Equifax in London, Valentine pioneered the use of Machine Learning to improve risk assessment and marketing in the consumer credit industry. He applied Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms, Bayesian Belief Networks and similar techniques to Credit default prediction, Fraud Detection, Bankruptcy and other areas of Banking and Financial Services. In this role he consulted to most of the biggest High Street Banks in the UK.
He was also Principal Data Scientist in the Data & Decision Sciences Group (DDSG) at Microsoft, where he led consulting to key customers, including ThyssenKrupp and Dell. He was a senior product manager for big data and predictive analytics in the cloud and enterprise marketing at Microsoft, where he managed Azure Machine Learning, HDInsight, Parallel Data Warehouse (Microsoft’s first ever data warehouse appliance).
He has published 12 academic papers and co-authored three books on big data including Predictive Analytics with Microsoft Azure Machine Learning: Build and Deploy Actionable Solutions in Minutes (2 editions).
Valentine holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, an MSc. in computing, an MBA in strategic management and marketing from Wharton Business School, and a BSc. (First Class Honors) in mathematics and electronics.
Contact
Address: 4810 229th Ave SE, Issaquah, WA 98029
Email: vnfontama@hotmail.com
Phone: 425-698-7748
Since 1981, Robert (Bob) has been serving as the CEO and President of Industrial Metal Fabricators, Inc., located in Columbus, Georgia, a provider of custom fabricated metal products for aerospace, construction, power generation and water treatment. Bob is affiliated with Water Environment Federation, Solid Waste Association of North America, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, the American Welding Society and the Association of the United States Army.
Bob has been involved in many organizations within his community including the board of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce (chairman 2001), Columbus Gateways Steering Committee, Keep Columbus Beautiful, Division Leader of the United Way Campaign, Chairman of the Development Authority of Columbus, Board of Trustees for Saint Francis Hospital. He has also been a member of the Scholarship Committee of the Georgia Tech Club and is currently a member of the Georgia Tech Industrial Advisory Board as well as the Scheller College of Business Advisory Board.
Contact
Address: 7505 Macon Rd, Midland, GA 31820-3937
Email: bobg@industrialmetal.com
Phone: 706-577-1389
Stuart currently serves as Executive Director at Mirae Asset Securities USA on the Global Portfolio and ETF trading desk.
Stuart has worked in the securities industry for 30+ years with deep knowledge and experience across various equity disciplines including trading, sales, business development, systems design/implementation, quantitative analysis, and trading desk management. Specific areas of expertise within the equity environment include global portfolio trading, algorithmic trading, transition management, and ETF trading. He has worked in leadership roles at Donaldson Lufkin Jenrette, Credit Suisse, Cantor Fitzgerald, Morgan Stanley, and Cowen and Company.
Stuart is an Atlanta native, having attended Westminster Schools K-12 followed by Georgia Tech, MGT '91. Stuart served two terms on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board (GTAB).
He currently resides in Rumson, NJ with his wife Kristin and spends time in St Simons Island, GA. He has 3 children, Coleman (Los Angeles), Kackie (GT BioMed '23), and Grant (CU Boulder '24).
Contact
Address: 44 Waterman Ave, Rumson, NJ 07760Sean is the co-founder and CEO of Stord. Having experienced the fragmentation and disconnected technology of the third-party logistics (3PL) industry first-hand, when both running e-commerce businesses and working in supply chain optimization at an automotive manufacturer in Germany, Sean founded Stord in 2015 with Jacob Boudreau to make supply chains a competitive advantage for brands of all sizes. Sean attended Georgia Tech prior to founding Stord, and has since been recognized as a Thiel Fellow, in the 2019 Forbes’ 30 under 30 list, and in 2021 by Forbes as the youngest CEO of a $1B+ company.
Contact
Address: 1021 Reeder Circle NE, Atlanta, GA 30306-3201
Email: sean@stord.com
Phone: 404.718.0104
Tommy Holder is Chairman and former Chief Executive Officer of Holder Construction Company. He joined Holder in 1976 in the Preconstruction Services Department, eventually transferred to operations and served as Project Engineer, Project Manager, and then Senior Project Manager. He was elected Vice President in 1986, Senior Vice President in 1987, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 1988. He became President and Chief Executive Officer of Holder Construction Company in 1989 and Chairman of Holder Construction Company in 1997. He stepped down as CEO in December of 2021 and remains Chairman of the company.
Established in 1960, Holder is one of the Nation’s Top 25 contractors specializing in construction management, general construction, and design-build. The company’s focused work is in aviation, data & technology, corporate, commercial, higher education, hospitality, and interiors for clients including Apple, Google, Meta, State Farm, Atlanta Falcons, Ohio State University, Norfolk Southern, Delta Air Lines, Clemson University and Cox Enterprises.
Tommy is a native Atlantan and graduate of Georgia Tech. As an active member in the community, Tommy serves as Board Chair of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and as Board Chair of the Georgia Tech Foundation. He is a board member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Research Alliance. He is a past president of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, a past member of Young President’s Organization, immediate past Board Chair of the Georgia Historical Society and former Senior Warden of St Philips Episcopal Church. He serves on the board of the Georgia Power Company.
Married to Elizabeth D. (Beth) Holder for over 40 years, the Holders reside in Atlanta. Beth was formerly Board Chair of Agnes Scott College. She and Tommy have two adult daughters, Kelsey Robinson who lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children, and Lindsey who resides in Atlanta with her husband.
Contact
Address: 70 Valley Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305-1116Mr. Huang currently serves as CEO of UniqueSquared, Inc., an e-commerce retailer focused on vertical niche markets. Prior to joining UniqueSquared, Mr. Huang was a member of CIENA Corporation's founding team. Ciena is a publically traded leading manufacturer of fiber optic transport systems. Before CIENA, he co-founded Tridom, a manufacturer of satellite communications systems. Tridom was acquired by AT&T in 1989.
He is a trustee of the Georgia Institute of Technology Foundation and ex-chairman and member of the Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller College of Business Advisory Board. Mr. Huang holds a BSIM from Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Georgia State University.
Mr. Huang has been married to Nancy for 39 years, has 2 children, Kristine and Adam, and 6 grandchildren, Jack, Eli, Lucy, Tess, Tobia and Durelle. He is actively involved in Habitat for Humanity as a mentor and tutor. He resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
His hobbies include auto racing, flying, golf and tennis.
Contact
Address: 217 San Juan Dr, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082-1817
Email: lphuang@mac.com
Phone: 904-472-1118
Keith D. Jackson is Chief Human Resource Officer for AT&T Mexico and AT&T International. He is responsible for managing HR functions for AT&T Mexico, AT&T International and support of the CEO of AT&T Latin America and Global Marketing organization. Jackson joined BellSouth in 1989 as a premise sales representative in Orlando for BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Corporation (BAPCO), the directory publishing and Yellow Pages sales division for BellSouth. He worked his way up the Sales Management ladder ultimately becoming Regional Vice President-Sales in South Florida 1999.
In 2002, Jackson became the executive director – Human Resources for BellSouth’s Domestic Operations. In 2006, Jackson was responsible for merger integration planning for the AT&T, BellSouth and Cingular Merger. In 2007 Jackson relocated to San Antonio, Texas, to become the Vice President-Human Resources Compensation and Human Resources Operations. In 2008 became the Vice President-Training where he managed the training organization for Wireline and Wireless Operations for ATT. Next Jackson held the position of Vice President Strategic HR Partner supporting Consumer and Mobility Channels (Sales, Service and Operations) along with the Business and International organizations.
Over the past 3 years, Jackson has held the position of Chief Human Resource Officer for AT&T LATAM, supporting Vrio and AT&T Mexico. Jackson received his bachelor’s degree in management from Georgia Tech, along with certificates in Economics and History. He was a participant in the British Studies Program at London University and Queens College in Oxford. He also earned a master’s degree in Business Administration and a graduate certificate of specialization in International Business from Nova Southeastern University.
Jackson external leadership roles:
Contact:
Address: 630 Idlewood Dr, Atlanta, GA 30327-4728
Email: jackets770@gmail.com
Phone: 404-202-9285
A successful professional and a valued alumnus of Georgia Tech, Gary Jones has continued to give liberally of his time, energy, and financial resources to support the Georgia Tech community, and he has inspired countless others to follow his lead.
After graduating from Georgia Tech, Jones earned an MBA from The Darden School at the University of Virginia. In 1974, he started at the investment banking firm, Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette (DLJ) in sales and trading. In 1978, he moved to L. F. Rothschild where he worked for 10 years and was their youngest partner in charge of High Grade Corporate Bond Trading and Sales.
In 1988, he returned to DLJ as global sales manager for the Fixed Income Division. DLJ eventually merged with Credit Suisse First Boston, an arm of Credit Suisse Group which has almost 150 years of experience and operates in over 50 countries with 60,880 employees.
Now retired as managing director of Credit Suisse First Boston Financial Institutions, Jones has launched a new career as a professor of the practice in the Scheller College of Business, teaching a course for MBA candidates and upper classmen on Management of Financial Institutions. He served as Vice-Chair and Chairman of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees. He also served as Treasurer and as Chairman of the Finance Committee, the Investment Committee, and the Development Committee.
In 2008, Jones received the Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor conferred by Georgia Tech and the Alumni Association. Jones is currently Vice Chair of the Georgia Tech Capital Campaign Steering Committee and served as Chairman of the Class of 1971 40th Reunion Committee. A charter member of the Hill Society, Jones is a former member of the Alexander Tharpe Board of Trustees and the Ivan Allen College Executive Advisory Board. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Piedmont Hospital.
He graciously funded the Gary T. and Elizabeth R. Jones Chair in Management. In honor of his wife "Libby" and his generosity and commitment, the College dedicated the Gary T. and Elizabeth R. Jones Career Center. Most recently the Evelyn T. and Mallory C. Jones and the Helen W. and John T. Rhett Classrooms were named in honor of Gary and Libby Jones' parents.
Jones and his wife, who is an attorney, recently returned to Atlanta after living in the New York area for more than 30 years. They have two children: daughter Taylor, a graduate of Dartmouth who received her MBA from The Wharton School and currently works for GE Capital in Chicago; and son Grier, a graduate of Amherst College, who served as a Captain and Infantry Officer in the U S Marine Corp for 6 years with two deployments in Iraq, and also received his MBA from the Wharton School. He lives and works in New York with Credit Suisse in its Investment Banking Group.
Contact
Address: 1 Brookhaven Dr NE, Unit 303, Brookhaven, GA 30319-3059
Email: garytjones007@aol.com
Phone: 404-549-7656
Stephen M. (Mac) Jordan is a 1971 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a BS in Industrial Management. Mac worked in the financial services industry in manufacturing and consulting for 40 years. In 1973, he joined Diebold, Inc., where he was one of the pioneers in bringing ATM technology to banking. In 1984, he cofounded Omron Financial Systems in Dallas, TX, leading the sales and marketing efforts. In 1990, Mac joined Speer and Associates as the EVP of Business Development. In 1995, he was made a Partner with KPMG in the FS Consulting Business. Following the separation of the consulting business from its audit practice, Mac became a VP of BearingPoint in 2001. In 2009, Mac helped restart Capco, Inc. in North America. As the head of Account Management and Business Development in North America, he led the rebuilding of Capco’s financial services presence, which was sold to FIS in 2011. Mac retired from Capco’s management team at the end of 2012.
Mac was the President of the GT Alumni Clubs in Dallas, TX and Chicago, IL; member of the GT 25th and 40th and the current 50th Reunion committees; and a past member of the fundraising committee for the TKE house reconstruction and is currently on the Advisory Board.
Mac is a member of Johns Creek Presbyterian Church, where he heads the Technology committee and is a member of the Stewardship Committee and is a Stephen Minister. He is a member of St. Ives Country Club, where he has been a Board Member and head of the Golf, House, and Compliance/Risk committees.
Mac is married to his wife Karen. They have three children and four grandchildren. His hobbies include golf, exercise, wine collecting, and history.
Address: 115 Kennemer Ct, Johns Creek, GA 30097-2046
Email: mtk711@bellsouth.net
Phone: 404-314-8418
Kim Keever is SVP, Security, Analytics and Technology Services, and Chief Information Security Officer for Cox Communications in Atlanta, Georgia. Her teams are responsible for all aspects of Information Security; the Technology, Product and Operations Center of Excellence for Analytics; and for Technology people programs. Since joining Cox, she has built an industry recognized security practice and expanded a high-performing COE that transformed the use of analytics, resulting in significant cost savings.
In early 2016, Kim was named a top woman in technology by Multichannel News. Each year from 2017-2019, she was named one of the most powerful women in cable by Cablefax. She was a 2018 Women in Technology honoree in the large/enterprise organization category. In 2019, she was named the Information Security Executive (ISE) of the Year for the Southeast Region and North American Information Security Executive of the Year in the Commercial category. Kim received the 2020 Women in Technology Award presented by the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers/ Women in Cable Telecommunications and Cablefax magazine. This award recognizes one woman each year who has demonstrated outstanding professional growth while contributing to the advancement of the cable telecommunications industry.
Kim worked in the Coca-Cola system from 2009 to 2014. There she served as the Vice President of Information Security and Controls for Coca-Cola Refreshments and CISO for the Bottling Investments Group. In those roles, her teams were responsible for strategic security direction, identity and access management, information protection, business continuity and oversight of regulatory compliance. During that time, her team significantly reduced security risk, improved controls and transformed ongoing operational processes to enable sustainability of these controls. In 2014, she was recognized as a top leader in the security industry by CSO Magazine and her team won an award for innovative security initiatives delivering business value.
Prior to joining the Coca-Cola system, she served for eight years as the Chief Information Officer and executive team member for Invesco Retirement Plan Services. Kim also served as Invesco’s Director of Information Technology Audit. Kim started her career with Accenture in the Information Technology Consulting practice.
Kim is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology. She has served as a member of several industry associations and boards including the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and the FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council V. She is active in volunteer organizations including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Technology Advisory Board and supports homeless shelters located in Atlanta.
Contact
Address: 5255 Wyntercreek Way, Dunwoody, GA 30338
Email: kim.keever@cox.com
Phone: 678-772-0854
Tony Kepano is a Vice Chairman with CBRE’s Industrial and Logistics Advisory & Transaction Services. He has been supplying brokerage services to global customers for more than 35 years. He focuses on providing advisory services for corporate clients requiring warehouse and distribution strategies.
Mr. Kepano was promoted to Vice Chairman in September 2015, one of only two Industrial specialists to ever receive the designation in CBRE history, and the first to achieve this distinction in the U.S. Mr. Kepano received numerous awards including Top “Power Broker” nationally by CoStar Group, was recognized as one of the top brokers nationally by “Real Estate Forum” magazine, as well as the #1 Industrial Broker award by the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors on multiple occasions.
Before joining CBRE in 2007, Mr. Kepano was the National Practice Leader and founding member of the Logistics Services Group at Trammell Crow Company. In this role, he helped to better align supply-chain networks with corporate strategies, as well as lead the execution of their real estate procurement requirements.
Mr. Kepano is a member of the Warehousing Education Research Council and the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) where he was former Vice President of the Georgia Chapter. He also served on Georgia Institute of Technology’s Alexander Tharpe Board of Directors.
Mr. Kepano received a B.S. degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and served as Georgia Tech Football Team Captain.
Contact
Address: 710 Burning Tree Drive, Marietta, GA 30067
Email: tony.kepano@cbre.com
Phone: 770-712-2284
Dr. Kimani is founder, President and Chief Executive Officer at PreMedicus, LLC, a precision population health startup in urgent and emergency care management. He is also co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at Dreamscape Medical, a sleep medicine startup in sleep apnea diagnosis, treatment and remote monitoring holding multiple U.S. and international medical device patents.
Dr. Kimani is a multi-specialty physician with extensive clinical, academic research, teaching and administrative leadership experience. He has a clinical faculty appointment at Emory University School of Medicine, is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and was inducted to the National Medical Honor Society. He earned his M.D. from Oral Roberts University School of Medicine, a B.S. in Biomedical Chemistry graduating summa cum laude from the same institution, and an Executive MBA specializing in Management of Technology from Georgia Tech.
Contact
Address: 9105 Clark Road, Fairburn, GA 30213
Email: ceo@premedicus.com
Phone: 678-414-2131
As founder and chairman of Pope & Land Enterprises, Inc., A.J. Land has played an instrumental role in the brokerage of industrial and commercial real estate for the past 29 years. In his early career days of 1960, Mr. Land handled industrial and commercial real estate for Pope & Carter Company, Inc. In 1969, he became Vice President and Managing Partner of an affiliated company which evolved into Crow, Pope & Land Enterprises, Inc. Three years later, he became President and Managing Partner of Crow, Pope & Land Enterprises, Inc., a company whose projects exceeded $500 million in the United States and Southeast Asia. In January, 1979, he formed Pope & Land Enterprises, Inc., continuing his legacy of commercial real estate development and brokerage.
Mr. Land is a member of the Georgia Bar Association and the Atlanta and Cobb County Boards of Realtors. He is currently a Trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc., the Randolph Macon Women’s College and the Preservation Institute of Nantucket. He has also served as a past Trustee of the Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and Georgia Tech’s Alexander-Tharpe Fund. He has served as Chair of the Georgia Tech Foundation and is Member Emeritus of the Scheller College of Business Advisory Board at Georgia Tech.
Mr. Land received a B.S. degree from Georgia Tech in 1960, a Doctor of Law degree from Emory University in 1963, and graduated from the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 1978. He and his wife Mary Lynne of Columbus, Georgia, reside in Atlanta. They have two adult children.
Contact
Address: 4195 Farmington Place, SE, Atlanta, GA 30339-4712
Email: ajl@popeandland.com
Phone: 678-491-3453
Tommy Lester, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, has worked for more than 20 years in Atlanta’s financial services community with roles in commercial banking and real estate finance at institutions including BB&T, SunTrust, and PNC. Tommy is also a longtime entrepreneur and angel investor with business interests that include commercial real estate development, sports & media, and early-stage technology companies.
Since 2016, Tommy has served as President/CEO of SWAN Development Partners, which manages the acquisition, rehab, and disposition of single-family homes and small commercial properties around Atlanta, with a focus on market-rate affordability and neighborhood stabilization. He also works as a Capital Advisor with StackSource (a fintech start-up that sources equity and debt financing for commercial real estate projects) and provides consulting & seed-funding to early stage entrepreneurs through his firm, StartupBFF.
Tommy received a BS in Marketing from Hampton University and an MBA from Georgia Tech, where he served as class treasurer and president, was recognized as MBA Student of the Year, and earned the Georgia Tech OMED Tower Award for Academic Excellence. He is active in the Atlanta community as a board member with the DeKalb Private Industry Council, Raising Expectations, and Big Kidz Foundation. Tommy is an alumnus of Leadership DeKalb, the Georgia Academy for Economic Development’s Regional Leadership Development Program, Project REAP, and the Urban Land Institute’s Center for Leadership.
Tommy lives in Stone Mountain, GA with his wife of 21 years Jennifer and their daughter Temple, a nationally recognized advocate for girls and minorities in STEM fields.
Contact
Address: 4483 Woodland Forest Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Email: lesterbusiness@gmail.com
Phone: 404-803-3581
Michelle is a Principal and Senior Portfolio Manager for Vanguard, where she leads a team that is responsible for portfolio management and trading for Vanguard’s US domestic equity index portfolios. As of 2023, the team managed approximately $4 trillion in assets. Additionally, Michelle is co-Portfolio Manager for several funds, including Vanguard Index 500, which was launched in 1975, as well as Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund.
Michelle is a champion for women in investment management. From 2017 through 2021, she led Vanguard’s Investment Management WILS (Women’s Initiative for Leadership Success) group, supporting the division’s efforts to increase the number of women in leadership positions.
Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree in business from the American University in Washington, D.C. and her MBA from Georgia Tech.
Contact
Email address: michellelouie@yahoo.comAs a Partner and the National Director of the Workforce Tax Advisory Services Vertical and Employment Tax Advisory Services leader in EY’s Indirect Tax practice, Kristie Lowery provides services related to payroll, payroll tax and unemployment taxes. She has spent the past 27 years in public accounting dedicated to employment tax advisory services on federal, state, local and international levels. Her experience includes payroll process improvement and tax advisory services and reviews, unemployment claims management administration services, statutory elections, employer unemployment tax rate analysis, multijurisdictional payroll taxation, strategic employment tax planning, common agent reporting provisions, employee services arrangements, international payroll and tax issues, bankruptcy advisory services and voluntary disclosure facilitation.
Additionally, Kristie has worked extensively in the payroll tax compliance area where she has provided annual and year end reconciliation process assistance, outsource compliance and process re-engineering assistance, along with audit support, refund reviews and penalty abatement support to her clients. Most recently she was instrumental in the development of workforce service solutions related to the employment life cycle in the Government and Public sector and has led the customer care center initiatives around large tax engagements. Currently, Kristie works on large scale corporate employment tax and bankruptcy projects.
Kristie received her B.S. in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Kristie is an Enrolled Agent and Certified Payroll Professional (CPP). She is a member of the American Payroll Association, National Association of Tax Practitioners, and the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals.
Contact
Address: 2300 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28207Daniel McCarthy has worked for over 20 years in the Financial Services industry. Most recently, Daniel was a Managing Director at Credit Suisse in the Investment Banking division based in New York where he was Co-Head of Global Credit Products. He oversaw Trading, Sales, and Strategy for Investment Grade and High Yield Corporate Bonds (inclusive of electronic and systematic trading), Institutional Par Loans, Credit Derivatives, and Distressed Credit. Daniel was also responsible for the origination, structuring and syndication of Corporate Asset Financing and Collateralized Loan Origination Warehouse Lending, as well as the collateralized Credit Repo business. Previously, Daniel held the position of Head of US Credit Trading and Strategy after trading on the High Yield bond desk focusing on the Energy and Technology sectors.
Before joining Credit Suisse in 2007, Daniel worked at Citigroup Salomon Smith Barney where he traded for five years on the High Yield and Investment Grade desks focusing on both Credit Derivatives and corporate cash bonds. Prior to that, Daniel started his career within the Credit Derivatives group at Barclays Capital in both London and New York from 2000 to 2002.
Daniel grew up in Sebastian, Florida and was awarded the President’s scholarship at Georgia Tech in 1994. He earned a Bachelor’s of Mechanical Engineer in 1998 and an MBA from the Scheller Business School in 2000. Daniel met his wife, Paige (CE 1999), at Georgia Tech and they have been married for 18 years. The McCarthy’s have 3 children and reside in Rye, NY. Daniel is active in his community, serving both in his local church and in youth sports leagues. Daniel enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, and fly fishing. The McCarthy’s are passionate Georgia Tech and Atlanta Braves fans.
Contact
Address: 7 Martin Road, Rye, NY 10580
Email: mccarthy_danny@yahoo.com
Phone: 646-373-5941
Regarded widely as a transformative, high-integrity and competitive leader, Rick McDonald retired as the Chief Supply Chain Officer for The Clorox Company, a $7B+ global consumer packaged goods company. He also served as a non-executive board director and advisor in the consumer goods and education verticals.
As Chief Supply Chain officer, Rick led a massive transformation of the global Clorox Supply Chain to become more consumer obsessed, faster and leaner. Multiple supply chain capabilities were rewired from Procurement to Logistics creating significant value while enabling Business Unit General Managers to take a larger leadership role of their BU’s respective supply chains.
As a board member and advisor to several national trade associations, post-secondary institutions, and the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, Rick helps leaders and their boards strengthen their supply chain systems and performance through objective analysis of supply chain vulnerabilities and savvy strategy execution to improve them while mitigating enterprise risk. He is frequently an invited subject matter expert on supply chain and leadership podcasts and is a sought-after expert in one of the most complex markets in recent history.
Rick’s hallmark skills include leadership development, being digitally dexterous, understanding global marketplaces and their needs while creating and executing strategic plans. He drives performance through expert management of suppliers, third parties, logistics and internal and contract manufacturing. He has been acknowledged for rewriting the supply chain playbook and rules to mitigate the uncertainty of the global economy.
At The Clorox Company, Rick rose from Senior Manufacturing Manager to Supply Chain Planning Manager to Director of Manufacturing and later assumed roles as Vice President Supply Chain International Division and Vice President of Global Operations and Logistics.
Before Clorox, Rick spent 10 years at Frito Lay, progressing through increasingly responsible roles, in 5 different salty snack manufacturing plants.
Committed to his professional community, Rick is an expert speaker and sought-after thought leader for complicated issues related to digital supply chain transformations, global supply chain resilience, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and customer service execution. His ability to transform teams while leading business turnarounds has garnered several industry awards. He was most recently named in the Top 10 Chief Supply Chain Officers by Logistics Tech.
Rick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was an active player on Georgia Tech’s baseball team. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Scheller College of Management at Georgia Tech and mentors college students.
Contact
Address: 307 Concord Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009-4002Cooper Mills is partner and Managing Director of CHILDS Advisory Partners. Cooper joined CHILDS Advisory Partners in 2009 following successful tenures at several leading investment banks. He leverages his three decades of experience advising high-performing business and technology services companies to provide firm leadership and applies his extensive sector-focused experience to help CHILDS’ clients meet their financial objectives.
Prior to joining CHILDS, Cooper founded SunTrust Robinson Humphrey's business and technology services industry group in 1993. Under Cooper’s leadership, this group became one of the most active equity underwriters and M&A advisors in the human capital management industry. In addition, he and his team were active in the marketing and information services and industrial services industries and they were responsible for developing and transacting public and private-equity capital raises, private debt placements, M&A transactions and financial advisory assignments for companies such as Source Services, MPS Group, EmployBridge and Cross Country Healthcare.
Cooper's previous experience includes three years with Rotan Mosle in Houston, concentrating on financial institutions and 10 years with Trust Company Bank as a manager of national accounts in Atlanta and as the manager of the European representative office in London.
Cooper also serves as an advisory board member of the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Institute of Technology, foundation trustee of Atlanta Youth Academy, and foundation trustee of Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta. He received his M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and B.S. in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Contact
Address: 21 Ferry Landing Lane NW, Unit 1611, Atlanta, GA 30305-1674
Email: coopermills@att.net
Phone: 770-435-5554
Beth Nowers held a number of marketing, consulting and technology positions with McKinsey and Co., The Boston Consulting Group, IBM, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. While at McKinsey, her responsibilities included providing strategic long-term analysis and recommendations on corporate strategy and implementation to varied industry segments including communications, manufacturing and financial services. She led the development and implementation of a new strategic plan for the Art Gallery of Ontario and worked with the board and leadership team of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston to develop a three-year strategic plan.
Beth has also pursued a variety of volunteer opportunities. She serves on the board of the Toronto International Festival of Authors and is a founding member of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Contemporary Circle. Beth is also an author, having co-wrote The Good School Book: a Guide to Private Education in Canada. Beth has lived in various cities in Canada, Brazil, and the United States. She obtained her Bachelor of Science from Georgia Institute of Technology with Highest Honours and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Contact
Address: 132 East 72nd Street, Apt. 10, New York, NY 10021
Email: bnowerscurtin@gmail.com
Phone: 416-923-8562
Gregory J. Owens retired as the Chairman and CEO of IronPlanet. Through Mr. Owens’ strong business and financial acumen, he led IronPlanet through its business expansion both domestically and internationally. His broad business experience and vision resulted in substantial growth acceleration across a number of companies in which Mr. Owens has held executive-level roles.
Prior to IronPlanet, Mr. Owens served as Managing Director of RedZone Capital. Mr. Owens and RedZone Capital’s Managing Partner, Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, focused on turning around and growing under-performing companies. Prior to RedZone Capital, Mr. Owens served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Manugistics Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MANU), a global enterprise software solutions company, from April 1999 to July 2004. Mr. Owens was responsible for growing Manugistics from annual revenues of approximately $150 million to more than $300 million. Mr. Owens received numerous awards including: Maryland Technology CEO of the year, Washington Titan of Business and Mid-Atlantic Technology Entrepreneur of the Year.
Mr. Owens served as Global Managing Partner Supply Chain Management of Andersen Consulting (Accenture) (NYSE:CAN). Mr. Owens was one of the founding members of the Supply Chain Group, and was responsible for growing the group to revenues of over $1.4 billion annually.
Mr. Owens has served as a Director of S1 Corporation since January 2003 and serves as a Member of the Nominating and Compensation Committees. He served as a member of SERENA Software Inc.’s Board of Directors from March 2002 until it was sold in 2006 for $1.2 billion. He also serves, or has served on several outside boards including 3VR, Guardian Analytics and SecureWorks.
He holds a B.S. in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and serves on the President’s Advisory Board as well as the Scheller College of Business Advisory Board.
Contact
Address: 315 Rainwater Road, Senoia, GA 30276-2649
Email: greg@gregoryjowens.com
Phone: 770-251-2649
Juan Perez is CIO and EVP of Salesforce. He is responsible for the global IT organization and leads the company’s internal digital transformation to support growth and scale. Perez’s team supports the integration of new acquisition companies across the Salesforce ecosystem to streamline technology integration processes, and drives global operational efficiencies through the implementation of modern technologies, including analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, and security, among others.
Previously, Perez was Chief Information and Engineering Officer for UPS and a member of the UPS Executive Leadership Team, responsible for all technology and engineering functions. He was appointed to the role in 2017 after having served as CIO since 2016. He was a driving force behind UPS’s adoption of advanced analytics, and led the implementation of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual assistants, and virtual reality solutions for driver training. He oversaw numerous technology systems that support the company’s financial, human resources, operations, customer service, and sales, and managed a $6 billion engineering and IT budget. He oversaw the Advanced Technology Group, charged with future operational technology strategy including robotics, autonomous transportation, and network optimization, and helped develop driver dispatch and navigation solutions aimed at improving service and efficiencies. Perez also led the largest automation and capacity expansion in the company’s recent history, He was also an executive advisor on diversity across the enterprise.
In 2013, Perez was recognized by Computerworld as a Premier 100 IT Leader. In 2015 and 2017, he was recognized as one of the top 100 Hispanic IT leaders by the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC). The Atlanta Telecom Professionals (ATP) awarded him with the 2015 Leadership Award. He was recognized in 2016 as a Top Latino Leader by the Council for Latino Workplace Equity. He was named CIO of the Year in 2017 by CIO Dive. In 2018, Perez was honored with the Distinguished Mexican award from the Mexican government for his personal and career achievements in the U.S. He was named 2018 CIO of the Year by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association in the Super Global category at its annual CIO of the Year® ORBIE® Awards. Perez was ranked 43 in the Latino Leaders Magazine 2020 list of the 101 Most Influential Latinos, and named to theboardiQ Hall of Fame LatinX | Hispanic Top 100 Honorees. In 2019, Perez received the Forbes CIO Innovation Award for his contributions in developing UPS’ Global Smart Logistics Network.
Perez holds a B.S. in industrial and systems engineering and an M.S. in computer and manufacturing engineering from the University of Southern California. He is a senior member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and holds several professional certificates in project management, business administration, and IT management. He serves as a program evaluator for the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) and was a lecturer at USC for seven years, where he taught courses in engineering economy, quality control, industrial engineering, and operations management.
In 2019, Perez was named a member of The Hershey Company’s board of directors, and is a member of the advisory boards for the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at UPS and the School of Business at Georgia Tech. Upon his retirement in 2022, UPS established the Juan Perez UPS Endowed Scholarship at the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC in support of Hispanic and female engineering students. Perez is an active member of his church and community.
Contact
Address: Salesforce, Inc., Atlanta, GA 30326
Email: jrperez@salesforce.com
Phone: (404) 304-3765
Since 2016, Jean Marie has led iFOLIO to 10X growth, helping clients transform digital marketing and sales enablement. Today under her leadership, the company powers more than 330 SaaS capabilities and 2,500,000+ live sites for clients across industries. iFOLIO has helped customers generate 300% growth through personalized marketing and millions of dollars of increased sales annually.
Jean Marie and her team focused on the development of innovative cloud services for marketing, sales enablement, and data & analytics functions. Using an agile approach and the latest in engineering practices, the team enhanced the Marketing Cloud experience for customers and built out transformational capabilities through a central cloud of common services, and micro services. Richardson has led the build of several transformational capabilities that are powering the iFOLIO strategy including collaborative CMS (content management system) capabilities, personalized text message and email capabilities, and analytics. For her technical contributions to analytics, Richardson has been awarded 3 US patents. The company is a WBENC certified woman owned company and a SOC 2 Type 2 certified company, with more than 17 awards for innovation.
Prior to iFOLIO Jean Marie spent 12 years in product management, marketing, and business development in the technology sector. At MasterCard, Jean Marie was Vice President of Business-to- Business Commercial Acceptance, where she managed a Profit and Loss and grew a B2B Supplier Enablement program to $1.2 Billion GDV (Gross Dollar Volume) working with Financial Institutions such as Citibank and BBVA and enterprises. Jean Marie served in product management at Microsoft and at Oracle Corporation, where she managed a mobile innovation initiative and spearheaded the acquisition of a mobile platform company. She managed the acquisition, delivering 180 converted customers and $6 Million in new sales. Post-acquisition she managed the product development team and led the market launch of new mobile CRM products with Citibank and Konica. Jean Marie founded iFOLIO in 2016 after seeing firsthand the challenges supporting sales and marketing across multiple platforms, and needing a flexible, friendly platform to speed up digital transformation for teams.
Jean Marie Richardson is passionate about fostering diversity, team culture, and innovation as she grows iFOLIO. She gives back to the Atlanta community through service projects, mentoring, and Monday Mentoring through Atlanta Business Chronicle. She supports women in tech through scholarships and she has pioneered the iFOLIO NIL Brand Ambassador program.
Jean Marie actively gives back to the community by volunteering at iFOLIO service projects, and serving
in leadership roles across Atlanta. She serves on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board (GTAB) to the president and the GT Athletics Alexander Tharpe Fund Board of Directors. She serves on the Cadence Bank Atlanta Advisory Board, and previously on the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Board. She serves as chairman of the iFOLIO Investor Board.
Jean Marie was recognized as a Georgia Tech Woman of Impact in a permanent tribute on campus in 2024. Jean Marie was awarded a gold and silver global Stevie® Award for Women in Business for her leadership in business products and business services in 2023. For her contributions to business growth, she was recognized by the National Diversity Council as a Woman of Power in 2015. She was awarded the prestigious President's Scholarship at Georgia Institute of Technology, where she graduated with honors.
She resides in Atlanta with her husband Hap and her dogs Harper Lee and Beaux.
Contact
Address: 3016 Cravenridge Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30319In September 2012, David Rowland retired as executive chairman of Accenture. In addition to chairing the board of directors, David was actively involved in Accenture’s long-term business strategy and represented Accenture with clients around the world and with key external groups.
Prior to becoming executive chairman in September 2019, David was interim chief executive officer. Before that, he was Accenture’s chief financial officer for five years. Earlier in his career with the company, David held a number of finance leadership positions. David began his career with Accenture in 1983 in the Consulting group and spent several years serving clients across a variety of industries. He has served on a number of management committees and has played significant leadership roles in a number of company-wide initiatives.
Throughout his professional career, David has served on several civic and charitable boards. He is a member of the advisory board, and was previously chair, of the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Tech Foundation and the Board of Directors for Covenant House Georgia.
David holds a Bachelor of Science degree in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Address: 993 Stovall Blvd NE, Atlanta, GA 30319
Email:dprowlandgt@outlook.com
Phone:770- 312-9607
Ernest "Ernie" Scheller Jr., who graduated from Georgia Tech in 1952 with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Management, gave the $50 million gift that led to the 2012 renaming of the business college from Georgia Tech College of Management to the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business. He recently gave another gift that will fund the Scheller Tower in Tech Square Phase III. The tower will be the new home of the College’s MBA and Executive Education programs. It is expected to open by 2025.
Scheller is chairman emeritus of Pennsylvania-based Silberline Manufacturing Inc., a company his father founded in the 1940s that is now a leading global supplier of high-quality pigments—primarily to the automobile industry—that tremendously enhance the visual appeal of coatings, paints, inks, plastics, and textiles. If your car has a metallic finish, chances are the shimmer was provided by Silberline.
“Georgia Tech taught me the importance of perseverance and persistence,” says Scheller. “Over the years, I’ve applied those same principles to my support of Georgia Tech and its College of Business. In order to build a College that will rank among the world’s best business programs, you’ve got to have great leadership, a broad-based vision, and a lot of determination. The College has been fortunate these past years to enjoy the leadership of Dean Steve Salbu and Dean Maryam Alavi. By any barometer you could choose, the College has improved dramatically during their tenures. I have never been more optimistic about the future of Georgia Tech and its College of Business, and I am eager to see the great things that are planned for the coming years come to reality."
Contact
Address: 2555 Rue Du Jardin, Naples, FL 34105-3195
Email: eschellerjr@gmail.com
Phone: (601) 406-8435
Jacquelyn is a proud Georgia Institute of Technology double jacket with degrees from The College of Design (BSBC 06) and The Scheller College of Business (MBA 18). She has additional graduate degrees in the built environment from The Johns Hopkins University and The University of California, Davis.
Due to her deep dedication to Georgia Tech and the Scheller College of Business community, the following prestigious honors were bestowed to her: Dean’s Award for Evening MBA Student Excellence (2018), Evening MBA Student of the Year selected by Students (2019), and Gold & White Honors Gala Outstanding Young Alumna (2022).
She currently serves on the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees, Scheller College of Business Advisory Board, and the Campaign Steering Committee for Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech. She is also the proud host of the Scheller MBA International Women’s Day Brunch and in 2024, they celebrate their 6th annual event at her home. Jacquelyn also served as the Host Committee Chair for the Gold & White Honors Gala (2022-2024). In her tenure, funds raised from the event for student programs increased 46%; the team exceeded goal and had maximum venue attendance both years.
Jacquelyn is a seasoned management consultant advising top-tier corporations on organizational strategy, operations optimization, and leadership development. During her career, she also focused on relationship management to identify and secure new opportunities. She has worked with a variety of clients, including Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations.
In recent years, Jacquelyn turned her attention to the world of philanthropy, specifically in higher education. She joined The Office of Development team at The Georgia Institute of Technology and now works closely with donors to help fund critical research, scholarships, and other programs that support the institute’s Transforming Tomorrow campaign.
Jacquelyn’s expertise in business development and project management has been instrumental in her new role. In this role, she is responsible for developing and executing fundraising campaigns, analyzing data to identify giving trends and opportunities, and building relationships with community members to maximize their impact.
Through her work in philanthropy, Jacquelyn has found a new sense of purpose and fulfillment, using her skills to make a meaningful difference in the lives of students, faculty, and the broader community. Her experience and passion for paying it forward have made her a valuable asset to the institute’s development team, and a trusted advisor to those who support its mission. A full CV and board resume are available upon request.
Contact
Address: 3950 Saint Clair Court NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319-1846
Email: jacquelynrenee.schneider@gmail.com
Phone: 404-860-4433
Since May 2016, Jean-Pierre Serani is the Head of the Investment Banking division of Bancolombia, where he is in charge of the M&A, DCM/ECM, Project, Corporate and Acquisition Finance, Loan Syndications, Merchant Banking and Special Situations teams. Previously, for three years he was the CEO of Valores Bancolombia, the bank´s brokerage unit and the Head of the Sales & Trading division. Before 2013, he held several positions on the Investment Banking division for more than eight years and at the Treasury Department of Corfinsura for more than five years.
Currently, he is the Chairman of the Board of Enka de Colombia, leads the Regional Committee of United Way Foundation por Antioquia and is a member of the Advisory Board of Scheller College of Business of Georgia Institute of Technology.
Mr. Serani received his undergraduate degree in Business from Universidad EAFIT and his MBA degree from Georgia Institute of Technology as a Fulbright Scholar. He has also attended different executive programs at Harvard, Stanford and Wharton.
Contact
Address: Alto de las Palmas Km17. Vereda La Acuarela, Envigado, Colombia
Email: jpserani@yahoo.com
Phone: 57-3116354103
John Sherman is President and CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, the second largest privately held Coca-Cola bottler in the U.S. and the fourth largest overall in North America. Under John’s leadership, Coca-Cola UNITED recently completed a multi-year expansion that more than tripled the size of the company. Today, Coca-Cola UNITED has more than 60 facilities throughout the southeast in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, and employs approximately 10,000 associates. John has been with the Coca-Cola system for almost four decades.
In 1979, while still enrolled at Georgia Tech, John began his Coca-Cola career as a part-time Clerk in the accounting department of Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company, which was then a part of Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), Inc. He advanced to positions of Department Manager, Cold Drink Manager, Home Market Sales Manager and Sales Center Manager for the Atlanta market. In 1987, John was promoted to Region Manager, responsible for the Alabama and South Georgia bottling franchises of CCE.
In 1990, Sherman joined Birmingham, AL-based, Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc., as Director of Marketing for the East Region, based in Augusta, GA. In 1993, he moved to Birmingham as Central Region President, responsible for the Birmingham and Chattanooga, TN, market territories. In 1999, Georgia and South Carolina were added to his responsibility, and he was named a Corporate Vice President and President of the newly-formed East Region, which included Birmingham, Carbon Hill, and Cullman in Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Augusta, Brunswick, McRae, Milledgeville, Savannah, Statesboro, and Waycross in Georgia; and Spartanburg, South Carolina.
In 2013, as the company embarked upon a major territory expansion, John was named Corporate Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for leading the reorganization of Coca-Cola UNITED’s legacy operating units and overseeing the transition and integration of all new franchise operations, current and future. In this role, he was also responsible for Commercial Leadership, Operational Marketing, and Customer and Revenue Management across Coca-Cola UNITED. In April 2016, John was named President and CEO.
John has also held executive roles within the beverage industry including President of the Alabama Soft Drink Association (now Alabama Beverage Association) for an unprecedented two consecutive terms, from 1999 to 2005. He currently serves on the Board of the Dr Pepper Bottlers Association.
In 2005, John received the Alabama Beverage Association’s Distinguished Service Award – the highest honor bestowed by the state’s soft drink industry. In 2016, under John’s leadership, Coca-Cola UNITED won the inaugural and prestigious Market Street Challenge award from The Coca-Cola Company, recognizing the organization’s top executional excellence among all U.S. bottlers.
John serves on the Board of Advisors of the Brock School of Business at Samford University, as well as on the Scheller College of Business Advisory Board at Georgia Tech. In the community, he is on the Board of Directors of both the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the St. Vincent’s Foundation. In 2018, John received the “Top CEO” award from the Birmingham Business Journal and was also named an “Executive of Influence” by that same publication.
John’s hobbies include golf and hunting, and he is a member of Briarwood Presbyterian Church. John and his wife of nearly 40 years Terry have three grown sons, Jack, Bobby, and Keith, and delight in their five grandchildren.
Contact
Address: 5017 Shandwick Circle, Birmingham, AL 35242
Email: jsherman@ccbcu.com
Phone: 205-849-4658
Ronda’s career has included technology, finance, and entrepreneurship roles over a 35-year span. Her career began in the software industry in various customer success and sales positions with Management Science America, a provider of accounting and manufacturing software. Ronda then joined investment banking in corporate finance, focusing on merger and acquisition activity in the technology industry. Following a small company CFO role, Ronda co-founded and then sold Extreme Logic, a software and technology training and consulting firm employing industry certified professionals providing solutions for Microsoft, Powersoft, and Great Plains products. Ronda has since consulted on financial, valuation, and operational issues with startups and investment firms in and from London, Singapore, Tokyo, and Beijing while also serving on various boards, most recently as Chair of the Board of Advisors of the School of Industrial Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and as a Trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation. Ronda and her husband, Alan, have two daughters and live in Johns Creek, Georgia. Ronda holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Contact
Address: 2000 Kings Cross Rd., Johns Creek, GA 30022René Simon is a Senior Data Scientist with over fifteen years of experience spanning many Fortune 500 companies. René specializes in Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Semantics. He lends his time to teach Data Science and Analytics, most recently at Norfolk State University and previously at Georgia Tech.
While at Scheller, René was on the founding board of Blacks in Business and continues to work closely with the organization to ensure proper representation in the business community. In addition to giving his time, René is funding a scholarship to help minority business students reach their goals. René is an avid comic fan, out of shape athlete, romantic husband, and a father of four.
Contact
Address: 145 Vintage Club Ct., Duluth, GA 30097
Email: rene.kayode.simon@gmail.com
Phone: 954-608-4406
Dr. Smith served as President & CEO of the Atlanta Airlines Terminal Company (AATC) from October 2010 to December 2020; leading the strategic direction and management of all building operations and facility maintenance responsibilities for the World’s Most Traveled Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. During his tenure, he managed more than $945M in operations and approximately $650M in capital improvement construction projects. AATC was recognized as one of the Top 20 “Best Places to Work” in Atlanta and Dr. Smith was recognized as one of “Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs”.
In 2021, Dr. Smith launched his own company, Keystone Management, LLC., a fully integrated facility management, construction management, program, and property management company. Since 2021, Keystone has grown from 2 employees to a contracted complement of 85 employees with operations in 5 cities across 5 states. In April of 2024, Keystone received the Pacesetter’s Award and was ranked #31 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Atlanta’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies.
Dr. Kofi Smith also serves as a lecturer in the School of Building Construction at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), where he teaches three courses: Leadership and Communication in Building Construction, Entrepreneurship in Construction, and Leadership and Culture in the Professional Masters Occupational Safety and Health Program.
Educational Background:
Dr. Smith serves on the boards of Goodwill of North Georgia (Past-Chairman), the National Black Child Development Institute (Chairman), Goodwill Industries International, Inc., the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, the Georgia Tech Building Construction Advisory Board, a Trustee for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and as a Trustee for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta where he serves as a Trustee for the Youth Service Fund Foundation.
Contact:
Address: 1075 Peachtree St. NE, Ste 3675 - Atlanta Ga 30309Kathy Waller retired as Executive Chief Financial Officer and President, Enabling Services, for The Coca-Cola Company, where she was responsible for the overall internal control environment of the Company and also held responsibility for the consolidation of the Company’s financial statements. She joined The Coca-Cola Company in 1987 as a Senior Accountant in accounting research.
Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, she worked as a Senior Accountant for Deloitte Haskins and Sells Public Accounting Firm, both in Rochester, New York and Atlanta, Georgia. While at Coca-Cola, Waller chaired the company’s Women’s Leadership Council that addresses the rapid impact global changes in demographics, economic access and personal expectations are having on the marketplace for talent.
Waller is the 2007 recipient of the University of Rochester William E. Simon School Distinguished Alumna Award, 2007 Treasury and Risk Magazine 100 Most Influential People in Finance designation and the 2005 University of Rochester Career Achievement Award. She is a member of the University of Rochester’s Board of Trustees and Catalyst Board of Advisors.
Contact
Address: 1585 Wesley Pkwy NW, Atlanta, GA 30327-1800
Email: kathywaller18@gmail.com
Phone: 404-217-5033
Mr. Watanabe is Japan CFO of AbbVie. Since receiving his MBA from Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business in 2006, he has had a distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry. He first worked in the Business Planning & Analysis Division of Novartis Japan where he was involved in expanding the company’s oncology business into the Japanese market.
In 2010 he joined Symbio Pharma as Finance Director and spearheaded the company’s IPO listing on first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. He was promoted to Senior Director and was responsible for negotiating alliances several biotech companies. In 2014 Mr. Watanabe joined AbbVie Japan, shortly after its split from Abbott Laboratories, as its CFO. Since then he has been involved in expanding the company in Japan, helping to make it the No. 2 affiliate in the AbbVie group globally.
Contact
Address: 4-10-1-E906 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 2200012
Email: tomo_gt@hotmail.com
Phone: 81-802450618
Charles Wilson is the VP of Operations for Customer and Associate Experience at The Home Depot.
Charles joined the Company in 2003 as an assistant store manager. He has held roles of progressively increasing responsibility, including SM, DM, director of strategic development, DM, and most recently as RVP of the Southeast Region.
In 2020, Charles joined the board of directors for The Home Depot Foundation which provides support to non-profit organizations addressing the needs of our veteran community, helping families impacted by natural disasters, and training skilled tradespeople.
Charles earned his MBA with a focus on strategy and finance, from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in accounting from Hampton University.
Charles currently resides in Tampa with his wife Erica and their three children. He enjoys, spending time with his family, golfing, and cooking.
Contact:
Address: The Home Depot, 2455 Paces Ferry Road SE, Atlanta, GA 30339-6444
Email: charles_wilson2@homedepot.com
Phone: 443-367-1446
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