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Nancy Whatley, Andrew McConnell, Kelly Payton and Alex Gossett Shifflet
Nancy Whatley / IgniteHQ
Executive Director
Nancy Wright Whatley serves as executive director of IgniteHQ where she is charged with providing strategic planning, recruiting entrepreneurs, budget management, fundraising, and facility oversight. Overall, her focus is supporting the economic growth of Cobb County, the Northern Arc region and the state of Georgia by promoting entrepreneurship and business growth through IgniteHQ’s partnership with Kennesaw State University. Prior to IgniteHQ, Nancy established and ran VantagePoint Staffing Solutions, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise, which she successfully sold in 2010. In addition, she spent more than two decades working for Georgia-Pacific Corporation where she was the architect in creating Encadria Staffing Solutions – a wholly owned subsidiary and in-house staffing company. Most recently, Nancy interacted with hundreds of the state’s entrepreneurs as vice president of entrepreneurial development and business growth at the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC). An Atlanta native, Nancy earned a B.B.A. in management from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. In addition to IgniteHQ, she serves on the executive committee of Terry’s Alumni Relations Board, is a part of the Atlanta Regional Commission, Innovation Committee, and is a member of Vistage International.
Nancy Whatley and Andrew McConnell
Andrew McConnell / rented.com
CEO
Andrew came up with the idea for rented.com after hearing two vacation homeowners tell horror stories of the time and hassle involved in their self-management of the properties. With degrees from Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Cambridge University, and experience working with some of the largest companies in the world during his time at McKinsey & Co. and Axiom, Andrew is excited to apply all he has learned to the sharing economy in order to create a better experience for all.
