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KSU Entrepreneurship Center Presents The Shrimp Tank

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KSUEntrepreneurship

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

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Shaquille Wiggins 

Shaquille is a network marketing professional and pioneer of movements that set thousands of people all over the nation on a path of financial freedom. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Shaquille is the fifth of seven children. The benefit of having older siblings was the ability to watch them make mistakes and learn from them. Knowing that going to school and working a job didn’t necessary equal success through observation Shaquille knew something more was needed. Still considering Shaquille got a job at Chipotle and was attending Georgia Gwinnett College full time. Looking for opportunity Shaquille found network marketing. The idea of being a business owner and not working for money excited him until the focus switched from personal financial freedom to the task of liberating those around him.

 

#2 distributor in the south east region for Wake Up Now, Inc

Founding member and owner of Novae

Executive producer of movies (Couples Therapy, TBA)

 

 

 

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Veterans Connect Radio Episode 010

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Veterans Connect Radio

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

#VetsConnect
@VetConnectRadio

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Scott Bock / Instant Imprints 

Scott Bock is the Area Franchisee for Instant Imprints of Georgia and North Florida. In this role, he identifies qualified individuals who wish to become independent business owners in the Instant Imprints system.  He then provides ongoing business coaching and consulting to help them reach and exceed their business goals. Scott also owns and operates his own center, Instant Imprints of Smyrna, GA

After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Iowa State University, Scott served as a United States Navy Submarine Officer from 1988-1995. He subsequently earned an Master of Business Administration from Duke University.

 

 

Alan Urech / Stoney River Capital LLC
Managing Partner
LINK TO FULL BIO HERE

 

 

 

Andy Wickman is one of the founding members of Warrior Outdoors. He has owned and operated several business’, including a transmission shop, a full motorcycle shop and a dating service. Andy has always had a service heart. He has worked with Habitat for Humanity, the Lions Club and is very accomplished in the Masonic fraternity.

 

Andrew Hurst– 12 year army veteran, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, father, husband, and avid outdoorsman when at all possible. He got into helping other veterans with the VFW and found that Warrior Outdoors would allow him the ability to help even more by taking the State Director position.

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Aaron Aycock with UserIQ and Alma G. Davis with The Alma G. Davis Foundation

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Aaron Aycock / User IQ
CEO & Founder

Nominated for the 2013 Georgia CIO of the Year, Aaron Aycock has an unmatched passion for building the worlds best SaaS products. With more than 15 years of experience leading technical teams that have built and launched highly sophisticated software applications, Aaron is a true leader in his field. Aaron received his MBA from Duke University.

Currently, Aaron is CEO and Founder of UserIQ, a Customer Growth Platform that works with B2B SaaS companies to help them retain and expand revenue while mitigating churn and increasing referrals. In March 2016, UserIQ was designated as a Top 10 Most Innovative Technology Startup by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).

Prior to founding UserIQ, Aycock was the CIO of TRX, a public company that was sold to Concur. At TRX, Aaron experienced first-hand the difficulty many SaaS companies have in effectively engaging with their users. That was when he first realized that there was a major opportunity to help SaaS companies interact more effectively with their customers. He knew that there needed to be a solution to pick up where other marketing automation tools left off during the customer journey. Thats why UserIQ was developed: to help SaaS companies grow profitable revenue by engaging with the right user at the right time with the right message – and all without any custom coding.

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Alma G. Davis / Alma G. Davis Foundation
CEO

Growing up in an environment of domestic violence and having to endure physical abuse from a boyfriend starting at age 14, Alma G. Davis, a world-renowned entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and visionary felt it only right at the height of her success to reach back and grab those who were pushing their way forward through domestic violence abuse.  Emergent as a leader in the hearts of many through her desire and dedication to serving women and youth, Ms. Davis believes in the “E2C” philosophy of educating, empowering and celebrating domestic violence survivors.  Through her foundation, participants are offered continuous, year-round programming providing them with opportunities to attain employment and work maturity skills, financial security, and gain the necessary resources to transition to lives of independence.  Most recently, Ms. Davis’ work and expertise was acknowledged as she was selected to attend the “United State of Women” White House Summit.  Additionally, she was a finalist for the 2016 Presidential Leadership Scholars Program and received a special invitation to the White House to give guidance on Violence against Women and discuss continued strategies to combat domestic violence.  Ms. Davis’ credentials reach beyond the boundaries of the United States, as she has participated in four humanitarian trips to Ghana, Africa delivering advocacy care to over 40,000 people.  A native of Albany, GA, Ms. Davis received certification as a Victims Advocate and Crisis Interventionist from the University of Georgia.  She also received her MS in Management from Troy State University and a BS in Computer Science from Albany State University.  Booking inquiries: (678) 957-9464 or PR@almagdavisfoundation.org

 

Facebook     Twitter     www.AlmaGDavisFoundation.org 

 

 

Christina Beyer / WIT
Director Of Programming

Founded in 1992, Women In Technology (WIT) serves as a passionate advocate for women and girls at every stage of their STEM careers – from the classroom to the boardroom. WIT utilizes its programs, connections, volunteer opportunities and events to enable the development of the WIT community through recognition, thought leadership and foundation efforts. WIT is driven to help women and girls write their own stories of success throughout the full lifecycle of their careers and continued evolution as STEM leaders.

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The Episode is Sponsored in Part By:

Business Writers Conference 2016
www.business-writers-exchange.com

July 27-29 • Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa

Young Harris, GA

USE PROMO CODE “BWC 20” 


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KSU Entrepreneurship Center Presents The Shrimp Tank

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KSUEntrepreneurship

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

Hosts of The Shrimp Tank Chris Hanks and Ted Jenkin.

 

 

Kevin Peak / CaJa Popcorn
Chief Popper

Kevin Peak is the Chief Popper at CaJa Popcorn, a gourmet popcorn store in the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center in Buckhead. Prior to founding CaJa Popcorn he spent almost twenty years in the financial services industry working with corporate treasurers and CFOs as a strategy consultant and as a sales leader in the financial technology space.  Kevin’s work history includes time at Bank of America, Bearing Point, Wachovia, Thomson Financial, and Kyriba Corporation. Kevin obtained his undergraduate degree in international economics from Georgetown University and his MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management.

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Jannine Miller with The Georgia Department of Economic Development

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Stone Payton and Jannine Miller talking with Lee Kantor

 

Jannine Miller / Georgia Department of Economic Development

Director of the Center of Innovation for Logistics

Jannine Miller is the Director of the Center of Innovation for Logistics, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the states leading resource for fueling logistics industry growth and global competitiveness. The Center provides technical industry expertise, collaborative research and partnerships to help the states logistics industry connect, compete and grow. The Center also hosts the annual Georgia Logistics Summit, which had over 1,000 attendees in 2016.

Previously, Ms. Miller served as the Senior Manager of Finance for The Home Depot; the Executive Director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), Transportation Policy Advisor to Governor Purdue, Policy and Programs Consultant for the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority, and as Senior Transportation Planner with the Atlanta Regional Commission.

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Also joining Jannine On The Air is;
David Nuckolls  Global Account Manager, Marketing & Operations at Georgia Department of Economic Development

 

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Veterans Connect Radio Episode 09

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Veterans Connect Radio

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

#VetsConnect
@VetConnectRadio

 

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Jason Sobczak, Chris Sims, Derek Smith, Phil Kuban, John Phillips

 

 

 

Derek Smith / Financial Advisor

LinkedIn

 

 

 

Phil Kuban / FranNet of Atlanta
Advisor

I began my career as a marketing executive at 3M Company. In this role, I was exposed to independent  entrepreneurs and gained a real sense of their work-life balance, something that I had never been  exposed to even as a corporate executive.  This led me to explore ways of starting my own business  while recognizing that I was not an entrepreneur in the true sense.  I had a young family to support and  taking a high risk was not viable.  I began my career in franchising in 1982 with VR Business Brokers.  I  soon realized that buying an independent small business was far more often, “the American nightmare”  for people than “the American dream”.  In 1985, I shifted my brokering practice to franchise area  development.  For more than 30 years, I have been helping people (almost a thousand of them) realize their dream of  business ownership. Since 1999, I have been affiliated with the FranNet organization, the world’s original,  premier network of franchise consultants. My proven track record in numerous franchise systems has  been a key factor in my success as a FranNet consultant. Additionally, I have personal experience  owning and operating retail and professional services businesses. I’ve been personally involved with  master franchise development and have been able to use that experience in my consultations with first-  time prospective franchise owners.  I always suggest a client begin “with the end in mind”. I believe that  the right franchise opportunity with the right exit strategy is the key to building equity wealth. My extensive  experience is an asset for anyone looking for assistance with investing in a new or existing franchise  opportunity.  I am a principal owner and board member of FranNet, LLC, an international franchise company. I spend  part of my time contributing to growth strategies for FranNet LLC, building the value of the company. My  daughter Leslie and I recently celebrated our 16 th  year as owners of FranNet of Georgia.

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Jason Sobczak / Crossfit East Cobb
Owner

Grew up in Orlando, FL. Served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1991 to 1994
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of Florida, 1997. Long Range Surveillance Team Leader, H CO 121st Infantry, Long Range Surveillance, GA Army National Guard 2001-2005 Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom Licensed Georgia Residential Mortgage Loan Officer since 2003. Co Owner and Coach of CrossFit East Cobb since 2009.

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Chris Sims / Crossfit East Cobb
Owner

Director – Fitness Fueling Awareness (501c3 dedicated to providing relief for Cystic Fibrosis). Married to my beautiful wife Jessica Sims, Daughter – Naomi 6yo, attends Mt Bethel and will attend Dickerson and Walton. Son – Sam 5yo, will follow sis starting Kindergarten next year at Mount Bethel. Moved to East Cobb in 1985. Mt. Bethel, Dickerson and Walton Graduate 1999. Favorite Teachers – Mrs Krosner and Mrs. Jedlica BA Social Science, Current MBA student at Thomas Edison State College. US Army Green Beret. US Army Ranger, 6 Combat deployments between Iraq (2003, 2015), Afghanistan (2009, 2010, 2012/13) and Colombia, South America (2007). Just hit 16 years service in the military.

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John Philips LTC, U.S. Army Retired / Boots To Loafers
Author, Speaker, Leader / Vice Chairman VETLANTA

John has had a distinguished career in both military and civilian service. John is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army where he served in the Field Artillery as well as a Financial Comptroller.  With more than 20 years of service, he served  in Corps Artillery, Division Artillery, Army Headquarters and Forces Command, the largest command and the generating force provider for combatant commanders – at home and abroad. He has served in Europe, throughout the Middle East and the United States. Among his awards and decorations are the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Assault Badge.

John is the Author of Boots to Loafers, Finding Your New True North which outlines a proven process of transitioning out of the military and into the private sector.  He is also a contributing author to Paddling Guide to the Sunshine State and An American Crisis, Veteran Unemployment, Stand by Them/How You can Help/Solution.  He has been featured on The Mike Huckabee Show, the Dennis Miller Show as well as a number of radio appearances across the country.

John is a finance executive at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia. In his spare time, John spends his time travelling with his wife, Sailing in the British Virgin Islands, remote wilderness trips in the western United States, and helping our nation’s military and veterans make the transition into society and finding a job in the private sector.

John holds a BS in Finance from University of Central Florida and an MBA from Syracuse University. He lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia with his wife, the former Melissa K. Smith and their Australian Shepherd, Bear.

Boots To Loafers The Book      VETLANTA     Twitter    LinkedIn     Facebook 

 

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Steve Cesari with The Cesari Companies, Denise Adamson with BioIQ, Greg DeLoach with Developmental Disabilities Ministries and Walt Carter with Primary Capital Mortgage, LLC

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Walt Carter, Denise Adamson. Steve Cesari, Lettie Hernandez Ongie and Greg Deloach

 

 

Steven Cesari / The Cesari Companies
President & CEO

Steve has more than 40 years of business experience having started or owned 15 companies in many different industries.
In 1992 his company, Trillium Heath Products, marketers of the Juiceman Juicer, was ranked by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing, privately held companies in the US and in that same year Steve was nominated by Inc Magazine as Entrepreneur of the Year. As President of The Cesari Companies Steve uses his vast business experience to teach business leaders and entrepreneurs how to accelerate the growth of their companies by creating CLARITY at all levels of the organization.
He has been featured on TV and radio and has been the subject of numerous articles including, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine and Success Magazine to name a few. Steve served on the Board of the Leadership Companies and Pro Athletes Outreach. He is the co-author of, Success is not an Accident, Secrets of the Top 1%, along with his best selling book Clarity, How to Get it, How to Keep it, and How to use it to Balance your Life and is a sought after keynote speaker across the country. Steve is married to Indy, his wife of 35 years and has four grown children.

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Denise Adamson / BioIQ
Corporate Vice President

Denise Adamson is Corporate Vice President of Sales at BioIQ. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. Denise has over 20 years of healthcare sales in diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare technology. She was one of 14 women chosen by Lead Star to attend their 2016 Women’s Leadership Forum. Denise also represents BioIQ on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, TechBridge and Technology Association of Georgia. Denise resides in Dallas, Georgia with her husband, Chaz.

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Greg DeLoach / Developmental Disabilities Ministries
President & CEO

Greg DeLoach is a native Georgian, who grew up on a dairy farm outside the small town of Eatonton. Before coming to serve DDM as President/CEO he was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Augusta. Greg is a graduate of Shorter College, the Southern Seminary Baptist Theological Seminary, and Columbia Theological Seminary, where he earned a Doctor of Ministry in Old Testament Theology. Amy and Greg were married on a hot July afternoon in Milledgeville in 1988 and are proud parents of two adult sons. When time permits, he enjoys oil painting and exploring the outdoors. It is not unusual that Greg can be found pitching a tent in the Appalachian Mountains and breathing in campfire smoke or paddling his kayak along one of Georgias many beautiful rivers.

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Walt Carter / Primary Capital Mortgage
CIO

With more than twenty-five years in technology leadership roles, Walt specializes in technology visionography. Before joining Primary Capital Mortgage, his team at Generation Mortgage received very positive press from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Bloomberg and MarketWatch for innovative use of technology as a key differentiator for the company. A proven technology executive, Walt is adept at working through complex business challenges and has successfully implemented several enterprise-wide packaged software solutions. Walt is frequently asked to speak to professional groups on the topics of leadership, governance, risk management and compliance.

After earning a BS in Physics from Guilford College, he began his career as a technical officer in the US Air Force, and over the years he has served in a variety of technology leadership roles with companies such as Fidelity, Gannett, BDM, TRW, and Ajilon Consulting. Walt earned a Master’s degree in Public and Private Administration from Central Michigan University in 1991. While at TRW, he won the President’s Award for his leadership on their largest commercial project. Recently, Walt was named winner of the prestigious Georgia CIO Leadership Association’s Corporate CIO of the year for 2014.

 

 

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Spotlight Episode with Justin Barnes from iHealth

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Justin Barnes, Health IT Industry Leader, Joins iHealth drawn by opportunity to help providers navigate new payment models.

 

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Ryan “Redhawk” McPherson and Justin Barnes

www.iHealthInnovations.com

 

Justin Barnes, one of the best-known thought leaders in health IT, has joined iHealth as Partner and Chief Growth Officer. iHealth was formed recently when iHealth Solutions, LLC acquired DNA Healthcare Inc.(DNAH); the new company is operating under the name of iHealth.

“Healthcare organizations and providers are being challenged with new payment models, and iHealth helps to address that,” Barnes said. “Through a robust technology platform combined with high-touch support, we are navigating healthcare providers through the future of healthcare and helping them to thrive. “I truly believe that all care providers that intentionally and deliberately engage with these new payment and care delivery models, and create the right partnerships,will have more opportunity in the future than they have today,”

Barnes added. “Justin Barnes has a deep passion for helping providers succeed in these turbulent times for the healthcare industry,” said Venkat Sharma, iHealth Chief Executive Officer. “His extensive healthcare experience and expertise in new care models, such as value-based care, will greatly benefit the company as well as the customers we serve.”

Barnes was a member of Greenway Health’s senior leadership team for11 years, directing Greenway’s marketing, corporate development, strategy, government relations and international affairs. He has pulled several members of the original Greenway team into iHealth.After leaving Greenway in 2014, he has served as a corporate, board and policy advisor focused on assisting companies, associations and entrepreneurs with growth and acquisition strategies.

Prior to Greenway, Barnes was a member of the founding team and Vice President of the patient-provider communications and engagement company, Healinx. Today, Healinx is known as RelayHealth. Before Healinx, Barnes held several positions with HBO & Company/McKesson.Barnesserves as Chairman Emeritus of the HIMSS EHR Association as well as Co-Chairman of the Accountable Care Community of Practice where he assists these organizations with industry strategy and leadership. Barnes is also the host of the weekly syndicated radio show “This Just In” on Healthcare Radio and Business Radio X. Barnes has formally addressed or testified before Congress as well as the last two Presidential Administrations on more than 20 occasions with statements relating to value-based medicine, accountable care, interoperability, EHR meaningful use, consumerism, innovation, patient engagement, quality, HIPAA, the globalization of healthcare and much more.

Barnes is a public speaker on these issues and has appeared in more than a 1,200 journals, magazines and broadcast media. In addition, Barnes has advised several U.S. Presidential campaigns on healthcare public policy.

 

About iHealth– iHealth helps healthcare providers navigate to value-based care and thrive under new payment models. iHealth offers Revenue Cycle Performance™, which includes comprehensive revenue cycle services, and supports population health and care coordination through a robust, innovative technology suite and high touch professional services.

www.iHealthInnovations.com
Media contact:  Lynn Hood, Press@iHealthInnovations.com, 678-974-2623

 

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Justin Barnes

Andy Wickman and Andrew Hurst with Warrior Outdoors Inc.

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Andy Wickman and Andrew Hurst

 

www.WarriorOutdoors.org

Andy Wickman is one of the founding members of Warrior Outdoors. He has owned and operated several business’, including a transmission shop, a full motorcycle shop and a dating service. Andy has always had a service heart. He has worked with Habitat for Humanity, the Lions Club and is very accomplished in the Masonic fraternity.

 

 

Andrew Hurst- 12 year army veteran, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, father, husband, and avid outdoorsman when at all possible. He got into helping other veterans with the VFW and found that Warrior Outdoors would allow him the ability to help even more by taking the State Director position.

 

 

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WIT Atlanta Features Sugra Naqvi with Stellar Consulting Solutions

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Sandy Welfare, Vic and Sugra Naqvi

 

 

Sugra Naqvi / Stellar Consulting Solutions 
Co Founder

Sugra Naqvi is the co-founder of Stellar Consulting Solutions. She has over 10 years of experience in sales and being a successful entrepreneur. In her role, she serves as a primary hunter of new businesses and client relationships. Sugra has been in sales under the retail vertical prior to starting her current venture. She brings deep understanding of operations, culture and relationships. Sugra has earned her dual bachelors from Georgia State University, in Sociology and Business. She currently enjoys volunteering her time to WIT, enjoys reading and traveling with her two sons.

STELLAR CONSULTING SOLUTIONS is among the fastest growing boutique technology consulting and staffing firms globally. Stellar is a minority business enterprise (MBE), that fosters diversity workforce. We deliver high quality and experienced consultants for niche technology project on any scale. Providing, end-to-end recruiting and staffing solutions and maintaining a successful track record using a robust recruiting process. We also bring the right talent at the right time. From our humble beginning, delivering resources for IT projects, we’ve stayed true to our mission and core values – and do our best every day to deliver happiness to our clients.

www.stellarconsulting.com

678-925-9466
2475 NORTHWIND PARKWAY, SUITE 200

ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA 30009
INFO@STELLARCONSULTING.COM

 

 

 

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Sandy Welfare / WIT

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

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

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

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

Twitter     Twitter(Sandy)      LinkedIn

 

 

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