Ron Bell is the President and founder of Bell Capital Management, Inc. He was formerly an Investment Manager of the retirement funds of a Fortune 500 company. He is a 1968 graduate of Vanderbilt University with an Electrical Engineering degree and a 1970 graduate of Emory University with a Master of Business Administration degree where he received the George Mew Award representing the highest scholastic achievement. In addition, Ron is also a Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Investment Counselor, CFA Institute Member, Atlanta Financial Analyst Society member, and an Investment Adviser Association Member.
Mr. Ralph S. Blackman is currently the President and CEO of The Century Council. The Century Council, founded in 1991, has received over $175 million dollars from the distilled spirits industry to fight drunk driving and underage drinking. Mr. Blackman began his tenure at The Century Council in 1996 as Vice President for Public Affairs. Currently, Mr. Blackman is responsible for strategic planning, operations, and management of more than 20 staff members.
In 1992, Mr. Blackman was appointed by President George Bush as the Assistant Administrator for Private Enterprise within the U.S. Agency for International Development. Mr. Blackman oversaw a staff of 100 professionals, a program budget of nearly $40 million, and a $220 million portfolio of U.S. government loans designed to stimulate growth in developing countries around the world. Mr. Blackman represented the agency on the President's Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee and at meetings of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
Prior to joining the Bush Administration, Mr. Blackman founded Public Access Inc., a corporate relations firm headquartered in Washington, DC. As President of the firm, Mr. Blackman and his constituents provided public affairs and international trade-related assistance to clients interested in business ventures abroad. Blackman and the firm were responsible for facilitating the creation of the first nationwide chain of franchised computer outlets in Hungary.
Chandra Czape is the Deputy Editor at CosmoGIRL! magazine. Chandra manages the articles editors and spearheads several of the magazine’s special projects such as the Born to Lead Awards, CG! Cup Contest, CG!’s Rock the World Leadership Camp and CG!’s mini-mag, “The 50 Best Colleges for Girls”. Before CosmoGIRL!, Chandra was an editor at several other magazines including Ladies’ Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, YM and Glamour.
Chandra is also the founder and President of Ed2010.com, a national networking group that provides free services and advice for young editors pursuing their dream magazine jobs. Chandra graduated from Indiana University’s School of Journalism in Bloomington and attended The Woodhull Institute - Naomi Wolf’s ethical leadership workshop for young women. Chandra and her husband, Paul, live in Manhattan.
Lynne Dale has been an investigative producer for Dateline NBC and ABC’s Primetime. Her journalism has won television’s most prestigious awards, including the duPont Columbia and the Peabody. She currently lives in Atlanta with her teenage twins.
Bob Davis specializes in growth strategy development, brand strategy and sales & marketing. Bob has over 20 years of consulting experience, including 7 years in the Chicago, Tokyo, and Atlanta offices of McKinsey and Company. While Bob was in the Atlanta office of McKinsey, he was a leader in McKinsey’s North American Marketing Practice. Bob has led consulting engagements for nearly 100 clients including Novartis, Kaiser Permanente, Chick-fil-A, The Coca-Cola Company, InterContinental Hotels Group, GAP and United Airlines.
Bob received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. He received his B.A. cum laude in Industrial Psychology and Japanese from the University of Notre Dame. He also studied at the Institut Catholique de Paris and Sophia University in Tokyo. In addition, he designed and taught the Management Consulting course at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University.
Paula Shugart. With more than 20 years experience in the television industry, Paula has become a driving force in entertainment television production for domestic and international audiences. As President of the Miss Universe Organization, producer of the MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA® and MISS TEEN USA® Pageants, Paula oversees all business transactions and is responsible for the production of the live worldwide telecasts each year. Shugart is also a mentor and a role model to the three titleholders, as they travel the world on behalf of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO).
Paula joined MUO in 1998 as the Vice President of Production and in 2001 was appointed President by Donald J. Trump who, incidentally, had never met Paula but had noticed her outstanding work within the company. In the years since taking charge of MUO, Paula’s goal to break the stereotypes typically associated with beauty pageants and to boost the viewer demographics of all three Pageants has paid off.
Paula oversaw the successful sale of 50% of MUO to NBC Universal and has worked closely with the network in maximizing the organization’s potential. Paula credits part of the company’s growing success to the women who participate in the MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA® and MISS TEEN USA® systems. As full-time employees of the Miss Universe Organization, the titleholders represent the company at home and abroad and Paula is often by their side.
Sacha Taylor is the Founder and President of Nannies + more…®, where she oversees and manages the operations in each of the company's six offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Bethesda, Maryland; Boca Raton, Florida; Dallas, Texas; New York City, New York and Stamford, Connecticut.
Ms. Taylor and Nannies + more…® have been featured in numerous magazine publications, including Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Magazine & Women Looking Ahead. She has also served as an informational source to various local, national and international media outlets, most recently: ABC News; Consumer Reports; The Wall Street Journal; Richmond Times-Dispatch; TBS-Tokyo Broadcasting System International (TBSI); Palm Beach Post; People Magazine; NBC Nightly News; the Chicago NBC affiliate, NBC5; Parenting Magazine; VH-1; Atlanta Parent and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In 2007, Ms. Taylor was named as a Top-5 Finalist for the Atlanta Small Business Person of the Year by the Metro-Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
As the spouse of Georgia’s 10th Lieutenant Governor and now currently, in the private sector, Ms. Taylor exhibits her passion for the welfare of Georgia’s children and their access to quality education and healthcare. During her tenure as Georgia's 'Second Lady,' she had the honor of leading the ‘Georgia Municipal Association's Annual Mayors' Christmas Motorcade’, continuing the tradition of presenting holiday gifts gathered around the state by local municipalities for the patients of Georgia's state mental health hospitals.
Ms. Taylor is actively involved in organizations serving the community. In 2007, she led efforts as Co-Chair for the 15th Annual Jeffrey Fashion Cares in netting $700,000 for its beneficiaries, Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund (AAPF) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure—Greater Atlanta Affiliate. She is also Co-Chairing the organization’s 2008 event. She is serves on the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Southeast Regional Chapter Board of Directors.
Ms. Taylor possesses a Masters in Business Administration from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia and Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the Grady College of Journalism also from University of Georgia. Additionally, she has studied at Harris Manchester College and Balliol College at Oxford University in Oxford, England.
Ms. Taylor is a member of Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta.
Wesley Wicker has served as Vice President of Advancement for Kennesaw State University since September 1, 2002. Dr. Wicker was also selected as Executive Director of the KSU Foundation on January 1, 2005. Wicker spent the previous five years as Vice President of Major Gifts for United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta (1997-2002). He worked in a similar capacity with United Way of Central Indiana from 1995-1997.
He earned a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia in 1990, a Master’s degree in History from Georgia Southwestern in 1985 and a B.A. in History from the University of Alabama in 1981.
Dr. Wicker has served as President of the Foundation Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity, Inc., a private 501(c)(3) educational endowment. He has served as a faculty member for NAV (the National Academy of Volunteerism for United Way of America), The Foundations Seminar in Indianapolis and a presenter at CASE (the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education). He is currently the Finance Chairman for the Fulton County School Board Foundation and the President of the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta.