Members of the year

David is the founder and CEO of KaliTlacica, a business dedicated to helping leaders better understand how to align their brilliance with the work that they do, as well as build their brand and the resilience to achieve sustainable superior personal and organizational performance. His 20 years of global leadership experience,10 years of coaching experience and 500 hours of formal coaching training make him uniquely qualified as an Executive Leadership coach. He is a leader with a global mindset who is fascinated by the diverse cultures and languages of the world. Having worked with executives around the world and lived in Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe, and travelled through Asia-Pacific, he has spent a lifetime living out his values while working with global teams. Being fluent in Spanish and semi-fluent in Portuguese, David loves languages and multi-cultural environments. He earned his Master’s degree in Business and Organizational Policy from Boston University and completed post graduate studies in Executive Leadership at INSEAD. David has held senior global leadership roles in Human Resources and Talent Management for the multi-billion, multinational corporations of Raytheon and Schneider-Electric. He also served as President of the American Businessmen of Jeddah, Board member of the American Int'l School of Jeddah and the United Way and was advisor to the Institute for Corporate Productivity. He strongly believes that people perform best when doing work aligned with their beliefs and values, and that each individual has something unique and brilliant to offer the world. His personal passion is in applying his beliefs to business for it is through successful and sustainable businesses that people can scale an impact on the world.

Sherice Muhammad is the Commissioner of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. She has over 24 years of professional career experience. She was highly involved in the growth and development of several non for profit organizations for 17 years. For the past 7 years Sherice has been working in government affairs. She has also been the Commissioner for the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in the District Of Columbia area for about a year now. Sherice has an incredible resume. She has gathered many different types of professional and personal experience over the years, such as Public Relations and Media for the well known network, BET ( Black Entertainment Television), Marketing Management for Johnson Publishing Company, Fashion Fair, Special Event Planning for The Chicago Urban League, the Salvation Army, as well as CEO and business management for ShoreBank. Sherice keeps very active in many organizations and participates in public speaking events, lectures and presentations for these organizations and non-profits. In the future she looks forward to becoming a fully fledged Lobbyist wants to be a trust worthy person for everyone to believe and trust in. One of her largest achievements as well as something she has been very proud of is when she testified against a merger of a major company. The mayor was trying to pass a bill regarding the merger and most of the population in the district did not agree with the mayor. Sherice was contacted by the mayor to come in and discuss the situation at hand. Sherice was able to go in there, discuss the problems peacefully and respectfully and actually made the mayor understand the perspective of the population.

Counting over two decades in Marketing & Communications, Marianna Papadopoulou is the Marketing Director of the supermarket and the cash & carry chains of METRO S.A., Greece. After receiving her MBA from Imperial College she joined Hasbro; however, her love of food guided her subsequent career choices. In Elbisco, a Greek snacks and bakery manufacturer, she masterminded the strategic transformation of Allatini, one of the two major Greek sweet snacks brand, into becoming the leader in innovation and in Katselis, a Greek bakery manufacturer, she successfully launched “Snackers’ Place”, a snacks and coffee chain. She joined METRO in 2008 and at her current post, she has designed the retailer's Corporate Affairs strategy, established a coordinated CSR programme and powerfully ushered her brands into the digital era. She has contributed in enhancing company image and sales growth by relaunching the private label lines, attracting younger customers and lowering My market’s price point perception while personalising METRO Cash & Carry customer communication through a complete CRM programme.

Wafa Ahmad is one of five women on the Jordan Istiklal Hosital staff. As a consultant, she helps with over 800 patients in the field of internal medicine and has plenty of discussions with members of the board regarding cases. Before her current position, she was at another hospital in the intensive care unit, meanwhile getting divorce. She had plans to continue her education but because of their divorce, the continuation of her studies stopped. However, she does intend to pick up where she left off in continuing her education. She speaks in her hospital about health education and lectures at private schools on higher education, medical education and oncology education. Her goal is to work in the private sector and possibly train future doctors. She is proud to be one of the five women of her staff, in an position with little stability being in Jordan—all while being a single mother. She looks forward to her certification to be a Internal Physician. She maintains her strong work ethic and core values.

Michael Mark Cohen is Founding Member and Chief Operating Officer of TranSigma Worldwide, a Connecticut headquartered management consulting firm incorporated in 2005. In the beginning, he then went through a program that taught him to realize potential productivity with fortune 500 companies, that is when he decided to venture out and help launch TranSigma Worldwide—the highlight of his career to date. Michael focuses on interpersonal and communication skills and believes success stems from having a highly experienced and efficient team. Michael Graduated from Central Connecticut State University in 1987 and was recruited by Oracle. After working for Oracle, he went to work for GE Capitol running project management programs. Within the next few years, Michael plans on continuing to grow the company and acquire smaller businesses. He would also like to go into acquisitions. He is active with the E.D.M.C, Connecticut Food Bank, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, In his spare time, Michael enjoys practicing martial arts, training for and participating in triathlons, playing guitar, and youth sports.

Ron began his Sales & Marketing career with Procter & Gamble in Houston, TX after graduating from the University of Houston. After 3 very successful years, with sales ranked in the top 10% of the company, he was recruited to Pepsi-Cola and spent the next 6 ½ years in field sales in Houston, then promoted to National Accounts relocating to Chicago, and ultimately moving to New York to lead the National Accounts group as Director. He was recruited to Coca-Cola USA in Atlanta, initially to lead their $135 M National Accounts Division, where he sold the #2 largest account in Coke history, before being promoted to lead the $350 M Southeast division. The Southeast, 1 of 4 Divisions, led North America in growth and profitability moving up from worst to first. Ron left to join Norrell Corp., a $300 M regional staffing firm in 1990. Over the next 10 years led the Southeast Region, was promoted to lead the Central Division moving back to Chicago, then led Sales & Marketing as SVP. He grew their national accounts business to $170 M, and launched their Business Process outsourcing group, which grew to $270 M. He participated in the very successful IPO, contributed to the companies 45% annual growth to $1.4 B, and participated in the sale of the company, re-branded to become Spherion (which later sold to Randstad). Ron was brought in by the Board to Headhunter.net, a $75 mil. public internet recruiting company, to succeed the CEO. They grew the company by over 30% per year adding more than $14 M in profits. As a result of this success, the company received many unsolicited offers, and decided to sell the company to CareerBuilder for 2.7 times revenues or 100 times profits. Ron was then recruited by the Private Equity investors to lead Uniscribe Professional Services as CEO. The firm was a national business technology services firm with 15 offices and a data center. After increasing profits $8 M. annually, for 4 consecutive years, the company was sold to Williams Lea, a strategic buyer for 15 times profits. Ron led the integration of Uniscribe into Williams Lea. Ron then led IVIZE Services, a national business technology services firm, with 2,600 customers, 15 field offices and a data center. Working with the leadership team they reduced labor costs, increased margins, which increased net income to 20%. After 4 successful years of progressive growth our PE partner sold and integrated the company into a larger strategic competitor. In 2013 Ron was recruited to lead Onepath Systems, LLC, a private equity backed roll up of 3 commercial technology integrators. He led the efforts to professionalize the team, implement standard operating processes and procedures, while strengthening the sales and marketing value proposition. They achieved 18% growth in 2014 earning recognition in the Inc. 5,000, the Georgia Fast 40, the Pacesetter, the CRN top 150, and the Cougar top 100. Ron holds a BBA in Business & Marketing from the University of Houston. He also completed graduate studies at Darden and Emory Universities. He was recognized by American Executive magazine for his CEO intuitive leadership. Ron is married, lives in Atlanta, GA, and has 2 children and 3 grandchildren. He can be reached at e-mail: rtselfjr@aol.com, cell phone: 678.602.7660 or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/rtselfjr.

Bio: Roger Morris is Professor of Molecular Neurobiology at King's College London. After completing his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2005, and a postdoctoral Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship at the University of Connecticut Health Centre, he took up a scientific staff position in the Laboratory of Neurobiology at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London (1978-95). He moved to Guy’s Hospital Medical School in 1995, which merged with King’s College London in 1998. Within King’s, he became Professor of Molecular Neurobiology in 2001, Head of Department of Biochemistry in 2005, then in 2007, Head of School of Biomedical Sciences (in US terms, Dean of Faculty) over a period of major change to integrate the multiple institutions that had been merged with King’s, into a single Faculty. Roger seized the opportunity to upgrade biomolecular imaging at both fluorescent and electron microscopic levels to make King’s, in partnership with instrument manufacturers JEOL and Nikon, an emerging international leader in both areas. He oversaw a doubling in research income while modernising and simplifying undergraduate and postgraduate education, secured the first UK Research Council (BBSRC) funding for a Doctoral Training Centre at King’s which has expanded to include University College London and other London universities in one of the BBSRC’s major PhD training centres. He opened up the experimental animal facilities to the press, politicians and public groups (including the redoubtable Women’s Institute) to enable all to see what is actually involved in UK biomedical research. He served on the MRC Neuroscience and Mental Health Board, the BBSRC BSEP group and DEFRA TSE Research Advisory Group. Roger’s willingness to speak to the press, and allow the press unrestricted access to the experimental animal houses, starting at a stage when few others in the UK would do either, set a pattern that was increasingly adopted by other universities, leading in 2014 to a Concordat on Openness in Animal Research in the UK to which 97 companies, universities and research institutes have signed. King’s was awarded the 2015 Prize for Media Engagement in Openness in Animal Research. Another enduring achievement is that King’s closed its Chemistry Department (founded in 1829, one of the world’s oldest) in 2003, due to declining student numbers. Roger played a key role in relaunching King’s Chemistry Department in 2012. Both the Department and its courses are growing robustly and adding a missing dimension to King’s research and education. Roger has published over 70 scientific papers, which have been cited more than 5,000 times to give him an H index of 40. He is interviewed regularly on the implications of research in neurodegeneration, and reviews grants and papers internationally on this subject. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Biology, which expand the range of issues in which he engages. He looks forward to networking and sharing his knowledge. Typical Day: Roger’s day (and weekends) is mainly taken up with using his experience to get the Chemistry Dept established, from advising new staff on writing grant applications and productively combining their teaching and research; to bringing ‘biology’ into ‘chemical biology’ in research and teaching; to delivering a range of lectures and a Molecular Biology for Chemists practical course; and to establish functioning instruments of management for staff and students. Currently his work within the Chemistry Dept is all-engaging; with growing staff numbers and experience, this will lessen considerably over the next few years. Enquiries from the press continue to press occur, most recently for a Russian TV programme on dementia. Fortunately many more scientists in the UK (admirably marshalled by the Science Media Centre) are willing to provide expert comment on most issues, so lowering the time required from any one person. Reviewing of grants and papers continues but not the daily rate of 2000-12. All of which leads Roger to hope that he will have more time to engage again in wider issues.

Mr. Galal Kulaib is the founder of OldBridge Invest LLC., a private family investment firm established primarily for The Kulaib family of UAE. OldBridge Invest LLC also extends its service activities to include consultancy and advisory in Investment Banking, Private Equity, General Trading, Logistics, Management and IT. The company is based in Abu Dhabi, and has association with companies in UAE, UK, Turkey and India with International acclaim. Building upon a distinguished 30-year career of banking and investment experience, Mr. Kilaib is respected as an industry expert, and is regarded as a driving force of innovation and progress in financial services. His exposure to investment and commercial banking includes working with leading local, regional and international banks such as Citibank, Gulf International Bank (GIB), First Gulf bank and Noor Bank. Currently, Mr. Kulaib holds the Post of Group CEO of Al Nahdha Investment Group. prior to that he was Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Capital Group. Mr. Kulaib resides over several Board of Directorship seats with Several companies and is a member of Bankers Association - London. Mr. Kulaib is a graduate in economics and business administration from the University of Tennessee, USA.

Donald Prophete is a trial attorney for Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP, based in Kansas. He has been practicing law for over twenty years and has been intrigued to practice since the young age of six years old. He specializes in trial law for mainly employment disputes, but also is engaged in law advisement and practice for major sports corporations, i.e, the NFL, NBA, and MLB. In the next few years, Donald hopes to expand the firm internationally, doubling attorney size while creating a more diverse staff in legal ranks. Donald earned his JD from Boston University School of Law, class of 1992. Prior to his current position, he worked as a partner with Littler Mendelson and served as a Board Member for Ogletree Deakins. He published a chapter in "Sports Law Practice Book” in 2014, has gained much recognition and awards for his excellence, and belongs to the American Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association, National Bar Association, and the Hispanic Bar Association. He serves on the Board of Directors for Harvesters Community Food Networks.

Ingrid Schreuel is a Consultant in Gender Mainstreaming and Rural Empowerment. She is also co-owner of the consultancy firm CODERSA dedicated to rural development, sustainable management of natural resources, climate change, social inclusión and gender equality. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science and Sociology in November 2015 (MSc. in 2008) from the Pontifical University of Salamanca, and also holds a Masters Degree in Tropical Forestry from the Agricultural University of Wageningen, the Netherlands. Ingrid works to integrate social inclusión in climate change mitigation and adaptation, has ample experience with Community Forest Projects in several countries (Peru, Nepal, Guatemala), organizes trainings courses and conferences on rural empowerment and gender equality in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ingrid has led and has participated in over 30 Formulation/Appraisal and Supervision Missions for the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) particularly with regard to mainstreaming gender equity, human and social capital building, monitoring and evaluation systems, and natural resource mgt. Over the years, she has become increasingly familiar with development strategies and procedures followed by bilateral donors such as USAID and the Dutch Development Cooperation, as well as several multilateral donors such as World Bank, IFAD/UN, FAO/UN. The many consultancies she has carried out in Guatemala, Latin America and the Caribbean, have allowed her to develop and introduce new methodologies and instruments (baseline and M&E) for mainstreaming gender equity and social assessment in rural development projects. Outside of work, Ingrid supports amongst others the World Wildlife Fund and is member of the Dutch Royal Tropical Forestry Foundation and the Dutch Royal Society of Agricutural Engineers. She also enjoys diving, skiing, traveling, and reading.

Radhika Thanedar is a Volunteer at the Family Violence Appellate Project. She plans on taking the California Bar in 2016. After studying Economics, she could not see herself in the world of finance so she decided to give law a try. She received her Masters in Law from Duke University School of Law, her Bachelors in Economics from St. Xavier's College Mumbai, and his LLB in Law from Kings College University of London. Radhika feels her boss in India turned her life around. He took a leap of faith by giving her a position and gave her responsibilities even though she was learning and he always encouraged her. Outside of work she enjoys Indian Classical Dancing.

Sumaya Sumaidaa is GP Dentist at the Ambulatory Healthcare Services of UAE. Her everyday responsibilities include general procedure work, arranging conferences, and being responsible for the patients safety network i.e. if any accidents happen she is responsible for publishing the corrective action plan. In November 2015, Sumaya has two lectures planned for a small GPD Program. The highlight of Sumaya's career thus far is graduating from Otago University in New Zealand and returning back to Abu Dhabi where she is now involved with her local community. She feels that she's building herself to be an effective member of the community and an effective leader. Sumaya was inspired to get involved in the profession by her desire to help people. She enjoys working with people daily and believes the key to her success is her love of life. Over the next few years, Sumaya wants to lead a local organization in Abu Dhabi—she is currently in the process of taking a leadership position. Additionally, she would like to get more involved with volunteering and humanitarian work. Look for Sumaya in Sail Magazine, an online magazine, where she publishes personal development and inspirational articles. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and traveling.

Kellie Jepsen is the Principal for Belvedere British School, Abu Dhabi. She handles all aspects of running of the school. She was inspired to go into the education field by role models that she was surrounded by. The school has been open for four years and has 800 students and 125 staff. Kellie received her Diploma of Teaching from Dunedin College of Education and a second Bachelor of Education from the University of Otago. Kellie is proud of being able to progress the school from a new school to a an increasingly successful school. In the future she looks to have Principalship of several schools. Kellie has gained accreditation for the school as a member of the British Schools of the Middle East and British Schools Overseas.

Gunilla Joenson is Professor at Lund University where she has been Faculty for 20 years. She is primarily a mentor and advisor for students, a scientist and participant in different scientific advisory boards as well as company boards. She has an PhD in Logistics and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, both from Chalmers University of Technology. Gunilla is the first woman to obtain a mechanical engineering degree form Chalmers University of Technology. Gunilla is affiliated with the Royal Academy of Engineering Science and has been the recipient of many honors: King Carl XVI Gustafs Award, Soderburg Prize, Honorary Alumni Michigan State University, Ekman Medal. She is looking to pass on her knowledge and research to the next generation of emerging scientists and engineers.

Michael McNeive is the General Superintendent at Chicago Bridge and Iron. His current responsibilities include drilling platforms, power plants, raw gas conditioning plants, sewage treatment plants and lift stations, general water works projects, cast in place concrete, precast concrete, slip form operations, heavy duty shoring, elevated decks and structures, sheet piling, and underwater dredging. Michael started doing construction in High School and has had a natural progression into his current position, where has been for almost 5 years. The key to Michael’s success has been hard work, determination, hard headedness, and enjoying the success of completing projects. Michael is very generous and donates to many charities, including The United Way, ASPCA, Little Brick Church, Star of Hope, Food for the Poor, Habitat of Humanity and St. Jude's. He received his Associates Degree in Construction Technology from Central Missouri State University, 1976.

Kevin L. Mosley opened his personal injury law firm Shafran & Mosley, P.C. in 19993. In 2015 he started the Law Office of Kevin L. Mosley,P.C... he has practiced law since 1986, with his practice devoted to plaintiffs' persoanl injury and civil rights litigation. The highlight of his career was helping a client who was told by numerous other lawyers that they could not take on their case since they felt there was no case. Kevin took the clients on and won them $1 million. In his years of practice he has won many other million dollar cases as well. Kevin was inpired to enter the law profession when seeing people who needed help after being in an accident. Over the years he has had hundreds of clients and has won them millions of dollars. Kevin has a JD from St. John's University School of Law and received his Bachelor's in General Studies from Fordham University. He is a member of New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Mensa (which recognizes high IQ), New York State Bar Association, and Knights of Columbus. His name was added to the Wall of Tolerance in Montgomery Alabama in recognition for his ongoing fight against hatred and intolerance in America by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The success Kevin has garnered over the years is a result of hard work, determination, and continuous growth. His goal for the future is to educate others on the process of personal injury law—not many know about it until they need to. He is eager to network with others and continue to grow his business. When he is not working, Kevin enjoys reading, gardening, fishing and spending time with his family.

Simon Johnson is Director of Mayfield CA Ltd where he provides independent advice on archaeology and historic buildings in support of redevelopment proposals including planning permission, listed building and conservation area consent and scheduled ancient monument consent applications. Simon works closely with government officials to get work approved Simon received his Bachelor of Arts in Archeology from Notting University. He is a member of Chartered Institute of Archeologist, Institute of Historical Building Conservation, Royal Society of Arts, and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. In his spare time, he enjoys shooting and collecting.

As CEO, Jason’s primary responsibility is the creation, communication and implementation of the organizations vision, mission, and overall direction. Jason focuses on the development of the strategic plan in order to advance the company’s mission and objectives. He oversees the daily operation of the company insuring efficiency, quality, service, and cost-effective management of resources. Jason believes in identifying and developing leaders that are capable of adapting to the ever-changing environment of the global marketplace. Prior to IMMERGE, Jason served as President and Co-Founder of 2020 Companies. Under Jason’s leadership, the company realized unprecedented growth, generating revenue in excess of $300M in a four year period. This success led to the sale of the company to Golden Gate Capital and JP Capital in early 2008. Jason’s responsibilities included overseeing Sales, Business Development, Recruiting, and Training. Jason helped change the face of the direct sales industry through the negotiation of industry leading contracts with over a dozen Fortune-500 Clients such as Verizon, AT&T, QWEST, and TXU. Earlier in his career, Jason was Vice President of Encore Marketing Group, where he built a sales force of over three hundred representatives across eight geographic markets. Jason started his management career at XO Communications, and continued on with MCI, where he built the company’s largest region for the Small and Medium Business division in Southern California. Jason earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Elon University. He and his wife, Lisa, reside in Denver, Colorado with their children Dylan and Emily. Jason enjoys the outdoors by running in the early morning and spending time with his family.

Nigel Robb is a Reader in Restorative Dentistry for the University of Bristol. He has been in his current role for 4 years, and has over 30 years of experience in academic and hospital dentistry. Nigel is Programme Director for the Bristol University Open Learning for Dentists (BUOLD) Programme, as well as the Lead for Pain and Anxiety Control in the Undergraduate Dentistry program. The BUOLD programme is the most successful Post-registration qualification in the United Kingdom with just under 1000 UK dentists holding the Diploma. He speaks at many conferences, was a keynote speaker at the 14th Triennial International Dental Congress on Anesthesia Sedation and Pain Control of the International Federation of Dental Anesthesiology Societies. Nigel received PhD for a thesis entitled “Epidemiological studies of Toothwear” from the University of London in 1992, and his BDS in Dental Surgery from The University of Edinburgh, 1982. Having passed the Fellowship in Dental Surgery Examination of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1985, Nigel completed specialist training in Restorative Dentistry in 1996 and was awarded the Specialist Fellowship in Restorative Dentistry. In 2001 Nigel was awarded membership of the Institute of Learning and Teaching which became the Fellowship of the higher Education Academy on its formation. In 2003 Nigel was awarded the Fellowship in Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow without examination in recognition of his contribution to the profession. He is also a Specialist in Special Care Dentistry. His goal is to further the knowledge and understanding of pain and anxiety control in dentistry and further his academic teaching career on the national and international stage.

Atheseus R. Lockhart was born in Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Lockhart served in the United States Navy for 13 years as a personnel administrator. While in the Navy, Mr. Lockhart received numerous awards and accolades for his performance and was involved in Operation Just Cause in the Panama Canal, Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Operation Continue Hope in Somalia. Mr. Lockhart attended Columbia College where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a dual emphasis in Management and Financial Services in 2000. Upon the expiration of his enlistment, Mr. Lockhart attended Florida State University College of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate in May of 2003. During law school, Mr. Lockhart interned with the Office of the Attorney General and the Children’s Advocacy Center at the College of Law. Mr. Lockhart also gained valuable experience as a leading law clerk at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco for two years. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Lockhart was provided the opportunity to serve as an Assistant State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Osceola County as a felony prosecutor. After gaining valuable trial experience, Mr. Lockhart transitioned to civil litigation. Mr. Lockhart has had the honor of defending a wide variety of corporations and businesses in cases involving commercial litigation, personal injury, premises liability and insurance defense issues to include No Fault Benefits (PIP), bad faith, errors and omissions and uninsured motorist coverage. His current practice includes the defense of general and subcontractors in construction defect claims throughout the State of Florida as well as defending clients in bodily injury, premises liability, wrongful death and other general civil liability claims. Mr. Lockhart is an AV rated attorney, member of the Orange County Bar Association, National Bar, Florida Bar and actively participates in the Orange County Teen Court program. In addition to the practice of law, Mr. Lockhart enjoys reading, sports and spending time with his family.