Presenters

Michael P. Connelly, 56, a Boulder, CO, native, is a career journalist turned marketer. He was the youngest executive sports editor in the history of The Denver Post, a critical decision-maker and innovator amid the country’s last “Great Newspaper War.” His side won.

He left the industry to join a five-person team to take a premium French eyewear brand, Bolle, public, and led the rebranding and expansion into 54 countries in seven languages. He did similar work for Nike Bauer Hockey, when Nike purchased the Canadian Brand and moved it to New Hampshire. With a love for newspapering, he stayed in New Hampshire and partnered with Subway founder and CEO Fred DeLuca, the largest franchisor in history, now deceased, to take one paper and duplicate multiple times in 14 months, winning New England Newspaper Editor’s Association Newspaper of the Year award, the only free community newspaper to win such an award in the association’s history.

Connelly has worked as a Chief Marketing Officer or consult to notable brands including: Coleman Co., Igloo, NASCAR, several NASCAR race teams, ESGR (a Pentagon lobbying agency); AEG, LIVENation, Clarity Media Group, Gannet, MediaNews Group, and GE Capital.

Connelly has owned successful restaurants; the nation’s largest air, land and sea show (that benefited the U.S. military); a full-charge advertising agency and currently is an officer and Senior Executive Vice President for Accucode, a VAR ranked as one of the nation’s Top 150, who’s top client is the world’s largest grocer.

Connelly’s brand is “solve,” grounded by trusting relationships with powered by unmatched optimistically fueled energy.

Patrice Williams brings two key strengths to her firms projects and initiatives: she understands how to develop and reach targeted Personnas, and she knows branding, inside and out.

Patrice serves as the Principal for the BrandGOV client service team leveraging her Juris Doctorate, Economic Development and Marketing degrees, along with over twenty years proven success in managing multimillion-dollar income producing assets, portfolios, brand and intellectual property.  She guides and coordinates all consulting and related services.

• Expertise in technology platform integration, crisis and communication message management, community outreach & engagement, stakeholder communications, strategic planning, branding and positioning, policy and legislative affairs.
• Understanding of Energy & Transportation policies and funding for under represented communities and corresponding workforce development needs.
• Industry mastery, current and previous clients in Transportation, Small Business (SBDC, Local, County and State Chambers of Commerce), Non Profits (Healthcare, Child & Family Services), Workforce Development & Continuing Education, Higher Education, City Real Estate Development, Technology and Affordable Housing.
• Providing organization branding, community outreach, messaging and positioning, website and back end website database development.
• Identification of branding, marketing and community engagement best practices, tools and tactics.
• Ability to thrive in fast paced, challenging environments by early identification of potential challenges and opportunities.
• Fostering and aligning relationships with an array of stakeholders including government officials, congressional staff, department heads, government agencies and community organizations.

Patricia Hudnall delivered professional consulting services for over 30 years to a variety of corporate clients.  Delivered solutions has included project and program management, methodology development, strategic planning, Six Sigma process engineering, governance, risk mitigation analysis, developing comprehensive studies, and optimization of internetworking, security, and database development migration services.  Clients have included Bank of America, Sun Microsystems, Longs Drugs, Santa Clara County, Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas, PeopleSoft, Quest, Citicorp, Cigna, Cingular, DHL, Department of Defense, Terilogy, Lockheed, and Visa.

Patricia Hudnall has a B.A., Industrial Management, Golden Gate University, SF, VA, Executive Leadership & Management Program, University of Notre Dame and is a Six Sigma Black Belt, Villanova University.

For information about Hudnall, Thomas & Wilson can be found at www.HudnallThomasWilson.com

Marisela is a sustainable business practitioner with a successful track record of empowering both for profit and not for profit organizations to turn their inefficiencies into opportunities and achieve social responsibility, energy efficiency and sustainable growth. Her expertise in sustainable business development, proven ability to streamline operations and unique talent for empowering others ensures that organizations build the structures, processes, and human capacity necessary to achieve triple bottom line results.

She believes that transforming the way business is typically done is the key to ensuring that future generations have natural resources to use and protect. Because organizations serve as powerful catalysts for addressing not only economic, but also social and environmental concerns, I founded SELA Sustainability, LLC in 2012. SELA offers sustainability analysis and planning services to entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profit organizations and government entities that build their capacity to put the practices in place that result in positive social change.

Marisela earned an MBA in Sustainable Enterprise from the School of Business and Leadership, Dominican University of California. BS in Business Administration from San Francisco State University and a Certification in Transportation from Pepperdine University.

Marisela is bilingual (English/Spanish).

More information about Greenhive Spaces can be found at www.GreenHiveSpaces.com

Rolanda Wilson is the founder and owner of Sound Investments, Inc. She provides financial services through Small Business Coaching and full service Real Estate Sales and Property Management. As a Broker with the California Bureau of Real Estate, a Small Business Owner, and a HUD Certified Housing Counselor, Rolanda has over 25 years’ experience in financial and real estate services.

In August 2015, Rolanda was installed as the President of the Women’s Council of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. As President, she launched Fundamental Investments in Real Estate Management (FIRM) ® which is a mentorship program that targets low to moderate income high school teenagers (ages 16 – 18). The goal is to increase the awareness of the importance of understanding finances; demonstrate how finances play a major role in success as an adult; preparing for the job market; positioning for success as a future homeowner; and increasing sustainable and responsible homeownership for their families. She is Past President of the local Oakland Chapter of Women’s Council and serves on the Board of the parent organization National Association of Real Estate Brokers.

It is Rolanda’s passion to empower women business owners to live the life they desire while running a profitable business and maintaining their family responsibilities.

For more information about Rolanda Wilson visit www.soundnvest.com

Lynne Vaughan has worked in education and workforce development for 50 years, serving as a classroom instructor (high school and college), an elected school board member, director of multiple workforce development projects, a Workforce Investment Board Director, a university and K-12 grantwriter, an evaluator, and a founding Board member of MIT Academy as a small learning environment for her African-American son.

For the National Office of Job Corps, she was the primary author of the Foundation Courses for health care, construction, finance and business, and IT, as well as the Foundation Course Implementation Guide, the Writing Guide for the HSE, and the Guide to Standards-Based Instruction in Job Corps. For the State of California, she was the primary author of the Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards, the Career Technical Education Framework, and co-author of the original high school reform manifesto, Aiming High.

With a BA and MA in English (UC Berkeley, San Jose State) and PhD (ABD, University of Hawaii) in American Studies, Lynne enjoys her retirement with her husband, Roger. She travels to Chicago (one daughter, two grandchildren), Virginia (one son) and abroad, for pleasure and to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. She enjoys gardening—veggies and flowers, baking, cycling, and reading. She also serves on the boards of a non-profit providing child abuse system support and a non-profit home for developmentally disabled adults, as well as being a member of the Solano Library Advisory Board.

For more information about Lynne Vaughan visit http://www.mitacademy.org/board/lynne.vaughan

Bringing multi-discipline experience to assist entrepreneurs build lean start-ups.

Mark Hagan moved back to the Bay Area after spending 3 decades in Northern California and Arizona with both small and large corporations.  “I have family here and enjoy the weather.  We had two seasons in Arizona; summer and not-summer.”

Mark’s has worked with a variety of businesses, from technical service to pharmaceutical companies.  He is a certified Project Management Professional and licensed in Real Estate.  A serial entrepreneur, he started his first business when he was 12 years old.  But, he won his first sales award when he was only 10.  “The local paper was giving away a trip to Disneyland.  I wasn’t a paperboy, but I wanted that prize.  I was highly motivated.”

Mark currently splits his time between working as the Corporate Relations Director for The Leaven, a faith-based non-profit, and Biz Dev 4 Humanz.  BD4H, as he likes to refer to it, advises solopreneurs who want to createlean businesses.

Citlalli Flores Zepeda is a Brand Developer with 13 years experience empowering and helping entrepreneurs, small business owners and corporations create new brands and marketing materials, from creating new and exciting designs to refreshing existing ones. Her passion is to be able to match the value and professionalism her clients bring to the marketplace with branding materials they will love and trust.

Through her creativity and intelligent, strategic marketing abilities, she was able to help a Non-profit secure more than $120,000 in media sponsorship’s. In conjuction with their marketing materials, she managed to set up their foundation and branding strategy to grow their Facebook page to more than 500k followers within a few years.

Citlalli won a full Four Year scholarship to attended the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education where she Graduated with Honors. Her advanced bilingual fluency in Spanish allows her the ability to help her clients translate marketing materials and create strategies to reach the Hispanic market as well as help Hispanic Business owners be ready to reach a broader, more mixed and affluent market.

Whenever she takes on a project, she brings not only her graphic design and marketing abilities, but also her Business Administration Degree and her business tax knowledge to make sure her clients have a long term vision for success and prosperous growth from day one.

Her key to success is to dream big, while keeping her client’s goals in mind, then design an effective plan to achieve the dream. Her efficiency to act on a plan and be ready to adapt when unexpected changes come about, display her Experience, Education and Professionalism. Most importantly, her NEVER GIVE UP attitude, because the game is not over until you win!

William K. Wesley is an author, transformational speaker, Top Performance Coach, corporate trainer and entrepreneur. He received his MBA and his JD (Doctor of Jurisprudence) from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, where he also taught Management Principles, Management Communication and Organizational Development for five years, and his BS in Business from the University of San Francisco. He is a media authority on productivity, communication, presentation training and life balance and has been featured on CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX.

William conducts ‘Productive Wellness’ trainings, seminars and keynote presentations based on his book Full Life Balance: Five Keys to the Kingdom (How to Live Better Every Day) at corporations, colleges, organizations and institutions of all sorts. William’s client list includes such firms as Kaiser, USAA, PG&E, NorthBay Healthcare and T-Mobile USA and organizations including Rotary International, Meals On Wheels, Suisun City, YMCAs and institutions including U.C. Berkeley, City College San Francisco and California Men’s Prison, Solano. William has delivered over 300 presentations and trainings. He has also trained over 100 presenters.

As an entrepreneur, William helped found and is Vice-President of Programs of Carter’s Biz Cafes at the Commanding Officers Quarters which is a start-up membership co-sharing, business event, idea-incubating firm located in a 156-year old, fully renovated historical landmark in Benicia, CA. William is currently working on his second book in the Full Life Balance series called, Six Secrets… scheduled for release in 2017.

William has over 20 years in sales, financial services and retail sales management, coaching and presentations with firms such as Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab, Citibank and Merrill Lynch. He has held such positions as Financial Advisor, Bank Branch Manager, and Vice President of Investor Education. He is a former Dispute Resolution Arbitrator with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). William held basic and supervisory securities licenses (Series 7, 24, 63, and 65) and a Life and Disability license. He has held sales and store manager positions in the retail environment and was a top salesperson, he managed top teams and developed top salespeople.
William consulted with Laney College in Oakland, California to establish a first of its kind Men’s Center on campus. He is an advisory board member of Biotech Partners, a Berkeley based youth science internship program. William is a former San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner.

William is a certified sailor who also enjoys sailing, reading, writing (he is also working on his first novel, Uncle (One in Seven Billion), playing tennis, playing chess and spending time with his wife Linda, children and grandchildren.

Small Business Sales Force

Thomas Burns, Vice President of Direct Sales Development works with Corporations, Business Owners and Dynamic Thought Leaders to develop their Marketing & Sales Strategies.

Thomas is an expert in creating profitable companies by helping achieve success with Marketing & Sales.  Thomas is a driven professional that finds excitement and motivation in finding solutions that result in building successful growth.

Contact:  (916) 912-3880, thomasb@spiritofjazzcakes.com

Summary of Accomplishments:

• Written over 100 Business Plans and Marketing Plans for companies within multiple industries over the past 10 years.
• Trained, managed and directed the activities of business owners working to develop their own business plans and marketing strategies.
• Developed a team of professionals that helped write complete business plans and marketing plans for clients.
• Conducted 20+ seminars, workshops and training sessions to entrepreneurs, business owners and CEO’s of Fortune 5,000 firms.
  Expert in compiling data for marketing research, analysis and developing effective marketing strategies based on this information.
• Provided direct marketing research, marketing analysis, and developing niche marketing strategies for professionals, start-ups and several Fortune 5,000 firms located within California.
• Public Speaker and Presenter.

Full-time instructor in the art department at Solano Community College, in Fairfield, California. Currently creating a certificate program for the graphic design and illustration departments.
Current classes:
Graphic Design 1 and 2
Illustration 1 and 2
Lettering and Layout (Typography)

After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Physics from Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo, Cristian Heredia acquired micro-fabrication instruction at San Francisco State University, where he received a Master of Science in Physics. He used his training to perform X-ray spectroscopy on new solar cell materials at UC Berkeley’s Advanced Light Source and Stanford’s Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. Cristian recently completed his Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering at UC Davis. There he researched solar-absorbing materials for electrical and thermal energy generation. Previously, the Graduate School of Management awarded him a Business Development Fellowship. As a National Science Fellow, he taught science modules to 6th graders.

He is interested in the intersection between technology and social responsibility. Recently, he founded az-tec power inc. to deploy low-cost solar technology to developing countries in hopes of providing an alternative to fossil fuel dependency.

Experienced planning and real estate development professional. Urban farmer. Educator.

Specialties include: project management, entitlement processing, highest-and-best-use analysis, civil design, community outreach, community development, urban design, community relations, customer relations, design, academic, economics, finance, leadership, market analysis, policy analysis, profit, quality, real estate, site design, strategic planning, strategic communications, technical writing, CEQA, NEPA, NPDES, EIR, zoning code, General Plan, Specific Plan, redevelopment.