Kim Bach

Resident Expert - Human Resources, Leadership Coaching

Kim Bach is an innovative leader, public speaker, executive-level coach, and Chief People Officer at Dailyhuman. With over 25 years of extensive experience in the business world, Kim is passionate about working with close-knit teams to drive organizational change through a mix of pioneering leadership strategies and employee engagement. Driven by her big heart and creative vision, Kim draws on her diverse skillset to promote growth at all levels of the organization.

Through her work at Dailyhuman, Kim is committed to providing teams with a practical framework to facilitate open communication, redesign corporate culture structures, build strong interpersonal relationships, and lead the way toward a more positive and connected business environment. She’s at the frontier of addressing the $1 trillion employee disengagement crisis.

Kim spent much of her career at ARS National, as Vice President of Human Resources, and at Capital One serving in various leadership roles for talent development. Kim designs and delivers a curriculum that builds self-awareness, improves interpersonal communication, and fosters meaningful connections within teams.

Kim graduated from the first-ever undergraduate school of leadership studies at the University of Richmond and holds a Master’s in communication. She serves on several boards and network groups, including the Conscious Capitalism Senior Leader Network, CEO Mastermind “ProvenChaos,” and the board of Strength in Sisterhood.

Ashleigh Blatt

Resident Expert - Project Development & Finance, Web 3.0, & Blockchain Technology

Ashleigh Blatt is a seasoned professional with a remarkable track record of success in managing large-scale, high-value, and high-profile projects across multiple industries, including government agencies, the entertainment industry, consumer products, and infrastructure-focused projects. Her extensive experience has made her a go-to resource for top-level executives and ultra-high-net-worth entrepreneurs seeking to navigate complex projects and emerging markets.

Ashleigh’s expertise in geo-political, infrastructure-focused projects is unparalleled, and she is at the forefront of the latest tech revolutions, including Web 3.0 and Blockchain technologies. Her insights and analysis are highly sought after by her trusted clientele, and she is widely recognized for her ability to quickly grasp complex concepts and translate them into actionable advice.

With her impeccable analytical, project management, and organizational skills, Ashleigh has successfully managed projects with a range of values spanning from $10M to ~$1B. She has a proven track record of delivering results on time and within budget. Additionally, she has a wealth of experience in evaluating investment opportunities, sourcing deals, performing gap analysis, and managing investor relationships, making her a valuable asset for any project or initiative.

In addition to her impressive professional achievements, Ashleigh holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from American University and has been a Project Management Professional Certification holder. She is a Spring 2023 candidate currently pursuing a Master of Jurisprudence in International Tax from Texas A&M University, further demonstrating her commitment to ongoing education and professional development.

Lastly, Ashleigh’s dedication to social responsibility is evident in her passion for advocating for the entrepreneurial community and making a significant contribution to the food allergy crisis in the United States. She possesses both an unwavering commitment to success and a deep sense of purpose and social impact, making her the ideal partner for those seeking meaningful and transformative solutions.

David Bray

Resident Expert - Financial Education

With nearly 20 years of college teaching experience, Professor David Bray has been instrumental in educating America’s next generation of financial experts. Having earned a Ph.D. in finance, his main teaching areas are in the field of investments and corporate finance, both at the undergraduate and MBA levels. As a member of the academy, Prof. Bray understands the significance his position brings in enlightening future business leaders to the importance of capitalism and wealth creation.

The current state of America’s financial literacy (or lack thereof) is of utmost concern to Prof. Bray and he is actively seeking to create solutions. When David prepares and presents financial lectures, humor is a top priority of his. He believes that it is possible to gain the audience’s attention, and maintain it, by creating a financial message that is hilarious (one of his personal ‘acceptable-adjectives’). The topic of finance is very dull for most Americans, but Prof. Bray aims to change this.

Prof. Bray has taught over 6,000 students at two major universities (Florida State University and Kennesaw State University (KSU)). He loves to be in front of young, intellectually aspiring adults and enjoys shaping their learning process of financial topics; this is where he comes to life. David is a tenured, professor of finance at Kennesaw State University and has been a board member of the KSU Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) for over 8 years.

Born and raised in Southwest Florida, David’s family had plenty of love and laughter. Through his educational training, the most efficient mechanism of individual socio-economic advancement in this country, Prof. Bray has been able to create wealth through his retirement portfolio and the stock market. Many people in this country (e.g. leftist, activist-professors) have lodged false-accusations towards capitalism and are attacking American-values on which the country was founded. Prof. Bray hopes to educate these illiberal citizens and make millions laugh along the way.

Steven Cinelli

Resident Expert - Technology and Merchant Banking

A second-generation banker, financing and advising emerging enterprises through global stalwarts, Steve led teams in Technology and Merchant Banking within BankAmerica. He later served as a Principal for a boutique private equity fund, Knightsbridge Partners, which catered to CPG and specialty retail companies. In the late 1990’s, Steve became fascinated with technology applied to financial services, in particular capital formation.  As such, he founded, designed and launched the first of the online marketplace-finance platforms, OffRoad Capital, which laid the pathway for crowdfunding, P2P lending, SME platform finance and the overall internet-enabled capital formation industry. While overseeing product design, he served as head of investment banking and international development, setting up ventures in Europe and Asia. As part of the design (UX/UI), he worked closely with the SEC on best practices for compliance, disclosure and investor engagement for the only distribution of unregistered securities.

He continued his interest in financial technology, serving as a founding board member for the two crowdfunding industry associations, and currently serves as mentor and advisor in fintech and entrepreneurship for leading accelerators and incubators, including FinTech4Good, Plug & Play, Santa Clara University’s Miller Center of Social Entrepreneurship and more recently, the Ministry of Culture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has advised emerging and growth companies in most aspects of fintech, such as payments, billing and remittances, capital formation, online lending and housing finance, reg-tech and compliance-tech, distributed ledger technology and virtual currencies. In particular, he is called upon to develop and define business models and their corresponding revenue models. Currently, he is engaged in a global initiative in the use of sustainable materials, including industrial hemp, within core industries.

Steve is a published author, pundit and futurist on topics of financial technology, capital markets, socioeconomics, social entrepreneurship, politics, religion, housing finance and democracy. His thoughts and forecasts have been conveyed  in Housing Wire, Forbes, Huffington Post, INC Magazine, CNBC,  Motley Fool, equities.com, The Street, REI, and he has lectured at Oxford University, Santa Clara University, Georgetown University and the National Press Club. Steve co-authored the academic work, Crowdfunding and Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation. On the lighter side, he authored and published a children’s book, SLAMINA (“animals” spelled backwards), a homage to one his favorite authors, Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

Academically, he earned his Bachelor in the Science of Commerce from Santa Clara University, a Master of Business Administration in International Business from Golden Gate University (San Francisco) and Doctoral studies  at Grenoble Ecole de Management (France) in socio-economic theory. Further, he serves as a Professorship of Practice at the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) in the discipline of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things, augmented reality, synthetic biology, blockchain and virtual currencies.

David Clark

Resident Expert - Private Aviation

For over 30 years, David Clark has delivered value in the private aviation industry through several key roles – working with international corporations and family offices. During that time, David has overseen in excess of $150 million in private aircraft transactions. His highly relational approach and deep commitment to understanding the client’s deepest concerns ensure that the interests of his clients are always protected.

David is currently the Owner of Integris Aviation Consultancy (www.integrisaviation.com), a boutique aircraft brokerage and consulting firm founded in 2009 specializing in light, midsize and heavy private jets.  His clients are some of the largest corporations and family offices in the Americas who count on his expertise to help solve complex operational and strategic challenges.

David has a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Technology from world-renowned Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master of Arts from Reformed Theological Seminary.  He is an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager, FAA Airline Transport Pilot, and has moderated several panel discussions for Corporate Jet Investor (CJI) conferences in London and Miami. In 2019, CJI recognized David as one of the Top 30 Dealmakers in the Americas. Fluent in Portuguese and English, he divides his time between North and South America working with family offices and private flight departments to bring the best solutions for those who rely most on private aviation.

Lydia Davies

Resident Expert - Entrepreneurship, Technology

Lydia is a world traveler and entrepreneur. She began her career in the music industry at 16 as a singer/songwriter creating her own label as a platform.

After living in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, she learned a lot about cultures, freedom, and different ways of living. This knowledge allowed her to grow as an artist and entrepreneur.

After completing her MA she started her own performing arts academy in Texas whilst training to be a realtor for multiple sources of income.

In 2020 she developed and created the App “TeeMates Golf” that connects golfers worldwide. This platform is now becoming the start of an all-around sports social media and meetup platform.

Lydia has worked closely with multiple charities for many years and enjoys philanthropic work. She loves spending time with her kids, sports, and being in nature. A true believer in freedom and representing the people Lydia is a community leader in her own right.

Raoul Davis

Resident Expert - Branding

Raoul Davis is CEO of Ascendant Group Branding (ascendantgroupbranding.com), an award-winning CEO branding firm.

Ascendant Group Branding is ranked #3 world-wide out of 11,400 branding agencies on Ad World Masters top agencies list and #1 ranked minority owned PR firm by Clutch and Manifest.

The agency offers one of the most integrated models in the world including brand strategy, PR, literary representation, design, social media, video, photography, and strategic relationships.   In his tenure, both he and Ascendant have been recognized multiple times for their work including by the Philadelphia Titans 100 Executives, receiving invitations to small business forums at the U.S. Senate, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and The White House, and winning multiple awards for PR, design, and company culture.

Ascendant clients are Fortune 500 executives, INC 5000 CEOs, high performing and high potential entrepreneur brands, and best-selling self-help authors looking to amplify their reach and develop brands that emotionally connect with their audiences. Ascendant has multiple divisions including Ascendant Entertainment, which is led by the #13 ranked Self-Help literary agent in the world, Ascendant Global, the international division with team members spanning five continents, and Reformat Agency; the ad agency side of the business expanding Ascendant’s offering to provide support for corporate brands.

Davis is a Forbes contributor and author of the book Firestarters: How Innovators, Initiators and Instigators Can Inspire You to Ignite Your Own Life. 

He speaks regularly for Joseph Business School and has given talks for leading organizations such as UPENN, Young Entrepreneur Council, as well as various universities and Chambers of Commerce across the country.

His life philosophy, “paving the way for others” is inspired by the example of John The Baptist. He currently serves as the Chair for the Board of Directors for Life in Christ Cathedral of Faith.

Harry Garewal

Resident Expert - Health Care, Education & Economic Development

Harry has accumulated extensive experience in executive/senior management of organization startups, turn-around, supply chain, operations, and quality management over the years.  As CEO of Trin and Associates, he owned and operated one of the first integrated family health clinics within the City of Phoenix. Harry is also CEO/Co-founder of The National Tri-Caucus Board Development Association (NTCBDA), a nonprofit establishing public policy for Hispanic, African-American, and Native American public-school children. Currently, Harry provides private consulting services to executives in the health, education, and housing industries, and economic development assistance (e.g., as a uniquely-certified vendor of the Arizona Department of Gaming, to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Tohono O’odham Nation, Gila River Indian Community, and, previously, to the Navajo Indian Community).

Harry has many years of experience in economic development, including private development of a large retail center; housing subdivision development; and redevelopment projects for the City of Phoenix, primarily in low-income Neighborhood Initiative Areas (NIA).  He established the BF Goodrich aerospace manufacturing company in Phoenix and was a certified trainer in the Boeing Company D1-9000 Advanced Quality Systems (AQS), in addition to assisting small defense contracting company expansion. Subsequently, while President/CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for six years, Harry oversaw the operation of the US Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Center in Phoenix; chaired the US Hispanic Chamber’s President Advisory Council; and was active in setting national policy(s) and establishing international trade relations.

Harry’s community involvement has also been extensive, including currently serving or having served as a member of the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors (BOD)’s Budget/Finance Committee; Chair of the Area Agency on Aging; member of the Wesley/Golden Gate Community Center (FQHC); Life Member of the Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials; Chairman of the St. Joseph Hospital and Medical Center; lifelong member of the National and International Economic Development Council; and on elected and appointed boards in elementary, high school and accommodation school districts.

Harry has an Associate degree in Applied Science (AAS), a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

Paul Goyette

Resident Expert - Entrepreneurship, Legal

Paul Goyette is an entrepreneur, trial lawyer, and business builder who is on the constant look-out for new opportunities, innovations, technologies, and new ways of getting the best possible results for his clients and customers. Paul is the founder of over 15 companies in several different industries ranging from his law firm, Goyette, Ruano & Thompson which he founded 30 years ago to his finance and receivables businesses Resocore Asset Management and Lakota Asset Management.

Paul was raised on an apple farm and ranch in the foothills of Northern California. Paul was raised in a family where hard work and self-responsibility were mandatory.  As a teenager Paul started a variety of agricultural entrepreneurial ventures. Paul received a forest genetics degree from Humboldt State University and then his JD from the University of San Diego. Paul started his legal career defending police officers and other public safety employees in those practice areas remain a significant part of Goyette, Ruano & Thompson.

Paul is driven to create wealth and prosperity through the creation of innovative and disruptive businesses. Paul is dedicated to finding solutions to break the regulatory stranglehold that governments, large corporations, and the global banking system have on the opportunity for wealth and success for entrepreneurs worldwide.

Paul has been married for 33 years to his wife Janet. Paul and Janet have four daughters. In his private life he is dedicated to fitness, longevity, and an obsession for music. Paul is an amateur guitarist and vocalist.

Gary Hammond

Resident Expert - Real Estate Syndication

Gary L. Hammond is the managing principal of Cigary Capital LLC, a boutique-style, commercial real estate firm.   He is also an active member and meetup co-organizer with The Multifamily Investor Nation in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is considered to be an industry insider as well as a noteworthy co-author of “Don’t Quit – Stories of Persistence, Courage and Faith” by Kyle Wilson & foreword by Mark Victor Hansen.

Previously Gary spent 26 years as an interior automotive seating designer at a highly ranked Fortune 500 automotive supplier.   Gary was an intricate part of an engineering and design team that was driven by commitment, innovation, operational-excellence and sustainability which continues to drive his zeal for success today.

In the early to mid-1990’s, Gary was a single family asset investor, after being introduced to real estate by purchasing materials from an infomercial by Carleton Sheets, a prominent real estate investor, who at the time was recognized as the best-selling author of the No Down Payment® home study course.

Throughout the 1980’s, Gary was an auxiliary police officer with the Detroit Police Department, having reached the ranks of both Sergeant and Lieutenant. It was during this time in his life where he developed skill sets such as active listening, persuasiveness, attention to detail, critical thinking and assertiveness.  It is these attributes that have pushed Gary threw every challenge, knowing that everything he wanted was always on the other side of fear.

Having such a diverse background, Gary is a no-nonsense insightful investor who has made his own way without making excuses. Gary has built his own financial rewards in a sea of financial uncertainties.

Gary is currently living with his wife Lisa, together they have 7 children and 13 grandchildren whom they love spending time with.

His mission in life is to fuel the success of others, and to enjoy the value of giving back through business mentoring and philanthropic endeavors.

Dan Heon

Resident Expert - Real Estate Finance

Dan Heon has been a licensed mortgage broker since 2002, a real estate investor since the mid-1990s, and is well known in the Canadian real estate investment community.

 He became a mortgage broker when conventional lenders challenged efforts to grow his portfolio. Finding options and solutions is paramount in all his endeavors.

 Over the last three decades, Dan has personally acquired over 83 properties and has executed all real estate investment tactics such as buy and hold, fix and flip, buy – renovate – rent – refinance – repeat (BRRR), land developments, multi-family affordable home projects and many others. 

 Dan and the Canadian Mortgage Team have financed over 6540 real estate investment transactions for investors nationwide. They have been recognized as part of Canada’s Top 50 Mortgage Brokers. Dan is a published author and public speaker who has helped mentor thousands.

Marsha Hendler

Resident Expert - Oil & Gas

Marsha Hendler is an enthusiastic entrepreneur across multiple industries who has broken multiple glass ceilings during her 40 years plus career.

Marsha entered the hospitality industry at a time when women were not welcomed and discouraged from applying for employment. She forged ahead breaking that glass ceiling. Her career path took her from Vice-President of Marketing for multiple hotel companies, to Founder and President of Marketing+, a 28-year-old consulting firm, where her client list included leaders in the hospitality industry, medical, legal, education, sports, and energy industries. Marsha was instrumental in securing a Canadian Football League franchise for San Antonio before the league abandoned its expansion plans.

It was this last venture that took her to the South Texas oilfields and the formation of TerraFina Energy LLC, breaking another glass ceiling, where she now serves as Founder and CEO. TerraFina Energy is a Texas licensed and registered oil and gas producer, again making her among the very few female oil operators. Since its formation, Marsha has focused on becoming the largest and most profitable Woman-Owned Independent operator in Texas.

As a graduate of the University of Houston, College of Global Hospitality Leadership, Ms. Hendler was selected as a member of Eric’s Club, a distinguished alumni organization.

In 2022, Marsha was selected to the Inaugural Forbes 50 Over 50 and accepted Forbes’s invitation to travel to Abu Dhabi, UAE for the “Greatest Global Gathering of Women” to celebrate International Women’s Day. Other recent honors include Acquisitions International naming Marsha “Most Influential Oil and Gas Businesswoman for 2021, and in 2002 named her Female Oil and Gas CEO of the Year. ALLY honored her with a GRIT award for 2021, and The San Antonio Business Journal recently honored Marsha with their 2022 Women’s Leadership Award.

Marsha is a first-generation American and credits her family’s tenacity and business acumen of her career successes.

Yvonne Hu

Resident Expert - Project Development, Renewable Energy, Real Estate

Yvonne Hu is the Founder and President of Anchor Commercial Development and Anchor International Investment Group since 2007, which focuses on project development related to renewable energy and affordable housing etc..

Yvonne specializes in commercial real estate development, and her expertise extends to international project development, financial structure, and cross-cultural marketing and branding.

Driven by the mission of environmental sustainability, her projects include carbon-free, sustainable housing and energy infrastructure.

Yvonne went on to launch multiple real estate companies as co-founder/CEO of the corporation in the great Philadelphia area since 2001, dealing in commercial and residential sales, as well as property and asset management. Later she transferred the multiple real estate offices into Century-21 management system in 2006.

Yvonne Hu studied in the major of Electrical Engineering at Drexel University. She serves as board member on the visitors board of CSLA in NJIT (New Jersey Institution Technology). As a woman minority entrepreneur, she was always inspired by the song “When You Believe” by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston: “There can be miracles, when you believe. Though hope is frail, it’s hard to kill”.

Bob Koncelik

Resident Expert - Entrepreneurship, Business Development

Robert Koncelik is a forward-thinking entrepreneur, problem-solver, business developer, and super-connector who is always open to discussing opportunities.  Connecting is his natural talent, so because of this, he has an uncanny ability to envision how seemingly unrelated items can play well together to benefit organizations and communities. He typically creates something from nothing by establishing productive relationships and connecting people.

Bob began his working career at the age of 7, delivering newspapers in Bergen County, NJ, by creating a barter arrangement with an older girl from the neighborhood, whereas he would receive 2 packs of gum in exchange for delivering the 11 newspapers each afternoon to his neighbors around the dead-end court.  Eventually, he took over of the route and expanded it to include morning editions.

At the age of 13, his father woke him up one day at 5am and said “We are going to work.”  This lead to his seeking a BS in Transportation & Distribution Management (now called Supply Chain Management), from Syracuse University and over 20 years of experience within the various aspects of the moving, contract furniture and materials handling industries.  In 1999, Bob had a vision to create a global specialist in commercial moving & related services, thus the Office Moving Alliance was born (and is still enjoying a growing existence today). In 2007, Bob took over his family’s company only to learn of his poor match to the true expectations and nuances of the business.  Bob closed the family company in 2012 to pursue other interests, as he saw many, insurmountable changes within the company’s market niche.

During his tenure in the moving business, Bob accumulated a good many relationships within many facets of the commercial real estate industry (aka CRE), which allowed him a pivot-point to Fast Office (a flexible, physical tenant-focused solution/offering for commercial landlords which lasted from 2012-2015).  There were too few takers, so the company pivoted to a digital, decision-facilitating solution for commercial landlords (2015-2017).  This technology allowed owners to portray their available space in an editable, 3D format, which could then be manipulated live, on request and always tracked a proper budget.

The above pivot period allowed for Bob to create many relationships within the CRE industry and CRE/Construction Technology, so more work was done on a consulting basis recruiting on behalf of a new capital markets organization for real estate operating companies, finding owners who wanted to offer more flexible working arrangements and better ways to create and maintain “as-built” data.

Bob is an avid practitioner of Aikido, currently working towards his ShoDan exam and a live music aficionado.

Astrid F. Kowlessar

Resident Expert - Project Development, Infrastructure

Astrid F. Kowlessar has 20+ years of strategic planning, governance, capitalization and project management expertise. Astrid acts as Board Member to Vezta Triumph Ltd., family based out of South Florida and Trinidad W.I.  She currently project manages in Jacksonville Florida with fintech giant PAX Technology Inc.

At Citigroup Corporate and Investment Bank (Trinidad & Tobago), Astrid assisted Citi’s local and New York based deal team as part of the Risk Analytics unit.  She worked briefly as part of a select Banco Citibank Brazil team, focusing on a portfolio of 33 conglomerate client relationships within the energy, infrastructure and retail sectors in the Caribbean and Central America.

Upon leaving Citigroup, Astrid supported the deal closure team as Account Executive for Barbadian securities firm Sagicor Merchant Ltd., a subsidiary of Sagicor Life Inc. She has also worked extensively in the IT software field, consulting with KAAVA Consulting and Synergy Healthcare Solutions.

Astrid has been extensively involved in startup business structure and capitalization. From 2011, Astrid served as Partner of Sente Capital LLC based out of San Mateo, California. The Sente Capital Early Stage Venture Capital (ESV) Fund, a boutique fund of US$100 million, comprised early stage ventures and technology intellectual property in the IT and Clean Tech industries. She is also Board Advisor to insurtech startup Inzsure Pte. Ltd. based in Singapore.

She is an advocate of human rights via Globcal International, an NGO supportive to UN Goodwill Ambassadors and was an invited speaker to the UN International Woman’s Day 2022 virtual conference. She believes that sustainable technologies and traditional operations are not mutually exclusive, but should be combined for best practice and outcome. She is an avid proponent of public-private-partnership infrastructure initiatives.

Gregory Laurence

Resident Expert - Specialized Health Care

Gregory Laurence MD currently operates a surgical and regenerative medical practice in Memphis, TN.

His expertise relates to the clinical applications of biotechnology and has real-world applications for entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. Innovative leaders will see beyond ethical stem cell-related personal health enhancement. New healthcare approaches provide possibilities for companies to retain and optimize key team members.

Gregory Laurence MD obtained his undergraduate and doctorate degrees from Baylor University and the University of Texas at Houston Medical School. He completed his residency and fellowship at the University of Tennessee. He operates a novel regenerative surgical clinic.

Gregory was the keynote speaker for the American Academy of Neurologic and Orthopedic Surgeons related to the future of brain and spine medicine. He has presented more than twenty unique lectures for six different medical specialties on topics including surgery, facial aesthetics, Continuous Quality Improvement, peer review, anesthesia, leadership, and stem cells.

Denise Meridith

Resident Expert - Public Relations, Government

Denise Meridith is a highly accomplished senior executive, entrepreneur and thought leader with more than 40 years of success in government, technology, sports and entertainment. Leveraging extensive experience in public relations and management, she is an asset for any organization or project. Her broad areas of expertise include government relations, crisis management, public and media relations, image management, technical writing, marketing, strategic planning, community outreach and public speaking.

During 29 years of the Federal government, Meridith served in multiple states and, while in Washington, DC, she oversaw 200 offices, 10,000 employees and a $1.1 billion budget of the Bureau of Land Management. For the past 21 years, she has been CEO of Denise Meridith Consultants Inc (DMCI), a public and community relations firm. Meridith is now also CEO of The World’s Best Connectors LLC, a virtual community for C-suite executives, which is entering its fourth year of helping executives enhance their connections to family, employees, clients, government & the media. Denise Meridith is well-known and has won many awards for business development in Arizona.

As a native New Yorker, sports have always been a love of Meridith’s.  During the past 25 years in Arizona, she ran Linking Sports & Communities (a youth sports non-profit for 14 years); helped create Tempe Town Lake and was a Governor-appointed member of the original Arizona Sports & Tourism Board. She helped win approval for the State Farm Stadium for the NFL Arizona Cardinals.

Tomas Milar

Resident Expert - Banking, FinTech

Tomas Milar is a seasoned entrepreneur, having personally founded several startups and helped founders to incorporate thousands of companies over the years. One of his prime acquisitions is IncParadise, one of the largest RA (Registered Agents) in Nevada. Tomas has also built and sold two telecom companies operating in the APAC region.

Tomas’ extensive knowledge of the nature of startups and the corporate structure and equity management has led him to found Eqvista to help others manage their company equity efficiently. He also managed to bootstrap Eqvista from $0 to $22.1B AUA (Assets under Administration) in just 24 months. Tomas is also a founder of Cheqly – Noebank operating in the US and Hong Kong. His group of companies serves 20,000+ corporate clients.

Tomas current companies among many are:

Cheqly; a Neobank for startups; that can onboard any US-based company within 24 hours, all online. It also helps with any company documents missing since it has been in the incorporation business since 2002. For the record, the Cheqly team has extensive knowledge of all 50 states’ incorporation (C corp, S corp, LLC) formalities. The company also assists with 409a Valuation and CapTable as it has internally developed its own CapTable. Cheqly’s next goal is to make money easily accessible to all needy entrepreneurs.

Eqvista (as of 2022) is one of the FASTEST growing stock management platforms on the market today:

– Platform is adding 400 New Companies every month
– $25.6 BILLION in AUA (Assets under Administration)
– Trusted by over 9,000 companies

Fred Parkes

Resident Expert - FinTech, Blockchain, WEB3

Fred Parkes is the co-founder and managing partner of 7Even Hills Venture which specializes in Fintech, blockchain, Web3 and DAO protocols. He previously co-founded West 4th Capital Partners, a capital introduction firm focusing on founders with investors.

Previously, Fred was Special Assistant to the Senior Vice President Finance/CFO/CIO at Simmons University with responsibilities including strategic management of real estate assets including Brownfield tax credits, leases and partnerships. He managed the College’s capital markets activities including debt structuring and investment of operating cash balances and oversaw the management of the institution’s multi-asset endowment portfolio including hedge funds, venture capital, international and domestic equities and fixed income.

Fred played a key role in repositioning Steven’s Institute of Technology as a premier research institution and technology powerhouse through solving financial challenges and building critical banking and business alliances as well as restructuring its outstanding bond portfolio providing significant debt service savings.

Previously, Mr. Parkes was co-head of Municipal Investment banking at Toussaint Capital Partners. Prior to Toussaint, he was investment banker at Siebert, Williams Shank & Co. Mr. Parkes started several real estate ventures and was an independent consultant. He began his career with NYC Public Finance Group where he marketed, structured and executed approximately $60+ billion of its debt capital program including the New York City Water Authority, New York City Transitional Finance Authority, New York City Tobacco Settlement Asset Securitization Corporation, NYCIDA, and NYCEDC.

Fred earned his BS in both Finance and Accounting from NYU Stern Undergraduate School of Business and an MBA with concentrations in Quantitative Finance | Banking | and Financial Instruments & Capital Markets from NYU Stern’s Graduate School of Business. He studied in Morocco: Africa, Santiago: Chile, Sao Paulo: Brazil and Madrid: Spain. He is also an inventor and holder of three patents granted by the United States Patent and Trade Office regarding “method and system for rendering content on the exterior of a vehicle.

Alex Polkovsky

Resident Expert - Private Equity, Portfolio Management

Alex Polkovsky, Principal at Canam Private Equity Inc. is an accomplished senior executive, corporate VC & investor, portfolio manager and mid-market operator with over 22 years of full business cycle experience across a variety of North American asset-based industries. With a core focus on Real Estate Development/Acquisitions and Management, EPCM, Renewable Energy & Utilities, Technology Start-ups and Manufacturing Expansions, Alex has been widely exposed to all facets of successful investment management, from start-ups to scale and eventual exits.

Since joining Canam Private Equity in 2019 as a principal, recent focus has been on globally expanding the corporate footprint of the firm beyond North America and building mutually beneficial international relationships in a diverse set of industries, with like-minded and aligned partners. Alex spends most of his current business hours engaged on cutting-edge, innovative and scalable deals, investment structuring, portfolio optimization strategies and ensuring the continuity of a balanced level of growth and investment yields in anticipation of ever-changing market forces.

Professionally, Alex is an alumnus of the REDI Foundation, University of Alberta, Canadian Securities Institute, Corporate Finance Institute, Canadian Construction Association, Alberta Enterprise Group and Canada Green Building Council, as well as an alumnus of over 20 non-profit and for-profit organizations in various capacities, ranging from Board-level involvement to volunteering and mentoring.

On a personal level, Alex is blessed to live in Canada with an amazing family, wide global circle of dear friends, colleagues and business partners, and an ecosystem that fosters and encourages growth, innovation, continued adaption and on-going use of critical thinking faculties. When not spending time with family, friends or on business endeavors – a lot of extreme sport activity is commonplace. Be it snowboarding the Rockies, motocross riding the Badlands, kayaking anything that flows or riding anything with a wheel across the beautiful landscape of the continental US. Otherwise, a good poker game is always welcomed.

Will Reese

Resident Expert - Oil & Gas

Will Reese is a petroleum engineer with 13 years industry experience after graduating from Texas Tech University.  Assignments include onshore and offshore operations production engineer and design production engineer on the re-design of a $4 billion greenfield project.  Currently he is a production engineer supporting the 120,000 bbl/day Appomattox platform.  Responsibilities include maximizing production while minimize risk to well and surface facility risk, selection of artificial lift installation, coordination of well startups, workovers & well enhancement.

Will has a passion for investing starting out with stocks & index funds later leading to private equity and fintech.  Experience in private equity include 6 multifamily apartment complex renovations and oil and gas startup company in an undrilled and unexplored area in Wyoming.  Oil and gas has always been a passion for Will both on the job and investor with it being the live blood of modern economies and a constant challenge to meet global demand. In addition to personal investing, Will is passionate about preserving a free capitalist market that is a foundation for freedom and has lifted millions of people out of poverty.

Outside of work, Will is a former college football player, still passionate about sports, weightlifting and personal fitness.  During his spare time, he loves relaxing yet exciting outdoor activities such as deep-sea fishing, ziplining and skiing.

Josh Roenitz

Resident Expert - Work Tech Software (SAAS)

Josh Roenitz is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience building companies and developing software for human resources, healthcare, and K-12 schools.

Currently, Josh is the founder and CEO of Dailyhuman, a SaaS learning platform that is taking teams *inward* to solve the $1 trillion employee turnover and disengagement crisis.

Previously, Josh was a co-founder at venture-backed MOVABLE, the creators of wearable devices and wellness software marketed to school systems and corporate wellness programs in the US, UK, and Australia. MOVABLE was successfully acquired by DHS Group to complement the company’s health and wellness offerings.

Josh co-founded a national SaaS consultancy that served some of the nation’s largest school systems, from Palm Beach County Schools to Los Angeles Unified School District.

Josh’s philanthropic work includes spearheading the creation of a musical village for street children in Ghana, West Africa, where he oversaw fundraising, procurement, and operations.

Dallas Richardson

Resident Expert – Tax Strategy And Risk Mitigation Specialist

Dallas Richardson is the President and Co Founder of Sky Tower Counsel, a group of 28(11 nationally recognized attorneys and strategists) highly skilled tax and risk mitigation teams specializing in the reduction of capital gains, estate, and income tax. Sky Tower Counsel’s clientele are predominantly blue collar industry business owners, real estate developers, and several family offices. The firm has successfully redirected $800 million away from taxation and into charities, and eliminated over $1 billion of capital gains tax. He is known as the Hammer of the Pacific Northwest, The Protector of the Blue Collar American, and his client’s trusted advisor due to his unbiased, direct, no nonsense comprehensive approach in all things.

Dallas was born and raised in North Idaho, coming from an extensive background in construction in the Pacific Northwest. After the 2008 recession destroyed the pacific northwest, Dallas worked in the oilfield and gas industry across 12 states on over 50 drill rigs, culminating in the construction of the largest mobile land drill rig active in the Alaskan Arctic Circle.

Dallas received much of his training in several family offices, and under the tutelage of some of America’s greatest financial professionals coming to specialize in risk mitigation and tax strategy. He founded Sky Tower Counsel in his home community of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho and began his mission “to empower and protect the blue collar American business owner from recessions, politics, and regulation through advance planning and strategy.”

Knowing full well how devastating an economic recession can be, Dallas teaches many local 501c3s and other, community focused groups such as Heart of Business, Project Unite, Habitat for Humanity tax mitigation through charitable strategies all in an effort to protect against coming economic and political disasters.

In his private life Dallas has four sons and is obsessed with pizza, sushi, hot rods, being in the woods, lifting heavy things, an avid reader, and works hard perfecting his pasta recipe.

Jeannette Skinner

Resident Expert - Government Policy, Health Care Finance

Jeannette Skinner, RN, MBA, FACHE is an accomplished healthcare leader who has held the highest executive roles in hospitals and health systems nationwide. Her titles have included Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Operations, Officer, and Chief Executive Officer.    During the last 27 years in the C-suite, Jeannette has led some of the most recognized names in in the Hospitals and Health Systems from Sutter Health, HCA, Vanguard/ Baptist Health, Methodist Healthcare, to Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, Palomar Health, and Chen Med.  She has built hospitals from the ground up, successfully taken on tough financial turn-a-rounds, led mergers and acquisitions of multi-state practices, clinical integrations with academic health systems, started new clinical service lines including Neurosurgery, Cardiac and Cancer Centers of Excellence.    

Jeannette’s broad area of expertise, including in government policy, healthcare finance, new hospital construction, health system redesign, technology, capitalization, and start-up have led Jeannette to further serve the industry as a Senior Advisor, Board Member, and expert CEO consultant to various organizations.  Additionally, she is an expert advisor healthcare technology and AI space and currently serves as Strategic Advisor to Ultrasound AI and CEO to startup, Meddamark, Inc. based in the USA.

Jeannette is also a former 2022 Republican Candidate US Congress in for Florida’s 11^th District. She has an unwavering passion to improve the health and mental of all Americans, including Seniors, Veterans, Women and Children as well as improve the current state of healthcare practice. She is the Founder of The National Institute of Healthcare Governance, a new 2023 non-profit focused on transforming healthcare through policy advocacy, education, and empowerment. She holds the distinction of Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Jeannette lives in Florida with her husband, her sons, and her family and has a network of close friends, colleagues and business partners gained through a lifetime of service nationwide supporting her endeavors.

Aaron Smith

Resident Expert - Private Equity, Finance

With over 25 years of business ownership, consultation and senior management experience in finance and a variety of sectors. Aaron has financed, invested in and been on the board of investment acquisition businesses starting in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

He then expanded those experiences to include growing business finance structuring, investment banking and private equity firms for many private clients. Among those include those who served in the White House, U.S. Senators and governors and top level global executives.

From this experience Canam Private Equity began in 2012. Since then, Aaron’s major focus has been on the expansion of Canam Private Equity (along with other interests) and he has helped grow the firm into the far reaching international firm it is today.

Jeff Sokol

Resident Expert - Oil & Gas, Finance, Sustainable Agriculture

Jeff Sokol is an entrepreneur and author with an extensive background in oil and gas, finance/investments, and sustainable agriculture. He grew up in New Orleans and Lafayette, Louisiana, and majored in Marketing at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. He worked for a corresponding equities division of Paine Webber in the World Trade Center by age 20, and at 23 earned his CSA designation for Certified Senior Advisor, at the top of his class. Jeff also holds online certifications in oil and gas, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions.

Sokol is a third generation operations expert in the oil and gas down hole services industry, providing the tools and the expertise to remediate problem wells, and get them back into production. He is also a skilled marketer, using his abilities to promote positive solutions to global issues. Jeff is the founder of Divine Mercy Ministries and “EarthCraft,” which focus on permaculture solutions to localized sustainability issues for single families or entire communities. Through his experience and agricultural knowledge, he has also designed a way to reverse desertification in the West and bring increased long term yield and profitability to the agricultural community through the employment of modern advances is machinery as well as old world common sense.

Jeff’s first book was on Water to Fuel technology and the science of electrolysis called “You Can Turn Water into Fire,” back in 2010. The book sold $40,000 in its first week in digital copies to a very niche audience. In 2012, he authored “Get in the Game,” which discussed entrepreneurship at the home based level, and the importance of creating your own income from home, as well as the mindset needed for entrepreneurship. Finally in 2018, Jeff wrote “Smart Wealth Secrets: They Don’t Want You to Know,” which exposes (again) the truth behind how our banking systems work, and how to hedge against losses in personal retirement accounts. Now with crypto, the world of financed has opened up quite amazingly and provides further content for introducing to a broader market through his books on high-yield retirement funds, able to provide income with less than 25% of the portfolio capital it once required in retirement. He has also written articles for the website, Catholic365.com

Among his passions for God, excellence, freedom, and masculinity, the highest on Jeff’s earthly list is his family. He is the father of four young children, and husband to his wife, Victoria, since 2009. He loves living rurally in the Mountain West, but also loves the Caribbean and has made both a home for his family in the past, and looks forward to doing so again in the future.

Michael Volts

Resident Expert - Entrepreneurship, Investments

Michael Volts is a dedicated family man, entrepreneur, and investor with a diverse portfolio of interests in commercial real estate, natural medicine, advertising, Bitcoin mining, and capital raising. He is recognized as the founder of Signpatico Outdoor, now Vendo Media, one of Canada’s largest digital out-of-home advertising networks.

Michael’s entrepreneurial drive and passion for cutting-edge technology have led him to establish SOVRN21, a startup focused on blockchain and artificial intelligence operations in the vertically integrated data center space.

Michael’s success as an entrepreneur and investor is matched only by his dedication to family and community. He is a loving husband to his amazing wife and proud father to three world shaping children. In his free time, Michael enjoys immersing himself in nature, fishing, and spending quality time with his family.

A firm believer in the importance of individual sovereignty, Michael’s life goal is to awaken the general populace to the idea that they must become sovereign individuals. He firmly believes that critical thinking and self-sufficiency are essential for people to claim their birthright as their sovereign selves.

This belief led him to join the Financial Policy Council, where he is a valued member committed to promoting critical thinking and empowering people to become more self-reliant. With his remarkable entrepreneurial track record, Michael has cultivated a keen eye for identifying and nurturing promising startups. He enjoys connecting entrepreneurs with amazing ideas to support from capital partners, a role he finds both fulfilling and rewarding.

Overall, Michael’s diverse experiences, unwavering commitment to family and community, and passion for individual sovereignty make him a valuable member of the Financial Policy Council, as well as a respected leader in the business and investment community.