Sloan Kennedy
Sloan is a solutions-focused, officer-level media executive with over 20 years experience in sales, marketing, product, operations, and client relations. Throughout her career she has been instrumental in evolving businesses to meet shifting marketplace opportunities. This includes launching groundbreaking new video products and platforms at HBO and Warner Media, such as streaming services HBO Max, HBO Now and HBO Go. She was one of the first team members to get start-up TechTV off the ground, and served as an integral part of the launch team for the Elizabeth division at Liz Claiborne. Known as a "business multiplier”, Sloan gives credit to the power of effective collaboration based in trust and accountability.
Service leadership is in her soul as it remains the foundation of her commitment to purpose-driven companies and organizations. She is drawn to support leadership opportunities for women and girls which aligns in her dedication as Board Chair of Girl Talk, in addition to currently serving as a national board director of Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT). Sloan is inspired by all forms of art as the universal language throughout time, and has served as trustee on the board the Atlanta Ballet.
Building and participating in a community of respect, empathy and understanding serves as Sloan’s inspiration for our generation’s collective legacy. She makes the journey fun, and welcomes all to join the ride!
Sloan Kennedy
BOARD CHAIR
Lauren Kirkley
Lauren Kirkley is the Group President of Vericast’s Print, Payment & Engagement Solutions business which delivers over $2B in annual revenue. Lauren and her team define the strategic growth of our Check, Engagement Solutions, Coupons, Dynamic Postcards, Local Content and Print Marketing products. She leads Product Management & Strategy, Software Engineering, Client Management, Media Solutions Planning & Targeting, and other key support functions which come together to deliver actionable insights and expertise to more than 70,000 businesses.
Prior to her current role, Lauren was the EVP and Chief Operating officer responsible for all of Vericast’s key execution and support processes, including Contact Center Services, manufacturing and IT.
With more than 20 years of experience, Lauren brings extensive expertise in operational performance management, human resources leadership and business transformation. Prior to Vericast, she served as Chief Business Performance Officer for Engie Insight (previously Ecova), where she directed operational performance assessments, drove company-wide transformation programs and led key employee engagement efforts, including human resources, change management and corporate responsibility. She also previously served as the Vice President of Internal Audit for Ecova where she was responsible for developing and executing the company’s internal audit plans. Prior to joining Ecova, Lauren spent 10 years with Harland Clarke Holdings, holding several leadership positions including Vice President of Internal Audit. Her experience also includes two years of business process and risk consulting at Andersen LLP.
Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree in financial management from Clemson University.
Lauren Kirkley
BOARD VICE CHAIR
Vericast
Melissa Runge
Melissa Runge is the Vice President of Analytical Solutions at Transportation Insight bringing transparency and understanding to clients’ supply chain spend across primary logistics disciplines including transportation, fulfillment and distribution.
Previously, Melissa held positions at such Fortune 500 companies as UPS, Georgia Pacific, Kimberly Clark and AGCO which has given her a unique 360 degree understanding of client contract management and transportation needs. Melissa is often asked to speak at the largest Supply Chain events across the country. She is a frequent contributor to publications such as Inbound Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive, as well as being CSCMP mentor and Track Chair. In 2017, Runge was honored as a top 100 “Pro to Know,” in the Provider category, by Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
Runge holds a BA from University of Kentucky and an MBA from Oglethorpe University.
Melissa Runge
SECRETARY
E2 Open
Eric Butts
Eric Butts is a finance consulting director at PwC specializing in helping clients drive transformational change through people, process, and performance. He currently focuses on serving clients in the Consumer Markets and Technology space.
He holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in Finance, Strategy, and Decision Sciences. Additionally, he received his BA in Accounting/Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College and is a licensed CPA in Illinois, California, and Georgia.
Eric also runs his own website, ericpbutts.com, which he's dubbed as THE career site for accountants and consultants, providing actionable tips to apply immediately in their day-to-day lives. It's the site he wishes was available to him when he was starting his career.
Eric Butts
TREASURER
PwC
Katherine Alexander
Katherine joined BCG in February 2022 as an IT Consultant in the Chicago office focusing on technology strategy and digital transformation. Prior to BCG, her background includes consulting experience in benefits and cloud-based software implementation for complex large enterprise companies. She has experience within Retail, Professional Services, and Healthcare clients. Katherine specializes in bringing an optimistic attitude to the team, establishing credibility with clients and being real in tough conversations. She is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get work done! Katherine holds a BS in Marketing with a sales emphasis and a double minor in Communications and Human Resource Management from Clemson University.
In her free time, Katherine loves to travel and explore the outdoors. Her hobbies include volunteering, playing tennis, and walking her dog! She has always been passionate about mentoring and developing the youth. During college, Katherine was a team leader for a youth ministry called YoungLife, where she planned gatherings and mentored High School girls. Katherine continues to support the Atlanta YoungLife team by fundraising and assisting with events. Prior to moving to Chicago, she was a member of Junior League of Atlanta and volunteered at Grady Hospital’s Rape Crisis Center for over 2 years.
Katherine is excited to contribute her passion for supporting and educating young women through GirlTalk!
Katherine Alexander
ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE
BCG
Caroline Brown
Vice President, Content Operations and Origination, Warner Media
Caroline Brown joined Warner Media in 2017 where she serves as Vice President of Content Operations and Origination; managing the playout and distribution of Turner’s linear and digital content. Prior to Turner, Brown spent 12 years at Comcast in various roles; ultimately serving as VP, Content Management. While at Comcast she spearheaded the development of initiatives that led to the proliferation and sustainability of digital media including first launches of HD VOD, EST and dynamic ad insertion. She has been a long-time advocate of industry initiatives and received the Chapter Innovator Award from CTAM in 2003. She served as the Chairman of CTAM’s Quality Committee from 2005-2007 and received a national CTAM Rainmaker Award as part of her efforts in securing industry standardization around metadata. Her 20+ year career in telecommunications also includes roles at Showtime, iNDemand, and Vubiquity.
Ms. Brown holds a B.A. from Auburn University and an MBA from Georgia State University. She lives in Atlanta with her husband Kirk and son Quinlan. When she isn’t delving into content, she can be found sharing her amateur photography skills for many organizations.
Caroline Brown
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR
Rebecca Cenni-Leventhal
CEO, Atrium
Rebecca Cenni-Leventhal is Founder and CEO of Atrium, a WBENC-certified leader in Talent Solutions and Extended Workforce Management. For more than 25 years, her firm has offered specialized talent services and custom workforce solutions that have provided the world’s largest brands access to top contingent talent and helped organizations optimize their extended workforce programs to maximize results. Her story is, and always has been, inspired by her passion for people. This passion continues to grow not only through nurturing talent within her own organization, but also through mentorship work with Girl Talk Inc. Rebecca has been honored multiple times on the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) Global Power 150 list, and the firm has consistently been featured as one of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies in North America by the Women’s President’s Organization. Atrium is recognized as a champion of supplier diversity, topping the lists of Inc. 5000 and DiversityBusiness.com as a leader of Women, Diversity and Privately Held organizations. Rebecca’s devotion to people is demonstrated by Atrium’s most recent recognition from SIA as one of the 2023 Best Staffing Firms to Work For, as well as being listed by Crain’s New York Business as one of 2022’s Best Places to Work.
Rebecca Cenni-Leventhal
ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE
Atrium
Alicia Crewey
Alicia Crewey is a Client File Lead at Alight Solutions serving as a subject matter expert for data files and managing the technology development efforts for clients.
Alicia has prior experience as a high school mathematics teacher, volunteer trainer, college advisor and mentor, and director of a nonprofit. She thrives off using her skills to help others become stronger in their own roles and giving back to the community.
Alicia is an active events coordinator for the Alight Women's Professional Network and serves with several volunteering organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Georgia Gwinnett College and a Master of Business in Actuarial Science from Georgia State University. Alicia completed the Gwinnett Young Professionals Journey Leadership Institute in 2022.
Alicia Crewey
Alight Solutions
Sherola Davis
Sherola is a Senior Manager Consultant in Ernst & Young’s Business Consulting practice based in the Greater Washington DC area. Sherola has 15 years of experience in internal audit, internal controls, financial reporting and project management. She has worked across a number of clients in the commercial market in sectors including technology, automotive, health, media and entertainment, diversified industrial products, power and utilities, and aerospace and defense. She currently supports clients in the Federal and Government Public sector. Sherola’s primary responsibilities have been managing large internal audit outsourcing and Sarbanes-Oxley co-sourcing engagements for US-based companies with global operations. She has extensive experience in performing control assessments; assisting clients control design and implementation, conducting risk assessments and leading the execution of operational and compliance type internal audits. Sherola is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Sherola enjoys mentoring, coaching, giving back. She is involved in a number of internal initiatives at her firm that supports the advancement of minorities and providing equitable experiences. She volunteers regularly at Food & Friends. Her hobbies include traveling, hiking and cooking.
Sherola Davis
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Ernst & Young LLP
Daphne Dickerson
Daphne Hoytt Dickerson's professional career in integrated communications has spanned nearly 20 years, largely in New York City at global firms such as Edelman, Porter Novelli and MSL. During her twelve-year tenure at MSL, Daphne rose in the ranks to assume various leadership roles including U.S. Consumer Practice Lead where she oversaw and developed large-scale consumer campaigns for CPG companies such as P&G and Abbott Nutrition. She also was appointed as the first U.S. Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer while concurrently serving as the MSL Atlanta Office Lead. Daphne is a graduate of Spelman College and Columbia University School of Public Health. She is a member of The Girl Friends, Inc. Atlanta Chapter, Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Atlanta Chapter, The Links, Inc. Dogwood City Chapter and recently joined the board of Girl Talk.
Daphne Dickerson
ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE
UPS
John Duffey
John Duffey is currently Vice President for U.S. Specialty at AbbVie. He leads a combined organization of more than 1,400 employees and contractors across multiple therapeutic areas including Virology, Hepatology, Endo-Metabolics, Specialty products and Women’s Health. In his previous role, John served as Vice President, U.S. Hepatology and Virology. With over 30 years of experience leading complex businesses across the pharmaceutical value chain, he is highly-respected for his proven ability to unite diverse businesses in pursuit of a singular common vision through transformation and elevation of organizational culture.
John Duffey
AbbVie
Katie Hull
Katie Hull is the Director of eCommerce Strategy at UPS, where she works with partners and cross-functional teams to create industry-leading shipping experiences for small and medium eCommerce businesses. Before this role, Katie led the global expansion of UPS’s international product portfolio, and served in a Chief of Staff role supporting the CMO. She also led the creation of Insights Delivered, an internal platform aimed at connecting and elevating the global marketing organization through insight sharing around consumer needs, shifting market dynamics, and more.
Before UPS, Katie worked at two marketing technology startups in the U.S. and in China, supporting the growth of SMBs. She has a Bachelor’s degree from New York University, and a MBA from Emory University.
Katie is passionate about supporting the development and advancement of women and girls, and is thrilled to join the board of Girl Talk to further its mission of inspiring all girls to be confident leaders.
Katie Hull
ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE
UPS
Renee Newman
Renee Newman is formerly the Chief Strategy Officer for First Interstate BancSystem, Inc. a regional financial and bank holding company headquartered in Billings, Montana with offices across Idaho, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. In this role Renee was responsible for the strategic alignment across First Interstate’s business lines to ensure the bank is well positioned to meet the rapidly changing needs of its clients, assessing the competitive financial services environment, implementing and executing strategic business initiatives, and measuring and reporting on performance and progress. Newman lead the digital and product teams, data and analytics, prioritization, project manamanget, marketing, communications, and the client contact center.
Renee has nearly 30 years of financial services and not for profit experience. Newman is a graduate of Oregon State University and the Pacific Coast Banking School, an active community participant and volunteer, and passionate about financial literacy for women and girls. Prior to joining First Interstate Bank in 2017, Renee served in a number of leadership roles in small, regional, and national financial institutions. She is currently Vice Chair of Special Olympics Montana, where she serves as the Development Committee Chair. Renee served as Board Chair of the Vancouver (Washington) Symphony Orchestra, was a board member of Classroom Law Project (Portland, OR), a non-profit organization focused on democracy education for K-12th grades, and served on several United Way fundraising campaigns.
Renee Newman
ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR
First United Bank
Rita Parker
With over 25 years of leadership experience in operations, sales, marketing and customer experience, Rita is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Access Corporation where she is responsible for the development and execution of alliances that provide incremental strategic growth. Prior to this role, Rita ran one of the largest P&L’s for Access as the head of Operations for the Georgia Territory. Rita developed and executed a strategic roadmap that led to enhanced operational efficiencies, improved client satisfaction and revenue growth.
Rita has in-depth leadership experience as a transformational executive who has held key positions with several leading Fortune 500 companies including Iron Mountain, Harland Clarke, and Verizon. She is a known for her integrity, ability to deliver results, and inspirational leadership.
Rita is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated where she had held various roles in leadership and served as Vice President responsible for all programmatic development and execution. She is also a member of the National Black MBA Association and a former Board Member of the Hedera Foundation where she served as Vice President and Treasurer.
Rita holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science from Mercer University and resides in the Atlanta area with her husband (Dewitt) and has two children Miles and Erin.
Rita Parker
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Access Corporation
Jana Schmidt
Jana has a background that includes extensive experience in payments, consumer data, and consumer experience. Additionally, she has experience in sales and marketing that equips her to lead the fast-growing Quisitive Payments Solutions group. She is responsible for strategic payments initiatives, including full commercialization of a first of its kind cloud-based payments processing and Payments IntelligenceTM platform, PayiQ, along with the ongoing management of BankCard USA.
Prior to Quisitive, Jana served as the CEO of Harland Clarke. She was responsible for the strategy and advancement of the large financial services company, while delivering strong outcomes in marketing technology services including deposit and loan acquisition products, as well as customer onboarding and activation services. Prior to this role, Jana served as CEO of Ecova (now known as ENGIE Insight) where she created a clear vision and strategy to lead the global energy and sustainability management company. Her leadership at the technology-enabled services firm delivered strong financial and operational results and drove value from analytics-based solutions to large commercial and industrial companies with over 700,000 global locations.
Jana holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Psychology from Colorado State University and completed Advanced Programs of Disruptive Innovation and Fintech Revolution at Harvard Business School and The Wharton Business School, respectively. Additionally, Jana is an active board member for 2 PE-owned organizations, WebBank and Resource Innovations.
Jana Schmidt
Quisitive Technology Solutions, Inc.
Jeannie Smith
Vice President with LocumTenens.com
Jeannie Smith is a graduate from the University of Georgia- Terry College of Business with a B.A. Degree in Business Management. She currently serves as Associate Vice President with LocumTenens.com, a Jackson Healthcare Company, located in Alpharetta, GA, with whom she’s been since 2006. She began as a physician recruiter in the radiology division before transitioning to sales within the government division, where she managed contacts for entities such as Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and Indian Health Services throughout the United States. In 2011 she supported the launch of the permanent placement division and in 2013 was promoted to a manager in the psychiatry division, one of the longest-running specialties at LocumTenens.com, and where she still manages to this day in her position as Associate Vice President.
In her current role, Jeannie leads a team of recruiters who staff psychiatrists (MD/DOs) and psychologists in Community Mental Health Organizations, as well as large- and small-scale hospital systems located throughout the U.S. She is dedicated to training and development and spearheads projects within the organization that hone in on developing the teams so they can successfully expand their brand and market presence. She also has a passion for innovation. She has led several projects that focus on enhancing the customer experience while identifying creative solutions to increase workflow efficiencies. Additional responsibilities include managing workflow processes for her division’s national hospital systems and serving as a communication liaison for the production and operations teams.
In addition to her work, Jeannie has also been passionate about empowering women and children, as well as giving back to her community. Throughout her college years, she served in local community programs for children in the Athens area. She has participated as a volunteer through HandsOnAtlanta and had the opportunity through LocumTenens.com to take part in several community service projects such as Ronald McDonald House, City of Refuge, North Fulton Charities, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Foster Care Support Foundation. In 2014, Jeannie served alongside several talented physicians as part of Predisan, a medical mission in Honduras. Her organization recruits a surgical brigade to assist local patients needing medical care. Prior to that, she completed a mission trip with FCA to the Dominican Republic where she spent time with children in the local villages and orphanages.
Jeannie most recently graduated from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Inspire program, which focuses on the fundamentals of fundraising for low income women and girls in the Atlanta area. She is proud to have recently been voted to join the board of Girl Talk, a philanthropic organization centered around peer-to-peer mentorship, leadership, growth and development for young girls!
Jeannie Smith
LocumTenens.com
Aishini Thiyagarajan
Aishini Thiyagarajan is currently a Product Manager in Immunology at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Johnson and Johnson (J&J). She is a part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Leadership Development Program (JPLDP), a comprehensive rotational program designed to create future marketing and commercial leaders through a variety of experiences and learning opportunities across Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In her current role, Aishini serves as the Janssen Business Lead for the Gastroenterology Field Reimbursement Access Specialist (FRAS) Team. She is responsible for creating and driving the strategic business priorities for her team and developing training and resources for all the FRAS teams in Immunology. Outside of her role, Aishini sits on the Immunology Culture Team which helps to shape the overall culture within Immunology. She is also a Peer Mentor for the incoming class of JPLDP interns and is involved with the External Vendor Committee, one of many committees that helps to plan for the Leadership Development Summit hosted by J&J every summer. Aishini loves being a part of the UNC Core Recruiting team for the JPLDP program and is passionate about bringing diverse talent to the company. Additionally, she is a member of the Women’s Leadership & Inclusion (WLI) ERG and South Asian Professional Network Association (SAPNA) ERG.
Prior to Janssen, Aishini worked at Deloitte & Touché LLP for over four years in the Life Sciences and Healthcare Practice where she served a multitude of Provider, Health Plan and Life Sciences clients. At Deloitte, Aishini provided Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act (MACRA) Strategy Support for large health plans, served as a program monitoring contractor for a large government agency, and conducted clinical performance and payment model alignment support for large health systems. Prior to Deloitte, Aishini had multiple internships within healthcare including: The Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Booz Allen and Hamilton, and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Aishini holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Policy Analysis and Management and Human Development from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Aishini is a native of the Washington D.C. DMV area, but has lived in various cities along the East Coast.
Aishini Thiyagarajan
ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE
Johnson and Johnson (J&J)
Anna Collins
Cenina Saxton
Cenina is a seasoned talent management strategist and change agent with a history of leading organizations through various change initiatives of varying size and scope. She understands the nuances of talent cultivation and the intricate role of talent management within the broader organizational development framework. With a value-added mindset and always with an eye to the future, Cenina continually positions her department as a true growth driver, value creator, and business partner to all other departments.
Cenina is a time-tested visionary who effectively bridges the gap between people, business, and technology. After every top-to-bottom assessment of an organization and its needs, she designs integrated, actionable talent management roadmaps that shape a high-performing culture, develop an internal pipeline of future leaders, create a clear pathway up the corporate ladder, and inspire employees to meet or exceed their professional and career potential.
Early in her career, Cenina held the role of Talent Development - Contact Center Manager with The Coca-Cola Company, where she spearheaded a suite of mission- critical change initiatives to modernize day-to-day operations, optimize talent selection and development processes, and nurture future leaders through an innovative combination of mentorship programs, development policies, and rotational job assignments.
In 2011, she joined Emory Healthcare as Succession Planning Manager, where she effectively analyzed and predicted talent gaps across all lines of business; Cenina leveraged a combination of talent management strategies, organizational effectiveness plans, and succession planning initiatives to position the right people in the right roles, enabling Emory to scale efficiently.
Between 2019 and 2022, Cenina assumed a number of progressively senior roles within the talent management space, culminating in the Director of Talent and Culture position with Focus Brands. For that role, she established a world class talent management and culture framework, developing integrated strategies to foster a top-down culture of inclusivity and diversity, establish a scalable and high-performing talent pipeline, shape the next generation of business leaders, and incentivize and reward professional accomplishments.
Cenina strikes a careful balance between the needs of both employees and her organization; on the one hand, positioning employees optimally to generate maximum value for the organization and its clients, and on the other hand, positioning companies optimally to deliver against their growth objectives and strategic priorities. All while employing a data-backed, KPI-driven, and insight-based approach to drive continuous improvement opportunities across teams, departments, and global branches.
In her spare time, she takes in long walks in the park along with an occasional run. She is a self-proclaimed foodie who enjoys road trips, weekend getaways and exploring unique travel destinations with friends and family. She also finds time to volunteer in the local community with particular interest in organizations that focus on providing the youth with opportunities to develop critical leadership skills and exposure to diverse worldviews.