Board of Directors
Ned Barker, Chair
Ned is a hotel industry veteran and principal of Grill Ventures Consulting, a consultancy specializing in Food & Beverage concepts for hotel and restaurant companies. Previously IHG’s Vice President for Franchise F&B, Ned’s programs remain active today in more than two thousand hotels. Ned served seven years on the board of Samaritan House of Atlanta, Inc. – now Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency (www.AtlCSS.org). He is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Nicole Rudd, Vice Chair
Nicole joined Fifth Third Bank as a Vice President and Investment Executive in Feb 2012. Prior to that she was a Vice President, Wealth Advisor with Merrill Lynch for 14 years. She specializes in working with individuals and businesses, helping them to craft appropriate financial planning strategies. Nicole holds a BS degree in Engineering from the State University of New York and Syracuse University, and an MBA from Villanova University where she focused on strategic planning and finance. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, she served in management at Georgia Pacific Corp. In 2009 & 2010, Nicole was recognized as a Five Star, Best Personal Wealth Manager in the Atlanta area by Atlanta magazine. Nicole participated in Women in Technology (WIT), a society of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), and served as a Director for the WIT Foundation. She was the 2005 Chair for Wings, a United Way Organization, focusing on young female professionals.
Jason Bidgood, Secretary
Jason Bidgood is a leading Client Solutions Executive for the Corporate Executive Board (NYSE: EXBD)- a best practices advisory firm. Jason develops relationships with and provides solutions-based guidance to Fortune 1000 C-level executives across industries in the areas of Sales, Marketing, Communications, Finance, and Strategy. Jason holds a BS degree in Economics and Marketing from the University of South Florida and an MBA from the University of Georgia with concentrations in Finance, Risk Management, and Consulting.
Derreck Kayongo, Co-Founder
An executive and development expert, Derreck Kayongo has more than 15 years experience developing strategic social campaigns within organizations for cause-related advocacy, public policy, issue management, and community organizing. His work has made a profound contribution in raising awareness aimed at realizing permanent solutions to global poverty.
Dr. Jon Colton
Jon Colton is a professor of mechanical engineering and the director of the Center for Polymer Processing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is both a teacher and researcher of manufacturing, and oversees the development of industrial and government sponsored research programs. Dr. Colton earned his undergraduate degrees and Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Christopher Corpuel
Christopher Corpuel serves as Vice President, Sustainability for Hilton Worldwide including its global portfolio consisting of 10 distinct brands spanning more than 3,800 hotels in 88 countries. He is responsible for strategy development and implementation, integrating sustainability into the company’s core businesses and brands worldwide. Christopher received his BS in Communications at the University of Miami-FL and his MBA from Indiana University.
Vicki K. Gordon
Vicki Gordon is the founder of the Collins Gordon Group, a public affairs firm that provides strategic counsel on business strategies for social change. Ms. Gordon has over 30 years of experience as a corporate executive including 19 years with the InterContinental Hotels Group, one of the world’s largest hotel companies, where she held leadership roles in consumer marketing, new product development, brand management and public affairs.
Quinn Hudson
Quinn Hudson is a 25-year corporate communications and public affairs veteran and owner of the Hudson Group Inc., a firm that provides executive level communications to businesses in the Atlanta area. Quinn serves on the boards of the Commerce Club of Atlanta and the Atlanta Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute.
Dr. Marie-José G. Labaye
Marie-Jo Labaye is the CEO and founder of Keystone Strategy Consulting Group, a management consulting firm advising leading global companies on issues of strategy, organization, technology, operations and mergers & acquisitions’ negotiation and implementation. Ms. Labaye has over 25 years experience as CFO and COO of several major Fortune 100 companies. She has developed strategies and operations globally including in several emerging countries.
Alvin Miles
Alvin C. Miles is a native of Lake Charles, La, and recently retired from AT&T with over 30 years of business experience. He currently is the Director of the Executive MBA Program and Instructor of Management in the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. Alvin received a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management with honors from Morris Brown College, a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University and he received his Masters Degree in Business Administration with honors in 2005 from the Michael J. Coles School of Business. He recently earned his Managerial Coaching Certification and he will complete his Doctoral education in 2012.
Beth Penland
Beth Penland is a presentation consultant for m62 Visual Communications, a UK-based consultancy specializing in highly effective sales and corporate presentations. Beth’s experience includes leadership of the global product marketing team at BCD Travel, the world’s third large corporate travel management firm. Her work in the travel, hospitality and health care industries have led to extensive work with non-profit organizations, as well as developing social responsibility initiatives for global corporations including the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and The Coca-Cola Corporation. Beth received her BA in Communications from the University of Tennessee.
Garth Peterson
Garth is a revenue management expert in the hospitality industry. Holding the designation of Certified Revenue Management Executive, Garth has spent the past eight years working in the field of forecasting, pricing, and optimization. In his current role with IDeaS Revenue Solutions, the premier provider of revenue management software, services and consulting, Garth is a highly recognized resource for hoteliers seeking to expand their knowledge and practices in revenue management. Garth is the Immediate Past President of the Minnesota chapter of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, which was recognized with three “Best of the Best” awards for 2010 at the Annual HSMAI Leadership Conference.
Stephen Robin
Stephen Robin is based in Northern Virginia. He is an attorney with over 30 years representing major land developers in zoning and related legal matters. Steve has been County Attorney and currently serves as General Counsel to the Industrial Development Authority for Loudoun County, VA. Prior to moving from Washington D.C. to Virginia, he served as a congressional aide, an officer of an international trade association, and as an advisor/speechwriter to the Embassy of Japan. Steve is a graduate of Princeton University and the Harvard Law School.
Robert Quick, MD, MPH
Robert Quick, MD, MPH is a medical epidemiologist in the Waterborne Diseases Prevention Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In his 22 years at the CDC, Dr. Quick has conducted research on the etiology, control, and prevention of enteric diseases in the developing world. Recently, his work has focused on water treatment technologies, handwashing, and other public health interventions with maternal and child health services, school programs, and HIV care and support services, collaborating with numerous partners from the public and private sectors, Rotary Club, NGOs, UN agencies, and academic institutions.
Dale Herzog
Dale Herzog has over 35 years of experience with United Parcel Service. The majority of his time has been spent in the industrial engineering, product distribution and logistics fields with his last four years specializing in humanitarian logistics and capacity building. Areas of concentration include warehouse layout & design, operational improvement analysis, information flow analysis, supply chain logistics and warehouse management system analysis. He is currently working in a capacity building role, working through the UPS Foundation, to bring UPS expertise into NGO operations. Dale’s NGO experience has come mainly through working with CARE USA where he serves as a full-time adviser to the Vice President of Logistics for the CARE SCU (Supply Chain Unit).