Better Leaders Through Education and Idea Exchange™

2015 Confirmed Speakers

   Scott  Davis  

• Chairman  of  UPS  (CEO  between  2008  and  2014)  • Past  Chairman,  Federal  Reserve  Bank  of  Atlanta  

       Mallory  Weggemen  

• Complications from a procedure in 2008 left the college freshman paralyzed from the waist down.  

• Since that time she has set 16 World Records.  • 2011  Best  Female  Athlete  with  a  Disability  ESPY  Award.  • Mallory’s quote, “Do not let circumstance define you.”  

Scott  Harrison  

• In  August  2004,  Harrison  quit  his  job  and  volunteered  as  a  photojournalist  for  the  Christian  charity  Mercy  Ships.    

• During  his  2  years  with  Mercy  Ships,  Harrison  was  exposed  to  the  harsh  conditions  of  the  impoverished  in  Liberia.    

• He  realized  that  80%  of  all  the  diseases  they  encountered  were  attributable  to  unsafe  water  and  poor  sanitation.  

• Harrison  founded  charity:  water  on  September  7,  2006,  on  the  night  of  his  31st  birthday.  Since  its  founding,  charity:  water  has  established  25  local  partnerships,  funded  approximately  13,641  projects  in  19  countries  and  provided  roughly  4.6  million  people  with  clean  water.  

 

Scott  Mahoney  • The  former  Polo  Ralph  Lauren  Executive  and  industry  veteran  

with  over  20  years  experience,  is  an  expert  at  brand  building  and  licensing  and  Scott  has  tended  to  Peter  Millar's  groundbreaking  growth  and  breadth  as  a  go-­‐to  fashion  commodity  during  a  maelstrom  of  economic  climates.    

• As  Chairman  and  CEO,  Scott  is  guiding  Peter  Millar's  path  to  markets  overseas.      

   Rob  Samuels  

• Starting  from  the  time  he  was  nine  years  old,  Rob  worked  at  virtually  every  position  in  the  distillery.  

• Rob  is  a  fellow  YPOer  and  serves  as  Chief  Operating  Officer  of  Maker’s  Mark.  

• Rob  has  one  main  focus:    growing  the  distillery  to  match  the  world’s  demand  for  his  family’s  bourbon.      

 

 Sissy  Goff,  M.Ed.,  LPC-­‐MHSP  

• Daystar,  Director  of  Child  &  Adolescent  Counseling  • Sissy  spends  her  time  in  individual  counseling,  leading  our  girls'  groups,  

and  teaching  parenting  classes.  She  is  also  the  Director  of  Summer  Programs.  • Sissy  delivers  the  highly  requested  course,  Taming  The  Technology  

Monster.          

   David  Thomas,  L.M.S.W.  

• Daystar,  Director  of  Family  Counseling  • David  works  with  boys  on  an  individual  basis,  meets  with  parents  for  

consultations  and  teaches  parenting  classes  in  the  Nashville  community  and  beyond.      

                         Shaunti  Feldhahn  

• Social  researcher,  best  selling  author  and  popular  speaker  –  but  a  wife  and  mom  first.    

• After  receiving  a  graduate  degree  from  Harvard,  and  working  on  Capitol  Hill  and  Wall  Street,  Shaunti  now  uses  her  analytical  skill  to  investigate  the  most  important  surprises  about  the  most  important  people  in  our  lives.      

 • Her  findings  are  regularly  featured  in  media  as  diverse  as  The  Today  Show  and  Focus  on  the  

Family,  The  New  York  Times,  MomLife  Today,  Cosmopolitan  magazine  and  Family  Life  radio.    

 

 Pat  Wahoske  

• SVP  Faculty  and  Dean  of  Curriculum,  Speakeasy  • As  a  speaking  instructor,  Pat  brings  a  sensitivity  to  Speakeasy  

that  she  developed  as  a  clinician.  It  gives  her  insight  into  how  a  person  can  best  change  a  behavior.    

• Pat  teaches  "Talk  So  People  Listen"  and  delivers  private  coaching  to  Speakeasy's  clients.  She  has  a  B.S.  and  Master’s  degrees  in  Speech-­‐Language  Pathology,  both  from  the  University  of  Minnesota.  

• Pat  will  deliver  speaker  training  for  a  few  small  breakout  groups  at  Sea  Island,  pay-­‐per-­‐user.    Limited  spaces  available.      

   

 Ramona  Barber  

• Back  to  YPO  by  popular  demand,  Ramona  Barber  is  providing  insightful  counsel  to  teenagers  and  parents  to  address  the  complex  decision  process  of  choosing  a  college  and  major.  

• Known  as  the  "Teen  Whisperer,”  Barber  has  an  uncanny  ability  to  get  inside  the  teen  mind  —  to  go  beyond  the  surface  of  their  monetary  dreams,  to  cast  off  what  others  expect,  to  burrow  under  even  their  own  faulty  self-­‐perceptions  —  and  come  out  the  other  side  with  a  life  plan  that  suits  them.  

• Ramona  will  provide  3  hour  counseling  sessions  for  teenagers  and  parents,  pay-­‐per-­‐user.    Limited  spaces  available.  

   

 Michael  Ammar    

• At  the  turn  of  the  millennium,  Magic  Magazine  listed  Michael  as  one  of  “The  Most  Influential  Magicians  of  the  Twentieth  Century.”    

• Competing  against  magicians  from  22  countries,  Michael  became  only  the  second  American  in  the  45-­‐year  history  of  the  event  to  win  the  Gold  Medal  for  Close-­‐Up  Magic  at  the  15th  World  Congress  of  Magic  (FISM)  in  Lausanne,  Switzerland.  

• Michael  is  recognized  as  the  world’s  foremost  teacher  of  magic.  David  Copperfield  calls  him  “the  magicians  magician”,  and  he  was  selected  by  Toys-­‐R-­‐Us  as  the  instructor  on  “The  Magic  Video.”  Michael  will  be  performing  among  the  Sea  Island  activities.  

     

 

Merril  Hoge    • ESPN  Analyst,  “The  NFL  Insider”  • Played  for  the  Pittsburgh  Steelers  from  1987-­‐1993    • Diagnosed  with  non-­‐Hodgkin’s  lymphoma,  Merril  took  

on  chemotherapy  with  the  same  tenacity  that  got  him  to  the  NFL  and  beat  it.  Through  the  difficult  moments,  Merril  found  inspiration  through  his  daughter  Kori,  then  nine,  who  upon  hearing  the  news,  whispered,  “Dad,  find  a  way.”        

 Kevin  McLaughlin    

• Commander  McLaughlin  is  one  of  the  US  Navy’s  most  decorated,  active  combat  pilots,  and  is  distinguished  as  one  of  the  few  who  have  served  as  Commanding  Officer  at  TOPGUN.  

• Masters  in  Organizational  Management  from  George  Washington  University.  

• He  has  over  3,500  hours  and  850  carrier  landings  aboard  eight  different  carriers.    

• He  is  serving  his  third  elected  tour  as  a  member  of  the  Tailhook  Association’s  Board  of  Directors  and  previously  served  on  the  Board  of  the  US  Naval  Institute.        

   Alison  Levine  

• An  adventurer,  explorer  and  mountaineer.  In  May  2010  she  completed  the  Adventure  Grand  Slam  –  climbing  the  7  Summits  (highest  peak  on  each  continent)  and  skiing  to  both  Poles,  an  accomplishment  fewer  than  30  people  in  the  world  can  claim.    

• Levine  spent  three  years  as  an  adjunct  professor  at  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  in  the  Department  of  Behavioral  Sciences  &  Leadership.  

• Her  professional  career  has  encompassed  healthcare,  technology  and  finance.  After  earning  her  MBA  from  Duke  University  she  moved  to  New  York  to  work  for  investment  banking  firm  Goldman  Sachs.  In  2003,  she  left  Wall  Street  to  serve  as  deputy  finance  director  for  Arnold  Schwarzenegger  in  his  successful  bid  to  become  Governor  of  California.  

• Levine  focuses  on  the  topics  of  creating  cohesive  teams,  taking  responsible  risks  and  developing  no-­‐nonsense  leaders  that  can  succeed  in  times  of  uncertainty.      

 

 Mike  Dixon

• Partner,  Sequoia  Capital  • Sequoia  has  been  one  of  the  original  investors  in  

companies  such  as  Apple,  Cisco,  PayPal,  Google,  YouTube,  LinkedIn,  DropBox,  and  WhatsApp.                

     

 Rachel  Gilreath  

• Founder  &  CEO,  Solid  Society  (started  at  15  years  old),                               Celebrating  books  that  create  passion  in  young  people.  

• Inspired  by  the  Harry  Potter  series,  created  online  business,  ThePerksofBeingaWeasley  

• Best  Overall  Instagram  Account  2013,  Best  Harry  Potter  Account,  Best  Pictures,  and  among  the  Top  Etsy  Shops  

• Rachel  now  has  more  than  250,000  followers  on  Instagram          

     

   Ronny  Edry  

• Graphic  Designer,  Teacher,  Father  • Founder  of  The  Peace  Factory  • Israel  Loves  Iran  is  a  public  campaign  and  social  media  

movement  which  seeks  to  bring  together  Israelis  and  Iranians  and  promote  peace  between  their  two  countries.  

• Ronny  spoke  about  the  campaign  at  TEDxJaffa,  and  the  video  of  his  talk  has  been  viewed  more  than  1.2  million  times  on  TED.com.