Past Speakers
Brad Raffensperger
Georgia Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger is Georgia’s 29th Secretary of State, first elected in 2018 and overwhelmingly re-elected in 2022.
Secretary Raffensperger is a lifelong conservative Republican. Brad is committed to our state, raising his family and building his company here in Georgia. As a licensed Professional Engineer and Structural Engineer and licensed General Contractor in Georgia and other states, Raffensperger successfully founded Tendon Systems, a provider of high-strength steel for construction projects. Under Raffensperger’s ownership Tendon Systems grew to become the Southeast’s largest post-tensioning specialist contractor with approximately 150 employees and projects in over 40 states. Brad also founded Trillium Structures, a structural design consulting firm with commercial mid-rise and high-rise projects throughout the Southeast.
Raffensperger was elected to the City Council in Johns Creek, Georgia. Three years later he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives where he then served for two-terms, and in 2018 Georgia voters elected him Secretary of State.
The Secretary’s top priority is secure and accessible elections.
As Secretary of State, Raffensperger delivered the largest implementation of voting machines in the history of this country, on time and on budget. Under Raffensperger’s leadership, Georgia modernized its election system by adding its first auditable paper ballot system and giving the power to secure Georgia’s elections directly to the voter. He is the first Secretary of State to pass legislation requiring photo ID for all forms of voting, and first to hold counties accountable to voters by expanding polling places. He is also the first Secretary of State to audit Georgia's voter rolls to ensure only Americans vote in our elections.
Brad and his wife Tricia started out as high school sweethearts and have now been married for over forty-five years. They raised three sons and immensely enjoy spoiling their three grandchildren. They are members of North Point Community Church. Brad was awarded his Bachelor of Engineering Science in Civil Engineering from Western University and his Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University. Those strong foundations in analysis and mathematics have served Brad well in business and in elected office.
Dr. Tim Elmore is founder and CEO of Growing Leaders (www.growingleaders.com), an Atlanta‐based non‐profit organization created to develop emerging leaders. His work grew out of 20 years serving alongside Dr. John C. Maxwell. Elmore has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, USA Today, Psychology Today and he’s been featured on CNN’s Headline News and Fox and Friends to talk about leading multiple generations in the marketplace. He has written over 35 books, including Habitudes: Images That Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes, Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership, and his latest A New Kind of Diversity: Making the Different Generations on Your Team a Competitive Advantage.
Dr. Tim Elmore is founder and CEO of Growing Leaders (www.growingleaders.com), an Atlanta‐based non‐profit organization created to develop emerging leaders. Since founding Growing Leaders in 2003, Elmore has spoken to over 500,000 leaders in businesses, universities, athletic teams and non-profit organizations, including The Home Depot, Coca Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, American Eagle and Chick Fil A as well as the San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ohio State University, Stanford University and the University of Alabama athletics.
His work grew out of twenty years serving alongside Dr. John C. Maxwell where he focused on leadership for the emerging generations. Elmore has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, USA Today, Psychology Today and he’s been featured on CNN’s Headline News and Fox and Friends to talk about leading multiple generations in the marketplace.
Tim was listed in the top 100 leadership speakers in America by Inc. magazine. He has written more than 35 books, including the best-selling Habitudes: Images That Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes and his latest book, A New Kind of Diversity: Making the Different Generations on Your Team a Competitive Advantage. Tim and his wife, Pam, have two adult children, Bethany and Jonathan. He and Pam live outside of Atlanta. You can also find his work at: TimElmore.com.
Dr. Tim Elmore
Founder and CEO of Growing Leaders
Andrew Wexler
Herschend
Andrew Wexler is president and chief executive officer of Herschend Enterprises, and was first elected to the board in 2015. He joined Herschend in September of 2007 as a corporate vice president. In 2008, he moved into the role of chief financial officer and was promoted to CEO in 2015.
John King
Georgia State Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner
Dale Russell
Retired Political Journalist/Reporter
Dale Russell, a Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist, dedicated nearly 40 years to exposing government waste and corruption at FOX 5 Atlanta. His career highlights include uncovering racial profiling by U.S. Customs, leading to nationwide policy changes, and impactful exposés on political figures like Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson and presidential candidate Herman Cain.
Kimberly Beaudin
Chief Executive Officer for the College Football Hall of Fame
Kimberly Beaudin, appointed CEO of the College Football Hall of Fame in March 2020, is the institution's first female leader. With over 20 years in brand development and marketing, she previously held roles with the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Arrow Exterminators. Beaudin holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Central Florida.
Meagan Hanson
Georgians for Lawsuit Reform
Meagan Hanson is an attorney and former Georgia State Representative who has been a prominent advocate for tort reform in the state. She served as the Executive Director of Georgians for Lawsuit Reform (GLR) for six years, during which the organization achieved significant milestones in advancing tort reform initiatives at the Georgia State Capitol. In her role, Hanson emphasized the impact of Georgia's civil justice system on small businesses and residents, highlighting that legal system abuses cost the average family $3,631 annually in increased goods and services. She has actively supported Governor Brian Kemp's tort reform efforts, encouraging the Georgia Legislature to enact necessary reforms to benefit taxpayers. Hanson's leadership in this area reflects her commitment to creating a fair and efficient legal environment in Georgia.
Geoff Duncan
Former Lieutenant Governor
Alfie Meek
Georgia Tech University economist
Alfie Meek, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Economic Development Research at the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²). He has more than 25 years of experience in economic/fiscal impact analysis and community-based research. Over the years Dr. Meek has served the State of Georgia in various roles including the technical advisory committee for the Georgia Rural Development Council and the Rural Research Consortium. During the pandemic, Dr. Meek served as a member of Governor Kemp’s Coronavirus Task Force Economic Advisory Committee and has recently been asked to serve on the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors.
Before joining EI², Alfie served for nine years as the Chief Economist and Director of Economic Development for the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. In that role, he was integral in the development and implementation of Partnership Gwinnett, a community-wide strategic plan that was named the best multi-year economic development program for large communities by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in 2010. Before his time in Gwinnett County, he spent three years as the Director of Applied Research at The University of Georgia’s Business Outreach Services and Small Business Development Center and served for five years on the faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology as an economist and project director for the Center for Economic Development Services. Preceding his tenure at Georgia Tech, Alfie was the Research Economist for SunTrust Banks, Inc.
Current areas of special focus include economic/fiscal impact analysis, forecasting and modeling, tax policy analysis, and target industry analysis. In addition to his research, Dr. Meek speaks widely on topics relating to economic impact and economic development. Dr. Meek is on the board of the Georgia Academy of Economic Development and has spoken to more than to 4,300 elected officials and local leaders from each of the 159 counties in Georgia on the importance of fiscal impact analysis in their economic development efforts.
Dr. Meek has also written for economic development-related publications, as well as other periodicals. His research on the size and economic impact of the sports industry in the United States was published in Sports Marketing Quarterly. This research has been written about and cited in numerous publications – USA Today, Georgia Trend, Financial Times London, Fortune Magazine, and Investor’s Business Daily among others.
Alfie is an active member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA); the National Association for Business Economics (NABE); and is past president of the Atlanta Economics Club. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from The University of Georgia; a Master of Science in Business Economics from Georgia State University; and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Russell McMurry
Georgia Department of Transportation
McMurry is no stranger to transportation. He began his career with the Department in 1990 as an engineering trainee working in construction. Since then, he has served in a variety of roles that include Construction Project Manager, Area Engineer and District Engineer in Gainesville, a position he held for five years. At the State level, he served as State Roadway Design Engineer and jointly as Assistant Division Director of Engineering.
Following his role as Division Director of Engineering, McMurry served as Chief Engineer. As Chief Engineer, he was responsible for the Divisions of Engineering, Construction, Operations, Intermodal, P3/Innovative and Program Delivery, as well as the Offices of Organizational Performance Management and Engineering Services. Thereafter, he was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal as the Department’s Planning Director for a brief period before being appointed as Commissioner.
Commissioner McMurry currently serves as board member for Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), State Depository Board, UGA College of Engineering Advisory Board, and the ATL Transit Authority Board of Directors. He also chairs the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Council on Highways and Streets, serves as president of the Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (SASHTO), and is the vice chair of the I-95 Corridor Coalition. Commissioner McMurry previously chaired DOWNLOAD PHOTO Biography AASHTO’s Standing Committee on Performance Management.
McMurry is a member of the College of Engineering & Information Technology (CEIT) Corporate Advisory Committee, the AASHTO-AGC-ARTBA Joint Committee, the Transportation Asset Management Expert Task Group, and the Pavement Implementation Executive Task Group (PIETG). In 2017, McMurry was named James’ 2017 Most Influential in James magazine. He was also named Georgian of the Year by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.
In March 2017, Georgia Southern presented McMurry with the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology Alumni Award. Governor Deal presented McMurry with the Bill Hardman Sr. Tourism Champion in Government Award during the 2017 Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference.
In 2016, 2017, and 2019, Commissioner McMurry was named Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians. Georgia Trend named Commissioner McMurry Georgian of the Year in January 2018.
In February 2018, Commissioner McMurry received the Inaugural Engineering Influence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia (ACEC Georgia) in recognition of his exceptional leadership in response to the I-85 bridge collapse and rebuild.
In February 2019, Commissioner McMurry was named one of Atlanta’s most powerful leaders in Atlanta Magazine’s “Atlanta 500.” Commissioner McMurry is focused on providing Georgia with transportation infrastructure that is in a state of good repair, investment that supports business, especially agribusiness and delivery of Georgia’s major mobility investment program, the largest program in Georgia’s history.
Source: https://gema.georgia.gov/commissioner-russell-mcmurry
Commissioner McMurry has been recognized nationally for his leadership during the I-85 Bridge rebuild. He was honored to be one of a few transportation leaders invited to Washington to meet with President Donald J. Trump, U.S. DOT Secretary Elaine Chao and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and have the Department recognized by the administration.
McMurry graduated cum laude from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering Technology and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Georgia.
A native of Hart County, McMurry and his wife, Michelle, have three children and reside in Buford, Georgia.
Lee Thomas
Deputy Commissioner | Georgia Film Office
Lee Thomas is the Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Film Office at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The Film Office markets the state to more than 4,850 motion picture industry businesses and production-related companies through location scouting and by coordinating the filming needs of companies with other state agencies, local governments, and residents. The Office actively works to develop the industry’s infrastructure and workforce, certifies projects under the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, and oversees the Camera Ready community program to engage municipalities throughout Georgia.
Former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal described Thomas as “one of the real-life heroes working behind the scenes to see that the world’s leading filmmakers choose Georgia.” In 2019, Lee earned the designation of “Georgian of the Year” from Georgia Trend for her role in guiding, strengthening, and enhancing Georgia's film industry. During her tenure in the position, Georgia has become the top filming location in the world, with a direct spend of $4.4 billion by the industry during fiscal year 2022 – a new record for the state. Georgia grew from having 45,000 square feet of stage space in 2010 to having more than 3 million square feet of purpose-built and retrofitted stage space in 2022. An additional 4+ million square feet of space is expected to come online in the next two years.
A native Atlantan, Lee attended the Tisch School of the Arts Doctoral Program in Cinema Studies at New York University and worked at the Brooklyn Arts Council before returning to Georgia in 1996 to work for the Georgia Film and Videotape Office as a project manager. She advanced to the position of Location Specialist in 1998 and became Director in 2010.
Thomas has worked with hundreds of Georgia-lensed films and TV, including “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Ozark,” “The Staircase,” “Hidden Figures,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “The Blind Side,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” among others.
Lee graduated from Marist School in Atlanta before earning her undergraduate degree in radio, TV, and film at the University of Georgia’s Grady College and a master’s degree in film studies from Georgia State University. Lee splits time between Atlanta and Lake Seed in Rabun County, and enjoys tennis when she’s not watching Georgia-lensed productions.
Lynne Segall
Emory Goizueta School of Business
Lynne Segall 99MBA is an associate professor at Emory University's Goizueta Business School. Segall joins Goizueta after spending 15 years with Accenture, where she served as Director of Talent and Organization Offering Development. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and an MBA from Goizueta in 1999.
Tim Newton
Partner/Attorney
Tim represents employers in state and federal court litigation involving employment discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Labor Standards Act (both individual and collective actions), the Family and Medical Leave Act, and other state and federal laws. Tim also regularly counsels and guides clients on employee relations issues, working with clients to develop strategies to deal with and resolve these issues. Tim also presents training sessions, including harassment, diversity, FMLA/ADA, investigations, and proper employee documentation.
Honors & Recognitions
- Best Lawyers in America© (2015-2023)
- Named a 2013 BTI Client Service All-Star
- Named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers 2006
Mark Butler
Formerly Commissioner Georgia Department of Labor
Georgia native and former Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Mark Butler has been appointed executive director of the Three Rivers Regional Commission.
In this role, Butler will lead the regional planning organization whose purpose is to create, promote, and provide services and technical assistance to improve communities in the region it serves, according to a press release issued by TRRC announcing Butler’s appointment.
A 10-county regional planning commission, Three Rivers Regional Commission serves the West Central Georgia area counties of Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson, providing aging, workforce development, transportation, and local/regional planning services.
Butler has served as a state representative and was instrumental in the development of state legislation to advance the state mental health system, creating the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities with the support of Governor Sonny Perdue.
As Commissioner of Labor, Butler formed valuable workforce solutions through strategic alliances and community relationships for Georgians by developing the Special Workforce Assistance Team, a job readiness program to help unemployed and underemployed persons to better market themselves to employers
Furthering the mission to grow Georgia jobs, Butler led the charge in creating the customized recruitment program, seeking to provide expert talent recruitment to both new and established employers who were investing in Georgia.
Source: Griffin Daily News
Tim Echols
Commissioner, Georgia Public Service Commission
A younger Tim Echols was selected by the Atlanta Airport Rotary Club as "Student of the Year" from his high school in 1978. While at the luncheon, he met Truett Cathy, a member of the club. After the meeting, Truett invited Tim to his Hapeville office where he gave him a set of motivational tapes and a challenge. Tim said the tapes changed his life and, as a result of listening to Zig Ziglar and his teaching, Tim set a goal to become a statewide elected official.
Shortly after graduating from UGA, Tim and his wife Windy founded TeenPact, a training experience for conservative high school students. The program began at the Georgia Capitol and now operates in all 50 states, having trained 60,000 students. After building TeenPact, Tim ran for and was elected to statewide office in 2010. He now serves as a Public Service Commissioner.
The PSC's primary job is energy regulation. When Tim took office, Georgia was 34th in solar power. Now, the state is 7th in the nation for installed solar. In 2020, Conservatives for Clean Energy dubbed Tim the "Solar Architect of Georgia."
Tim has also created the Clean Energy Roadshow that has traveled the state every summer for the past 14 years. This educational event helps commuters, businesses and municipal governments evaluate alternative fuel for their transportation and residential use.
In December 2017, Tim authored the motion to keep the expansion project at Plant Vogtle moving forward. He believes carbon-free nuclear energy plus solar is the best way forward for Georgia. Tim has represented the United States at the World Nuclear Exhibition since 2014.
Tim has tried to lead by example. He added solar hot-water heating to his Athens home just before he was sworn in. He bought a natural gas car, a propane van and now owns an electric car. Tim also led the effort to provide the Salvation Army and two other agencies with $5 million to help low-income seniors in Atlanta with heating assistance. That program continues today.
Tim created a pilot program to provide specially equipped iPads to the hearing impaired to help them function more productively. Tim also led the PSC to increase the number of pediatric hearing aids it provides to eligible hearing-impaired children.
In 2019, Tim rallied donors and the solar community to build and donate to the Hog Hammock Foundation a 16-panel solar pavilion for the community library on the remote Sapelo Island off Georgia’s coast. Sapelo is the home of one of the last remaining Gullah Geechee communities and this array will provide free electricity to the library for 30 years. With help from YellaWood, Southern Current and EDF Renewables, Echols led the way to build this lasting asset.
Tim also has been at the forefront in fighting human sex trafficking. He created the "Unholy Tour" that helps policy makers see first-hand the harms of human trafficking. As a part of his efforts to educate the public about the harms of trafficking, Tim created the Wilberforce Fellowship that meets once per year at Jackson Lake in Newton County. Tim and Judge Tim Batten head this effort.
Tim has a weekly radio show called Energy Matters airing on Cox Media Group and in four other Georgia media markets. The show has over 300 episodes.
Tim most recently finished writing a historical fiction book about the founding of the Jekyll Island Club entitled “Jean Marc of Jekyll.” The book is about the power of remarkable friendships.
Tim and Windy have been married 41 years and have seven children. He has three degrees from the University of Georgia and lives in Hoschton.
Source: https://psc.ga.gov/about-the-psc/commissioners/tim-echols/
Tom Smith
Emory University - Goizueta Business School
Tom Smith is considered a specialist in the areas of labor economics, pricing, film finance, sports economics and finance, and the economics of the entertainment and health care industries. Described as a “jack of all trades and master of them all,” he’s one of Goizueta Business School’s most sought-after experts. Tom brings his research on micro- and macro-economics into the classroom; considered timely and insightful, his perspective has been published by local outlets and international publications alike, including Time. He regularly appears as a financial expert on television and radio – CNN, NPR, and The Huffington Post to name a few – and is frequently quoted in the press regarding trends in unemployment, inflation, trade, and economics-driven topics. An energetic and enthusiastic professor, Tom eschews narrow definitions of leadership. Through forging genuine connections with participants, Tom helps them expand their thinking and develop a more holistic approach to business that, in turn, enhances their approach to leadership and results in greater success.
Smith holds a PhD in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Source: https://goizueta.emory.edu/faculty/profiles/thomas-smith
Matt Brewers
CEO of Choate Construction
As President & CEO and member of Choate’s Board of Directors, Matt is responsible for the development of Choate Construction’s long-term vision, strategy, and direction. His passion to advance Choate’s mission and reputation in the industry leads us to provide the highest level of service to our clients while providing rewarding careers for our employee-owners.
Scott Slade
Radio Personality
Scott Slade is a rare two-time winner of the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award as Best Radio Personality in America in both major and large markets. Atlanta’s Morning News with Scott Slade won numerous awards since its inception in 1991, including the national Edward R. Murrow Award as Best Radio Newscast in the nation. Scott initiated the WSB Radio Care-a-Thon for the AFLAC Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in 2000, raising millions of dollars to fight children’s cancer and blood disorders. Scott has been with WSB Radio since 1984 as a producer, show host, and helicopter traffic reporter. His career includes all facets of media since 1970. He was won numerous news, programming and advertising awards since his broadcasting career began at the age of 15. In fact, his first award was an Associated Press award in 1971 for “News Interpretation” for a weekly program where he and other teenage journalists interviewed news makers on a local radio station. He is an Atlanta native. He is a graduate of Georgia State University, a commercial airplane and helicopter pilot, and enjoys hiking, playing jazz saxophone, and horseback riding among his hobbies.
Source: https://www.wsbradio.com/author/scott-slade/
Scott Deviney
President and CEO of Chicken Salad Chick
Scott Deviney serves as the president and CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. Prior to joining the Chick Family, Scott honed his franchise experience owning 25 Wendy’s franchises in Atlanta. Before that, he built an impressive track record of success as a director and SVP of retail and franchise industry management at SunTrust Bank. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. Top Chick: “My go-to is Buffy (aka Buffalo Barclay), but all of the spicy Chicks—Kickin’ Kay Lynn, Spicy Pimento, and our seasonal Jamaica’me Jenny—make my hit list!”
Source: https://www.chickensaladchick.com/meet-the-team/
