Fran Tarkenton is a serial entrepreneur and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, and the founder of Tarkenton Companies. During his NFL career, Tarkenton set every major record for quarterbacks: wins, completions, pass attempts, touchdowns, passing yards, and rushing yards. He led the Minnesota Vikings to three Super Bowls and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986…
David Sutherland lectures on entrepreneurship and business innovation at the Terry College of Business, and is faculty advisor to the MBA Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation Club. He also lectures at Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, CEDIM Design Institute in Monterrey, Mexico, and GISMA Business School in Hamburg, Germany. David received his Ph.D….
Christopher Hanks is an entrepreneur, lecturer on entrepreneurship, and Tarkenton Institute advisor. He lectures on entrepreneurship at both the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia and the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. He has owned multiple businesses, including music, ecommerce, publishing, and export ventures, and he is the…
Jennifer Osbon is a full-time lecturer at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, teaching social media and digital marketing courses using curriculum she personally developed. Founder and CEO of MegaPlayer, a full-service digital and social media agency, Jennifer has helped marketers at Coca-Cola, Sunglass Hut, K-Swiss, Verizon, Standard…
Everett Darby is a senior consultant and partner with Growth River Consulting, which focuses on developing business leaders and teams. He lectures on entrepreneurship at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia and is on the faculty of the Certified Professional Innovator Program at the J. Mack Robinson College Business at Georgia State University…
Shep Hyken is a customer experience expert and the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in the speaking profession. Shep works with companies who want to build loyal relationships with with their customers and employees…
Rick Gossett has been the COO of Tarkenton Companies for more than 20 years, responsible for business software development, unique partnerships, business educational content and consulting, and more. Before joining Tarkenton Companies, Rick owned and operated a private practice as a CPA. Prior to that, he was a Senior Manager at Pannell Kerr Forster in tax and audit, as well as Principal in…
Matt Tarkenton is Executive Vice President of Tarkenton Companies. He is an experienced executive with financial, marketing and operating experience in various entrepreneurial environments. In addition to his operating and marketing experience, Matt has spent over 15 years, working in the investment banking field, primarily focusing on mergers, acquisitions and capital raises for emerging growth companies…
As the Co-Founder & Director of Operations for Rhyme & Reason Design, Scarlett works closely with a variety of clients, helping to educate and guide them carefully through the design and interactive process. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and a Master’s degree in International Advertising from the University of Florida, she joined the agency world in Atlanta. Since then, she’s honed…
Kevin Sasser is Senior Manager, Sales Enablement & Effectiveness at Strive Management Partners. Kevin is an accomplished technology executive with a stellar track record in enterprise sales, general and sales management, and product management. His biggest successes have been in fast-paced, challenging environments with experiences in multiple startups and bringing new solutions to market. Before joining…
Jim Flannery is a managing member of the Athens Angel Fund, which provides seed stage capital to tech startups throughout the United States, with a focus on the Southeast. He is also the Project Director at Four Athens, a technology incubator promoting the startup community in Athens, Georgia. Jim provides information, guidance, and assistance on business strategy, business plans, financial planning and identifying sources…
Jess Coburn is founder and CEO of Applied Innovations Corp. Jess founded Applied Innovations in 1999 with the goal to start a web hosting provider leveraging innovative technologies to benefit businesses. Before founding Applied Innovations, Jess was an electrical engineer with Motorola and was employed as a Motorolan for close to 10 years. At Motorola, Jess was a member of a research team that developed next…
Jason White is a partner at Finestone & Morris, LLP in Atlanta, GA. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and earned his J.D. from Emory University School of Law in 2004. His legal specialties include corporate, sports and entertainment, civil litigation, creditor’s rights, commercial leasing, estate planning, and criminal defense. Jason’s lectures for the Tarkenton Certificate cover various aspects of…
Gray Johnson is principal search strategist at Gibson, Johnson & Company and is one of the Southeast’s leading search consultants. He spent the first ten years of his career at IBM, started his search career in 1994, and refined his approach at a Top 10 national retained search firm. Gray’s driving interests are performance predictors and the craftsmanship of the match. He earned his undergraduate…
Daniel Milbrandt is the Chief Lending Officer for Summit Credit Union, a $2.1 billion credit union in Madison, Wisconsin. He leads all facets of lending, including consumer, mortgage, and commercial. Under his leadership, Summit has become the number one mortgage lender in Dane County, the number one SBA loan 7(a) lender among credit unions in Wisconsin, and an award-winning auto lender…
Lara Hodgson is the CEO of NOWAccount, and has extensive experience in brand development, marketing, operations, corporate strategy, business development and launching new product and service companies. She has led work for companies including Nike, The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, KEDS and others. Lara has served in executive management roles with the Dewberry Capital Corp, Dunk.net…
Tracy Williams is the Market President – NE Atlanta, for State Bank & Trust. He has extensive experience and leadership in commercial and investment banking. Prior to joining State Bank, Tracy was a senior commercial banker with Wells Fargo in Atlanta, managing director for an Alpharetta real estate company, and specialized in software and media practice markets for Wachovia…
Nick Serba has enjoyed a successful career spanning 30 years in Sales, Sales Training, Sales Leadership Training, and Sales Management. Over 14 years he worked his way up from a trainee to General Manager with New York Life, and then ran numerous entrepreneurial businesses. His successful sales career continues today with LegalShield, where he’s spent more than 20 years building a successful business…
