Speakers

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Titania Jordan is the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Parent Officer of Bark Technologies, a company dedicated to keeping kids safer online.

As an online safety expert, Titania frequently appears on national programs such as the TODAY Show, Steve Harvey, The Doctors, CBS This Morning, Good Morning America, Fox News, Sirius XM Radio, and CNBC. She has contributed to major publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Huffington Post, Fox Business, Daily Mail, USA Today, and The New York Times. She is also featured in the documentary Childhood 2.0, which highlights the challenges of raising children in a tech-driven world.

Throughout her career, Titania has worked at the intersection of media, tech, and parenting. She has mentored startups, founded companies, and supported young women in tech through the Band of Coders Girls Academy. Yet, her favorite title by far is 'Mom.'

INTRODUCTION: Russ Wagner

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Nov. 20  at Noon.

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“History for Cocktail Parties” is available on Spotify and Apple. This presentation will be their first “live” podcast recording in front of a ‘studio audience’ and will air the following week. 

James M. Ottley is a real estate lending and title attorney with Stout Kaiser LLC, where he leads the firm’s government-guaranteed lending practice. James represents community and national banks, nonbank lenders, and insurance companies in commercial loan transactions and provides title services through Precision Title, the firm’s in-house agency. With over two decades of legal experience, James has also handled commercial real estate and business acquisition deals across the Southeast. He holds a B.A. from Duke University and earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law. He is the author of two books; History for Cocktail Parties Volumes I & II.

Thornton Kennedy is a seasoned communications expert, writer, connector, and problem solver. A former journalist and editor, he founded PR South, a boutique public relations firm that helps organizations figure out what they need to say, who they need to say it to, and why it matters. An amateur historian, urban explorer, hiker, and voracious reader, Thornton also writes a weekly column for the Northside Neighbor. He met his wife in a college creative writing class, and they are the proud parents of two children — one attending the University of Georgia School of Law and the other at the College of Charleston.

INTRODUCTION: David Moore

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Jeff Heck is Co-Founder of Monday Night Brewing, a craft brewery based in Atlanta.  A Cincinnati native, Jeff has spent the past 20+ years investing in, starting and growing businesses big and small.  After graduating from Harvard University, he started his career at The Home Depot in mergers and acquisitions.  Jeff then spent 10 years with Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm focused on multi-unit retail and franchise business.  While at Roark, he led investments in Focus Brands, Orangetheory Fitness and Anytime Fitness, among others, as well as supporting executive teams in debt financing, budgeting, strategic initiatives, acquisitions and exits.

 

In 2016, he left Roark to serve as CEO of Monday Night Brewing, a craft brewery that he co-founded with the aim of fulfilling the company’s purpose of “deepening relationships over some of the best beer in the world.”  Since then, Jeff has overseen the growth Monday Night into one of the largest independent craft breweries in the Southeast with 6 retail locations and distribution across 4 states.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Dec. 4  at Noon.

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Since 2017, Leigh Burns has been the Director of Fox Gives, the community partnerships division of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Before joining the Fox Theatre, she held positions as the Education Manager with the Georgia Main Street Program and additionally served as the Outreach Program Manager and Certified Local Government Coordinator with the Georgia Historic Preservation Division.

Leading Fox Gives, Leigh oversees all grant programs, education, membership, statewide theatre presenting and partnerships. Since 2008, the Fox has awarded $4.2 million dollars in financial support for historic theatres in Georgia and the Southeast. Additionally, her team supports more than fifty-five statewide non-profit theatres and arts centers through Georgia Presenters.

Leigh earned an Associate of Fine Arts Degree from Young Harris College and a Bachelor of Art from the University of Georgia. Leigh has twenty-five years of professional historic preservation experience including internships with the National Park Service and the Historic Oakland Foundation and received a Masters of Heritage Preservation Degree from Georgia State University. In 2014, she received an Award of Excellence in Historic Preservation Service from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission. In 2025 Atlanta Magazine designated her as one of their 2025 Women Making A Mark.

A native of College Park, Leigh resides in Druid Hills and serves on the boards of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Georgia Downtown Association and the Young Harris College Alumni Board. 

INTRODUCTION: David Moore

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Dec. 11  at Noon.

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George Dusenbury serves as the Vice President Southern Region, and the Georgia, Florida, and Chesapeake State Director at Trust for Public Land. Dusenbury leads a team of professionals who are working to improve access to the Chattahoochee River, to increase the number of residents in the south who have a park within a 10-minute walk of home, and to develop coalitions and partnerships to dramatically change how communities interact with the outdoors. In 2022, Dusenbury was named one of the 100 most influential Georgians by Georgia Trend. It’s a testament to his lifelong commitment to creating parks and green spaces in places where too few residents reap the benefits of green space.

From 2010 to 2014 Dusenbury served as commissioner of the Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department. During his tenure, he helped expand park acreage in the city while increasing the percentage of local residents living within a half-mile of a park. He also led an effort to reopen 16 closed recreation centers and transform them through high performing youth-development programs.

Prior to his appointment as commissioner, Dusenbury was executive cirector of Park Pride, a nonprofit dedicated to building civic and corporate support for Atlanta’s parks. During his six years at Park Pride, the organization significantly increased its capacity while launching a wide range of programs designed to increase community leadership, bring gardens to underserved neighborhoods, and help residents create and implement community master plans for parks. Also under his leadership, the organization expanded its geographic scope and played a pivotal role in engaging community groups and corporate partners to realize the vision of the Atlanta BeltLine, a transformative urban park and trail system.

Dusenbury first became active in Atlanta’s environmental community while serving as legislative director and district director for Congressman John Lewis. In these roles, he was responsible for the Congressman’s work on transportation, clean air, clean water and smart growth issues, including expanding tax incentives supporting alternative commute options like transit and biking. During these years, Dusenbury developed his understanding of the importance of parks and green spaces in the context of equity, economics and health.

Dusenbury earned a B.S. degree in English from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor degree from Emory University where he served as the president of the Environmental Law Society. He has been a Certified Park and Recreation Professional through the National Recreation and Park Association, is a member of the Historic Oakland board of directors and is a graduate of regional leadership programs.

Tim Echols is a father of seven children and Public Service Commissioner for the State of Georgia.  He and his wife, Windy, live in Jackson County, Georgia near his alma mater, the University of Georgia.  Tim started TeenPact, the youth organization that operates in 50 states, as well as the Unholy Tour that brings awareness to the issue of human trafficking.  He has been providing leadership to the EV Braintrust, the Clean Energy Roadshow, and the Hydrogen Energy Braintrust. He enjoys social media, car racing, and playing with his grandsons.

 

INTRODUCTION: Michael McPherson

James “Jay” M. Bailey serves as the President and CEO of the H.J. Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE), where he leads the world's largest entrepreneurial hub dedicated to growing, scaling, and developing Black businesses.

In just five years, under Jay's visionary leadership, RICE supports more than 600 entrepreneurs full time, sustaining 4,125 jobs in the community, and sparking a staggering $557 million of new economic impact in the Metro Atlanta area. Jay and his team have transformed RICE into an economic empowerment and innovation powerhouse.

Jay is an Atlanta native, three-time TED Talker, and die-hard Georgia Bulldog. He has been recognized with the prestigious National Point of Light Award, named one of Atlanta's "Most Admired CEOs" by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, ranked on Atlanta Magazine's "POWER 100" list of the most dynamic leaders in the city, and honored by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential” leaders in the State. His leadership and commitment to the community have been recognized by three U.S. Presidents. In 2012, he was one of eight Americans honored at the White House as a "Champion of Change: Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

Currently residing in East Atlanta, Jay shares his life's journey with his wife, Dateline NBC correspondent Blayne Alexander, and their cherished daughters, Sage and Skylar.

INTRODUCTION: Kathy Colbenson