Speakers

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Cliff Graubart is the founder of the Old New York Bookshop in Atlanta, which he started in 1971. The shop became famous for its legendary invitation-only book parties and its most famous customer and Cliff’s best friend, Pat Conroy. 

 

Born and raised in New York City, he attended the University of Toledo and is a graduate of Georgia State University. He has boxed in the Golden Gloves, sold furs in Manhattan in his father’s store, and once parachuted out of a perfectly good airplane in celebration of his fortieth birthday—all material for his book of short stories, The Curious Vision of Sammy Levitt and he is now working on a memoir about life with his best friend. Graubart lives in Atlanta with his wife, cookbook author Cynthia Graubart.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Oct. 29  at Noon.

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Debra Lam is the Founding Executive Director of the Partnership for Innovation (PIN) at Georgia Tech, a regional public–private partnership advancing innovation, talent, and economic opportunity. Under her leadership, PIN has delivered more than 300 projects across 300 communities and has launched the PIN Fund, an evergreen investment vehicle making early-stage investments in high-potential, research-derived startups advancing community infrastructure, economic opportunity, and locally driven innovation. Formerly Pittsburgh’s first Chief of Innovation & Performance and a global consultant with Arup, she has worked across the U.S., UK, and Asia. Debra is a nationally recognized author and speaker on innovation and public–private partnerships and co-editor of a leading volume on community-centered smart cities. She holds degrees from Georgetown University and UC Berkeley and serves on several civic boards, including the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Nov. 5  at Noon.

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Michael McPherson is a Municipal Services Consultant with the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). He supports the 70 cities in the Metro Atlanta region, and serves as staff lead for both the Metro Atlanta Mayors Association (MAMA) and the GMA Member Servies Advisory Council. He joined the GMA Governmental Relations department in January of 2013 as lobbyist in charge of Revenue and Finance Policy, eventually taking on Environment and Natural Resources, and Community Development Policy, while mentoring new members of the team. Michael has served as GMA field service representative for multiple areas of the state including Southeast Georgia, and East Georgia. He lobbied the Georgia General Assembly during 15 legislative sessions on behalf of local governments and clients in the fields of mental health, affordable housing, healthcare, higher education, and the courts.

 

Michael is a graduate of Georgia State University, where he studied Anthropology and Political Science. He is the single father of a 10-year-old daughter, Katherine Louise, and 8-year-old boy, Winfield Alton. Michael serves on the board of directors of the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta, and as Vice President of Mission: POW/MIA—a international non-profit seeking the recovery of missing American servicemembers. He has served several different neighborhood associations, large festival committees, and is a native of Atlanta. He is a member of the BEST EVER Regional Leadership Institute Class of 2025. Michael enjoys reading histories and biographies, skateboarding, tennis, and making connections that strengthen the Metro Atlanta core.  

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Nov. 12  at Noon.

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Jeff Paschall Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing of Fieldale Farms, Baldwin, Georgia. Fieldale Farms is a family-owned poultry processor who currently processes over three million chickens per week and has $1.3 Billion in annual sales. Fieldale Farms has been in business for over 54 years with all their operations in northeast Georgia and employee 5,000 associates. Jeff has worked at Fieldale Farms in the Sales & Marketing department since 1992 and has worked to build the Springer Mountain Farms Brand for the past 29 years. He has worked in the poultry industry for over 39 years, spending five years in sales with Perdue Farms, Salisbury, Maryland. 

He serves locally at Lakewood Baptist Church as a deacon, in the golf cart ministry, and a coach for Upward Sports. Additionally, he served as a past Board Member and as a Past Chair for the National Protein & Food Distributors Association. (NPFDA)   

He grew up on a family farm in Western KY and still maintains the farm with his brother. As a Murray, Kentucky, native, Paschall holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Murray State University and an associate degree from Western Kentucky University. He and his lovely wife Julie, who have been married over 38 years, have three wonderful, amazing daughters; Sarah, Juliana, and Lilly. Three son-in laws (Nathan, Will, & Curry). Three amazing grandchildren, Miles, Owen & Bennie, who are simply perfect!

Eric Moyen, originally from Lexington, Kentucky, became the Dean of the Bagwell College of Education at Kennesaw State University in January 2026. A former secondary social studies teacher, Dr. Moyen has served in several administrative capacities for more than 27 years as an educator. At Mississippi State University, he helped dramatically increase the enrollment in Educational Leadership programs while also improving the department’s research and funding profile. Dr. Moyen previously served as MSU’s first assistant vice president for student success, where his leadership contributed to record-breaking student persistence rates. Prior to MSU, he held numerous roles at Lee University, where he received the Excellence in Teaching Award – the highest recognition given to faculty. Dr. Moyen’s area of scholarly research is in the area of the history of higher education. He has written multiple books, including his most recent co-authored book College Sports: A History, with Johns Hopkins Press.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, January 7 at Noon.

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Nick Zeller is a senior program associate and lead researcher for The Carter Center's China Focus initiative. In additional to leading China Pulse, a twice annual survey of Chinese public opinion conducted with Emory University, he is editor of the English-language U.S.-China Perception Monitor blog and newsletter. Prior to joining The Carter Center, Nick was a Visiting Assistant Professor of World History in Kennesaw State University’s Department of History and Philosophy, Visiting Assistant Professor of Asian History in the University of South Carolina’s Department of History, and an NSEP Boren Fellow at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He received his Ph.D. in modern Chinese history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Marilyn Smith is the David S. Lewis Professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Director of the Georgia Tech Army/Navy/NASA Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence. Her research encompasses computational unsteady aerodynamics and aeroelasticity for complex configurations, including rotorcraft. 

In 2022, Smith presented the Vertical Flight Society Nikolsky Award Lecture honoring a lifetime achievement of research and development in Vertical Flight. She is also the recipient of the 2022 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Applied Aerodynamics Award, and the 61st Royal Aeronautical Society Lanchester Memorial Lecture in 2023.  She recently delivered the joint American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and National Academy of Engineering 2026 Yvonne C Brill lecture in Aerospace Engineering.

Smith is both a Technical and Honorary Fellow of the Vertical Flight Society, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. She is a Vertical Flight Society Technical Director Emeritus, and member emeritus of the Board of Directors for the Vertical Flight Society and the Vertical Lift Consortium.