Darral W. Brown operates as Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Secretary and provides financial consulting for large and small companies. He is experienced in and currently manages financial operations for for-profit and non-profit companies and specializes in building financial strategies & operations, navigating talent selections, and building high performing teams. Previous to his current role, he served in the Air Force for over 20 years where he worked in various financial management capacities in Air Force operations, air traffic control, intelligence, and education throughout the Continental United States and Japan. He retired as Captain and holds a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Management. 

Jahleel M. Stewart operates as Sr. Managing Director & Chief Resource Officer. She specializes in partnering with leaders to build talent strategies and operations for planning, acquiring, developing and retaining key talent. She has supported acquisition & integration efforts and partnered with the leaders of global functions including Finance, IT, HR, Shared Services, Sales and Manufacturing. She brings over 20 years of experience in Human Resources & Talent Management, has led global teams and provided Executive Coaching for leaders in large and small companies. She currently sits on the board of a non-profit focused on youth development and leads the volunteer operations as part of a national non-profit organization. She holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Human Resources Management.

Terry Fulton has over 25 years providing training and coaching to private and public organizations across the nation and multiple industries. He began his professional journey as an educator specializing in curriculum and program design as a teacher in public education. His passion to empower people to strive for excellence led him to work with Michael E. Parker as the Program Director of Michael’s award-winning non-profit, LifeSkills411, speaking to thousands all over the U.S. He has since joined You Are A CEO, Inc. as a Sr. Managing Director hosting trainings and shows focused on removing barriers to success and developing the knowledge, skills, behaviors and experiences needed to help people reach their full potential. Terry is a certified instructor of The 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team and DiSC Assessment. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in History, Sociology and Political Science from California State University, Stanislaus.

Elealeh M. Smith operates as Managing Director & Chief Kaizen Officer and is one of the most experienced consultants with our team and has specialized in building custom solutions and delivering lean management solutions to many large global companies as well as start-up companies. She partners with leaders to build business growth strategies and plans to manage organizational growth over time. She has over 20 years of experience in operational management, technology and business strategy consulting, developing business applications, graphic design and desktop publishing. She leads the Lean Project Management function of an international non-profit organization and is responsible for the execution of highly complex technology solutions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communication and Public Relations and is a certified instructor of The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team and DiSC Assessment.

Marcus Smith is a core team member of You Are a CEO, Inc. which was created by founder, Michael E. Parker, author of “Who Said So? Questions Revolutionary Businesses Ask That Makes Them Successful”. As the enterprise continues to grow and develop new ideas and face new challenges, Marcus has lead the way in providing new technologies that help support business objectives. He is a dynamic leader of software development offering over 10 years of experience in creating & managing enterprise teams to build multimillion-dollar, mission-critical projects. Skilled in all phases of the software development life cycle, Marcus is an expert in translating business requirements into technical solutions using Domain Driven Design (DDD) Principles. He is an expert in creating strategies for enterprise applications that need to move from a monolithic app to a microservices.

Tara Pratt specializes in all areas of corporate communications including external, internal, executive, crisis, digital, government and community relations. Tara has led initiatives to launch new digital channels including global intranets and collaboration tools for 30,000+ employees to amplify internal and executive engagement. She also has extensive experience partnering with executives to manage communications in crises, mergers, acquisitions and restructuring. With over 16 years of experience leading global teams, Tara effectively leverages technology to develop communications strategies and tactics that align with business objectives and promote the brand. She holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Sociology - Organizational Studies  from the University of California, Davis and a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership from the University of Alabama. She also holds a certificate in Web Design and Development from the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Wayne Reed has a passion for helping people learn, grow and find fulfillment in their lives while striving to excel at their jobs daily. His career in the oil & gas and construction industries span thirty yrs. (30 yrs.) of service in Structural fabrication and Offshore Installation maintenance. He has committed himself to honing his skills in facilitating Leadership development, Project management, Safety management, Behavior Based Safety Implementations and offshore support services. He has an extensive background in developing high performance teams and behavior-based management techniques.​

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Wayne earned his Bachelor of Science from Nicholls State University in Life Science and Technology majoring in Petroleum Engineering Technologies in 1989 and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Nichols University in May of 2012. He has been Project Management Professional (PMP) certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI) since 2001, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) recognized by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BSCP) since 2007.

Cory Haynes operates as an Executive Finance Consultant and as Vice President of Marketing at Forge Global, Private Equity firm.  He has over 15 years experience in investment banking and asset management working for Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab and BlackRock. He has extensive experience leading teams and overseeing the volunteer operations on an international basis for a sizable non-profit. He holds a FINRA Series 7, 24 and 66 licenses. He holds and MBA from Saint Mary’s and undergraduate degree in International Business from UC Berkeley.

Jeff Long has a wealth of practical business experience in the areas of program and project management, financial management, executive coaching, and business process improvement.  He has managed numerous multi-million dollar projects in the construction, land development, and telecommunications industries; and has served a varied customer base, including U. S. Department of Energy, Bechtel Corporation, Chevron, Shell Oil Company, and AT&T.

Jeff is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt who supported the curriculum adaptation and deployment of Lean Six Sigma at two major corporations, Bechtel and AT&T, helping to build a culture of continuous improvement and servant leadership.  Jeff is a life-long learner with extensive experience as mentor and coach to leaders and team members at all levels of the organization. 

Samiya Hethcock operates as Senior Managing Director. She is a performance-driven, proactive and people-oriented leader with over 20 years of human resource, communications, client relations, compensation and benefits administration experience. Samiya has worked at the regional and corporate levels for dynamic and innovative consulting and management firms in multiple industries including pharmaceutical, health care, financial, apparel, and beauty. Samiya’s diverse skill set allows her to partner with business leaders in varying capacities to conceptualize, execute, and manage a diverse range of business strategies and initiatives ranging from business development to employee relations. Samiya holds a BS in Business Administration, and Masters in Human Resource Management.

Nick Viera currently serves as IT/Media Productions Manager. He manages, designs, and installs technology-based integrated systems.

Nick has over 20 years experience in broadcast and media production systems integration and over 15 years in IT systems integration and engineering.

Nick always strives to create solutions that will add great value to our customers and reinforce our Value-Centered approach.

Chris Bateson currently serves as Technical Project Manager. He has 10 years of experience working with a variety of large corporate and small business clients to execute their projects and visions.

Coming from a background in marketing and design, Chris currently manages technical projects in the areas of Microsoft 365, web design, and digital marketing strategy. From discovery to launch, he's involved in every step to ensure vision and execution are aligned with the clients' goals and their customers' needs.

He has worked with large hospitals, global distribution companies, small businesses, non-profits, and government organizations. He's passionate about delivering client value and streamlining processes using Lean Principles and Value-Centered Management fundamentals.

Bella Burns operates as Chief of Administration and has 20+ years of experience partnering with executive leaders in many organizations to ensure the daily operations, organizational communications and continuous improvement needs are met. She has been a vital part of our team from the beginning and is a catalyst to ensuring the results of continuous improvement operations.  Bella grew up with parents that were deaf and as a result, she has a very unique and brilliant ability to effectively communicate verbally and non-verbally and easily connect with every individual needed to participate in projects.  She provides critical daily support to Michael E. Parker, CEO, and every member of the team. She volunteers as part of an international non-profit organization.  She holds a certificate in General Studies from the College of Alameda and is fluent in sign language.

Charlene Ciruso currently serves as Project Manager She is responsible for planning, overseeing and leading projects from ideation through to completion. She partners with clients to ensure that all project requirements, deadlines, and schedules are on track. 

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Charlene holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Corporate Management. She also holds an Associate of Science degree in Business Administration.

LaShanna Jackson currently serves as the Business Development and Affiliate Program Manager. She specializes in all areas of business development including sourcing influencers, brand partnerships, coaching and developing all nationwide affiliates. 

LaShanna has over 20 years experience in direct sales specializing in recruiting and developing teams to reach their personal goals as small business owners and entrepreneurs. 

She holds a certification in Lean Methodologies.
 

Julie Parker currently serves as Social Media Manager. She has 30+ years experience working with a variety of clients in different industries providing marketing support, brand management, and a suite of B2B support services.  

She enjoys working with clients to provide sales, marketing and digital media support.  Throughout her career, she has worked with amazing tech talent, creatives,  writers, animators, filmmakers, and developers. Julie has a passion to help companies grow through customer acquisition to create new recurring revenue.