Prior to joining The Pendleton Consulting Group, Craig Lesser served as the Managing Director and Head of International Public Affairs for McKenna Long & Aldridge, a law firm based in Atlanta with offices in Washington, D.C., New York City, Albany, San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego and Brussels. His primary focus was on expanding the firm’s presence abroad and interfacing with international businesses operating in the United States.
Until 2007, Craig served as Commissioner of Economic Development for the State of Georgia where he was the Chief Marketing Officer responsible for investment, trade and tourism. He was appointed to his post by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2004. In this role, he led efforts to recruit new business to Georgia from around the nation and internationally. Craig’s responsibilities while still in office included oversight of the state’s small business and entrepreneur programs, efforts to grow existing business as well as marketing Georgia as an ideal destination for filmmakers, the music industry, multi-media companies and tourists. While serving as Commissioner, there were almost 500 new investment and expansion announcements, totaling $8 billion and creating more than 40,000 new jobs. Craig also oversaw the expansion of Georgia’s international presence with the opening of state offices in Chile, Brazil, China and France.
Before his gubernatorial appointment, Craig served as Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Georgia Power Company; President and CEO of Mirant New York; and Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Mirant Americas. He was also a partner in a public affairs consulting firm.
Craig’s past experience also includes serving as present of Hemisphere Inc., a public-private partnership created to attract the Free Trade Areas of the Americas Secretariat. During his tenure, five Latin American nations opened consulates in Atlanta and many new business relationships were forged between Western Hemisphere nations and Georgia.
He is Chairman of the Board of the World Trade Center of Atlanta, Chairman of the Board of the Vienna International Exchange, Secretary of the Georgia China Alliance and serves on the Board of Visitors of Emory University.
He has been recognized by Georgia Trend, James Magazine and the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Georgia’s most influential people.
Craig received his B.A. from the State University of New York College at Oneonta and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business, Leadership Georgia and the Regional Leadership Institute.
A native of Rochester, New York, Bill Cathcart has been here in Savannah with WTOC-TV for twenty-four years now, the last nineteen, as the station’s Vice President & General Manager.
He received his undergraduate degree from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, his Masters and Ph.D. degrees from The Ohio State University. He then spent ten years as a college professor at Western Illinois University.
Bill’s current community involvement includes service on the Armstrong Atlantic State University Foundation Board, the USO/Savannah Board, and Savannah’s Big Brothers/Big Sisters Board. He’s also the current Chairman of The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum Board of Trustees, and serves as Honorary Wing Commander of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Airlift Wing.
For more than a decade now, the majority of Bill’s community out-reach time has been devoted to the Savannah-Area Chamber of Commerce. He’s a past-Chairman of the Board, and is currently chair of the Chamber’s Military Affairs Council, as well as a continuing member of the Chamber Board.
Union Mission exists to end and prevent homelessness in the greater Savannah area. In 2004, the program helped 352 people end their homelessness. Since 12992, the city’s homeless population has been cut in half. Union Mission is a series of housing and supportive services for homeless persons and those living with HIV+/AIDS. Under his leadership, Union Mission has grown from one facility in 1987 to nine, providing housing and assistance to over 600 people every day, and the annual operations budget grew from $40,000 to over $8 million.
Recognitions of Union Mission include the American Hospital Association (NOVA Award), the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Best Practice Award) the Georgia Hospital Association (Leadership Award), and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (Magnolia Award). Union Mission’s work has been profiled on CNN, the TODAY Show, and USA Today.
Prior to Union Mission Micheal served as the Executive Director of the Louisville Coalition for the Homeless in Louisville, KY (1986-1987) and as the Pastor/Director of the Jefferson Street Baptist Chapel also in Louisville (1970-1986).
Micheal has published eight books, including Why the Homeless Don’t Have Homes and What to do About it, which was recognized as paperback of the year by the Mid-America Book Achievement Awards. His first novel, Tour of Homes, was released 2004. He is the winner of numerous awards including the Community Heath Leadership Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He was also selected as a Community Hero to carry the Olympic Torch for the 1996 Olympics. Union Mission’s work was featured on the TODAY Show in April 2005.
Micheal is a graduate of Georgia Southern University and received a Master’s of Divinity degree and a Master’s in Social Work from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
State Representative Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) represents the 164th District in the Georgia House of Representatives. Rep. Stephens is the Chairman of the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee. Rep. Stephens has been a member of the House for eleven years. Rep. Stephens is also a member of the Appropriations, Rules, and Ways and Means Committees.
Representative Stephens is a graduate from Armstrong State & Mercer University with a degree in Pharmacy. He and his wife, Janice, have two daughters, Karen and Ashlin, and are member’s of the Richmond Hill Baptist Church. Representative Stephens has spent thirty years as a pharmacist. Before being elected to the House, Rep. Stephens earned a seat as a City Councilman in Garden City. Proven a consensus builder and a member who can reach across party lines, Rep. Stephens was selected as the Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Health subcommittee and as a member of the Economic Development subcommittee, under a democratic majority and leadership.
Rep. Stephens was selected as the Chair of the Economic Development & Tourism Committee because of his experience of over nine years in the General Assembly. Representative Stephens is passionate about protecting and strengthening Georgia’s tourism business. He has served on the Appropriations Committee for eight years. Representative Stephens is the co-author of the first floating homestead exemption in Georgia now applying in more than 50 taxing districts in the state which effectively freezes property taxes for the homeowner. It is known as the STEPHENS-DAY Bill HB 350. He also served and was pioneer on the original tourism study committee that led to the formation of the current Economic Development and Tourism Committee which earned him the Leadership Award for efforts to bring non-traditional tourism industries over to the tourism side.
Scott Boylston is author of three books, including his most recent, Designing Sustainable Packaging. He is a professor of Graphic Design and Sustainable Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and coauthor of the college's MFA degree in Sustainable Design. He is an award winning fiction writer, and poster designer who speaks internationally on issues of design, ethics and sustainability, and continues to design and consult, primarily for non-profit organizations. Before moving to Savannah, Scott was an art director in a New York City design firm where he developed package designs for cosmetic companies such as Elizabeth Arden, Estée Lauder, and Yves Saint Laurent. During this time he also ran an environmentally focused surf wear business. He is a 2008 graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership and a member of the Chatham Environmental Forum. He is on the board of the Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home Foundation, and the branch leadership of the Savannah chapter of the US Green Building Council. Scott received his masters degree from Pratt Institute.
Prior to joining USGBC, Carter was the Director of Consumer Education at Renew Life Formulas Inc., a $20 million natural & organic product company. While there, Carter created education and marketing programs through partnerships with more than 300 retailers nationwide, while also developing revenue-generating and cost-cutting initiatives.
Carter’s other experience includes serving as the National Director of Field Marketing for Wild Oats Markets Inc., a $1 billion natural & organic retailer, and as an independent grant writing consultant for non-profit organizations. Carter also worked extensively with Actor’s Express in Atlanta, served on selection committees for the Atlanta Arts Festival and Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and worked on production and special events the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG). An Atlanta resident for 10 years, she has been a featured speaker at Natural & Organic Food Trade Association conferences and served on the Steering & Development Committee for Arts Management training through Target Stores.
Carter graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University where she was team captain of the women’s basketball team and Academic All-American for two years.
• District Governor 2011-2012 at Rotary International District 6920
• Consultant/Advisor at Closely-held and Early Stage Businesses
• Board of Directors at Denman & Davis
• Volunteer at Community Non-Profits
• VP, CFO, Board of Directors at Chatham Steel Corp.
• Manager at Accenture: Arthur Andersen & Co.
• Officer, Adjutant General Corps at US Army
• Member of an angel fund in Jacksonville Fla. and provide advisory services to early stage businesses.
Lynn Vos has more than 16 years experience working to assist small businesses in Georgia. She has served as Area Director of the Savannah office of the Georgia Small Business Development Center Network for the past 13 years. She has provided consulting services to existing and potential small business owners in the area and is actively involved in supporting the area’s small business community. She has a strong background in accounting, including passing the CPA exam and teaching college level accounting courses. She has been recognized for her efforts to help small businesses in the Savannah area by being named the Helen V. Head Small Business Advocate of the Year by the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce. Her outstanding consulting skills have been recognized nationally by the Association of Small Business Development Centers with their Star Performer Award. She currently serves on several local advisory boards.
