Mentors: TECHNOLOGY
Summary of Qualifications Todd Waldo is an engineer, artist, and community advocate. With a BSEE from North Carolina State University, he has a career in systems development, maintenance and operations. Todd Waldo is the Enterprise Engineering Manager at Royall & Company. He is responsible for the development, maintenance and operations of all systems to support clients’ needs and requirements. He graduated from North Carolina State University (BSEE) and the Interactive Marketing Institute at VCU. His recent focus has been on operations ensuring quality and performance for users and clients as well as resolving issues with products and data. He is also making investments in other colleagues as a mentor and adviser to increase diversity, inclusion, mission awareness and engagement. All of this carries over in his service to the Richmond community with his work for various non profits. He serves on the Board of Directors for Better Housing Coalition, the President of the Board of the Robinson Theater Community Arts Center, board member for Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT) and the Church Hill Academy. He also serves Church Hill through the Church Hill Central Civic Association. He leads development and execution of annual special events like TEDxRVA and the Hill Topper 5k. His goal is to partner with leadership adding value for client and employee management, applying his expertise in operations, technology and data, while supporting mission and values. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
Summary of Qualifications A tech startup veteran with a diverse background in economics and music, Luke Rabin is an expert in the very first steps of turning ideas into excitingly simple products. Luke Rabin has had the rare opportunity to spend much of his career in the very first steps of some of Richmond’s most heavily funded tech startups. These hard-earned experiences on top of his background in economics from UVA and a stint in the music industry have made him extremely well prepared to help new teams navigate the uncertainty of creating new companies and products. After being both an in-house Product Manager and a consultant, Luke and his design partner Brandon Lewis started BLDR to put all of their lessons learned the hard way into an accelerated service for creating and validating new products. Luke’s experience and skillset are vital when it comes to problem and market validation, prototyping, messaging, and proving measurable traction without investing in code. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
Summary of Qualifications Grant is a Fractional Product & Marketing Manager, specializing in small to mid business growth through customer engagement and product innovation. Grant Mizell’s career spans traditional advertising, PR, community management, digital strategy, SEM/PPC and product development. Most recently, acting as Head of Product, he oversaw the transformation of PartyRVA, a successful and award-winning prototype e-marketplace for group planners, into OccasionGenius, overhauling the customer conversion funnel, shifting the business model and repositioning for national scale. A graduate of VCU’s Advertising program, he uses a foundation in conceptual thinking and design as a heightened UX perspective in targeting business growth opportunities through user-centered engagement and innovation. In 2013, he traded in 7 years of Adjunct instruction at VCU Advertising, for a leadership role on the Byrd Theatre Foundation. Grant serves as Vice President and Programming Chair, where he applies lean startup mentality to marketing and new program development, in support of the 87-year-old institution’s evolution into a center for film and film literacy. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
Summary of Qualifications Bismark Agbemble is currently the Executive Chairman of Bernstein and Bernstein an international investment boutique firm with a core focus in assisting their clients in expanding their business (s) into emerging markets. For over a decade Bismark has developed customized products and services to meet the needs of both large and small scale businesses expanding into West Africa and beyond. Bismark’s core area of expertise is international business expansion, where he customizes his client’s expansion plan covering: Sales, Marketing, Legal, Operations and Finance. Many of his colleagues and clients call him “The Trade Ambassador” because of his passion and desire to assist SME’s in setting up their operations overseas, regardless of size. Bismark, has developed strategic relationships with Trade Finance and Business Development firms around the world to leverage on resources and contacts in countries where he has conducted business in as such; Germany, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Holland, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria to list a few. Prior to joining Bernstein and Bernstein, Bismark was a Bank Officer at Bank of America where he was responsible for sales, marketing and operations within their retail division. Bismark is also a lecture at Southern New Hampshire University and his passionate about inspiring students of all ages to think local but act global. Bismark is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and holds an MBA from Eastern University with a concentration in Financial Management. Bismark is an author, technology enthusiast in the area of social media. Bismark is an active member in his community, providing mentorship, life coach services and...
Summary of Qualifications Ryann is CEO of The Frontier Project. She has led the business through a recession-busting period of exceptional growth, creating the leading boutique-consulting firm that integrates innovation and organizational development. Addicted to learning, she has both an M.B.A. (University of Richmond) and a Master’s in Human Resources and Industrial Relations (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). Leading a firm charged with transforming the organizations and external markets of some of the most potent companies in the world requires Ryann to shape a team capable of supporting clients at the frontline of global changes in technology, economics, social, and environmental change. As CEO, she focuses on three internal priorities: maintaining a growth strategy that flexes with world events; recruiting and retaining the strongest roster of talent available; and creating a work environment in which that talent thrives in order to serve clients. She takes personal development seriously, ensuring she constantly pushes herself as well as the team. It’s not unusual to find her fasting, marathon-training, or traveling to a less-than-typical “vacation” location to stretch herself. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
