Clay Croom
An experienced consumer marketing strategist and negotiator, Clay brings over
thirty years of experience in sales, marketing, strategic planning, distribution
and operations. His experience includes leadership positions at Xerox Corpora-
tion, The Coca-Cola Company, and ITT Industries. He has a strong and proven
track record in the area of business development and developing new product
launches and expanding them through extensive distribution systems. He has
successfully built and maintained an impressive client base with companies
such as The Coca-Cola Company, McDonald’s Corporation, Turner Sports, and
AT&T just to name a few. Additionally, Clay has extensive experience in
negotiating national and international properties such as NASCAR, and the
Olympic Games. Clay is an accomplished lecturer and taught graduate-level
classes in Sales Management, Retail Development and Brand Marketing at
Clark Atlanta University.
Clay received an MBA in Finance and Logistics from Clark Atlanta University
and has a B.S. degree in Marketing from Cheyney University
Rodney Northern
Rodney is a proven marketer specializing in business development for Fortune
200 companies. His experience includes leadership positions at SC Johnson,
Tyson Foods Inc, Miller Brewing Company, the Clorox Company and The
Coca-Cola Company. Rodney has spent considerable time designing new
products, processes and testing methodologies, resulting in successful new
product launches in diverse product categories. He also brings considerable
experience in consumer segmentation including marketing and business
development efforts for the African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Boomers,
Gen X and Y consumers.
Rodney received an MBA in Corporate Finance & Marketing Management from
the University of Southern California and has a B.S. degree in Economics from
University of California at Riverside.
Jeffri Epps
As a strategic marketer Jeffri’s 20 year career has enabled her to work with
businesses from Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurial start-ups and
multi-nationals. She has held leadership positions in marketing companies
such as The Coca-Cola Company, Chupa Chups USA, W H Smith and Ralston
Purina. Jeffri brandishes a significant experience in development and
execution of new product & services .
Jeffri received an MBA in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University, Magna
Cum Laude. She also has B.S. degree in Finance and Minor in Economics from
Georgetown University.
Tyrone Tubbs
Tyrone is a seasoned marketing expert in media, sports marketing, branding
and market activation. Tyrone is a proven leader at taking brands and
strategically activating them in the marketplace. He is a global veteran of
Clear Channel Radio, Churchill Downs, Major League Baseball, The Coca-Cola
Company, Miller Brewing Company, Disney and Pepsi Co, Tyrone has led the
development and market execution of such properties as the Miller Lite AVP
tour, the Bayou classic, SWAC Conference Tournaments, MEAC Conference
Tournaments, HBCU Homecoming Classics, 1996 Olympics, Washington
Wizards, Redskins and Baltimore Orioles and Ravens, Boston Red Sox, Celtics
and The Boston Marathon and many others.
Tyrone has an MBA in marketing from Northwestern University, and an BS in
Finance from the University of Texas, Arlington.
Stephanie Thompson Harris
Stephanie is a veteran marketer specializing in strategic development,
branding, and program implementation. Stephanie brings extensive experience
in managing product launches, and developing acquisition and retention
strategies across several industries including packaged goods, transportation,
financial services and telecommunications. Her experience includes marketing
leadership positions at Sara Lee Corporation, UPS, Bellsouth, and Assurant.
Stephanie also brings several years experience as marketing consultant to
small businesses.
Stephanie received an MBA in Marketing from Wake Forest University and a
B.A in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Bianca J. Shelby, MBA, PMP
Bianca is an experienced project management consultant, IT expert, author, educator and highly sought-after public
speaker with over 15 years of corporate business. Bianca has managed numerous multi-million dollar applications
development engagements and directed multiple projects for both domestic and international corporations. Her services
are often sought after to assess a company’s business, marketing and IT strategies in order to provide end-to-end
solutions that achieve exceptional business results.
Bianca is a results-oriented professional with proven abilities in enterprise project management, managing multiple
projects, building client relationships, team building and managing cross-functional, cross cultural and virtual teams.
She is experienced in leading IT, operations and business process improvement efforts while managing both client and
offshore project teams throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
Bianca’s area of expertise is supporting new product development using agile development and launching high traffic
interactive consumer marketing websites (> 1 million unique visitors/day) to support a product’s digital marketing
strategy. She has also managed e-commerce back-end development, supported tentpole events with spiky traffic from
on-air throws and implemented web 2.0 improvements.
Bianca’s work has taken her to three European countries where she worked with individuals from over 26 nations
around the world. Her innovative thinking and deep understanding of the marketing and technology sectors has
attracted a blue chip employer and client and list that includes Viacom - MTV Networks, Time Warner - Turner
Broadcasting, The Coca-Cola Company, IBM, The Limited, Verizon, General Motors and many more.
Bianca earned the Project Management Professional (PMP) designation nearly 10 years ago from the Project
Management Institute (PMI), an international organization promoting the advancement of the project management
profession. She also served on the Board of Directors, VP of Programs for the Central Ohio PMI chapter for two years.
Ms. Shelby often speaks, provides training and coaches on project management.
Bianca graduated with honors with an MBA degree from Clark Atlanta University and received a B.S. in Electrical
Engineering from Tennessee State University.
Mary-Ellen Loveless
Mary-Ellen Loveless is a veteran of over twenty five years of strategic brand
and media development with some of the nation’s leading advertising and
marketing agencies.
She has worked with a roster of national consumer and healthcare clients such
as CIBA Vision, Dean Foods, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus,
DuPont, Solvay Pharmaceuticals and Central Garden and Pet
She also has an extensive background in broadcasting and broadcast marketing
including being part of the management team that branded and launched
College Television Network.
Mary-Ellen has a B.S. in journalism from the University of Tennessee/Knoxville.
Joyce McGriff
Joyce has over 25 years of solid practitioner marketing skills specializing in
brand and consumer development and marketing research. She has served
in various product and brand marketing management and research positions
at Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Coca-Cola Company, M & M Products
Company. Joyce has conducted and managed well over 900 focus groups and
in-depth interviews and quantitative studies for a number of package goods
manufacturers of health and beauty aids, food and beverages, financial services,
automotive products, media and health care services. Her experience includes
quantitative research studies such as attitude and usage studies, database
analysis and development, taste testing, concept testing, package design,
life style, consumer values, ethnographic studies pre and post advertising
effectiveness studies. This base of studies have enhanced her skill set to include
online studies, research needs assessment, study and questionnaire design,
project scheduling and management, field supervision and training, data
collection and quality assurance, data tabulation, analysis and report writing.
Joyce’s background includes a MBA in Marketing from Atlanta University
(now Clark Atlanta University). She has a Ph.D. in Marketing and Consumer
Behavior from the University of Cincinnati.