FEATURED PRESENTERS FOR 2008 ANNUAL SUMMIT
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
MICHELLE RENEE BROWN
President, Catalyst Enterprises InternationalBiography: Dr. Michelle R. Brown, Founder and President of Catalyst Enterprises International, has been involved with the design and implementation of ground-breaking professional and personal development programs for over 15 years. Prior to the launch of Catalyst Enterprises International in 2006, Dr. Brown worked with groups and individuals in the United States, Asia, Europe, Australia, Central America and Africa in the area of resource management, organizational and personal development. Based in Delaware, she conducts seminars and development programs for corporations, nonprofit organizations, churches, foundations, government agencies, associations, colleges and schools.
Working with management and staff at all levels of an organization, Dr. Brown has facilitated the development of strategic and business plans, implemented mechanisms to improve cycle time and internal communications. Her expertise has groomed executives, managers, supervisors and leaders through corporate coaching for their new and diverse roles. Dr. Brown’s thinking style assists organizations in recognizing and breaking through existing paradigms, solving recurrent problems and generating non-traditional approaches to working through difficult situations. She understands the distinction between simply conducting "training sessions" and facilitating meetings with potentially complex subject matter. A significant part of her accomplishments includes the facilitating of hundreds of development programs and seminars, ranging from small groups to 400 people per session.
Dr. Brown’s corporate experience began with E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. One of her key assignments was Strategic Resource Demand Manager. In this role, Dr. Brown was responsible for capacity planning and forecasting resources needed to complete global projects. Additional responsibilities included training personnel in project management principles and software using Six Sigma Methodology. Under her leadership, businesses successfully implemented new processes, streamlined and improved capacity planning in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia. She also served as Global Strategic Buyer where she led teams in the development and execution of procurement strategies supporting Research and Development worldwide. Dr. Brown worked closely with departments to support current and future business trends with oversight of a 50 million USD budget annually.
Dr. Brown’s diverse background is the foundation for her work. Her understanding of multiple industries and appreciation of diverse work cultures help her to guide people in a positive direction and improve their business and personal skills. She is high energy and effective facilitator on the topics of Leadership, Change, Strategic Thinking, Diversity, Goal Achievement and Life Balance.
With a sincere passion for giving back to the community, in 2000 Dr. Brown launched World Changers Empowerment Center (WCEC). This non-profit organization is committed to the personal development of young women through instruction in practical leadership skills with emphasis on strong moral values. World Changers Empowerment Center motivates and challenges young women to look beyond the limitations of their present world and apply basic principles in order to "change their world." The programs administered through WCEC have impacted the lives of young women in the U.S, Kenya, Uganda, Australia and Solomon Islands. She is also one of the founding members of the Delaware Youth Leadership Academy (DYLA). DYLA is a community organization committed to developing youth in the areas of goal setting, citizenship, communication and community service.
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JAMES L COLLINS
Success CoachBiographical Sketch: James Collins is the Director of the Division of Professional Regulation within the Delaware Department of State. He brings a wealth of experience from his diverse professional background which began in the United States Air Force. Following nearly nine years of service in the military, he served the State of Delaware as the Deputy Fleet Administrator. With a keen interest in leadership, training and consulting, James went on to serve as a consultant with MAXIMUS, Inc. where his clientele included Pepsi Bottling Group, United States Marine Corp, and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
James is also a motivational speaker, life coach and founder of Principle Insights Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping individuals, families and organizations to achieve success. James inspires and successfully impacts many through his creative and humorous presentations and workshops on topics such as customer service, leadership, time management, goal setting, career coaching and personal finance. He also assists organizations to navigate the seemingly difficult tasks of strategic planning and business process analysis.
James completed undergraduate studies at Wesley College and obtained his Masters in Managing Innovation and Information Technology from Champlain College. His most important accomplishments and continuing duties are being a husband to his wife Sharon, a father to his daughter Taylor and a minister at his church for over thirteen years.
