SPEAKERS
Financial Business Seminar
Donald Ray Lamar, MBA
With over 20 years of practical executive and entrepreneurial leadership, Donald Lamar brings a wealth of experience to organizations, businesses, and institutions by defining, coaching, and guiding them to reach goals and other key measure of success leveraging a unique combination of technical and strategic abilities.
Currently, Donald serves as the Director of Entrepreneurial services & Area Director for the UGA SBDC Morehouse College office serving the West end, Metro Atlanta, and Fulton County. In this role, Donald is charged with its mission to drive direct impact by providing sustainable resources to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and business owners one business at a time.
Prior to joining UGA SBDC Morehouse center, Donald worked as a senior business consultant with the SBDC at Georgia State University. Additionally, Donald co-founded Drayton, Drayton & Lamar Inc.(www.ddlinc.com), as well as, owned, managed, and operated businesses in the technology, restaurant (i.e., Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint franchisee), and management consulting industries. Other notable contributions and experiences showcases his work as a senior business consultant for countless small business across the nation applying his knowledge of industry specializations in government contracting, systems integration, and general business management to include working for well-known large businesses like McDonnell Aircraft Company and General Dynamics Corporation
Mr. Lamar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from PVAMU and an Executive MBA from GSU’s Robinson College of Business. Additional certifications earned from Emory University in Big Data Analytics, as well as, involvement/memberships in several charitable organizations and industry groups.
Carina Gibbs, CPA
Carina began her CPA career at Rodl & Partner, Atlanta, Real Estate and Tax Division. She later spent time privately consulting and providing accounting and tax services to small businesses before joining Aprio (formerly Habif, Arogeti & Wynne CPA Firm) working as senior staff in the medical group. In 2005 Carina joined Coro Realty Advisors, LLC as Controller & HR Manager for 10 years. Coro Realty Advisors is an Atlanta, GA based full-service real estate investment & asset management company providing real estate acquisition, disposition, development & construction, asset & property management, leasing & marketing, and accounting & financial services for commercial and residential real estate holdings. During her time at Coro, their portfolio was in excess of 55 assets under management throughout the South Eastern states. Carina is currently Chief Financial Officer & HR Director for Beautiful Smiles Dental Centers, Beautiful Smiles Orthodontics, Trinity Pediatric Medicine & Dental, and Trinity Business Management, Inc. Beautiful Smiles Dental Centers and its Affiliates are a group of 5 offices located through-out South Fulton and Fayette counties.
Eric Kim
Eric Kim is the founder and principal consultant of EK Digital, a company that empowers small businesses in the Metro Atlanta area to communicate their unique narratives and promote their brand through the utilization of technology. He is passionate about dispelling the misconception that technology diminishes the human element, and equipping small businesses to be MORE human. He helps people communicate to their audience as the most effective way to promote business. Starting with storytelling on social media, Eric's passion is to help small businesses tell their stories in the most impactful ways possible to build intrigue, then craft digital sales structures and ultimately create impactful businesses. Eric draws from his diverse digital marketing experiences across various industries, including real estate, construction, medical, and finance.
Cheryl Smith, MPA
Cheryl Smith is the CEO of Dewlyn Nonprofit Services, a Metro Atlanta-based nonprofit consulting firm, where she helps US nonprofit organizations build sustainability through training, coaching, and grant-writing.
She is also the author of the book, “21 Ways to Fund a Nonprofit,” she’s a member of the American Grant Writers' Association; the only nonprofit trainer for SCORE serving the North Metro Atlanta Counties; and, a guest speaker/trainer for Point University and the Cobb Collaborative.
Originally from Michigan, Cheryl earned her Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and went on to complete her Master's Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Administration from Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
As a champion for the nonprofit community, Cheryl trains hundreds of nonprofit organizations each year, and she has successfully secured millions of dollars in government and private foundation grants for organizations that she has aligned with. Broadly, Cheryl’s specialty is building capacity in people and organizations, helping each to reach their highest and best potential.
Paul Wilson, Jr.
Paul Wilson, Jr. is an innovative and effective entrepreneurial leader with 20 years of experience creating and delivering high caliber consulting and training solutions to small businesses, corporations, non-profits, and professionals at all levels. He has extensive industry experience that spans leadership roles in small business development, community development, supply chain management, and supplier diversity. His expertise includes strategic planning, operational planning, leadership development, digital media, government and corporate contracting, and curriculum design and development.
Paul is currently the Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE). RICE is a business generator serving metro Atlanta, created to support Black entrepreneurs in overcoming the unique barriers they face in building thriving businesses. At 54,000 square feet, RICE is the largest center of its kind in the United States.
Previously Paul served as the Area Director of the UGA Small Business Development Center at Georgia State University. In that role he successfully led a dynamic team that provided consulting services, business solutions, educational training, and market research to startup, growing, and established small businesses that helped them achieve their short and long-term goals.
During his entrepreneurial journey, Paul leveraged his Master of Science in Organizational Management and Bachelor of Business in Supply Chain Management to impact several industries and organizations across the United States. Some of his previous client engagements include Southern Company, Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC), Nevada Energy, Vectren, Louisville Gas & Electric, AEP, Edison Electric Institute, Indiana Utility Association, Utility Purchasing Management Group, and NFL teams, including San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, and Minnesota Vikings.
He is a passionate champion for minority business development, expansion, and retention in the metro Atlanta region and beyond, and has built strong partnerships and collaborations with several small business development organizations. Additionally, he enjoys using his multi-media talents and skills to create digital content that informs, inspires, and challenges entrepreneurs and leaders to pursue their maximum potential.
Paul’s has been married to his wife, Shawnice, for 21 years, and they have been blessed with four amazing children.
Orlando Nelson, Sr.
For the past 19 years, Orlando Nelson, Sr. has been teaching at universities, colleges, technical schools, and churches all over the country about living the corporate lifestyle and how to build a business financial resume. He is a subject matter expert in what everyone calls Business Credit. He has helped build Business Credit Profiles for 1000 clients over the 19 years that he's been doing this business. He has helped companies get loans, equipment, lines of credit or just regular things that they need to run and operate their business and not always have to use their personal credit to do so. To use these processes, procedures, and principles that have been around for over 100 years, we can build wealth generational wealth.
