Fearless Fundraising for Your Small Business - Albany

Moderator
Donna Lowry is an award-winning journalist who combines a passion for storytelling and a desire to empower others with communication and critical thinking skills surrounding political, educational, and financial  issues.

Through her firm, Donna Lowry Communications, she provides consulting, writing, and producing services for educational, media, professional, and business outlets.

Donna serves as host/producer for several programs, including Lawmakers on Georgia Public Broadcasting. 

Donna is an eight-time Emmy award winner, a three-time national Gabriel Award recipient, and has garnered honors from countless organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists, Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, Georgia Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE). 

Her media peers inducted Donna into the prestigious NATAS Southeast Silver Circle to recognize her lasting contributions to the broadcast industry.  

Donna has a master's in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor's in Mass Communications and Administration and Management from Chatham University. 

Her professional affiliations include the Atlanta Press Club, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Southeastern Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS SE).    

In her 15th year as a Girl Scout Leader, Donna has led girls ranging in age from kindergarten through 12th grade. Her community service affiliations also include Magnolia (GA) Chapter of Links, Inc., and Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.     

Donna and her husband, Army Major (Ret) Bennet W. Reid, Jr., are the parents of three daughters. 

President/CEO, Better Business Bureau Serving the Fall Line Corridor

Kelvin Collins is the President/CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving the Fall Line Corridor. Kelvin oversees 77 counties in East Alabama, West Georgia, Southwest Georgia, Central Georgia, East Georgia and Western South Carolina. Kelvin began his career with the BBB of North Alabama (Huntsville, AL) in June 1996. In July 1999,

Kelvin moved to Jackson, MS to serve as Vice President of the BBB of Mississippi. In April of 2002, Kelvin was named President of the BBB of Central Georgia serving 25 counties in Central Georgia. In the fall of 2004, the BBB of Central Georgia was granted an additional 16 counties in the Augusta and Aiken, SC area thus becoming the Better Business Bureau of Central Georgia and the CSRA, Inc. In November 2016, Kelvin was asked to serve as Interim CEO of the BBB in Columbus, GA and facilitate a merger of the two BBBs. The merger became final in January 2017 and is now known as the BBB serving the Fall Line Corridor.

During his career with the BBB, Kelvin has been active in Rotary, Kiwanis, Toastmasters International and has served on many civic and non-profit boards. Kelvin enjoys his position with the BBB because it allows him to provide hands-on assistance to the members of his community who are the most vulnerable to being exploited by unethical business practices. 

Some of Kelvin’s activities include:

• Graduate of Leadership Macon
• Member of the Downtown Macon Rotary Club
• Appointed as a Local Draft Board Member for the US Selective Service System
• A regular guest consumer correspondent for 13 WMAZ, Fox 24/ABC16, WLTZ, WRBL, WTVM, The Telegraph, The Augusta Chronicle and numerous community newspapers.
• Contributions to stories featured on Dateline NBC, The Today Show, NBC News, CNN Headline News and Smart Money Magazine
• Past-Governor of the Southeastern Region of Better Business Bureaus

Kelvin regularly conducts seminars and outreach presentations to business and consumer groups on various consumer fraud issues. Kelvin and his wife Susan have been married for 33 years and have two sons, Bradley age 30 and Brennan age 27. They currently reside in Bibb County, Georgia where they are spoiling their first grandchild, Carter, age 2.

Founder & CEO, Finance Savvy CEO™ and creator of Your Profit Playbook™

Marguerite, a former Wall Street financial analyst, business strategist, and top ranked business money expert, was named Atlanta’s 40 Under 40 by Atlanta Business Chronicle, co-authored “Girl Power Uncensored” with her chapter “From Wall Street To Helping Main Street”, is an accredited angel investor, host of the podcast “Finance Savvy CEO”, the creator of Your Profit Playbook® - the leading business financial planning training program for small business owners, and Founder & CEO of financesavvyceo.com.  Marguerite spent the early stages of her career as a senior analyst at Goldman Sachs, controlling an over $2 billion portfolio of private equity, alternative energy, and commercial real estate investments. She transitioned after business school at the NYU Stern School of Business into a successful career in Mergers & Acquisitions as a Manager at Deloitte Consulting, advising Fortune 500 companies through the full deal cycle from target screening, deal structuring, valuations, and due diligence, all the way through day 1 readiness and post-merger implementations. Marguerite continued to push the ceiling when she sought to make wedding planning less stressful and more fun for brides by creating Tulle la la, a global retail technology company that combines technology with a project management-based approach to wedding planning. In 2018, Tulle la la won the modern luxury diamond award for Best Wedding Technology. Marguerite had a successful exit from the company within 5 years, and today, Tulle la la continues to serve thousands of brides across the globe each year. Marguerite now focuses her attention on her EdTech FinTech platform, Finance Savvy CEO, created to help close the gender & racial wealth gap by focusing on profitable entrepreneurship. Finance Savvy CEO supports business owners on an ongoing basis, through programming and members-only access, to increase the financial health of their business and intentionally create long-term organic financial sustainability. Marguerite is passionate about building generational wealth through entrepreneurship and is always excited to help entrepreneurs navigate their pathway to profitability.

Area Director, Albany UGA SBDC 

Nema Etheridge joined the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center in 2021 with more than 15 years’ experience working with Georgia small businesses. Prior to joining the SBDC, she served as the marketing director for a Georgia-based coffee company that serves customers in wholesale and e-commerce settings. Prior to that, she worked as an international business reporter in metro Atlanta. Over the years, Nema has worked in a variety of roles in small business, gaining experience in branding, communications, digital marketing, management, and strategic planning. She has a BA from McGill University, an MPA Georgia State University and an MBA from Georgia Southwestern State University.

Vice President – Commercial Lender, Flint Community Bank

Taylor Jenkins has been with Flint Community Bank since 2015.  Taylor is a native of Southwest Georgia, alumnus of Lee County High School and Darton State College.  He is passionate about community banking and believes strongly in taking an active role in improving his community.  He has previously served on the Flint River Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, The Home Builders Association of Albany and SWGA’s Board, the Artesian City Sertoma Club’s Board, and The ARC of Southwest Georgia’s Board of Directors.  In addition to those civic organizations, he is a graduate of the 2020 Class of Leadership Lee, a graduate of the 2022 Class Leadership Albany, and an Honor Graduate of the 2024 Graduating Class of the Georgia Bankers Associations’ Georgia Banking School at the University of Georgia.  Taylor is also a graduate of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia’s Consumer & Commercial Banking Schools and a graduate of the CBA of Georgia’s Inaugural Community Banking Leadership Academy. 

Taylor is currently serving as the Chair of The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s Investor Engagement Committee, Executive Board Member & Sponsorship Chair for Leadership Albany, and a Program Advisor for Flint Community Bank’s Junior Board of Directors.  Taylor loves traveling, attending concerts, reading books, and learning something new.  When not in the office, you can most often find him spending time at the lake with his wife, their son, and his family and friends. 

South Georgia Regional Director, ACE – Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs

Tommie Beth Willis, South Georgia Director of ACE – Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, was born and raised in Colquitt County and resides in Moultrie, GA. Prior to joining ACE, she served as President/CEO of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce from 2016-2023. In addition to her work in community development, Willis has 30+ years of marketing experience and 20 years of business management experience. Tommie Beth serves on the Boys & Girls Club Moultrie-Colquitt County Board of Directors, Southern Regional Technical College Marketing Program Advisory Committee, and represents Colquitt County on the Southwest Georgia Workforce Development Board

CEO, O'Neal's Consulting & Training Services

Ava O’Neal Wilson is a native of Albany, GA. She is an honor graduate of Monroe Comprehensive High. Upon graduating from high school, she attended Darton College on a Miss Albany scholarship and earned her associate degree in business administration. She then attended Albany State University and graduated Cum Laude, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2003. After graduation, she began working for one of the top 100 Accounting Firms, Mauldin & Jenkins CPA. After working for two years in public accounting, she worked for the next six years as an accounting manager for a commercial business in Americus, GA. In 2010, I began working as the accounting manager for the City of Albany’s Treasury division.  In 2013, she transitioned to the Dougherty County School System as a Financial/Budget Analyst. In 2017, she was nominated by Mr. Kenneth Dyer, Superintendent of the Dougherty County School System, to participate in Leadership Albany. That year, she was also chosen by Rural Leader Magazine’s “40 under 40”.  She is a member of The Albany Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, AICPA, Southwest Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce, Southern Georgia Black Chambers, Inc., and a board member of the Albany Chamber of Commerce. 

In 2002, she founded O'Neal’s Consulting & Training Services.  She offered the following services to her clients: preparing annual financial statements, workforce development classes, FDIC Money Smart Classes for youth and adults, grants management, data analysis, full-service payroll, financial workshops, implementing purchasing card policies and internal audits, managing fixed assets and depreciation schedules, and preparing individual, corporate and non-profit tax returns. 

She has over 22 years of accounting experience and facilitating training, 14 years in governmental accounting, six years in commercial accounting, and two years in public accounting. She is solid in creating, evaluating, and improving accounting systems and processes to maximize efficiency. One notable accomplishment is researching and implementing the City of Albany’s current Occupational Tax software and process, including designing the current license.

In addition to her accounting career, Ava was introduced to the Miss America Scholarship Program in 1996 while a freshman at Albany State University. During her six years of pageantry, she held the titles of Miss Blue & Gold 1998, Miss Central Georgia 2000 (the first black woman to hold this title), Miss Heart of Georgia 2001, and Miss Albany 2002. During her years of service, she was the official spokesperson for the Albany Boys & Girls Clubs, which embodies over 3,000 children in southwest Georgia. For her community service, she received the “Outstanding Georgia Citizen Award,” issued by former Secretary of State Cathy Cox. 

In December 2015, she founded the Miss Deborah Women’s Scholarship Pageant to give young ladies a platform to share their God-given talent, inner and physical beauty, and community service efforts with the world while earning scholarships for college and more! In the unique year of the nation enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, the Miss Deborah Women’s Scholarship Pageant showed its resiliency. In 2020, the Miss Deborah Women’s Scholarship Pageant was, for the first time, an online virtual pageant experience. The pageant has awarded almost $23,000 in college scholarships and awards.