Fearless Fundraising for Your Small Business - Valdosta

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. 

Director of Business Development for the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce

Tim, the Director of Business Development for the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, is a 20-year honorably retired veteran of the U.S. Air Force. Tim’s leadership skills were honed during his six-year tenure at the Georgia Veterans Education Career Transition Resource (VECTR) Center, where he served as the Director for the SBA’s Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC). In this role, he was responsible for delivering the SBA’s Boots-to-Business program at the 13 military installations in Georgia and South Carolina, managing a team of four to assist transitioning active-duty members, veterans, guards, reservists, and their spouses desiring to start, grow, and expand a business. His experience as a business owner and entrepreneur, with a background in real estate, mortgage finance, and teaching, further underscores his leadership abilities. He and his wife opened a real estate company in 2004, and he worked in mortgage finance for two years and in the Technical College System of Georgia for over ten years. He is currently a doctoral student at Liberty University.

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, UGA Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University 

Alyssa Foskey serves as a business consultant for the UGA Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University. She joined the Valdosta team in 2019 with 20+ years of customer service experience and 11+ years of contract training that includes customization and instruction in business management.

Additionally, Alyssa has specialized knowledge of the childcare industry and is active with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) and many other childcare organizations. She holds a certification for DECAL as a Specialty Trainer. She has a knowledge base in logistics and transportation from her time at Southeastern Freight Lines. 

Lastly, she received the Flewellen Award for Consulting Excellence in 2023

Co-founder and Director of Business Development at Georgia Beer Company

Chris Jones is the Co-founder and Director of Business Development at Georgia Beer Company, a production brewery and taproom in Valdosta. Under Chris’ guidance, Georgia Beer Co. has quadrupled its production capacity since opening in 2019, distributing its products throughout the State of Georgia and into North Florida. Chris advocates for all breweries in the Peach State with his efforts on the Georgia Craft Brewer’s Guild, of which he is the current President of the Board of Directors. In addition to manning the helm of one of Georgia’s most influential breweries and guiding his industry’s statewide association, Chris serves in the United States Coast Guard Reserves as a Chief Warrant Officer, with over 21 years of service across multiple deployments, the most recent of which was to Baltimore, Maryland for several months in response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster. Chris has a passion for his local community. He is currently serving his second term on the Valdosta – Lowndes Tourism Authority Board of Directors, where he is Chairman of the Marketing Committee.

Commercial Loan Officer for ACE- Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs South Georgia

Chanel, the Commercial Loan Officer for ACE- Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs South Georgia, is also the founder of Beautiful Creations by Chanel, a local 501(c)(3). Graduating from Albany State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing in 2010, she furthered her education with a Master of Business Administration in 2014 and a Master of Accounting and Financial Management with an Emphasis in Certified Public Accountant in 2017 from DeVry’s Keller Graduate School of Management. With over a decade in the banking industry, Chanel is an accomplished professional.

Actively involved in community service, she holds the position of Vice President for the Valdosta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., serving from 2024 to 2026. Previously, she served as the Charter Protocol Chair from 2022 to 2024. Additionally, she's an alumna of the Class of 2022 South Georgia Leads and the inaugural Class of 2023-2024 South Georgia Women’s Leadership Initiative. Currently, she's participating in the Leadership Lowndes Class of 2024 and the Georgia Forward Young Gamechangers Class of 2024. Chanel has received numerous accolades, including the 2015 American Red Cross of South GA Community Heroes Award, the 2023 PepsiCo Stronger Together Community Service Award, and the 2023 Kappa Eta Omega Chapter Female Entrepreneur-Black Business Change maker, among others. Recognized for her impact, she was awarded 2023 Southern Georgia Black Chamber Non-Profit of the Year and 2023 Young Professionals of the year for Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce.

Vice President of Business Services, First Commerce Credit Union

Steven Reynolds currently serves as the Vice President of Business Services at First Commerce Credit Union, a $1 Billion financial institution based out of Tallahassee, FL. He is responsible for all commercial lending activities in North Florida and South Georgia while also overseeing lending operations in the region. He has over 20 years of executive leadership experience in credit administration and commercial lending. Prior to joining First Commerce, he served as Market President with two large financial institutions where he helped drive millions of dollars in new deposit and loan growth. He holds an MBA from Brenau University and a BS in Finance and Accounting from Troy University.