• Michelle Prosser is Manager of Training and Development for Lumos Networks. Lumos Networks has corporate offices in Waynesboro and is a fiber-based service provider in the Mid-Atlantic region that provides leading-edge data, broadband, voice and IP services over an expanding fiber optic network.
For ten years, Prosser served as President of Energy Focus Coaching and Consulting. She holds an M.A. in communication studies from the University of Virginia, certification in a communications styles assessment and life purpose process, and is a trained coach through Success Unlimited Network and Corporate Coach U International. She also holds APR certification from the Public Relations Society of America.
She received the 2008 Leadership Award for her service on the Board of Directors of Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) and served as emcee and co-chair for the 2010 CBIC Innovation Awards Gala. Prosser is a coordinator for the Charlottesville Company of Friends and former chair of Charlottesville Coaching Chapter. She is currently working on a book on teambuilding.
• Bernard D. Whitsett, II has been in the investment industry since 1981. He began his career as a money market trader and government securities sales representative at Continental Bank in Chicago, Illinois. In 1983, he became the Underwriting Manager and Head of the Government Agency Bond Trading Desk for Harris Government Securities, Inc. Several years later, Bernard moved to New York City to serve as Vice President and Federal Agency Trader/Underwriting Manager at DLJ Securities Corporation.
Following his tenure at DLJ Securities, Bernard became the Principal/Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for Prudential Fixed Income's Taxable Short-Term Team, where he was directly responsible for the management of taxable short-term bonds and money markets funds totaling more than $15 billion. And for his outstanding leadership in both business and community service, Bernard received the coveted Career Focus Eagle Award from the National Eagle Leadership Institute. The following year, in 2004, he received the Money Fund Report's Top Manager Award for achieving the highest returns for 2003 in the Government Assets of less than $1 Billion category.
In 2005, Bernard became a consultant for Paradigm Consulting Firm, LLC where he advised clients on a variety of investment options. He later went on to become a financial advisor for MorganStanley SmithBarney’s Wealth Management Division.
Most recently, he teamed up with a fellow University of Virginia alum to identify and pursue entrepreneurial business opportunities in the Washington, DC/Virginia areas.
Bernard received a B.A. in Economics and Religious Studies from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, and a MBA in Finance and Managerial Economics from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
In 2009, Bernard returned to his hometown of Charlottesville after being away for 30 years. He is the proud father of three young men, Bernard DePriest III, Jackson Lightfoot, and Neal Easton. Bernard is the President & CEO of Legacy Asset Management Board, LLC, an investment/financial consulting firm he founded in 2008.
• James P. Cox, III practices in the areas of estate planning & administration, estate litigation, and real estate. He has been with the firm since he began practicing law in 1983. His areas of practice include estate planning and administration, real estate, and litigation and court proceedings relating to estate matters. He received a B.A. summa cum laude from Duke University in 1980 and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1983. He is a member of the American & Virginia Bar Associations, Virginia State Bar, Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association, Duke University Estate Planning Council, Central Virginia Estate Planning Council, and Phi Beta Kappa.
He is presently the Chairman and member of the Council and Legislative Committee of the Wills, Trusts and Estates Section of the Virginia Bar Association. He was the President of the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association for 2009-2010 and is the current Chairman of the Real Estate Committee of the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association. He is a frequent lecturer in continuing legal education programs and since 1993 has been the author of the annual supplements to the four-volume treatise, Harrison on Wills and Administration in Virginia and West Virginia, published by the Michie Company, now LexisNexis. He is also the editor and contributing author to the Virginia CLE publication, Estate and Trust Administration in Virginia, first published in 1997. He is named in the current edition of the Best Lawyers in America, in both Trusts and Estates and Real Estate Law.
• Beth Roireau has spent 26 years in the financial services industry, and is a seasoned professional who has extensive experience advising and funding high growth companies. She is eager to assist clients in making life-changing financial decisions. After graduating from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance, she began her career in financial services. Beth combined her facility with numbers and the desire to help entrepreneurs’ grow successful businesses by joining a leading commercial bank. She continued to expand her skills with a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California and acquired a specialty in capitalizing and growing technology and life science businesses which she pursued for two decades by financing and advising technology executives and investors. She elected to broaden her passion for helping clients accomplish their financial goals by becoming a personal financial advisor.
Committed to long term relationships and striving to deliver exceptional client service, Beth listens carefully to her clients’ goals, values, aspirations and concerns; then works attentively to help them achieve their financial objectives. In 2001, she moved to Charlottesville from California to marry her husband, Alan, and together they have one active teenager.
• Corbin Hargraves serves as a Licensed Financial/Mortgage Consultant for The Providence Group of Virginia. He has extensive financial expertise and specializes in assisting professionals plan for the future as well as assisting clients from all walks of life secure financing for homes. In addition to his various roles at The Providence Group, he also has his own financial radio talk show every Tuesday morning at 8:30 am called Money Matters, where he provides weekly financial tips to the listening audience of 92.7 Kiss FM in Charlottesville, VA.
Corbin earned his degree in Business Management and a minor in Marketing from the Pamplin School of Business at Virginia Tech. While at Virginia Tech, he developed a passion for always giving back to his community by serving as a volunteer for The Salvation Army, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and a mentor at the local high schools.
With over 8 years of experience in the financial services industry, Corbin has earned the following designations and licenses: Series 6/63/ Life, Health, & Annuities licenses/ National & Virginia Mortgage licenses.
• Sharon Drake Petro, Ph.D., Performance Coach for sport, business and balance, is the Founder and Director of Head Coaching. She draws on decades of experience to help performers in sport and business gain the Mental Advantage. She has a rich and diverse background as an athlete, teacher, counselor, coach and business professional. Dr. Petro created Head Coaching in 1998 to share her passion for sport and performance psychology with others. She has developed several strategies to assist her clients in breaking down their ultimate goal of peak performance into smaller achievable steps. Her method of asking the right questions helps them become more aware of how their thinking affects their performance.
Dr. Petro earned her Ph.D. in applied sport psychology with Dr. Bob Rotella at the University of Virginia. In addition, she received her training as a Professional Counselor at the Curry School. She was on the faculty at both the Curry School and the University Counseling Center. Additionally, she holds an M.S. and B.S. in Health and Physical Education and an M.S. in Administration. She is the creator of “The WIN Method: A Model for Optimal Performance” and is the author of The Tennis Drill Book.
Dr. Petro enjoys teaching the mental skills used by elite athletes for peak performance to individuals in a variety of situations. She works with those in sport, business, the performing arts, and everyday life.
• Dr. Dolly Garnecki is the founder & president at Spinal Health & Wellness. In that role, she provides chiropractic and wellness care for people of all ages; she teaches doctors how to provide rehabilitative scoliosis treatment, and she treats patients from all over the world.
Dr. Garnecki received the inaugural C'Ville Entremom of the Year award in 2010. A decorated Air Force veteran who served during the Persian Gulf and Iraq wars, her business garnered the SCORE Foundation's Outstanding Veteran-Owned Small Business award in 2011. She was the only American doctor invited to lecture on Scoliosis Rehabilitation at the “Latest Diagnosis and Rehabilitation Technologies of Spinal and Related Diseases” at Shanghai, China's Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in 2011.
Interviewed as a spinal expert in the chapter “Bowling with a Bad Back” and “Taking Care of Your Spine” in the book Bowling for Dummies, she's also the primary author in a case study “Improvement in urinary incontinence in a cerebral palsy patient following chiropractic care” published in a peer-reviewed journal. She's also the editor of two blogs: Traveling with Baby--healthy and intentional parenting for mod moms, and informative posts that revolve around health and wellness are featured on the Spinal Health & Wellness blog. Her essays on spirituality and womanhood in the military have been published in in the books Heart of a Military Woman and Your Mother Wears Combat Boots: Humorous, Harrowing, and Heartwarming Stories of Military Women. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband and son, and her family is n the process of adopting a special-needs daughter from China.
• Dr. Pamela Andrea Ross is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine & Pediatrics at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, VA. She has been a distinguished member of the UVA School of Medicine faculty for 15 years. She had served the institution and community in various capacities and is a distinguished diplomate of the Leadership in Academic Medicine Faculty Leadership Program. Currently, she serves as a member of the UVA Compassionate Care Council, an advising member of the Professional Advisory Group for UVA Hospital Chaplaincy Department, and Chair of the Minority Recruitment Task Force, which was created to promote the importance of minority participation in clinical trials.
A native of Decatur, Tennessee - Dr. Ross graduated Magna Cum Laude as a William E. Brock Scholar from University of Tennessee @ Chattanooga and received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. She completed a residency in Emergency Medicine and a Fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Ross was one of 150 physicians across the nation receiving special invitation from President Barack Obama to the White House Rose Garden in October 2009 when he presented "Doctors for Health Care Reform" to the Nation. She was later selected to be one of the physicians highlighted in a television documentary entitled “A Tale of Two Systems: Following a Healthcare Revolution”.
Dedicated and committed to community service, Dr. Ross has served on various community service and non-profit Boards. This includes, but is not limited to, her work as ambassador to Sisters Conquering Cancer, a locally organized corporation formed from the grassroots efforts of cancer survivors and their supporters.
Dr. Ross currently resides in Troy, Virginia. Her parents, Max Ross and Ruby Ross reside in Tennessee.
• Cynthia Murray, author, inspirational speaker and attorney, is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia and is the founder of Divine Women of Destiny Ministries International (DWD). In her role as President and CEO of DWD, Cynthia is passionate about helping people to define and achieve maximum success in their lives. She has taught men and women from various nations and walks of life and has presented as a keynote speaker at venues such as the Darden School of Business and the National Business College.
Cynthia published and released her first book, “Seasons of Change: Surviving and Thriving During Life’s Biggest Challenges” and is soon to release the companion workbook study guide to “Seasons of Change”. Her writing is inspiring, clear and draws the reader into a down-to-earth, “kitchen conversation” style that keeps you wanting more. She also produces inspirational teaching CDs for total victory in everyday living. In tune with the current financial needs of many families and businesses she has recorded a recent CD entitled “Your Path to Debt Freedom,” to help people become financially fit using the trials, errors and victories of her own journey and the success of others.
Cynthia is also a corporate professional and currently holds a Senior International Business Management position for a major U.S. and global Defense contractor. Prior to this she was an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for more than a decade in Albemarle County, Virginia.
Cynthia received a B.A. in Spanish with High Distinction and a minor in Anthropology from the University of Virginia in 1992. Cynthia received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995.
• Rachel Brozenske is the Vice President of Allison Partners, an organizational development consultancy founded with the belief that people are at the core of an organization's success. A former graphic designer and digital production manager for agencies including Hal Riney Partners and Landor Associates, Rachel later worked as a strategy consultant with the Monitor Group and as a senior coach with Play, a creativity and innovation consultancy. She earned an M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Rachel is a professional coach and a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources. Her other areas of expertise include organizational design, strategy articulation, leadership development, coaching, group facilitation, performance management, competency assessment, training design, change management and ideation techniques. She is a past president of the Albemarle / Charlottesville Human Resource Association (ACHRA), currently serves as the president of the board of Light House Studio, and is a past member of the Quadruplicity planning committee.
