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Peggy A. Berg is President of The Castell Project, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to advancing women in hospitality industry leadership. A hotel industry expert, Ms. Berg founded The Highland Group and Hotel Investment Advisors, Inc. in 1989 and sold 2016. In 1997, she developed the Comfort Inn in Augusta, which she operated and then sold in 2007. In 2007, she bought the Hampton Inn-Northlake in Atlanta which she sold in 2017. In 1987, she was the first female employee elected to the partnership of Pannell Kerr Forster, a national public accounting firm. Ms. Berg has a BS from Michigan State University and Master of Science in Public Policy from Georgia Tech and earned her CPA designation in Georgia and Texas. She has been involved in non-profit board of directors with Little Creek Farm Conservancy, Virginia-Highland Civic Association, International Society of Hospitality Consultants and Tucker-Northlake Community Improvement District. She serves on advisory board of Georgia State University School of Hospitality and past chairperson of American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Chet is Managing Partner of Burge & Associates, P.C., an accounting firm located in Decatur. Mr. Burge is also the Chief Executive Officer of Ponce Payroll Solutions, LLC, a full-service payroll provider and a Manager of Three Taverns Craft Brewery, LLC, a packaging brewer; both of these businesses are also located in Decatur. Mr. Burge holds a BS in Accounting from Bob Jones University, located in Greenville, SC and is a licensed CPA in Georgia and holds the Chartered Global Management Accountant designation. Mr. Burge began his career in the Atlanta office of PriceWaterhouseCoopers and has held various Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer positions before founding Burge & Associates in 2008. Mr. Burge is the Chairman of the board of The Intown Community School Foundation and serves on the Session of All Souls Fellowship in Decatur.

Scott is a Partner at HR Path, a global consulting firm focused on the HR Advisory, Technology Implementations and Business Process Outsourcing services.  Scott joined HR Path after they acquired his firm Whitaker-Taylor in early 2021.  He spent 14 years building Whitaker-Taylor as the Founder / CEO with a focus on digital transformations.  In 2016, Scott led the expansion of Whitaker-Taylor into Europe with the opening of a regional office in Amsterdam.   He serves on the Board for the Atlanta Beltline Partnership.  Mr. Burton holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Georgia and a MBA from Cornell University.

Joe is Senior Vice President responsible for consulting with clients on employee benefit matters at USI Insurance Services and its predecessor Wells Fargo Insurance Services in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Ellis has been with the company since 1988. He began his career in 1987 with Aetna. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BS in 1987 and completed Wharton School’s Certified Employee Benefit Specialist program in 1997. Mr. Ellis was an organizer and director of Resurgens Bank from its inception in 2008 and served on Asset Liability Committee and Compensation Committees until 2011. Joe serves on the advisory committee of La Amistad, a Latin American mentoring program, serves on the board of Journey Men’s Shelter and volunteers with Childspring International and Hogar de Cristo.

Craig has been President since 2005 of Cardinal Gates, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor gates and related safety products to the child and pet industry. He also owns SciTex GA, LLC, a distributor clean room supplies to industrial customers. Prior to being a small business owner, Mr. Heiser was in corporate banking from 1995 to 2005 with SunTrust Bank and Wachovia Bank. Mr. Heiser holds a Bachelor of Art degree from the University of the South and a MBA from Wake Forest University. He is a former member of Entrepreneur Organization of Atlanta.

Rick is a banking and financial service executive with management expertise in auto loans, credit cards, home equity loans, sales and customer service. With more than 30 years of experience, Mr. Huddleston has demonstrated leadership in team building, problem solving, communications and customer satisfaction. Mr. Huddleston is currently a consultant in the retail lending and outsourcing sectors. He was previously General Manager at Compucredit and an Executive Vice President at Prudential Bank. He was an organizer and director of Private Bank of Buckhead and its holding company where he served on the Executive, Loan and Human Resource Committees from 2006 until the sale of the bank in 2016. He serves on the board of directors for the Autism Foundation and the Five Lakes Agency, Inc. Mr. Huddleston is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in Banking as well as a graduate of the McIntire Graduate School of Consumer Banking.

Bobby has been an attorney with Slotkin Law Firm, since 2006, in Decatur representing businesses and individuals in contract, real estate, and fiduciary litigation; corporate counseling; and intellectual property matters. He has represented banks and other lenders in litigation involving collections, loan modifications and participations, foreclosure and related issues. Mr. Slotkin has practiced law in Georgia since 1994, with the law firms of Holland & Knight, LLP and Wilson, Strickland & Benson in the early years of his career. He has a BA in Political Science from the College of Charleston and is a 1994 honor graduate from Georgia State University College of Law. Mr. Slotkin volunteers with L’Arche Atlanta, an organization that runs group homes for adults with intellectual disabilities, and frequently serves as guardian ad litem in the DeKalb County Probate Court. He has served on the boards of Decatur Cooperative Ministry, Decatur Preservation Alliance, L’Arche Atlanta, the DeKalb Bar Association and the Graduation Leadership Council of the Georgia State University College of Law.

Brad is President of DB Spratte Enterprises, LLC., a restaurant management company that operates two Chick-Fil-A locations in Northlake and Tucker. Mr. Spratte previously served as President of Restaurant Development Group as well as President and Chief Executive Officer of Service Truck Brokers, Inc. Brad holds a BS in Business Administration from Auburn University. He currently serves as Chairman of Board of the Tucker Northlake Community Improvement District and serves as Treasurer for the Sports DeKalb board of directors.

Chuck is a shareholder in Berman Fink Van Horn P.C., a mid-sized business law firm based in Atlanta. He has practiced at Berman Fink Van Horn for more than 20 years. Mr. Van Horn’s practice primarily involves litigating real estate and business disputes, including representing numerous financial institutions in litigation nationally. He has been repeatedly named by his peers a Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyer. Mr. Van Horn is a 1991 cum laude graduate of Villanova University where he ran cross-country and track. He is a 1994 graduate of Emory University School of Law. Mr. Van Horn serves on the Board of the Briarlake Forest, and co-founded the DeKalb Trailblazers, a youth running club that annually coaches 100 athletes. He also serves in a variety of Alumni Association roles for Villanova University.