Conversations with people who built things

Hodges is a judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals. He also served as Dougherty County District Attorney and later ran as the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Georgia in 2010. Hodges was born in Albany, Georgia. He received a bachelor's degree from Emory University in political science and sociology in 1988 and a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1991. Hodges served as district attorney for Dougherty County, a district in the southwestern area of Georgia, for 12 years. He was first elected to the position in 1996 and subsequently won re-election in both 2000 and 2004. It also during his tenure that Hodges was named president of the Georgia District Attorney’s Association

Steven Russell is an accomplished CFO and General Manager with successful experience in re-engineering, raising capital, liquidity events and turnarounds. He has significant experience in private equity, capital raising, valuation and as CFO for PE-and VC-backed companies. He currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Chime Solutions, a company that creates distinctive customer care experiences for their clients across many industries. He is an alumnus of the illustrious Harvard business School and the United States Military Academy West Point.

Louis Brown, is a Partner and Wealth Advisor at Southbridge Advisors with expertise in non-traditional investment strategies, portfolio construction, and financial planning for high-net-worth individuals. A former touring golf professional, he played on the PGA and international tours, earning accolades like the 1989 Australian Tour Rookie of the Year and the 2024 USGA Senior Amateur. Louis holds a BBA from the University of Georgia and multiple professional designations, including Accredited Investment Fiduciary. He is deeply involved in philanthropy, sports mentorship, and serves on several boards.

Alpa had a 20 year tenure at Coca-Cola, where she most recently served as vice president and general manager of Sustainability, North America, responsible for embedding sustainability into the company's overall business strategy. In her lifetime, she held a variety of Strategy, Marketing, and Finance leadership roles which includes a strategy and operations role at Deloitte where she led a broad range of complex projects from concept through execution. Sherecently joined WestRock, a leading provider of differentiated paper and packaging solutions to lead their enterprise strategy development work as well as partnerships.

Misty has been a pioneer in the Energy industry for 24 years with experience across customer service, environmental compliance, corporate philanthropy and external affairs. She is currently serving as the Atlanta regional executive for Georgia Power. Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation’s largest generators of electricity. Misty also serves as chairwoman of the board for the Latin American Association, chairwoman of the board for Caminar Latino and member of the board for the Midtown Alliance. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), she was recently named as one of the 50 Most Influential Latino Leaders in Georgia and was also recognized by the Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility as one of 40 high-achieving Hispanic professionals in the U.S.

Dr Pradeep is a double Board Certified in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery as well as in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. His professional career in the same practice has spanned three decades and has successfully performed over 10,000 procedures on patients of all ages. He also is one of the founding members of TiE Atlanta, a global network that upports entrepreneurs in all stages through mentoring, funding and access. He is on the board of Trustees at the Woodruff Arts Center, home to three world-class artistic institutions: Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art. He is also a council member of the Carter Center- a non profit organization that stands for peace and hope, and fights diseases.

Dewayne Hankins enters his 12th season with the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter in 2024-25, and his third full season as President of Business Operations. He leads all business operations, collaborating with GM Joe Cronin and basketball staff. Hankins has restructured senior leadership to boost revenue, enhance infrastructure, and elevate the fan and community experience. He helped secure key partnerships, including a local TV deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group and KATU, and a jersey patch deal with Brightside Windows. Hankins serves on the Oregon Business Council, Sport Oregon’s Board, the Trail Blazers Foundation, and All Hands Raised. In 2024, he joined Governor Tina Kotek’s Central City Task Force to help revitalize downtown Portland.

Sharman White is the head coach at Pace Academy in Atlanta, where he has led the team to six consecutive state championships and recently celebrated his 500th career win. A longtime contributor to USA Basketball, White coached the 2024 USA Men’s U17 National Team to a gold medal and perfect 7-0 record at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul. He also led the 2024 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team to victory and has previously guided USA teams to gold at the 2023 U16 AmeriCup, 2022 U17 World Cup, and 2021 U16 AmeriCup. White served as an assistant coach at Georgia State University (2016–18) and was head coach at Miller Grove High School, where he won six straight state titles and earned national coaching honors. A veteran of USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamps since 2014, White holds degrees from Georgia Southern and Coppin State.

Mark, a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the Owen Graduate School of Management (BA, MBA), has over 25 years of experience in investment and wealth management. A Chartered Financial Analyst since 1992, he has served as Personal Trust Portfolio Manager, Chief Investment Officer, and Lead Portfolio Manager of a top-performing Small Cap Growth fund. At SunTrust and Trusco Capital Management, he managed personal trust, institutional equity, and balanced portfolios, and launched the firm’s Small Cap Growth discipline. He later co-founded Perimeter Capital Management, predecessor to Liquid Strategies, where he was CIO and Lead Portfolio Manager, helping grow assets to $2 billion. Mark brings deep expertise in financial markets, portfolio management, research, and client relationships to Liquid Strategies.

Brad has over 38 years of investment industry experience and co-founded Liquid Strategies in 2013, where he serves on the Executive Management Committee. Previously, he was a founding partner and CEO of Perimeter Capital Management and a member of the Management Committee of Concourse Capital Management, an affiliated long/short equity adviser. Earlier, Brad was Executive Vice President of Trusco Capital Management and served on its Executive Committee. Since entering the industry in 1985, he has served on numerous boards and is a frequent conference speaker. A graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in Finance, Brad also co-founded Bison Holdings, an affiliated wealth advisory firm, where he now focuses much of his time.

Anthony Caporrino is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal Transaction Advisory Group (TAG) in New York and co-leads the U.S. TAG practice. With over 25 years of transaction experience, he specializes in financial accounting due diligence for private equity and corporate buyers, advising on leverage recapitalizations, purchase accounting, and price adjustments. He has led deals across industries including manufacturing, technology, and healthcare, with expertise in IFRS transactions. Previously with Duff & Phelps, Ernst & Young, and Arthur Andersen, he holds a B.S. in Accounting and Economics from Boston College and is a CPA and active AICPA member.

Frank Blake served as Chairman and CEO of The Home Depot from 2007 to 2014, and as Chairman through early 2015. Previously, Frank was Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and held senior leadership roles at General Electric. His public service includes positions as General Counsel of the EPA, Deputy Counsel to Vice President George Bush, and law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Frank currently sits on the board of the Georgia Aquarium and was inducted as a Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society and the Office of Governor in 2019. He holds degrees from Harvard University and Columbia Law School.

Samir is an engineer and entrepreneur, currently co-founder and CEO of Moonlight Therapeutics, which develops patient-friendly treatments to improve the quality of life for people with food allergies. Previously, he co-founded Clearside Biomedical (NASDAQ: CLSD), an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, where he invented the suprachoroidal technology and served as Director of Research through 2016. Clearside has an FDA-approved product, late-stage clinical programs, and completed an IPO in 2016. Samir holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech and dual B.S. degrees in Chemical and Materials Science Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Clark Dean is a business leader, community servant, husband, and father running for Governor of Georgia. He is the founder of Transwestern’s Transaction Sciences Group, building a nationally recognized practice that helps businesses, nonprofits, and communities thrive. With a background in biomedical engineering, consulting, and finance, Clark has focused his career on job creation and community growth. He is running to put Georgia families first by tackling rising costs, strengthening healthcare, expanding opportunity, and improving education. A Harvard-trained engineer and former varsity football player, Clark has deep Georgia roots and extensive civic leadership experience.

Justin Farmer is a Founding Partner and CEO of Exit Wealth®, a private investment firm serving ultra-high-net-worth members through alternative investments, proprietary selection processes, and advanced tax and insurance strategies. In partnership with Exit Stage Left Advisors, he helps founders achieve optimal exits. A nationally recognized financial analyst, Justin frequently provides media commentary on economic trends. He previously built an Emmy-winning broadcasting career, anchoring for nearly two decades at Atlanta’s top-rated WSB-TV. He is also co-founder of Savannah Distilling Co. and an active Atlanta community leader and Boston College alumnus.

Sean Wood is the Founder and Managing Director of Human Pilots AI, an Atlanta-based advisory firm specializing in generative AI adoption for executive teams. He has over 20 years of experience advising global enterprises, including Coca-Cola, AT&T, Comcast, and NCR, on digital transformation and customer experience strategy. As a Design leader at IBM, he led executive AI adoption initiatives and developed frameworks for integrating AI capabilities with workforce strategy. At Coca-Cola, he drove digital innovation strategies across social, mobile, and web platforms. He is a graduate of Baylor University.

John is an experienced senior executive with a proven track record of building, scaling, and transforming businesses across multiple industries. He currently serves as CEO of Grizzly MEP, a private equity-backed platform in the MEP sector. Previously, he led Altus Fire & Life Safety, growing it from $3M to $50M EBITDA and overseeing its sale to Apax Partners. He also served as CEO of Mission Secure, driving 200% recurring revenue growth, and led Waratek to a $265M exit. John founded SecurAmerica, scaling it to $500M in revenue. He holds degrees from Florida Southern College and Webster University and is an active community leader.

Blake Wheeler is a former American professional hockey player known for leadership, playmaking, and versatility. Born August 31, 1986, in Minnesota, he was drafted 5th overall in 2004 and began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins before becoming a star with the Winnipeg Jets, serving as captain from 2016–2022. A 6’5” forward, he was a consistent top assist producer and All-Star, reaching 1,000 NHL games in 2021. He later joined the New York Rangers, then moved into a Hockey Operations role. Off the ice, he focuses on leadership coaching, family life, and community involvement.

Mary Moore is the founder and CEO of The Cook’s Warehouse, Atlanta’s premier gourmet cookware retailer and cooking school. Since launching the first Midtown Atlanta location in 1995, she has expanded the brand into multiple retail stores, a successful e-commerce platform, and a culinary education hub offering over 700 cooking classes annually. Before founding the company, Moore worked in acclaimed Atlanta restaurants and led research and development at Harry’s Farmers Market. She has contributed to regional media, written for dining and lifestyle publications, and supported community wellness efforts, including Michelle Obama’s “Chefs Move to Schools” initiative.

Jay Deuskar is the Co-founder and CTO of PrizePicks, one of the fastest-growing fantasy sports platforms in North America. An Atlanta native and Georgia Tech alumnus, Jay has spent more than a decade building innovative technology companies and consumer products. Before co-founding PrizePicks, he launched ventures in consumer finance, including Capp.io, which resulted in a successful exit. With over seven years of experience in the fantasy gaming industry, Jay has played a pivotal role in scaling PrizePicks into a leading brand. As CTO, he leads the company's technology vision, product innovation, and engineering teams, driving growth through scalable, user-focused solutions.