Marilyn is an experienced business professional with a consistent track record of developing and implementing strategic plans that have met, and often exceeded budgetary expectations. With over 20 years of marketing and management experience, she brings a unique approach to classic business applications.

A proven leader with a history of motivating multiple levels of management, Marilyn has had the opportunity to hone her skills in business development, product and program management, direct marketing, strategic sourcing, vendor evaluation and development, and program facilitation. The fruits of her labor have garnered her numerous promotions to highly visible positions in Fortune 500 companies.

Marilyn has broadened her portfolio to include creating brand recognition strategies, developing short and long term marketing and sales plans, creating business plans and business cases, fostering strategic alliances between large and small businesses, program and curriculum development.

Great communication skills have enabled Marilyn to not only lead a team of pro-bono consultants from Fortune 100 companies in evaluating and recommending attainable strategies for small to mid-sized companies, but also translate the needs of many entrepreneurs to top corporate executives. Known for her articulation skills and quick adaptability, Marilyn has directed and facilitated numerous workshops, as well as been a guest speaker

Marilyn is a Dean’s List MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business with concentrations in Marketing, Strategy, and Organizational Management, and a B.B.A. from Iowa State University in Marketing and Communications.

Llevelyn D. Rhone
Senior Consultant

Llevelyn has a wealth of experience devising and implementing results-oriented strategies and operational improvements. With nearly 20 years of public and private sector experience in engineering, management consulting, business strategy, finance, economic development, program management, and operations, Llevelyn has worked in a variety of industries including healthcare, technology, business services, government, and food.

Llevelyn’s analytical talents, combined with his strong management and consulting experience allow him to develop and implement solutions that meet or exceed a client’s business objectives. Llevelyn received his MBA with concentrations in marketing, finance and business policy from The University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business and his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering degree from Duke University

James Neal
Marketing Consultant Advisor
James is a specialist in marketing segmentation and consumer promotions. James has helped many companies understand their unique value proposition to properly position themselves in the market to gain relevance with their consumers – leading to increased market share.

James received a Master's of Management in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois.

Joni R. Jackson
Consultant Advisor
Joni has held a variety of marketing positions in nonprofit and for-profit settings. Her experience includes planning and analysis of marketing and sales programs, design and implementation of quantitative research programs, customer usage and segmentation analyses, design of market intelligence and customer research processes, management of new product and service launches, and design of channel marketing strategies.

Joni has her MBA in marketing from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and Ph.D. in social psychology from Indiana University.

Steve Samuels
Copywriter
Steven Samuels has had a long, distinguished career in theater, publishing, and freelance writing. A graduate of Bennington College and Brown University, he teaches at Warren Wilson College and in the Great Smokies Writing Program of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. As a grantee of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, he is presently engaged in writing about violence.


L. Patricia Reed
Administrative Assistant