Board of Directors
Sharing our vision to turn ordinary students into growing leaders who will transform society, our Board of Directors and Board of Advisors have helped Growing Leaders get where we are today. Meet our board members below.
About our Board
Since 2003, Growing Leaders has created more than 40 leadership training resources, partnered with over 8,000 schools and organizations to train young leaders, and mentored more than 500,000 students. This could not have been possible without the support and advice from our Board of Advisors and Board of Directors.
Board of Advisors
John C. Maxwell
Leadership Author and Founder of The John Maxwell Company
Dayton Moore
General Manager of the Kansas City Royals
Malon Mimms
President of The Malon D. Mimms Company
Dan Cathy
Chairman & CEO of Chick-fil-A
Glen Jackson
Co-Founder of Jackson Spalding
Jim Reese
President & CEO of the Atlanta Mission
Collin Sewell
President of The Sewell Family of Companies
Elizabeth Chandler
VP & General Counsel, Rollins Inc.
Len Van Popering
Vice President of Global Brand Strategy & Innovation, Subway
Steve Krajenka
COO, Chase Art
Kevin Roberts
Executive Director, Lanier Law Firm
Cathy Adams
Executive Vice President & COO,
Federal Home Loan Bank
Kelly Wright
Reporter, Fox News Channel
David Evans
Regional Managing Partner, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP
Board of Directors
Bill Dunphy,
Board Chairman
Leader of Chick-fil-A's Field Talent Organization
Bill is responsible for leading Chick-fil-A’s field talent organization, which includes Operator recruitment, selection, and training. In his 20+ years with Chick-fil-A, Bill has served in various roles, including corporate accounting, financial consulting, and field operations. Prior to his current role, he served as Senior Director, Field Operations. Before joining Chick-fil-A, Bill served as a certified public accountant for KPMG. Bill and his wife, Bardeen, have been married for 25 years and have seven children together.
Nicole Ashe,
Vice Chairman
Senior Vice President of Talent, Diversity and Inclusion, Learning and Culture at Cox Automotive
David McAnally
Vice President of Sales Training, Locum Tenens
In a thirty+ year staffing and placement career, David has managed eight staffing and placement firms, four of which were from the start-up or turnaround phase. His experience includes managing healthcare staffing firms in the physician and allied health locum tenens space as well as perm placement. Currently, David is Vice President of Sales Training for LocumTenens.com, a nationally-focused leader in the locum tenens placement of physicians and advanced practice providers. David has served as President of GAPS (Georgia Association of Personnel Services), co-founder and leader of both a Cub Scout Pack and Boy Scout Troop in Alpharetta and serves on the Charitable Outreach Committee at LocumTenens.com. David and his wife Cathy have been married for over 30 years and have three sons plus their first grandson on the way.
Dale Alexander
President and Founder of Alexander & Company
Dale is the President and founder of Alexander & Company, a national employee benefits brokerage firm focused on working with schools. Over 75,000 school employees’ families are benefiting from the design, communication and management of employee benefits within their individual school districts. He is on the Board of Camp Highland (CampHighland.com) and also serves as an Elder for North Point Ministries. Dale graduated from Georgia State University, and holds the Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and Certified Financial Planner designations. He has been featured in numerous business periodicals and is a past recipient of the National Employee Benefit Adviser of the Year by Employee Benefit Adviser magazine. Born and raised in South Georgia, Dale Alexander is married to Kimberly and they have three children, Sophie, Grant and Davis. They live in Canton, Georgia where Dale is also active in the youth program at his local church.
Judith J. Pickens
Educator and Human Service Professional
Judith J. Pickens is an educator and human service professional with more than 35 years of exceptional servant leadership in the youth development arena. She retired in 2012 from Boys & Girls Clubs of America as Senior Vice President, Program & Youth Development Services after 32 years of employment. She continues her involvement as a consultant to the President serving as Senior Adviser, Youth Advocacy. She has a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education from Cheyney State U., the nation’s oldest HBCU, and earned a Masters of Education with a specialization in Counseling Psychology from Temple University. On March 15, 2015 Judith was appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. She is the first female in the history of the church to be appointed tothis leadership position. Judith is married to retired Parks & Recreation Commissioner, Bob Pickens, a former U.S. Olympian and former offensive tacklewith the Chicago Bears. They have two children, two grandchildren and one great grandchild who reside in Chicago, IL.
Rick Packer
Vice President of Consulting and Training Services for The Table Group
Rick is the Vice President of Consulting and Training Services for The Table Group with over 14 years of experience where he works with global consulting clients. His clients are CEO’s and executive teams comprised of talented individuals with strong personalities.
Prior to joining The Table Group, Rick worked for CompuServe and Maximum Impact. At CompuServe he experienced an excellent standard in corporate culture that continues to drive his passion for developing high performance teams. At Maximum Impact he worked alongside author John C. Maxwell developing training solutions for global clients. Rick holds an undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University, an MBA from the University of Dayton, and executive education credentials from Stanford, College of Business.
Rick lives with his wife and three daughters in Atlanta, Georgia.
Vicki Hamilton
President of Women in Technology, Consultant
Vicki Hamilton is a senior-level executive with over 20 years of technology experience with 15 years at executive and senior level management roles, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Enterprise Digital Operations & Performance. Hamilton has created and implemented Technology Portfolio Management resulting in a patent filed for “Business Process Methodology” and has excelled at executing strategies, yielding significant business awareness and results through the emphasis of Balance Scorecard processes (financial, process, customer and resource management). She is also the President of the Women in Technology Foundation.
Hamilton received the Pinnacle Leadership Award (2016) and has been recognized by the Atlanta Post as one of the ’23 Black Executives Advancing the Television Network Industry” (2010), was a recipient of WICT and CableFAX’s “Top Women in Cable Technology” (2010) and is a Foundation Board Member of Women In Technology (WIT). Hamilton received her Bachelor of Science and Arts Degree from the University of Dayton as well as a Masters of Business Administration from St. Louis University.
David Hoyt
Founder & President,
The Principle Group
Dave Johnson,
Treasurer
National Christian Foundation, CFO
Dave is the CFO of the National Christian Foundation, a foundation that receives and distributes charitable gifts throughout the world. Dave is formerly the CFO of the Injoy Group, founded by Dr. John C. Maxwell, which provided leadership training and resources to corporate leaders across the U.S. Dave completed his undergraduate work at UCSD and San Diego State in accounting, and received his MBA at Emory University.
Tina DeNapoli,
Secretary
Director, Corporate Legal at Chick-fil-A
Tina DeNapoli is Director, Corporate Legal at Chick-fil-A, Inc. and was a former partner in the international law firm Troutman Sanders. Her practice focuses on all aspects of employee benefits law including retirement, pension, and compensation plans. She speaks on various employment topics and is a frequently published author on aspects of human resources. She has previously worked in both private law practices as well as spending time as an Assistant State Attorney. Tina graduated from Stetson University with a degree in Business Administration, and then received her LL.M and J.D degrees from the University of Florida. Tina celebrates her rich heritage by being fluent in Greek, and when not working enjoys time with her husband and two children.
Randy Hain
Founder & President of Serviam Partners
As the founder and president of Serviam Partners, Randy has built a vibrant national network built on authenticity and is well known for consulting with companies on how to build viable authentic business relationships both internally and with their clients. Randy Hain is also a sought-after executive coach and leadership consultant for senior business leaders around the country. His previous experience includes roles as Managing Partner of Bell Oaks Executive Search, Vice President of Recruiting, Training and Diversity for Waffle House and senior operations roles with National Tire & Battery (NTB). He is considered a thought leader on human capital, authentic business relationships, career development, leadership and is a sought-after speaker and panelist.
Randy is a prolific writer and the award-winning author of seven books, including Something More: The Professional’s Pursuit of a Meaningful Life and LANDED! Proven Job Search Strategies for Today’s Professional. His newest is Special Children, Blessed Fathers: Encouragement for Fathers of Children with Special Needs.
He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. He is active in autism-related causes and is a board member of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. He is a co-founder of the Annual Atlanta Catholic Business Conference and the Integrated Catholic Life eMagazine. Randy is a 1989 graduate of the University of Georgia, has been happily married for over 20 years and has two teenage sons.
Jon Ostenson
CEO at 10xfive
Jon is the Co-Founder and CEO of 10Xbrands, an originator of Private Equity Funds that invest in franchisees across a diverse spectrum of of brands, industries, and geographies. Jon also serves as a Franchise Broker through his affiliation with the FCC.
Jon is the former Vice President of Sales for Carter’s Inc., the manufacturer and marketer of children’s apparel brands “Carter’s” and “OshKosh B’gosh.” Prior to Carter’s, Jon worked in consulting with Accenture PLC, including a six-month stint in India.
Jon holds both an undergraduate degree and an MBA from the University of Georgia, and he was selected by the UGA Alumni Association as a recipient of its “40 Under 40” recognition.
Jon and his wife, Jenny, have three young children and live in Brookhaven, Georgia. They are active in Buckhead Church and other organizations in the community.
Morgan Hill,
Founder & CEO, Hill and Hill Financial Services
Terry Barber
Co-Founder, Jubi
Jason Lane
Principal, Mill Creek High School
Lawrence Henderson
Business Operational Support Services LLC
Melissa Phillips
Chief Learning Officer, L3 Learning Solutions
Tim Elmore
Founder & CEO, Growing Leaders
Tim began working with students in 1979 and his passion is still investing in the next generation. After working alongside best-selling leadership author John C. Maxwell for more than twenty-five years, he founded Growing Leaders in 2003 to focus solely on creating leadership training events and resources for emerging leaders. Tim is the author & creative visionary behind Habitudes: Images That Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes.