Boca Raton
Tag You’re It

Jared Shapiro / Founder & Managing Director of The Tag Experience
Jared Shapiro is a brand strategist, marketing maven, and publicist with over 15 years of experience in the entertainment and media world as principal of marketing + strategy + PR agency The Tag Experience. As the former editor in chief of the Miami headquartered Ocean Drive Magazine, Jared utilized his 13 years of experience in NYC as the editorial director of In Touch Weekly and Life & Style Weekly (selling a combined 60 million copies per year on the newsstands) to further broaden Ocean Drive’s international appeal and global reach. Jared is also a New York Times Best Selling Author and Forbes contributor. Jared has written for Us Weekly, Star, TV Guide, Men’s Health and the New York Post read more…
Reset Rethink Restart

Chris Cruz / Founder of Power Of 3RE
With over 30 years of full event, branding, and production experience, Chris Cruz is seasoned TV/Radio personality, Event host & Public Speaker, traveling throughout the country on behalf of corporations, conventions, concerts, and large-scale event, as was as brand launchings and grand openings. read more…
Monitor Your Mental Health

James Farese / Founder & CEO of ReachLink
James Farese is the Founder and CEO of ReachLink, an online tele-therapy platform that connects individuals and companies with licensed mental health therapists. He believes that mental health should be constantly maintained as with all other aspects of healthy living. read more…
The Power of Volunteering

Lisa Scott-Founds / President & CEO of Winterfest Boat Parade
A Fort Lauderdale native and Stranahan High graduate, Lisa received a BS in communications from FSU. She then became Director of PR for the Center for Theoretical Physics at UM. Several years later she accepted a position with the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce which led her to her role as President and CEO of Winterfest 26 years ago. read more…
Small Steps, Big Outcome

David Roth / Camera Clicker at DHR Headshots
David was born and raised in South Florida and is a headshot photographer based in Weston, FL, where he lives with his wife and daughter. read more…
Pay It Forward

Dr. John Wensveen / Chief Innovation Officer at Nova Southeastern University and Executive Director of the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation
Dr. John Wensveen is Chief Innovation Officer at Nova Southeastern University and Executive Director of the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation responsible for overseeing a multimillion-dollar public-private partnership to support the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem by attracting and retaining industry-leading entrepreneurs, technology, sources of investment capital, and supporting resources to create a premier innovation center and technology hub. read more…
The Importance of a Mentor

Erik Pettersen / Owner of Evo Italian, Host of What’s For Dinner With Chef Erik?
Chef and restaurateur Erik Pettersen opened Evo Italian in March 2007. He currently hosts a recurring weekly cooking segment on CBS12 in West Palm Beach called “What’s For Dinner With Chef Erik?” and won an episode of the Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” in 2020. Erik grew up in Oyster Bay, Long Island, and his Italian heritage played a significant role in what would become his passion and career. read more…
Foundations of Fundraising

Barbara James / Assistant Vice President & CDO of Bethesda Hospital, Baptist Health Foundation, & Baptist Health South Florida
Barbara James is the Assistant Vice President, Chief Development Officer, Bethesda Hospital, Baptist Health Foundation, Baptist Health South Florida in Boynton Beach, Fla. She has been interviewed by Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, The Palm Beach Post, WPTV, BizBash, The Boca Raton Observer, The Coastal Star, and more. read more…
Leveraging Franchising for Success

Charles Bonfiglio / Founder & CEO of Tint World
At 21 years old, I started out in Brooklyn NY with a dream of moving to Florida to open my own car audio and accessory shop. I purchased a one-way flight to Fort Lauderdale over 30 years ago, and was introduced to franchising, which provided me with a blueprint for success. I became a Meineke franchisee and opened 10 automotive service franchises in South Florida. read more…
Follow Your Passion

Libby Hikind / Founder and CEO of GrantWatch
Libby Hikind, a national grants expert, established a grant writing agency in 1994. From 1999 to 2001, Libby created NYCGrantwatch, a grant newsletter publication for nonprofit organizations. Libby is credited for over 46,000 children receiving health insurance, as a result of her coalition building of nonprofits and writing the first Staten Island Child Health Plus proposal. read more…