Community & Guest List
Michelle DeNio is a Business Strategist who works with entrepreneurs, business owners, and organizations to create a customized strategic plan for growth resulting in more clients, more profit and more freedom. Having worked in many different industries and possessing expertise in the areas of operations, sales, leadership training, time management, and finance, she will help you come up with a clear, direct path forward, then assess how that plan is working and make adjustments along the way. Michelle believes that life is meant to be lived to the fullest and streamlining your business to give you more free time is crucial to your success.
Passionate product manager and two-time founder with knowledge in implementing business ideas and developing SaaS and mobile tech. Co-founder and CEO @airfocus. Loves to create elegant products and user experiences.
María is a 24 year old from Puerto Rico currently living in the DMV area. She always knew that social media was the key to helping small businesses thrive and grow but never got a chance to explore it. That’s why when she discovered Social Media Management she went after it and shortly after, launched SMS Media. She had a Bachelor's in Advertising and 2 years of experience as a Paid Ads Consultant. She is now the CEO & Founder of SMS Media, LLC, a social media management and coaching business for wedding vendors. She's passionate about helping wedding vendors save time, money, and stress & get booked out months in advance by enhancing their social media presence.
Michelle Mekky has more than 20 years of experience as a broadcast journalist and public relations executive, leading award-winning marketing and PR campaigns for some of the nation’s biggest and most diverse brands and businesses. After her years as a veteran journalist, Michelle launched her own company, Mekky Media Relations Inc., in 2016, to bring her brand of PR to the market and deliver powerful publicity. Michelle has led her company through a fast-paced launch and high-profile successes, including winning a prestigious 2018 Stevie Award for Women in Business, receiving a bronze medal in the Entrepreneur of the Year category. In 2020 Mekky Media won a Stevie Award for Public Relations Agency of the Year receiving a bronze medal and Bulldog Award for Best Not-for-Profit/ Association Campaign for Komen Chicago's Race for the Cure. Also in 2018, Michelle and Mekky Media were selected to be part of the Forbes Agency Council, a prestigious organization for owners and executives of PR, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. In 2019, Michelle was named a Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Entrepreneur, and Mekky Media was honored with two Publicity Club of Chicago Golden Trumpet Awards, in the categories of Advocacy (for its work with Komen Chicago) and Media Relations (for its work with Abt Electronics). The agency also was named a PR News Agency Elite Award Finalist for Media Relations in 2019.
Martin Glenday is the Founder and President of Moxie Media, a full-service media design and production company. He received his Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from the University of Vermont in 1982 and earned a Masters of Science in film production and business from Boston University in 1984. When he was just 25 years old, he founded Moxie Media to provide employee training materials for the oil and gas industry. In the 35 years since then, Moxie Media has expanded to include around 20 employees and over 500 training courses, serving more than 50,000 learners across industries.
Melanie is the owner of her own digital marketing agency, Melanie Hardcastle Marketing + Events. She left her full-time job a year and a half ago to pursue entrepreneurship and has never looked back. Melanie works with clients to help them find their brand's voice, execute their marketing strategy and produce killer virtual events. If you want to grow your audience, reach the right people and scale your business, she's your woman.
Mari Millard is currently the owner of Two Maids & A Mop a residential cleaning company servicing Northern Va., Montgomery County and DC. Before business ownership, Mari was involved with numerous start-up companies within the data and research space. Currently, she lives in Arlington, Va with her spouse, two children and two dogs.
Matt Bacon is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. Having worked with everyone from glam rock icon Phil Collen of Def Leppard to black metal titans Enslaved by way of legendary thrashers Exhorder as well as labels including Prophecy Productions and Ripple Music he has dedicated his life to helping young bands develop. Having started his own blog at the age of 14 he views his career in artist development as 'a hobby that got out of hand'. In 2015 he formed Dropout Media in order to better support the artists he loves. We sit here now, years later with countless tours booked, records released and deals signed, and loving every minute of it.
Maria is an EdTech entrepreneur and a CEO of an e-learning company Art Heroes. She's previously grown and exited educational and community businesses, and she's currently on a mission to make Art Heroes the most reputable digital art Academy for industry professionals.
and is here today to share the best of what he has learned."
