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.
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.
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.
Michael H. Drobnis is the CEO of OptfinITy, LLC, , a technology solutions firm which has received numerous industry awards including a ranking of the top 250 small technology businesses worldwide. Mr. Drobnis has over 22 years of technology experience across many different industries and disciplines, including but not limited to records management, disaster recovery and business continuance planning, system security, web design and development, project management, technology and infrastructure design. As an accomplished technology executive and project manager, his vision and expertise have helped hundred's of organizations work smarter and more efficiently through the use and development of proper technology solutions and collaboration tools. Mr. Drobnis received his MBA with a concentration in technology from the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University in Massachusetts. He has served on the Fairfax County Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee, the ITT Technical Institute Curriculum Advisory Board, as the President and on the board of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and on the board of the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Drobnis is an alumni of Leadership Fairfax and The FBI Citizens Academy and is the proud father of 3 girls in West Springfield.
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.
Mary Hoyt Kearns’ purpose in life to help people discover and nourish their Inner Light, and to teach them how to heal themselves. She holds a PhD in developmental psychology from Fordham University, with a focus on Behavioral Health. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Life Coach, Usui Reiki Master, and has studied herbalism, shamanism, past life regression, mandalas for healing, and more. She is the owner of Your Stellar Self, whose mission is to bring Light, Love, and Healing to the world by supporting mind+body+spirit wellness. Mary has been offering wellness workshops and talks on various mind-body-spirit topics since 2003.
Marcia Maxwell left the corporate world to pursue her passion of fashion and design. She founded her brand in her namesake, but it is also known as MBM Swim. Her first swimwear collection was in January of 2019 and has already gotten the attention of Victoria’s Secret, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, and many others. Through faith and grit, Maxwell is working to grow her brand to be the next big name in swim and resort wear.
Melinda is a serial entrepreneur who has built 4 businesses in media and tech to 7- and 8- figure success. Her 5th, as the CEO and founder of Wings Media, is the world's first socially-interactive and "gamified" podcast network. Podopolo™ is a community where people gather to discover and share their favorite podcasts, interact with each other and hosts, win freebies and resources as they participate in putting learning into action to enhance their lives and engage around world-changing initiatives - all in one mobile app. It's also the first to share revenue with podcasters. Melinda also hosts the fast growing "Wings Of...Inspired Business" podcast named by Entrepreneur Magazine as #8 of 20 of the top business podcasts for 2020. She also helps business owners and entrepreneurs launch magnetic and profitable podcasts. Melinda is a passionate advocate for women entrepreneurs and conscious leadership to use business as a force for social good.
Maryann Remsburg is an adventurer in every area of life and as an ICF certified coach, inspires her clients to look at their lives as an adventurous journey ready to explore. Maryann is co-author of Your Adventurous Life Awaits; 7 Coordinates for Living a Purposeful Life of Adventure and co-founder of Adventurous Life with her husband Brian. With her four kids and husband, she loves to hike, bike, and have daily time to thank God for his many gifts.
Marketsmith has become one of the premier martech agencies in the U.S With a collection of patents and awards to boot."
