Members of the year

Steven Templeton is the President of Templeton & Company, LLP. He is a prominent CPA, CVA and is the founder and Managing Partner of Templeton & Company, LLP and its affiliate, Templeton Solutions, LLC. Steven is an expert in accounting and tax planning and his firm is amongst the best firms in the country. He has been in the industry for over 25 years and has achieved great success though his impeccable work ethic and great client and employee relationships. Steven currently works closely with many non-profit organizations and groups including the Blue Wave Club CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION. a foundation formed by an elite group of business professionals serving as ambassadors for the disease. Steven works closely with Atlantic University in West Palm Beach and offers internship opportunities for students. He is looking to expand both of his organizations and contributing to the new generation of technology services and accounting professionals.

Cliff Schecter is author of bestselling book, The Real McCain, 2008, published in three languages on three different continents. He is also a producer for award winning feature film, "The Algerian," 2015, and a lecturer on American politics for USIA/US State Department for foreign diplomats, journalists, professors, politicians, business professionals, and students. Cliff is a pioneer of digital public relations for former New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns from 2009 to 2013. Currently, he is working at LIbertas, LLC, a media relations company for national clients. Cliff grew up in a family where politics was always a discussion. He received a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters degree in Public Relations, Image Management, from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. He is Board Member for the Ohio Innocence Project, Treasurer of the Board for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, and Columnist for The Daily Beast. He served as Student Body President and Dean's Fellow at Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. Cliff is a widely published and televised presence in the public relations industry.

Joaquin Charles de Monet is the Managing Principal for Palisades Capital Realty Advisors. He started this company in 2013, and has worked within the industry for over 25 years. The company is a boutique investment management company that focuses on office properties. Joaquin speaks at real estate conferences 2-3 times a year. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate from USC in 1986. The keys to his success have been hard work, discipline, and positive relationships. He looks to grow his business to a multimillion dollar organization and establish his international relationships further. Joaquin is recognized by Real Estate Farm Magazine as one of the Icons of Real Estate and enjoys hiking and other endurance events outside of work.

James Jordan is the Group Legal Director and Company Secretary for Taylor Wimpey plc. The company is a group of developers who build 14,000 homes a year. He was decided to get into this profession to embark on a career that was interesting and to help people. He is in charge of the legal department of 105 staff members, as well as compliance, MNA, government compliance, and company secretary. James received his Masters in International Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, With Distinction from the University of Warwick and is currently pursuing his Phd. The key to his success has been his determination and always acting with the utmost integrity. Some of his goals are to finish his PhD, which he is doing part time, and to continue to strive to make his department the best of the best while developing his staff so they have room for advancement.

Duncan Hartley is the Owner of Duncan Hartley Fine Art Photography. Duncan became an entrepreneur in the eighth grade by taking a freelance job with a high-quality weekly newspaper doing all the paper's darkroom work and most of its photography during a nine-year period. By the tenth grade, his personal fine-art photographs were winning national awards and being published in national magazines. In graduate school, Duncan received a Ph.D. in Shakespearian drama, and taught university courses in English literature for eight years. He was then recruited to a senior position in international education with the Young President's Organization (YPO), a highly influential group in New York City. This afforded Duncan with the daily opportunity to interact with and learn from presidents, CEOs, and thought leaders of some of the most powerful corporations in the world. After five years, a colleague on the YPO staff encouraged Duncan to pursue a career in philanthropy. Duncan subsequently held senior positions at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer, the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Duncan then returned full-time to fine-art photography, and 150 of his photographs are in the permanent collections of major museums and historical collections. He is currently completing a book on New York City that will begin with the classic years in New York from 1957 to the Bicentennial in 1976, and then Little Italy and another neighborhood. A second book is planned in conjunction with a colleague and friend at YPO.

Ramiro Molina is a retired business professional of Johnson & Johnson and current General Manager of LSS Professionals. He is a certified MBB in SS, LSS and DfLSS; Lean Assessor and professional trainer and coach in business process improvement since 2000. He enjoys his work in bettering organizations and their workforces and is proud of his work thus far. The key to his success has been due to his dedication and the opportunity to be on the Board of Directors at Celanese and Johnson & Johnson Colombia. Ramiro speaks English and Spanish. He earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas, and his MS in Information Technology from the Universidad ICESI, Colombia in 1993. Recent Accomplishments • He led the training, deployment and projects’ coaching and support of Six Sigma, Lean and DfSS in the whole value chain, with emphasis in the manufacturing processes, logistics operations, and marketing and sales transactions of leading healthcare companies in various countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. • Ramiro conducted the training of executives in Six Sigma and Lean methodologies at the top level of a leading pharmaceutical company in the United States, various countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, and accompanied the deployment process to other levels of the manufacturing operation. • He administered extensive training and projects’ coaching and support of Six Sigma and Lean techniques to executives and line personnel involved in international logistics and transactional processes in several countries in Latin America. One particular project that he coached, from a Central American Country, received the first gold distinction awarded at corporate level in Europe. • Ramiro trained key personnel and accompanied the implementation of Kaizen-Kanban systems for a key agribusiness company in Colombia and several other transactional organizations. • He conducted Black Belt training of executives in Lean Six Sigma at the top level of Ecuador’s Presidency in Quito, Ecuador; at various levels of a prestigious brewery and a recognized candy manufacturer in Colombia, to a mining company in Chile, to a renowned perfume and fragrances company in North and Latin America, and to leading companies in the plastics manufacturing and printing sectors of industry. Next Steps As the head of LSS Professionalsand in addition to his personalized training/coaching and consultancy, Ramiro has started to offer online/blended Lean Six Sigma and DfSS training courses at the Green and Black Belt levels of proficiency.

Winthrop G. Minot is a Partner in the Corporate Department at the internationally recognized law firm of Ropes & Gray, LLP, and works in both the Boston and New York City areas. For over three decades, he has provided exceptional legal representation in the areas of securitization and senior debt. He is also skilled in financing, mergers and acquisitions as well as securities offerings, both public and private. He is also a member of the firm’s special situations group, a multi-disciplinary practice focusing on the needs of clients making opportunistic investments in distressed or illiquid assets, as well as the firm’s mergers and acquisitions group. Winthrop finds reward in helping those less fortunate. He led the legal effort to establish the Massachusetts "pay for success" juvenile justice program aimed at reducing recidivism among juveniles caught up in the justice system, spearheaded by Third Sector Capital Partners. He is also dedicated to helping younger and emerging professionals get on the right track and realize their potential.

Arthur F. Beeler (Art) retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in January 2009 after a career of more than thirty-three years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He began his work in corrections as a volunteer probation officer with the North Carolina Department of Correction. His federal service began in 1975 at the Federal Reformatory, Petersburg, Virginia. Since that time, Mr. Beeler held a variety of positions to include correctional officer and case manager. From 1987 until his retirement from the FBOP, Mr. Beeler was the Warden (Chief Executive Officer) at several institutions to include two federal medical centers, a federal transportation center and a federal jail. During his tenure at the Federal Correctional Complex at Butner, North Carolina beginning in 2000, he directed the activation of two of the five facilities at the complex to include the medical center, which serves as a center of excellence for oncology as well as forensics. In 2007, Mr. Beeler was named Complex Warden, responsible for five facilities, 1,600 staff and 5,000 offenders. Mr. Beeler graduated from East Carolina University with a BS (Professional) in Correctional Administration and Social Work, later obtaining graduate credit at Virginia Commonwealth University and obtaining a Masters of Administration from University College, University of Maryland. Upon his retirement, Mr. Beeler continues to provide adjunct instruction at several institutions of higher learning to include: North Carolina Central University, Duke Law School, and the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley. He provides consultation to the American Correctional Association as an auditor and serves as a certified Department of Justice auditor reviewing sexual safety of offenders at facilities throughout the United States (PREA). He volunteers many hours to the issues of prisoner reentry and juvenile crime prevention. Since his retirement from the bureau, he has worked with an alternative school, as a consultant for health care issues with the NC Department of Correction, with the Department of State in Afghanistan on rule-of-law issues, and currently works on special projects for the Director of the NC Division of Adult Correction. An Eagle Scout, Mr. Beeler is a Paul Harris fellow of the Rotary Foundation. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Phi Sigma, both academic fraternities. He received recognition for his work with Federal Prisons Industries and informal resolution while with the FBOP. In 1991, he was named to the Senior Executive Service of the United States and remained a member until his federal retirement. In 2004 he and his wife received the Peace College Volunteer of the Year award. In 2007, he was named by the Southeast Conference of Public Administrators as a Distinguished Public Administrator. He received the Surgeon General's Exemplary Service award and upon his retirement was awarded the Surgeon General's medallion, the highest award of he United States Public Health Service for his work in Correctional Medicine. The North Carolina Correctional Association awarded him the H. G. "Gus" Moeller award. The Dali Lama Foundation in 2008 awarded Mr. Beeler the Compassion in Action Award, only one of six recipients in the United States at the time of the award. He was the recipient of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Distinguished Service award, and while assigned to Afghanistan, received the U. S. Department of State's Meritorious Honor Award. Mr. Beeler is the past present of the Granville County, North Carolina Education Foundation, and he serves on the advisory committees of the criminal justice departments at East Carolina University, North Carolina Central University and Durham Technical Community College. He is the Chairperson of the Granville County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, and was recently named to the North Carolina Sentencing Commission. He is serving as the prisoner representative for the Institutional Review Board for East Carolina University and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Wake County, North Carolina Reentry Council. Outside of work he enjoys reading and having quality time spoiling his granddaughter. He is thrilled to join the Bristol community and looks forward to networking with other like-minded individuals.

Ruriá Duprat is the only Brazilian Producer to win a Grammy, which he won for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Ruriá was born into a family of musicians and throughout his career has worked with large national and international artists. He received a Film Scoring Degree from Berkley College of Music in 1999. He is also the Owner of Banda Sonora Art Productions. Ruria is thrilled to join the Bristol community and looks forward to networking with other like minded-minded individuals. Outside of work he enjoys music, jogging, sports, and swimming.

Ed Kopetsky is Chief Information Officer of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Children’s Health. The hospital is the highest acuity children’s hospital in the country, and the health system is the largest in the region devoted exclusively to caring for children and expectant mothers. Since becoming CIO in 2009, Ed has led large-scale changes in healthcare and enterprise systems. In 2014, he completed an industry-leading, three year implementation of modern enterprise systems to support integrated patient care, high-performance business and analytics systems, and new web technologies to connect patients and consumers. In 2015, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Children’s Health received the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Stage 7 Acute Care and Ambulatory Awards, given to hospitals and health systems that demonstrate best practice for electronic patient records use and adoption. The organization was also awarded Most Wired Hospitals by the American Hospital Association and College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. Prior to his current role, Ed was a partner at IBM Global Business Services and Healthlink, a consulting firm specializing in healthcare IT and process improvement (IBM acquired Healthlink in 2005). In the early 1990s, Ed implemented one of the first integrated patient care systems supporting a multi-hospital and physician network at Sharp Healthcare. He later helped lead the integration of Centura Health, the largest health system in Colorado. Ed has contributed nationally and locally to numerous professional organizations, including serving as a founding member and Board Chair for the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. He has served on numerous company advisory boards including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Encore, Next Wave Health Advisors, and CHESS Mobile Health. He is currently chair of the industry advisory board for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. In 2013, Ed was named one of the top 20 CIOs driving change in the U.S. healthcare system by Healthcare Information Week. In 2014, he was presented the Distinguished Achievement Award from College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was recently awarded the CIO Lifetime Achievement Award by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, San Francisco Business Times and PwC. Ed grew up in Wisconsin and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial and systems engineering from University of Wisconsin-Madison before moving out to California where he currently resides. In his free time, Ed enjoys time with his family, golfing and bicycling.

Belgacem Chariag is Vice President and Chief Integration Officer at Baker Hughes, Inc where he is heading the Baker Hughes integration with Halliburton. Over the years, Belgacem has worked and lived in at least eight different countries; he speaks Arabic, English, and French. Has been in the executive leadership team of Baker Hughes since 2009. He led the Baker Hughes business as President of the Eastern Hemisphere and headed the Baker Hughes global products and technology as President of the company's global products and services. From a young age, Belgacem has had a passion for engineering. He received his MBA in Global Energy from the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business. He has a strong work ethic and believes in hard work and perseverance. A highlight of his career has been his natural progression from a young age, coming to the states and progressing naturally and succeeding in impacting lives around the world. Belgacem has plans to continue growing and learning and making more connections. Belgacem is a devoted husband and proud father of two.

John Lofton IV is a Writer, Producer, Director, and Editor for LoftonFilms; a full-service production company located in Laurel, MD. His company's motto is "Higher Standards, Higher Quality". He also owns another company, Online Product Vids, LLC, which produces product videos in full 1080P HD for E-commerce websites. John started his career out of school before opening his own company in 2008. He received his Associates of Science in Film and Video Production from Full Sail University in 2004. He is currently working of several projects including an Advertisement Campaign for a new application for IOS and Android, while concurrently working on a feature film. His full service film and production company works on music videos, short films, commercials, product videos for E-commerce, corporate videos, non-profit videos, weddings and more. He also consults with businesses on their video production needs. John always wanted to be in the creative industry, his Italian grandfather on his Mother's side of the family owned a dinner theater, so he was constantly around creative people and has been interested in films and editing since he was 8 years old. He hopes to expand his businesses, produce his own feature films, and possibly relocate to New York or Los Angeles in the near future. IMDB Credits: Art department (1 credit) 2005 A Dream of Color in Black and White (scenic artist - as John Lofton) / (set dresser - as John Lofton) Visual effects (1 credit) 2005 A Dream of Color in Black and White (digital artist - as John Lofton) Second Unit Director or Assistant Director (1 credit) 2005 A Dream of Color in Black and White (second assistant director - as John Lofton) 2006 "Bad Boys" Music Video featuring artist Moses Stone 2011 NIH NCCAM “Tai Chi” Outstanding Alternative Medicine Video - Editor 2010 Diesel Film Racing – Best in Show Washington D.C. Best Editing Audience Choice Awards - http://goo.gl/RDpoUa 2008 Diesel Film Racing – Best Editing 3rd Runner Up - http://goo.gl/jKWMGJ Featured in DV Magazine Article - Creative Planet Network Producer (1 credit) 2016 Abaddon (producer) (filming) Currently Contracted to National Geographic's Social Dept. as an Editor for Short Film Showcase, National Geographic Channel and NatGeo WILD Channel. Special Effects Editor on, "The Pipeline" independent film accepted to Sundance 2016 Successful Business Owner (LoftonFilms and Online Product Vids, LLC) Future Goals: Just finished a TV Pilot script, hoping to get funding asap. Writing a feature film script currently for a futuristic, sci-fi, psychological thriller.

Diane Chan is Print Media Director at KZSW Advertising and specializes in advertising services, media planning, plan creation and execution. His role is an interim position while she secures another position for in Manhattan. She has 35 years of experience in the advertising industry and is a member of Advertising Women of New York. Previously a teacher, Diane made a transition into media, her passion. She attributes her success to her education and mentors over the years. Her goal is to further her education, mentor, and secure a higher level position.

Ana Maria is the Executive Director for Lighting in Argentina where she works with customer relations between Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. She handles contracts, coaches, owners, and executives in Latin America. She has ten years of international experience in general management and commercial areas and 25 years in the business. Ana Maria's expertise is in corporate communication and team development. She lectures at Vital and Vital Voices in Argentina, an organization dedicated to the empowerment of women. Ana Maria received her MBA from Harvard Business School and is a member of International Coaching Society. In her spare time, she enjoys painting.

Colin Charland is a Clinical Solutions Representative with Intuitive Healthcare Solutions. Intuitive Healthcare Solutions, LLC (IHS) is a healthcare marketing company specializing in unparalleled, customized solutions designed to assist physicians, group practices and all types of medical organizations to assist with personalized medicine and better patient outcomes. Their turnkey services allow the physician and other healthcare organizations to focus on the business of treating patients. IHS specializes in the marketing of pharmaceutical compounding and including but not limited to pain creams, supplements, urine toxicology, blood hormone, tissue, genetic testing and medication monitoring. Their partners solutions help individualize the avenue of healthcare often referred to as “personalized medicine." In his downtime, Mr. Charland subscribes to a benevolent worldview of initiating positive change through his support of Compassion International (www.compassion.com), a global foundation seeking to spread the faith based ministry of assistance and education to impoverished children in over 26 countries. Additionally, he is a passionate supporter of Therapy Dogs International (www.tdi-dog.org), a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.

Silvia Sanchez Barahona is Regional Director with Novum Lawyers and Consultants, a leader in the law and consultancy field. As such, Silvia and her team provide standout service across a broad spectrum of legal areas including corporate crime, intellectual property crime, and financial crimes relating to the complex socio-economic issues specific to the region and, ultimately across the globe. Silvia is uniquely positioned as a female Director within a highly competitive industry, serving as a mentor, leader and consultant to other females in the industry. Foundational to her ongoing success has been her ability to both embrace and overcome challenges, welcoming adversity and taking a solution-driven approach to maintain her professional growth and focus throughout her career, serving her clients with honesty, integrity, and strength. She earned her JD from American University and her BS from the University of Madrid. Silvia’s goal is to have the firm among the most prestigious specialized law firms in Latin America.

Keith C. Perry is Founder and Owner of DAO technologies as of December, 2013. DAO is an IT management, development, and consulting company serving the mid-Atlantic region. They have have three core principles that provide the philosophical basis for the solutions provided: durable, adaptable, and open. He takes pride in small, hidden solutions he’s found, rather than working on majorly recognized work that might hinder performance and efficiency. Keith hosts a weekly live stream on GooglePlus where he gives his thoughts and advice on investments and the market. Keith attended Drexel University with a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and has been working in this field all of his life, since the beginning of the technology boom. The evolution of said technology is what has continued to inspire and motivate him. He plans to continue growing and, more importantly, to continue helping businesses grow by providing them with IT operational support. He is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Philadelphia Area Linux Users' Group (PLUG.)

Albert M. Quirantes is a Miami, Florida criminal defense lawyer with over 27 years of experience in his field. He is Managing Partner and Criminal and Traffic Defense Trial Lawyer of Ticket Law Center, a criminal defense law firm. Albert has been with the firm since 1990, and his key responsibilities include litigating all criminal DUI, DWI, and traffic ticket matters, conducting jury trials and bench trials, as well as managing two attorneys and a team of paralegals. He is also responsible for media, and regularly appears on local and national media outlets. He designed one of the first law firms dedicated to serving the consumer in need of traffic citation defense with low reasonable fees and payment plans for virtually all budgets. Albert is a frequent panelist on local and national media television and radio shows regarding traffic and criminal defense issues. Albert is a member of the Florida Bar, is admitted to practice by the Federal Trail Bar for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Ga. & the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. A member of the the Cuban-American Bar Association, he has served as Vice Chair of the Dade County Bar Association's Criminal Courts Committee, a former Vice Chair of the Florida Supreme Court's Traffic Court Rules Committee, where he served three terms for six years. He is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and was named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 in South Florida Criminal Defense. Albert has a Perfect Ten (10) Rating on AVVO.com, is cited as a Top Contributor on their website, and has repeatedly received the AVVO.com Client's Choice Award. He is also a commentator on legal issues for the local and national media. Albert received his Juris Doctor degree from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida in 1987, and a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Miami in 1984. He has worked as an assistant Public Defender for the 8th Circuit of Florida. Going forward, he would like to use his expertise to further assist the disadvantaged and underserved. He enjoys contributing to Lions Club International, Operation Smile, Special Olympics, Mavericks In Education, Miami All-Stars, Kidside, and Faith Place Autism Outreach. When he's not working, Albert enjoys fishing, scuba diving, and going to Miami Marlins and Miami Dolphins games.

Rachel Davis is Company Director at Fetchapet. She has lectured at various colleges and has actively contributed to Hands for Heroes and made active donations for a kitchen calendar. She believes that the key to success is hard work and perseverance. Rachel has worked along side her company for six months and has a detailed knowledge of animal behavior. Rachel has a BSc in Animal Behavior and Life Sciences from Anglia Ruskin University and specializes in account management, marketing strategy, new business development, marketing communications, sales management, animal behavior, pet shipping and transport, translation and localization. She is a member of the Federation of Small Business in the UK and a member of the International Pet and Transport Association.

Peter G. Kehoe is a dedicated, accomplished consultant with 45 years of experience in management and business. He spent 31 years at DuPont, starting in 1973, during which time he served in many key roles: Technical Manager, Product Manager, Technical Director, and Managing Director. He also ran several businesses at DuPont, and formed his own consultancy, The Blasket Group, Ltd, in 2004, where he serves as President. Peter is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Yale University, and both a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University College Dublin in 1966. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Cambridge University focusing on Chemical Reaction Engineering, as well as a one year fellowship at The National University of Ireland, Dublin. While at Yale, Peter was Captain of the Yale Rugby Club. Originally, he was drawn to this field because he was interested in mathematics, chemistry, and making things work. Peter hails from County Kerry in Ireland, and following his studies at Yale, he was offered a position at DuPont where he initially focused on research, then shifted into management, and eventually to business. When he was younger, Peter was quite a serious rugby player and still follows the sport today. In his leisure time, he enjoys traveling and spending time with family and his grandkids. Peter has two children who are both lawyers, one in California, one in Australia. He and his wife enjoy traveling to visit them, as well as their family in Ireland.