Members of the year

Leon Mobley has over 47 years of experience in the Music Industry. Leon is a percussionist and drummer, founder and artistic and musical director of Da Lion and Djimbe West African Drummers and Dancers and a member of the Innocent Criminals, Ben Harper's band. Leon Mobley began as a child actor on PBS Television show Zoom, and has toured the globe as drummer/percussionist with Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. Leon began to play African drum rhythms in 1967 and studied for ten years with Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Leon has had theatrical training and appeared regularly on the PBS daily television show zoom. He is an accomplished musician and performs regularly in numerous musical genres including jazz, reggae, and rock. Leon has appeared in the works of many recording artists and has self-produced four CDs and cassette tapes of djembe rhythms and songs. Leon has a great deal of experience teaching African drum rhythms. While in Boston, he taught at community centers, conducted school tours with the Art of Black Dance and Music, and conducted workshops at Berklee College of Music. He became Musical Drector at Paige Academy, a private school in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Leon continued teaching after moving to Los Angeles in 1986. He conducted weekly classes at UCLA, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Theater, Parks and Recreation, and the Los Angeles High School for the Arts on the campus of California State. Leon has been an Ambassador for the State Department and has created signature series Drums where he donates drums totaling $5000.00 yearly.

Michael Thompson is a Retired Lieutenant Colonel for the U.S Army he has served his country for over 32 years. Michael has excelled in his career and has received numerous awards for his outstanding achievements while on duty. He was responsible for overseas experience and peace-keeping combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Michael provides leadership and organizational management through effectively managing all training and administration. Michael is dedicated to his job and rigorous work ethic.

Joseph Lucchetti is a well rounded businessman who was born in Italy and moved to Canada in 1950. He has experience in a range of professions from journalism, business, military, and teaching at the college and university livel. His background, education, and experience has contributed to his success. Upon graduating from High School, Joseph volunteered to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces. Following basic training Joseph applied for and was accepted into the Offer Training Program. After leaving the military, Joseph started a career in journalism and began part-time studies through Laurentian University. Since he had to work to support himself, Joseph's two under graduate degrees and two graduate degrees were earned on a part-time basis. from the university, Joseph was forced to take some time off to serve his country. At the same time he continued to service in the Armed Forces in the Canadian Militia which was part of Canada's Mobile Command. He served with the Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), The 49th Field Regiment, The 26th Service Battalion, and the Northern Ontario Militia District Headquarters. He retired as a First Lieutenant after a total of approximate 20 years of service. Joseph discovered his passion for teaching while in High School when one of his teachers enrolled him into a Methods of Instruction Course conducted by the Canadian Military. He did very well in the course and earned his Instructor's Credentials to teach First Aid through St. John Ambulance. He also taught first aid and a number of other courses in the Military, with various other employers and organizations. His full-time career in teaching did not begin until he had completed his careers in Journalism, and Supervisor of Public Affairs for a major Canadian Steel Corporation. In 1983 We was offered a position teaching business and economics at Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology. A few years later he was so teaching economic courses at Algoma University. He retired from the profession after teaching more than 30 years. Joseph also loved to give back to his community and served on Committees and Boards of Directors for various charitable organization, community and civic organization. His commitment in this area is made quite evident by the fact at age 35 he had contributed 72 person years to various organizations in his community and beyond. in teaching. He was teaching economic courses in two schools, which were Sault College & Algoma University. His specialty was in teaching management courses. Joseph loves to give back and he found that teaching economics served a purpose. He has retired from the profession but was teaching for over 22 years.

Diana Scott Beattie has over 35 years of experience and has served many roles throughout the years. Diana served as Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and spent eight years as Dean with Oman Medical College before she retired. In Diana's last position, her main role was to write evaluations, hire, prepare administration, finance, interview decisions, counseling with assistant dean, meeting with classes and students periodically, and holding workshops with faculty. Diana fell in love with art, and became passionate a passion for what she has been doing for so long thereafter. In the next few years, Diana plans to continue to make a difference one way or another. At this stage in Diana career she is seeking to be recognized for all that she has done thus far, gain credibility and exposure and network, and share expertise and knowledge with like-minded professionals. Diana is most proud of how far she has came and credits her success to hard work, consistency, and family.

Ángela García Cabrera holds a Doctorate degree from Brandeis University, The Heller Graduate School for Social Policy and Administration, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA, (1978), convalidated a few years later by the Complutentense University of Madrid, Spain for a doctorate in Political Science and Sociology, (1982). She holds a Masters degree from the Boston Collage Graduate School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA, (1970), also convalidated by the Complutense University of Madrid for her masters in Political Science and Sociology, (1982). She graduated from from Boston College Undergraduate School, Lynch School of Education, in 1968. A full University Professor a the Faculties of Economics, Business Administration and Tourism and Faculty of Education, at the University of Las Palmas, the Canary Islands of Spain, for more than two decades. Angela has a well developed, multi-cultural view of the social developmental needs of rural and urban societies in both Europe and the United States where she has delivered a number of Conferences on the subjects at Annual National and International Congresses of Sociology. Thus, she is a person with a unique perspective and ability to explain, compare and contrast these societies and the policies each employs to address the social needs of its citizens. She also understands the importance of economic development, especially in the field of Social Welfare, Public and Mental Health, as well as housing and business development for addressing social problems: joblessness, homelessness, education, etc.). From 1971 till 1980, she was work in high Social Welfare, Mental and Public Health Services at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Social Services, in Region One, New England, at the JF Kennedy Building, Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Angela was named Regional Director of Health and Social Security for the Canary Island Region of Spain, being the first woman in Spain to hold such high position, (1980-1983). Yet she holds the difference she made in her university student's lives and the lives of those she served in communities as her greatest professional achievement. She is an amazing woman and she is looking forward to sharing her experience and knowledge with her fellow WANA members. She affirms that she spent her life working in the fields of social, educational and human development services because she was alway socially oriented and she loved the work. She has some of her fondest memories from the community development work she performed while a doctorate student in low-income, minority communities in the United States in the Boston's South End where she was instrumental in the organization of a Credit Union, and in Detroit, Michigan where, at her Mater Degree second year practicum, was also instrumental in organizing a Housing Cooperative for low-income people, affirming that she has always experienced great inner-satisfaction from the work she has always done and that this was her key to success. Angela officially retired from the University of Las Palmas, the Canary Islands of Spain two years ago and currently works as a consultant in conventional and rural tourism while operating her own small business: two beautiful rural homes in the Canary Islands. She has also dabbled a bit in real estate in the United States.

Professor Leon L. Higgs PhD has been involved in education for the past 30 years. Dr. Higgs is currently Secretary General for The Bahamas National Commission for UNESCO, Bahamas Government. He was the Director of Higher Education and Lifelong Learning at the Ministry of Education and a former President of The College of The Bahamas. Dr. Higgs was also Executive Vice President at San Bernardino Valley College in California, Dean of Business and Office Administration at Riverside Community College in California and Divisional Chair of Business and Information Systems at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. Dr. Higgs received his PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1979, where he was a member of Psi Delta Kappa Honor's Fraternity. He received his Masters Degree in Business Education from Northern Illinois University in 1977, and his Bachelors in Business Education from Union College Nebraska in 1973 where he was Business Manager for the Associate Student Body (Student Gov.), National Business Education Student of the Year, and a member of Delta Psi Epsilon Honor's Fraternity. Dr. Higgs has spoken at numerous conferences, seminars, presentations, international meetings and workshops about education, as well as technical and career education. He has also published about education, and is in the process of writing his autobiography entitled "Barefoot to Board Room." Dr. Higgs attributes his success to being very goal directed and does not "march to the beat of anyone else's drum except my own." His goal is to write another book about divorce and remarriage. He enjoys traveling, going on cruises, cooking and fishing.

Dinah Crayton has had a lifetime of leadership experience through the Military, as a former Administrative Law Judge, Prosecutor and serves on numerous boards for community services organizations. She is licensed to practice in the state of Wisconsin in the areas of Family Law, Corporate Law, Labor Law and Negotiation, Criminal Law and Social Security Law just to name a few. Dinah's additional affiliations are with the NAACP, League of Women Voters and United Way. She and her husband founded two Scholarship Endowment Funds at the University of Florida and the University of Missouri. Her husband was a Physician, Professional Musician and Saxophone player. Her son who is a graduate of Tulane University and owner of a music recording company, works on releasing his father's music. When Dinah is not working tirelessly for her clients, she continues with her education, writing books, traveling and concentrating on her philanthropic endeavors and, of course, spending time with her family.

Carlos "Charlie" A. Thompson, a graduate of Loyola University, New Orleans, lives and works in Puerto Rico where he serves as the Vice President and General Manager of De la Cruz & Associates Puerto Rico, an Ogilvy affiliate. Carlos runs a team of sixty-five advertising professional and is responsible for the overall success of the company in the region. Currently, he is focusing on increasing the company's margins to advance its P&L. He actively participates in professional advertising associations and has served as past president of both his local association and the Puerto Rican chapter of his International association. He writes regularly for his company blog as well as one of the large Puerto Rican newspapers. In fact, he recently wrote an article for the paper on advertising trends and forecasts. Carlos says that he says the keys to his success are his passion and dedication to staying current by educating himself. He says very early in his career he moved from marketing to advertising seeking more challenge and an outlet for his creativity and, there, he happily found his passion. He proudly looks back at the time that he took the Nestle Company account and grew it so much in the LATAM market that the agency he worked for then were able to compete with the major players in the region. It is no wonder, then, that Carlos' future holds the title CEO of the company in the very near term. Carlos looks forward to connecting with his fellow Loyola graduates as well as others from universities around the world.

Orlando Soto-Solera is an accomplished finance executive and former stockbroker agent with over 25 years of experience in finance, investments, securities and real estate management. Since 1990, he has served as General Director of Grupo Financiero Acobo in Costa Rica, a 40 year old company. His key responsibilities involve strategic planning, financial planning, HR, and serving as a brokerage dealer, as well as overseeing their phone advisory services which focus on financial assets, funds, and real estate funds. Orlando overlooks both of the company's financial branches, and his area of expertise is securities, business management and real estate management. Orlando graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Business and International Studies from Macalester College in 1988, and earned an MBA from National University in Costa Rica. He also completed courses in Quantitative Methods and Applied Macroeconomics at Harvard University, in 3 Series and 7 Series for Stock Brokers in the U.S., and in Portfolio Management II at New York Institute of Finance, and completed the Entrepreneurial Executive Leadership Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006, as well as executive courses at London School of Business. Originally, Orlando was inspired to attend Mac when he visited his cousin who was living and attending grad school in Minnesota, so he ended up applying and accepting admission. He found it to be a wonderful international environment, program, and experience. Orlando also speaks fluent English and Spanish. In prior roles, he worked as a stockbroker agent, as an assistant of operations, and in assistant brokerage with Investment Management & Research Inc. in Minnesota. Orlando also served as Director in posts at the Chambers of Banks, Chamber of Mutual Funds and Brokerage House. He has been a Member of EO- Entrepreneurs Organization, Costa Rica Chapter since 2000, the Costa Rica Business Club, and the Costa Rica Fishing Club (Club Amateur de Pesca de Costa Rica) since 1997. In addition, Orlando is a Board Member of Real Estate Costa Rica and has been a Board Member of the International Light Tackle Tournament Association since 2012. Going forward, he wants to continue expanding regionally, into Colombia and Mexico, to do more business, and is interested in focusing more on Central American economics. The key to his success has always been perseverance, strategic planning, and having done a lot of research, including in HR, marketing, as well as being involved in the processes regulated by the Costa Rican Central Bank. When he's not working, Orlando enjoys running, triathlons, fishing and travel. He and his family support 3 local organizations, one for Down's Syndrome and another that helps high school dropouts.

Dr. J. Antonio Garcia is an accomplished professional in the Chemical Engineering industry. His career spans over 20 years as a leader in his field. Prior to his current position as President of Global Mass Transfer Equipment Solutions, LLC, he had work in several major worldwide corporations as leader of Research and Development, Managing Business Development and Senior Consulting Engineer. Dr. Garcia has been published numerous times in journals and articles for his ground-breaking achievements in his industry. He is actively involved in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Chemical Society and Sigma XI. Dr. Garcia attributes his success to his college professor and his education at the University of Texas at Austin for giving him the tools to succeed and expand on his passion and drive to learn about Chemical Engineering. In his spare time, he enjoys road biking and hiking.

Silvia Selene Garcia Torres has years of experience in education and speaks fluent Spanish, English, French, and also basic Arabic. Silvia has been working with special needs children who range from the age of 0-5 years old for the past five years. She has gained knowledge and experience not only through her education but also with working with her own child who has special needs. Within the next 3-5 years Silvia is looking to represent other children with special needs including educating the children, family members, and others by lecturing and sharing her knowledge.

Larry N. Trotter is former CEO and GM for Ryobi Power Tools. He is a globally known leader in the plastics, power tools and assemblies product industry. In his career span, he has been instrumental in taking several highly successful products directly to market and has orchestrated numerous licensing agreements between independents and large companies. Mr. Trotter has built an impressive record of accomplishment and growth throughout his career after graduating from Anderson University with a degree in business administration. His love for animals inspired him mid-career to open a horse farm with his wife and the two ran a very successful show horse breeding farm with Thoroughbreds and Paints. Soon thereafter, Mr. Trotter took a job as Market Develop Manager for Fortune 500 company in the Northeast and worked with them for 9 years. At this time Larry enjoys Consulting in the Plastics and Power Tools Industry and enjoys speaking at numerous industry and trade show conferences. He and his wife reside in the Fort Myers area where in his leisure time, Larry never refuses a good game of golf!

Mr. Malcolm is a graduate of Howard University where he pursued Mechanical Engineering and holds a Masters in Public Administration from George Washington University, Washington DC, USA. He has served as a General Engineer and public administration professional with over 30 years of experience in both private and public sectors, locally as well as internationally. Mr. Malcolm has since February 2010 provided consultancy services in areas of infrastructure development, natural gas management, environmental and regulatory management, water supply and waste water management. Mr. Malcolm began his career as a Project Director for the National Works Agency where he had the responsibility to plan and direct the timely implementation of the Northern Jamaica Development Project, which included the Northern Coastal Highway Improvement Project and the North and South Gully Projects. Mr. Malcolm has also held the post of Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the National Water Commission. As Engineering Manager at the District of Columbia, Department of Public Works, Design, Engineering, Construction Administration in Washington D.C., USA. Mr. Malcolm managed capital projects to build, remodel and renovate correctional and fleet facilities, as well as municipal buildings. Mr. Malcolm is a past student of Mannings School, Savanna-La-Mar and served as Justice of the Peace and a Dispute Moderator. He is affiliated with the Professional Engineers Registration Board-Jamaica. The Board is confident that the professional training and experience which Mr. Malcolm brings to the table, is the right fit for the Corporation at this juncture in its history. The Board also uses this opportunity to thank former Acting General Manager, Mr. Desmond Young for his stewardship over the last nine months. At this time Mr. Malcolm is focused on the needs of his community and actively seeks consulting positions to further the development of small towns and work with high schools providing educational support as well as nutrition agendas. Desmond Malcolm is a true leader who has left a long living legacy behind in Urban Development.

Dr. Indu Gupta has been in the healthcare industry for over 13 years. Dr. Gupta is currently working as a Physician with Kaiser Permanente, where her main role is to work in pediatrics. She deals with issues including pediatric weight loss and pediatric eating disorders, and provides patient care and assistance to families. Dr. Gupta was inspired by her aunt who was a pediatrician. She loves what she does and finds that the most rewarding aspect of her profession is being consistent with her patients and seeing the happy faces of families, parents, and children. Dr. Gupta partakes in a lot of lecturing and looks forward to doing more public speaking. At this stage in her career, Dr. Gupta is looking to network with like-minded professionals, establish more of a personal brand, gain exposure, and be recognized for what she has accomplished so far. Dr. Gupta credits her success to drive, ambition, and determination. Within the next few years, Dr. Gupta is focusing on her development and making a difference.

Gerald Peters has over 25 years of professional experience in both private and public sectors. As Minister of Health, Gerald wrote the Who-Aims Report for the Mental Health System for Trinidad And Tobago. This has been used as a model on how to effectively deal with issues throughout the Caribbean. He is currently working as a consultant for both Corporate and Governmental bodies as well. Gerald continued to further his education at the Emory University as well as his degrees with University of the West Indies.

He is having a very successful International career for over 20 years. Since 2006 He is the Chief and Head of Kremer Private Institute which specializes in Neuropsychiatry and Advanced Medicine, the first of its kind in Cordova. He speaks regularly at International conferences and he is the author of 30 scientific papers, author and co-author of national and international publications in books and magazines. His vision for the future is to expand Internationally and become involved in Tele medicine. He speaks English, Spanish and some French.

Wendell Younkins is a professional with over 23 years of experience in the accounting and financial industry. Wendell has worked as a public accountant, controller, financial officer, and director within different sectors in the industry. He graduated from DePaul University with a double major in accounting and finance in 1989. Wendell is currently the Vice President and Global Controller of TV Distribution at NBC Universal. He has been with NBC for over 18 years and started as a the VP and CFO in Japan. One of Wendell's career highlights was achieving the task of making the company public in 2009. Wendell currently advises consent on all deals, and is the keeper of all financial records in over 65 countries for NBC Universal. Wendell originally sought to obtain his Bachelor of Science Degree solely in Finance. But after taking one accounting course, he realized he had a passion for accounting as well, and decided to go for a double major. He is an active member of the National Association of Black Accountants, he volunteers with the West Valley YMCA, and enjoys traveling. Wendell is looking forward to expanding his network and furthering his growth within the industry.

Jakob Troller is a well accomplished individual who has excelled in his academic career. Jakob currently owns a real estate company, turning a family business into one of the most prominent real estate agencies in Switzerland. He also has an exceptional background in bio chemistry and researching is biology. Jakob has dedicated himself to his rigorous work ethic.

Frank Burslem has over 25 years experience of all aspects of the drug discovery and development process. Frank is currently the Vice President at Prescient Healthcare Group where he works on pharmaceutical research and development consulting, specializing in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Frank was on the original discovery team for Viagra (sildenafil citrate), and has spoken at numerous medical colleges, including Bristol University, about the discovery story. He has also spoken about his work at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. He has published over 30 publications about his work, and has received numerous award as well. Frank has also been an expert witness and witness-of-fact in patent litigations spanning the UK, EU, Australia, Japan, China and Canada. Frank has also donated and volunteered with many organizations, such as the British Heart Foundation, the Alzheimer's Society as well as the World Wildlife Fund. He enjoys hill walking and gardening in his spare time. Frank was inspired to go into pharmaceuticals prior to attending the university, as he worked in health services and it sparked an interest. He attributes his success to being passionate about what he does and believing that "fortune favors the prepared mind"; and there is a lot of luck science, but you make your own luck by looking at things differently. His goals are to continue applying knowledge and consulting. He is most proud of the work he did working on the discovery of Viagra.

Eliane Fernandes is an accomplished general manager executive with over 20 years of experience in areas such as corporate governance, internal controls, compliance and planning. She had the opportunity to work in the private and public sectors. Since 2012, she has served as Executive Manager, Strategy at the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry – CNI. Eliane's key responsibilities involve strategic planning, budget, monitoring key performance indicators, project management and corporate governance. Her office also proposes guidelines to the National Board of Directors for SESI, SENAI and IEL within the national and state levels. In her professional experience, she has developed, among others, competences in the areas of corporate governance, compliance, internal controls, strategic planning, budget management and monitoring performance in institutions such as: National Confederation of Industry, Brasilprev (Banco do Brasil joint venture with Principal Financial Group), Ministries of Planning and Environment. Eliane graduated with a Master's in Regional Planning and certificate in geographical information systems from SUNY Albany in 1998, and earned a Bachelor's in Statistics at State University of Rio de Janeiro. Eliane likes looking at scenarios around economics and the needs of new development of innovation, and finds it to be a very challenging field. The key to her success thus far is her ability to negotiate and construct new options and to work with groups on solutions. She is confident in her understanding of how to get the organization to the next level. Going forward, Eliane is keen to enhance her network, especially outside Brazil, increase her visibility and branding, and ultimately attain a position abroad. When she's not working, Eliane enjoys reading books about mystery and crimes, watching movies, taking long walks with her dog Gigi, painting with acrylics, and cooking. She likes to experiment with different cuisines, especially Thai and Italian. The Brazilian National Confederation of Industry – CNI. CNI is the official and highest-level organization representing Brazilian industry. Since its founding in 1938, CNI has defended domestic business and manufacturing interests, acting as the main correspondent with the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, as well as with various organizations and entities in Brazil and around the world. CNI represents Brazil’s 27 state-level federations of industries and 1,245 sectorial employer’s unions, to which almost 700,000 companies are affiliated with. In addition, it directly administers the following organizations: Serviço Social da Indústria – SESI (Social Service of Industry), Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial – SENAI (National Service of Industrial Training) and the Euvaldo Lodi Institute – IEL. CNI advances in research, innovation, and technological development of the national industry. Furthermore, it supports initiatives that seek to improve the standing, corporate transparency, and training of workers around the country.