“On-Demand” Winner Partners
Winner Partners augments our core team with “On-Demand” Partners who are subject-matter experts in their industry or field. Our ability to activate specific expertise and networks as needed is a cost savings to our clients and allows our Partners to remain flexible and continue to strengthen their knowledge base with additional work in their field. By utilizing a consultant model, our experts play for your team and are on deck with ours when the need for their specialty arises.
Vera Anderson – Legacy Creation Partner
Tampa Bay, FL – Send E-mail
Vera Anderson is a dynamic Legacy Coach. She specializes in working with domestic and global business leaders and family office principals, helping them create customized solutions to reach their full potential in business and personal life, removing mindset blocks, and empowering them to create an intentional, multi-generational legacy.
As the grand-daughter of a Russian diplomat and the daughter of a Russian Olympic coach, Vera was raised with an expectation of excellence, earning dual degrees at Penn State University. At the age of 26, Vera was invited to join a Private Equity firm as a Partner. Four years later, she was an Operating Partner based in London, overseeing Treasury for a multinational conglomerate with USD $60M+ in annual revenue, managing a global team of 30 people, and serving on international Joint Venture boards. Subsequently, she founded a seven-figure real estate firm in Chicago, and also served as the CEO of a health-tech startup combining neuroscience and virtual reality technology, for which she raised $4M in 2015.
Combining her Private Equity, Finance, and Startup experience with Strategic Intervention Coach training, and years of testing and validation, Vera developed the Intentional Legacy Model©. This process enables her clients to work and live with a clear purpose and sense of fulfillment in their personal and business lives. Vera works with entrepreneurs, top performers, and the international business elite to reach their full potential, attain their next level, and create an intentional legacy every step of the way.
Connect with and listen to Vera’s latest commentary on LinkedIn.
Rachel Bach – Community and Downtown Redevelopment Planning Partner
Toledo, Ohio – Send E-mail
Rachel Bach is Winner Partners’ Community and Downtown Redevelopment Planning Partner. She has extensive experience in urban planning and development services and had led transformative land development, transportation and beautification projects throughout South Florida. She has led governmental agency and departmental reorganizations to attract substantial urban redevelopment projects and has significant experience in historic preservation, development of workforces housing, special events, and marketing to enhance the community user experience.
Her career spans more than 20 years of diverse leadership work for in community redevelopment agencies (CRA’s) which have included the cities of Plantation, Lake Worth, Dania Beach, Margate, West Palm Beach, and North Miami Beach. Rachel has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) since 2000 and earned a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University. She is adept at navigating multiple facets of development and construction while executing capital projects including land development, budgeting and financing regulations, codes compliance, and has been resourceful in securing project funding through federal and state grant programs.
An astute project manager, Rachel has been tapped for leadership roles using her innate ability to build coalitions that set communities on a path to achieve redevelopment goals. In recent years, Rachel was drawn to her hometown to bring a vision to life in downtown Toledo where city leaders were focused on changing the city’s image and added Rachel’s expertise to a redevelopment mission implementing the award-winning Downtown Toledo Master Plan.
As the “Downtown Doctor”, Rachel discovered early that people are the key to successful cities and communities and has instilled this in her work. Her approach to city planning breeds community, diversity, and vitality tapping into the unique character of cities and their residents to create opportunity for shared public life using placemaking, branding and niche marketing strategies. She has accomplished award-winning projects and events through creative public, private, and nonprofit partnerships spanning downtowns, industrial parks, historic districts, and neighborhoods.
Rachel currently resides in Perrysburg, Ohio with her two children: Dakota age 15 AJ age 16. In her spare time, she volunteers for the Perrysburg High School Theater boosters and is involved with Wood County Special Olympics. For fun, she enjoys attending art festivals, live music events, and exploring new cities.
See Rachel speak here about What Makes a City for People.
Wilson Bautista, Jr – Cybersecurity Partner
St. Petersburg, FL – Send E-mail
Wilson Bautista, Jr. is Winner Partners’ Cybersecurity Partner. Wilson is a retired military officer and the founder of Jün Cyber, a professional IT services advisory and management consulting company specializing in cybersecurity. As our Cybersecurity Partner, Wilson will leverage his experience in InfoSec leadership policy, architecture, compliance, and risk to provide his expertise to keep Winner Partners’ clients information and data safe and secure.
Wilson holds multiple certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Project Management Professional, and ISO 27001 Senior Lead Implementer. He has earned a master’s degree in Information Systems from Boston University as well as an MBA from the University of South Florida. His education as well as his experience in both the government and private sectors as an information security expert provides value to clients and businesses.
Developing Jün Cyber and launching an online learning platform offering Cybersecurity Training for Veterans, Transitioning Military, and Spouses has allowed for Wilson’s passion to support veterans and their transition into the civilian workforce with a focus on career in Cybersecurity. Winner Partners has the honor to partner with Wilson and Jün Cyber to do our part to help grow the cybersecurity talent pool with the nation’s best…our veterans.
LEARN MORE AND SUPPORT PROJECT JÜN CYBER OHANA
Deon Bradley – Leadership Development Partner
Tampa Bay, FL – Send E-mail
Deon Bradley is Winner Partners’ Leadership Development Partner as well as a Certified Business and Executive Leadership Coach. He is one of only 10% of professional Coaches in North America to hold an International Coach Federation-approved Certification. Deon founded Bradley Coaching & Consulting in 2008. He has over 25 years of sales management, business development, and leadership development experience.
Deon’s successful career includes leading regional and national B2B technical Sales and Business Development teams at startups and three Fortune 100 companies, including AT&T. He has held various leadership positions including National Director, General Manager, Senior Vice President and is a two-time CEO. As SVP of Data Communication of Bell South, Deon led a $500 million B2B sales division responsible for 6 offices and nearly 100 Managers and staff.
As a result of his passion for working with young people, Deon has taught Entrepreneurship at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC. He was recognized for his volunteer work with students in the college prep program at Goodwill Industries of the Carolinas and the “Alumni Sharing Knowledge” mentoring program at his alma mater, DePaul University in Chicago. He has worked with the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University and the Teach for America Entrepreneurship Program in Chicago. He also launched the Cofounders matchup Chicago networking group for tech startups, which grew to a membership of over 1,100 entrepreneurs and Founders.
Deon is honored to support Veteran entrepreneurs as both a Business Advisor and as the Chairman of the Business Advisors Program for the “Operation Startup” Veterans Incubator at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL. He serves as a Business Advisor for the Tampa Bay WAVE Accelerator CoFoundersLab.com, a resource to over 15,000 entrepreneurs worldwide and for the nation’s largest accelerator, 1871 Chicago. In 2018, 1871 was chosen as the Number 1 Accelerator in the world by the Global Accelerator Network.
Deon believes in serving the communities where he lives and has volunteered as a Board Member, Mentor, and fundraiser for nearly two dozen nonprofit organizations in four states since 1994.
On the personal side, Deon and his wife Edith have three adult children. He is an avid reader and enjoys sailing, snorkeling, live concerts, and traveling.
Ronnie Bryant – Not-For-Profit and Economic Development Partner
Charlotte, NC – Send E-mail
Through Ronnie L. Bryant, LLC, Ronnie helps executives improve their leadership skills and business acumen to operate organizations while maintaining a competitive edge in diverse, evolving domestic and global marketplaces.
Prior to forming his consultancy, Ronnie served as President & CEO of the Charlotte Regional Partnership for 13 years. He and his team marketed the 16-county region to domestic and global companies as the premier site for expansion and relocation. He created strategic partnerships and brokered viable collaborations earning him a national reputation for creating and implementing effective economic development programs.
Bryant’s leadership in economic development spans thirty-five years with executive positions at:
Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce
St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association
Pittsburgh Regional Alliance
Charlotte Regional Partnership
Bryant served in the Charlotte business community as a board director for the American Leadership Forum, Aspire Community Capital, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, Charlotte City Club, and Jazz Arts Initiative. He is a national board member for The Bollinger Foundation (Washington, D.C.) and The Institute for Work and the Economy (Illinois). He was a board member for The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland-Pittsburgh Branch.
Additionally, Ronnie is a past chairman for the International Economic Development Council and a member of Southern Economic Developers Council, among other associations. He is a former dean and a faculty member for University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute as well as an adjunct professor for University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Bryant earned a B.S. in business management from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. He was a fellow at The Center for Intentional Leadership®, Center for Creative Leadership, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. Bryant is a recipient of the American Economic Development Council’s Robert B. Cassell Leadership Award.
Throughout his career, Bryant has garnered national recognition and top-industry ranking for his leadership by Site Selection magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Charlotte Magazine. He is an acclaimed contributor to and global lecturer in economic development marketing, organizational governance, strategic management, and current trends in civic and community engagements. Ronnie is also the author of “Driving from the Backseat: Tips for Surviving as a not-for-profit CEO” available here.
Loretta Monroe Calvin Organizational Strategy Partner
St. Petersburg, FL – Send E-mail
Loretta Monroe Calvin is Winner Partners’ Organizational Strategy Partner. As a respected business and community leader, Loretta’s personal passion for helping others coupled with her creativity allowed her to launch Monroe Strategic Business Solutions. She helps individuals and organizations deliver on declared strategies by aligning values and mission.
Loretta’s experience with non-profits includes serving as Executive Director for The Edible Peace Patch Project and Interim Executive Director for YWCA Tampa Bay as well as the Clearwater Neighborhood Family Center. In addition to Loretta’s community engagement, she has over 20 years of experience with Tech Data Corporation where she gained global experience in sales, operations, information technology, and human resources.
In launching Tech Data’s inaugural Diversity and Inclusion strategic initiative, she paved a way for other organizations to follow suit. She has extended her diversity expertise to construction companies helping to fulfill supplier diversity requirements when designated talent fulfillment is defined in contracts, helping to create a diverse team of subcontractors and labor force. This unique offering aids with creating workforce economic impact reporting.
Loretta holds a degree from Stetson University and has received countless recognitions, honors, and affiliations. Loretta was named a finalist for Tampa Bay’s Consultant of the Year (2015) by the HR Tampa professional local organization (part of the national Senior Human Resource Management: SHRM). She was highlighted in Power Broker’s 2017 magazine edition of “Top African American Female Leaders” in the Tampa Bay area. In December 2018, Loretta completed her five-year volunteer role as President of the Florida Diversity Council Tampa Chapter. She remains active in all diversity and inclusion initiatives and continues to draw attention to solution-based conversations.
Current and past board roles include: Advisory Board for Guardian-at-Litem, UNCF Advisory Board (United Negro College Fund), Former 2020 Project Board member, Pinellas County Urban League Board, Former VP Dress for Success Board, and most recently assumed the role of Board Chair for Legacy-56, Inc.
As Loretta’s storied experiences in activating initiatives have benefited so many in the community and in business, she finds joy in the work of connecting people to create solutions for a better world.
Watch Loretta address workforce challenges in construction: Power of Diversity Outreach in this video.
Lisa Donnelly – Human Capital Partner
Cincinnati, OH – Send E-mail
Lisa Donnelly cultivated an innovative and strategic approach for Human Resources, Talent/Recruiting, and Training during her three decades with a Consumer Product Goods corporation. Her ability to build relationships with clients, suppliers, and internal teams made her a natural choice to lead corporate initiatives related to HR. Lisa now applies her well-honed Fortune 100 best practices to phase two of her career in the meetings and event industry.
Lisa’s career at Procter & Gamble started with talent/recruiting and later evolved to HR responsibilities in their Beauty Business Unit. Her commitment to the candidate experience drew her back to the talent area where she developed coveted programs for new hires, interns, benefits, and communication. She designed and led hundreds of internal and external corporate meetings and trainings.
Through Experient/Maritz, a global meetings and events company, Lisa delivers excellence in sourcing and contracting for corporations, associations, non-profits, enthusiasts, and incentive groups in need of hotels, meeting space, AV, transportation, and destination management services. Her clients include Procter & Gamble, AdWeek, Brandemonium, Kona Ice, Winspire Incentive Travel, and Bunbury Music Festival and others
Lisa resides in the greater Cincinnati area.
Ross Foca – Professional EOS Implementer ®
Baltimore, MS – Send E-mail
Ross Foca is the founder of Power 6 Group. He is growth focused and passionate about building leadership teams. Through Power 6 Group, Ross focuses his efforts on helping entrepreneurs and leadership teams get what they want out of their business and live a better life. He has helped numerous business owners implement EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System. EOS® is a complete set of simple concepts and practical tools that has helped thousands of entrepreneurs get what they want from their businesses. Implementing EOS® helps leadership teams get better at three things:
Vision—Getting everyone in your organization 100% on the same page with where you’re going, and how you plan to get there
Traction®—Instilling focus, discipline, and accountability throughout the company so that everyone executes on that vision—every day
Healthy Helping your leaders become a more cohesive, functional, healthy leadership team
Prior to focusing 100% on Power of 6 Group and EOS® Implementations, Ross enjoyed a 25-year career as a member of the leadership teams of entrepreneurial companies from $5M to $5B in revenue. His last 15 years were focused as an owner and leader of several food manufacturing and distribution companies. He led one of these company’s revenue from $70M to $300M. After a successful exit, he shifted his focus to helping others.
Ross enjoys family time with his wife of over 25 years, traveling, helping his clients, and competitive tennis. He has two children who are both attending universities in Maryland. Ross is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and often volunteers his time to sit on industry boards and mentoring others. Ross has an MBA from Loyola University and BA from UMBC in Economics.
Ross would love to help you and your leadership team achieve your vision and become a more cohesive team.
Santos Hernandez, Jr. – Human Resources Partner
Pittsburgh, PA – Send E-mail
Santos Hernandez, Jr., serves as Human Resources Partner for Winner Partners. He is a highly accomplished executive with more than 25 years of human resources experience, including strategic business planning and leadership development with federal government contractors engaged in the nuclear engineering industry.
His expertise in all aspects of human resources includes health & welfare benefits programs, talent acquisition & retention initiatives, labor & employee relations, compensation, HRIS management, and EEO/diversity compliance programs. Santos has extensive experience with HR strategic planning of organizational restructuring initiatives, including establishing and overseeing task teams to execute key initiatives. He has held fiduciary responsibility for asset management of defined contributions and benefit plans.
Santos served as Chief HR Officer (CHRO) for a project engineering organization responsible for providing design, manufacturing, and procurement management of high-quality components for the Navy. He oversaw the total human resources organization and HR operations for multiple locations. Santos successfully led the transition of corporate ownership, the merger of two site operations, and the alignment of benefits and compensation structures among two companies.
His earlier career included roles as Division Human Resources Manager at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC and Employee Relations Manager at the West Valley Demonstration Project at West Valley, NY. While serving as Senior HR Professional at the Hanford Reservation in Richland, Washington, Santos led a successful recruitment campaign for nuclear operations to support the start-up of a major test facility, for which he received a Business Unit recognition award for Diversity Recruitment.
Santos is a native of Washington State and a graduate of Central Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in Law & Justice. He also holds a Master’s Certificate in Leadership from Duquesne University’s John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business.
On the personal side, Santos is the diocesan leader for the Catholic Men’s Fellowship in the Diocese of Greensburg and Diocese of Pittsburgh, which includes planning and organizing annual ministry events. Santos has attended three World Youth Day pilgrimages to Australia, Germany, and Canada including planning and organizing for one of the three WYD pilgrimages for his diocese. He currently chairs committees that plans and organizes Catholic evangelization conferences, pilgrimages, and youth events in both dioceses of Pittsburgh and Greensburg. Santos is also active in his parish’s charitable outreach committee where he has been leading the collection and distribution of winter clothing for homeless men for the past ten years.
Santos resides in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, with his wife and family and is a member of St. Bernadette Roman Catholic Church in Monroeville, PA. As a bilingual person, Santos can communicate in English and Spanish.
Gail Marino-Klee – Human Resources Business Partner
Tampa, FL – Send E-mail
Gail Marino-Klee focuses on Human Resources for Winner Partners. She is a subject-matter expert in the development of human resource policies and practices that puts human resources at the center of business. With more than a decade of experience in labor union negotiations, staff training, and acting as a strategic business partner, Gail’s work has crossed industries and geographies, proving her ability to solve complex human resources challenges. Gail has mastered the complete spectrum of HR and recruitment processes: sourcing, hiring, creating the right job descriptions to get work activated. She has introduced performance planning and evaluation as well as managed compliance, benefits, compensation, and the fun stuff like team building and organizational design. Gail is a proven partner in all the best ways.
Gail holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY College at Cortland and a Master of Management degree from Goldey-Beacom College where she was also an adjunct professor. In her work as Director of Human Resources, she has been highly engaged in diverse industries like healthcare, steel, and technology. This experience led to certifications by the USW and AFL-CIO in labor union relations.
Gail served at a leadership level for Delaware’s SHRM. She remains closely in tune with hiring trends nationwide and is a well–respected authority on employee retention, talent acquisition, and cultivating engagement.
Areas of subject matter expertise:
- HR Audit
- Employee Handbook; Creating Concise Job Descriptions; Onboarding Packets; Objectives and Performance Planning; Writing/Developing/Implementing Concise Policy
- Resolving Compliance Issues; FMLA/ADA Compliance
- Benefits and Payroll Services
- Team Building; Organizational Design; Management Coaching and Training
- Labor Relations; Labor and Employment Law; Union Avoidance
- Implementation of Strategic Business Initiatives and Tactical Plans
Jennifer Samuel-Chance, MBA – Communications Strategy Partner
Tampa, FL – Send E-mail
Jennifer Samuel-Chance, MBA, is known as one of the most innovative and sought after “speech-fixer”, speakers, and communication strategist out there. As Winner Partners’ Communications Strategy Partner, she works with individuals at all levels to enhance their ability to tell the right story, at the right time. Her 20 years of experience as an international speaker, executive speech coach, and performing storyteller have enabled her to deliver over 1997 presentations on leadership communication issues around the world.
Her international speech coaching clients come from diverse fields like business, professional speaking, education, government, professional sports, and entertainment. Whether she works with organizations, leadership teams, or powerful influencers, her mission is to help them build meaningful connections to ultimately achieve success on their own terms.
After a decade of a successful career in leadership with a Fortune 500 company, job burnout eventually prompted Jennifer to start Your Endless Possibilities, Inc. – which specializes in helping clients create exponential increases in revenues and profits by influencing their audiences and prospects to say YES! Jennifer specializes in presenting and coaching on the power of personal and business storytelling for greater success. She has been certified in several assessment tools and healing modalities which has allowed her to develop her holistically based “Tell it to Sell it”® model for easy and profound public speaking.
She has been the Dean of the Speakers Academy for National Speaker’s Association – Central Florida Chapter and a guest lecturer for several universities and colleges in Florida. Whether she works with organizations, leadership teams, or powerful influencers, her mission is to help them build meaningful connections so that they can ultimately achieve success on their own terms.
Jennifer currently resides in Tampa, Florida. In her spare time, she loves traveling, singing, and dancing. She is a member of the Arts Legacy Dream Team at the Straz Performing Arts Center in Tampa which is dedicated to showcasing all artistic expression from around the world. Jennifer also loves to volunteer her time and energy to non-profit organizations such as Metropolitan Ministries, Dress for Success of Tampa Bay, and Girls Inc. of Pinellas.
Dennis Tracy – Destination Marketing Organization Partner
Cincinnati, OH – Send E-mail
Dennis Tracy is a life-long hospitality industry veteran representing destinations, world-class hotel properties, and unique attractions. His experiences with vibrant organizations have welcomed hundreds of attendees and stimulated local economies via visitor spending. Armed with the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) distinction, the tourism industry’s highest individual educational achievement, Dennis also holds 30+ years of dedicated sales and leadership experience.
The diverse experience Dennis brings to Winner Partners and our clients includes Destination Sales and Marketing, hotel and visitor attractions, and meeting sourcing spread across six firms:
- Experient
- Visit Jacksonville
- Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
- Westin Hotel in Cincinnati
Dennis has extensive experience at relationship building both externally via traditional customer activity streams, supplier partnerships, and internal bonds. He is known as a creative team leader adept at recruiting, motivating, and managing a diverse sales and support staff with a track record of achieving financial and performance goals. His experience includes the operations side of the multi-faceted hospitality industry with the leisure destination marketing side and meetings and conventions.
A bona fide travel enthusiast, Dennis has visited all 50 States, much of Canada, 70 countries worldwide including all 7 continents!
