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Christopher Boyd Account Executive, Conexus
Christopher Boyd, an account executive with Conexus, Inc, appreciates how fortunate he is to be working for a company who shares the same core values as he does. Conexus' vision statement of 'Make Life Better' is something that Christopher not only uses in his professional career but also in his life as a whole.READ MORE
Professionally, Christopher responsibility is to build relationships to ultimately leverage smart building technologies to transform his customer's environments to optimize comfort, safety, and efficiencies.
Personally, Christopher, a father of 3, is active in the community. He is a Travel Basketball Director for Penn Manor Rec basketball, He is Vice Chairman for Bethany Christian Services of Central PA, and he also serves on the Board of Directors for La Academia, a Chater/STEM School in Lancaster, Pa.
Lastly, Christopher has recently started a clothing line, Lank. Lank's mission is simple: To provide the opportunity for children to pursue their dreams regardless of the cost associated with doing so. Lank provides scholarships for children to participate in athletics, arts, and education.
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Kara Luzik Canale Vice President, Chamber Operations, Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC
Kara Luzik Canale is the Vice President of Chamber Operations for the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. Kara is responsible for implementing and developing components of the Chamber & CREDC’s Strategic Plan and oversight of specific areas of operation including membership, events, and communications.READ MORE
Kara comes to the Chamber & CREDC following nearly a decade in strategic communications agencies. A professional problem solver, she’s applied her skills to organizations ranging from regional non-profits to Fortune 500 companies. She played key roles in opening a casino resort, building a major highway interchange and introducing innovative health care programs. A lifelong resident of Central PA, she has developed internship and mentorship programs to strengthen the region’s workforce.
Kara graduated summa cum laude from Elizabethtown College with a B.A. in corporate communications and a minor in political science.
She sits on the board of Harrisburg Young Professionals where she led the development of Harrisburg Internship Connection, designed to retain future leaders by helping college students discover Harrisburg through a regional mentorship program. She also proudly volunteers for Hospice of Central PA. Kara is a Central Penn Business Journal “Forty Under 40” Award recipient.
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Ettel Feinberg Manager, Employee Experience, U-GRO Learning Centres
Ettel Feinberg is the Manager of Employee Experience (HR) at U-GRO Learning Centres, where she leads the HR team with a primary focus of providing a best-in-class employee experience for over 350 team members. Prior to expanding her scope further into the Human Resources field, Ettel specialized in staffing and recruitment for the IT and healthcare industries, allowing her to gain deep understanding of the importance of talent acquisition, as well as the various drivers that lead to employee turnover in the workforce. READ MORE
Ettel’s passion for helping others find joy and satisfaction in their careers led her in pursuit of opportunities where she could most impact the employee experience and implement change to achieve workforce excellence. Her background includes full-cycle recruitment, onboarding, employee recognition and engagement, total rewards strategy, data analysis, process improvement, internal communications and employee relations.
A strong believer in the power of transparency in the workplace, Ettel is committed to understanding the needs of both the employers and employees—she utilizes people-focused policies and effective communication strategies to meet talent demands and deliver an exceptional employee experience.
Ettel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. She returned to Central PA in 2012 and recently purchased her first home in the Harrisburg area! Ettel enjoys a good podcast or Netflix binge, but can also be found practicing yoga from the comfort of her living room or enjoying a jog after work.
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Danielle Mariano Director, Bureau of Budget and Fiscal Management, PA Dept of Education
Continually motivated to achieve what others think is impossible, Danielle creates results-oriented, customer-focused, and quality-minded cultures in the organizations she leads. She is passionate about demonstrating that teams in any sector can achieve efficiency, provide value and identify practical solutions. Danielle also believes that people are the key to achieving success and that a leader’s job is to help each employee reach their full potential.READ MORE
Danielle is currently the Director of the Bureau of Budget and Fiscal Management at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, where she manages a $28 million operating budget and focuses on her strategic vision for optimizing services to the Commonwealth’s public education entities. Danielle previously worked as the Director of the Bureau of School Audits at the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General, where she redesigned operational reviews of 700+ public education entities and introduced a risk-based audit approach. She also has previous experience in communications and consulting.
Danielle has an undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College and a graduate degree from Arizona State University. In addition, she recently received her Agile Scrum Master certification. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Council for the south-central branch of the ALS Association Greater Philadelphia Chapter and a 2019 graduate of Leadership Harrisburg Area’s Community Leadership Series. Danielle lives in Hershey with her husband Mark and their three children, Will, Tess and dog Maxie.
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Allan Mitchell Project Engineer, KCI Technologies, Inc.
Allan Mitchell is a structural engineer and licensed professional engineer in several Mid-Atlantic states. He has been working in the fast-paced telecom industry for over seven years and has recently made a transition into general building structures design. READ MORE
Allan is looking to build a new team of engineers and designers who share his passion for efficient problem solving. In his downtime you will find him standing in a river with a fishing pole or standing near a grill with a spatula.
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Luke Salter Account Leader, Wenger Feeds
A resident of Lancaster, PA, J. Luke Salter served as SRT Operator and Foreign Weapons Specialist in the United States Marine Forces Reserve before pursing his passion for all things poultry as an Account Leader for layer and pullet feeds at Wenger Feeds, LLC, a division of The Wenger Group.READ MORE
Originally from Mars, Pennsylvania, Luke earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Science from Penn State University. He completed internships at Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. and Wenger Feeds and previously served as Production Manager for Dutchland Farms, LLC, also a division of The Wenger Group.
Luke works with customers on maximizing flock nutrition, performance, and welfare, as well as advises farmers and managers on the latest in poultry production research and methodology.
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James Scott CEO, Team Scott Inspire
"Scottie" James Scott is the CEO and Co-Founder of Team Scott Inspire, leading the community with a Desire to Inspire Kindness through building partnerships within the community. Through making connections with diverse organizations, community members and business leaders he helped establish the Students Achieving Success program.READ MORE
This program has provided many S.M.I.L.E.S (Support, Mentor, Inspire, Lead, Empower, and Success) to students in Dauphin county that are identified as homeless or facing other adversities but determined to achieve success. "Scottie" is determined to share the simple acts of Kindness and SMILES by being an influencer in his community.
"Scottie" has the mindset it's not about making a million dollars—it's about inspiring a million people and repeating the process. #NoFrownFriday — Every day you wake up is a reason to SMILE!
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Joelle Shea Corporate Communications Manager, Gannett Fleming
Joelle Shea is the corporate communications manager at global infrastructure and engineering firm Gannett Fleming. In that role, she is responsible for developing and executing integrated internal and external communications that support the firm’s strategic action plan and advance thought leadership.READ MORE
Joelle leads a growing team that ensures Gannett Fleming’s strategic initiatives are expertly represented to clients and teaming partners. She serves on the steering committee of Connected Women at Gannett Fleming™, an employee resource group that aims to create a culture that empowers, supports, and mentors women to achieve career and personal success. Additionally, she is the chair of the Connected Ambassadors program, made up of more than 70 representatives throughout the firm. She is a 2018 graduate of Gannett Fleming’s Leadership Academy.
Shea earned a Master of Arts in communications, culture, and technology from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in media studies from The Catholic University of America. She holds a leadership position with the Pennsylvania Public Relations Society and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
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Andy Shoop Controller, Advanced Powder Products
Andy Shoop is the Controller of Advanced Powder Products (APP) and resident of Hollidaysburg, PA. A Central Pennsylvania native, Andy recently moved back to the area to join APP and is enjoying being part of the team leading a rapidly growing, high technology manufacturing company close to his hometown.READ MORE
Before joining APP, Andy worked as a financial analyst with Air Products in Allentown and prior to that, as a credit analyst with First Commonwealth Bank in Pittsburgh. Andy has a Bachelor’s in Economics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration from Penn State University.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife Courtney, their son Elliott, and their dog Zoe, as well as playing the guitar, grilling, hunting, fishing, and anything else that involves being outside.
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Julie Walker Executive Director, The Peyton Walker Foundation
When life threw her a curveball in 2013 with the tragic and unexpected death of her 19-year-old daughter, Julie Walker dusted herself off and immediately launched a highly impactful, results-oriented nonprofit in response to this incredibly devastating loss.READ MORE
The Peyton Walker Foundation is a thriving and growing nonprofit foundation that provides free teen heart screenings, free CPR & AED training and donates lifesaving defibrillators all throughout the Midstate. Julie works relentlessly to save other families from experiencing a similar devastating loss.
In addition to leading the lifesaving work of The Peyton Walker Foundation, Julie also runs her own meeting and event planning business and plans meetings all over the United States for associations, corporations and biotech/pharmaceutical companies. She has worked in the meetings industry for over 30 years and has earned multiple credentials.
Julie is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and was recently named a “Hometown Hero” by Penn State for her work with The Peyton Walker Foundation.
Julie lives by the motto that her dad instilled in her…. “Always maintain a sense of humor” and tries to find the humor even in life’s most trying times. Laughter is truly the best medicine for a broken heart.
Julie is a Penn State football fanatic, seeks out the best-kept-secret restaurants whenever she travels, enjoys hiking with her dogs, loves to discover different cultures around the world through travel, and decompresses by digging her toes in the sand.
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Each New Leader will receive:
- Attendance at the annual Evolution Leadership Conference Find out more
- A 45-minute VIP training session from the speakers at the Evolution Annual Conference
- 90 days of executive coaching from a Vistage coach
- 90 days of membership in a Vistage Executive Peer Group
- Meet and Greet event with peers
- Two executive coaching sessions with JD
A Special Thank You
to our four distinguished judges
- Una Martone Leadership Harrisburg Area
- Mike Mitchell High Family Business Center
- Dave Schankweiler Founder, and Former CEO and Owner of Journal Multimedia
- Lee Peters Vistage Regional Executive
