CEO Summit 15 Practicum

At 14 years old, Scott Miller spent his summers working in a company warehouse sweeping floors and sorting batteries.  Twenty years later, he had worked his way through most leadership positions to become CEO and President of Interstate Batteries, a $1.5 billion international business which controls the largest market share of replacement brand batteries in North America.

Last year alone, Dallas-based Interstate sold 17.5 million batteries and recycled another 25 million, with a proliferation of battery offerings, now ranging from hearing aids and laptops to bulldozers and power tools.For five years running, Interstate has been named a Dallas “Best Place to Work” with a culture that is firmly grounded in a Team Member-first mindset and a healthy dose of Fun.

Since becoming CEO in 2012, Scott has led the 63-year old organization through a journey of business transformation, beginning with discovery of its Purpose and Values which were announced in early 2014.  Interstate’s Purpose and Values have become a lightning rod for Scott to attract exciting new talent at the executive level and reimagine a five-year vision for Interstate. 

Scott graduated from Colorado Christian University in 1991 with a degree in business management.  Outside of Interstate, Scott enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, playing golf, fishing, and is a faithful fan of Manchester United.

Pamela is an international Leadership Development Consultant, dynamic facilitator, course designer and innovative leader in organizational and corporate culture change. Collaborating with executives at a senior level, her focus is on corporate culture transformation, innovation and inclusion using an experiential, conscious and humanistic approach. Pamela has over 15 years experience in international sales and multicultural relationship management both within organizations and as an entrepreneur.

Pamela firmly believes that the distinction between work and life is a false polarity. Life is happening all of the time and true Leadership is about taking responsibility for what you are creating, reconnecting to your inner core, your humanness and authentically honoring your values. Much of her work focuses on the belief that successful and sustainable culture change is more than savvy internal communications; sustainable change requires a cosmic shift in the way leaders demonstrate the core values of an organization in their day to day leadership.

Pamela received her professional coach training from the Coaches Training Institute in San Francisco, California, and is a proud graduate of their intensive Leadership program.  Pamela is a respected member of their faculty and dedicated trainer of aspiring coaches.  She is a PCC credentialed member of the International Coaches Federation. Pamela graduated Magna Cum Laude with degrees in Psychology and Business Management from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.  Native English Speaker and fluent in Swedish, Pamela has lived In Switzerland, France, the US, and Sweden. Pamela currently shares her time between Sweden and the US. She is a proud mother of four, an avid chef, and world traveler.

Jessica Goulding, E-RYT 500, has been teaching yoga for over 10 years to many different populations. She first learned about yoga while attaining her BFA in Dance from UT Austin.  From there, she went on to have a 5-year dance career in New York City, where she continued studying yoga and became certified to teach.  As soon as she moved back to Austin and started a family, she began teaching at Yoga Yoga, where she still teaches today.

Jessica’s classes are alignment-based, contemplative, energetic, and playful. She is currently in training for Yoga Therapy, and the healthy benefits of yoga are soon felt by her students, from postnatal moms to marathon-running dads and adventurous grandparents.

Matt O’Hayer started Vital Farms in 2007 with 20 Rhode Island Red hens. From there, he set out to prove that it is possible to produce the highest quality food in an environmentally responsible manner from humanely treated animals on a commercial scale. Matt’s company, Vital Farms, produces pasture raised eggs from birds that live outdoors on fresh grass via 55 family farms located throughout the warmer southern states. The eggs are sold at Whole Foods Market nationwide as well as a host of other natural and conventional grocery and foodservice outlets. In addition to being a chicken whisperer, Matt is a USCG Master Captain, an accomplished chef, a rescue diver, and has been an instrument pilot for over 35 years.

Michael Whelchel is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Big Path Capital – a boutique investment bank working exclusively with purpose-driven companies and funds assisting in mergers, acquisitions, and capital raises.  Big Path Capital advances an economy for business interests seeking multiple bottom line interests seeing the financial world generate good as it generates returns.  Michael brings over two decades of experience financing, acquiring, selling, growing, and operating growth-oriented companies to Big Path Capital. Prior to co-founding Big Path Capital, he worked with both start-ups and later-stage companies in a range of industries, playing key roles in the early development of two private equity firms focused on growth-oriented companies. Michael managed the full investment process including sourcing, deal structure, due diligence, negotiations, financing, portfolio management, sales on exit, and fund raising.

In 2007, with the old economy at a dead end, Michael established Big Path Capital to advance an expansive economy built on natural, social, and financial capital. In partnership with Shawn Lesser, Michael has founded a number of first of their kind initiatives all of which demonstrate SmarterMoney+ – maximize return, maximize impact. Those include the Five Fund Forum, Impact Capitalism Summit, and Impact & Sustainable Trade Missions.

Michael received his BA summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN and received a joint MBA and MEM (Master of Engineering Management) from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.  Micha el is an advisory board member of the Croatan Institute and the Babson Center for Global Commerce and is a member of the Social Venture Network and Net Impact.

Seth Goldman is Co-Founder & TeaEO of Honest Tea, the company he created in 1998 with Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management.  Today, Honest Tea is the nation’s top selling organic bottled tea, specializing in beverages that are organic, Fair Trade Certified™, and Just A Tad Sweet®.  In March 2011, Honest Tea was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company, becoming the first organic and Fair Trade brand in the world’s largest beverage distribution system.  The transaction has helped deepen the reach and impact of Honest Tea’s mission — Honest beverages are now carried in more than 100,000 outlets throughout the country.  Seth continues to lead the enterprise out of Honest Tea’s headquarters in Bethesda, MD.

Seth is a prominent voice among mission-driven entrepreneurs.  In 2014, he was recognized by the United States Healthful Food Council with a REAL Food Innovator Award for helping change the food landscape, and was named the “#1 Disruptor” by Beverage World magazine for his impact on the beverage industry.

Seth serves on the boards of the American Beverage Association, Bethesda Green, Beyond Meat, EcoLogic Solutions, and sits on the Advisory Boards of Net Impact and the Yale School of Management.  In September 2013 Seth and Barry celebrated the release of their comic-book  business book Mission in a Bottle – The Honest Guide to Doing Business Differently – and Succeeding, which became a New York Times Best Seller. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Yale School of Management, and lives with his wife and three boys near Honest Tea’s Bethesda, MD headquarters in an eco-friendly house.

Diana has more than twenty years of experience backing and building sustainability and values-led companies. Diana is a Managing Director at Cranemere, a holding company that takes long term positions in privately held, mid-market companies. Cranemere’s indefinite ownership horizon allows its companies to continue their growth and development while strengthening the culture and values which are key to their success. Diana leads Cranemere’s activities focused on backing sustainability market leaders and purpose-led companies across diverse sectors. Her sector experience includes energy, green building, organic/natural foods, and healthy living.

Diana is currently an Aspen Institute Fellow and a Capital Institute Fellow researching alternative exit structures and how to incorporate impact into investment terms in order to build stronger and more aligned partnerships between investors and social enterprises. The research findings will be put together in 2015 in a web-based toolkit that can be openly accessed by investors and entrepreneurs.

Prior to joining Cranemere, Diana was a Partner at Expansion Capital Partners, a sustainability and cleantech growth stage venture fund. Diana is proud to have backed and partnered with several successful companies including DIRTT Environmental Solutions (green building), CPower (energy efficiency and power management), and Orion Energy (lighting and controls).

Diana has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Duke University. She lives in New York City with her family and enjoys playing sports with her two sons.

Raphael is a champion for a new approach to branding that puts values behind every marketing initiative.  An expert in brand strategy, innovation strategy, cause marketing and public affairs, Raphael has led programs that are international in scope and diverse in terms of issues and industries.  He has directed recent initiatives for clients such as adidas, Eileen Fisher, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal USA, MillerCoors, Samsung and Target.  Prior to BBMG, he served as marketing director for Do Something.  Raphael also has an extensive background in political communications and public affairs, having served a state governor, senator and U.S. congressman.