EMBA Candidates

rjRJ Aenchbacher 

C/O 2020


Robert W. Aenchbacher Jr. (RJ) is a Jacksonville native who enjoys traveling and singing. After spending eight years in the Marine Corps, with two tours in Iraq, Mr. Aenchbacher enrolled in Jacksonville University.  He graduated from JU in 2014 with degrees in International Business and Economics with a minor in Music.  During his time at JU, he spent a summer studying International Marketing in Barcelona, several weeks in Costa Rica studying the Economics of the country, and helped start the International Business Club, serving as the inaugural president.  RJ also received the Conductors Award from the Music Department.  RJ started a company while taking classes as an undergrad and sold the business in 2017.   He is currently employed by the Department of the Interior working at Timucuan National Parks.  In his free time, he serves as Membership Director at Morocco Shrine with Shriners Hospitals for Children and serves as the Beaches Shrine Club 2018 President, sings at Riverside Presbyterian, and volunteers with the March of Dimes. RJ is happily married (Lindsay) with a newborn baby boy (Maddix).


 

bolandAdam Boland 

C/O 2020


Born into a Navy family, Adam spent his childhood moving around the country. After graduating from Concord University in 2006 with degrees in Psychology and Sociology, Adam spent the next eleven and a half years as a Naval Aviator, stationed in Florida, Texas, and Washington. In April, Adam transitioned to the Navy Reserves and relocated to Jacksonville with his wife Becca.


 

bunnerKrissy Bunner 

C/O 2020


Krissy has extensive experience in the contact center leading teams and cross-functional initiatives including training, quality assurance, operations, workforce management, project management, and sales.  As the Director of Workforce Optimization, she led global projects utilizing six-sigma methodologies to improve quality and profitability.  While in the hospitality and sales industries, she was able to travel domestically and internationally experiencing diverse perspectives and cultures.  She is passionate about career progression and servant leadership especially for marginalized women.  Krissy currently leads KeHE Distributor’s contact center operations in Jacksonville, FL as the Director of Customer Care.  KeHE is a BCorp with over 5,500 employee owners in 15 distribution centers and is a national leader distributing natural & organic, specialty, and fresh products to its retailers.   KeHE serves to make lives better.  


 

circhirilloOlivia Circhirillo 

C/O 2020


Olivia graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.  She has spent most of her career in the consumer package goods (CPG) industry.  She spent eight years at Catalina Marketing where she worked with consumer purchase data to build digital campaigns that drove lift and loyalty for grocery retail clients and CPG brands. Her passion for working with brands drove her to Mario Camacho Foods, an import and distribution company of specialty foods most well-known for Mario brand olives. As Marketing Director she created and executed strategy to grow brand sales via increased distribution, new product launches, and promotional activities. Most recently Olivia has joined Bloomin’ Brands as brand manager on the Bonefish team. 


 

clavijoJames Clavijo 

C/O 2020


After graduating from college with a B.A. in International Business, James Clavijo started to work for Polo Ralph Lauren in NYC in Finance and later in Global Production.  Shortly after getting married, James moved back to his home country, Colombia, to open a business with his wife Juliana.  In 2013, James moved back to the US and started working at APR Energy where he is currently a Senior Global Accounts Manager.  James has over 8 years in finance and accounting and 5 years in operations. 


 

fowlerAndy Fowler 

C/O 2020


Andy Fowler was born and raised in Atlanta, GA.  He graduated from Georgia State University in 2001 with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Risk Management & Insurance.  Andy has 19 years of Commercial Insurance Brokerage & Corporate Risk Management experience working primarily with or for Fortune 500 Companies.  After spending 7 years working as an Insurance Broker, Andy moved onto the Corporate Risk Management side of the insurance industry.  He is currently the Associate Risk Manager at Fidelity National Financial, Inc., (NYSE:FNF) the leading provider of title insurance and escrow services to the real estate and mortgage industries and holds a 2-20 General Lines Insurance License.


 

germansonBill Germanson 

C/O 2020


Bill Germanson works as a Solution Architect and Client Delivery Manager at Black Knight Financial Services, Inc., the premier provider of technology, services and data solutions to the mortgage and finance industry. Bill has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and has worked in many areas of IT including infrastructure, operations and development. His current role is managing a very talented team of seasoned business and IT liaisons.  Efforts begin during the sales process and leveraging broad skill sets, we work to resolve complex implementation and integration goals staying engaged until the client goes live on the Black Knight solutions.  Bill grew up in the Florida Keys where he gained a passion for spending time outdoors and on the water. After graduating from Florida State University, Bill and his wife, DeAnna, moved to Jacksonville in 1994.


 

gowensGreg Gowens 

C/O 2020


Greg currently is the Trade Marketing Coordinator for E-Alternative Solutions, a sister company to Swisher International, Inc. His previous position was Territory Manager, responsible for central and southern coastal Florida.  Greg made the transition to EAS in 2015. Prior to working in the tobacco industry, Greg worked in the golf/ hospitality operations in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.


 

hawkinsBranden Hawkins 

C/O 2020


Branden Hawkins joined Acosta in 2012 as an intern in the Finance Department-Revenue Recognition. He is a graduate of Acosta’s Management Readiness Program and the Walmart Team-Leadership Development Program. Branden has held positions of increasing responsibility, while developing a diverse background across multiple corporate departments. His growth with both retail and customer development includes roles as Business Manager, Project Manager and Program Manager with the Walmart/Sam’s Club Team. During his time in Bentonville Arkansas, Branden helped lead the launch of a new Division in Acosta with multiple dedicated teams supporting Acosta’s top initiatives. He won Acosta’s Chairman’s Award in 2017 as Team Leader for the new programs. Branden has also held positions in Corporate Finance, as well as Business Intelligence, where he Co-Authored Acosta’s “The Personalization of Protein” Hot Topic report. He was recently promoted to Sr. Manager-Retail Business Strategy. Branden was nominated and graduated from several of Leadership Jacksonville’s Programs and is currently active in the United Way of Northeast Florida Stein Fellowship Leaders Class of 2019. Branden holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Furman University.


 

heckLee Ann Heck 

C/O 2020


Lee Ann Heck currently serves as the Manager of Compensation Analytics at Johnson and Johnson Vision Care where she is responsible for sales incentive plan design and strategic execution.  She recently relocated to Jacksonville from Pittsburgh where she worked in the incentive analytics space for 14+ years delivering actionable insights across various industries including Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Retail and Medical Device.


 

kirkAlison Kirk 

C/O 2020


Alison Kirk is a Product Development Analyst for Deutsche Bank.  She previously was an Investment Advisor for Fidelity Investments and served over 4 years in the US Navy.  Alison holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance.

 


 

leachTerri Leach 

C/O 2020


Terri Leach is the Division President for CSI Professional and CSI Health, $60M division within The CSI Companies.  In this role, she is responsible for 4 national offices and 60 direct reports.  Terri is responsible for weekly financial reporting, annual projects to include temps on assignments, managing bill rates, pay rates, division expenses and internal headcount to maintain a profitable IFO and IFO%.  Terri also has 15 years of accounting/audit prior to staffing.  Terri is a native of Jacksonville, married with 1 daughter that is attending grad school at Vanderbilt University.  She is an avid runner and Committee Member for the American Lung Association.


 

lehmanTodd Lehman 

C/O 2020


After graduating from Millersville University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Todd moved to San Antonio, Texas and began working for Swisher International, Inc. as a Territory Sales Manager.  After seven years in field sales, Todd was promoted to Business Analyst and moved to Jacksonville to work in the Swisher corporate office, where he has been in this position for two years.  In his free time, Todd helps as a volunteer coach at a local high school wrestling program.


 

lowmanChasity Lowman 

C/O 2020


Chasity graduated from Appalachian State University. Since then she has over eight years of experience working in Corporate Retail.  She is currently a Business Manager for Acosta Sales and Marketing working directly with Southeastern Grocers.  This role plays on her strengths by building relationships with both the manufacturer and customer.  Prior to Acosta, she worked for Daymon Worldwide developing private label CPG for Southeastern Grocers.  In this role, she developed consumer goods from concept to shelf. Throughout her career, she has worked directly with manufacturers, merchandising, demand planning, sourcing, marketing, and product design teams.  She is a member of the North Florida Frozen Refrigerated Food Association (NFFRFA).  


 

marpleShawn Marple 

C/O 2020


Shawn Marple is a Database Manager at Black Knight, Inc. His work experiences range from filleting 100lb Yellowfin Tuna to Graphics Design to Managing a team of database professionals supporting the backend SQL Database Servers for applications used by the majority of the largest banks in the U.S. Shawn graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business in 2013. He earned his degree while being a full-time employee at Black Knight, a husband, a father, a baseball coach.  Shawn is a mentor in Black Knight’s Mentorship program. He hopes to alleviate stress for rising business professionals by sharing some of his own challenges he experienced along his 25-year journey as a leader.


 

ruppJeff Rupp 

C/O 2020


Jeff is originally from Lambertville, MI.  After high school, Jeff decided to serve his country and joined the United States Army, serving for twelve years as an Infantryman, Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, and Recruiter.  While serving, Jeff attended several military schools such as the Army Airborne School, Air Assault School, Sapper Leader Course, and other leadership schools.  After being honorably discharged, he worked in the financial services industry while living in Orlando, FL.  While working and raising a family, Jeff attended Barry University and graduated in 2013 with a degree in business.  Jeff currently works as OSHA outreach trainer for United Rentals.


 

sedaJorge Seda 

C/O 2020


Jorge Seda was born and raised in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and attended the University of Puerto Rico. He joined the Navy in 1995 where he has completed 23 years of faithful and dedicated service.  He is currently the Department Head for a training unit at NAS Jacksonville.  Jorge earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business with specialization in Technical Management from DeVry University (Magna Cum Laude) in February, 2018. 


 

sharmingShaila Sharmin 

C/O 2020


After immigrating to the US, Shaila completed her second Bachelor’s Degree in Finance at University of North Florida. She is currently in a leadership program at Ally Financial, serving as a Team Lead in Contract Processing Center. In the leadership program at Ally, she was a key player in several business aspects such as collections, QC administration & quality initiatives, business strategy & insights, and accounting & ledger management. Prior to joining Ally, Shaila worked at GE Capital in Industrial Finance Operations supporting GE Power and GE Aviation. Before coming to the US, she worked as a Junior Executive in Human Resources in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Shaila is multi-lingual, as English is her fourth language.


 

shermanTimothy Sherman 

C/O 2020


Timothy serves as the Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) at Yellowstone Landscape where he has worked since 2008. In his role, Timothy is responsible for analysis and recommendations on all key issues or potential actions that may have a material impact on the company.  In addition, he leads a team of regional analysts responsible for all field forecasting, budgeting and related reporting and consolidation functions. He also leads all acquisition due diligence and the associated financial analysis, other qualitative and quantitative business analysis, and preparation of related Board materials.  Prior to his roles in finance, Timothy spent seven years in field operations as a Production, Account and Branch Manager.  Yellowstone Landscape is the premier southern commercial landscape maintenance company with 30 operating locations in eight states.


 

sherwoodDelly Sherwood 

C/O 2020


Delly Sherwood is a Florida native with roots from the Caribbean. Over the past six years, she has had the pleasure of living in Jacksonville to pursue her personal and professional goals. Prior to moving to Jacksonville, she was afforded the opportunity to live in Japan and travel through most of Asia while serving in the U.S. Navy. She is currently in a Production Support Supervisor role at Black Knight, specializing in management of high severity technology issues that have potential to negatively impact the business.


 

wadeAdam Wade 

C/O 2020


Adam Wade is a multi-faceted marketing leader passionate about financial services and media. He co-founded and operates Mercury 13, a virtual digital marketing agency delivering Madison Ave.-quality content and creative services for a range of financial services, B2C and B2B clients. He also currently serves as Content Marketing Director for FIS, one of the world’s largest financial technology companies, in his hometown of Jacksonville where he oversees several thought leadership initiatives, including the annual Performance Against Customer Expectations (PACE) research study. Previously, Adam worked at publisher Wiley and Northern Arizona University, where he introduced award-winning content marketing programs for both. He spent the prior 10 years in a variety of marketing and communications roles with Dow Jones, working with such brands as The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and Factiva. Adam holds a double-BA in journalism and advertising/public relations from the University of Central Florida, an MS in communications from Boston University, and (soon) an MBA from Jacksonville University.


 

upchurchDrew Upchurch 

C/O 2020


Drew Upchurch is the current Director of Auxiliary Programming at the Bolles School. In his present role, Drew manages many of the school’s lines of non-tuition revenue, which include but are not limited to summer programs, the campus store, club sports, and the facility rental program. Prior to his time at Bolles, Drew was employed as an administrator in the Business Office at Jacksonville Country Day School and a teacher in the St. Johns County Public School system. Drew holds undergraduate degrees in both Religious Studies and International Affairs from Florida State University as well as a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of North Florida. An avid Florida State Seminole and Jacksonville Jaguar football fan Drew currently resides in St. Augustine, with his wife Lindsey and their daughters Sadie and Hadley.


 

woodinRomina Woodin 

C/O 2020


Romina Woodin graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Tourism and Hospitality from one of the most prestigious colleges in Ecuador. Seeking international experience, she moved to the United States to work for the Omni Hotels & Resorts as a Front Desk Agent. Highly driven for success, Romina applied for the Leadership in Development (LID) program designed to build on the necessary skills for hotel management. Within one year, she was promoted to Assistant Front Office Manager responsible for leading fifteen associates within the Rooms Division, consisting of Guest Services, Front Desk, and Ideal Services. Romina is a professionally motivated leader who, in addition to pursuing an Executive MBA at Jacksonville University, she is pursuing the knowledge and qualifications necessary to become a General Manager in the future.


 

youngAmanda Young 

C/O 2020


Amanda was born in Baton Rouge, LA, and graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. Currently, she works for Swisher International. She began her career in Field Sales where she worked in LA, MS, and NC. She was then promoted to Sales Operations at the Corporate office downtown, Jacksonville.  As a member of Sales Operations, she analyzes and solves complex problems and assists in the design of a new CRM for operational changes. She also manages an Inside Sales department where she plans, prioritizes, and sets goals for campaign phone calls made to inform customers and increase distribution in existing Swisher Accounts.


 

chanaChana Adebowale 

C/O 2019


Chana Adebowale is now a published author but comes from humble beginnings, growing up in and out of foster homes and homeless shelters.  She experienced her first taste of success in the car industry at 18 and went into the mortgage industry in her early twenties. Chana has been in the mortgage industry since then and is ready to give back to people who are struggling with some of the same obstacles she faced in her youth.  She is hoping to use the knowledge obtained in her MBA program to establish either a rehabilitation center for at-risk youth or a homeless shelter of her own where she can provide hope for the people by sharing her own story. 


 

campGina Camp 

C/O 2019


Gina is a credit analyst at Swisher International and was recently promoted to Senior Credit Specialist. Prior to working for Swisher, she was a kindergarten teacher in the Duval County school system. She has worked as a real estate loan administrator with Wachovia Bank and a construction loan administrator with First Union National Bank.  Gina holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education and will complete her MBA in April, 2019.


 

cupitJason Cupit 

C/O 2019


Jason is a Development Director at Black Knight, Inc., the mortgage and finance industry leading provider of integrated technology, services and data solutions.  Jason has 18 years of IT experience and is responsible for Distributed Development in the Servicing Technologies division.  His responsibilities span across a multitude of teams, disciplines, and technologies.  Jason started his professional career as a Java developer for a DoD contractor immediately following the Y2K push, and cut his teeth on groundbreaking web and security software.   Joining Black Knight in February 2005, Jason worked his way into management, leading various teams and groups across the enterprise. 

Jason was born and raised in a suburb of Denver, Colorado and moved to the First Coast in 1996.  He graduated from the University of North Florida in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and a minor in Business.  Jason has 18 years of IT industry experience, including web, mobile, app, and security development.  He has led development, delivery, quality assurance, business analyst, system administration, and performance testing teams over his career.  


 

deppeErik Deppe 

C/O 2019


Erik has been employed by Fidelity National Financial, Inc., since August 2010.  He previously worked in the P&C Insurance industry for 11 years (accounting and financial reporting).  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business degree from Indiana University (1999), majoring in Accounting, Finance, and Computer Information Systems.  He is an Illinois licensed CPA.

Erik is currently responsible for the Statutory accounting and reporting functions for each of the five insurance companies (over $4.5 billion in revenue in 2016) within Fidelity National Financial, Inc.


 

roachDaniel Roach 

C/O 2019


Daniel attended the University of Florida and, upon graduating, he joined the manufacturing industry in procurement and strategic sourcing. He later joined the retail sector with Southeastern Grocers, and has served in diverse supply chain roles for the last eight years - including analytics, project management, and supply chain operations.  Daniel currently serves as the Director of Supply Chain Operations where he oversees a retail supply chain that ships over $5 billion in goods annually.  He enjoys the challenge of seeking efficient solutions to complex logistics and operations problems while meeting financial objectives.  


 

Amy Waldron 

C/O 2019


Amy Waldron is experienced and accomplished in food distribution, marketing, promotions, category management, trade management and recently consumer insights and trends. Amy offers a history of business development resulting in strong sales growth and a solid job progression within the food distribution industry. Amy also has years of experience in team management, creating promotional selling tools, broker management, cross functional work on system conversions and new business on-boarding. Her passion lies within the independent channel with a continued mindset that we should all think globally but act locally. 


 

weredeHanna Werede 

C/O 2019


Hanna has over 10 years of experience working in manufacturing.  Currently, she works as a Demand Planning Analyst.  In this role, she is responsible for improving products and services for customers by using advanced analytics; standing up big-data analytical tools; creating and maintaining models; and onboarding compelling new data sets.  Previously, she was a procurement agent responsible for analyzing data, negotiating and buying parts inside and outside of the USA.  Besides her bachelor’s degree in Business Management, she has an AA in Accounting and certificates in Computer Science, Green Belt and Lean World Class.


 

youngKen Young 

C/O 2019


Ken Young works in the Operations Procurement Department at CSX.  In this role, he oversees a $50 million book of business with key business partners including CSX technology, financial systems, and public safety departments. Prior to his current role, Ken oversaw environmental and emergency response operations for the CSX Northeast region, based in Baltimore, managing regulatory compliance and emergency response operations for all facilities between Richmond, Virginia and Quebec, Canada.  Ken served in the United States Marine Corps for eight years, with posts at the White House, United States Naval Academy, Camp Lejeune and in Okinawa, Japan. He also spent several years working as a private security contractor in Iraq​ and later served as a member of the Pentagon Hazardous Materials Response Team​. Prior to joining CSX, Ken worked for several environmental management consulting firms after co-founding a successful marine dock construction firm in Annapolis, Maryland.  Ken holds a bachelor's degree in emergency management from American Military University. 


 

Recent Alumni

adamsLeinesa Adams - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leinesaadams/

 

ankerbrandJulie Ankenbrand - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieankenbrand/

 

 

burkeLisa Burke - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamburke1/

 

caliseMatthew Calise - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-calise-a380483b/

 

 

decardenasHolly Decardenas - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-decardenas-mba-3868374/

 

 

devertNigel Deverteuil - C/O. 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-deverteuil/

 

 

gordonPhillip Gordon - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-gordon-48426a15/

 

gordyCate Gordy - C/O 2018

Cate Gordy served as the vice president of Business Operations for the Black Knight Origination Technologies Division. In this role, she was responsible for managing all internal operations, including project governance, and as product manager of an internal business management system to support operational excellence. Her focus is on operational efficiency and optimization to drive improved business performance. Cate was the data analytics reporting manager within the Corporate Risk Management Office where she was responsible for the implementation and configuration of the vendor risk programs technology platform and automation. Prior to joining Black Knight, Cate served as the accounts payable manager for a privately held real estate holding company. She has a vast background of activity based cost accounting and financial management experience to the division.

hastingsKalicia Hastings - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalicia-lawrimore

 

 

higginsElvis Higgins - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elvis-higgins-94217412/

 

 

johnsonElizabeth (Beth) Johnson - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-johnson-doctoral-candidate-6b878a6/

 

kirklandCassandra (Cassie) Kirkland - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassie-kirkland-mba-0a74186a/

 

 

larsenBamana Larsen - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bamana-larsen-66802b164/

 

marcusJay Marcus - C/O 2018

Jay Marcus is a Network Professional with over 30 years of experience in the area of Information Technology and similar fields. He moved to the Jacksonville area in the late 80’s during his six year tour of service in the United States Navy, and has made North Florida his home along with his wife and two children. A graduate of the University of North Florida, Jay now serves as the Director of Network Services for Black Knight Financial Services, a leading provider of services and solutions for the Mortgage Industry.

seimJamie Seim - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamieseim/

 

lseimLynsey Seim - C/O 2018

graduated from the University of Florida in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and was an associate in Business Recovery Services with PricewaterhouseCoopers. After a few years, she returned to school and graduated from the University of South Florida, College of Medicine. Her completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic from 2007-2010, and she was Chief Resident from 2010-2011. Lynsey joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 2011 and is currently a Consultant in the Division of Consultative and Diagnostic Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine.

She serves as the Medical Director of Florida and International Business for Mayo Clinic Health Solutions/Global Business Solutions in Rochester, Minnesota. She is active in multiple committees at both the local and the enterprise level at Mayo Clinic and has recently joined a community advisory board for a local Hospice center to expand her community service involvement.

sepielliJason Sepielli - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-sepielli-mba-pmp-73136660/

 

simpsonZach Simpson - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-simpson-esq-emba-668baa26/

 

smallsDavid Smalls - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-smalls-592561ba/

 

snavelyBrian Snavely - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-snavely-757975162/

 

sommerfieldAmy Sommerfield - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-sommerfield-249b07b/

 

suttonEric Sutton - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-sutton/

 

 

taylorDavid Taylor - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-taylor-5795091b/

 wootinRobert Woodin - C/O 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-woodin-6a40201a/