Norma T. Hollis, America´s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor.

Norma T. Hollis, America´s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor.

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Norma Hollis Monday Dec. 30, 2013. 
Norma T. Hollis believes in the strength of the human spirit. She is a prolific, multi-gifted, transformational artist who expresses herself as a mentor, speaker and trainer. Her passion is creating programs and practices that help people find, live and share the spirit that lives within.
Her signature work is the Authenticity Assessment and Authenticity Grid, tools she uses for individuals and corporations. She builds leaders and transforms lives with her unique gift of discovering practical application to complex ideas.
Known as America’s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor®, Norma can help you find the most authentic part of yourself and show you how being authentic leads to ultimate joy.
She works with speakers, trainers, coaches, authors, women and socially conscious entrepreneurs. Her work is expanded through Authenticity Ambassadors and Authenticity Coaches who work in multiple industries and disciplines to help you find, live and share your authentic voice.

Elliot Rosenberg, Founder, Favela Experience, Rio de Janeiro

Elliot Rosenberg, Founder, Favela Experience, Rio de Janeiro

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Elliot Rosenberg onLA Talk Radio, Dec. 23, 2013 : PLAY or DOWNLOAD.
Elliot Rosenberg founded and runs Favela Experience, an online marketplace of authentic homestay and apartment rentals for travelers in Rio de Janeiro's safe and vibrant favelas. As a for-profit social enterprise, Favela Experience generates sustainable income for favela families while breaking negative stereotypes about these communities through cultural exchange.  
Since launching at the beginning of this year, the business has earned outstandingguest reviews and has been profiled in ForbesLAN Airlines, and this video from The New York Times. 
Favela Experience is now selling its affordable World Cup accommodations (as well as other products) exclusively through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign ending soon. 
Previously, Elliot graduated with a Bachelors in Commerce and a second major in Latin American Studies from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. In college, he was President of SEED, a global social enterprise consultancy, with 75 consultants at a time and clients ranging from Ashoka to a $20-million Mexican microfinance institution.
 He also worked on behalf of impact investment fund Village Capital at its portfolio company QMágico in São José dos Campos, São Paulo state. 
Although originally from Los Angeles, he now lives in Rio de Janeiro.

Carlos Mariaca, President The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida

Carlos Mariaca, President The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Carlos Mariaca, Dec. 9, 2013
Tri-cultural academic and professional experience –- born Brazilian and North-American citizen, studied in São Paulo schools, completed university and MBA degrees in the USA (University of Miami – Bachelor of Arts – Major: International Finance and Marketing, and University of Miami – Masters of Business Administration – Dual Specialization: International Business / International Finance). Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Always worked as a CEO or Advisor to CEO’s, mainly in corporate services, in the USA, Brazil, Argentina and other Latin America markets.
Carlos Mariaca frequently managed startups and turnarounds involving the need to minimize risks and facilitate obtainment of results while operating rigorously within prevailing laws and taxation requirements, usually involving companies learning to conduct business internationally. He is also an experienced Board member and lecturer in the three cultures.
 I´ve met Carlos many times over the years and recently had the pleasure of following one of his presentations here  at ACIC , The Association of Commerce and Industry of Campinas .

David Lavin, Founder Spark Global LLC, New York and Lara Espirito Santo, Spark, Rio de Janeiro.

David Lavin, Founder Spark Global LLC, New York and Lara Espirito Santo, Spark, Rio de Janeiro.


Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with David Lavin and Lara Espirito Santo Dec. 2, 2013
David Lavin is the Founder and Director of SPARK Global LLC, an impact innovation consultancy and startup greenhouse with headquarters in New York and Rio de Janeiro. Spark works with clients to develop new products, services and strategies that create measurable social impact and also develops scalable for-profit impact businesses.  
David’s background includes management of high-level multi-sectoral partnerships, design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems, and social enterprise strategy. 
Lara Espirito Santo manages Spark's Rio de Janeiro office. Prior to Spark, Lara worked directly with the President of Instituto Pereira Passos (IPP) an arm of the Rio City government.  There, Lara developed partnership strategies, devised new monitoring and evaluation systems and created the new project management office.
Lara developed partnerships with corporate and non-profit organizations in the recently pacified favelas, working to stimulate entrepreneurship and capacity-building at the base of the pyramid, and support the development of new social enterprises.
Before founding Spark, David led strategy and operations in Brazil for the US-Brazil Joint Initiative on Urban Sustainability (JIUS), working across sectors and countries to develop a pipeline for large-scale impact investing in green infrastructure. Previously, he developed programming for the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).
He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of International Affairs in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University. He speaks Portuguese, Spanish and English and frequently contributes analysis and commentary about social impact and Brazil to international publications including The Atlantic Online and Brazil’s Valor Economico. He can be reached at david@sparkimpact.com .
 Previously, Lara Espirito Santo was the project manager at Pro-Natura International where she worked with multinational clients on comprehensive impact mitigation and regional economic and social development strategies.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences and Modern History from the University of Manchester and a MSc in Poverty and International Development from the Institute for Development and Policy Management in the UK. 
A born and bred Carioca, she is fluent in English and Portuguese, is an avid cyclist and has a passion for all things food, 

Tom Adeyoola, CEO, Founder of Metail, UK

Tom Adeyoola, CEO, Founder of Metail, UK

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch  with Tom Adeyoola on LA Talk Radio, November 25, 2013: PLAY or DOWNLOAD
Tom Adeyoola  talks about his recent visit to Brazil as part of the UK Trade & Investment and Tech City UK trade mission to Sao Paulo where we had a chance to meet.
Tom Adeyoola is the CEO and founder of Metail, the revolutionary body shape and garment fit visualisation company.  An Economics graduate from Cambridge, Tom’s career has spanned all forms of new media, from Sportal to 3 and most recently as Head of Gaming at Inspired Gaming Group.
Tom has also founded the Cambridge technology start-up recruitment fair Silicon Milkround Cambridge and has been an active member of the UK government's DCMS Think Tank on the Convergence of Media (2009) and a Demos working group on technology legislation. 
Tom is also a mentor for the creative industries incubator MeWe360 and the Young Foundation’s social innovation accelerator programme."

Roger Queiroz, Online Marketing Guru, Brazil, USA

Roger Queiroz, Online Marketing Guru, Brazil, USA

Roger Queiroz, Online Marketing Guru, is a Brazilian and US resident. 
Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Roger Queiroz on LA Talk Radio, Nov. 18, 2013:  PLAY or DOWNLOAD
He graduated in Physics at Unicamp in 1990 and has a Masters in Mettalurgy. Roger has an MBA from the prestigious Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
For the last 12 years has followed the evolution of Online Marketing in the US from its inception and has studied under the leading Online Guru´s in the US, namely Eben Pagan, Frank Kern, Jeff Walker, Russell Brunson, Jeff Johnson, John Carlton, Ryan Deiss, Mike Filsaime,Tony Robbins, among others.
Roger has successfully launched several online projects in English and Portuguese, his most recent product launch Revelando o Successo an innovative business training program for professional photographers. In Brazil as in other parts of the world many professional photographers are excellent artists but sometimes lack business knowledge, administrative and marketing experience to guarantee sustainable success in an extremely competitive environment. He is now launching his next project in Brazil ProcessodoSucesso.com .

Astrid Haryati, Founder and Global Strategist, Urban Locus

Astrid Haryati, Founder and Global Strategist, Urban Locus

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Astrid Haryati on LA Talk Radio, Nov. 11.2013:  PLAY or DOWNLOAD.
Astrid Haryati, Founder & Global Strategist, Urban Locus
As Special Assistant and Sustainability Director, Astrid Haryati is recognized by leading green city mayors and national policy-makers as key adviser and savvy leader with strength in effective public policy and innovative sustainable strategies. Solid understanding of international issues through extensive exposure to economic, social, infrastructure, and environmental working partnerships between cities and central government in the USA, Indonesia and in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Her experience in public policy development, negotiation, and in briefing international to local elected officials, is backed by a combined 18 years of increasing levels of Experience in public and private sector policy, sustainable development and management in Southeast Asia and North America, particularly in translating ideals Into relatable vision and in transforming urgencies into actions. 
Prior to serving in U.S. city governments, she was Principal Planner & Landscape Architect for Chicago based Architecture & Engineering Firm, Teng & Associates. 
She served as Chief of Staff to Indonesia’s Minister of Trade (2011 – 2013) focusing On public policy development and coordination to move goods and services up The value chain, transforming raw--‐based into a knowledge--‐based economy. Based on her cumulative experiences to--‐date Astrid recently founded Urban Locus, Focusing on mapping, connecting, and activating social innovation in global cities through storytelling and activation – All with global lenses--‐local senses; producing films, podcasts, and strategic writings As well as strategic advice and mobilizing actions in key parts of the world. She Is working on a book highlighting 24 real and imaginary cities’ and places ‘successes and failures through the lenses of water that run through them. 
Astrid received Master of Landscape Architecture from University of Colorado at Denver in 1997 and Bachelor of Architecture from Institute of Technology in Bandung in 1995, and received multi--‐disciplinary training at the Helsinki University Of Technology in Otaniemi, Finland, now known as Aalto University, combining Art and design with economics.  She regularly lectured at key universities around the World and as a featured speaker in international conferences. 
She received numerous planning, design, and community service awards, and was Recognized as One of Seven Eco--‐Warriors Who Are Changing the World in the U.S. and as Indonesia’s Most Powerful Woman of the Year 2012. 

Daniel Bland, Foreign Correspondent Brazil, Business News Americas.

Daniel Bland, Foreign Correspondent Brazil, Business News Americas.


Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Daniel Bland onLA Talk Radio  Oct. 28, 2013.  PLAY or DOWNLOAD
Although an American citizen, Daniel Bland was born in Germany.  He grew up in Hawaii but moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 19 to attend university, and lived there for many years. 
He established and operated a few small businesses during his time in California and this gave him the opportunity to travel to more than 20 countries.
During a visit to Brazil in 2003, he found it an interesting country and ended up moving to São Paulo in 2004.  He is currently a foreign correspondent, covering Brazil’s infrastructure forBusiness News Americas, a Latin American business intelligence service, and also an English teacher aimed at improving the skills of employees from numerous multinational companies. 

Wagner Alberti, Commercial, Operations CEO

Wagner Alberti, Commercial, Operations CEO

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Wagner Alberti on LA Talk Radio Oct. 21, 2013 PLAY or DOWNLOAD
A & M Imports LLC is an American/Brazilian partnership.
Wagner Alberti has been in the wines & spirits business since 1999 when he set up an import, export and distribution operation for food and beverages in Brazil in partnership with European investors. Wagner had also worked for large multinational corporations, such as BAT, PHILIP MORRIS and AMERICAN AIRLINES.
His international exposure includes working and studying in the UK, Northern Ireland , and in the USA as well as travelling frequently to Italy.
Wagner has solid experience in the marketing and sales fields with wide experience of over 20 years in business management and marketing segment of consumer goods; Technical and operational expertise in startup of international ventures comprising legal and bureaucratic issues; Extensive knowledge in trade marketing, generating business alliances with large retail chains; Expertise in strategic business and know-how in the distribution network (retailers, supermarkets, distributors and wholesalers).Wagner has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Mackenzie University, a Post-Graduate Degree in Marketing from ESPM.

Brian Winter,Chief Correspondent Brazil for Reuters

Brian Winter,Chief Correspondent Brazil for Thomason Reuters

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Brian Winter onLA Talk Radio  Oct. 14, 2013: PLAY or DOWNLOAD
Brian Winter is the chief correspondent for Brazil for Reuters, based in Sao Paulo. He has lived in Latin America for the better part of the last decade, with stints in Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Buenos Aires. He was also a correspondent and the foreign editor for USA Today. He is the author or co-author of two books, including The Accidental President of Brazil, a memoir by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
Here are some of his Reuters articles by Brian Winter discussed on the program: 

Meaghan Fitzgerald, Head of Marketing at 23snaps, UK.

Meaghan Fitzgerald, Head of Marketing at 23snaps, UK.

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Meaghan Fitzgerald on LA Talk Radio, October 7, 2013 : PLAY or DOWNLOAD
Meaghan talks about her recent visit to Brazil as part of the UK Trade & Investment TECH City trade mission to Sao Paulo where we had a chance to meet.
Meaghan Fitzgerald is currently the head of marketing at 23snaps , a free service that allows parents to save photos, videos and updates of their children and share that content privately with family and close friends.
Meaghan Fitzgerald has nearly eight years of experience working with technology companies in both the US and the UK in leadership, marketing, product and business development roles. She regularly blogs on technology, marketing and business related topics; contributes to online and print publications, including Little Miss Geek, a book dedicated to getting more girls interested in science, engineering and technology; and was named a Nokia Remarkable Woman and one of The Drum's 30 under 30 women in digital.
Previously, Meaghan was marketing director at Evently and Spoonfed Media Ltd in London and has held marketing and PR roles at PageOne PR (acquired by Lewis PR) and IMVU in Palo Alto, California. She also founded DormWise in 2007 which was sold to an industry partner in 2009.

William E. McHenry, Executive Director Mississippi e-Center, Jackson State University

William E. McHenry, Executive Director Mississippi e-Center, Jackson State University


Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with William McHenry  on LA Talk Radio, September 30, 2013: PLAY or DOWNLOAD
William talks about the Mississippi State Delegation visit to Brazil led by Governor Phil Bryant. Joning in the converstion will be Dean Richard Alo and Assistant Dean for International Affairs Patricia Ann Jernigan.
William E. McHenry, Executive Director of the Mississippi e-Center at Jackson State University and Professor of Organic Chemistry, was born in Camden, Arkansas and attended Southern Arkansas University (B.S., Chemistry 1972) and Mississippi State University (Ph.D. Synthetic Heterocyclic Organic Chemistry 1977).  Dr. McHenry serves on numerous committees include the University of Kentucky’s “Systemic Thinking for Sustainability” to Harvard Universities’ Converge Center Advisory Board of Directors.
Before his current appointment, Dr. McHenry served in the Executive Office of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs with responsibilities that included state-based student financial aid (for two years – 2004 and 2005) and Oklahoma’s Endowed Chair program. 
He served as Assistant Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Education 1997 to 2004, and as National Science Foundation (NSF) Program Officer (1990-1996) where he implemented the NSF’s “crown jewel” broadening participation program – the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program.
He came to NSF from Mississippi State University where he served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School (1988 – 1990) and Associate Professor of Chemistry (1977-1990). Dr. McHenry has authored chapters in books on topics that range from ketenimines to mentoring.
Dr. McHenry is married to Ms. Barbara Phillips and they have two grown children – Melanie N. McHenry who recently earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Jackson State University and William E. McHenry, II who is entering his 3 rd year in law school at Tulane University.  His wife is an educator in the Jackson Public Schools.

Richard A. Aló is the Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology and Professor of Computer and Mathematical Sciences at Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi. 
 Prior to joining JSU he was Program Director in Directorate for Education and Human Resources at the National Science Foundation.  Before attending graduate school, he was a Retrofit Systems Test Engineer for the Command, Control and Interoperability tasks of the US Air Force’s Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) System at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratories. 
He earned his MA and Ph.D in Mathematics with minor in Computer Science from the Pennsylvania State University, followed by one year Lecturer position.  He was a member of the mathematics faculty at Carnegie-Mellon University for 11 years followed by six years as Department Head of Mathematics and Computer Science at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. 
He was selected as the 2002 Educator of the Year by the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement and Awards Conference (HENAAC). He has published over 150 research papers. His primary research and educational interests are computational science applications, fuzzy logic, grid computing, cyber infrastructure tools, automated reasoning and decision making. 
He is currently a Co-PI for the DHS Center of Excellence for Visual Analytics for Command, Control and Interoperability Network Environments (VACCINE) and also serves as its Assoc. Director for MSI outreach.  Prior to his detail at NSF, he was PI on the NSF CI-TEAM Implementation award:  Minority Serving Institutions – CyberInfrastructure Empowerment Coalition (MSI-CIEC); co PI, NSF Cyber Infrastructure Net Science; and is co PI on the NSF Broadening Participation award, Computing Alliance for Hispanics and co PI on NSF BPC: Advancing Women to the Professoriate.

Patricia Ann Jernigan, Assistant Dean for International Affairs at Jackson State University recently visited Brazil as part of the White House initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Luiza Pessoa Guazzelli, Honor Student, Long Branch High School, New Jersey

Luiza Pessoa Guazzelli, Honor Student, Long Branch High School, New Jersey

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Luiza Guazzelli on LA Talk Radio, Channel 1, September 9, 2013: PLAY or DOWNLOAD
Luiza Pessoa Guazzelli is Brazilian and moved to the United States almost five years ago at the age of twelve. She is now a senior at Long Branch High School in New Jersey and will be applying to college this fall.
She recently visited the University of California, Berkeley and plans a visit toPrinceton and MIT as well as other colleges for evaluation.
Luiza is a member of the volleyball team, a part of the National Honor Society and the school’s Science Team.
Luiza Guazzelli is number one in her class at Long Branch and plans to major in Civil Engineering. At Long Branch High School she is involved with an after-school volunteering group called PACES “Participating Around the Community to create an Environment of Success”
She was able to take advantage of the opportunities offered to her in a foreign country . One of the most recent opportunities allows her to take part in a civil engineering project that is ongoing in her town through her high school engineering class.
Her experience with moving and studying in another country and the difficulties and benefits she found can help other students when deciding to study abroad.

Dominick Domasky, author, Don’t Double Bread the Fish, Piitsburgh, PA.

Dominick Domasky, author, Don’t Double Bread the Fish, Piitsburgh, PA.

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Dominick Domasky on LA Talk Radio, Channel 1, September 2, 2013 
Dominick Domasky , author of Don’t Double Bread the Fish, Dominick’s 1st inspirational book was not written from a pedestal, but from the trenches of digging ditches, picking up cigarette butts and overcoming countless failures. Don’t Double Bread The Fish is not about Dominick, but thirty nine chapters of the modern day lessons he learned along the way. Dominick will never pretend to be an Olympic gold medalist or business titan, he’ll be the first to admit he’s just a guy who has failed, been benched, suffered setbacks, lawsuits, punches to the face, and got up and brushed himself off. Dominick has no ill will of the past, but looks back and finds humor and strength. As the old saying goes, “That which does not kill us only makes us stronger!”
Dominick Domasky is a loving father of two beautiful children and a devoted husband from a small town named Greensburg, right outside of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Dominick is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh in business management, a supporter of JDRF, an inspirational author, a motivational speaker, and a successful cold calling, door knocking commercial insurance salesman. The loves of his life are his family, business, telling stories and basketball.
Mr. Domasky arrived at inspirational story writing and motivational speaking with a unique background. As a boy Dominick learned the value of hard work pulling weeds and doing odd jobs in the fields of his father’s landscape company. He took that knowledge, placed it into his passions, and carried it throughout everything in his life from basketball to business.  The only problem was he failed, over and over.
In 2002 Dominick quit his job to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning a restaurant. Three years later he was nearly a half a million dollars in debt, jobless and wanted by the law (business related of course). His wife was pregnant with their first child, that his family had struggled to have for years, and he couldn’t afford to feed them. 
Dominick rebounded from this setback. With ever present persistence and no sales experience he was able to find a job in sales. Lack of experience meant nothing because Dominick believed in himself all along. Dominick found joy in meeting and helping new people in turn his numbers were great and he had soon found himself a career he loved.
The sales company he worked for was big on writing your goals and in a tiny spiral notebook he began to put his pen to the pad. Soon goals became sentences, and sentences became paragraphs. Before long Don’t Double Bread The Fish was born.
Dominick can be seen every day on Twitter @motivationchamp sharing messages of inspiration.

David Leister, Project Manager, MBDA San Antonio, Texas

David Leister, Project Manager, MBDA San Antonio, Texas

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with David Leister on LA Talk Radio, Channel 1,  August 26, 2013:
David Leister is the Project Manager of the Minority Business Development Agency’s Global Business Center in San Antonio Texas, an agency within the United States Department of Commerce.
David is tasked with helping high performance minority-owned firms across the United States gain access to capital, contracts and procurement opportunities on a global scale by way of direct export, joint venture and merger and acquisition. He is well-acquainted with the intricacies, opportunities and challenges with doing business in Brazil and in many countries. 

David is from Houston, earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cincinnati, Master of International Business at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK and is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP).
 In addition to fluency in several foreign languages, David is fluent in Portuguese and lived for over ten years in Brazil. David and his wife, Carlete, a Brazilian national, have a young daughter named Sarah, a dual citizen of Brazil and the United States. 
David and I met recently during his visit to Campinas with Natalie Cofield, President & CEO Capital City African American Chamber of Commerce, Austin TX who has also been a guest on our program. I accompanied David and Natalie on Visits to the Campinas City Hall and the new Viracopos International Airport.

Maureen Francisco, author of "It Takes Moxie".

Maureen Francisco, author of "It Takes Moxie".

 Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Maureen Francisco on LA Talk Radio, August 19, 2013: PLAY or DOWNLOAD.
Maureen Francisco is the author of It Takes Moxie: Off the Boat, Or Out of School, To Making It Your Way in America, which is the winner in the Multicultural Nonfiction category of the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards. A former TV anchor and reporter throughout the U.S. and reality show contestant, today Maureen has written for numerous publications including the Huffington Post, Young Upstarts, and many others.Maureen has made an appearance on the Rachael Ray show and was featured on Forbes.com in early 2013. She has appeared in more than 50 media outlets as a contributor, expert or talent. 
Maureen is often asked to be an emcee/host, panel member or keynote speaker for various business organizations and universities. As the co-owner of NW Productions LLC, a media and production company, Maureen produces live shows, red carpet events, and reality programming. www.maureenfrancisco.com .
According to statistics, a non-English speaker will rarely find success in America. According to statistics, a child living in poverty will stay in poverty. Maureen Francisco was destined for the same fateful fact of life, where things just 'happen' to you. But according to Maureen, success is dependent upon what you do.
Maureen immigrated to the US from the Philippines when she was just five years old. Her English was poor at best and the teasing was non-stop at school. However, Maureen did not play the victim card. She used her experiences as motivation rather than limitation. She diligently practiced English until she mastered it, and wound up with a better grasp on it than her native English-speaking peers. She worked three jobs simultaneously to pay for her college education while still managing to graduate at the top of her class. 

John Thomas, Assistant VP, The Florida Institute of Technology

John Thomas, Assistant VP Economic Development, The Florida Institute of Technology

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with John Thomas on LA Talk Radio, August 12, 2013; PLAY or DOWNLOAD 
John Thomas is the Assistant Vice President for Economic Development for theFlorida Institute of Technology and a current City Council Member for the City of Melbourne, Florida.
He was first elected to public office on Nov. 7, 2006, and his current City Council term will continue to November of 2014. He has been appointed by the City Council to serve on the Airport Authority that governs operations of the Melbourne International Airport and has served a one-year term as Vice Mayor.
John also is on the Board of Directors for the Economic Development Commission for Florida’s Space Coast and the International Policy Committee for the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
In 1985, John began a career in law enforcement and attended the U.S. Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration's Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Law Enforcement School.  There he was the recipient of the Scholastic Achievement Award for being the school's top student.  He also received specialized schooling by the U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Secret Service, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In 2000, following a 15-year law enforcement career, John retired to begin a career in education.  He participated in the development of a new high school in Central Florida, Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy where he was the Dean of Students, Director of College Athletic Recruiting, and Head Football Coach.  During his seven year’s coaching high school football, John’s teams won two District Championships, made five playoff appearances and he was selected as the Florida Athletic Coaches Association District Coach of the Year four times.   He coached student-athletes who went on to play for schools including the University of Notre Dame, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, and the Air Force Academy.
 In 2008, John moved to the Florida Institute of Technology where he was the Director of Athletic Partnerships and then later the Director of Football where oversaw the start of the university’s new division 2 football program. 
Aside from his work with the university, as President of Sino-American Ventures, John began working extensively in China, building government and business relationships between Central Florida and the People’s Republic of China. 
In February 2012, John was promoted to his current position as the Assistant Vice President for Economic Development where he focuses on attracting foreign aviation, aerospace and other hi-tech companies to the Florida Tech Research Park, and the Space Coast of Florida.  
In that time, John has focused primarily on the countries of Brazil, China, and Germany.  Most recently, John helped Sao Jose dos Campos based Archo Solutions engineering company expand to the United States and has initiated the Aerospace-Aviation Alliance of the Space Coast.  With Embraer’s world headquarters based in Sao Jose dos Campos, John worked to formalize a Sister City relationship between the city and Melbourne, Florida.

Featured Post

Kumbirai Chipadza, CEO DeutschConnect, Co Founder Kuchera Global, Berlin, Germany

  Podcasting is Networking, connecting people from my studio in Brazil. Today’s guest is Kumbirai Chipadza Founder and CEO DeutschConnect...

Most viewed