Renrick Palmer
Renrick Palmer is a Bestselling author, accomplished actor, and military veteran renowned for his exceptional talent in the performing arts, both on stage and screen. He has garnered critical acclaim and earned awards for his outstanding performances.
Renrick's memoir, War Your Way to Success: A Veteran's Journey from Loading Bombs to the Stage, shares his inspiring life story and serves as a motivational guide for readers striving to achieve their dreams. He holds a Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Science from Medgar Evers College in New York City and a Master鈥檚 degree from Long Island University. Renrick also completed the Acting for Film one-year conservatory program at the New York Film Academy.
In his free time, he enjoys exercising, reading, listening to audiobooks or motivational speakers, and supporting charitable causes, including regularly donating to The Homeless Alliance.
Cory Charles
Cory "Kxng" Charles, the Transformational Growth Architect, has spent years empowering leaders and teams to redefine success. Through his Leap, Fail, Grow! (LFG!) approach and The SuperHero Mindset, he turns audacious ideas into impactful realities. Cory's worked with clients like Taylor Morrison, CarMax and NASCAR, proving that with the right mindset, growth is limitless. His philosophy? Choice separates heroes from villains- victors from victims, and the belief that we all have the power to rewrite our stories.
Linda Lee Smith and Rich Schmelke
Linda comes to us with a rich healthcare background, with experience ranging from high-tech nursing to nursing administration. As a hospice director, she discovered the power of energy healing and aromatherapy. Both are forms of vibrational healing that align with her holistic nursing approach. It was only after retiring from administration that she found her true passion. Together with her husband, Rich, they became Certified Dreambuilder Coaches and Life Mastery Consultants, dedicated to helping senior clients maintain youthful spirits.
Rich has a long history in quality assurance management in the aerospace industry. After taking early retirement, he spent his days volunteering with various service agencies, such as the local police department in FL. Once he met Linda, Rich was introduced to the practices of energy healing, aromatherapy, and transformational coaching. Since then, he has informally shared his experiences at local events, discussing how these practices have positively impacted his life.
Deborah Biddle
Deborah Biddle is a highly respected diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant, coach, speaker, and trainer with over 30 years of experience across corporate, non-profit, and small business sectors. As the founder of The People Company Consulting Group, Deborah helps organizations build inclusive cultures, rethink strategies, and make impactful decisions. Known for her calm, thoughtful approach and passion for belonging, she has transformed how organizations and individuals approach DEI.
Alyssa Ackerman
Alyssa Rose stands at the threshold of life's profound transitions, illuminating paths through our deepest grief. As Portland's visionary Grief Tender and Death Doula, she weaves together the wisdom of ancient ritual arts with modern somatic and trauma-informed healing to create transformative spaces of honoring and integrating loss of all kinds.
As a facilitator, speaker and doula in the death-positive movement, Alyssa challenges our culture's relationship with mortality and invites us to re-imagine our relationship with loss, ritual, and community care.
Jason Tran
Jason provides comprehensive advising, coaching, and counseling to support the personal and professional growth of his students. Beyond individual support, he has a proven track record of designing and leading innovative, large-scale career development programs carefully tailored to meet students' unique needs. These programs equip students with essential skills for success in today鈥檚 competitive job market through a combination of workshops, group sessions, and networking events. Jason also thrives in collaborative environments, building strong relationships with stakeholders, faculty, and staff to foster a supportive and engaging learning community.
Rajeev Kapur
With over 30 years of experience, Rajeev has been a key member of the leadership team at a global technology company, where he built a $1B+ business in the US and led the company鈥檚 operations in China and South Asia, driving record growth. He has also served as President/CEO of three small to mid-sized companies, leading them through three successful exits. These companies ranged from entrepreneurial startups to midsize businesses with revenues of $20-$60 million. Rajeev attributes his success to cultivating winning cultures, implementing innovative strategies, and building high-performance teams. In 2021 and 2022, he was a finalist for both Entrepreneur and Innovator of the Year by the Orange County Business Journal for his work at 1105 Media, a leader in B2B marketing and media. In 2023, he was named one of the Top 500 Executives in Orange County, CA, and in May of 2024, he was named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Pamela Slaughter
Pamela Slaughter is a prominent advocate for outdoor access and inclusion in Portland,
Oregon. She is the founder and executive director of People of Color Outdoors (POCO),
an organization dedicated to creating safe and inclusive outdoor experiences for people
of color. Pamela has been recognized for her work with several accolades, including being the
first recipient of the Joey Pope Award from the Portland Parks Foundation in 2022, and
being selected by adidas to join the Adidas Community Lab Accelerator as one of an
eight-person cohort of community leaders and entrepreneurs and nonprofit founders in
2023, and being featured on OPB鈥檚 Think Out Loud radio show and 鈥淥regon Field
Guide鈥� television show in 2024. Her efforts have significantly contributed to increasing
visibility and access to natural spaces for marginalized communities in Portland.
