Public Policy Committee

Gustavo Rodea has lived in Wilmington since 2008. He is married to Lupe Duran. Together
they have two boys, Anthony, age 13 and Leonardo, age 3. 
Gustavo Rodea is an entrepreneur who has 18 years of experience in the retail business world. Having
moved to the United States from the largest city in the world, Mexico City, Rodea began his career at
the tender age of 22 and became a successful entrepreneur. He attributes his success to the seminars,
books and continuing education that he pursued along the way, as well as his self-taught abilities
through trial and error. During the national economic recession of 2008, Rodea’s dream of becoming a
business owner were put on hold as he was forced to sell his company as part of a wise business
strategy to stay ahead.

Andrew is our expert in all things financial and new business-related. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Andrew brought his 12 years of commercial banking experience and two years of focus on commercial real estate to McKinley as our business development officer. He was named Wake Forest University Banking School Distinguished Graduate in 2018 and Eagle Scout of the Boy Scouts of America. Andrew has also dedicated his time to serving on many boards including Airlie Gardens, Step Up Wilmington Board of Directors, Wilmington Downtown Inc, Great Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame, Lower Cape Fear Hospice Board of Trustees, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce Leadership program and as a First Presbyterian Church Youth Basketball coach.

After years serving as the people operations leader for one of the nation’s fastest-growing media companies, Katherine Daniel, SHRM-SCP, now shows other growth-minded businesses the way to increased productivity: employee satisfaction and engagement. Through Montani Consulting, Katherine (Founder and President) serves as a confidant and trusted advisor for senior executives seeking guidance on HR and all people-related matters. Work aside, Katherine enjoys catching live music, spoiling her rescue pup, Alice, and hosting friends at her home in Wilmington, NC. 

Jack, originally from Asheville, North Carolina came across the state to study at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Graduating from UNCW in 2019 with a degree in Business Administration and concentrations in Marketing Strategy, and Entrepreneurship, Jack immediately entered the work force. As a first job out of school, Jack briefly worked for a real estate marketing and sales company. Shortly after Jack started his own full service digital marketing company, Socialry Marketing. Jack is also an Eagle Scout, CrossFit Coach, and involved in Young Life locally. 

Shaun Olsen
Founder and CEO, CloudWyze, Inc.
CloudWyze, Inc. founder and CEO, Shaun Olsen is an entrepreneur and community leader who strives to empower businesses and consumers through technology. A veteran of the IT industry, Olsen started CloudWyze in 2012 after having played pivotal roles in several startups. Each of these offerings delivers a combination of IT, voice and data, and multimedia systems. Olsen is a graduate of the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and continues to be active on numerous boards include the university’s Center for Entrepreneurial Development and the Cameron Executive Advisory Board. He is also Chairman and founder of AcoustiCreations, Inc., a NC-based professional audio-video firm

I’m a Wilmington native and this is where I hope to stay for the rest of my life. I am committed to our community and to my goal of building a better life for future generations in my hometown, and I do my best to reflect that in my actions and in my business. 

I pride myself on making each transaction as smooth as possible, but my job doesn’t end at closing. I serve my clients as a real estate advisor, assisting them with everything from homeownership advice and investment opportunities, to helping navigate our community, local government, and school system. Being a Wilmington native with a lifetime of connections in the area means that my clients have access to the best professionals in the region.

Chakema Clinton-Quintana is vice president of Inclusive Small Business at Live Oak Bank, where she leads the inclusive small business center. She focuses on strengthening and supporting inclusive small business growth in our communities and verticals through research, job creation programs, capital allocation, mentorship, and programming. Chakema has 19 years of banking experience and has a degree in business management from Strayer University in Herndon, Virginia. Her background includes foreclosure, real estate short sales, loss mitigation, relationship management, and compliance. Chakema currently serves on the board of directors for three non-profit organizations, including treasurer of Voyage Wilmington, treasurer of Red, Black, & Love, Inc., and board chair for The OOPS Foundation.

I am the Chief Academic Officer for New Hanover County Schools. My primary responsibilities include overseeing academic programs and policies. Before this role, I served as an Executive Leadership Coach for Wake County Schools. I am currently in my twenty-seventh year in education. Throughout my career, I have found pleasure in serving my community by enhancing students’ lives. 

USUV Clean, LLC is a locally owned and operated business in Wilmington,
NC. USUV Clean specializes in distributing and installing FAR UVC 222
nanometer (nm) lighting units throughout North Carolina and South Carolina
while expanding to Texas and Florida. The 222 nm lighting is a long-term
multifaceted unit that will work beyond this COVID pandemic and position
our clients to be prepared with future protections. While there are endless
possibilities with this technology, our initial focus has been our school
systems to protect our future which is our children.

Ben Morman's career and experiences have spanned many industries and economic cycles.  After being made redundant through another corporate synergy exercise, Ben found founded The Works Insurance here in Wilmington, NC.  Ben now owns and operates a portfolio of small businesses and brands invested in the Insurance, Pet Food, Financial Services, Hemp, and Real Estate Industries.  These businesses are in varying stages of the business cycle and are all anchored around Ben’s passion for providing the best quality product and services supported by the best possible customer service.

I'm a business professional focused on helping other businesses grwo and sustain their existing client base. I believe in giving/helping first, getting to know you, and then if we are a good fit, let's do  business together, either directly or by referring each other new opportunities to connect  with others.

Let's chat over lunch or coffee when it is convenient for you.

 

I am a Professional Engineer practicing in Land Development Civil Engineering.  I am currently working with Summit Design and Engineering in the Wilmington Office.  I recently relocated from Ellicott City, Maryland, located in the Baltimore - Washington DC corridor, where I was born and raised.  I graduated from the University of Maryland College Park - College of Engineering.   I owned an engineering, land surveying, land planning, and landscape architecture firm for 8 years. 

I have one daughter, who is a University of Maryland Graduate in Fire Protection Engineering, where she met her husband, who is a Fire Protection engineer as well. I have two beautiful little grandsons.  They all reside in Saudi Arabia, where they both work for Saudi Aramco, the oil company, in Dhahran.

Hello! I am Buffy Andrews -the owner of the Made Well Center for Wholeness, a functional mental health + wellness center in Wilmington, NC. I also am your local "Wellness Buff" and offer 1:1 functional mental health healing intensives, along with keynote speaking, and women's retreats. I coach individual on their mental health + wellness journey's as well as coach individuals looking to grow their businesses. 
Feel free to learn more about our wellness center here: www.madewellcenter.org and more about 1:1 mental health + wellness coaching by visiting www.wellnessbuff.org

Sady Escalante, a 2003 NC State Civil Engineering graduate and the founder of Excel Roofing Company since 2009. Beyond the business, I find joy in adventurous pursuits like kayaking, off-roading, skydiving, and motorcycle rides. Family is my cornerstone, and with my lovely wife Yani and three children, we embrace values of trust, integrity, and community responsibility. My academic background shapes my commitment to excellence, guiding both my personal and professional endeavors. Thank you for considering Excel Roofing – a reflection of my dedication to transforming roofing needs with durability, reliability, and satisfaction.

Jay Oglesby is Senior Director of Development for Liberty Senior Living, a division of Wilmington-based Liberty Health ("Liberty") that oversees acquisitions, development, and operation of Liberty's senior living community portfolio. Jay oversees Liberty’s Active Adult (55+) development projects, two properties under construction, and three in lease-up. Before commercial real estate and between undergrad at Ole Miss and business school at Thunderbird School of Global Management, Jay worked as a junior high teacher and chef. He and his wife, Jackie, of 30+ years have lived in Phoenix, Dallas, San Francisco, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Charlotte, and Birmingham. They relocated to Wilmington last winter as empty nesters and have since immersed themselves in the local food and music scenes.

Hi! I’m Ana. Originally from Fayetteville, NC, I’ve always been a huge advocate for supporting local businesses. My journey with small businesses began at Hummingbird Candle Co. in downtown Fayetteville. Over the years, I’ve worked with several small businesses, consistently seeing the impact of well-organized processes and effective marketing. As COO of CloudFruit, we specialize in 0-1 product development, analytics, and AI. Recognizing the needs of small businesses, we added CloudFruit Marketing to offer affordable, transparent, and effective marketing solutions. Our goal is to empower small businesses with strategies that drive real results and can be managed independently. Having recently moved to Wilmington, I am excited to connect with the community. I look forward to meeting fellow business owners and strengthening our local economy together!

My tech journey began at UVA Nursing School with Excel and VBA in a rural depression study. At Rite Solutions, I evaluated new EMRs for the U.S. Army. At the University of Virginia, I led quality reporting and data warehousing. At Sentara, I built HL7 integrations, and at Riverside Regional Medical Center and Novant Health, I managed financial systems and ERP solutions.

At Johns Hopkins Hospital, I managed BI initiatives and contributed to COVID-19 response strategies, leading to the creation of StayNeighbor. As Director of Technology at CORE, I developed COREConnect and crafted an analytics framework for Curogram. In 2022, I launched CloudFruit, focusing on app development, enterprise analytics, AI/ML integrations, and system integrations. Today, I lead BotOracle and am crafting Ethereal Wraiths.

I am passionate about blending technology with practical solutions to enhance lives globally.