Dar’shun Kendrick was born in Atlanta and raised in Decatur, Georgia by
her two parents who are entrepreneurs. She is the oldest of three (3) kids
and the 1st in her family to go to college.

In 2010, Dar’shun started Kendrick Advisory & Advocacy Group (“KAAG”),
LLC, a Georgia based company that serves companies nationwide. KAAG
helps companies raising investor capital focus on growing their
company by leaving the regulations to us. We have helped companies
NATIONWIDE raise OVER $1B in private investment capital from family and
friends, angel investors and institutional investors and saved companies
millions in court costs and fees. We work especially with black and women
founders to meet their unique challenges and needs. In 2019, she became
a Series 65 license holder (investment adviser representative) and in
2020 her firm became a registered investment advisory firm in the State
of Georgia. She is the Lead Founder of a real estate syndicate dedicated to
expanding black wealth through the acquisition of commercial real estate as
well as a published author of the inspirational book “Morning to Motivation”
which was published in May of 2021.

Dar’shun is also an innovator and community activist. She was featured in
the Huffington Post as 1 of 25 people positioned to Scale Atlanta's Growing
Inclusive Technology Start Up Ecosystem for Black Americans and Beyond.
In 2017, she was elected to the Technology Association of Georgia’s
(TAG) Corporate Development Board. She is also a past contributor to
Black Enterprise Magazine focusing on economic justice issues.

Dar’shun’s service extends beyond her “day job”. Since the age of 27, she
has also served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives.
She represents over 54,000 Georgians in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
She also founded Georgia’s first Technology, Innovation &
Entrepreneurship Caucus which is a bipartisan caucus of Georgia
legislators and stakeholders committed to the mission of supporting
entrepreneurs within the state. In 2017, she founded Georgia’s 1st ever
Georgia Blacks in Tech Policy Conference & Follow Up “Day of Action”
with the focus on advocating for inclusive tech policy throughout the state.

Awards (last 3 awards awarded)- She was awarded the Urban League of
Greater Atlanta Young Leader Award (2019) and named as an awardee for
the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “40 under 40” awards (2019) and
nominated for 2 NAACP awards for criminal justice reform and her business
(2017 and 2019).

Dar’shun is a community activist, public speaker & teacher, elected official,
private securities attorney, investment adviser representative, founder,
investor, blogger, published author, and a proud member of Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, Inc. She currently resides in Lithonia, Georgia with her pit
bull mix Dezzy

Dr. Charles Pierre received his Ph.D. from American University in Washington, DC. He
worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at San Jose State University before working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Pierre served as Departmental Chair in the Department of Mathematical Sciences from 2005 to 2011. He has worked at Clark Atlanta University since 1994. Dr. Pierre has worked as a faculty research fellow, working in the areas of dynamical systems, fractal sets and antenna theory, at the Oak Ridge National Lab in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He also served two and a half terms as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa.

He has worked with programs and Institutes such as the Institute for Advanced Study/Park City Mathematics Institute and AIM in Palo, California. Moreover, he is a member of the Pi Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society.

Dr. Pierre led a mathematics research group formed in the Department of Mathematical
Sciences at Clark Atlanta University. The group focused its research efforts in four main areas along with Operations Research: Dynamical Systems, Chaos Theory, Complexity Theory, and Mathematical Biology. Further, the research group has focused its attention on finding commonalities between, and applications of, these four areas. Dr. Pierre has been doing work in all four areas. He is currently teaching graduate classes in, and doing research in, operations research.

Dr. Pierre is also currently doing research in, and has taken graduate classes in, the areas of artificial intelligence: analytics, data science, machine learning, deep learning, data engineering and mining. He has also done work in and has taken graduate classes in Natural Language Processing (NLP), Data Visualization, and Generative Deep Learning.

Additionally, Dr. Pierre is an INFORMS DEI Ambassador. During an initial DEI Ambassador’s meeting, Pierre met fellow INFORMS DEI Ambassador, Dr. Pascal Van Hentenryck, a professor and Chair in the Department of Systems Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. It was during this meeting that Drs. Van Hentenryck and Pierre formed a partnership. As an outgrowth of this partnership, Dr Van Hentenryck, along with Dr. Pierre and others created one of the nation’s 27 Artificial Intelligence Institutes. The institute is funded by NSF and partially funded by Intel and Google. This Institute is created under the auspices of the U.S. Congress. Dr. Van Hentenryck is the director of the institute. Dr. Pierre is one of the Thrust Leaders of the institute, and he also directs the AI Institute for Advances in Optimization’s (AI4OPT) Faculty Training Program (FTP), which is held at the Georgia Institute of Technology every summer. During the summer period, Dr. Pierre works with a team of professionals, researchers and professors from Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Tech, California Berkeley, University of Southern California, and University of Texas. The AI4OPT Faculty Training Program’s lead team consists of Drs. Pascal Van Hentenryck (GT), Kevin Dalmeijer (GT), Paul Brown (CAU), Charles Pierre (CAU), Professor Renee McCoy (CAU), and Cami Douglas (GT).

During his limited off-time, Dr. Pierre enjoys flying his drone, traveling, studying and collecting wines, and photography.

Dr. Kimberly N. West is a pioneering leader in artificial intelligence, technology, and entrepreneurship. As an MIT-trained AI expert, she is known for transforming complex technologies into actionable strategies that help businesses thrive in the digital age. Through her company, Magnum Opus Consulting, Dr. West empowers organizations worldwide to harness the power of AI and Microsoft 365, driving efficiency, innovation, and scalable growth. With over 25 years of experience as a Microsoft specialist and AI strategist, she has become a trusted advisor to businesses and government agencies seeking to stay ahead of the curve in today's competitive market.

A passionate advocate for the transformative potential of AI, Dr. West founded The AI Powered Entrepreneur, a program dedicated to teaching entrepreneurs how to leverage AI for business growth. Her bestselling book AI or Die! and its companion workbook AI and Thrive provide a step-by-step roadmap for business owners to integrate AI into their operations, ensuring long-term success in an increasingly tech-driven world.

Beyond her work in AI, Dr. West is also the visionary behind The AgriTech Initiative, a groundbreaking project that merges technology with agriculture. By promoting non-traditional farming techniques and leveraging AI, The AgriTech Initiative aims to tackle food security issues and eradicate food deserts, increasing yields while reducing costs.

As a sought-after speaker and consultant, Dr. West is recognized for her ability to demystify advanced technologies and deliver real, impactful results. Her commitment to empowering others to embrace the future of technology is at the core of her work, and she continues to inspire businesses and individuals alike to unlock their full potential.

Connect with Dr. West on social media @MsKimsWorld or visit www.magnumopusconsulting.com to explore her innovative work in AI, technology, and business growth.

Larry Williams is President and CEO of the Technology Association of Georgia.

Williams brings more than 25 years of experience in global branding, international trade and finance, public and industrial policy, and administration and management to TAG. As the former president and CEO of The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partnership, Williams helped facilitate local, national and international business growth and expansion programs. Under Williams’ leadership The Beacon Council created and executed a new economic development framework to help the area grow and secure investments in today’s innovation economy. This is resulted in $687 million in new investment, 119 company relocations or expansions, and more than 4,500 new jobs.

From 2011 to 2014 Williams helped shape the vision for Atlanta’s tech sector as vice president of technology development at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. He provided leadership and direction to the Chamber’s Mobility Task Force, positioning Atlanta as a global hub of mobile technology, and to the Technology Leadership Council.