Daniel Holcomb is the General Director for Connecting Leadership Resources (CLR) in Dakar. Mr. Holcomb holds a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Technology from LeTourneau University (one of CLR’s partners in the USA). He holds a Commercial Pilot certificate, Flight Instructor certificate and an Aviation Maintenance Technician certificate. He grew up in Africa and in addition has over 18 years of business experience in Africa. In North Africa he was the Technical Director for a transformer maintenance company and in Senegal established a 3-year automotive mechanics school program.

Ken Blackwell moved to West Africa with his family in 1988. Guinea being a rich source of learning and experience for him, he stayed there for almost 20 years. In Dakar since 2015, Mr. Blackwell, is the Director of the “Successful Business Principles” program at CLR. He works with business owners and executives in order to strengthen their skills and empower them to become leaders who think “outside the box” and strive to always grow professionally. A certified professional coach, Ken is passionate about training and coaching, helping leaders to meet the growing demands of Senegal’s place in the increasingly competitive international market.

Jackie SMITH is a Human Resources, Training and Organizational Development professional with over 20 years of experience. She is the director and owner of Reflections on Learning, a training and organizational development consulting firm that focuses on partnering with companies to build culture, high performance team leadership and change readiness. She has worked in a variety of organizations and industries in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.

Kenneth E. FIELDS is an expert in project management and change management. He coaches others to successfully implement change across the organization, from local start-ups to Global 500 companies, and is recognized as a leader in consensus building who can roll up his sleeves and get things done. His interest in organizational transformation led to his book Visionaries, Builders, and Maintainers, which deals with how people interact and respond to change. Kenneth is co-founder of BlueInc Strategies, a company that provides coaching and guidance to leaders and teams to envision, structure and implement DISCIPLINED GROWTH!

Gordon PAISELY is one of the Senior Human Resources Managers of United Airlines, a major airline, based in Chicago, USA. In this capacity, he manages various projects in the field of Human Resources. Previously, Mr. Paisley also worked in United’s Continuous Improvement Department. Prior to joining United, Mr. Paisley worked in the Global Reinsurance Division of General Electric (GE) as a Six Sigma Black Belt.

The only mission that matters to Mac is to build high-performance teams! For three decades, Mac has built winning teams in both the private and public sectors. Mac is the founder and CEO of M.A.Curfman Learning and Consulting, a training and consulting company. Previously, he has been a regional manager in a national consulting firm, a city manager, a city planner and a researcher in an economic development agency. He combines this experience with a strong technical background and is experienced in managing technical/operational teams.

David MILLER is passionate about working with companies of all sizes to improve financial performance. He is the President and CEO of DTM Advisors. Prior to starting his own company, David was the Vice President of Finance at a pediatric hospital in Dayton, Ohio for 20 years. This privately held company had over $200 million in annual revenues and approximately $800 million in assets. Previously, he was Director of Audit at Ernst & Young, a leading US audit and accounting firm, where his clients included manufacturing companies as well as hospitals, schools and NGOs.

Jim NICHOLS is a retired Associate Professor of Commerce at Crown University in St. Boniface, MN. He taught undergraduate courses for 10 years and has over 30 years of business experience including local and international sales, marketing, small business ownership and business planning. Prior to becoming a professor, Mr. Nichols spent 13 years as a business owner serving the education and craft industries. He teaches a wide range of business courses and has been involved in teaching business principles to entrepreneurs in Africa and China.