“People of Influence & Inspiration” is a team of respected, community-minded adults who are both influential and inspirational in the Atlanta community.  This is a one-school-year commitment to help further Girl Talk’s mission through monthly meetings & networking.

The purpose of this team is for key Atlantans to come together and help connect Girl Talk with businesses, private foundations and individuals, who will help us reach our financial goals each fiscal year.  This team is structured to fit very busy schedules.  Members help open doors for Girl Talk, brainstorm development concepts & take time to personally invest in the lives of middle and high school girls across the country.

If you would like to be considered to be a part of “People of Influence & Inspiration”, please click I Have a Question and specify that you’d like to be a part of next year’s team.  Someone will get back to you and provide you with next steps.  Thank you so much for your interest.

Karon Cook, a California born Actress and Producer, now calls Georgia home. Her husband Kevin, a Delta Pilot, was transferred from Los Angeles to Atlanta in Summer '08. Karon has appeared in dozens of commercials, in major motion pictures and on magazine covers. She was the host of a TV Program "Body Image & The Media", and conducted workshops for young girls in San Diego. Girl Talk is a great fit for Karon, she looks forward to being an active participant in the years to come!

Lynne Dale has been an investigative producer for Dateline NBC and ABC’s Primetime. Her journalism has won television’s most prestigious awards, including the duPont Columbia and the Peabody. She currently lives in Atlanta with her teenage twins.

Bob Davis specializes in growth strategy development, brand strategy and sales & marketing. Bob has over 20 years of consulting experience, including 7 years in the Chicago, Tokyo, and Atlanta offices of McKinsey and Company. While Bob was in the Atlanta office of McKinsey, he was a leader in McKinsey’s North American Marketing Practice. Bob has led consulting engagements for nearly 100 clients including Novartis, Kaiser Permanente, Chick-fil-A, The Coca-Cola Company, InterContinental Hotels Group, GAP and United Airlines.

Bob received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. He received his B.A. cum laude in Industrial Psychology and Japanese from the University of Notre Dame. He also studied at the Institut Catholique de Paris and Sophia University in Tokyo. In addition, he designed and taught the Management Consulting course at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University.

Christine Farrell, a native Atlantan, brings over 11 years of marketing experience. She currently works for SunTrust Banks as the Vice President of Direct Marketing. She has been with SunTrust since February 2008 where she leads strategy and oversees the direct marketing campaigns for the bank. Additionally, she is a Partner in Grape Crush Productions (GCP)—a marketing company that effectively fuses the love of wine with all art forms through wine events and travel.

Prior to SunTrust and GCP, Christine was the Sr. Communications Specialist with SouthernLINC Wireless (A Southern Company) where she spent 3 years performing a breadth of marketing projects including mass advertising, point-of-purchase, collateral, B2B, sponsorships, direct marketing and managed the co-op program. Christine began her marketing career at Erwin-Penland advertising agency—her primary clients were Verizon Wireless and BMW. When she left Erwin-Penland she was the Account Supervisor over the entire Verizon Wireless account.

Christine received her MBA from Clemson University and her BA from Furman University. She has won several awards and honors in the marketing arena and is involved in many of the marketing networking clubs locally. She participates in a number of volunteer and civic organizations, most recently serving on the board of Passion for Life, a non-profit that helps at risk teenagers.

Kimberly Frazier is an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University where she teaches KSU 1101, a First-Year Transition Seminar, as well as Introduction to Psychology. Dr. Frazier obtained a Liberal Arts Associate Degree from Anderson Jr. College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science, with a Minor in Sociology from Clemson University, a Master of Liberal Arts Degree from Winthrop University and a Doctorate Degree in Higher Education Administration from Georgia State University. Dr. Frazier’s dissertation is entitled “First-Year Experience Collaboration among Academic Affairs and Student Affairs,” which is a combination of her professional experiences at the University South Carolina, the home of the National Resource Center for First-Year students, Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State University. As an academician and former student affairs administrator, Dr. Frazier believes that colleges, universities, and organizations should offer intentional collaborative partnerships to challenge and support interventions for academic, personal, professional and social success.

Dr. Frazier is excited to acknowledge that her faculty experience and experience as a facilitator has allowed her to integrate her desire for student success and passion for quality of life with pedagogy and practical application. This combination ultimately sums up her mission to keep students, people and relationships at the center of her decision making processes, research interests and consulting opportunities, thus fostering engaging learning environments that stimulate and motivate those she is in contact with to reach their full potential and the quality of life we all desire. Those in her lectures, workshops and presentations have found Dr. Frazier’s enthusiasm contagious and her leadership, dedication and commitment a significant contribution to their lives and endeavors.

Kara Friedman is a licensed therapist and the Middle School Counselor at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (Atlanta, GA). Kara grew up in St. Louis and received her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Miami University. She then went on to earn her Masters and Educational Specialist degree in Counselor and Counseling Education from Indiana University. She is passionate about working with children and adolescents regarding the trials and tribulations of growing up as well as more serious mental health problems. In her free time, Kara enjoys time with her family and friends, traveling, volunteering in her community and being active in the outdoors.

Back to top

Jennifer Grizzle, APR, is president of The PR Studio and brings a distinctive energy, perspective and dedication to delivering quality client service and achieving client goals. She has more than 22 years experience in public relations and The PR Studio offers all aspects of communications, including community affairs, copywriting, strategic consultation, planning and implementation of overall communications campaigns, training, special events and media relations. She founded The PR Studio in 1996.

Jennifer was the first recipient of the Public Relations Society of America’s “Outstanding Public Relations Professional” in 2003. She was also named the 1999 “Shining Star” by PRSA Georgia Chapter. Her work has earned her 24 Phoenix Awards and Certificates of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America for campaigns in overall communications programs, community relations, feature writing, special events and marketing communications. Jennifer has also earned accolades from the International Association of Business Communicators for total communications campaigns, feature writing, newsletters and public service campaigns. She earned her previous agency “National Agency of the Year” from Midas International for her work on Midas Project Safe Baby.

Jennifer started her career with one of Atlanta’s leading public relations agencies – Knapp Inc. – where she honed diverse communications skills and created her first award-winning programs. Shen then joined Egleston Children’s Hospital (now Children’s Healthcare) as special events and communications manager for the Festival of Trees and Egleston Children’s Christmas Parade and crafted new efforts to help the Festival enjoy its most successful fundraising years ever. She combined her healthcare and business communications expertise at The Headline Group (now Edelman Public Relations), where she designed award-winning strategies for accounts in healthcare, corporate, retail and consumer industries.

Select client experience includes Girl Talk, Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Georgia-Pacific, Midas Auto System Experts, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Atlanta Girls’ School, Books-A-Million, American Craft Council, Clear Channel Broadcasting, The HoneyBaked Ham Company of Georgia, Milliken Carpet and Party City of Atlanta.

Jennifer earned her B.A. in journalism/pr from Georgia State University. She is a 1997 graduate of Buckhead Business Association Leadership Development Class. She is a past board member of the Public Relations Society of America and served as President of the PRSA GA Chapter in 2004. She volunteers for Georgia Breast Cancer Research Coalition, St. Brigid’s Church and Girl Talk. Jennifer treasures free time with her husband Greg and daughters Caroline and Mallory.

Julie Huff is the head of Marketing and Sales at Huff Furniture, a high-end contemporary showroom in Buckhead. Atlanta’s finest musicians and athletes have solicited her interior design expertise for twelve years. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children.

Julie’s entrepreneurial and encouraging spirit wore off on her children at an early age. At age 10, her daughter Emily started her own jewelry company, Pop Rocks Jewels. They both credit Haley Kilpatrick for being the inspiration behind the company. This powerful duo distributes beautiful jewelry with positive messages throughout Atlanta’s finest boutiques.

Julie donates jewelry and proceeds to various local charities, including Girl Talk. In her spare time, Julie loves spending time outdoors with her family and surrounding herself with passionate and uplifting people.

Tonya Kilpatrick is the proud wife of Bert Kilpatrick, and the mother of Haley, Will and Kelly. Tonya is a native of Albany, GA and has a passion for helping others. When not working hard as a TV personality or decorating homes, you can find her on the beach in Seagrove, Florida. Tonya sits on the fundraising committee for the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition and she frequently helps with fundraising for the American Heart Association and her local Salvation Army. She is the WALB-TV (NBC) and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital’s spokesperson for the Buddy Check 10 program. This nationally recognized program saves lives by promoting early detection through self-breast examinations.

Dan Lack graduated from The University of Georgia in 2007 with a BBA and a concentration in Finance. He passed on opportunities to work with financial consulting firms (a great decision in hindsight!), and moved to Quito, Ecuador. In Quito, Dan secured an international consulting gig with the Ecuadorian American Chamber of Commerce while aggressively working through a Spanish immersion program on the side.

In early 2008, Dan moved back to his hometown of Atlanta, GA and became a founding partner with Integrity Brands, LLC, which created Maddio’s Pizza Joint, a fast casual pizza franchise concept. At Maddio’s, Dan was the Director of Corporate Development, and helped take the company from idea to reality with the opening of Maddio’s first location in January 2009.

Dan recently launched a national “Meeting of the Big Minds” entrepreneurial conference bringing together media execs and global entrepreneurs to create Master Mind groups. He is also currently serving as the youngest president in 88 years of the Atlanta Jr. Chamber of Commerce, a NPO focused on professional networking, community service, and leadership development among Atlanta’s young professionals.

Dan is the Founder and Chief Conversationalist of Pushing Beyond, which helps young professionals and students follow their passions. On July 1st, Pushing Beyond launched a 36-week nationwide interview series, highlighting the stories of successful entrepreneurs, philanthropists, authors, musicians, and others who are following their passions and doing amazing things as a result.

In his spare time, Dan enjoys traveling the world, scuba diving, and helping others get to the place where dreams and passions are active realities.

Back to top

Dustin Lovingood is a marketing professional with AMLI Residential where he is responsible for the East Coast and Chicago regions comprising 24 developments in multiple markets. In his short tenure with AMLI, Dustin has advanced through the organization gaining recognition and awards including Top Sales Performer and achieving two million dollars in sales in his first two years while completing school.

Dustin is a 2006 graduate of Kennesaw State University where he was selected for Cambridge's Who's Who and was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Additionally, he is a member of the Atlanta chapter of the American Marketing Association and has served on the Atlanta Apartment Association's membership committee the past three years.

In addition to his professional recognition, Dustin is becoming a familiar face in the community through his work with the non-profit sector. He is currently the chair of the fundraising efforts for AMLI Residential's annual food-a-thon supporting the Atlanta Community Food Bank and raising over $50,000 to support the local community. Dustin is also involved in fundraising for the Susan G. Komen foundation as well as supporting the efforts of other cities including Lungevity and SOS Children's Villages, both in Chicago.

Previously, Dustin was a committee member for Girl Talk's "Fuel for Inspiration" fundraiser in 2008 and at the young age of 26, is already an accomplished name in his field and respected by his peers.

Mara Maddox has been the Public Relations Manager for Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall since 2005. Mara graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Public Relations from the Grady School of Journalism. She started her professional career in Atlanta working as an advertising sales assistant for Time Inc., then moved onto experiential event marketing with Clear Channel. Mara strongly believes in the mission of Girl Talk and was a guest speaker at Girl Talk’s first camp, Inspire Me.

Mara is active in the Atlanta social and charity community and serves on the event committee for Imagine It! Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Mara enjoys tennis, reading, and playing with her 2 young children.

Darron O'Bonnon, a native of Arkansas, has been an Atlanta resident since January 1991 and has been self-employed in the Design and Real Estate industries for the past fifteen years. His friends and colleagues call him a “connector” for his eagerness to always help others. His volunteering dates back to high school where he was awarded a college scholarship by the Kiwanis Club in recognition of all of his dedication and timeless efforts within his community.

Lori Oliver has 20 years of experience as a strategic marketing professional and as a mom, but a lifetime of experiences as a girl. Her passion is helping girls from all walks of life blossom into confident, caring women.

A 1984 graduate of The Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, she has worked for corporations and consultancies in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta. She is a founding partner of The Bee Colony, an evolving business and lifestyle concept that envisions an independent yet collaborative work force.

Lori lives in Atlanta with her husband, Dave, and their three children, one each in college, high school and middle school. Her focus on the development of girls has included seven years as a Girl Scout Leader, shepherding 25 girls from six schools through Junior, Cadette and Senior Scout, currently working with seven high school girls on their Gold Award service projects; as well as ongoing work with the Latin American Association; Atlanta Public Schools; Dresden Elementary Hispanic Girl Scouts; and Pequeños Hermanos and Vamos! charities.

Lori met Haley Kilpatrick on the sidelines of the peewee football field in 2006, where they began mutually supporting each other’s efforts to enhance girl’s lives. Lori’s daughter Alex hopes to start a GirlTalk chapter this year at her school.

Laura Pitsikoulis graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Advertising. She has now been an institutional equity trader for 24 years. She currently is the Vice President and Director of Institutional Training at Wilmington Brokerage Services, a subsidiary of Wilmington Trust. Aside from her career, Laura also has a passion for helping her community through being involved in helping several nonprofit organizations. Some of her accomplishments include, running the United Campaign for the Atlanta office of Wilmington Trust for 2 years and achieved 100% participation, she is a member of the Georgia Consortium for Financial Literacy, Member of 85 Broads, a nonprofit organization that promotes the empowerment of women all over the world and she also serves as a volunteer and donor with the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross. She finds fulfillment in working with those who are recovering from addiction and has been doing so for close to 20 years.

When she is not working or helping in her community Laura loves to spend time with her husband Gus and two teenage sons Alex & Harry. Laura loves to play tennis and Served as Tennis VP at Roxboro Valley Club for 3 years, overseeing the reconstruction of tennis facilities. She also is an active member of Buckhead Church in Atlanta. She is looking forward to working with Girl Talk and being a part of People of Influence and Inspiration.

Karen Rosenberg grew up in LaFayette, Georgia. and attended an all girl’s school in Chattanooga. After graduating from Emory University with a degree in Health Information Management Karen pursued a rewarding career in health care which included several years working at Shepherd Center and other Atlanta hospitals. In addition Karen was active in the American Health Information Management Association serving on state and local committees. Once Karen’s children, Bryan and Joanna, were born Karen was fortunate to be a stay at home mom, spending time with family and friends, and volunteering in various religious and civic organizations. With the challenges of raising a daughter in today’s society Karen has become passionate about Girl Talk and what it represents. Karen lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Mark, a practicing Certified Public Accountant.

Brian Sutton is originally from Wasilla, Alaska but has lived the greater part of his life in Atlanta, GA. He has been a leader from the athletic field to the classroom and now the corporate world. His determination and work ethic have always propelled him to the top of his leagues, classes and company. Brian has a Bachelors degree in Marketing. While in college, Brian was the Maitre ‘D at Jim ‘N Nick’s, a southern restaurant. Since his graduation Brian has began working as a Corporate Account Manager at AT&T.

At AT&T he is responsible for utilizing advanced business selling techniques to increase subscriber growth, data penetration and revenue targets as well as ensuring high quality customer relations and retention. To achieve this he maintains frequent and personal contact with existing corporate business customers to build strong relationships.

He utilizes solution selling techniques to maximize the business relationships and opportunities with prospects and customers within a defined geographic territory and account list. He is also responsible for new business, account penetration, and retention within a geographic territory and account list defined as those companies with greater than 50 employees up to approximately $99M in domestic annual revenue.

Brain believes in the mission of Girl Talk and is eager to put his skills to use for a cause that is much bigger than all of us.

Back to top