Marshawn Evans: As one of the nation’s leading experts on the art of maximizing human potential, Marshawn Evans is the founder of ME Unlimited, a corporate life- enrichment consulting firm focusing on peak performance, diversity, women’s empowerment, and leadership. She is also a pioneering woman in the world of professional sports as President of EDGE 3M Sports & Entertainment, a full service
brand management agency responsible for elevating the profile of professional athletes and entertainers.
Marshawn, a Harry S. Truman Scholar, received over $200,000.00 in scholarships and graduated magna cum laude from Texas Christian University with honors and distinction.
A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, she practiced as a commercial litigator and employment lawyer with one ofAtlanta’s most prestigious law firms.
As Miss District of Columbia, she was 3 runner-up in the 2002 Miss America Pageant, winning a Talent Preliminary Award for her dynamic dance-twirl routine, as well as the Interview Award. Her successes in the classroom and the courtroom took her to the infamous boardroom on Donald Trump’s hit show, The Apprentice, where she was the only person to lead Trump’s all-women’s team to a victory as the Project Manager for an upscale advertising campaign. Marshawn is also the author of SKIRTS in the Boardroom: A Woman’s Survival Guide to Success in Business and Life, the definitive guide to being a modern
day sassy, savvy, sensible, and smart woman leader, published in 2008. She was recently named one of Atlanta’s “Power 30 under 30.”
Nancy Stafford : A former Miss Florida in the Miss America Pageant, actress, author, and speaker Nancy Stafford is familiar to millions as Andy Griffith’s law partner, Michelle, on TV’s Matlock. An actress for 25 years, she has starred in over 200 national commercials, several TV Movies, and been a series regular on five shows, including the Emmy-winning St. Elsewhere. She recently appeared on The Mentalist and ER. For ten years, she hosted the internationally syndicated fashion/lifestyle series, Main Floor, and now co-hosts the syndicated talk show, Love, Marriage, and Stinking Thinking.
Nancy graduated with a degree in journalism from The University of Florida, and is the author of two best-selling books, published by Random House: Beauty by the Book:
Seeing Yourself as God Sees You, now its sixth printing, and The Wonder of His Love.
She travels extensively as a motivational speaker, where she challenges others to live lives of significance and pursue their dreams with excellence. She serves on the U.S. Board of SAT-7, a satellite TV network in the Middle East and North Africa as well as on the Advisory Boards of Hollywood Connect, which offers resources and guidance for young film industry professionals, The Dove Foundation, Westside Pregnancy Center and many others.
Nancy’s favorite role is as step-mom to beautiful Katie and grandma to eight year old Blake. She and husband Larry Myers, a pastor, worship leader, and studio musician, live
in Los Angeles and just celebrated their 20 Anniversary.
Tony Peluso: Tony Peluso brings an energizing combination of creative, promotional, and business skills to any project. While a student in the School of Music at DePaul
University, Tony was selected to perform for a summer in Disney’s “All American College Band” at Disney World. After graduating and continuing on to receive his Master of Music Education degree from the Eastman School of Music, he was offered a position with the Walt Disney Company, where he spent a significant portion of his career. Beginning as musical coordinator at Disneyland, and continuing as musical
director for Tokyo Disneyland, he was eventually promoted to Senior Show Director where he wrote and directed many major shows and special events for Disney, including
Disneyland’s 30 Anniversary Extravaganza and the grand opening of the “Star Tours” attraction. He relocated to Florida to serve as General Manager of Pleasure Island, where he was responsible for the total operation of Disney World’s night time
entertainment center.
Currently, Tony is Vice President of Venues and Events for University Properties International, the company responsible for the development and management of the newly completed $300 million “Uptown UCF” project at the University of Central
Florida. He recently created and launched “Light Up UCF,” a major new event for the University and the local community featuring ice skating under the stars, choreographed
light shows, an outdoor film festival, and live concerts in the new 10,000 seat arena. He and his wife, Julie, have three children, Christopher, 20, and 17 year old identical twins,
Kimber and Kara.
Faith Jenkins: Faith Jenkins is a motivational speaker, spokesperson, author, and legal expert. As an Assistant District Attorney in New York, Faith’s favorite television show, Law and Order, is now a daily reality.
Faith graduated with a BA in Political Science from Louisiana Tech University. She won the title of Miss Louisiana during law school at Southern University, where she ranked number one in her class. Faith made history at the Miss America Pageant, where she remains the only contestant in MAO history to win a preliminary talent award, a preliminary swimsuit award, and the coveted Quality of Life national community service
award for her strong advocacy of literacy and education in Louisiana. She was named the first runner-up to Miss America 2001, and received numerous academic scholarships and
awards.
As a speaker, Faith has addressed notable academic institutions, business and political groups, and state agencies, but she has also addressed students in some of the most economically depressed areas of the nation, as well as taking her message to juvenile prisons and “boot camps” where hundreds of teenagers were imprisoned.
Faith currently lives in New York, where she continues to speak out on important issues and write about controversial events in leading publications, including the New York
Daily News. She is working on her first book about her life growing up in the South, her quest for Miss America, and the tough path to becoming a criminal prosecutor in New
York.
Lorenzo Borghese : Prince Lorenzo Borghese was born in Milan, lived in Rome and outside Paris, and moved to Connecticut when he was five years old. Proud of his
genealogy, his storied paternal ancestors include the cosmetics icon, Princess Marcella Borghese, and Pope Paul V (Camillo Borghese) and Cardinal Scipione Borghese, both of
whom had an enormous influence on Italian art and beautifying Rome in the 1600’s, including helping finish St. Peter’s Basilica. The Borghese name is displayed throughout Italy, and one of Rome’s most famous streets, Via Borghese, is named after the family.
Lorenzo graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, and earned an MBA from Fordham University in New York. He currently juggles a variety of challenging positions in the cosmetics and pet industries. He is the founder and president of Royal Treatment Italian Pet Spa, a bath, body and skin care line for pets, using the finest natural cosmetics from Italy, as well as Royal Pet Club, an ecommerce discount pet site.
In 2008, he founded Nuzzleplanet.com, a social networking site for animal lovers. Lorenzo is an animal rights advocate, working with numerous animal shelters throughout the country. He is also a managing partner with his father, Prince Francesco, in LB2, LLC, a private label Italian cosmetics company, and Executive Vice President of Multimedia Exposure, Inc., a family owned business that acts as an agency for various
products for television shopping networks in the U.S. and Europe.
In the fall of 2007, Lorenzo starred in the ninth season of ABC’s popular reality show, The Bachelor, and he has appeared on numerous television shows, including Good Morning America, Ellen, Dancing with the Stars, and Live with Regis and Kelly.
Jennifer Berry Gooden: Selected as Miss America 2006, representing the state of Oklahoma, Jennifer Berry Gooden is an accomplished motivational speaker and an
inspirational leader for people everywhere, helping individuals to reach their full potential both personally and professionally. Her passion for transforming lives is evident in the work that she has done with non-profit organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, serving as their National Spokesperson during her year as Miss America and traveling over 20,000 miles each month on a public speaking tour, promoting intolerance to drunk driving and underage drinking. Additionally, she served as National Spokesperson for the Children’s Miracle Network, visiting hospitals across the country offering hope and inspiration to children and their families. She is a member of the Washington Speakers Bureau, and remains a member of MADD’S National Board of Advisors.
Jennifer is a proficient dancer with more than twenty years of dance experience, training with the prestigious David Howard Dance Center, the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle
and the internationally known Tulsa Ballet. She trains ballet students at multiple levels.
Utilizing the scholarship money she earned as Miss Oklahoma and Miss America, Jennifer recently completed her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma in Liberal Studies with an emphasis on elementary education. She currently resides in
Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, Nathan Gooden.
After being diagnosed with Melanoma cancer in March, 2009, her life was transformed. Mrs. Gooden underwent surgery to remove all the cancer and is now an avid activist,
pursuing opportunities to increase awareness and prevention of this skin cancer, especially in young women.
