Speakers/Presenters - Bios
Alphabetical by Name
A - C | D - F | G
- J | K - M | N
- Q | R - T | U
- Z
A - C
Candy Beauchamp
Candy is the owner/operator of OffAssist and brings to
it a background heavily steeped in bookkeeping for small to mid-sized
businesses. OffAssist began as a concept in 1999 and officially opened
its doors in 2002. Candy credits her success to her amazing family and
friends, who have stood by her while growing OffAssist into what it is
today. Candy is an active IVAA volunteer and her service includes 3 years
on the IVAA Board of Directors from 2005 to 2008, including one year
as president.
Diana Beidel
Diana Beidel specializes in Contract Administration and Project Management.
Her extensive previous work experience includes: construction, engineering,
real estate (commercial & property management), law enforcement,
and human resources. With over 20 years experience, such diverse and
marketable skills make her one of the most accomplished, established
virtual assistants in the industry. She started her successful VA business,
P.A.S.S. IT ON VIRTUAL ASSISTANT (Professional Administrative Services
and Support) in 2005, using a team of professional, highly skilled, multi-talented,
virtual assistants to support her endeavors. Her company’s mission is
to provide seamless service, outstanding solutions and products, through
building working relationships with her clients and the community.
Patty Benton
Patty Benton runs a training program for new entrepreneurs interested
in venturing into the virtual assistance industry that is affordable
to all, and she has also written an e-book, Failure is NOT an Option,
that takes virtual assistants through the process of setting up their
business. Recently, Patty launched an advanced coaching group for experienced
Virtual Assistants who are struggling with their businesses not having
enough clients, having too many, or just not having the business of their
dreams. Additionally, Patty is the owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants
and JERPAT Web Designs which provides affordable administrative and web
design support to coaches, small businesses, religious organizations,
and more. She has also partnered to establish the ministry Acknowledging
Christ Together at Work and is co-owner of Virtual Business Group an
online networking organization for Virtual Professionals. To learn more
you can visit her at virtualvacoach.com.
Craig Cannings
Craig Cannings has been an Internet Business Entrepreneur, Blogger and
Internet Marketer over the past five years. Craig has had extensive experience
training and working with Virtual Assistants since 2003. In 2007, he
started VAClassroom.com (with his wife Kelly), which provides niche training
and certification programs to help Virtual Assistants expand their skills
and services into "high-demand" areas. VAClassroom's primary
mission is to equip Virtual Assistants with the exact skills Businesses
are seeking here in 2008 and beyond! Their Flagship course, the Internet
Marketing VA Training Program has been helping many Virtual Assistants
increase their Internet Marketing know-how and expand their services
and income opportunities. While Craig loves the Internet Business, his
primary passion in life is spending quality time with his 4 main `gals`
– his wife and three young daughters!
Andrea Cannavina
Andrea Cannavina is a Master Virtual Assistant
and Digital Coach who specializes in helping professionals select and
use the right technology in order to get more done with less – less time,
less resources and less stress! Just a sample of topics Andrea has presented
include: Go Virtual! Tools of the Trade, Working the Web Securely, Effective
E-mail, Creating a Digital Workflow and Websites 101.
Along with speaking to virtual and live audiences, Andrea publishes The
Legal Connection E-zine and offers a free report: What Not To Tech!
3 Of The WORST Technologies To Incorporate Into Your Processes and Why.
To sign up for The
Legal Connection E-zine and receive your copy
of What Not To Tech! or to learn more about Andrea or how she can help
you visit: www.legaltypist.com.
Sydni Craig-Hart
Sydni
Craig-Hart liberates Administrative Professionals from the corporate
world by showing them how to become savvy, self-employed Virtual Assistants.
Her company, EA -> VA gives Administrative Professionals the support,
tools and information they need to successfully transition into a profitable
career in Virtual Assistance. Visit www.EAtoVA.com today
to receive your copy of her FREE special report, "The
Liberated Executive Assistant: How to Break Free From the Corporate Grind
and Become Your Own Boss". In this report you’ll find
out everything you need to know about the Virtual Assistance industry,
what steps you need to take to get started and how to run your own successful
Virtual Assistance business.
She is also the co-founder of Craig Hart Consulting, LLC, a full-service small business consulting and Virtual Assistance firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs boost their revenue, maximize their Internet presence and run productive, efficient businesses. Because of her extraordinary work as the founder of EAtoVA.com and co-founder of Craig Hart Consulting, she was nominated for the AssistU Virtual Assistant of the Year award in 2008.
Sydni enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, wine-tasting, and anything spa related. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, she currently lives in Emeryville, CA with her amazing husband and business partner, Wil Hart.
D - F
Ben Fahndrich
Ben is a certified business coach. He helps business owners gain back
their time, earn more profit, create systems, plan for succession, hire
the right people, and give more money away. Prior to becoming a business
coach, he doubled the sales volume as district manager for his employer
from $7 million to $14 million in just 3 years and was the number one
district manager (out of 100 nationwide) for 5 consecutive quarters based
on exceeding sales benchmarks and bottom line profitability ... so you
might say he has "been there done that" when it comes to growing
a more profitable business. He was also an accomplished collegiate soccer
player, receiving numerous individual and team awards, and coached at
the collegiate varsity level as well.
Tim Fahndrich
Tim is a multi-business entreprenuer, trainer, and speaker. He is the
author of the "Harness the Power of the Web" series, which
teaches small business how to tap into the power of the web for growing
their business. He is also a high school soccer coach and basketball
coach. Tim is the founder of The Third River and has a true desire to
help small business expand their dreams, live a more abundant and prosperous
life, and actively share resources with others. He has been marketing
online since 1996 and has the ability to see the big picture between
technology and marketing and how to bring them all together.
G - J
Gary Glasscock
Gary
Glasscock is a Master Certified Life Coach and a Master SPIRIT Life Coach.
Gary’s first experience with computers was in 1984 while he was pursuing
his Associate’s Degree in Electronic Engineering. In 1986 he repaired
his first computer by installing a new hard drive to replace a defective
one. He also went online in 1986 for the first time and became a member
of many different Electronic Bulletin Boards. He also became a member
of CompuServe. All of this was pre-Windows technology too.
In 1992 when CompuServe and AOL were first offering Internet access, Gary was there. He began studying the source code for websites in order to learn how to create html pages. During his studies at Campbellsville University, Gary also learned different programming languages, how to install and use Linux, and many other computer related topics. With the Bachelor’s Degree in Communications/Journalism, the minor in CIS, and all the hands-on experience he has acquired, he is uniquely qualified to write about computer related topics and has done so on various occasions. With his experience and education, he is also highly qualified to assist you in learning how to perform many different computer tasks, and on multiple platforms.
Gary graduated Campbellsville University in 2005 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication/Journalism and a minor in Computer Information Systems. He also holds an Associate’s Degree in Electronic Engineering.
Andrea Goeglein
As
"Dr. Success" I provide a platform to enrich professionals at all stages
of personal and business development; the concept of empowering choice
is key to this effort. Guided by love, learning and prosperity, I offer
inspirational learning experiences, teleseminars, video sharings, books
and podcasts -- supported by in-person gatherings. This allows participants
to expand their working knowledge of emotional intelligence and acquire
techniques to enhance their mission.
Cindy Greenway
Cindy Greenway, author of "Virtually Successful: 8 Simple Ways
for Virtual Assistants to Find (and Keep) Clients (GrowYourVABiz.com),
took a leap of faith in 2003 when she started her Virtual Assistant business,
only six months after the birth of her first son. It wasn't until late
2002 that she even learned of the term Virtual Assistant.
Cindy has worked with highly respected and successful online-based business
owners by implementing and managing technology, automating and streamlining
various processes, overseeing and managing current marketing strategies,
building a virtual team, and contributing to the development of new products,
programs and services.
In the last 3 years, as partner of the Multiple Streams Team, Cindy has personally spoken with over 450 small business owners who were interested in working with a VA. She has a full understanding of what business owners want and expect from a VA. Cindy is also the co-founded of the Hot Skills VA Training Program, a skills building program designed specifically for Virtual Assistants who want to build their mindset and skillset to work with online based professionals. Cindy is passionate about the Virtual Assistant profession. Nothing satisfies her more than training and mentoring other VAs as well as supporting the growth of the industry by educating the business community.
David Hansen
As the North America Business Solutions Director at Certiport, Dave Hansen oversees the administration of the Microsoft Business Certification Program and works in close collaboration with the Adobe Certified Associate Program. He has worked in education and training for almost a decade, starting a supplementary education business, teaching in a foreign language fluency program, and delivering training ranging from high school students to CEO’s. His sales and marketing background spans from systems management software to marketing consulting. He is a certified Microsoft Master Instructor and IC3 2005 & 2007 Instructor.
Andrea Kalli
Andrea
Kalli of Virtual
Trainer and Assistant, LLC offers a wide variety
of business services, to include: Productivity training and support for
Microsoft Outlook and Windows SharePoint Services, and Podcast Production
and Support services. She has more than 12 years of office administrative
experience, with a primary focus on maximizing team collaboration and
communication for daily work and managing projects, as well as helping
enterprises build their business relationships through Internet and Social
Marketing strategies.
Andrea Kalli has lived in a suburb of Denver, CO with her husband, Darryl since 1989. Born in Quantico, Virginia in a military family, she moved quite a bit when she was very young, but the family had settled in Southern California by the time she started school. She has two grown children, Chris and Amanda, and has a passion for gardening.
K - M
Gini Maddocks
Drawing on information presented in her award winning book,
R&R:
Rescue and Relief for Computer Users and those at risk of Repetitive
Motion Injury(RMI), Gini offers compelling incentives to live well while
learning and reinforcing
healthy habits. She will help address the issues pertinent to the individual’s
health and situation.
Gini has a BA in sociology from Miami University and worked as a social worker for a number of years. Nearly 30 years of experience in massage therapy and stress management techniques gathered from Maine to Hawaii, gives her a dynamic way of introducing simple yet significant behavioral modifications into the workplace, at home and on the go, convincing thousands that they too can FEEL BETTER!
N - Q
Cindy Opong
Cindy Opong is the Owner and President of Creative
Assistants, a Virtual
Assistant team with a passion for
helping clients achieve the highest level of productivity and profit
on every project, every day. Cindy is very active in her local business
community and is frequently asked to speak on topics such as "Networking
Productivity" and "Social Media for the Small Business".
She has been active in IVAA (www.ivaa.org) for 5 years, serving as on the Live and Online
Summit committees, as the Membership Director, and currently as President-Elect.
Kelly Poelker
Kelly, President of Another 8
Hours, is an industry speaker, coach,
and co-author of several books including Virtual Assistant - The Series:
Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA (third edition) and Working
Virtually, A Guide to Working Remotely As an Employee. Kelly is also
the Director at Academy of Virtual Professionals and serves on the Executive
Board for International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) as Treasurer.
R - T
Nora Rubinoff
Nora Rubinoff has more than two and a half decades of computing, technical
and administrative experience. Her areas of expertise include project
management; e-mail marketing; surveys and analysis; custom presentations;
customer relationship management; and small business web design. A Certified
Master Virtual Assistant and Graduate Virtual Assistant, Nora is also
an expert coach, mentor and trainer. Nora is a frequently requested speaker
on the topics of virtual assistance and small business technology.
Nora's enthusiasm for helping both emerging and established Virtual Assistants navigate technology and best business practices is well known in the industry. She works daily to help colleagues and clients manage technology to enhance business productivity.
Kathie M. Thomas
Kathie M. Thomas is an Author, Blogger, Speaker and Virtual Assistant
Coach & Trainer. She began her business ‘A
Clayton’s Secretary’ in
1994 to be home fulltime for her 5 daughters. Today Kathie runs a global
business via the internet from her home office in Melbourne, Australia
and her blogging efforts has placed her in the Top 100 Australian Blogs
list. She also contributes to printed and online publications and has
published several books.
Her passion is about helping women return home to work, using skills they developed in the workforce, so they can be home fulltime for their families. It was because of these community efforts that she was nominated for Australian of the Year in 2008. Her latest book “Worth More Than Rubies: The Value of a Work At Home Mom” was recently made available at Amazon.com where it achieved #23 in the Top 100 Hot New Releases for her genre during the launch.
U - Z
Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive
Carrie Wilkerson is the voice
of experience. From corporate life, to teaching high school, to direct
sales, she has “been there and done that” professionally and personally.
An “overnight mom” to 2 toddlers through adoption, her priorities instantly
changed and so did her workplace. She's now built several businesses
and coached others to do the same while overcoming extreme debt, losing
110 lbs and having 2 more children, for a total of 4; ages infant through
12!
As "The Barefoot Executive", Carrie and her network of experts have quickly become the definitive resource for helping women achieve extra income and career goals while working from home.
Sharon Williams
Sharon Williams, MVA, PREVA, Author and VA Coach is the President and
CEO of The 24 Hour Secretary, providing administrative, secretarial and
marketing support services to busy and often overwhelmed executives and
entrepreneurs. Sharon is the founder of the Alliance for Virtual Businesses
and Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (OIVAC), the VA
industry-wide convention. Sharon’s passion is marketing and creating
unique personal brands. She is the author of Marketing Your VA Business:
It’s Not All About Money, and Nuts and Bolts of Branding. Sharon believes
business owners must be equipped to recognize and address new opportunities.
To do so, they must possess a true sense of self and be able to project
that awareness to their target audience. Sharon is an experienced event
manager and marketer and has coordinated three presidential inaugural
balls, a national “Shout Out” campaign, two national golf tournaments
and several 5,000+ attendee business expos and conferences.