Careers in Action

"WIT’s Leadership Foundations has given me the tools to take my career to the next level. My career advisor helped me stay on track with my goals, and networking with my peers and learning how-to strategies from the executives has given me more confidence in my leadership abilities."

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Leadership Foundations:
Meet The Speakers

Amy Balog

Amy Balog

Amy Balog is the founder of ConnextionPoint Services LLC, a leadership consulting and coaching firm with a mission to innovate leadership and engagement acumen at all levels of the company by transforming thinking and language around building impact stories, aligning goals, and focusing on results for profitable growth.

Amy is a organizational and leadership consultant, coach, speaker, and writer. Before launching ConnextionPoint, Amy spent seventeen years working in the IT and the management consulting industry selling complex project services and providing delivery oversight.

Working for Fortune 500 global service companies and for industry leading consulting practices, Amy worked with CEOs to front line managers.  From this work, Amy captured case studies on specific leadership and organizational issues about what Amy call’s “soft issues attached to hard consequences.”More

Through dissecting a decade of case studies and analyzing the complexities growth leaders face in delivering results, Amy designed a comprehensive leadership platform that serves as a coaching framework for executives, departmental leadership, and single contributors.

Amy works with individuals and teams providing leadership coaching and assessments. Amy writes a regular blog on leadership and growth sustainability issues. She is currently authoring two books, the Four Part Leader and The Art of Humble Leadershiphaving the Courage of the Lion and Heart of Lamb.

Terry Trout

Terry Trout

Terry S. Trout brings more than 25 years of leadership experience to her role as vice president of customer experience for Cbeyond where she champions the customer experience strategically across the organization aligning cross-departmental initiatives to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction. Through motivation, metrics and mechanics, these initiatives have resulted in a 99-percent monthly customer retention rate and a customer referral rate of greater than 30-percent.More

Previously, Ms. Trout was responsible for customer care, service delivery, technical support, collections and operations training. Ms. Trout led the development of CbeyondOnline™, an online account management tool that simplifies bill payment and gives customers complete control of their account. She also launched Cbeyond's community service program enabling Cbeyond employees to give back to the communities where they work and live.

Prior to joining Cbeyond, Ms. Trout was vice president of marketing communications for Intermedia Communications, an integrated communications provider. Previously, she was vice president of East Coast operations and corporate marketing for Marcone Appliance Parts Center, the nation's fastest-growing distributor of repair parts. In this role, Ms. Trout helped lead the company's start-up, acquisition and restructuring initiatives.

Ms. Trout is actively involved in a variety of leadership and mentoring activities. She founded Cbeyond's Women's Network, an organization designed to foster professional development for Cbeyond women through a variety of educational sessions and networking events. She hold board positions at The Sullivan Center and with WIT – Women in Technology. Additionally, Ms. Trout is a mentor for WEDA (Women's Economic Development Association), and an active associate of the Marist School Communications Committee and her parish, Holy Spirit Catholic Church's, Liturgy Committee.

Ms. Trout was chosen as one of Atlanta Women Magazine's Top 25 Power Women to Watch in 2006, which recognized her contribution to community and leadership activities. She was also a finalist in the Women in Technology (WIT) Woman of the Year award in 2006, and won the award in 2007.

Ms. Trout has a bachelor's degree from Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois, and an MBA from Southern Illinois University.

Ann W. Cramer

Ann W. Cramer

Ann Wilson Cramer, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, graduated from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with a degree in mathematics and serves on its board.  She is with IBM Corporation as its Director for IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs for the Americas.  Ann and her husband, Jeff, their two children, Megan and Wil, are all active at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, where Ann has served as Senior Warden of the Vestry. Ann started with IBM as a Systems Engineer in Jacksonville. After being "retired" from IBM for ten years, Ann returned to IBM in External Programs, now Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs.  More

Ann’s commitment to and involvement with children and youth has been a lifelong journey. Her current job with IBM allows her to continue her work with the improvement of conditions for families, because of IBM’s historic involvement with and investment in local communities.

 IBM is committed to K-12 education, job training and employment, community and family services, literacy programs and support for the disabled and disadvantaged through its people and technology.  IBM employees are considered its strongest philanthropic asset in its approach to improve the communities in which they live and work. IBM’s primary emphasis is focused on education reform, especially related to the powerful use of solutions including services, software and technology as tools for learning.

In support of IBM’s primary focus areas, Ann currently serves as chair of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE), and past chair of Communities in Schools-Georgia, and the Georgia Chamber’s Education Committee, Voices for Georgia’s Children, and is on the Executive Committee for the US Chamber’s Institute for Competitive Workforce, the Conference Board’s Business and Education Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber Education Committee and Project GRAD Board.   She serves on several non-profit organization boards including Carter Center Board of Councilors (chair -2011); the Woodruff Arts Center,  the Alliance Theatre Company, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, the Georgia Center for NonProfits, Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,  the Georgia Chapter of the International Women's Forum and the Hands-on-Atlanta Advisory Board.

Likewise, Ann chairs the Council on Foundations Public Policy Committee and serves on its executive committee and  board, and she has represented IBM on the United Way of America’s National Corporate Leaders Council, the Center for Corporate Citizenship Advisory Board at Boston College, the US Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC),  the Independent Sector’s Membership Committee and the Southeastern Council on Foundations Communications Committee.

In support of children, youth and education, Ann most recently chaired the Workforce Development Task Force for the Governor’s Commission for a New Georgia. Ann has chaired the Governor’s Child Protective Services Task Force, served as Chairman of the Governor's Commission on Children and Youth and co-chaired the Governor's Welfare Reform Task Force, the Governor's Policy Council for Children and Families and the Grady Foundation, the Governor's Action Council for Safe Kids and led a team developing Voices for Georgia’s Children. 

In 2009, Ann was the first to receive the “Essence of Atlanta” Award at the 41st Anniversary of Outstanding Atlanta.  She was recently named by Atlanta Woman Magazine as the Power Woman of the Year,”25 Atlantans to Watch,” inducted into the Business Hall of Fame and awarded Georgia’s 1st  Visionary Leadership Award,  Leadership Atlanta’s Legacy of Leadership Award, the Lexus Leader of the Arts, the Shining Star recognition from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, the first Narrowing the Digital Divide Award, the Andrew Young  Public Policy and Faith award, Leading Ladies and Women Making the Mark distinctions, the Georgia Council for Economic Education’s prestigious VanLandingham Award, the Urban League’s 2000 Distinguished Community Service Award, the LifeTime Achievement in the Arts, Outstanding Achievement in Child Advocacy and she has received the 1988 11-Alive Community Service Award, the 1983 Georgia Volunteer of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Public Service Award; 1991 Alumnae Leadership Award for Salem College, and the 1990 DECA Award, one of ten outstanding business women in Atlanta.

Ann is past chair of the United Way of Metro-Atlanta, Research Atlanta, the Arts and Business Council; the WorldClass Schools Foundation; past president of the Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. and was selected by the YWCA for its first Outstanding Women of Achievement Recognition in 1984.  She has participated in Leadership Atlanta, Leadership Georgia and the Regional Leadership Institute, is a member of Outstanding Atlanta, and chaired Leadership Atlanta's 25th Anniversary Celebration.   Also, she chaired the Volunteer Task Force for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), was appointed the public member and has served as the Chairman of the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

Shelley Hammell

Shelley Hammell

Shelley Hammell, accomplished Executive Coach, seasoned speaker, skilled workshop facilitator and President of Sage Alliance, Inc. is a recognized expert in leadership performance and team optimization. Her extensive work as an executive coach and team facilitator with high-potential leaders enables her to leverage proven strategies that work. Combined with over 20 years of practical business experience in sales and marketing and leading global teams, Shelley knows what it takes to grow your top talent and deliver measurable results.

Gwen Jolley

Gwen Jolley

Gwen Jolley has over 25 years of demonstrated success in planning, directing and applying solutions (organization, process, and technology) to address business and technical needs in the United States, Europe, and Australia.  Gwen Jolley has a wealth of CIO experience, both as an internal CIO and also as an IT Consultant.  Most recently in this role, Ms Jolley was the chief business information officer for LexisNexis’s Insurance division (formerly ChoicePoint), a $400+ million business line where Gwen’s role included new product development, on-time product delivery, and bottom-line profit generation using the tools of Project Management and Quality Assurance for a 250 member technology staff.More

Prior CIO experience includes CIO roles with Lend Lease and Bovis/Lend Lease in the US, Australia, and then in England following Lend Lease’s acquisition of COMPASS Management & Leasing where Gwen had been the CIO, following Lend Lease’s acquisition of Equitable Real Estate and its subsidiaries.

Additional experience includes consulting for both Deloitte & Touche as a Senior Manager in the real estate sector where Ms. Jolley worked closely with the CIOs and the technology groups of major real estate clients and also for CAP Gemini, work which led to her first CIO position.  Internal consulting roles include SunTrust, Wells Fargo, (now Wachovia), and the U.S. Treasury department.

A life-long passion for Gwen has been the mentoring of other women, especially those in the technology field, to help them to achieve their personal goals.   Gwen implemented job sharing as part of succession planning while in Australia and took an active role in the Women’s Network program at Choice Point.  For the last three years Gwen has served as a mentor for the Leadership Foundations program and the program chair in 2011.  In addition, Gwen has served as a sub-committee chair for the past three years for WIT’s Woman of the Year event.  Gwen is a former WIT board member.  Gwen is also a speaker on possibilities for women and their careers at organizations such as Agnes Scott College, Georgia State College and University, and the Turknett Leadership Group.

Gwen is a native of Arkansas, a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, and a candidate for the Executive MBA at Georgia Tech.

February 15, 2013

Applications for Spring Due

March 13, 2013

Program Orientation, Vision & Goal Setting (7:30am - 4:00pm)

March 27, 2013

Management vs Leadership (7:30am - 10:30am)

April 24, 2013

Negotiating (7:30am - 10:30am)

May 22, 2013

Managing Conflict (7:30am - 10:30am)

June 19, 2013

Networking: Building Social Capital (7:30am - 10:30am)

July 17, 2013

Capstone/Program Graduation (6:30pm - 8:30pm)

July 19, 2013

Applications for Fall Due

August 7, 2013

Program Orientation, Vision & Goal Setting (7:30am - 4:00pm)

August 28, 2013

Management vs Leadership (7:30am - 10:30am)

September 18, 2013

Negotiating (7:30am - 10:30am)

October 16, 2013

Managing Conflict (7:30am - 10:30am)

November 20, 2013

Networking: Building Social Capital (7:30am - 10:30am)

December 18, 2013

Capstone/Program Graduation (6:30pm - 8:30pm)

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