Meet the Speakers

Dr. Furman is not your typical “academic”. She served as the Assistant Dean and Professor at the Hull College of Business at Augusta University for 10+ years, but her passion for career, leadership, and organizational development inspired her to launch Career Potential, a consulting, training, and coaching organization. Her expertise include generational diversity, unconscious bias, leadership success, and emotional intelligence. She brings her background in higher education—particularly business, counseling, and psychology—to the conversation to help individuals and organizations achieve success.

With over two decades of experience in media, advertising and digital marketing, Jeremy Ginsburg, Founding Partner of Notice U Marketing, Inc. brings a wealth of expertise to the table. After spearheading successful ventures for others, he decided to start his own full service Agency in 2017.

Accolades 2017 to 2023:
• More than $60 million in top line revenue increases for clients.
• 150+ websites, landing pages and sales funnels strategized, built and optimized.
• 100+ full stack marketing plans implemented.
• Conversion increases of +10% to +31% in B2B and B2C resulting from his “conversion overhauls.”


Jeremy is a rare breed. He understands how to plan, build & optimize full-stack traditional and digital marketing solutions that connect with customers. He sees the customer journey through their eyes. He factors in the motivators, decision drivers, and touch points that maximize conversion opportunities using technology. He understands the digital marketing ecosphere and how it all works together to achieve client goals.

Jeremy and his expert team at Notice U Marketing deliver a goal-based, integrated approach that is extremely effective in solving problems, clearing barriers to success, and increasing sales for clients.

Nick Goldstein, a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, joined the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) staff in September 2004. He is responsible for the oversight and litigation of environmental and regulatory issues affecting the transportation construction industry. Nick also handles association-related legal issues for ARTBA and coordinates the ARTBA Political Action Committee (ARTBA-PAC).

Prior to joining ARTBA, Nick worked as an associate with the law firm of Van Ness Feldman, P.C. He graduated from Hobart College with a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies. He earned a law degree from Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vermont where he was a member of the Vermont Law Review. Nick also earned a Master of Studies in Environmental Law, magna cum laude from Vermont Law School as well as a L.LM. in Litigation and Dispute Resolution from the George Washington School of Law in Washington D.C. Nick is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, the District of Columbia Bar and is licensed to practice before the United States Court of Federal Claims and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Nick has testified before the House Resources Committee Task Forces on Updating and Improving the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Transportation. In addition, Nick frequently both writes about and gives presentations on environmental issues for trade associations and other industry groups.

In his spare time, Nick hosts a local radio show dedicated to professional wrestling. He resides in Vienna, Virginia.

James currently serves as the COO for Brawer, Bros. Inc. James has over 30 years in Technical Textiles in both Fabric Formation and Synthetic Yarn preparation. James has a broad range of experience in Sales, Purchasing, Financial, and Manufacturing disciplines. Driven to grow sales, manage costs and establish mutually beneficial partnerships at both the customer and supply base level. James holds a BA in Accounting and Business Management from NC State University.

Ron Houle is Founder and President of Pivot Step Consultants, LLC.

Prior to founding his consulting practice, Ron served for twelve years as vice president of Washington Operations for HDT Global, which had acquired DHS Systems/DRASH in February, 2015. Ron’s focus was on opportunities and programs of record in the defense, homeland security, first responder and community hospitals sectors. He has led company partnerships with federal, state and local emergency response agencies, including strategies supporting military support to civilian agencies.

Since joining HDT Global in 2003, Ron was actively involved with the company’s growth in both the defense and non-defense applications of core products. He was involved in building relationships and programs with the Army National Guard, Philips Healthcare, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics, to name a few. In his last three years, Ron was leading the company’s initiative to develop and deploy technologies that will result in a highly mobile tactical power grid.

Prior to joining HDT Global, Ron served as the director for legislative affairs and later as the chief of staff at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross. Prior to the American Red Cross, Ron served on the staff of the Secretary of the Army as the Director of the Programs Division, Office of Legislative Liaison, the Pentagon. Other experience includes an assignment as assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, United States Military Academy; congressional fellow in the office Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN); various command positions in the U.S. Army and service in Desert Storm. In addition to two assignments in Washington, DC, he served nearly six years in Germany, and assignments in Kentucky, Georgia, and Kansas.

Ron is a retired Army Colonel with over 24 years of Active Duty service, and a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He holds a master of science degree in applied mathematics, and a master of science degree in industrial engineering, both from Stanford University. Additionally, he holds a master of science degree in national security studies from the National Defense University and completed a curriculum in Foreign Policy Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies, the Johns Hopkins University. He also studied national security policy in one-year executive seminar with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a past chair of the Corporate Advisory Panel of the National Guard Association, and past chair of the board for the US Industrial Fabrics Institute, and the founder and a past chair of the Berry Amendment Textile Coalition.

A native of North Carolina, Jane began her career in government relations on Capitol Hill working in a Senate press office and later in the House of Representatives as a press secretary. Upon returning to North Carolina, Jane joined Unifi to establish the company’s government relations program.

Jane’s experience has included her service on the President’s Industry Advisory Committee for Textiles and Apparel in Washington, the Board of Directors for the National Council of Textile Organizations, the U.S. Industrial Fabrics Institute, the North Carolina Forum for Research and Economic Education, and the North Carolina Job Training Partnership Council.

LaToya Johnson is the team leader for the Pavement Design and Performance Team in the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Infrastructure. In this position, LaToya manages a team of technical experts that set Agency priorities, develop and implement policy, and assist in the deployment of related tools and products in the areas of pavement design, preservation, performance management, sustainability, resilience, and materials quality assurance. Previously, she held positions with FHWA with the HQ Major Projects Team and in the New York and Georgia FHWA Division offices as a Transportation (Area) Engineer. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in physics from Spelman College and civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She obtained a Master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland-College Park. LaToya is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Georgia.

Jordan is the Vice President of American Cord & Webbing Co, Inc. and ACW Plastic Products, Inc., where he is responsible for developing and managing the strategic direction of the organizations, which includes sales and marketing, product purchasing, customer relations, general operations, product manufacturing and delivery, quality control, and finance.

ACW is a 4th generation family owned and operated company offering webbing, plastic hardware, cord, sewn straps, and custom injection molding and narrow fabrics, produced domestically and overseas.

Jordan has focused on transforming American Cord & Webbing Co., Inc. & ACW Plastic Products by integrating new technology and equipment, performing proper system integration, harmonizing data cross-functionally, restructuring personnel and division of labor, and digitizing the organization to reduce waste, paperwork and redundancy.

Jordan currently serves as an executive board member of the Narrow Fabrics Institute of ATA and is a Steering Committee Member of the Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network.

Leighann Mazoki is the Division Chief of the Resolution division for the Clothing and Textiles supply chain at DLA Troop Support. Her Division is responsible for monitoring inventory records and inventory relations actions for over 8 Recruit Training Centers, 4 Third Party Logistic Sites, as well as DLA Depots where C&T inventory is held. Leighann has been an acquisition professional with DLA for over 15 years, working as a contract specialist, contracting officer, and manager of various clothing items. She holds a Masters of Acquisition and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Laura joined PCI Wood Mackenzie, now known as Wood Mackenzie Chemicals, in 2017 after more than 25 years in the nylon and polyester industrial fiber business. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, she worked for DuPont, Kordsa, Hailide America, and most recently Nexis Fibers. Her roles have included everything from process engineer to shift supervisor to market manager. Laura grew up in Rhode Island and received a chemical engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In her spare time, she is an avid underwater photographer and is currently trying to improve her golf handicap. She enjoys the occasional glass of pinot noir in her suburban Philadelphia home.

William F. Rooney has 48 years of experience in transportation management covering a broad range business functions. He is currently Vice President, Strategic Development for Kuehne + Nagel Inc. and has been with Kuehne + Nagel for 10 years. Prior to Kuehne + Nagel Mr. Rooney’s positions have included President of Hanjin Shipping America; Senior Vice President, Service Delivery for CMA-CGM; and Vice President, Ocean Services for GT Nexus, a logistics software provider. He also held a number of senior management positions with Sea-Land Service over a span of 25 years including 5 years in Europe. Mr. Rooney started his career doing economic research for the US Department of Transportation. Mr. Rooney’s board memberships have included: the Pacific Maritime Association, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, The US Maritime Alliance, Consolidated Chassis Management, OCEMA, and the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Mr. Rooney received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Marist College in New York and a master’s degree in economics from Northeastern University in Boston.

Augustine Tantillo currently serves as President of SRG & Associates a Washington based, government consulting firm he originally founded in 1993. From August 1, 2013 through April 30, 2019 Augustine Tantillo held the position of President of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO). NCTO is the voice of the domestic textile industry in Washington, DC. With over 150 current members, NCTO represents manufacturers from every major sector of the industry, including fiber, yarn, fabric, home furnishings and finished apparel producers. From 2002 through early 2013, Mr. Tantillo served as the Executive Director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC). AMTAC represented U.S. producers dedicated to improving international trade policies to bolster U.S. manufacturing investment and employment. Mr. Tantillo was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in May of 1989, to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Textiles, Apparel and Consumer Goods. In that position, Mr. Tantillo developed and implemented policies to enhance the international competitiveness of the U.S. textile and apparel sector, as well as major consumer goods industries. In addition, Mr. Tantillo served as Chairman of the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA), which is composed of five federal agencies. Under Mr. Tantillo's direction, this committee established policy in relation to the United States government's textile/apparel import restraint program, governing over $80 billion in trade annually. Mr. Tantillo also oversaw the government's export promotion program for the textile/apparel industries, which is designed to assist domestic manufacturers in expanding, their sales into key overseas markets. The administering of two separate research grants, totaling over $11 million annually, was another of Mr. Tantillo's responsibilities at the Department of Commerce. These grants were designed to enhance modernization of the textile and apparel industries through technological advancement.For sixteen months prior to his appointment at the Department of Commerce, Mr. Tantillo served as Chief-of-Staff to United States Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. In addition to overseeing a staff of forty, Mr. Tantillo acted as the Senator's primary advisor on key legislative, economic and political issues affecting the nation as a whole. By representing the Senator at meetings and public forums, in both the state of South Carolina and Washington, D.C., Mr. Tantillo acted as a liaison between interest groups, state business communities and Senator Thurmond.Mr. Tantillo served in the private sector from 1985 to 1988, as Director of Federal Government Relations for the Russell Corporation of Alexander City, Alabama. As the Washington representative for this major textile and apparel firm, which employs over 10,000 people in four states, Mr. Tantillo served as company representative to Congress and federal agencies with an emphasis on trade, labor and consumer issues. Prior to joining the Russell Corporation, Mr. Tantillo held the position of Legislative Assistant to Senator Strom Thurmond from 1981-1985 where he focused policy issues including trade & agriculture.

William Timmons entered Congress in 2019 with a commitment to bring real reform to Washington. His experience as a prosecutor and small business owner inspired him to run for public office. As a state senator, he fought for accountability and transparency in Columbia. In Congress, William is a voice for Upstate residents and South Carolina’s business community as a member of the Financial Services Committee. In addition to his role on the committee, William was chosen by the Republican Leader to serve as Vice Chair of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and elected by his classmates to represent them on the Republican Steering Committee. William is a lifelong member of Christ Church in Greenville and also serves as a JAG Officer and Captain in the South Carolina Air National Guard. He and his wife, Sarah, live in Greenville.

Roger Tutterow is Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University where he holds the Henssler Financial Endowed Chair.

His analysis of the economic, business and political environments have been featured in a variety of media including Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Business Week, Forbes, USA Today, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Arizona Republic, Florida Times-Union, Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Wichita Eagle and on CNN, CNBC, NBC, Bloomberg Television, NPR’s “Marketplace” and “All Things Considered,” CNN-Radio as well as by regional electronic and print media.

In addition to his work in academia, Dr. Tutterow has served as a consultant on financial economics and statistical modeling for corporate clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to closely held businesses. He has provided expert testimony on economic, financial and statistical matters in state and federal court, before the Georgia General Assembly and before the Georgia Public Service Commission. Dr. Tutterow has given several hundred speeches to professional groups in over 40 states and Canada on topics in the economic, business and political arenas.

Dr. Tutterow served on the Council of Economic Advisors, under Georgia Governors Sonny Perdue, Nathan Deal and Brian Kemp. In 2010, he was named to the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians, which conducted a comprehensive review of Georgia’s Tax Code. In addition, Dr. Tutterow serves on the Georgia Child Support Commission, the Cobb County Public Employees’ Pension Board and the Board of Trustees of Berry College. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vinings Bank, on the Southern Region Board of Directors for the American Red Cross Blood Services and the Board of Directors for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Atlanta. He was selected by Georgia Trend magazine as a “notable Georgian” and as one of “Georgia’s Most Influential” by James magazine.

A Georgia native, Dr. Tutterow holds a B.S. in Decision Science from Berry College and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Georgia State University. Prior to joining Kennesaw State University, Dr. Tutterow held faculty and administrative appointments at West Virginia University, Georgia State University and Mercer University. He has also served as a visiting professor at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and at the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea.

As co-founder of Spiritus Systems and U.S. Army Veteran, Zane leads the strategic growth of the company, taking Spiritus from its creation in a tent in Afghanistan, through early start-up days with one sewing machine in a garage, to their 5-acre campus in Aberdeen, NC. Zane’s primary expertise covers Culture and Capabilities, growing the company through advanced manufacturing processes by focusing on the people who make it all possible.

Spiritus Systems is a tactical nylon design and manufacturing company based out of North Carolina. Founded in 2013, Spiritus remains committed to Advancing Freedom through their innovative designs and unique model of modularity and end user configurability.

Zane also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Military Division of the ATA.

Timothy Voit is the Vice President of ATD-American Co, a 90 year old manufacturer of bed linens and fabric with factories in Georgia and South Carolina and a Federal Government contractor for over 50 years. Tim oversees all aspects of marketing and sales strategies for both ATD-American and its manufacturing division Thomaston Mills. Encouraged by re-shoring trends, the company is making investments at both plants to boost its domestic production capacities.

Prior to becoming Vice President, Tim was the Chief Marketing Officer of the company and led the repositioning and rebranding of the company to focus on its core competitive advantages of sustainability, speed and long-term value. Prior to that, Tim oversaw the export operations of the company and has overseen exports to over 80 countries on 6 continents.

Tim also was appointed in 2010 to the ITAC-13 Committee to advise the Department of Commerce and US Trade Representative. This Committee represents the diverse interests of USA-based textile manufacturers, importers and retailers and is currently involved in US-China trade relations, USMCA implementation, and other trade policies.

Additionally, from 2004-2010 Tim served on the Export Textile Advisory Committee of the US Department of Commerce and advised the department on trade negotiations and issues facing small and medium size exporters. Finally, Tim’s career in textiles began with the representation of textile manufacturers from the ex-Soviet Union during the period of 1991-1994.

Tim holds a B.A in International Relations from Colgate University and an MBA from Thomas Jefferson University.

Martin Whitmer is a founding Partner of Whitmer & Worrall, LLC, a government relations and strategic consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. Mr. Whitmer has a broad policy and political background which has allowed him to successfully promote and advance key legislative programs within the public policy arena and on Capitol Hill. Mr. Whitmer successfully works with both Republican and Democratic leaders due to his expertise transcending beyond political partisanship. While Mr. Whitmer has worked extensively on many different public policy issues, he has earned a distinguished reputation as one of Washington’s leading government relations strategists for the transportation industry.

Mr. Whitmer leads the firm’s transportation and infrastructure practice which has represented impressive corporate clientele, ranging from Virgin America, Honeywell Inc., and Penske Truck Leasing to transportation-related trade associations such as the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) and the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA). Mr. Whitmer also serves on the Board of Directors at the Eno Transportation Foundation, alongside of former Secretaries of Transportation Mineta (Bush), Peters (Bush), and Burnley (Reagan).

Mr. Whitmer served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation following his appointment by President Bush to serve as a Special Assistant to Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. In this capacity, Mr. Whitmer oversaw a departmental staff of nearly 60,000, and a budget of $54 billion. He served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary on all matters relating to highway, transit, trucking, safety, energy, and trade issues. Mr. Whitmer was also the principal architect of the Presidents’ Executive Order on Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Project Reviews, which streamlines the environmental review process for transportation projects.

Prior to joining the administration, Mr. Whitmer served as Vice President of Government Relations for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). In this pivotal role, he served as ARTBA’s primary direct lobbyist on Capitol Hill and managed the ARTBA PAC as well as all political affairs. Mr. Whitmer was a key player in ARTBA’s legislative and coalition activities. Mr. Whitmer also served as the Director of the Public-Private Ventures Division, which implemented laws and regulations to expand innovative financing tools and leverage federal dollars for transportation projects.

From 1994 until 1997, Mr. Whitmer served as the Republican Legislative Representative for the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA). In this capacity, he focused on transportation market issues and joined with management organizations in an effort to remove the four transportation trust funds from the unified federal budget. He has also worked in the Capitol Hill offices of Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX) and House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX). Mr. Whitmer worked for the 1988 and 1992 Bush-Quayle presidential campaigns, and has subsequently assisted with the campaigns of several key members of Congress.

Mr. Whitmer graduated from the evening program at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in 1999. Concurrent with his law degree, Mr. Whitmer also completed a Master’s degree in Public Policy. In 1992, he earned a B.A. from Georgetown University (major in government and a minor in English). Mr. Whitmer also graduated from the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut in 1988.

Among other acknowledgements, Mr. Whitmer is a member of the Virginia State Bar, and he completed the 2014 Boston Marathon as well as the 1993 Marine Corps Marathon. Mr. Whitmer is an Eagle Scout and was awarded the prestigious 9/11 Transportation Medal by Secretary Mineta. He is from Dallas, Texas and currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and three wonderful children.