Leadership

Deirdra’s uncanny knack to forge impactful collaborative partnerships, that drive local community development efforts, has resulted in multiple cross-collaborative partnerships across the state of Georgia. Deirdra’s Level 5 Leadership style, makes her the ideal Community & Economic Development Strategist, for organizations and entities looking to develop long term business and community development strategies that will positively impact families, businesses and communities in a way that will shift the socioeconomic trajectory of America.

Deirdra is a pioneer in the banking industries CRA-Community Development landscape. Deirdra’s innovative community development efforts resulted in the development and implementation of the first “School-Based Public-Private Partnership” (SBPPP) in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), which produced two full-service financial services centers inside of Meadowcreek and Central Gwinnett High School’s in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Her collaborative efforts have provided access, exposure, and experience to over 17,000 youth and adults to CSE’s “success pillars.”

Prior to joining Georgia Power, Deven was the Vice President of Economic Development at Partnership Gwinnett. She led a team dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and expanding businesses in five key industries. Her team provided resources and support, including assistance with incentives and permits, networking opportunities, strategic partnerships, site searches, and workforce solutions.

With over thirteen years of experience in economic development and business relations, Deven has developed strong relationships with business experts, real estate professionals, government leaders, and educational partners. She is committed to sharing knowledge about the evolving business environment to support a growing community. Deven also values diversity, collaborating with international businesses and leading mission trips to promote an inclusive economy.

Deven lives in Buford, where she and her family enjoy the cultural diversity and eclectic cuisine of the community. She enjoys traveling and has visited unique destinations such as Japan, Iceland, Egypt, and Greece.

In 2024, Corporate Vision awarded Spherion as the top recruiting firm in Georgia. In 2025, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce awarded Spherion Greater Atlanta the Moxie Award in the “Enlightened Employer” category. Additionally, Forbes has recognized Spherion for four years running as America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firm and America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firm. Aysha is also the founder of a marketing & communications firm, ayeworld; ayeworld partners with companies to create highly effective communication programs that share the impact of their mission by using data-driven strategies & methodologies. With a background of almost two decades spanning staffing, marketing, and communications, she brings a wealth of experience in talent acquisition across industries and key US markets.  

Her career has taken her to build up organizations while she lived in Seattle, Toronto, New York City, Houston, and San Francisco, before returning to her family roots in Gwinnett to establish Spherion and provide the best-in-class workforce solutions. She believes that effective communication, empathy, and strong relationships are the cornerstones to success in both business and leadership.  

As a Gwinnett native, Aysha is proud to support local economic development efforts through community building. She is most passionate when partnering with businesses across Gwinnett to provide top tier staffing solutions to help their organizations grow from within. She is a requested speaker that has spoken at a range of national CMO conferences, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Oxford University, Kennesaw State University, UPS, CNN, and multiple radio broadcast stations.  

Aysha holds a Bachelor’s of Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and resides in Lawrenceville with her husband, Nasser, and two children.

Her professional career began in Columbus, Georgia working for CB&T (now Synovus), in Retail Banking, Commercial Lending, and the Community Resource Center as the Community Development Manager/CRA Officer. She later moved to Gwinnett County with her family and worked in Gwinnett County public schools for 4 years before transitioning to Chamber work. She is an innovative thinker with a proven track record of fostering traditional and non-traditional business, employee, customer, and community relationships.

Tasha holds an MBA from Troy University and a BBA from the University of Georgia. She and her husband operate an outreach ministry titled “Kicks for Kidz,” which partners with Dicks Sporting Goods. Kicks for Kidz provides brand new school shoes for kids in Gwinnett County Public School system. In her spare time, she is a certified Wilton’s Cake Decorator who loves baking and decorating cakes.

She currently resides in Dacula Georgia with her husband Marlon and their two kids.

Originally from Williamsburg, Virginia, Erika attended High Point University in High Point, NC, where she double-majored in Business Administration and Marketing. During her time there, she competed as a Division I track and field athlete, served as Chair of both the Diversity and Entrepreneurship Club, and worked in retail. Her competitive drive and interest in retail have fueled her passion to join the team at Mall of Georgia in the pursuit of success. As a Gwinnett County resident (and avid shopper) for nearly ten years, Erika is well-acquainted with the Mall of Georgia trade area, and offers both the shopper’s perspective and her professional expertise in social media, marketing, event planning, and business development.

In her current role, Erika’s daily responsibilities include driving revenue and foot traffic, budgeting, event planning and execution, retailer management, marketing, and much more.

Outside of the office, Erika enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, running around with her dogs, and trying new restaurants.

Kristy is active in multiple civic and business organizations, including the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Gwinnett Hospital Foundation, and Rainbow Village. Beginning January 2025, she became the treasurer for the Gwinnett Chamber Foundation. She is also a 2022 graduate of Gwinnett Glance.

Kristy holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from The University of Georgia. She resides in Braselton with her husband, Sean, and their twins, Jacob and Cassidy, who are currently attending the University of Georgia and Kennesaw State University. In her spare time, Kristy enjoys CrossFit, spending time with friends, and traveling and exploring new places with her family. She is also an avid supporter of UGA football, cheering on her alma mater.

Sara has a Bachelor of Philosophy with High Distinction from University of Virginia, a Masters of Finance from the University of Cambridge, and an MBA from INSEAD. Sara is a 2018 Most Admired CEO by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, a Board Member of Soles4Souls, a former Global Shaper with World Economic Forum, on the Board of Councilors of The Carter Center, and a member of Rotary International. 

Jeremy Meeks is a transformational technology executive and servant leader with over 15 years of experience driving innovation, operational excellence, and strategic growth across global enterprises. As Vice President of Technology Engineering and Operations at QTS Data Centers, Jeremy leads a diverse portfolio of technology teams.

A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Jeremy served honorably in the U.S. Army, leading teams across domestic and international assignments. His military background instilled a mission-first mindset and a disciplined approach to leadership that continues to shape his executive style.

Jeremy holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, complementing his technical expertise with strategic acumen and a deep understanding of organizational dynamics. His career is marked by a consistent ability to scale teams, optimize resources, and deliver enterprise-wide change initiatives that improve customer experience and organizational performance.

Jeremy leads with a philosophy rooted in servant leadership, empathy, and empowerment. He is passionate about helping others unlock potential they didn’t know they had, and he thrives on building environments where people feel supported, challenged, and inspired to grow.

Outside of work, Jeremy enjoys playing pickleball, fun cars, and spending time with his 6 year old son, Everett.

With a proven track record in both corporate and public service spheres, Jeremy is honored to be considered for the Gwinnett Chamber Foundation Board, where he hopes to contribute his strategic insight, operational expertise, and leadership experience to advance the Foundation’s mission.

Marc Melkerson is the CEO of metro Atlanta-based Renova Technology, Inc. Over the past 26 years, Marc has held leadership positions at Renova Technology, primarily focused on building customer relationships while expanding the organization’s capabilities and service offerings. As a graduate of Drake University, Marc spent the early parts of his career performing different roles in sales, operations, planning, production, and customer service for electronics manufacturers.

Marc has been instrumental in positioning Renova Technology as a “Best-In-Class” repair service provider in North America. A Chicago native, Marc is an avid cyclist and swimmer who, when not at Renova, can be found spending time with his family, riding his Wahoo trainer, learning how to fix something, or taking his two golden retrievers, Walter and Otis, for long walks in the park.

Mr. Patel was formerly an investment banker in the Principal Finance Group and the Structured Finance Group at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York, NY.  His responsibilities included advising financial sponsors on LBO and M&A transactions, executing private equity investments, and securitization on transactions totaling $60+ billion. 

While at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Patel advised Ford Motor Company on the sale of Triad Financial, a subprime auto finance company, for $2.1 billion and invested $100 million equity with the buyer consortium.  Mr. Patel advised on both the sale and LBO financing of Hertz to a private equity consortium for $17.1 billion, in addition to structuring and the executing a $4.2 billion rental car securitization.  Additionally, Mr. Patel worked on Aramark’s sale to GS Capital Partners and a private equity consortium for $8.3 billion and Lord & Taylor’s sale to Federated Department Stores for $1.2 billion.  Mr. Patel formed a JV with Huntington National Bank to purchase $100MM of auto loan originations per month, warehouse and securitize the assets in GSALT.  Generally, Mr. Patel was involved in the financial engineering, trading and arbitrage of loan pools through securitization and credit default swap derivatives.  Other notable clients Mr. Patel advised were General Electric, Capital One, Citibank, MBNA, Providian and GMAC. 

Prior to working at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Patel served as a capital markets analyst for GE Capital in Connecticut where he executed credit card, aircraft, equipment, real estate and healthcare securitizations and assisted in managing a $40 billion investment portfolio. 

Mr. Patel earned a B.A. in Economics at New York University in 2003 and attended the London School of Economics.  He is licensed by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) for Series 7 and 63 and conversational in French, Spanish and Gujarati.

In addition to his work responsibilities, Cole is very involved in both industry associations as well as civic service organizations. Cole serves on the Executive Board for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia; he is involved on the Public Policy Committees of both organizations. Civically, Cole is the Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Duluth and serves on the Boards of the Gwinnett Medical Foundation, Gwinnett Tech Foundation, Rainbow Village, and the 1818 Club. He also founded and oversees the Porter Family Foundation through the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia that aims to assist non-profits and causes in the community that align with company values. Cole lives in Monroe with his wife, Kaitlyn, and their three children, Amos (9), Hannah (8), and Abram (5). In his spare time, Cole enjoys traveling, weightlifting, art, politics, and listening to books and podcasts.

Prior to joining AMMEGA, Ms. Savage served as a Training Manager for Swarovski’s Academy and adjunct leadership researcher with the Center for Leadership at Florida International University. Ms. Savage spent many years focused on leadership development working with companies such as Disney, Swarovski, Reeds Jewelers, Macy’s, Pandora, Rolex, Dufry Group, Paradies Lagardère, Royal Caribbean, and becoming a published researcher under the Center for Leadership. Ms. Savage serves on the Advisory Board for Essex County Public Schools in New Jersey and for Gwinnett County Public Schools EPIC/STEM Programs in Georgia and as a Mentor for Human Resources for SHRM-Atlanta.

Prior to this, Ms. Savage served as a consultant, specializing in workforce agility, cultural development, M&A, compliance, auditing, HR business partnering, and organizational design in financial services, human capital, construction, hospitality, luxury goods industries. Before consulting, Ms. Savage worked as General Manager responsible for turnaround management in critical business units of $62M+, quickly delivering winning and sustainable results in revenue, EBITDA, with publicly traded and private equity Fortune 500 companies, as well as Operations, where she implemented process optimization and high-performance organization culture.

Ms. Savage holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and in Statistics from the University of Central Florida and holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from the Florida International University. She is also a certified practitioner of Myers Briggs, Saville Leadership Assessments including 360 and Hire/Build/Lead talent potential, and Predictive Index, in addition to work with Gallup and Korn Ferry instruments, and has received numerous awards and recognition for her performance.

Bradley brings over 20 years of public accounting experience to his role, where he focuses on helping closely held businesses gain financial clarity and overcome challenges to achieve long-term success. Bradley’s professional background includes providing specialized audit services, internal controls assessments and implementations, fraud analysis and tax planning services to clients. His leadership in overseeing diverse attestation and management consulting engagements at Doeren Mayhew solidifies his reputation as a trusted advisor, ensuring that his clients achieve financial stability. Bradley is also a seasoned professional in navigating complex accounting issues related to business combinations, stock-based compensation, revenue recognition and intricate equity instruments.

Prior to his role at Doeren Mayhew, Bradley was the co-founder and managing partner at AGL CPA Group, which joined forces with Doeren Mayhew in July 2025. Combining his entrepreneurial experience with his profound technical expertise, Bradley excels in transforming intricate and technical scenarios into clear, actionable strategies that propel his clients’ businesses towards substantial growth.

Addam Taussig, a seasoned financial executive with more than three decades of experience in commercial and business banking. He currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Touchmark NB, where he oversees all lending operations, credit strategy, and business development across the organization. Throughout his career, Addam has held senior leadership roles at Bank of America, Truist Financial and Wachovia, where he served middle-market and commercial clients. His expertise spans credit risk management, strategic growth planning, and relationship banking for companies ranging from $5 million to $2 billion in revenue. Addam is deeply committed to community and economic development, actively engaging with organizations such as the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Aurora Theater and other local business and nonprofit boards. He brings to the boardroom a pragmatic understanding of how financial institutions can empower local enterprises to foster sustainable growth.  A graduate of the University of Alabama. Married for 27 years and has 3 children living in Suwanee, GA.

Tanya Turner is a strategic HR executive with a heart for people and a mind for transformation. As Director of Human Resources for Salto Systems, she leads with intention—driving talent strategy, culture-building, and organizational growth across North America. Reporting directly to the President, Tanya brings clarity, compassion, and bold thinking to every conversation.

Her career began in broadcast journalism but bloomed in Human Resources, where she found her true calling: helping people grow, lead, and thrive. At Time Warner (Turner Broadcasting), she supported diverse business units and became known as a trusted advisor, change champion, and advocate for employee voices.

Tanya’s expertise spans workforce planning, compliance, coaching, and career development—but her superpower is putting the “Human” back into Human Resources. Whether she is teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at Gwinnett Technical College, mentoring emerging leaders, or hosting her own podcast The Page Turner, she is always focused on helping others bloom where they are planted. #bloom365

She holds an MBA and dual HR certifications (SHRM-CP, PHR), and is an active member of SHRM, HRCI, Gwinnet Chamber of Commerce and the Security Industry Association. Tanya lives in Suwanee, Georgia, practices yoga, and believes that laughter, learning, and leadership go hand in hand.