As Partner, President & COO of the Moore Agency, Terrie leads the strategic direction of The Moore Agency, including key initiatives, partnerships and client and business development. With a passion for collaboration and culture building, Terrie oversees the Moore Team, boasting a 92% retention rate.
Terrie is a specialist in corporate positioning and branding with a keen focus on strategy and creativity. Her expertise includes crisis communications, communications strategy and employee relations. Through Terrie’s leadership, the agency has achieved a 98% client retention rate and is ranked a top 50 agency nationally and top 200 globally. Terrie has been recognized by Florida Trend as one of the top 500 most influential leaders. She is a recipient of the Florida Public Relations Association Stanley Tait Award for Leadership, the American Advertising Federation Silver Medal for outstanding industry contributions and recognized by PR News as a Top Changemaker in the nation.
Terrie is an active community volunteer and was appointed in 2023 as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce in its landmark 100th year anniversary. She also serves on the Hancock Whitney Bank Advisory Board, Lively Technical College Advisory Board, the Talent Development Council and is Chair of the Tallahassee Chamber Foundation.
Shelly Bell, Tallahassee State College
Headshot & Bio coming soon!
I am a transplant from Atlanta. I moved to Tallahassee in 2005 to play football at Florida State. Met my wife Jessica in 2006. We have been married for 15 years and have three boys.
I have worked at Synchros for 8 years in Sales and have seen our company grow from a small regional payroll processor, to a national payroll and HR solution.
In my time away from the office, I enjoy coaching my sons’ sports teams, traveling and spending time with my family.
Richard Darabi, Moore Bass Consulting
Headshot & Bio coming soon!
Christic Henry, Kingdom First Realty
Headshot & Bio coming soon!
Dan McGrew, Senior Advisor for TSG Advisors – Education, has over 25 years of experience in education and career development. He has held leadership roles such as Sr. Vice President at CareerSource Florida, Regional Director for Dynamic Workforce Solutions, College Director of ITT Technical Institute, and various positions at Kaplan, Inc. Dan’s expertise spans federal workforce development, higher education, national operations, marketing, and program development.
Committed to community service, he serves on the Board of Governors for Leadership Tallahassee, the Leon County Sheriff’s Advisory Council, and the Leon High School Foundation. A Florida State University graduate with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, Dan lives in Florida with his wife Jessica and their four children.
Ana Melendez is the CEO and owner of A&E Wholesale, which is a distribution company that provides over 3,000 items in the categories of beverages, candy, chocolate, medicine, cigars, automotive supplies, and paper products to over 1,200 convenience stores in North Florida and South Georgia.
Under A&E’s new leadership, Ana has been able to reinvent the company within the last 7 years. They now operate with an Oracle ERP system that empowers the company to streamline operations, enables them to improve order accuracy, manages inventory turn targets, and ensures the highest standards of government compliance. This provides higher service levels to locally owned convenience stores, as well as large chains such as Family Dollar and Dollar General.
During her time in Tallahassee, Ana has won the 2017 and 2022 TAN Awards for her lobbying contributions in the Florida Senate and House of Representatives. In 2017 she was invited by the DBPR to be a panel leader for the “Celebrating Women in Business” event held at FSU. In 2018, she won the Golden ACE Award in recognition of her leadership and commitment to Authentic Community Engagement. She has made contributions to AMI Kids, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, Legal Aid Foundation, Seminole Boosters, and The Kearney Center/CESC. Additionally, she currently serves as the President of the Florida Association of Wholesale Distributors Board of Directors, as the Treasurer for the CESC (Kearney Center) Board, and a Board member of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, North Florida Community Foundation, and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.
Ana holds a BSBA in Marketing and an MBA from The Ohio State University. She was also one of 60 Latino CEOs around the country that were accepted into the Stanford Business Scaling Program in 2017 and graduated from FSU’s Jim Moran Institute SBEP program in 2022. Her interests include painting, performing on alto saxophone, car racing, sports, and traveling. Originally from Mexico City, Ana currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida with her husband Michael and her son Addison.
Chris Mills is the Market President for the Tallahassee & North Florida Region with Truist Bank. Chris has a combined 25 years of consumer, commercial, and corporate banking experience. Prior to being appointed as Tallahassee Market President in 2019, Chris was as a Middle Market, Commercial Banking Advisor for SunTrust Bank’s Commercial segment serving the Florida Panhandle, South Georgia, and South Alabama markets. Prior to SunTrust, Chris was the Senior Commercial Leader for Regions Bank over North Florida. Chris is Certified in Risk Management & Lending by the Risk Management Association. Chris is married to Melinda, and they have three children, Christopher, Lexie, and Hazel Grace. Chris likes to travel, play pickleball, strength training, and FSU Athletics.
Chris is active in the community as a member of The Rotary Club of Tallahassee, the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, and a Class 34 Graduate of Leadership Tallahassee. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the board of directors for the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, as well as on the board for Florida State University College of Business, United Way of the Big Bend (Chair Elect), and Junior Achievement Big Bend (Past Chairman, Vice Chair, and Treasurer).
Chris received a B.S. in Business Administration in Finance from the College of Business at the University of West Florida. Chris is also a graduate of multiple Dale Carnegie Leadership curriculums and Mastering Leadership Dynamics from The Leadership Institute.
Gloria Pugh, AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage
Since 2005, Gloria has served as the Chief Executive Officer of AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage, guiding the company’s strategic direction, fostering a strong corporate culture, ensuring financial stability, and serving as the brand’s ambassador.
As a co-founder of AMWAT, Gloria has transformed what began as a regional moving company into a globally recognized relocation enterprise. Under her leadership, AMWAT has expanded its services beyond moving to include specialized warehousing solutions such as receiving, distribution, and installation of Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment (FFE). This strategic diversification has positioned AMWAT as a trusted partner in industries including interior design, healthcare, hospitality, and retail.
A recognized expert in the moving and logistics industry, Gloria is a trusted advisor to U.S. News & World Report and has served as President of the Professional Movers Association of Florida since 2021—making history as the first woman to lead Florida’s moving industry.
Beyond her business success, Gloria is deeply committed to community service, actively supporting local nonprofits including Second Harvest of the Big Bend, Junior League of Tallahassee, Tallahassee State College Foundation, LeMoyne Chain of Parks, Opening Nights, and many more. She also serves on the Tallahassee Chamber Board of Directors, Florida’s Consumer Council, Professional Movers Association of Florida, and Florida Business & Education Council.
Cari Thro, Tallahassee Democrat/Tallahassee Media Group
Cari Thro is a seasoned Advertising Director with a proven track record in the dynamic realm of the advertising industry. Her professional journey reflects a wealth of experience and expertise in key areas such as Digital Strategy, Advertising Sales, Sales, and Media Relations.
Armed with a Bachelor of Science degree focused on Fashion Merchandising/Marketing from Bowling Green State University, Cari brings a unique blend of creativity and strategic thinking to her role. Her academic foundation, coupled with hands-on experience, positions her as a strong marketing professional who understands the intricacies of the ever-evolving advertising landscape.
Throughout her career, Cari has demonstrated proficiency in navigating digital strategies, driving advertising sales, and fostering effective media relations. Her skill set underscores her ability to not only understand market dynamics but also to capitalize on emerging trends and technologies in the advertising domain.
Beyond her professional achievements, Cari is deeply committed to community service. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Bend for nearly nine years, holding leadership roles including Secretary for four years and Board Chair for two years. She currently serves as Immediate Past Chair, continuing to support the organization’s mission to empower youth and strengthen the community.
As an Advertising Director and dedicated community leader, Cari Thro continues to make significant contributions both professionally and personally. Her dedication to excellence, adaptability, and mentorship mark her as a standout professional in the competitive world of advertising and a trusted guide for emerging leaders.
Erin Tilton, Stearns Weaver Miller
Headshot & Bio coming soon!
Becky Tolnay is a professional facilitator and the Chair of Vistage in Tallahassee. With 30 years of experience in Performance Improvement at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, she has gained valuable insights into the culture, processes, and strategies necessary for individuals and teams to achieve exceptional results and drive continuous improvement.
During her tenure at The Ritz-Carlton, Becky discovered that delivering superior customer service requires more than just ticking off items on a checklist. To engage customers and employees, it is crucial to have a deeper understanding of what is happening. The obstacles to excellence are not always apparent. She learned that asking questions, gathering diverse viewpoints, and digging deeper to comprehend what’s truly happening are all essential to continuous improvement.
When Becky was introduced to a Vistage peer advisory group, where CEOs from different, non-competing businesses come together one day per month to work on their businesses, she recognized an opportunity to utilize her expertise to support business leaders in the Tallahassee region.
As the facilitator of the Vistage peer advisory group, Becky’s focus is to help the group’s members support each other in becoming better leaders, making better decisions, and achieving better results. She brings all her experience to aid them in working together and enhancing their business performance and personal lives through collaboration, peer learning, and continuous improvement.
Denise Wilson, Capital City Bank
Denise Wilson serves as the Chief Culture Officer at Capital City Bank, where she has proudly worked for 26 years. She is a card-carrying extrovert and loves people. Her happy place is anywhere she can positively impact others and inspire people to learn and grow. She brings creativity, energy, and fun in the classroom, on a webinar, or from the stage! Denise is energized when she works with organizations to improve performance and create a positive culture. She is passionate about helping others reach their full potential. The quote she lives by is, “Work made fun gets done.”
Denise has worked for over 28 years in workplace learning and performance and is a designated CPTD – Certified Professional in Training and Development through the Association of Talent Development.