Joseph Amato over thirty years experience as a business development consultant and a leading voice for business ownership and entrepreneurship within the commercial lending industry.
Mr. Amato has been employed as an SBDC executive director, CDC portfolio manager, and direct lender participating in various SBA lending and outreach programs over the past twenty-six years.
He has distinct knowledge of all SBA lending and other SBA support programs.
He is originally from the greater New York area and had spent the better part of the last two decades in the Washington D.C area primarily serving the Mid-Atlantic region as a business development consultant, direct lender and Chief Executive Officer for a major business-consulting firm.
In 2017 Mr. Amato moved to Las Vegas Nevada to take over the District Director position and oversee the SBA program and staff. His impact on the Nevada business community has been critically important in the past several years especially due to the effects of COVID-19 this most recent year.
Mr. Amato was awarded the 1997 Financial Services Advocate of the Year, the year before he sold his small business consulting company to American Express.
His extensive knowledge and experience have been used to stabilize and expand SBA and USDA program opportunities throughout the State of Nevada and beyond.
As a former business executive and lending industry consultant Mr. Amato has evidenced a consistently strong work ethic and knowledge base that has proven to be a valuable asset to the Small Business Administration, the nationwide lending community and hundreds of businesses across the United States.

Michael has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of process improvement, technology and innovation. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Director of Public Safety, Business Services & City Technology for the City of Irvine, California. Michael is extremely passionate about technology, and believes through innovation, workforce development and collaboration, we can create brighter and sustainable communities.

Michael received his B.S. in Management from Pepperdine University followed by an M.S. in Executive Management from the University of Southern California.

Nevada Innovation Center LLC (NIC) is a partnership between Co-Founders Michael A. Saltman and Nissim H. Ezekiel, who have extensive business activities and networks in both the U.S. and Israel. NIC has created the technology bridge between Israel and Nevada and is the primary intermediary for business initiatives linking Nevada’s economic development agencies, academic institutions, and private companies with counterparts in Israel. It works closely with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) in facilitating the critical objective of diversifying Nevada’s economy. NIC’s strategic innovation has been to establish the State of Nevada as a major client for Israeli pilot projects and commercial deployment and as a showcase and entry point for the broader U.S. market. A complementary development has been the growing interest of major Nevada-based private companies in accessing Israeli technology and exploring opportunities to become part of Israel’s R&D ecosystem.

Nissim has over four decades of experience in business and economic development. He spent 25 years at the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group-Washington D.C.) from 1975 to 2000 and was Director of its newly created Corporate Planning Department.  He was appointed Executive Director of the UN Commission on the Private Sector & Development in 2003 and had primary responsibility for the development of the Commission’s Report, Unleashing Entrepreneurship-Making Business Work for the Poor.  Nissim then served as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Dalberg Global Development Advisors and functioned as Executive Director of the Dalberg Task Force on Capacity for Program Delivery, under the framework of the Clinton Global Initiative. Nissim’s consulting clients have included Darby Overseas Investments Ltd. (Franklin Templeton), whom he advised on issues relating to private investment in infrastructure in emerging markets.

Jason Frame oversees and directs all aspects of the Information Technology program at the Southern Nevada Health District. Jason has more than 10 years of management experience in the fields of information technology, process improvement and innovation. He has been with SNHD for over 11 years, with the last 6+ serving in this current role. Jason is passionate about innovation, automation and disruptive technologies. Under Jason’s guidance, the team was awarded a Government Technology Innovation Award in the Citizen’s category. He was recognized as the Top Tech Exec for Government by Vegas Inc. Magazine in 2020 and 2016 and the 2020 Government Technology Innovation Award for Leadership.

Jason received his B.S. in Computer Science followed by a M.B.A. with an emphasis on Information Technology and Entrepreneurial Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Joseph Carver is the Chief Innovation Officer at The Meadows School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Formerly the Director of Technology at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Fl, Joseph is an experienced educator with over twenty years spent in secondary and higher education. A thought leader in reforming the way that schools view technology, he has presented previously at ATLIS, FCIS, FETC and  the NDCA on topics ranging from capacity building for IT teams to technological solutions to educating in a pandemic.

Dr. Dean L. Bartles is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group.  Prior to this, Dean was President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining.  Prior to this position, Dean served as the President of the National Tooling and Machining Association.  Prior to that, he recently served as the Director of the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center at the University of New Hampshire and was previously the founding Executive Director of the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute in Chicago. Dr. Bartles worked for General Dynamics Corporation for 31 years setting up and running manufacturing operations in Egypt, Turkey, and the US and prior to that, he worked for Fairchild Republic Company.  He served as the 2016-2017 President of the North American Manufacturing Research Institute, the 2016 President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the founding Chairman of the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition, and the Chairman of the Board of the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining.  Dean graduated from Indiana State University earning a Ph. D. in Technology Management with a concentration in Manufacturing Systems.

Tatyana Kanzaveli has gone from a programmer to senior executive at Big 5 to founder and CEO of a startup company along her 20 year career, recognized as a thought leader, mentor for her ability to guide Fortune 500 and startup companies through business challenges.

She’s worked for major companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Fujitsu and startups in the early days of the Web.
Tatyana has personally helped companies jump from 0 to millions in revenue even during the toughest economic times. She opened new verticals and markets.

Today she is the founder and CEO of Open Health Network, the startup in a Big Data, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare space. PatientSphere by Open Health Network has been featured in Venture Beat, Mobile Health News, and other prominent publications.

She is a mentor at 500Startups and Richard Branson Entrepreneurs Centre and serves on boards for private companies. She also is licensee and organizer of highly notable TEDxBayArea conferences, she is a frequent speaker at US and International conferences on innovation, entrepreneurship and digital health.

Tatyana has been featured in the White House blog , spoke at the United Nations, presented at the first White House Demo Day hosted by the President Obama, did a TEDx talk; keynoted at WEBIT, WSIS and other international conferences.

Tatyana has been recognized as one of the top 10 Influential Women in Healthcare IT in 2015 and by Forbes as one of the top 50 women-led startup in tech founders.

Tatyana was USSR chess champion, played in the same team with Gary Kasparov, she loves to cook and kayak.

Spiritual Coach, Energy & Rock Positioning Expert, Speaker, Author, and CEO, Michal Mael has been in the business of semi-precious stones since the age of 10.

Affectionately known as “The Queen of Rocks,” Michal is best known for selecting and creating opulent energy pieces called Nature’s Art Décor™ and importing and exporting them worldwide.

She’s also known for coaching interior and exterior designers on the function of energy using her signature Energy Positioning Blueprint™ which maps out where to position crystals to enhance health, improve relationships, have a deeper spiritual connection, and promote wealth and abundance of all kinds.  Her signature keynotes emphasize the positive impact of crystal energy with a direct connection to finding clarity of purpose and understanding Mastery Heart Healing, which together enriches our lives.

Michal has worked in the healing space for over 23 years and is the #1 importer of Nature’s Art Decor in the U.S.  She travels across continents, handpicking the finest eco-conscious gems from mines in China, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Morocco, and beyond. In collaboration with her seasoned craftsmen, she transforms these gems into exclusive art pieces embodying elegance, affluence, and abundance.  Michal founded “Rock Our World” in 1999 and later “Michal & Company,” specializing in importing, designing, and creating unique Nature’s Art Décor™.

Ms. Navarro has been in ophthalmology administration and management for seven years. She has experience with both large corporations as well as small, single-owner practices in positions ranging from front desk to technician to supervision and upper management. In addition, she has in-depth knowledge in ambulatory surgery center operations and accreditation and has overseen infection control as well as safety compliance for four ASCs. Along with being a board certified optician, she most recently received her Certified Ophthalmic Executive title from the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators, and was featured in Administrative Eyecare magazine. She also is a recipient of the Top 100 Healthcare Leaders award from the International Forum for Advancements in Healthcare 2020-2021.
Ms. Navarro founded HSRE in direct response to COVID-19 and its dramatic impact on the healthcare community. She noticed first hand the severe lack of support, education, and financial assistance to small healthcare practices such as the one she managed, and wanted to provide a solution that would allow small business owner practitioners to keep their doors open and continue to see patients safely. Her dream for HSRE is to provide relief and assistance options for all healthcare practices in need following regional or national disasters.

GONZALO LOPEZ-POLIN is a versatile Supply Chain Executive with over 16 years’ progressive
experience managing international strategic projects and teams at Saint-Gobain, a multinational
company with $50 billion in annual revenue and 190,000 employees in 60 countries. A results
oriented strategic thinker, Mr. Lopez-Polin currently holds the role of Director of Supply Chain at
Saint-Gobain CertainTeed Insulation North America, managing 160 people and a budget of $60M,
reporting to the Group’s President and serving as a member of the Executive team.
During his tenure at Saint-Gobain, Mr. Lopez-Polin has lived and worked internationally in France,
UK, Morocco, Spain and North America leading projects involving customer service, S&OP,
process improvement and implementing SAP. Mr. Lopez-Polin has a successful track record of
leading complex mergers and acquisitions, managing world-class supply chain programs, and
providing financial management.
Fluent in three languages, English/Spanish/French, Mr. Lopez-Polin is a proven leader, with a
demonstrated ability to manage people as well as processes. In addition to supply chain, he has
managed finance, Audit and IT projects across multinational boundaries. Representative
accomplishments include:
 Defined a new Value Proposition and executed an improvement program leading to
customer service improvement (CSI from 92% to 96%), $15M annual profit increase and
15 days of working inventory reduction.
 Successful implementation of a new S&OP process for tactical planning ensuring the
alignment of Sales & Marketing, Planning, Production, WH and Transportation.
 With a specific focus on Customer Service streamlined communication between Supply
Chain, Sales and the Customer.
 Implemented cost improvement through product simplification, regional freight bidding,
external warehousing and other outsourced services reductions.
 Implemented SAP ERP including APO and ATP as well as QlikView for reporting.
 Won Supply Chain Award for best 2019 Saint-Gobain’s worldwide business improver.
 Instrumental in improving CertainTeed’s IG operating profit from – $43M in 2017 to +$30M
in 2019.
Mr. Lopez-Polin graduated from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Madrid Spain with the
equivalent of a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Throughout his career, Mr. Lopez –
Polin has been known for getting the job done and making things happen to the betterment of the
companies he has served. As a strong team player and contributor, he has gained a reputation
for dependability and technical savvy, and for bringing extraordinary value to his positions.
Having moved from Europe, Mr. Lopez-Polin has been living in the US for the past 3 years with
Teresa, his wife who is an Architect, and 3-year-old son Bosco. In his off-time Mr. Lopez-Polin
enjoys tennis and skiing as well as reading about international economics.

Philippe has more than 28 years of Supply Chain experience with companies such as Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal, The Body Shop, Pepsico and Baxter, with positions at country, regional and global levels. Connecting the dots between suppliers , factories, distribution centers and customers has always been his core expertise, more recently with a digital transformation spirit. He has worked in France, England, South Africa, Brazil, China, Mexico and currently lives in the United States.

Daniel Corliss is an Employee Benefits and Healthcare professional of more than 10 years.  Daniel specializes in self-funded health and benefit planning advising to brokers and agencies and operates his core advisory firm DC Advisory, LLC as well as a plan risk-management partner agency, Business Stimulus Partners, LLC along with his three other health plan consultant partners.  BSP, LLC specializes in transitioning fully insured health plans to self-funded plan environments where cost and risk can be managed sustainably and ethically.  Daniel is also a healthcare Venture Capitalist and Angel, capitalizing and bringing forth young start-ups to further achieve the mission of sustainable, ethical healthcare products and services for a healthier future.

Justin Ha is a Sr. Director of Solutions Design at DHL Supply Chain, leading a team of supply chain engineers and logistic professionals to design and deliver supply chain solutions to many customers During 12+ years of experience in the industry, Justin has developed numerous solutions across warehousing and distribution, supply chain network design, and reengineering existing facilities for continuous improvement. Justin previously led, and now sponsors, the North American team of DHL Supply Chain’s ‘Automation Focus Group’, which is a global community of Solutions Designers responsible for researching and developing expertise in emerging technologies, such as robotics, AR/VR, autonomous vehicles, and automation & mechanization systems. As such, he drives the adoption of innovative technologies and automation into the engineered designs and processes for customers across many sectors including retail, consumer, automotive, technology, and life sciences & healthcare. Justin received his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from University of Toronto.

Dr. Heitham Hassoun is an accomplished executive, clinician, and global healthcare leader. Currently he serves as the Vice President and Medical Director for International at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, California. In this role, he leads the institution’s International patient services as well as global strategy and operations. He joined Cedars Sinai in 2018 and previously had served as Global Medical Director for Johns Hopkins Medicine and was an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine between 2012-2018.

Dr. Hassoun is a multi-faceted clinician and global healthcare leader with a wealth of experience in international patient services, global collaborations, health system development, and academic medicine. He was instrumental in the creation of Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Johns Hopkins Medicine, as well as a number of other institutional management and affiliation agreements throughout the Middle East and Asia. Currently, he aims to expand the global footprint of Cedars-Sinai, a leading US academic medical center.

Dr. Hassoun maintains a clinical practice in vascular and endovascular surgery, and he continues to educate and research in a variety of topics related to global collaborative healthcare and academic medicine. He completed his fellowship training in vascular and endovascular surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago, his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and Bachelor of Arts degree in Natural Sciences from Johns Hopkins.

Eren Yılmaz is currently in Stanley Black & Decker’s CoE for Industry 4.0 as Director of Industry 4.0 Innovation. Prior to joining SBD, Eren took various leadership roles in management consulting, home appliances, aerospace and automotive industries with a focus on R&D effectiveness, innovation, digital transformation and technology.  Eren received various awards in innovation and Industry 4.0 and completed a successful turnaround as a COO. Eren earned his MBA in Technology management from ESMT in Germany and has a BSc degree in Industrial Engineering from Gazi University. He is an active CSSBB, CMA, PMP, co-chair of Financial Digital Twin chapter in Digital Twin Consortium and serves in the advisory council of IISE.

Born to genius scientists who met in Engineering Physics, Dr. Michael has taught holistic health for over four decades, including inventing the 1st effective “Scalar Healing Light Chamber” in 1978 in her Salon of Health.  Dr. Michael’s lifelong, award-winning work in applied integrative biophysics has earned prestigious recognition, such as Presidential and International Who’s Who, lecturing at the United Nations, MIT, the World Health Summit, the Harvard Club, London’s Royal Society of Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical School, the Scalar Research Experts Conference, Tesla Tech, Regenerative Technology and Anti-aging Congresses, as well as numerous medical schools and Ministries of Health worldwide.  Knighted for her humanitarian service, Dame Dr. Michael has served on the board of the Global Foundation for Integrative Medicines and as a Commissioner for the International Tribunal for Natural Justice.

Dr. Michael is featured globally in a variety of books, newspaper and journal articles, including a peer-reviewed University of Hawaii study on seizure disorder in autism. Her True Bio-Scalar EESystem Technology has been broadcasted widely on radio and TV, and seen on CNN, Fox News, The Doctors, Wall Street Journal, and the Beverly Hills Times, plus being highlighted in a full length movie titled The Grand Self.

Mr. Gries was born in Germany completed a degree in International Freight Forwarding and Logistics. He held several managerial and executive positions with global logistics companies and led the commercial activities for one of the Top 3 Global Freight Forwarders. After more than 35 years of logistics and management experience in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Mr. Gries is bringing a solid international perspective of the transportation industry to the company. In his latest role, he held the position of President & Managing Director Americas. Today he is an advisor and coach and guides international teams through the complex world of global freight forwarding and transport, council supply chain management solutions with the IoT processes, and new technologies.

Alex Jiménez is Chief Strategy Officer at Finalytics.ai and Extractable. Finalytics.ai is a data platform that helps community financial institutions better serve their customers and find the right new ones. Extractable is a digital strategy, design, and data analytics consultancy focused on the future of financial services.

Alex’s banking career includes positions in strategy, digital banking, payments, operations, program and project management, business process improvement, marketing, and voice of the customer.  He has been at Zions Bancorporation, Rockland Trust, Bank of America, and FleetBoston.

He served as the Chair of the Consumer Bankers Association’s Digital Channel Committee and was a member of the American Bankers Association’s Fintech Committee.

He has been named to numerous industry influencer and thought leader lists in the areas of FinTech, RegTech, Blockchain, InsurTech, Innovation, and Digital Marketing. He is regularly published and asked to speak in industry forums for his ideas on digital transformation, fintech, and the future of financial services.

Supply Chain Management professional with 20+ years of international business experience across the supply chain organization with several leadership roles in General Motors, Monsanto, Bayer and broad experience in Digital Transformation, Customer-Centric Solutions, Data-Driven Business Model, Strategic and Operational Logistics, Global Sourcing including long-term overseas assignments in LATAM, Europe and Asia. Responsible for the Global Distribution Operational Strategy in the Crop Science Organization and drive the logistics transformation across the regions by identifying, assessing and implementing innovative, drives data analytic culture, distribution insights, value creation best-in-class strategy methods and new technologies such as Global Transportation Management Solutions (TMS), Global Warehousing Management Solutions (WMS), Last Mile Visibility, RPA Process, Machine Learning, IA, Prescriptive Analytic, Logistics Smart Centers including Business Intelligence & Data Analytics

Dr. Moore is the Founder and President of The Moore Group LLC, a start-up focused on helping clients develop and implement organizational strategy including innovation, learning and transformation initiatives that enable game-changing outcomes for 21^st Century competitiveness.  He is currently supporting strategy efforts for a Major DOD Acquisition Program, the NDAA 2020 National Energetic Materials and Systems Study, International Program Engagements, and is serving as Chief Strategist and Board of Directors Member for the International Association of Innovation Professionals, The Patuxent Partnership Board of Directors, the St. Mary’s County Economic Development Commission, and a variety of corporate, non-profit and government advisory initiatives.

He has served over 37 years supporting the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense (DoD) including as the Director, Strategy and Innovation, DASN(RDTE) where he led the development and deployment of the Department of the Navy’s (DON) 30 Year Research and Development Plan and the DON Strategic Thinking Community of Interest, was a SECNAV Navy Innovation Advisory Council (NIAC) Fellow, and served as a plank owner for the ASN RDA Agility Campaign leading efforts for Education and Training, Cultural Assessment and Change, and Strategic Communication.

In 2016, Tony took over the RLA and became the Executive Director and Publisher after 12 years of active involvement on the Advisory Board and on Committees. In his 35 plus years in the consumer products industry, Tony has held various positions including 15 years in returns management at Philips. During his Philips years, Tony developed new reverse logistics strategies and implemented many new returns initiatives. He worked with retail partners and industry groups on best practices still being used. Tony then became an evangelist for improving the customer experience to reduce returns and their associated costs. Today, Tony is considered a subject matter expert in reverse logistics, and speaks for the industry at conferences all over the world.

Cheron Lessmeister is the business development manager for CIPS Americas and is an experienced sales professional and business development expert. She has a proven track record in fostering and nurturing long-term relationships with enterprise and Fortune 500 companies. With CIPS, she consults with organizations to upskill their procurement teams, making them best in class, by showing companies how and where they can improve.

Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz, DMD, MA, MPH, DNM (hon), DMM (hon), received his doctorate in dental medicine from Tufts University; his training in behavioral science and oral surgery at the University of Rochester; his master’s degree in public health from Harvard University, and subsequently earned multiple awards as an author, filmmaker, energy medicine pioneer, and nutraceutical entrepreneur. His first of three bestsellers is a landmark medical text, Emerging Viruses: AIDS & Ebola—Nature, Accident or Intention?, credited by CDC and WHO officials as most influential in examining vaccination risks opposed by public health and anti-vaccination activists worldwide.