BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PATRICK
MCGEE

President

Patrick is a Program Manager for Microsoft Mixed Reality and Artificial Intelligence where he focuses on the delivery of emerging technologies to the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.

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Prior to Microsoft, Patrick was a consultant at Deloitte.  The majority of Patrick's professional career, however, was spent in the US Navy as a Navy SEAL where he completed 11 combat deployments and was the recipient of several personal and unit awards including the Bronze Star for heroism in combat (twice).

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Patrick holds a MBA from the UVA's Darden School of Business and a Bachelors from Amherst College.  

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KELLY VANDERKAM

Secretary

Kelly (Fischer) Vanderkam joined Survivor Ventures as a founding member in 2018.​ A graphic designer, senior producer and project manager by trade, Kelly brings 10+ years  of professional experience with her and is focused on helping develop the marketing and promotional strategy with experience and integrity. 

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She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Graphic Design from Longwood University and is a proud military brat but has called Virginia home for the past 10 years.

COURTNEY SESSOMS

Director, Survivor

Courtney is the Program Coordinator for Go To Work, a nonprofit in Portsmouth, VA.

A former constituent to numerous nonprofits serving survivors of abuse and trauma, Courtney is keenly aware and personally invested in nonprofit fiscal responsibility. 

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A current Survivors to Entrepreneurs participant, Courtney is formulating a nonprofit to serve at-risk youth and single mothers.  Previous to this, Courtney owned and operated her own hair business and single-handedly spearheaded Survivor Ventures furniture donation apparatus, furnishing dozens of survivor-led homes.

TARA

JONES

Director

Tara is an experienced Financial Center Manager with over 21 years in the banking Industry. A professional with a successful career in banking, sales training, business development, retail management, and human resources. She excels at interfacing with others at all levels to ensure business/organizational goals are attained.

A SCORE mentor, Tara provides invaluable input for our Survivor Entrepreneurs in their small business development. 

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ANTONIO
EASON

Director

Antonio was born and raised in Norfolk, VA.  A product of Norfolk Public Schools, he excelled at little league and later basketball which earned him the nickname "Doc". 

Antonio is the quintessential example of perseverance; like so many inner city youth, he got involved with gangs, drugs and the law. Determined to turn his life around, he started a non-profit for at-risk juveniles and quickly began to receive invitations to speak to at-risk and juvenile offenders.

"Doc" applies his experience with jail-based programs to help Survivor Ventures better identify and serve survivors still incarcerated and awaiting release.

Vice President

Kimberlyn P. Barr has a Master of Business Administration degree and brings over 9 years' of work experience providing care and supports to victims of sexual assault in the public sector as well as government.

She has been employed with non-profit agencies in South Carolina, Sasebo, Japan, and Norfolk, VA providing care and support for victims of Sexual Assault. 

Treasurer

Frank is a Managing Director at Credit Suisse based in Raleigh, NC and serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Global Equity Capital Markets group. Frank also heads the Investment Banking and Capital Markets group in Raleigh.

He graduated from Babson College in 2000, joined Credit Suisse in 2004 and is a founding member of Survivor Ventures.

Director

Michelle Ellis Young is the Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA of South Hampton Roads.

Michelle brings more than 25 years of experience advancing the organizational mission of non-profits, corporations, and higher education institutions, strengthening the stakeholder experience, and conceptualizing innovative programs in community-centered organizations.  More recently, she was executive director of the American Red Cross of Coastal Virginia.

A proud native of New Orleans, LA, Michelle is an alumnus of U. of Houston, Hampton University and West Virginia University.

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Director

Carla is a graduate of Norfolk State University with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a Masters of Arts in Urban Affairs. Her financial career spans over 30 years to include retail and mortgage lending as well as Community Development.

While serving as a Homeownership Counselor for Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity, a passion was ignited for moving families from Public Housing to Homeownership through training and financial coaching. Currently serves as a Community Manager for The Percolator Co Working Space in Norfolk Va. and a community link between the community and a range of local partners.

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Director

Brian is currently a Director in fixed income sales at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. based in New York City. With close to 20 years experience in the financial services industry, Brian has held multiple positions in the capital markets and sales & trading divisions at both Deutsche Bank and Citigroup.  

Brian is in long term recovery from addiction/alcoholism celebrating 5yrs continuous sobriety next month.  An active member of A.A. he has a sponsor and sponsors several men in the Program, participating in the fellowship of A.A. on a daily basis'.

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Brian holds a B.A. in Political Science from Amherst College graduating in 2001 and received a Health Coaching Certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2018.  

Director

Tyler is the Large Loss Claims Specialist for the Central Atlantic Region for Nationwide Insurance Company covering losses throughout Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.  

Previous to this, he was a legal assist where he gained experience working with Columbus, OH-based judges, attorneys, healthcare providers and governmental agencies.  Tyler is eager to help Survivors to Entrepreneurs expand to the Columbus market.

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Tyler has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the Ohio State University.