Announcing our judges for this Saturday's Children's Business Fair (June 22)

 

We are thrilled to announce our judges for the Children's Business Fair this Saturday, June 22, from 12-4pm at the Pinewood Forest.

These experienced entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs will spend quality time with each of our kidpreneurs to understand their businesses, provide valuable feedback, and ultimately choose the top prizes for the business fair.


Edali Pollard

Edali Pollard, b2b Coach is the lodestar for eqenec consulting employing eco systems thinking leadership to coach entrepreneurs’ strategic and innovative mapping of SMART growth.  Edali’s business acumen honed from years working with start-ups to mature enterprises globally.


Chad Buckner

Chad Buckner graduated from University of West Georgia with a degree in art and a minor in psychology in 1996. After college he worked for Vast Marketing in Atlanta and Energizer in a sales role. When his first child was born, Chad left his sales job and became a full time stay at home dad. When his children reached school age, Chad became a homeschool educator. Chad lives in Carrollton, Ga, with his wife Melissa Crawford and their three children: Astin 14, Anders 11, Adair 8. Chad and Melissa are currently working on bringing Acton Academy to Carrollton.


Melissa Crawford

Melissa graduated in 1998 with a degree in Fine Arts and Painting from the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga. She is originally from Wisconsin but has lived in the South since the age of seven. She currently lives in Carrollton, near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Chad Buckner (also an art school graduate) and their three children, Astin, Anders, and Adair. She paints daily at her home studio. Melissa's love of art began in childhood around the age of 4. She was encouraged by her parents and was fortunate to receive artistic ability from both sides of her family. Melissa knew early on that art would be a career for her. Today, Melissa continues to be driven by her passion for art. She travels throughout the country for her commissioned portraits and her paintings are in collections across the country and in Europe. Melissa has won numerous awards including, a prestigious competition juried by the country's most well known portrait artist, Everett Raymond Kinstler. She also was recently awarded Member of Excellence with the Portrait Society of Atlanta ... only a handful of artists in the country share the title. Among her important commissions is a portrait of Georgia's longest residing Speaker of the House, Tom Murphy. Melissa is a well-rounded artist who loves to paint landscapes and still-lifes, and other gallery work. This love for painting shines through in her portrait work.

Melissa says, "I want to do more with a portrait than just create a likeness, I strive to create a beautiful work of art, admired for it's beauty and merit. I am honored and humbled by the gift God has given me, and am so grateful to share this with all my wonderful clients. I am in awe at all the unique perspectives we each have and how we use the gifts we are given. I am inspired and enlivened by their works daily. I believe our world becomes what we choose to see! It is my hope that my portraits and paintings convey the absolute beauty I see everywhere!!! And I'm grateful I get to do what I love everyday!!!!!”

Please view Melissa's work at: www.MelissaCrawfordART.com


Meg Davidson

From videography to video production and still photography to a business owner, Meg Davidson has been leveraging her creative gifts and business acumen every since she entered the working world at 14. She has produced everything from TV shows and commercials, to feature films and currently has a photography studio at the Goat Farm in Atlanta. Most recently, Meg has served with Southside Ministries for over two years, first as the Creative Director and then as the Multi-Campus Service Programming Director. 

In her role as Service Programming Director, Meg is responsible for creating fun, relevant and helpful environments at the three different campuses of Southside Ministries. She oversees a team focused on music, programming, media, and production. 

Meg has been married for 13 years to her best friend since 6th grade. They have an 11-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son who both love music, arts and the great outdoors.


Please join us in welcoming our awesome judges!

 
Tyler Thigpen