Northcentral University

uplifting, inspiring and empowering others. In 2017, the American Indian College Fund honored Waller by ceremonially draping him with a blanket, a symbol of respect and admiration of the Native American community. He also was given the Made Man Award by 100 Black Men of Washington, DC. The award celebrates men who inspire and educate underserved men. Waller is a strong supporter of the arts, and serves on the board of directors and the corporate advisory council of the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, AR. He is also a member of the board of directors for the AR Fashion and Arts Council. A graduate of the University of Virginia, he is a diehard WAHOO. He remains very active with the university and served on the board of the Walter N. Ridley Scholarship Fund, named after its first African-American graduate. In addition, he is a passionate collector of African-American art and sculpture, antique watches, vintage cufflinks, eyewear, children's story books and quotes. Shoes however are his kryptonite! Waller strives to live each and every day by the words of his mother, Barbara Jean Motley Waller: "Keep flowing with the river, for the river knows exactly where it is going." Nicole McPherson is a department leader in home office talent acquisition at Edward Jones where she is responsible for a team that recruits talent for the firm's headquarters locations in the United States and Canada. One of McPherson's most recent accomplishments is leading a firm-wide project with senior and C-level leaders to develop diverse slate objectives ensuring more women and people of color are represented in the interviewing and hiring processes. McPherson's career began as an auditor with the regional public accounting firm, Rubin Brown, before finding her passion in talent acquisition at Caleres. Her academic and professional development includes a bachelor's degree in business from Harding University, a master's degree in human resource management from Lindenwood University, a graduate of FOCUS St. Louis' "Emerging Leaders" program, and a recipient of the St. Louis Regional Business Council's Young Professionals Network Leadership 100 Award. McPherson serves on the steering committee for the Regional Business Council's Young Professionals Network, is a membership committee co-vice president for the Society of Multicultural Professionals in HR (formerly NAAAHR) and an ambassador board member for Mission: St. Louis. She also volunteers for the children's ministry at her church. She has been married to her husband Curtis for ten years and has two children, Kennedy and Parker. Kelly Lauderbaugh is a realtor and the chief executive officer at Metropolitan Real Estate Group, a real estate company serving Michigan and Florida. Lauderbaugh became the CEO at age 27 and within five years has grown it to two branches employing over 20 team members, closing $75 million annually. She has been around the real estate industry her entire life – her parents started a successful real estate appraisal company in 1987. Lauderbaugh holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Western Michigan University and a master's degree in business administration and management from Northcentral University. After college, she spent ten years working in various positions at the Quicken Loans family of companies before deciding to pursue her passion for real estate and growing the company. Since then, she has quickly become a top-producing agent at Metropolitan Real Estate Group and has earned the reputation for being hardworking, honest and always exceeding her client's needs. Her research interests include market trends, comparative market analysis and social media. In her spare time, Lauderbaugh enjoys spending time with her husband, Steve, and daughter, Charlotte (10 months), traveling, and boating. She also studied in Australia in 2004, where she went on an

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