Lozelle J. DeLuz, Ph.D. Associate Lozelle J. DeLuz, Ph. D., is a woman of extraordinary talents, energy, drive and determination. She is one of those rare people who has been fortunate to achieve success in three distinct careers-education, publishing and as an entrepreneur. Lozelle is President and CEO of DeLuz Management Consulting, Inc. providing human resources, business, community and fund development and relationship management consulting for Higher Education Institutions, Investment Companies, Community Organizations and Business on a local, regional and national basis.  Selected clients include: University of Delaware Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, Heritage Capital Management, First Independent Financial Group, Inc., McDonalds Corporation, National Black McDonalds Owners Association. Lozelle is the former owner of three Wilmington-area McDonald's franchises owned with her late husband, Anthony. Through her McDonald’s franchises, Lozelle employed nearly 300 people, growing the business to $5 million annually in sales, contributing substantially to the economic vitality of the City of Wilmington and the State of Delaware.   Lozelle is a community leader, volunteer, philanthropist and mentor. Her philosophy of uplifting people through employment has contributed greatly to the local economy and to enriching the quality of life of many disadvantaged persons. Lozelle is dedicated to helping youth and feels this is the most important way we can invest in our future. Over the years, she has mentored more than three thousand young people. Many have gone on to successful careers in government, industry, medicine and the military. Lozelle's civic, social, educational and business activities in Delaware and nationally have earned her recognition from the neighborhoods of Wilmington to the Clinton White House. She has been recognized numerous times for being a good citizen and serves on a host of boards and commissions. She has served as president of local and national organizations. Lozelle holds a doctorate in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware and is also a graduate of Georgetown and Winston-Salem Universities.  Among her awards are: the Winston-Salem State University, Unsung Hero Award for Business and Community Service, 2005; Wilmington Senior Center Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005; The Bi-Annual Lozelle J. DeLuz Leadership Award presented by the National Black McDonald’s Owners Association, 2004; Hall of Fame, Delaware Women, Delaware Women's Commission, 1993 and the University of Delaware, Wall of Fame, 1992.  Lozelle was listed in Mirabella Magazine's "1000 Influential Women in America", 1994. Lorrie Goeins Associate Ms. Lorrie Goeins brings more than 15 years as an educator and over 10 years in retail to Goeins-Williams Associates.  Her educational career includes academic instruction in social studies at for the Howard County School District in Ellicot City, Maryland and the Christiana School District in Delaware. Ms. Goeins has expertise in facilitating meetings, leading discussion groups and moderating community focus groups.  She has been an active member of the GWA team since 1997 as has worked on a number of survey research projects including the Wilmington Consortium Infant Mortality Focus Group Study, the City of Wilmington Economic Development focus group study, the State of Delaware Strategic Planning initiative for a Diabetes, the Lutheran Community Services marketing study and Membership focus group project for the Wilmington Senior Center. Lorrie is a graduate of West Chester University and has studied in Paris, France.  She has language proficiency in Spanish and French. Michelle Knights, Ph.D. Associate Michelle Knights has over 15 years professional & consulting experience with state, private, public, & non profit sectors.  Her primary focus has been with public health and educational entities.  She has worked on many local and federal grants from agencies such as: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Maternal Child Health, Head Start, & National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr. Knights has expertise in leading groups through team building, performance management, group dynamics, and strategic planning activities.  She is also skilled in areas of program development, screening, conducting assessments and evaluations and guiding teams and individuals through implementation of action plans.  She has worked both locally and internationally in Belgium, England, Canada and the Caribbean.  She has worked with the University of Delaware, Delaware Department of Education, and the Delaware Sate Chamber of Commerce to advocate for mentoring across the state of Delaware. Michelle holds a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Delaware, and has recently completed an international appointment in Canada.  She is passionate about helping organizations and individuals gain greater prominence and efficiency in today’s changing economy climate. Sheella Mierson, Ph.D. Associate Dr. Mierson works in training and development, group facilitation, instructional design, diversity/cultural competency, and organizational development. She has over 20 years experience as an educator, trainer, and consultant. Dr. Mierson holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Michigan. During her career as a scientist, she realized that people skills affect outcomes as much as scientific or technical skills, leading her into training and consulting full time. Before starting her own practice, when she was on the faculty in the Biology Department at the University of Delaware, she introduced the award-winning use of Problem-Based Learning to that campus, where it spread to all colleges. This is an interactive approach to education and training in which participants work collaboratively to solve real-world problems. Since then, she has applied the method to assist cross-functional Research & Development teams in the pharmaceutical industry. She has published articles about the method as it is applied in both academic and business environments. Working in the pharmaceutical, insurance, financial, apparel, service, and health care industries, as well as government and non-profit organizations, Dr. Mierson focuses on the people skills needed for inclusion, productive team/workgroup interactions, communication, leadership development, group problem-solving, and effective customer service, She is active with the American Society for Training and Development, and is a member of the Delaware Work Force Diversity Group. Her passion is creating workplace environments that foster learning and risk-taking and that sustain positive change.   Karen L. Miller Associate Karen L Miller is founder and principal of Advocates & Alliances LLC, “Connecting Companies with Causes,” a strategic consultancy devoted to assisting healthcare companies work in partnership with third-party patient services organizations, advocacy and other government and non-governmental organizations and agencies. Karen founded Advocates & Alliances in 2006, after 27 Years at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals (and its legacy companies). Her roles at AZ included public affairs, product management, marketing research, conventions and sales. Karen's significant experience at AZ included developing the Alliance Development Function within AZ supporting Brands and State/ Federal Government, managing a diverse portfolio of Brand Public Relations programs including oncology, pain and anesthesia, mental health and cardiovascular therapeutic areas, and, compounds in development.  Karen also managed and grew the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Campaign, recognized as the model public awareness campaign.   Karen has worked with Managed Markets and employer groups to expand worksite initiatives in cancer screening. She has experience in product launches (breast cancer, cardiovascular), market development (lung cancer, stroke, diabetes), and line extensions (anesthesia in outpatient surgery, ICU and CABG) Along with these roles comes significant experience in issues and crisis management. Karen is a published expert on patient advocacy and working with third-parties. Karen holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Dayton and resides in Wilmington, DE. Maria de Los Angeles (Gela) Petrucelli  Associate A family and community social worker with a background in social anthropology, Maria “Gela” Petrucelli was born in Mexico City. Since the early 1970’s, Gela has devoted 33 years of her professional life at the Latin American Community Center (LACC) working with Latinos struggling with economic, education, social and linguistic challenges. Over the years she has been able to help many people to achieve self-sufficiency. Currently Gela is the Director of the Family Support Services at the Latin American Community Center. She has also held positions of Day Care Director for bi-lingual children, Employment Coordinator and Job Developer.  Ms. Petrucelli was one of the founding members of the Delaware Governor’s Council on Hispanic Affairs when it began in the late 1970’s. She is frequently sought out as a cultural and linguistic consultant by schools, agencies and other organizations in the greater Wilmington area.  Gela has worked exclusively with Goeins-Williams Associates, Inc. as an associate since 1998 moderating focus groups in Spanish. Selected focus group projects have included children and family services, teen sexuality, infant mortality and health for: the City of Wilmington, Children and Families First, the Division of Public Health and the Christiana Care Health System. Gela graduated from the Universidad Iberoamericana of Mexico City in 1966 where she studied Social Anthropology. Gela attended Delaware Tech. & Community College and has taken English as Second Language and Oral Communications courses. Gela holds certificates in Case Management/Relapse Prevention from the Institute of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Studies and is a certified as HIV/AIDS Educator. She is the recipient of the Maria "Gela" Petrucelli award, named in her honor, for years of service given to the LACC. Employees of LACC who have worked over five years at LACC are eligible to receive this award.