BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Lloyd Reeb
Board Chair & Co-Founder, Ardent Mentoring
Co-Founder, HalfTime Institute
Lloyd Reeb is a successful real estate developer and retirement housing owner who made a mid-life transition, looking for greater meaning, joy and impact in his second half. Now, he is helping leaders plan their second half. He helped launch the Halftime Institute, a global team that teach, coach and connect successful men and women in pursuit of significance, and has taken this message around the world.
He is the author of From Success to Significance: When the Pursuit of Success Isn’t Enough; The Second Half: Real stories, Real adventures, Real significance; and along with his wife Linda, wrote the latest book in the Halftime series titled Halftime for Couples.
Lloyd and Linda enjoy living near Charlotte, North Carolina. They have three adult children, all married, and three precious grandchildren.
The Most Productive Years of Your Life May Surprise You [TEDx with Lloyd Reeb] - YouTube
Barbara Mulkey
Mulkey Engineers & Consultants, Inc
Barbara Mulkey is driven by her commitment to serve as a catalyst to build successful futures for motivated individuals, organizations, and communities through creative solutions, education, and values-based leadership. Entrepreneurial by nature, Barbara founded Mulkey Engineers & Consultants, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in engineering and related services for the public and private sectors. The firm made the list of Top 500 Engineering Companies nationally multiple times while under her leadership. After retiring from her engineering company, Barbara became the Executive Director of the General Hugh Shelton Leadership Center at NC State University. The center’s mission is to inspire, educate, and develop values-based leaders committed to personal integrity, professional ethics, and selfless service.
Barbara currently divides her volunteer leadership time between several organizations, including the Research Triangle Foundation and the NC State University Wolfpack Women in Philanthropy. Spending time with family is her favorite pastime: husband of 43 years Jim, three adult children and their spouses, and three grandchildren. She loves to read, laugh, play the piano and racquetball, and take her kayak on quiet trips along the coastal sound.
Steve Nelson
Former Executive Director, Harvard Business School
With over 35 years of leadership in higher education, Steve Nelson served at Harvard Business School as Executive Director of the MBA Program and as Senior Director of External Relations from 2000-2020. At Harvard's MBA Program, he led the delivery of educational programs and services to 1,800 full-time graduate students and 140 faculty, oversaw seven departments, and managed a team of 87 staff, with a budget of over $100M. He also played an instrumental role in the launch, duration, and completion of the Campaign for HBS, helping raise a record-setting $1.4B, exceeding an original goal of $1B.
Prior to 2000, Steve was appointed Executive Director of Harvard Business School's Social Enterprise Initiative, a major strategic center funded by the late John C. Whitehead, which focuses on the leadership, management, and governance of nonprofit and for profit social enterprises and encourages the role of business in society. Other positions at Harvard included Associate Director of MBA Admissions, Associate Director of Development at HBS, and Director of Leadership Giving at Harvard Law School. Prior to his graduate studies, he was Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at his undergraduate alma mater, Northwestern University. Upon retiring from Harvard, Steve most recently served as Chancellor of Valley Christian Schools in San Jose, CA.
Steve currently serves on the board of directors of the Harvard/MIT Cooperative Society (The COOP) and Ardent Mentoring. He has also been a board member of the Northwestern Alumni Association, Lovelane Special Needs Horseback Riding Program, Project Bread/Walk for Hunger, Daybreak, City Vision University, as well as on the advisory boards of Victory Charter Schools and TechMission.
Steve earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry and molecular biology. He graduated from Owensboro High School in Owensboro, KY, where he was born and raised.
Steve and his wife have three grown children and a fourth child at home.
Dr. Brandon Brown
Co-Founder, BRAIN STEM
Dr. Brandon Brown is an Assistant Principal in the Lower Merion School District (LMSD) and co-founder of BRAIN STEM, a company designed to develop a student’s ability to persevere through challenges and realize the wide array of academic, and professional opportunities in STEM. He has an Ed.D. from Temple University. Brandon’s work in research and practice focuses on equity and access to resources for marginalized and underrepresented populations using an Opportunity Gap framework. Specifically, Brandon studies intangible factors that prohibit or at least limit the ability of marginalized and underrepresented populations from accessing resources; with a hyper-focus on Black and Latino communities in affluent suburban school districts. At LMSD, Brandon supports the writing and reform of equity policies and the administrative regulations that assist. He leads teachers and staff in professional development involving, equity and identity, culturally relevant pedagogy, and advocacy to fight against inequitable practices and policy. Along with professional development, he also leads and facilitates teams of educators and educational stakeholders in developing and implementing school-based systems to support the work.
Steve Robertson
CEO, Bold Education
Steve Robertson is the Author of Aliens Among Us. 10 surprising truths about gen z.
He is also the CEO of Bold-Education, an organization specializing in youth-to-adult programming that turns curiosity into passion and skill.
Having worked with over 200,000 high potential youth from around the globe for the last 25 years, Steve is a generational expert who has experienced first-hand how to connect with, influence and motivate the younger generations.
Through his partnerships with University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Villanova, The Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia Phillies and most recently the NFL his insights have global impact.
When he isn’t watching a cricket match on the weekends or on his dirt-bike, he’s in the trenches focused on recruiting, training, and retention strategies as he manages an international workforce of over two thousand staff.
Ryan King
CEO & Co-Founder, Ardent Mentoring
Ryan King currently serves as Co-Founder and CEO at Ardent Mentoring. In addition to Ardent, Ryan serves as a Director of Philanthropy and Edification at Edify, an organization dedicated to improving and expanding Christ-centered education globally. Prior to joining Ardent & Edify, Ryan worked in educational development for Nexus Systems and was a Pastor at Inland Hills Community Church.
Ryan received a B.S. in Marketing from West Chester University in Pennsylvania, and a Masters in Theological Studies from the Seminary at Eastern University. Ryan has a passion for seeing lives, communities, and nations transformed by the love of Christ and a desire to be hands-on with people making a difference.
Ryan married his wonderful wife, Lauren, a cardiac nurse, in 2007 and they have two amazing kids, Brooks (9) and Georgia (6). They currently reside in San Diego and previously lived in the Philadelphia area for 30 years. During their free time, they enjoy any activity at the beach, trying new restaurants, traveling, playing competitive lacrosse, and spending time with friends.