The DEC Network is adding 18 new young professionals from the North Texas region to the Associate Board where they will assist in advancing the DFW entrepreneurial landscape as a member.

The Associate Board has members with diverse experience across both corporate and startup organizations to help them take entrepreneurship in North Texas to the next level, and cultivate a healthy and engaged community of young professionals with The DEC Network.

Members of The DEC Network Associate Board will gain exposure to innovative ventures and successful entrepreneurs, maximize their professional network, earn valuable leadership experience serving on nonprofit boards, engage in critical mentorship opportunities and much more.

David Cherrie, CEO of Arcade, is Chairman of the current 29-member Associate Board, which will be adding the following new members:

• Tyler Riddell, Co-Founder and COO at Something Good Consulting Group
• Christine Myer, Chief of Staff at NoiseAware
• Jessica Vittorio, Managing Attorney at The Law Office of Jessica Vittorio
• Mauricio Scott, Experience Consultant at West Monroe
• Mollie Pillman, President at Dallas Fort Worth Association Executives and SVP at the American Osteopathic Association
• Tim Hutchins, Founder at Solvexy and Managing Partner at Strategic Management & Development Group
• Rory Arredondo, Co-Founder and Product Lead at NickelCommerce
• Stan Golubchik, CEO & Co-Founder at ContraForce
• Chris Ndikumana, Senior Credit Risk Analyst at GM Financial
• Alden Warr, VP Finance and Strategic Partnerships at VoCo
• Ashley Atabansi, Business Development Manager at Gielant
• Neha Hussein, Founder & CEO at Just Drive
• Thomas Lorance, Financial Representative at Northwestern Mutual
• Amber Rankin, Founder at Feel Good Swim and Senior Systems Manager at freshbenies
• Jamie Reed, Product Marketing Manager at UWorld
• Teffany Odie, Executive Director at Hospice
• Ryan Merz, Director of Business Development at BMO Harris Bank
• Renee Hale, R&D Principal Engineer, PFNA Region at PepsiCo

The new Associate Board members join these current members, which have been part of the Associate Board since its inception in 2020:

• David Cherrie, Growth at Arcade
• Kenzie Dennis, Proposition Manager of SMB Tax/Legal Go to Market Enablement at ?Thomson Reuters
• Chris Emerson, Senior Manager of Business Outsourcing Services at Armanino LLP
• Tony Esposito, Commercial Property & Casualty Risk Management Consultant at USI Insurance Services
• Javier Hernandez, Account Sales at Microsoft
• Matthew Korioth, Consultant at ?Deloitte Consulting
• Candice Moody, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Southwest Region Program Manager and Field Marketing at ?EY
• Chase Murphy, Tax Partner at Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
• Aamir Noorani, Co-Founder & COO of United Smart Tech
• Maya Talley, Product Manager of Ray-Ban Authentic at Essilor Group
• Sheena Turner, Vice President of Customer Experience at Vari
• Myca Williamson, Senior Analyst at Knox Management Consulting

To learn more about The DEC Network, please visit www.thedec.co.

The DEC Network officially announces its new Fiduciary Board Chairman: Tim Hill. 

Transitioning from board member to Board Chairman, Hill is a Certified Professional Photographer serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area with more than 30 years of photography experience. As a business owner, Hill will be able to channel his own experiences in the entrepreneurial community into this role.

“We are very excited to announce Tim Hill as our new Board Chairman and welcome him to this role,” said Bill Chinn, CEO of The DEC Network. “Hill has already contributed great work as a board member and embodies the mission of our organization. We look forward to his continued leadership for the Fiduciary Board and determination to serve as an extension of The DEC Network.”

As a Certified Professional Photographer through the Professional Photographers of America, Hill is in a select group of only 7-9% of all photographers nationally to be Certified. Hill is focused on enhancing both an individual's business image and a company's corporate image through his photography. Prior to starting his business, Hill worked as the Director of Sales Operations at Cardinal Health and is an alumnus of Northwestern University.

“I am thrilled and honored to be chosen to lead the Fiduciary Board in my new role as Board Chairman,” said Tim Hill, Board Chairman of The DEC Network. “The DEC Network is committed to fostering a thriving and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem for all as part of the Dallas Small Business Ecosystem, and I am excited to continue that work in this role.”

Tim Hill is Chairman of the 25 member Fiduciary Board, which includes:

? Tracey Altman, Principal of Altman Consulting LLC

? Chris Boult, Partner at Fortium Partners

? Trey Bowles, Co-Founder of The DEC Network

? Bill Chinn, CEO of The DEC Network

? Jennifer Conley, Vice President at Project Mockingbird

? Jorge Corral, Managing Director at Accenture

? Duane Dankesreiter, Senior Vice President - Research and Innovation at the Dallas Regional Chamber

? Courtney Getum, Director of Solution Delivery - Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company

? David Gillan, Senior Vice President - Supply Chain Operations at Vizient Inc.

? Randy Johanneck, Consultant for Financial Services Risk Management & Control Functions

? Sean Lofgren, Vice President - Business Development at Overwraps Flexibles

? Scott Lydick, Managing Director - Head of Investments and Advice at J.P. Morgan Private Bank

? Narasimha Raju Nagubhai, Head of ESN Infrastructure at Motorola Solutions

? Greg Neubecker, Managing Vice President at Capital One

? Pat Priest, Former Chief Operating Officer at the Dallas Regional Chamber

? Michelle Rider, Marketing Executive at Amazon Web Services

? Lamont Robinson, President & CEO of Robinson LaRueCo Consulting LLC

? Roman Ross, Owner of Esslinger Investments

? R’Kes Starling, CEO of Reveles Clinical Services

? Craig Storey, Chief Financial Officer at Vari

? Genai Walker-Maclin, Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley

? Morgan Watson, Partner at Ernst & Young LLP

? Summer Wright, Associate Vice President - Design and Innovation at Blue Cross Blue Shield

? Debra Von Storch, EY Partner, Retired

Co-Founder of The DEC Network, Trey Bowles, previously held the role of Board Chairman and will serve as Chairman Emeritus. Bowles is also Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, to help Dallas become a city that is better for supporting startup businesses.

To learn more about The DEC Network, please visit www.thedec.co.

The DEC Network Membership Program was created to encourage interest and engagement between individuals and The DEC Network.

By offering exclusivities, those who sign up for the free membership program will automatically become more engaged in The DEC Network initiative, be more intertwined with the entrepreneurial community and also gain access to incredible perks. This is what it means to have the best of both worlds.

Our free Community Membership gives you unique opportunities while taking the pressure off of having to make payments. We’ve heard that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” but we mean it when we say this membership is free. Our goal is to attract those of you who’s biggest priority is networking. Our greatest perk is having inclusion in private member events and happy hours, including during the highly-anticipated Dallas Startup Week. Additionally, this membership will open the door to private speaker sessions, discounts, resources and much more.

If you aren’t sure if this membership is for you, ask yourself the following questions: 

• Are you an entrepreneur looking to get more connected to the North Texas community?
• Do you want to get in touch with other entrepreneurs in the region?
• Do you want exclusive access to The DEC Network events and programs?
• Do you want early access to events at Dallas Startup Week?
• Do you want to let everyone know that you’re simply a member of The DEC Network?

If you answered yes to one or more of the questions above, join our new Community Membership today!

Some perks to joining our Community Membership include:

Our weekly newsletter, which comes straight to your inbox with updates on entrepreneurial events as well as resources, discounts, events, COVID-19 support resources, and funding opportunities.

The Community Membership Slack channel, an incredibly efficient tool for networking, to get your questions answered by other entrepreneurs, and to be the first to learn about news and events from The DEC Network.

Offers from our partners, like this one from AppSumo: AppSumo is the #1 software deal site for entrepreneurs to make money online. This app includes lifetime software deals, discounts on small business tools and free resources. The purpose of this amazing app is to give you all the tools necessary to help your business flourish.

And exclusive networking events! We recently had our first networking event earlier this year. After much anticipation and preparation, we had a great turnout of 20 participants. Everyone had an awesome time talking about their businesses while enjoying some drinks.

If you are interested and want to plug into The DEC Network and the North Texas entrepreneurial community, sign up for our community membership today!

Though this month marks one year since the statewide lockdown caused by the pandemic, it also marks a special anniversary for The DEC Network: one year of serving the North Texas community through its Fast Start Mentoring Program.

One year and a new name later, the DEC Mentor Program - working with the Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation - has connected more than 250 mentors and mentees since its inception. The program, which officially launched on March 27, 2020, recognizes that in order to grow businesses, an entrepreneur needs access to qualified and experienced mentors.

“We launched the DEC Mentor Program due to an urgent need for entrepreneurs and small business owners to connect with subject matter experts during the onset of the pandemic,” said Bill Chinn, CEO of The DEC Network. “We are incredibly proud of what the program has achieved since launching, and are thankful for a generous donation from the Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation to support the program.”

With the support of the Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation, The DEC Network is able to continue providing this service to mentors and mentees at no cost. A $50,000 grant from the organization provides entrepreneurs access to the Qooper mentorship app, which offers mentor and mentee matching, scheduling and virtual in-app meetings for mentors and mentees, guides to help mentees and mentors be a better match, and beneficial resources for entrepreneurs.

“Mentorship and support of minority- and women-owned businesses is consistent with the Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation’s strategic objectives and we are excited to support The DEC Network in its efforts to provide valuable assistance to entrepreneurs through this program,” said Dr. Virnitia Hendricks, Santander Consumer USA Chief Diversity Officer and board member of the Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation.

In honor of its one-year anniversary, The DEC Network will host a virtual DEC Mentor Program Info Session on April 15, 2021. Meant for entrepreneurs interested in the program, the public session will include an overview and update on the program since its launch, a mentor and mentee success story, audience Q&A and the option to network with entrepreneurs post-event. 

WHAT: DEC Mentor Program Info Session
WHEN: Thursday, April 15, 2021, 12-1 p.m. CT, with optional networking from 1-1:30 p.m. CT
WHERE: Virtual, link provided upon FREE registration
REGISTER: http://b.link/DECMentorProgram

Where can you find Fort Worth entrepreneurs, global sessions and Mark Cuban all in one place? These are just a few of our favorite things that you'll find at this year's Global Entrepreneurship Week Fort Worth from November 16-20!

A completely virtual and free GEW Fort Worth 2020 will feature more than 70 sessions with high-quality speakers - Mark Cuban and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, among many others - during this week-long celebration of Fort Worth entrepreneurship. The variety of sessions ranges from Instagram Story School with Facebook and the Fort Worth Chamber, to sessions held completely in Spanish and Vietnamese, to truly global sessions from countries like Ukraine, Israel and Sweden, just to name a few.

Here are a few sessions we're excited about that you won't want to miss: 

• GEW FW Kickoff Celebration | Nov. 16, 2020: Join us as we share our passion for local entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship during the GEW Fort Worth kickoff session! This year we are honored to welcome Jonathan Ortmans, founder and president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, which hosts Global Entrepreneurship Week in over 170 countries around the world. 
• Entrepreneur Jonathan Morris, Live From Backlot Studio! | Nov. 16, 2020: Jonathan Morris is the Fort Worth entrepreneur behind The Lathery and Fort Worth Barber shop. He is also the future star of Chip and Joanna Gaines' upcoming Magnolia Network Series "Self Employed". The show will follow Jonathan as he tours the country to meet and interview fellow self-starters and small business owners as they work on making their dreams reality. Tune in to hear Jonathan share about his own entrepreneurship journey, live from the Backlot Studio in Fort Worth.
• GEW Town Hall with Mayor Betsy Price | Nov. 16, 2020: Mayor Betsy Price sits down to talk about entrepreneurship in Fort Worth in this exclusive GEW Town Hall session.
• Entrepreneurship and Inclusion Across the World | Nov. 18. 2020: Learn from three female entrepreneurs from around the world - Roshni Dhatingan from India, Dawna Hyacinth from St. Lucia and our very own Darlisa Diltz from Fort Worth - as they discuss their entrepreneurial journeys and inclusion within their communities. 
• The Big Idea Competition at the Texas Startups Roadshow | Nov. 19, 2020: The University of Texas at Dallas Big Idea Competition (BIC) is one of the most celebrated nights of entrepreneurship in North Texas. Keynoted by Mark Cuban and with $200,000 in scholarship awards and cash prizes, BIC is the marquee event of Capital Factory’s virtual Texas Startup Roadshow.
• Impact Fort Worth | Nov. 20, 2020: Impact Fort Worth is an initiative to help our cities build back better through social innovation. This year's theme is Agents For Change. As we wrap up GEW Fort Worth, we are convening consumers, compassionate citizens, and community change agents to help grow positive impact in Fort Worth and its neighboring cities in North Texas.

In addition to listening to powerful and insightful speakers throughout the week, you can also choose to video network with other GEW FW attendees or visit local organizations and businesses in our virtual Expo Hall. Join the GEW Fort Worth team for an exciting (and completely virtual) Startup Crawl on Nov. 18, which will highlight the innovators, the creatives, the starters and the get-shtuff-doners building the entrepreneurial ecosystem in North Texas!

GEW Fort Worth is just ONE WEEK AWAY! We can't wait for you to join us for this incredible event all about entrepreneurship and community.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR GEW FORT WORTH 2020!