ROBERT COSSICK
Robert Cossick serves as a deacon, teaches a Bible study for married adults, and is a coach to husbands in troubled marriages. His passion for saving marriages comes from years of seeing the emotional destruction that is left behind when a husband decides to walk away from his responsibilities and commitments. Robert is committed to helping husbands build or re-build a thriving and passionate marriage. Robert and his wife, Kathy, and their three children live in Houston, Texas.
DR. LAQUITA CARTER
Dr. LaQuita Carter is a passionate educator who has been touching the lives of children and families for more than 25 years. Influenced by her life-story; she is a servant leader with a giving heart – not only valuing community but working to create community as well. She takes great pride in receiving a public school education and is forever grateful for growing up in the inner city of Chicago. Recalling her past experiences of overcoming feelings of isolation, Dr. Carter is committed to equipping others to be great no matter their circumstances.
KENNETH EAKINS
Kenneth DeVon Eakins is a native Houstonian, who has had the privilege of traveling the world as an international missionary. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Berklee College and his master’s in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, Mr. Eakins has decided to return to school and work towards another master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He utilizes his educational and vocational experience to create a uniquely diversified approach to providing effective care to clients with mental health needs and substance abuse issues. He currently serves as the Outreach Case Manager at Star of Hope Mission in downtown Houston where he works to provide resources ranging from income and housing assistance to emergency shelters and treatment centers for the homeless community in the Greater Houston and surrounding areas. Mr. Eakins is currently on staff as a worship leader at Freedom Fellowship Church in Magnolia, Texas.
CHRIS CHARRON
Chris Charron has been a resident and business owner in our community going on 40 years. More recently, Chris and his wife Amie started Friends for Charity Foundation whose mission is to bring people together to raise awareness, encourage volunteer service and support organizations that make a difference. Personally, professionally and in the community Chris is about “Making a Difference.”
ARNEISHA SADLER
Arneisha Sadler, Founder & CEO of Emeniss™ Call Center and Houston native from Acres Homes, has 20 years of call center experience. As a teen mom in high school, she landed a job as a telemarketer and later helped T-Mobile win six “J.D. Power Award for Customer Satisfaction.”
In 2017, Arneisha left a domestic violent marriage, and she and her two daughters went to a homeless shelter. She left her house with all her belongings, including her best friend & beloved dog, Snow White. Overwhelmed with confusion, fear, and depression, Arneisha began to fast and pray. She enrolled in Lone Star College where she met Small Business owners who shared their challenges with customer service. She offered her award-winning skills to help with customer acquisition, retention, and promotion. Shortly afterwards, she was able to move to a motel room, where she built Emeniss™ Call Center, which is her daughter’s name Emerald and Arneisha’s nickname Nissi.
Arneisha has been apart of several business programs and pitch completions that include:
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- 2018 Keion Henderson Business Start-Up Lab
- 2019 Fall University of Houston SURE Alumni
- 2020 HCC Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship
- 2020 HCC Business Plan Competition
- 2020 HAUL Small Business University
- 2020 Pharrell Williams ft. JayZ “Entrepreneur” Houston Edition Video
- 2020 Liftoff Houston Educational Pathway
- 2020 Small Business Exchange Summit Pitch Competition
- 2020 WBEA Edge
- 2020 WBEA Inner Circle
- 2021 Spring University of Houston SURE Fellows Leadership Team
Emeniss™ Call Center is rapidly growing as individuals seek Work From Home opportunities due to COVID-19. The pandemic has also caused an increase in domestic violence and homelessness. As a survivor and former client of HOPE Haven, Arneisha participates in outreach programs, serves as a Homeless Advisory Council Member at Harris County Social Services, and volunteers at the Houston Food Bank. She also founded YouniCOINS, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that helps homeless children.
Away from business and community service, Arneisha enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and learning about different cultures. Not a regular TV watcher, you can find her nose in a book or headset blasting music. Prayer and faith are her anchors.
Final words from Arneisha Sadler, “GOD is Faithful.”
LESLIE SHEEHAN-WEEKS
Professional Bio
BBA – Finance, WWU, March 1988
Over 20 years in the Human Resources profession, Petrochemical Industry (1986 – 2009)
Expertise includes labor relations, employment, and talent management.
Major achievements include:
- Pioneered use of analytics to evaluate recruiting effectiveness and cost/benefits of current strategy, leading to a strategy shift that yielded a better success rate/recruitment dollar;
- Persuaded Hiring Managers to use a multidiscipline selection team to yield better selection results and reduce probationary period terminations.
- Gained union leadership’s participation in hiring processes as key stakeholders thereby reducing probationary period terminations, resignations, complaints and grievances.
- Developed and implemented an absentee management strategy to reduce absence rate from 6% to 4% in partnership with key stakeholders;
- Enabled a client’s strategy to develop and sell a service product by improving the organization’s effectiveness and use of analytical tools to submit bids, track costs, profits, and margins, which added over a $1 million to the firms top line growth.
- Viewed by executive leadership as an expert in employment, labor, and disability law, state and federal.
Over 10 years as a private wealth manager (2009 to present)
Major achievements include:
- Successfully preserved and grew AUM over 360%;
- Constructed a successful portfolio of growth, value, and dividend paying stocks;
- Grew dividend income and quality;
- Learned many, many lessons and applied those to effectively improve quality of decision-making and capital deployed.
Artist (1990 – to present)
Through a combination of classes and self-learning, I’ve pursued a passion for creating jewelry and other artwork.
Major achievements include:
- Designed a collage of Munsteiner gems and fancy colored diamonds in to a 14K gold pendant.
- Created lampwork glass and silver jewelry while learning lampworking techniques and silver working.
- Created a large format bead embroidery necklace featured by another artist/instructor on her Facebook page, which resulted in positive reviews for technique and unique design.
- Self-taught alcohol ink artist, makes own greeting cards and paintings.