“We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.”
Chris Berger
CEO
In 2005 Chris founded The Christopher Group International (CGI), amassing five international awards since that time, including a national cancer patient education program and Fortune 500 corporate social responsibility program. Chris’s non-profit experience includes serving as the President of OCEARCH.org, where he oversaw 26% growth in fundraising, 100+ events per year worldwide and the launch of a national K-12 free education program. He enabled 15x growth in media reach and engagement through a uniquely integrated press and social media strategy in 40+ countries. Chris has managed partnerships with Costa Sunglasses, Caterpillar, YETI, Shell and SeaWorld. He also conducted briefings for more than 30 Senate and Congressional offices, advocating policy for conservation and education. Inspired and humbled by his active duty and former military family members who serve and have served the Air Force and Marine Corps, Chris joined the Gary Sinise Foundation in April 2020 to lead outreach efforts to military and veteran communities, law enforcement, and the local Orlando business community.
Jennelle Jordan
Producer / Production Manager
Jennelle has been in the entertainment industry for over 17 years, garnering a reputation as a driven, highly experienced people person who can run very complex projects. She has produced 244 episodes of the critically acclaimed television series Forensic Files, over 250 content pieces for corporate and non-profit experiential projects and has served as Production Manager and Producer for multi-location, multi-platform virtual events. Through every endeavor, Jennelle is focused on growing organizations and brands while engaging audiences. Working on a wide range of projects, from television, commercials, corporate, music, and web videos, to production and on-site management of live events, her talents lie in organization and planning, getting to know the intricacies of each different production and personnel she works with. Her goal is to create visually and emotionally compelling content with as seamless a pre-production and production process as possible.
Jeremy Furlani
Executive Producer / Technical Producer
Jeremy is a seasoned executive producer, technical producer and director with exceptional technical experience across television broadcast, live and virtual events and digital media. He is a calm problem solver for the most complex of challenges, a bridge between vision and delivered solution. Jeremy has led teams to groundbreaking results in the all-critical world of Virtual Event and Video Production. He recently took a series of weekly live events with some internet broadcast and an audience of 12,000 to an all-virtual experience with an audience of 50,000 in less than 4 weeks. He is very comfortable creating AR & VR environments for training content and virtual events, taking talent and the audience well past the typical synthetic studio and/or sound stage environment. In broadcast TV production, Jeremy has served as Executive Producer for NCAA, NHL, and NFL broadcasts - responsible for every facet of the production from the client to the audience and everything in between.
Summer Baruth
Digital Marketing Communications
Summer is a forward-thinking marketing communications strategist with over 18 years of experience garnered from diverse communications roles in transportation, healthcare, and foodservice. She is known as an influential leader with a unique ability to galvanize teams across organizations through effective communication, innovative perspective, and the fostering of positive relationships. A strategic risk-taker who has pioneered and transformed the way the world’s largest contract food company utilizes digital communications and social media, earning the trust of executive leaders throughout the company.. A natural connector and relationship builder who loves a great story. Summer takes great pride in developing ways for both businesses and individuals make authentic connections, grow their networks, and reach their goals through the power of digital communications.
Marcela Shine
Director Digital Strategy
Marcela has more than twenty-five years of experience in helping companies optimize operations, transform marketing processes, and improve company culture. Her clients range from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups. She has held CEO and COO positions in MarTech, venture-backed SaaS startups. Marcela started her career in fintech at Refinitiv (formerly Thomson Reuters), where she ran global product teams that provided data and technology solutions to financial institutions around the globe. Marcela supports cancer patients through her work at The Tutu Project. The 501(c)3 provides grants for the financial needs of breast cancer patients. Marcela secured six-figure corporate partnerships for the foundation and has driven millions of "fans" for the now famous "man in the pink tutu". The Colombian-born entrepreneur continues to have deep ties with her culture and people. Marcela has been a tech-advisor to the Colombian Film Festival; launching their digital properties for the New York (2014) and Bogota (2016) "IndieBo" film festival premieres. Marcela has also served as an advisor to Colombian non-profits that focus on early childhood education.
Karen Young
Program Director
For more than two decades, Karen Young has made a name for herself as a respected and trusted leader in the meetings industry. She has planned and operated hundreds of meetings and events of all sizes all over the globe — for as few as 12 key option leaders to as many as 10,000 attendees — with budgets stretching into the multimillions. This experience gives her a broad perspective as an innovative thinker and skilled collaborator, intent on providing creative and effective brand solutions for clients that meet or exceed objectives. Karen is a proven expert in attracting high-level clients, staying within budget guidelines and driving ROI for virtual events, national sales meetings, product launches, sales incentive programs and everything in between. In her years of executive leadership, Karen has successfully led as many as 50 employees at a time, engineering custom events and incentive programs that create measurable value and yield true results. To ensure she stays in tune with the industry and evolving client needs from the ground floor, she continues to actively work alongside her team members — everything from brainstorming themes to planning menus. Karen — who has a bachelor’s degree in hospitality from the University of Central Florida in Orlando — is a member of Meetings Professionals International (MPI).
