The Podcast
Melissa Copeland
Melissa Copeland is the Founder and Principal of Blue Orbit Consulting, where she helps organizations transform customer experience and contact center operations. Since launching the firm in 2014, she has partnered with Fortune 500 companies to deliver measurable improvements in customer engagement, technology investments, and workforce management. Melissa’s career combines global corporate leadership with entrepreneurial vision. After years of extensive travel in executive roles, she founded Blue Orbit Consulting to focus on projects closer to home while continuing to influence businesses worldwide. Today, she remains a trusted advisor for organizations seeking to elevate customer experience and achieve lasting results.
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Jack McGowan
Jack McGowan is the Director of the Buffalo Angels and Executive Director of the Western New York Venture Association (WNYVA). Over the past two decades he has helped channel approximately $9 million of angel investment into 54 early-stage companies in the Buffalo/Upstate New York region and led the region’s original startup-investor forum. This year, just a few months ago, he received the Community Catalyst Award at Upstate Venture Connect’s Unleashed Founders Retreat for his longstanding impact on the startup ecosystem in Western New York.
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Ion Valis
Ion Valis has built a career at the crossroads of politics, technology, and leadership. He started out in Washington, DC, where he spent six years as Press Secretary to two Congressmen. From there, he jumped into the private sector, helping Vodafone in London launch a bold international media initiative just as mobile technology was transforming the world. Back in Montreal, Ion joined a fast‑growing tech start‑up as a senior executive, then shifted gears to lead the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, an international non‑profit dedicated to cultivating public leadership. Along the way, he wrote The Magnificent Mistake, a book about why failure can be our greatest teacher, and later delivered a TEDx talk on rethinking leadership systems. Today, as President of Prometheus Strategic Advisors and co‑host of the Boiling the Ocean podcast, Ion explores how leaders can navigate complexity with creativity and courage.
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Juweria Dahir
Juweria Dahir is a leader in innovation, entrepreneurship, and governance. She is the founder of JD Vertex, a data evaluation firm that helps organizations and entrepreneurs turn data into meaningful stories that demonstrate impact. She also co-founded SheConnects, a startup supporting female founders in both for-profit and non-profit sectors through resources, networking, and support. Juweria served as the Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at BNMC, where she led the development of its first business accelerator for early-stage startups and continues to shape programs that support inclusive entrepreneurship and business growth. Her work builds on six years in city government as a City Planner and External Affairs Manager, where she advanced neighborhood development and economic policy. She also teaches business and entrepreneurship as an Adjunct Professor at Daemen University and holds a Master’s degree from the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo.
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Sean McEvoy
Sean McEvoy is a Dynamics 365 and Power Platform expert with a passion for low-code/no-code solutions and artificial intelligence. As the Dynamics CRM Administrator for Bryant & Stratton College, he specializes in optimizing business processes, automation, and digital transformation
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Stephanie Armstrong
Stephanie is a visionary architect of brands and businesses. With a Midas touch for transforming brands, she has orchestrated groundbreaking partnerships with global titans like Pepsi, Universal Studios, and Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy. She is the Co-Founder of Moxie Creative Studios, leveraging her strategic marketing acumen to propel businesses worldwide, generating over $40 million in growth.
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Jessica L. Copeland
Jessica Copeland is chair of the cybersecurity and data privacy and law practice as well as the AI law practice at Bond, Schoeneck & King law firm, where she focuses on all aspects of technology law, including data privacy compliance, AI governance and intellectual property protection and litigation. She’s on the front line for clients who have experienced data breaches and other incidents, often defending them in class action litigations or helping them navigate ransomware attacks, business email compromises and inadvertent disclosures. Jessica also protects patents and trademarks in federal and appellate courts and before the International Trade Commission for clients in industries such as medical and mechanical devices, computer software and hardware, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and e-commerce technologies. Jessica earned her B.A. in Mathematics from New York University and her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. Jessica is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) through the ANSI-accredited International Association of Privacy Professionals, has been ranked for IP litigation by New York Super Lawyers ® for the past 10 years and was named part of the “Legal Elite of Western New York” by Buffalo Business First.
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Larry Mietus
Larry Mietus (Chief Excuse Obliterator) is the Founder of Speaking of Strategy. He is an engaging speaker, business consultant, author, podcaster, and educator with a wealth of practical, hands-on experience. His expertise encompasses leadership development, organizational design, employee engagement, and sales and marketing strategies. His clients run the gamut from "Mom and Pop" businesses to international enterprises. He is a frequent contributor on LinkedIn. Larry has also been quoted in HR Magazine, the most widely read and respected Human Resources publication in the world. He is a guest speaker for Vistage International, the world’s largest executive coaching organization. Larry is the author of “We Tried That Once” And Other Popular Excuses That Sabotage Business Success!
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Frank Gullo
The host of TechXY Turbo, Frank Gullo is a business technology leader, author, and speaker. His work in technology spans information management, data and analytics, software development, security, and IT leadership. He created TechXY to provide independent technology content and insights. The podcast TechXY Turbo features unfiltered conversations about tech with guests from varied businesses and industries.
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