Dr. Dwayne Whitehead

Dr. Dwayne Whitehead Ph.D. is an Amazon Bestselling Author, leadership strategist, and curriculum expert with over two decades of experience in education, professional development, and executive coaching. He is a Certified Speaker, Coach, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Leadership Team and serves as the founder of The Whitehead Group- a leadership and professional development firm serving multiple industries.

He has designed and facilitated leadership training for governments, universities, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofit organizations—both nationally and abroad. His published works, I Learned the Hard Way and Over the Edge: The Journey of Self-Leadership, blend strategic insight with personal storytelling to inspire leaders to grow, adapt, and lead with authenticity.

Dr. Whitehead holds a Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in curriculum development from St. Thomas University, a Master of Arts in Education from the same institution, and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

At the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute, Dr. Whitehead contributes to developing courageous, competent, and compassionate leaders across diverse sectors. His facilitation expertise spans key leadership competencies such as adaptive leadership, emotional intelligence, inclusive practices, and strategic communication. Known for his dynamic and reflective facilitation style, he creates learning environments that are both energizing and transformational—equipping leaders with practical tools for real-world impact. Dr. Whitehead and his wife, Cheryl, have five amazing children. 

Jason Kiesau

Jason Kiesau is a Social Intelligence Consultant who has delivered hundreds of keynotes, workshops, and leadership sessions across North America. For more than two decades, he has helped leaders and teams build confidence, communicate with impact, and navigate change through the practical application of Emotional and Social Intelligence. His audiences range from global enterprises to public sector organizations seeking stronger collaboration, adaptability, and performance.

Jason is the author of FOCUSED – Your Future Starts Now! and Leading with Style for Senior Living Professionals. His thought leadership has been featured on Lifehack.org, GoodMenProject.com, IowaBiz.com, and Forbes.com. He continues to develop new work that integrates TRACOM’s SOCIAL STYLE & Versatility model with contemporary leadership and organizational behavior research.

Jason is a Master Certified SOCIAL STYLE® facilitator and is certified in Behavioral EQ® and Adaptive Mindset for Resilience®. He has spent his career training, coaching, and advising leaders at all organizational levels, helping them strengthen interpersonal effectiveness and lead with greater clarity, versatility, and behavioral awareness. Jason frequently partners with executive teams, including C-suite and senior leadership groups, to enhance communication, decision-making, and high-performance culture.

Rob Reid

Rob is a 360 Planner and Director at Two Tango Collaborative, where he leads media strategy for the Virginia Lottery. With more than 20 years of experience on both the agency and brand sides, he takes a customer-centric, omnichannel approach to developing advertising strategies that connect with consumers throughout the marketing funnel. He enjoys helping brands translate consumer insights into media strategies that drive business results.

Krista Stepa-Ammeter

As Director of Sales & Marketing at Pollard Banknote, Krista helps lotteries achieve sustainable growth through innovative sales and marketing strategies. Drawing on 15 years of experience in the lottery and print industries, she has collaborated with lotteries across the U.S., including Virginia, to enhance retail performance, optimize instant game portfolios, and expand digital opportunities that drive player engagement and achieve long-term success.

Kary Hacker

Seasoned Sales Executive with over eight years supporting customers like Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, New York and North Carolina. Kary came to Brightstar in 2013 and joined Brightstar Instant Services in 2018 after 5 years with Brightstar Indiana in Product Development. Prior to her time with Brightstar, she worked directly for the Hoosier Lottery for ten years in various roles including managing the Scratcher and as a Lottery Sales Representative. This combined 23 years of experience is leveraged to assist the Virginia Lottery in managing your Scratcher game life cycle, including product and portfolio management, providing insights and recommendations to generate revenue, entice new players and excite seasoned players.

Nate Worley

Nat leads a Brightstar team that supports the Virginia Lottery and Brightstar's other U.S. lottery customers on a range of activities to grow Lottery sales and transfers by collaborating on data analysis, game portfolio development, and retailer and product performance routines. Nat joined Brightstar in 1997 and has worked in lottery-facing marketing and sales support roles since 2006 in field marketing, retail development and execution, and strategic business planning.