Mr. Mark S. Davis is a retired Army officer and a former member of the Army’s Senior Executive Service. As an Army Officer he served at every level of the Army, with five commands, two of Task Forces in Kosovo and Iraq. He retired from active military service after nearly a quarter century. As a civilian, he was appointed as a Highly Qualified Expert in January 2008 and as a member of the Army’s Senior Executive Service in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs on December 5, 2010. Mr. Davis retired from Federal Civilian Service in June 2018. As a Senior Executive he served as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Assistant Secretary of the Army; as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Marketing; and as the Chief of Staff for Army Medical Command. He received his Baccalaureate from Kansas State University and is a member of the Kansas State ROTC Wall of Fame. He has two masters Degrees; one in Management and another in National Resource Strategy. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, The Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in National and International Security. His awards and decorations include the Army Superior Civilian Service Award, the Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism and Expeditionary Medals, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, the NATO medal, several Meritorious Serve Medals, and Army Achievement and Commendation medals.

Tammy Fruits, CEO and Owner of TLC Marketing Consultants brings a wide array of experience and depth to the company as a former executive in the Live Concert, Professional Football and Broadcast Television industries.

Tammy’s professional experience includes 20 plus years with Live Nation culminating in her role as Senior Vice President of Sales for the organization. She then enjoyed seven years as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Kansas City Chiefs and four years with Scripps Media in sales management of both digital and broadcast assets. It was here that her passion for digital and social media marketing bloomed.

Her areas of specialty include All Areas of Marketing Planning and Implementation, Business Development, Revenue Growth, Public Relations, Broadcast and Digital Media Expertise, Sponsorship Negotiation and Activation, and Community Stewardship.

Fruits is an accomplished, high-energy senior business executive with a diverse and proven track record of driving revenues, expanding business relationships, increasing brand value, improving operations, and projecting a positive corporate image to its customers and the community. She brings her skill in all aspects of corporate marketing, from creation and strategy to development and execution to our partners’ businesses. She also brings thirty years of experience in recruiting, training, building, leading and retaining high-performance sales teams to drive mission-critical endeavors to successful completion.

She enjoys a colorful career and has been a featured speaker at many sales and marketing engagements. A Topeka native, she holds a degree in Business Finance from Washburn University. She is married to her sixth-grade love, Troy, and has a son, Chase. Fruits is a proud supporter of US Veterans.

Mr. Dustin Franklin is a Kansas City area native and a proud Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served from 1991 through 2010 in both in the Reserve and on Active Duty. He deployed to Iraq in 2009.

After active Marine Corp Service he continued his service to his nation at the Kansas City VA Medical Center, where he was an Administrative Officer for 11 years.

Dustin is currently a Program Manager for Epsilon, Inc where he supports the US Department of Agriculture Infrastructure Services Center in Kansas City, MO.

Dustin’s military awards and decorations include two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and Armed Forces Reserve Medal.

Cydney Cooper is an Army National Guard wife and mother to two sons and two daughters. She currently serves as a Program Analyst within the Planning, Operations, and Training sector of the Kansas Army National Guard. As an additional duty she works as an Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor for all Guard members. She started her career working in the Alcohol & Drug Prevention Program as a Prevention Coordinator. From there she became a federal employee and worked as a Soldier & Family Readiness Specialist where she assisted Soldiers and Families by providing resources and assistance during deployments as well as on the home front. This role held a special place in her heart because she has been part of the Army National Guard family since meeting her husband 15 years ago.

Cydney holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology with an emphasis in Substance Abuse & Addictions Counseling and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Organizational Leadership. She is a registered True Colors Facilitator which allows her to provide Soldiers and Families with different communication techniques that assist with all the things that come along with military life. She also volunteers for the Soldier & Family Readiness Program in order to keep assisting families and soldiers with securing the resources that they need.

Hugh L. Mills, Jr. is a retired Army officer who served in Vietnam. Following military service he became a law enforcement and security expert.

He is recognized as one of the most decorated pilots during the Vietnam War. During his two tours in Vietnam as an aero scout and one as a cobra pilot, he flew more than 3,300 combat hours and developed many of the U.S. Army’s air cavalry aero scout tactics. He was shot down 16 times and wounded three times, earning numerous decorations for valor, including three Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, four Distinguished Flying Crosses and three Bronze Stars, one for valor in ground combat. The government of Vietnam awarded him the Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star and Palm, the Vietnamese Honor Medal First Class and the Civic Action Honor Medal First Class.

Hugh also co-authored a book about his experiences in Vietnam, “Low Level Hell: A Scout Pilot in the Big Red One.” He retired in 1993 after 26 years of service.

He completed his B.S. in Aeronautical Studies in 1974 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and then completed his Master’s degree in Military Arts and Science in 1980 from US Army Command and General Staff College. He then completed his Masters in Public Administration in 1984 from Central Michigan University.

Prior to retiring, John Pluenneke was a Clinical Liaison in Medical Affairs at Exact Sciences, a life science company focused on genomic-based tests for cancer. John has over 30 years of biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and laboratory industry experience focused primarily in oncology. Prior to joining Exact Sciences, he served as a Liaison with Immunex, Amgen, Berlex, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals where he was involved in all aspects of clinical drug development. Additionally, John has experience in sales and marketing both in and outside of the field of medicine. He holds a BBA from Ohio University.  John grew up moving around the country in a military family. His father, Col. HC Pluenneke was a decorated Air Force pilot who served as Chief Engineer on the F-111 and B-1 Bomber programs. This childhood experience gave John a deep appreciation and respect for the sacrifices made by members of the military and their families. John is married with two grown children and has lived in North Kansas City for over 25 years. Since retirement John has focused primarily on volunteerism and his golf game.