Meet the Team

Kim is committed to helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses and provide opportunities to create jobs and economic growth in communities in the Greater Houston area.  Kim's extensive background in leadership and human resources spans over twenty years, where she served in leadership roles in a Fortune 500 company, non- profit, and the government sector. She directed strategic initiatives, developed leadership development programs, implemented performance management systems, and led teams to achieve operational performance goals and customer satisfaction. Kim holds a Master of Arts in Sociology and a Doctoral Degree in Leadership Studies from Our Lady of the Lake University. Her thesis focused on Generational Differences and Ideal Leader Behavior in a Multigenerational Workforce, and she is passionate about researching the sociological perspectives of diverse generations in today's workforce.

Liz Lara-Carreño currently serves as the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program Director of Outreach. As part of the program launch in January 2011, she also holds additional roles as a faculty member of the National Program at Babson College and the local Program at HCC. Liz uses her diverse and expansive leadership and management experience in corporate, small business, and the non-profit community. Armed with a degree, numerous certifications, global leadership experience and owner of LLC-Strategies, she brings a fresh perspective and candid facilitative style to address the challenges of business owners in growth mode.

Mishele Lamshing is Program Manager for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in Houston and has been with the program since its inception in 2011. She has also assisted in the national program as well. Mishele manages the budget and coordinates curriculum and outreach logistics of the program to ensure program operations are effective for program scholars and staff. Mishele has a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising with minor in Marketing and also provides freelance services for small businesses in the greater Houston area.

Terri Almendarez is the Administrative Coordinator for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and is involved in local outreach and recruiting efforts including assisting applicants with the application process. Terri coordinates logistics for each of the cohorts and events and assist in managing administrative responsibilities. Terri is an alumnus of Houston Community College, and prior to joining Houston Community College Terri was a realtor with Coldwell Banker United Realtors.

Manuel Aguilar is the Module Faculty for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses in Houston and a BBA/MBA Finance graduate from the University of St. Thomas. Manuel’s experience includes Small Business/Commercial Banking, Healthcare Software, Business Ownership and in Non-Profit. He is Owner President of 10Thirty-six, partner in SaaS company Fezziwig Technologies and founder of Graduate Growth Group (3G).

Michael A. Davenport brings over 30 years of legal and business counsel experience. He is a retired Commander of the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corp (JAGC), a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas and the founder of Davenport Law, a risk management and litigation firm established in 1984.and serves as a business advisor in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.

Ernest brings to GS10KSB Houston a diverse business background that spans over 30 years which includes Military Logistics Management, Global Supply Chain Management, Small Business Ownership, Retail Management and Sports Management. Ernest is a USAF Veteran with over 10 years’ experience as a Global Supply Chain Manager for Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. He is an alumnus of HCC and holds a MA in Sports Management from Sam Houston State University and BBA in Finance from the University of Houston- Downtown. He currently serves as the CEO of Seek Wise Consulting, LLC, a small business consulting firm that serves SMBs in the greater Houston area with effective growth strategies that positively impact the company’s bottom line. Ernest has consulted SMB’s that are B2B, B2G, and B2C across all genres. Ernest is an effective communicator with a passion for listening that offers a wealth of knowledge in financial forecasting, benchmarking, financial analysis, growth strategies, risk management, resource mapping, and building teams.

Lindsay Fisher specializes in employee benefits and is the South Texas Team Lead for Higginbotham & Associates, the largest private insurance brokerage firm in Texas. She has numerous years of experience in Human Resources and Operations and holds the SHRM Senior Certified Professional certification.

Chief Possibilideas Guide for Level VII Resources; Virtual Thinking Expedition Company Guide. Thea has over 20 years’ experience working with business and educational teams as well as individuals, fostering creative thinking, innovation and change. She is a certified instructor in the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Kirton Adaption Innovation (KAI) inventory and has been using both instruments to coach teams and individuals since 1998. She has developed and led training programs that enhance team function and improve leadership skills through the use and understanding of the cognitive style in problem-solving.

She has guided and assisted in leading major Thinking Expeditions with organizations such as Exxon, Texaco, Shell, Lever Ponds, Halliburton, Proctor and Gamble, the U.S Navy, U.S. Joint Service Military Operations, the Swedish Institute for Management (IFL). Her most recent work involves promoting school reform with administrators, teachers and students in HISD.

Miguel serves as Module Faculty for Module 7 – Strategic Growth through Operations. Miguel brings over 22 years of experience in healthcare and has owned his own Medical Transcription Company. He has worked with some of the largest hospitals in the U.S. to implement billing and coding services, Computer Assisted Coding, Clinical Documentation Improvement cloud-based solutions, EHR selection and implementation. Miguel has a dual concentration Bachelor’s degree in Management and International Business from Florida International University in Miami and an MBA in International Business from the University of Miami in Florida.

David Regenbaum serves as faculty for Module 7: Strategic Growth through Operations of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program.  He also serves as the Entrepreneur in Residence for Houston Community College’s Center for Entrepreneurship and is the Vice President of the Houston Community College Foundation.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Silver Fox Advisors and is the Managing Member of AMI Institute, LLC.   He was previously the CEO and Co-Founder (with his wife) of Association Management, Inc. (AMI), a successful community association management company which he sold in 2014, and prior to that practiced as an attorney in South Africa until his immigration to the USA in 1979.

Tracie serves as Module Faculty for Module 6 – Marketing and Sales and owns and operates Marketing Logix and Scout Logix.. Tracie is former President of the American Marketing Association – Houston Chapter (AMA Houston) and she earned her Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Technology from the University of Houston.

John Whaley is a strategic business planner who serves as Module Faculty for Module 2: Growth and Opportunity for the program. John filed his first DBA at the age of 16 and has worked passionately in the community to support entrepreneurship at all levels for the past 30 years. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Western Governors University as well as his Masters of Business Administration degree.

Nannette Ray is President of TNR Accounting & Management Consulting, LLC (TNR). A minority woman-owned small business that provides CFO Services, bookkeeping, tax preparation, and management consulting services for corporations, governmental agencies, and small businesses. The firm’s mission is to assist clients in translating their financial numbers into their business STORY to help them make data-driven decisions to grow their business. Nannette has Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting & Information Systems from University of Texas at San Antonio, and MBA in Finance from St. Mary’s University.