Corey Kirkendoll is the President & and CEO of 5K Technical Services. 5K Technical Service, is an award-winning Managed Service Provider (MSP) company that is committed to establishing solid IT solutions for small and medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) throughout the North Texas area. Corey has over 27 years of experience in the Information Services and technology sector and has worked for IBM, Cisco Systems, Dell, EMC, and VMware, where he held various engineering and high-level positions. Corey is recognized by his peers as an IT and Cyber Security Expert. Through his leadership, his relentless focus on being process-oriented, and his commitment to delivering excellence in security and compliance, he has been a major influence on the rapid growth not only within his own MSP but with other MSPs across the country as well. He is a professional Speaker and a published author in several industry magazines. Corey previously served as the Chair of the CompTIA Managed Services Executive Council and is a board member of the National Society of IT Service Providers, a member of the ASCII Advisory Board and Security Council, the ConnectWise Security Partner Advisory Board, and National Convergence Technology Center’s Business & Industry Leadership Team (The BILT), The Comptia Advancing Diversity and Tech Executive Committee and the Comptia ISAO, MSP Champions Group. Corey is a Tech Titan and has received numerous awards in the IT industry. With Corey’s leadership, 5K Technical Services has been honored and received many notable accolades by the MSP industry, including the CompTIA Community Leadership award in 2022, the ChannelPro 2021 Peer of the Year awardee, CRN MSP 500 and CRN Tech Elite 250 and CRN Nextgen 250, as well as the Dallas Business Journal Top North Texas Family-Owned and Black Business awards list. Corey is known as a Channel Influencer and has been recognized by CompTIA and the ChannelPro Network as a person who has shared especially powerful peer-to-peer business advice and made a difference in the channel. Corey is a Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE), Certified Information Security Systems Professional (CISSP), and Certified Cyber Security Architect (CCSA) and holds a Bachelor’s Degree and two MBA Degrees in Information Technology Management and conflict and Resolution Management from Jones International University in Colorado. He is also a graduate of the SBA Emerging Leaders and Goldman Sachs SB 10K Programs.

Rev. Dominique Isaac Grate of South Carolina joined the Office of Institutional Advancement and Development as its new Assistant Vice President for Development. He oversees major gifts and foundation relations. Grate earned his bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies with a minor in history from the University of South Carolina, studying under the world-renowned Dr. Stephanie Mitchem. Pursuing a call to ministry, Grate began preaching in 2012 and was a 2013 inductee into the National Academy of Young Preachers. He earned his master’s degree from Wake Forest University School of Divinity in 2015 as an Ed & Jean Christman Fellow. He was ordained in 2016 as an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He has pastored three churches: the Historic Trinity AME Church in Manning, South Carolina; the New Mt. Zion AME Church in Lexington, South Carolina; and the Calvary AME Church in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina. His ministry passions include rural ministry, humanitarian missions, and historic preservation. Grate is a life member of the NAACP, My Carolina Alumni Association, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. He is also a Columbia Urban League Young Professionals, Rotary International, and Capital City Lodge #47 (Prince Hall) member. Jarvis Christian University empowers students of all ages to achieve their career goals through academic experiences that prepare them for lives of significance. Whether a student is a recent high school graduate or a working adult seeking career advancement, Jarvis Christian University develops students intellectually, socially, spiritually, and emotionally.

Clarence Clayton is Director of Global Privacy at Red Hat. He has been with the company since 2013 and leads an organization responsible for the management, implementation and growth of Red Hat’s Global Privacy Program and helping ensure the company complies with global data privacy laws. He holds certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (CIPM, CIPP/E, FIP) and the Project Management Institute (PMP). With over twenty years of experience in Business Systems Analysis and Program Management, he has a demonstrated track record of success across various industries including Technology Services, Consulting, and Government. Clarence thrives on challenges and always strives to bring a positive and infectious energy to any endeavor. He is a founding member and former Chair of B.U.I.L.D., a Red Hat Diversity, Equity and Inclusion community. Clarence is a former Chair of the community, helps advance his company’s commitment to a more diverse workforce and was instrumental in establishing the company’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and cultivating partnerships with local organizations and institutions including the Triangle MLK Committee and Shaw University. He led the Program Management Office supporting Red Hat’s acquisition by IBM and was a 2019 winner of the General H. Hugh Shelton Chairman’s Award, one of Red Hat’s highest honors. In his spare time, Clarence is a news, politics and pop culture junkie, passionate about genealogy, and an avid college basketball and NFL fan. A native of Henrico, NC, he is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a B.S. in Accounting and lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife and two daughters.