The people who work hard to make it all happen!
Mickey Mellen
Co-Lead Organizer
“Thought leader” is one of those accolades that many aspire to, but few deserve. Mickey is the real thing –– a widely acknowledged thought leader in the WordPress space. He follows more than 500 blogs to stay current on every aspect of digital media. He’s also a sought-after teacher, sharing his expertise across Metro Atlanta on all aspects of technology, social media and analytics through monthly WordPress-focused Meetups and other gatherings of experts and learners. He’s competitive but generous as he helps others develop their skills. Along the way, he has retained the stamina and determination of the long-distance runner he used to be.
Away from his three-screen workstation, he coaches his daughter’s soccer team, plays softball and enjoys ice cream with his wife, Kelly, and their two girls.
You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn, among others.
Brad Morrison
Co-Lead Organizer
Brad is the organizer of the North Fulton WordPress Meetup and has been working with WordPress since 2009. He’s the founder of GoWP, a WordPress support company that serves agencies and small businesses. When Brad is not sitting in front of a computer, he’s busy following the Tar Heels and spending time with his wife, Marie and daughter, Elena.
Diana Nichols
Organizer
Diana has been creating websites for clients since 1995. From 1997 through 2000, she was Executive Vice President of a local web design firm, managing a staff of 15. She has worked as a professional Web developer, as Lavender Threads / Diana Nichols and company, since 1998.
She co-facilitates the Developer track for A Brighter Web meetups each month. She also has a strong background in marketing, event management, and internet technology, and is a certified Life Coach.
Diana’s other passion is art. When she’s not coding, she’s probably painting (unless, of course, she’s hanging out with her 5 adorable grandkids).
You can find out more at DianaNichols.com, WPWhatNot.com, and DianaWorks.com.
Kathy Drewien
Sponsor Team Lead
Kathy is all about forging meaningful connections and holds to the belief that nothing beats the power of in-person interactions for cementing relationships. She facilitates the Marietta WordPress Meetup (originated 2011), has served as a WordCamp Atlanta organizer for 8 years, and serves on the WordCamp US 2017-2018 organizer team.
Her firm, Kathy Drewien & Company, rescues abandoned, broken, ugly, orphaned, and non-productive websites. Kathy is an attentive listener who asks powerful questions in conversations that guide brave thoughtful freelancers and entrepreneurs to create life-changing results.
Aaron Reimann
Speaker Team Lead
I’m a designer that turned into a developer and now an agency owner (but I still try to write code when I can). I’ve been working with WordPress since 2008. I’ve worked with a couple of Fortune 100 companies but also with the local sewing machine shop. I co-lead a WordPress developer Meetup and the Atlanta WordPress Meetup.
Bret Phillips
Social Events Team Lead
Bret Phillips has been building WordPress websites since 2009. Recently merging his business with Sideways8, he now focuses on sales, business processes, and helping customers with their website strategy.
Daniel Swain
Volunteers Team Lead
Daniel is the founder of JDS WebDesign, a Digital Marketing Strategy Company that helps small to mid-size companies. JDS WebDesign builds, supports and markets WordPress websites. Daniel has been building websites for 16 + years, and working as a free lance designer for JDS WebDesign since August 2007.
In his spare time, Daniel loves hanging out with his family, playing a round of golf, listening to some jazz, writing blog material, and working on his podcast.
Naomi C. Bush
Contributor Day Team Lead
Naomi’s been working with WordPress as a professional developer since 2005, and you can currently find her over at gravityplus.pro where she specializes in quickly delivering custom business applications at a fraction of the cost.
She contributes back to the WordPress project through the core code, the codex documentation, free plugins, organizing the WordPress Gwinnett meetup, organizing WordCamp Atlanta, and speaking at WordCamps.
Renee Dobbs
Registration Team Lead
Renee Dobbs is a self-proclaimed Domestic Goddess with 3 very spoiled whippets who have her wrapped around their little toes. Renee created her first WordPress site in 2011 and sold it in 2017. She has recently launched a new site, Spoiled Hounds, to celebrate a loving life with dogs. You can follow her and the hounds on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Tom Tortorici
Design Team Lead
Tom is sort of obsessed with optimizing websites for humans, through writing, design, and reader-friendly strategies. He’s learned some really surprising things by putting on his buyers’ hat while working on sellers’ sites.
The writer half of Tom’s brain can be accessed on this site, and the designer half on this one. His classes, talks and e-books have focused on how to grab web visitors by the eyeballs and yank them in deeper (so to speak).
Tom has amassed an extensive collection of media, communications and computing devices from the mid-1800s until now. Who knows why.
Twitter: tom_tortorici
