70 percent of Millennials have “friended” their managers and/or co-workers on Facebook. TESSA TURNER, 33 Marketing Operations Manager, LexisNexis “Don’t wait for opportunity. Create it.” Tessa, who moved to Roswell in 2017, loves stand-up comedy and has taken classes to learn the craft from a local comedian. She has even performed in Buckhead at Jerry’s Side Door. However, her full-time job is Marketing Operations Manager at LexisNexis Risk Solutions in Alpharetta, where she is a leader in providing essential information to help customers assess, predict and manage risk. Tessa has a degree in science, technology and culture from Georgia Tech, where she also had an opportunity to study abroad in Sweden for five months. She enjoys serving her community and sits on the Young Professionals Advisory Council for The Drake House, specifically working with its fundraising committee. SARA HARWOOD, 34 Visiting Lecturer at GSU “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Sara is passionate about making Roswell an even better place to work, live and play. She began volunteering in Roswell five years ago, specifically for Bulloch Hall, where she gives guided tours and helps out with special events. She’s also been involved with Friends of Mimosa Hall and Gardens and most recently joined the Groveway History Project, which records oral history about the Groveway Community Group, in addition to being a grant writer for the Roswell Dance Theatre. Professionally, Sara is Visiting Lecturer at Georgia State University, teaching first-year composition, and participates in the university’s Atlanta Studies Teaching and Learning Community. RICO DAVIS, 32 Area Manager, Schwan Food Company “Dark cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.”– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rico and his wife, Cheryl, have two children, Lilly and Jackson. The family has only lived in the Roswell area for about a year now, but he became familiar with the community while he was area manager of Schwan Food Company in 2013. Today,
Rico is area manager of Galls, LLC., specifically working in the public safety and apparel sector, where he helps make sure our heroes—police officers, fireman, military personnel, etc.—are safe and well-dressed. Rico is also an active member at Simone’s Kids, which is a Georgia-based nonprofit dedicated to educating and helping house children in Uganda. MIKE PALERMO, 36 Reginal VP, E-Trade, Roswell City Council Member “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.”–Bryant McGill Mike grew up in a historic town like Roswell, so when he discovered the community, he knew it was the perfect place to live and raise his family. He moved to Roswell in 2011 and began serving on the City Council in 2016, where he still serves as Council Member 3. Mike is also Regional Vice President of E*Trade Financial in Alpharetta. He is passionate about Roswell’s vision to be a vibrant riverside community connecting strong neighborhoods, preserving the city’s rich history, celebrating arts and culture, and cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit. In his spare time, Mike enjoys eating at local restaurants and taking his kids to city parks. MELISSA HARBERS, 34 CEO / Owner, Pinkies Up Beer & Wine “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, become more, you are a leader.”–John Quincy Adams As CEO and Owner of Pinkies Up Beer and Wine in Roswell, Melissa’s vision is for the beer and wine lounge to become the local destination to nourish relationships, educate consumers and simplify sophistication. When she’s not at work, Melissa enjoys cooking, finding new restaurants and hiking. She attended University of Alaska, Anchorage, where she studied journalism and public communications, after graduating from high school in Georgia. Using the skills she acquired in college, she enjoys writing creative notes to their dog walker and posting them on social media. “They’re bone-a-fide good dogs!” she declares.