June 7-8, 2025: Houston - George R. Brown Convention Center - Grand Ballroom (Level 3)

Carol’s expertise spans over 20 years in the Human Resources, People Operations and Talent Acquisition space. She has helped develop and advance organizational talent for a multitude of industries including financial services and banking, telehealth, behavioral health and non-profit. Carol is also passionate about creating healthier workplaces, and is a certified health coach. She is focused on helping people discover alternative solutions outside of the traditional corporate structure and committed to working with individuals who are having a difficult time seeing beyond their existing career situation.

Carol and her husband Jeff have 2 children and live in Doylestown, PA. She is a FL native but loves the beauty of the Northeast seasons. She enjoys hiking, reading, spending time with her new rescue dog, Mrs. Wiggles and spending time on the soccer and football fields watching her kids’ play. Carol is an active volunteer with her children’s school and has served in various leadership roles for the past 9 years.

Irving Chung is senior franchise consultant driven to help people take control of their lives and create freedom for themselves through business ownership. My goal is to help others discover More Passion, More Money, More Freedom and Control by becoming their own Boss. As a Professional Franchise Consultant, I help the people I work with understanding franchising, and determine if it might be a good fit for them. If it is, then I take them through a proven, and methodical process to develop a custom model, tailored to them based on their background, skill sets, financial and lifestyle goals, that we then use to match them up with the best franchise business that's a perfect fit for them!

Steve, a Texas native and Baylor graduate with a Business degree, brings 12 years of experience in the insurance industry, encompassing investments, sales, and claims. In 2011, he co-founded a business specializing in children's shoes. In 2014, Steve joined The Dwyer Group (now Neighborly), the world's largest parent company of 27 home service brands with 5000+ franchise owners across nine countries, as a consultant. There, he coached business owners in various aspects, including contracts, budgets, and marketing trends. After three years in financing, and assisting entrepreneurs with SBA loans, Steve joined Tenet Financial Group in September as a Senior Consultant, focusing on growing the SBA and vehicle/equipment lease program and enhancing the ROBS program. Outside of work, Steve is passionate about outdoor activities, construction, farming, and gardening. He also dedicates time to church, volunteering, and mission work, including providing medical services in Peru and participating in local prison ministry and aid efforts. Steve, married with two children, finds pride in his family and their achievements.

Pamela is the founder and CEO of the BizSold (Business Exchange). As an entrepreneur, Pamela has helped 1000s of companies grow. An Alumni of Western University, Pamela started the company with the vision to help business owners and entrepreneurs. With over 26+ years of experience in the business and franchise industry, Pamela can be considered one of the few entrepreneurs who have seen all types of marketing such as print, event, web, and mobile.

After two decades mastering relationship development in both nonprofit fundraising and marketing sectors, Kara Russell discovered her true calling wasn't in creating programs or technology systems—it was in empowering others to reach their full potential.

A pivotal year of life's most challenging transitions—both joyful and heartbreaking—sparked Kara's realization that her greatest professional fulfillment came from building meaningful connections and helping others achieve their goals. This epiphany led her to become a Career Ownership Coach with The Entrepreneur's Source, where she now channels her extensive relationship-building expertise and program design experience into guiding others through their own journeys of self-discovery.

"I'm passionate about helping others explore new possibilities and discover options for creating their future," says Kara, whose background in nonprofit development and fundraising gives her unique insight into meaningful career transitions. "I'm excited to guide people on the same path of self-discovery that reignited my passion for self-reliance."

When not transforming careers, Kara enjoys life on Washington's scenic Kitsap Peninsula with her husband Wade, teenage son, two adult daughters, and their spirited cattle dog, Tillie. A WSU Communications and Public Relations graduate, she balances her coaching practice with family time, culinary adventures, game nights, and travel explorations.

For the past 24 years and prior to making the decision to own my own business as a Career Coach, I held management and executive leadership roles within the Biotech arena. Roles included Sales, Operations, Marketing Analysis & Development as well as assisting with the development and build-out of National commercial teams in both large and start-up organizations. During college, I held different management positions in the building materials arena and moved into a General Manager position following graduation.

Texas has always been home, the last 20 years living in the Houston area. My wife and I will soon be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and we have two adult sons that are currently chasing their own dreams. Shawn Eudy photoWe spend as much time as possible with our two young grandkids and share a love of volunteering and the outdoors. In my spare time, I hunt for lost golf balls, follow college football, fish, and snow ski.

Diana Trondsen is a Franchise Consultant and the Owner of FranNet Houston & The Gulf Coast Region; a locally owned and operated franchise consulting firm. She has over 20 years experience in franchise ownership including managing a multi-unit retail franchise and growing her franchise consultancy business. Diana and her team have helped hundreds of individuals achieve their dreams of business ownership through a no-cost, educational and coaching process. She incorporates personality assessment and financial review then tailors potential franchises to each client’s unique strengths and skills to find the right fit. Diana’s personal experience as a franchise owner gives her the perspective to help her clients assess their real opportunities, risks, and timing to make sound decisions.

Diana is a Texas A&M graduate and certified SCORE Mentor and educator. She conducts over 30 seminars annually on the topic of franchise ownership; many of these seminars have been conducted in collaboration with the SCORE, Small Business Development Centers, Small Business Administration, and similar organizations.

Ms. Shelton has been counseling Franchise / Business Opp. clients for over 25 years. She especially enjoys working with small business owners assisting them to "Expand their Brand®". Since starting the law firm, she has been focused on providing the “Missing Piece” with legal services to small and emerging businesses. Her business savviness combined with her belief in mentorship is the backbone of the law firms slogan, “Your Outsourced In-house Counsel”. Ms. Shelton focuses on ensuring clients are offered individualized service while handling Franchise Disclosures, registrations, legal creation and vendor distributions within a clients business. Ms. Shelton has published many articles and has even written a book. She has been married for over 25 yrs. and has one son and a sponsored daughter from Haiti. In her spare time she teaches leadership development in third world countries to future colleagues and volunteers at her church.

Kim is currently the Director of the Small Business Development Center’s Houston office, which is part of The University of Houston Baur College of Business. She is a former small business owner, having owned three Jersey Mike’s franchised restaurants in the Houston metro. Prior to that, she spent 20 years in various marketing roles at large food companies, including The Hershey Company and Coca-Cola.

Kim’s time as a small business owner gave her experience with small business lending, commercial leases, franchising, retail site selection, accounting & bookkeeping, and human resources management. She attended The University of Texas at Austin, where she received both her B.S. and MBA

For the past two decades Ted Adams has built business coaching companies and direct response marketing companies. He signed my first franchise agreement back in 2003 since then his companies have been responsible for BILLIONS of dollars in revenue at a time. He have led over 1200 executives to find their purpose and grow businesses and in the process became one of Oregon's Top 100 Employers. He has become an expert at unpacking the unique purpose inside the heart of an executive and has learned how to translate that into an opportunity that fits their unique goals. He now dedicates all his professional energy, passion, and knowledge to help executives clarify their unique purpose, and align it to an opportunity. He positions individuals to multiply their gift in the marketplace to help them create an impact that aligns with their DNA.