Dville Buzz: Recent Episodes
Omar Daniel
Dville Buzz is a podcast that interviews inspirational people that live,play and work in Douglasville, GA. It will be a peek into the community and the people that make it a great place to visit and live. Learn about current events and people of Douglasville. Listeners will also get tips/tricks on food, house cleaning and more. Join Dville Buzz every Tuesday @ 12 noon for a great interview and news buzz.
Tarenia Carthan is a native of Atlanta, GA and a graduate of Atlanta Christian College. She is the wife of Tony Carthan and mother of 4 girls, Brittany, Alarin, Amaya, and Asia. Tarenia is the CEO of Elohim Consultants; a health information technology-consulting firm established in 2005. For over 20 years, Tarenia has served in the medical community and embraced the changes that technology has brought to the field. Her dedication to excellence in the medical and technology fields may be seen in her philanthropic work that includes co-founding the Angels N Tech/Angels N Me Foundation to benefit young girls and encourage them to pursue careers in (STEAM) science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. In recognition of her work in the field, Tarenia was recognized as an Outstanding Entrepreneur by Who's Who in Black Atlanta in 2012.
Currently, Tarenia serves her community on the Douglas County Board of Commissioners as it’s newly elected District 3 Commissioner. Before being elected, she served as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Assessors in Douglas County, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., along with being a weekly Meal on Wheels volunteer with Douglas County Senior Services. Tarenia also is the past President of The Democratic Women's Council of Douglas County, and is the former Chairman of the Healthcare Committee of the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women.
Tarenia believes that our Government should work for ALL people as being an elected official does not equal a dictatorship but a democracy for ALL. Working together, Tarenia believes that Douglas County is set to be the example of how Small Town Values and Urban Vision can exist seamlessly to create a thriving community.
Patricia has been married 51 years to her husband Stan. They have 3 children,
8 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild. She has a Master’s Degree in Education
and taught over 16 years as a middle school math teacher and 2 years at West
Georgia Technical College.
PROFESSIONAL:
Wenck Travel was established in January 2008 and chose to become an
independent agency in 2016. There are 20 independent agents being trained and
supported by Wenck Travel. Patricia has written travel articles for the local
newspaper; co-author of her first book - Women Everywhere Level Up and Lead;
featured in three area magazines; interviewed on an Atlanta blog talk show; and is
in the process of preparing for her CTA certification from The Travel Institute.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND AWARDS
In 2009 Wenck Travel joined the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce; Stan
and Patricia were chosen to be Chamber Diplomats for the business community;
member of the Chamber Small Business Committee; selected as a 2015 – 2019
Business of Excellence; and received the 2009 Chamber Spirit and the 2015 Sam P.
Roberts Community Service awards. Patricia is a board member for several
nonprofits in Douglas County; serves on the advisory board for the local Marketing
and Business Departments for all of the high schools as well as West Georgia
Technical College; board member for Douglasville Convention and Visitors Bureau
and Partners In Education; given the CVB Hospitality Worker of the Year award in
both 2012 and 2018; was named the 2018 Travel Agency Reader’s Choice recipient
for our local paper; and selected as a STAR (Select Travel Advisor Recognition)
travel agent for the 2017 CruiseWorld Conference.
Dr. Deborah A. Johnson-Blake is the CEO of The Writing Pad, LLC, a writing, editing and consulting firm focusing on proofreading, editing, and customized writing. She is an award-winning assistant professor at Liberty University, subject matter expert with expertise in leadership and management, and a dissertation content specialist & reader at Concordia University.
She also serves on several boards and committees. She is the President of the American Business Women’s Association Douglas County Charter Chapter. She is a member of the Junior League of Douglas County and a Douglas County Chamber Diplomat and an executive committee member of the Women in Business Council (Clayton County Chamber of Commerce), and the Chair of the Mentoring Program. She is the 2019 Woman of the Year for the American Business Women’s Association Douglas County Charter Chapter.
When she is not working with her students, clients, and giving back to her community, she is busy speaking and promoting her books and training. She is also the author of Managing Time on Purpose, a practical guide based on theory and best practices that can be used to help people become more time management efficient and co-author of Women Level Up and Lead and K.I.S.S. Your Destiny Fears Away. She has been a contributing writer for the South Fulton Lifestyle Magazine, South Atlanta Magazine (formerly We are Clayton), the Douglas County Sentinel. She has been featured in VoyageATL and Em-Spire magazines and Atlanta Eats - The Juicy Crab (Kennesaw) episode. Dr. Johnson-Blake provides weekly time management tips every Tuesday on social media. You can follow Dr. Deborah A. Johnson-Blake on social at @djohnsonblake.
KEMIKO Y. LAWRENCE IS A CERTIFIED YOGA EDUCATOR ERYT 200HR,
REGISTERED WITH YOGA ALLIANCE, AND KEMBOOCHA BREWMASTER.
KEMIKO’S WELLNESS JOURNEY HAS BEEN HER LIFE'S STORY. AS A YOUNG
CHILD SHE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS HEALTH CHALLENGES. THIS
EXPERIENCE LED HER MOTHER TO RADICALLY MODIFY THE FAMILY'S DIET.
KEMIKO'S MOM LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR WHAT HAS BECOME HER LIFE'S
WORK AND PASSION. KEMIKO IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ENGAGING,
EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING OTHERS THROUGH HER SERVICE OF YOGA &
PRODUCT, KEMBOOCHA.
HAVING WORKED WITH SMALL & LARGE CORPORATIONS, INDIVIDUALS &
GROUPS, KEMIKO CONTINUES TO LEAD THE CHARGE OF SPREADING
WELLNESS THROUGHOUT HER COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD.
A HEALTH
AND WELLNESS ADVOCATE, SHE BELIEVES THAT BEING NON-JUDGMENTAL,
LOVING AND COMPASSIONATE WITH ONESELF ENSURES THE SAME
TREATMENT OF OTHERS. “SELF CARE IS HEALTHCARE” IS HER DAILY
AFFIRMATION.
KEMIKO IS MARRIED WITH 5 CHILDREN. SHE IS A PROUD MILITARY AND
HOMESCHOOLING MOM, TRIATHLETE AND LOVER OF AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE.
SHE RESIDES IN DOUGLASVILLE GA WITH HER HUSBAND AND 3 YOUNGEST
CHILDREN.
Fit2Elite Performance LLC was created to design, promote, and help individuals obtain a healthier lifestyle. Each individual is different and should have a program designed to reflect their individual needs. Safety is our number one goal while training; we thrive to provide a clean and safe environment, functional equipment, and a trained and professional staff to guide you through your workouts. We want you to reach your goals, but more importantly, we want to help you obtain the knowledge and work ethic to sustain your goals.
Fit2Elite Performance is a performance enhancement facility with the focus centering around youth and athletics. We cater to athletes ages 7yrs and older, and we will train for all sports (excluding baseball). The primary focus is to ensure that the city of Douglasville and surrounding areas have a facility that our youth can call home and come to for experienced, professional training.
The studio will be equipped with performance-enhancing equipment such as, Vertimax, Skierg's, squat/deadlift power racks, air runners, weight sleds, and 40 yards of field turf for our athletes. We will host a wide variety of classes for adults as well.
SUPERINTENDENT TRENT NORTH
Douglas County Schools
Superintendent Trent North began his tenure with the Douglas County School System in 2017. As the leader of the state’s seventeenth-largest school district, he oversees 35 schools, 3,500 employees and 25,000 students. Throughout his 25-year career in public education, he has demonstrated a passion to prepare every student for college, career and life success.
A leader at heart, Mr. North has expertise in learning, teaching, and administration at all levels of public education. Before coming to Douglas County, he served in Carroll County as teacher, principal, Human Resources Director, Community Affairs Director, Race to the Top Director and founding principal of two schools. While in the Carrollton City School System, he was recognized for his transformative efforts with Carrollton Middle School. Under his leadership, he is credited with increasing enrollment, raising staff confidence and making significant strides in student achievement.
Mr. North has been recognized by his peers for his leadership abilities and ability to connect with parents, teachers and the community. The author of “Forensic Leadership: Changing the Culture of a Nation,” Mr. North has inspired others across the nation as a speaker on leadership, cultural diversity and community service. The Carroll County Times-Georgian, NAACP and other civic and professional organizations have recognized Mr. North for his visionary achievements.
A former Carroll County Commissioner, Mr. North has been honored for dedicating over twenty-five years of service to improving the quality of life for Carroll County residents. Under his leadership, Carroll County launched numerous projects that generated new construction and introduced economic opportunities to the area.
In the local community, Superintendent North has been very active. He is a 2018 graduate of Leadership Douglas and serves on the Douglas County Chamber’s Board of Directors. Mr. North is also a member of the Rotary Club and Douglas Kiwanis Club. He is involved in strengthening the connection between community and student achievement through his work with Live Healthy Douglas, the Cobb Douglas Board of Health and the Douglas County Education Collaborative.
Mr. North is a lifelong Georgian with deep roots in Carrollton, Georgia. He attended the University of West Georgia for undergraduate and graduate and studies. A proud and important aspect of Mr. North’s life is his family. He is the son of Kelly and Brenda Sue Reese . He and his wife Toya are the proud parents of two college-aged daughters, Alecia and Alexis.
Herb’N Eden is an all natural body care product company. Our foundation is bar soaps made with plant based ingredients. and we have since branched off to include other products that help to maintain healthy skin. Our mission is to provide consumers with handcrafted body care products they can trust and to inform them about the benefits of using simple, yet powerful ingredients. We believe in being transparent with our crafting process and letting everyone in on our journey as entrepreneurs building a sustainable brand.
The inspiration of Herb'N Eden stemmed from being involved in the farmer's market culture. We were introduced to the culture through our internship at Urban Sprout Farms, which showed us a lifestyle of health and sustainability. Growing plants is such a valuable skill and my time doing that skill had me yearning to learn a new skill of my own. So I like to think that Herb'N Eden began with the curiosity for a craft!
From the first batch of handmade botanical soap, a true calling was revealed. The ability to add herbs & plant oils to soap was an even greater revelation. From there, we were inspired to dive into the world of soap-making and skincare.
We use soap everyday to clean our hair and skin and it doesn't have to be chock full of artificial ingredients; the simpler the better. Herb'N Eden values self-sustainability, which starts with SELF-maintenance. Maintain beautiful healthy skin, with all-natural ingredients from our plant friends.
To be as natural as possible, we do not use any fragrance oils, or toxic ingredients like phthalates & parabens in our products. We include only therapeutic grade essential oils for their aromatherapy benefits. Fragrance oils lack any therapeutic benefits and they are typically full of unknown ingredients that are prone to irritate sensitive skin.
Our mission is to create holistic bath and body products that help maintain skin health. Our products are made with botanical ingredients that are known to do just that! We strive to empower others with an alternative to the commercial brands we grew up on. Since our our products are hand-made, each one is unique, just as we all are!
Our all-natural products are plant-based, beneficial for all skin types, handcrafted, and non-toxic. Since the beginning of civilization herbs have aided in self-healing, so let your soap be your medicine and your medicine be your soap.
https://www.facebook.com/herbneden/
https://www.herbneden.com/
Sara Ray has lived in Douglasville for more than 20 years and believes in making a personal difference in her community. Sara was born in Rome, Georgia and received a Bachelors of Arts in Communications Studies from the University North Carolina at Wilmington. Her dedication to community and family led her to accept a position at the Douglas County Chamber where over the past nine years she has been promoted from Communications Director to Vice President and most recently President & CEO in April 2018. Throughout her time at the DC Chamber, Ray has served multiple leadership roles including, Board Member of Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Board Member of WellStar Regional Health Board, founding member of Keep Douglas County Beautiful, and founding member of the Douglas County Gamechangers nonprofit. She is also an active member of the Georgia Chamber, Atlanta Regional Commission, Regional Business Coalition, ACCE, Junior League of Douglas County among others. Sara is the wife of Bryan Ray, an employee at Yancey Bros. Co., and mother of four children.
Mike is the owner of 2 businesses in Douglas County. Listen to the interview and find out what he does for the youth.
Diane interview Karen Campbell of Women of Douglasville.
The Women Of Douglasville is a diverse community of women unified to positively impact the West Ga area. So no matter if you are a Stay at Home Mom, Self-Employed, Small Business Entrepreneur or Executive Level Corporate Mogul, we WELCOME you here. If you are a WOMAN This group is for YOU! Feel free to share any ideas or suggestions you may have to help this group continue to grow and thrive.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenOfDouglasville/