Shahi Ghanem

Shahi Ghanem is a technology industry veteran, serial entrepreneur, and venture capital investor and advisor that has helped create over one billion dollars in shareholder returns. He has worked with dozens of startups and has strong expertise in digital media, consumer electronics, Internet advertising and advanced technology development. Shahi is currently a Director for Brickfish, Inc., an Internet advertising and media company, where he spent 2 years as Chairman and CEO overseeing all aspects of strategy, finance, sales, and operations for the company. He is also on the board of Tri-Worth Solutions, a full service executive recruiting firm. Prior to his current roles, Shahi served as president of DivX, Inc. (NASDAQ: DIVX), one of the world’s leading developers of video compression, digital rights management and media language technologies. He helped grow DivX from a pre-revenue startup into a profitable, multi-national business while forging relationships with several major studios and every major consumer electronics manufacturer in the world.

Before joining DivX, Inc., Shahi was co-founder and president of Eotec, LLC, a professional services firm dedicated to helping early stage technology and Internet companies develop business strategies, acquire capital, and expand operations. His previous roles included vice president of technology and electronic business for Greens.com, a leading provider of business solutions for the golf industry; national program director of Advanced Technology for Covansys, a 7,000 person global systems integrator (acquired by NASDAQ: CSC); and director of Claremont Technology Group's Advanced Technology Center.

Shahi was educated at Cal State Long Beach and the University of California at Irvine, where he majored in both economics and pre-med and competed as an NCAA Division 1 athlete. He is an avid traveler and enjoys skiing, scuba diving and golf. Shahi and his wife, Sarah Dolgen Ghanem currently reside in San Diego, Calif.

Sharon Lechter

A life-long education advocate, Sharon Lechter is the co-author of the international best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad and the Rich Dad series of books, as well as one of the founders of the Rich Dad companies and inventor of the CASHFLOW for Kids board game. She is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, educator, CPA, international speaker and mother.

Sharon has been a pioneer in developing new technologies to bring education into children's lives in ways that are innovative, challenging and fun and remains committed to education – particularly, financial literacy.

"Our current educational system has not been able to keep pace with the global and technological changes in the world today," Sharon says. "We must teach our young people the skills – both scholastic and financial – that they need to, not only survive, but flourish in the world."

During Sharon’s 11 years with the Rich Dad companies, they have grown into an international powerhouse with over 20 books, board games, Web sites, CDs, audio cassettes and seminars. Rich Dad Poor Dad has been on The New York Times Best Sellers List for over six years and is available in over 50 languages and sold in more than 108 countries. More than 27 million Rich Dad books have been sold around the world.

In 2007, Sharon left the managerial board of The Rich Dad Company to pursue focused work on financial education for children and families, as well as to continue work on improving our nation’s educational system. She has recently launched a new company Pay Yourself First and new brand, YouthPreneur.

Sharon travels nationally and internationally to speak on a range of topics from educating children and adults on taking control of their personal finances to the entrepreneurial business strategies she used in building Rich Dad’s international success. She shares the spectacular history of the mega-hit and how Rich Dad Poor Dad was originally designed to be a brochure for the CASHFLOW board game.

“Sharon’s passion for entrepreneurship is matched by her dedication to education,” says Mary Lou Bessette, a longtime business leader and executive director of strategic initiatives at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. “Her personal mission is to instill financial literacy worldwide. Sharon's writings and leadership, especially with women and children, demonstrate that she is uniquely positioned to change the world through education.”

A committed philanthropist, Sharon also gives back to world communities as both a volunteer and benefactor. On January 22nd, 2008, Sharon was appointed by President Bush to the President’s Council on Financial Literacy, to a two year term. She is a member of the Business Advisory Council for the Attorney General of the State of Arizona. She serves on the Dean’s Council 100 of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and is also a member of the advisory Board of the Spirit of Enterprise at the W.P. Carey School of Business, serves on the National board of Women’s Presidents Organization and serves on the national board of Childhelp, a national organization founded to prevent and treat child abuse. In 2002, Childhelp honored Sharon and her husband, Michael, as recipients of the Spirit of the Children Award. In 2004, Sharon and Michael were recognized as an Arizona “Power Couple,” and Sharon was also named as a 2005 Woman of Distinction by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.

Sharon graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors from Florida State University with a degree in accounting, then joined the ranks of a Big Eight accounting firm. Sharon has held various management positions with computer, insurance, and publishing companies while maintaining her professional credentials as a Wisconsin CPA, and a member of the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants).

Legal Counsel -- Tom Curzon

Osborn Maledon, P.A., led by partner Tom Curzon, serves as outside general counsel to EmpowHer.com. Curzon's practice focuses primarily on serving as outside general counsel to emerging, growth-oriented companies and on entrepreneurial transactions, including venture capital and other private placements of securities, entity formation and transaction structuring, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, initial public offerings, corporate governance, licensing and distribution of software and other products, employee matters, and executive compensation.

Clients served represent a variety of industries and have included Adon Network (myGeek.com); Aegis Technologies, Inc.; Andigilog, Inc.; Apta Software, Inc.; Arizona State University; AZDB Baseball. L.P.; Brain Savers, LLC; Child Support Network, Inc.; Ethix Media, LLC; Fusion Marketing Partners, L.L.C.; GoalCentrix, Inc.; Grand Canyon Railway, Inc.; Grayhawk Venture Partners, LLC; HealthCare Dimensions, Inc.; iCrossing, Inc.; ImaRx Therapeutics, Inc.; Infusion Software, LLC; Innocal, LP; Interact Commerce Corporation (SalesLogix); Interactive Alchemy, Inc.; and Inventure, Inc. (formerly Poore Brothers, Inc.).

Curzon graduated magna cum laude with his J.D. from the University of Texas and graduated summa cum laude with his B.A. from the Univeristy of Kansas. He has repeatedly been named as one of America's Leading Lawyers for Business (Corporate/M&A) by Chambers USA and as one of the The Best Lawyers in America® (Corporate Law, M&A Law). Among Curzon's numerous professional activities, he was part of the State Bar of Arizona's Subcommittee on Revising the Corporate Code and served on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Technology Council.

Strategic Advisor -- Francine Hardaway

Stealthmode Partners is headed up by Francine Hardaway, Ph.D., an experienced marketing strategist with special expertise in startup companies.

As a partner in Stealthmode Partners, she has helped package and secure funding for many early-stage technology companies. She has created positioning and marketing strategies for dozens of companies growth companies (from startup to IPO to maturity).

Prior to co-founding Stealthmode Partners, Dr. Hardaway was Vice President of Corporate Marketing at Innovative Environmental Products, and Manager of Worldwide Press Relations at Intel's Computing Enhancement Group, where she planned the entrance of the intelligent I/O server chip into the OEM market and created the public relations plans for digital imaging, in-car computing, USB, and home networking. As an entrepreneur, Dr. Hardaway built the largest marketing/public relations firm in Phoenix, Arizona before leaving it to join Intel. Nine years ago she co-founded Stealthmode Partners with Ed Nusbaum.

Francine was an Entrepreneurial Fellow at the Berger Center of the Eller School of Business, University of Arizona and has taught entrepreneurship at several Arizona colleges. She makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona and Half Moon Bay, California. In Phoenix, she founded the Arizona Entrepreneurship Conferences and Social Media Club Phoenix. Stealthmode Partners runs the popular FastTrac progams in metropolitan Phoenix.