2024 Judges

Scott Hauman

Scott Hauman is a sought-after brand and retail strategy expert with over 20 years of consulting experience. He is the VP of strategy and Innovation for Hart, a brand transformation agency. Before joining Hart, Scott was an executive business leader with The Integer Group, an Omnicom growth and retail agency, where he led innovation and IP development as their network-wide Chief Innovation Officer, responsible for surfacing and operationalizing next-generation ideas and platforms. Before becoming CIO, Scott was Integer’s Head of Strategy, accountable for the performance, development, and integration of the agency’s Insight & Strategy department (with 20+ account planners and strategists) and providing leadership to the special commerce-driving units within the department: shopper marketing planning, data & analytics, e-commerce, experience strategy, and retail strategy.

Dr. Nicholas J. Hill

Dr. Nicholas J. Hill is a native of Canton, MS with a strong belief in the value of educating the next generation of global leaders in Business, especially those from HBCUs. He has served in higher education for the last 17 years as both administrator and professor. His current research interest centers around Contemporary Issues in Health, Labor and Urban Economics with a strategic focus on African-American’s entrepreneurship rates. His research stream includes numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, presentations, and funding from grants. His quantitative expertise includes 20+ years of working with primary research studies, a variety of multi-level strategic approaches, econometric modeling, and data analytics.

His greatest accomplishment is that he is the husband to Mary-Margarette Hill and the father to Nicholas John Champion Hill, Jr., Harper Theodore Champion Hill, Clark Leon Champion Hill and Jean-Marc Champion Hill.

Sean Hughes

Sean Hughes is the first Economic Development Administrator for the City of Powell.

Joining in December 2023, Hughes formerly served as the Economic Development Director for the City of Delaware. Hughes is led the creation of the City of Delaware’s Entrepreneur Center and crafted the city’s three economic development positions into business concierge roles.  Hughes also was instrumental in finalizing the Sawmill Parkway Extension, a critical piece of Delaware County transportation infrastructure that will allow access to an additional 1,600 acres of industrial, office and commercial acreage in the city. Hughes introduced the concept of a strong Economic Development Incentive Policy for the City of Delaware.

In addition to his economic development experience, Hughes has 23 years of marketing and communication experience and 12 years of association management experience. Many of these years were spent in higher education. Former President of the Board of Directors for the Ohio Economic Development Association, Hughes has been instrumental in helping to reshape and strengthen the fairly young association. In his roles as President and Immediate Past President, he also worked with JobsOhio to create the idea of a statewide certification program for Ohio’s economic development professionals which will see its first class this March.

Carol A. Latham ’61

Carol A. Latham ’61 is the retired founder, president, and CEO of Thermagon, Inc., a custom manufacturer of high-performance heat-transfer materials for electronic components. Under her leadership, Thermagon changed the microchip industry and, within five years of its launch, achieved sales of $18 million annually. Latham remains active in coaching entrepreneurs in technology start-up companies and in supporting both her alma mater and its students.

Randy Mullen, Jr.

Randy Mullen, Jr. is the founder of SightLine Ventures where he leads a team of expert operators to help post-seed tech startups and small businesses navigate the complexities of the DoD marketplace. SightLine supports a range of cutting-edge industries, including AI/ML, Digital Engineering, Med Tech, Advanced Manufacturing, Space, Cybersecurity, and Quantum. Randy and his team provide fractional business development, capture, and proposal management services to accelerate growth by turning innovative capabilities into contracts faster.

In addition to his role at SightLine, Randy serves as a Contracting Officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, bringing over a decade of experience in defense contracting and program management. During his time as an Active Duty service member, Randy served at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), where he led R&D efforts for SIGINT platforms and managed a multi-billion-dollar portfolio for the nation’s premier radar program office. His career has also included overseeing major Air Force programs, such as the HC/MC/AC-130J aircraft fleet and Special Warfare equipment and software, as well as supporting operations across Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Kosovo, and Jordan. Randy’s extensive experience across both military and private sectors positions him as a strategic leader in driving innovation for national security.

Andy Warnock

Born and raised in Delaware, Ohio, Andy Warnock is a graduate of Delaware Hayes High School. While at Hayes, Andy was a distinguished student-athlete. As the valedictorian of his senior class, Andy was also named the Delaware County Teen of the Year by the Delaware Gazette. He was an all-conference, all-district, and all-state athlete in soccer, basketball, and track.

Andy began his career and was later promoted to Managing Director of Lument (fka: Red Mortgage Capital) in Columbus, Ohio. Lument is one of the nation’s largest providers of debt to the multifamily and senior’s housing industries. During his time there, Andy is responsible for the origination of nearly $5 billion dollars in financing.