An AIA Network Fund

Leadership Team

Fund members have elected a leadership team to successfully guide the Fund’s day-to-day business, attract quality deal flow, and conduct due diligence on potential investments. See below to learn more about the South Mississippi Angel Fund leadership team.

Rich Brandon

Chair

Rich Brandon is an experienced global business executive with a demonstrated leadership track record of delivering results at the enterprise level and across multiple businesses, industries, and functions. He has successfully provided global leadership in mergers & acquisitions, integrated supply chain, operations, marketing, customer service, purchasing, R&D, business development, Six Sigma, and portfolio/product management. Rich has broad experience and expertise across multiple industries, including materials, specialty chemicals, plastics, emulsions, packaging, transportation, water, building & construction, food/pharma, and electronics. Mr. Brandon retired from Dow in 2018 following a 35-year career, and now serves as the Chair of the South Mississippi Angel Fund.

Geneva M. Dummer

Secretary

Geneva was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida and joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school. She proudly served 7 years as an Avionics Technician, working her way up from technician to Collateral Duty Inspector and finally to Quality Assurance Inspector. She left the service honorably and went on to earn her B.S. in Molecular Biology at the University of Wyoming. She continued her education at the University of Tennessee College of Medical Health Sciences, earning a Master of Science Degree.

Upon her arrival to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Geneva was brought on as Manager of Human Resources, Risk Management, and Information Technology with the Diamondhead Property Owners Association. She then expanded her knowledge base and skill set through management of financial operations at Arguelles Auto Sales. Currently, she operates The Meeting Place, a shared office facility and business incubator and continues to manage projects including but not limited to, grant writing/administration, strategic planning, bookkeeping, and marketing/online media management.

Today, Geneva lives in Biloxi with her husband, Stephen Dummer – a Biloxi attorney, and their 2 children.  She has served on numerous boards of directors of nonprofit organizations and enjoys performing occasionally with local community theater groups.  She currently serves as administrator for Heritage Trails Partnership, Membership Chair for PRAM Beach Chapter, on the Gulf Coast Community Exchange Steering Committee, on the Coastal Mississippi Master Plan Committee and on several committees for Biloxi Main Street and is a member of the Gulf Coast Business Council.

Michael Denny

Treasurer

Having obtained his Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi in 1994, Michael had the opportunity to start his career in the investment business.  He worked with a regional brokerage firm from 1994 through 2001, advising clients on stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance, and annuities.  In 2001, Michael joined GranthamPoole CPA firm where he is currently a partner.  He subsequently earned his CPA and CFP licenses and devotes his time working in the tax and financial planning areas. GranthamPoole was formed when Tom Grantham and Jim Poole merged their two CPA firms in 1999 and has grown to be one of the largest CPA firms in MS.

Michael and his wife, Betsy, have two sons, Miles, and Payton.  In his spare time, Michael enjoys spending time with family, biking, kayaking, and attending live music events.

Lauren Drummond

Executive Committee At-Large Member

Lauren Drummond-Dale is a Certified Business Intermediary, M&A Advisor, Commercial Realtor and veteran business owner of multiple businesses over 30+ years.

Lauren has owned, operated, and managed businesses in the areas of retail, construction, manufactured housing, disaster relief, property development and rental management, demolition, oil and gas exploration and pipeline construction remediation.

Her experience includes developing several businesses from startup to $15M or more in revenues on compressed time schedules.  Developing organization and management teams to allow this quick growth business model.

She also developed and implemented several processes for remote management of operations within businesses as they expanded into multiple locations.

Now, as a Business Intermediary and Realtor, she can focus her expertise, experience and knowledge of business operations and challenges, for the benefit of other Entrepreneurs.

Lauren has made the MS Gulf Coast her home and enjoys networking activities, running, kayaking, horses, dogs and most of all her two sons that have made the Coast home too.

Jim Finley

Executive Committee At-Large Member

James H. Finley currently serves as a member of the South Mississippi Angel Fund (include Mission Statement). He also serves on the Board of Directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi (Vice Chairman) and Capstone Corporation (Chairman).

James is the owner of Finley Services, LLC, a nationally proven effective and guaranteed business coaching process, that drives success and balances lives of Business Owners, Managers, and Professionals. Clients have included Managers and Professionals of the MS Department of Employment Security, the MS State Personnel Board, the Business Owners located in the MS e-Business Innovation Center Incubator, and Business Owners identified as Emerging Leaders by the SBA.

James joined Craft-Co Enterprises, Inc. in 1990 and served as Owner/President/CEO from 1992 until 2007. Craft-Co manufactured electrical switches, wiring harnesses, small motor components, and interior lighting products for the International Automotive Market. Craft-Co has been recognized as one of the 100 largest Privately-Owned Companies in the State of Mississippi, one of the top 100 Minority-Owned Companies in the Nation, and one of the Forty Fastest Growing Companies in the State of Mississippi.

Craft -Co also received many awards, including the Ford Motor Company Q1, the Daimler Chrysler Gold Pentastar, the Mississippi Exporter of the Year, the US Commerce Export Achievement, the Morton MS Chamber of Commerce Industry of the Year, the Mississippi Best Practices/Quality, and the International Standards of QS9001 and TS16949.

Prior to owning Craft-Co James held Management/Executive positions with Chrysler Corporation and Ford Motor Company, dating back to 1967.

Active in his community, James has been a Knight of Columbus member since 1972. He is the Past Chairman of the Better Business Bureau of MS (BBB), and Past Chairman of the District Export Council of MS. He has also served as Commissioner of the MS Department of Employment Security, a Board Member of the MS Workforce Development Council, a Board Member of the MS Manufactures Association, a Member of the MS Economic Council, and the Advisory Board of the World Trade Center of MS.

James received his MA and BA Degrees in Business Management from Central Michigan University. He has also completed Business Executive Programs from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Less Goff

Executive Committee At-Large Member

Les is a Senior Executive and Entrepreneur that innovates, sets strategy, organizes, focuses and delivers results.
Les is currently a partner at KDL Solutions, LLC a forensic science and homeland security based company.
He has also supported many start-ups through mentoring and mentoring programs, i.e., Angel Networks, I-corps, Delta I-Fund, etc.

Previously, Les worked for GE Plastics (Now Sabic) for 16 years in various roles. He held leadership positions in a variety of businesses that included:

      • General Management of one of the top 3 Plastics businesses with profit and loss responsibility
      • Product Development Management
      • Global R&D Management
      • Global Marketing Management.

Les’s broad business experience includes development of very early stage technologies through to commercialization. In his consulting business, Golf Consulting, LLC his client’s have ranged from individuals, universities, Economic Development Organizations to Fortune 50 companies. He is a GE-trained Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma.

Post-GE, he has participated in numerous start-up companies as an investor, CEO, COO, CTO, founder and owner with several successful exits. He delivers business value through Strategy Execution, Problem Solving and Data Based decision making in challenging and changing environments.

Dr. Goff is a long time member of the Mississippi Angel Network and member of the Bulldog Angel Network (Mississippi State University) and South Mississippi Angel Network. He has a Ph. D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi and a B.S. Degree from Mississippi State University.