Patrick Flora is an Owner and Director of Industrial Design at Pickering Associates. He has worked on many projects during his career with Pickering including small improvement projects as well as leading large, multi-discipline ventures. He places a strong emphasis on leadership, teamwork, and utilizing technology for project implementation.

Patrick is involved in Partner in Education programs where he organizes chemistry demonstrations with hands-on activities for multiple schools and organizations in the area. His main hobby is officiating basketball where he serves as the Rules Interpreter for the Ohio-West Virginia Basketball Officials Association. He is a recent graduate of Leadership WV where he further expanded his leadership skills and love for the state. He is married to his wife Rachel and loves raising their fur children Bear and Max!

A native of Mason County, Patrick graduated from Hannan High School where he served as the FBLA chapter President for 4 years and the WV Vice-President his senior year. Patrick then graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and earned a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management through Marshall University.

Ava Bratton is a senior student athlete at Roane County High School and is currently serving as your 2024-2025 West Virginia FBLA President. She is enrolled in Honor Academics and plays on the football team as a running back and linebacker, as well as being a utility in the Softball team. Besides sports, she is heavily invested into her future. Ava plans on perusing college for architecture and civil engineering. She has been involved with FBLA since her freshman year and has gone to Nationals 2 twice. She has also placed top 3 at states. She has had multiple leadership experiences as her local chapter Vice President and President, as well as being your 2023-2024 State Vice President. She plans to achieve many things to not only benefit, but also grow West Virginia’s Future Business Leaders of America by continuing to develop a statewide app and to expand West Virginia’s Middle Level and getting FBLA into Technical Centers. Please feel free to get in touch with Ava Bratton if you have any question or suggestions through Instagram Direct Messages @ava.bratton or email @ajbratt1@stu.k12.wv.us!

Anita Lambert is a Career & Technical Education teacher at Braxton County Middle School where she teaches Discover Your Future/Career Exploration. Previously, Mrs. Lambert has been a Technology Integration & Media Specialist and taught Business Math at the middle school level. Mrs. Lambert graduated from Fairmont State University with a Bachelor’s in Business Education and a Master’s degree in Digital Media, New Literacies & Learning. Additionally, she has earned her School Principalship certification from Marshall University.

Mrs. Lambert has a passion for Career and Technical Education and believes students should be exposed to CTE concepts and learning at an early age. This is her third year as an advisor for an FBLA-ML chapter. She looks forward to providing students with leadership and career development opportunities through FBLA membership.

My name is Dianna Carpenter. My journey with FBLA started in the fall of 1975 at an extremely small high school in Roane County, Walton High School. I walked into my first job out of college (graduated with a BS in Business Education from Morris Harvey College) and my principal told me that I was to be the FBLA adviser. I went to high school in Ohio and we had BPA so I had not really heard of FBLA to that point. As I previously said, that began my journey with FBLA. AND, what a journey it has been. It became my passion. My husband, Dennis, and I have 2 sons that were brought along with FBLA being just something that we did. Both boys were two year State Officers and though they were thrust into the group, did enjoy their time and all the networking and travel it included.

I was the adviser at Walton until the school was consolidated with Spencer High School in 1993. I continued as an adviser for 10 years at Roane County High School until I was RIFF'd in 2003. I then was hired at Roane-Jackson Technical Center in Jackson County where I spent the next 6 years as adviser. When I retired in 2009 I had to relinquish my duties. I missed the organization and all the GREAT people that I had grown to love and in 2012 a colleague (Debra Conrad from Elkins) and I were offered the position of State Adviser and State Chair. We served until 2018 when I determined that it was time for a younger mind to help lead this wonderful group of members and advisers. In 2019 the Superintendent in Roane County asked me to come back as a local chapter adviser and I couldn't refuse. I led Roane County High School again for the next 2 years (during Covid) and then was joined by Norma Collins. Retiring AGAIN from RCHS July 1 of 2023 I left the group in the competent hands of Mrs. Collins.

Mrs. Amber Ravenscroft creates, delivers, and manages innovative programming for The EdVenture Group, with a specific focus on entrepreneurship and workforce development. She has authored and directed three Appalachian Regional Commission POWER awards, including the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Education’s America’s Entrepreneurial Schools and Colleges and ESTEAM projects and The EdVenture Group’s Simulated Workplace Entrepreneurship Education Pathway project. Amber is a 2019 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Masters in Education Entrepreneurship program, which combines entrepreneurship, business, and education pathways to develop sustainable and scalable programming. The M.S.Ed. is the only international graduate program combining these sectors, bringing a unique perspective to her work at The EdVenture Group.

Amber serves in a leadership capacity within many entrepreneurial ecosystem organizations. She serves as Co-Chair of the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, Co-Chair of National Entrepreneurship Week, and Chair of the USASBE K-12 Special Interest Group, Amber has served as a thought expert and mentor for national student pitch competitions and has spoken at multiple education conferences on the importance of entrepreneurship education. To date, her leadership and support on a variety of entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives have impacted over 50,000 students across Appalachia and beyond.

Dr. Carrie White is the Co-Founder of Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Experts, LLC (E3). E3 is an entrepreneurship support company providing training, resources, ecosystem development and networking for early-stage entrepreneurs. E3 works closely with the WV Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in order to develop new entrepreneurs and introduce them to investors and resource providers in the region.

In her prior position, Carrie was the Executive Director of the WVU Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab applied innovation center. Carrie worked to provide resources and networking support for students engaged in idea generation and development through the commercialization process.

Dr. White received her BS and MBA degrees in business administration from Franciscan University, J.D. from Duquesne University Law School, and Ed.D. from West Virginia University. She has worked in entrepreneurship education since 2004 as a professor of business law and entrepreneurship. She has developed and taught entrepreneurship curriculum both for the classroom and online. Prior to working in higher education, she started, owned, and operated businesses specializing in sport and fitness in the Pittsburgh, PA region.

Bradley Burck, MA, CAP is the founder and principal of Burck Communications, a consulting agency that helps national and international nonprofits design strategic development and marketing plans to maximize fundraising results. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience in philanthropy, nonprofit management, and donor engagement.

For 11 years, Bradley served as Vice President for Corporate, Foundation, and Donor Philanthropy at Marshall Health Network, where he helped raise nearly $50 million. He oversaw seven nonprofit foundations, unifying them under one systemwide structure. He was also responsible for the completion of the $19 million capital campaign to build the Hoops Family Children’s Hospital. While at Marshall Health Network, he also provided leadership for the auxiliaries, volunteer programs, gift shops, as well as the flagship community outreach, Huntington’s Kitchen.

He is the author of two books, Conquering Nonprofit Chaos and You Can Ask. He is also the co-founder of Forever Changed International, an organization serving vulnerable children in Latin America. His professional background includes roles with the Palau Association, Carnegie Hall in West Virginia, and as a congressional staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives

He holds a B.S. in Communication from Liberty University and a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University. He is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® and holds certification in Search Engine Optimization. He also holds a Red Belt in Tae Kwon Do and is currently training to be a Tai Chi instructor.

Bradley has served in a variety of volunteer leadership roles. He is the past Board Chair for Mountwest Community and Technical College Foundation, Covenant School, and Facing Hunger Food Bank. He has also served as Treasurer for West Virginia Future Business Leaders of America, and as a board member for Goodwill Industries and Huntington City Mission

When he is not working, Bradley enjoys playing the ukulele on his back porch, reading theology and history, playing board games with his daughter, and spending time outdoors shooting hoops, fishing, and playing disc golf with his son. He and his wife, Dr. Cari Burck, live in Huntington, West Virginia, with their children, Ossie and Scout. The family is active at Missio Dei Church.

I’m Heather Bowen, a second-year high school business teacher at Philip Barbour High School. I am from Philippi, WV. Married with four beautiful children. I graduated from Philip Barbour High School. Received my bachelor’s degree from Glenville State University and currently working towards my master’s at Marshall University. Although apprehensive about leaving industry and moving into the education field I jumped in headfirst and so glad I did! I fell in love with FBLA from the very start! I am so excited to serve on the WV FBLA Board of Directors!

Mrs. Bolyard has taught Business Education for fifteen years with the last eight years being at Grafton High School. She has been a FBLA Advisor for twelve of those years and enjoys working with students.

Mrs. Denise Losh has been a business/computer teacher in West Virginia schools for over 25 years. During that time, she has been an FBLA adviser or co-adviser and has had students place in the top ten at NLC in the areas of community service, coding app and game design, and electronic career portfolio. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.