Brett Boston

Mr. Boston is the founder and president of Group Solutions®. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in the use of innovative processes for team-based collaborative activities. Brett has acted as the facilitator for former President Jimmy Carter's sessions in conjunction with The Atlanta Project and the Carter Presidential Center. Most recently he has worked with leadership teams at Randstad North America, The International Olympic Committee, Deloitte & Touche L.L.P., The Coca-Cola Company, U.S. Air Force Intelligence, Emory University and a host of conservation and recreation agencies. . Brett brings vision, energy and a highly strategic level of thinking to any project. He is considered the leading electronic meeting facilitator in the world.

Brett is a graduate of Emory University with degrees in Economics and Political Science. He did graduate work in Economics at American University and Georgia State University. Before entering training, he worked as a lobbyist on deregulation issues in Washington, DC and with the Georgia Legislature.

Vern Herr

Since 1993, Vern has specialized in innovative approaches to project facilitation, internet collaboration and non-traditional approaches to planning and governance issues. He has the experience of over 1,000 electronic sessions with a wide range of public, private and military teams.

Vern has worked extensively on collaborative approaches to national environmental and resource issues. His clients include The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries, Law Engineering and Environmental, National Marine Manufacturer's Association, B.A.S.S., The Centers for Disease Control, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Outdoor Technology Group and state resource Agencies in Oregon, South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana.

Additional corporate experience includes project work with The Centers for Disease Control, Randstad North America Andersen Consulting, BellSouth, NASA, Emory University, Olin Corporation, Kinko's, Deloitte & Touche, The U.S. Air Force, Turner Broadcasting, and Chick-Fil-A.

Vern is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Melanie Buckner

Melanie Buckner is a project manager, business writer and facilitator at Group Solutions®. Her focus includes conducting business research for "Best in Class" analysis and identification of current trends. She also actively supports the use of GroupWare technology in strategic planning and reengineering activities. Most recently, Melanie provided facilitation, help desk and project support to Randstad North America in a series of internet-based collaborative activities involving more than 15 distributed project teams. She has served as liaison to the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee, helping to manage the Consensus Sessions in conjunction with its 1996 World Congress. Melanie has also facilitated teambuilding sessions with a variety of business clients.

She has been a member of the Group Solutions® staff since 1995.

Ms. Buckner is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Gannon University with a degree in Political Science. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Emory University. Prior to joining Group Solutions®, she worked with the evaluation team of The Atlanta Project.