Leadership
Chris Disharoon – Founder and CEO
With a passion for developing the leaders of tomorrow through mentoring and coaching; Chris formed aleggUp with a simple but powerful mission: translating dreams to plans; transforming plans to reality
Over his 18 year career, Disharoon has been responsible for a variety of financial and operational roles, most recently as Chief Financial Officer of CRI, LLC, a portfolio company of Gemini Investors. He has held several senior-level financial positions including Corporate Controller for Volvo Construction Equipment, North America, and Director of Finance and Manager of Business Planning for Cox Communications. Chris began his career with Ernst and Young, L.L.P.
Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Clemson University and Masters in Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles - Anderson School of Management. Mr. Disharoon also completed an international field study at the Cheng Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing, China. He is an active participant and contributor to the United Way, Hands on Atlanta, and Habitat for Humanity.
Stephen M. Gower, C.S.P - Co-Founder and President
Gower will grab the students’ attention at the start of a session and he never lets go──
keeping the students engaged with his captivating delivery skills and engaging stories. Across the United States, many consider Stephen one of America’s most powerful speakers.
As founder and President of the Gower Group, Inc, Stephen has given more than 5,000 presentations in all 50 states and 10 countries. He is the best-selling author of 21 books.
In 1995, Mr. Gower was awarded the highest earned designation from the National Speakers Association, the Certified Speaking Professional.
For the past five years, Mr. Gower has conducted the Annual Youth Leadership Institute
that is sponsored by Diverse Power in LaGrange, GA. He knows the classroom, having taught public speaking on the college level for more than a decade, and has been named to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.
His speaking career has included many school systems, the Georgia Association of
Educational Leaders, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Rotary Youth
Leadership, and the Annual Ontario Youth Leadership in Canada.
Sonja Schnell Broderick - Senior Faculty
Sonja’s ability to connect with students and mentors is stellar. To be exposed to Sonja as a student is a remarkable gift.
Sonja Broderick has almost 15 years of experience in both the career services and human resources fields. Since 2001, she has worked extensively with full-time MBAs at Clemson University, the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University (ASU). Additionally, she served as a virtual career consultant to Executive and Professional MBAs at client schools through her association with a global leader in talent management solutions.
Prior to working with MBAs, Sonja was a Training Specialist and Human Resources Generalist for Capsugel, a division of Pfizer. In addition to these positions, Sonja was an adjunct professor at both Lander University and Piedmont Technical College.
Sonja earned her MBA from the University of South Carolina and her BBA from the University of Miami. From 1995 - 2004, she held her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification.