Dr. Talton is CEO of the award-winning firm Synergy International Limited, Inc. Synergy’s purpose is to help organizations enhance the intersection of employee leadership, inclusive culture, and consumer needs. Synergy uses a unique combination of expertise in psychology, research, leadership development and diversity, equity and inclusion to better understand consumer, employee and community behaviors and leverage opportunities for cohesion and growth. In addition to Dr. Rachel’s success as an entrepreneur, she is an award-winning published scholar and keynote speaker in the areas of leadership, diversity, employee and consumer engagement and trust. “Dr. Rachel,” as she is affectionately called, is also CTO (Chief Transformation Officer) of Flourish Leadership, LLC and the Flourish Conference for Women in Leadership, which provides high-achieving female executives and entrepreneurs with executive coaching and masterminding cohorts. Dr. Rachel serves on the corporate board of directors for design firm Tori Soudan. She also serves on the boards of the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation, In Counsel with Women, the Akron Community Foundation, In Council with Women, as well as JumpStart Inc. She has served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Destination Cleveland, where she chaired the Marketing Committee for six years. Dr. Rachel is also a co-founder of the BOW Collective and an Advisory Board Member of the national Women Business Collaborative. In addition to her awards in economic and social development, Dr. Rachel is also a proud member of the Links, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., ICWW, and the PhD Project. Dr. Rachel earned her Doctorate in Management from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, where she has served as Adjunct Professor of Marketing. She also holds a Diversity & Inclusion Training Certificate from Cornell University. Her research is focused on the impact of perceptions of trust, satisfaction, and value on consumer loyalty in dynamic-industry environments. She holds an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Cleveland State University, as well as a BA in Psychology. She is a lifetime member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society. Dr. Rachel’s personal passions include international travel, community service, public speaking, writing, art, and music.