Dr. Susan Coleman is a Professor and the Ansley Chair of Finance at the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut. She teaches courses in entrepreneurial and corporate finance at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Coleman’s research interests include entrepreneurial and small business finance. She has published extensively on the topic of financing women-owned firms and is frequently quoted in the business press. Dr. Coleman has completed two books (with Alicia Robb) entitled A Rising Tide: Financing Strategies for Women-owned Firms published by the Stanford University Press in April, 2012 and The Next Wave: Financing Women’s Growth-Oriented Firms in August, 2016.
Dr. Bethann Kassman is CEO of Go Beyond Network, Go Beyond’s strategic alliance partner, in the United States and has been a member of the Go Beyond Management Team since 2009. Bethann has been a cross-border business angel for many years, investing in companies in both Europe and the US. She serves on a number of committees in the angel community and works with start-up companies in areas of strategic positioning, management and marketing. Bethann was one of the nine lead angels in the inaugural Rising Tide US Fund. Bethann previously lived in Switzerland where she ran a successful consulting company, was a professor of Entrepreneurship and Marketing at Webster University’s Geneva campus and of Strategy at the Open University’s Executive MBA program. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of eBella Magazine and the Collier Senior Resources Center, the AngelPool Advisory Board, Investors’ Circle Consumer Products Selection Committee and the Global Health Advisory Board. Bethann has a B.S. in Psychology from Iowa State University, a Master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Doctorate in Business from Business School Lausanne. She was one of the nine leads in the inaugural Rising Tide US Angel Training Program Fund.
Sue Bevan Baggott is President of Power Within Consulting LLC, an insights-based strategy and innovation firm, which she founded in 2014. Early in her career, Sue spent 18 years in Global R&D at Procter & Gamble, leading delivery of game-changing consumer product innovation. Next, Sue joined SpencerHall, a boutique consulting firm providing market research, new concept development and innovation consulting services across a wide range of clients. Throughout her career, Sue has worked across numerous industry verticals spanning consumer goods, health care, telecom, automotive, financial services as well as academia and non-profits. In 2015, Sue began working with Queen City Angels (QCA) on a strategy refresh project, which ignited her interest in angel investing and passion for participating in growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cincinnati. In late 2015, she joined the inaugural Rising Tide cohort and in 2016 became a member of QCA. Sue is active in screening and due diligence work, as well as co-leading QCA’s diversity/inclusion strategy pillar. She thrives on mentoring and coaching entrepreneurs helping to guide consumer/ customer insights, design thinking, lean startup, business planning, and innovation strategies. Additionally, Sue is active in non-profit work as Board President of Women Helping Women, an organization focused on preventing gender-based violence and empowering all survivors with intervention and support services. She is a founding member and Past President of Impact 100, a women’s giving circle focused on encouraging women to collectively fund impactful community projects, which has expanded to 40 cities. Sue received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University.
