Our Team

Renee Goodin Elliott is a Human Resources leader with extensive experience in establishing global HR strategy and the design, development and leadership of programs in all aspects of business. She specializes in executive leadership, strategic planning, change management and leadership development. She holds an MBA in Human Resources and International Business from the University of Kansas and holds certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Renee sits on the board of directors for the SHRM of Greater Kansas City and is also on the Alumni Advisory Board for Fashion Studies program at Kansas State University. True to her Kansas City roots, she and her family have a competition BBQ team, and she is also a Certified BBQ Judge for the Kansas City BBQ Society. Renee is the aunt of Grant and Grace Goodin, who are currently living with MSD.

As the CEO for Magnolia Wealth Strategies, a MassMutual firm, Rich’s goals are to continue shaping and fulfilling the company’s strategic vision by attracting, developing, and empowering top talent and providing elite support and service to the Magnolia Wealth Strategies team and clients. As one of the oldest firms in the southeast, Magnolia Wealth Strategies has over 100 financial professionals providing customized financial solutions to clients across LA, MS, AL, & the FL panhandle. Rich is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Life Sciences with a concentration in Nuclear Engineering. In 2012, he earned his MBA in Finance from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Hope Blankenship is a Greenville, South Carolina native. However, she grew up in Anchorage, Alaska after a family move when she was 5. Following high school, she went on to manage several small businesses in the Anchorage area. The daughter of two successful small business owners, Hope opened her own bookkeeping and accounting firm in 2007. Since then, To the Rescue Bookkeeping has grown to over 10 employees in 6 different states and continuously advocates for the employment of military spouses providing them with professional training and a career that is transportable to accommodate the many moves associated with military families. Hope is the recipient of the SBA Young Entrepreneur of Mississippi award and To The Rescue was one of 2 small businesses in Mississippi to win The American Small Business Championship sponsored by Sam’s Club. In February of 2017 she was chosen as one of the state of Mississippi’s 50 top leading businesswomen and was later awarded the Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Excellence Award from the Installation Commander at Keesler AFB. She currently lives in Biloxi, MS with her husband who is currently serving in his 19th year with the United States Air Force, and their three children Austin, Grace and Addison. As a mentor in her community, Hope leads several small groups year round providing spiritual guidance and mentorship to women across the Gulf Coast.

Eryn has 15+ years of experience in public health nonprofit management and is passionate about making an impact in healthcare philanthropy. She has dedicated her career to research and public health, from the community level to national funding initiatives and loves the energy and enthusiasm derived from working in a mission‐based environment. She served as Mission Director for the Greater Atlanta Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and is now the Vice President of Mission for the Rheumatology Research Foundation.

Growing up in Michigan, Brad has spent the last two decades as a senior management professional leading diverse teams of up to 2,800 employees in twelve countries and across four generational cohorts. He was seventeen years old when a very close family member was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic neuroimmunological disorder that attacks the central nervous system, changing his family’s life forever and making real the everyday struggles a highly invasive disease can have on a person and family. Brad holds a Bachelor of Science degree as a double major in Marketing and Management from Park University and is a graduate of Mississippi State University where he earned his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). He thrives in challenging environments and enjoys using his operational management experience to navigate teams through complicated and complex problems. He has been an active supporter of several non-profit organizations, volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club of America, Habitat for Humanity, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and local education programs. Brad is the proud father of seven children and has a heart for any cause that serves the most vulnerable and innocent among us. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran having deployed multiple times in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve and Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

Dr. Amanda Haidet-Phillips is the Executive Director, Global Program Team Leader for Sarepta Therapeutics where she leads cross-functional program teams to bring gene therapies from the laboratory to patients with rare, neuromuscular diseases. Prior to Sarepta, Dr. Haidet-Phillips worked in pharma and biotech as part of AveXis and then Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research to help transition gene therapy products from the pre-clinical proof of concept stage in R&D to first-in human trials.

Prior to joining industry, Dr. Haidet-Phillips served as Scientific Portfolio Director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association where she led the strategic management of research grants and investments for motor and peripheral nerve diseases. Dr. Haidet-Phillips completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University seeking to understand the causes of ALS and develop new therapeutic approaches for the disease. She received her Ph.D from The Ohio State University where she helped to develop gene therapies for neuromuscular disease.

Dr. George Loukatos is the founder and owner of the AlphaCare Urgent Care network, serving the MS Gulf Coast. He was born and raised on the north shore of Boston and is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He obtained his doctorate of medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, and then completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Tulane University School of Medicine. While at Tulane he served as chief resident and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society and was named Intern of the Year of Charity Hospital in New Orleans. He began his career as an emergency medicine physician in 2003 and along the way served as medical director of multiple emergency departments as well as regional medical director in the state of Mississippi.

Julie A. Rosner-Lengele is the University Controller at Arcadia University. She has worked at Arcadia for twenty-six years as the Controller for both Arcadia’s international and domestic programs. As Controller, Julie manages all treasury functions, all university audits, all tax preparation and compliance, all university debt, and all university investments. Julie is part of the Strategic Leadership team at the University and also serves on several University Committees. To help other universities, Julie has served as both an accreditation team chair, and peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Prior to joining Arcadia, Julie served as the Accounting Manager at Avitech Diagnostics, Inc., a small start-up biotech company. Early in her career, Julie served as a Staff Accountant at the world renowned Fox Chase Cancer Center. Julie currently serves on the board of Manna on Main Street as its Treasurer and is a member of the board of Pandas International. In the past, Julie served on the board of the North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants. Julie earned a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Thomas Jefferson University and Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from La Salle University.

Jacki Thornburg is the Broker/Owner of EXIT Realty Heart Properties in Ocean Springs. She purchased her EXIT Realty franchise in December 2020 but she started Heart Properties in 2009 and named it in tribute to her father, who passed away with heart disease. In 2018, she bought a dilapidated building on Bienville Boulevard in Ocean Spring, MS, gutted it and rebuilt it and that is where her Real Estate office is now. She was the Public Relations Chairperson for the Ocean Springs Rotary Club in 2021 and she also volunteers for The United MSD Foundation to help raise funds for children with this rare disease. Jacki is a member of the Professional Standards Committee and the Grievance Committee and a Board Member of the Gulf Coast Association of REALTORS®. As a founding member and co-chair for the Birdies for Brian, she helps to raise money to help cure kidney cancer. Jacki has also been involved with The Rapiscan Systems Classic and Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Ambassador Club, MS Gulf Coast St. Jude Dreamhome, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon & Business Expo. Jacki is originally from Michigan where she had a successful real estate and mortgage lending career. She has degrees in Economics and Communication from The University of Toledo in Ohio. She currently lives in Biloxi with her husband Mike.