Alumni
The alumni honored are innovators, experts in their fields, and respected leaders within their organizations and communities. The recipients include alumni at every stage of their careers, from recent graduates to seasoned professionals. While their backgrounds and experiences may differ, they are all united by a connection to the Coles College of Business’s mission and a desire to affect change at the local, national, and even global level.
Winners of the 2023 Five in Flight Awards
GOLD Award - Undergraduate
Janna Pruiett
Coles College Degrees:
Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Security and Assurance
Master of Science in Healthcare
Management and Informatics
Janna Pruiett is a Senior Technical Support Engineer at VMware. She attended Kennesaw State University to receive both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Janna graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Security and Assurance, and again in 2022 with a Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics.
Janna has a passion for technology and serving others. Outside of her 9-5 professional role, Janna serves as an Enrichment Coordinator for a nonprofit mentoring program, Precious Me Inc. She also has curated her own brand, Unveiled by Janna Alane, LLC. and is inspired by self-love and individuality to encourage everyone to dig deep and unveil who they truly are. The brand includes inspirational videos entitled “A Word Wednesday,” apparel, and a blog. She hopes that her brand can inspire individuals, especially young girls, to embrace their inner beauty.
Janna’s ultimate goal has always been to mentor and create a non-profit organization that encourages young ladies to find their strength. Therefore, it is such a pleasure for her to serve as an enrichment coordinator for Precious Me Inc., where she incorporates her brand’s passion by highlighting the beauty of being perfectly imperfect. She also hopes to inspire young girls and ladies who look like her to pursue their dreams related to STEM and/or technology. Whenever she has the opportunity to share her knowledge with others, she always jumps at the chance.
GOLD Award - Graduate
Reco McCambry
Coles College Degrees:
Master of Business Administration
Reco McCambry has made his mark on the financial services and direct sales industry as one of the youngest and most successful entrepreneurs in the space. He is President and CEO of Novae, the largest direct sales fintech company in the United States, providing solutions to consumers and small businesses nationwide through a network of thousands of independent salespeople. The financial solutions his company provides include personal and business credit building, online banking, personal loans, business funding, consumer financing, and more.
Reco is a member of the Forbes Business Council and is an Industry Expert on Forbes.com. He also serves on the National Small Business Association Leadership Council out of Washington, DC. On Feb. 4, 2021, Reco was honored by his hometown of McDonough, GA., with a proclamation naming January 19th, Mr. Reco McDaniel McCambry Day.
His company, Novae, was featured in Inc. Magazine’s “Inc 5000,” as one of the fastest-growing companies in America two years in a row, 2021 and 2022. Novae ranked in the top 150 fastest-growing financial services companies in the country both years.
In 2022, McCambry was named Innovator of the Year at the Bank Customer Service Summit and received the Outstanding Leadership Award at the Money 2.0 Conference. Lastly, he’s also been selected for membership in the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honors Society.
Reco is a KSU double owl. In addition to his Coles College MBA, he also earned his undergraduate Industrial Engineering degree from KSU via Southern Polytechnic State University.
Early-Career Entrepreneurship Award
Brooke Hammer
Coles College Degrees:
Bachelor of Business Administration in Professional Sales
Brooke Hammer is the Founder and Principal of Atlanta First Agency, the largest staffing firm in the country specializing in the wholesale apparel and trade show industry. Her business matches wholesale clothing companies with temporary and permanent salespeople and support staff to help ensure these brands have profitable trade shows.
Brooke launched AFA in 2017 while still earning her undergraduate degree in professional sales. Since then, she has led the company to achieving annual revenue of more than $1 million per year and employs more than 600 people, all without the need for outside investment. AFA’s rapid growth led Brooke to expand her operation beyond Atlanta into New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, and led Atlanta Inno to name her one of their 25 Rising Entrepreneurs and Technologists Under the Age of 25.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Brooke diversified her business interests by launching her second venture, real estate holding company Riverbrook Properties. In its first nine months, Riverbrook Properties grossed more than $100,000, well above industry benchmarks.
Since graduating, Brooke continues to engage with the Coles College of Business. As a member of the Coles Scholars Program’s fourth cohort, she now assists with interviewing prospective students and serves as a point of contact for students interested in entrepreneurship. She also recently convinced her younger brother to enroll at Kennesaw State University.
Societal Impact Award
Ashley Nealy
Coles College Degrees:
Bachelor of Science in Information Systems
Master of Science in Information Systems
Ashley Nealy is the Assistant Director, Support Services, for the United States Department of Treasury’s office of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, where she leads a team responsible for personal property management, travel, and other support programs. She previously served as the Web Team Lead and was recognized by NextGen with their Innovator Award. She was selected by the Atlanta Federal Executive Board to participate in their Leadership Government Program, which prepares high-performing federal employees for senior leadership in the federal government. She is also the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of web design company Mindly Maven.
Ashley’s many civic and professional accomplishments include serving as Mentorship Co-Chair of LEAD Atlanta; receiving Georgia Trend’s 40 Under 40 Award; earning the National Coalition of 100 Black Women - MECCA Chapter Civic Engagement Award; and receiving the Individual PACEsetter Award for Community Service by Black Data Processing Associates.
Answering Dr. Anthony Fauci’s call for more African Americans to participate in the COVID-19 vaccine trials, Ashley enrolled in the Pfizer trial to enhance Black representation. She has since been sharing her story and dispelling common myths about clinical research. Ashley has been featured on Good Morning America and The Today Show, and published a Letter to the Editor in The NY Times.
Ashley earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems in 2010 and a Master of Science in Information Systems in 2011. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys traveling the world, volunteering, and advocating for clinical trial research.
OWL Award - Graduate
Andrew Green, Ph.D.
Coles College Degrees:
Bachelor of Science in Information Systems
Master of Science in Information Systems
Andrew Green, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Information Security and Assurance in the Information Systems and Security Department. Andy currently serves as the program coordinator for the Information Security and Assurance undergraduate degree program, as well as the faculty advisor for the award-winning student-led KSU Offensive Security Research Club.
Andy has almost two decades of experience in information security. Before entering academia fulltime, he worked as an information security consultant, focusing primarily on the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Before that, Andy worked in the healthcare IT field, where he developed and supported transcription interfaces for medical facilities throughout the United States.
His research interest focuses on problems found at the intersection of security, privacy, and public policy, and his research has been published in top-tier academic journals. He is also a co-author of several academic textbooks on various information security-related topics that have been used in classrooms globally. Andy is a frequent contributor to local, regional, and national media outlets on issues related to information security.
