REFERENCES

From 2002 to 2005, my company hosted the Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program grant awarded by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. This $3 .3 million federal grant was locally entitled Maintaining Interfaith and Social Services through Intense Organized Networks: Training, Research, Education, Evaluation (MISSION TREE). Its purpose was to strengthen the organizational capacity of novice, charitable community and faith-based organizations in North Carolina, serving high-need populations, such as the homeless, at-risk youth, families in crisis, and the elderly. Over eighty (80) groups were served.

Over the three year period, many professional service contractors were employed to engage a host of needed skills, services, and resources for the company and the benefit of those start-up agencies involved. Mark Atwater was contracted to provide professional development training for emerging nonprofit groups. His materials covered business development and leadership skills. Mark was engaging and involved participants in dialogue by soliciting the experiences of his audience. His style was enlightening and encouraging. The workshops gave participants an opportunity to develop mission and vision statements while under his guidance.

Mark put his audience at ease by teaching business concepts using everyday language and situations. He empowered the group with encouragement and emphasized that successful organizations can be built upon acquired knowledge, skills, experience, and opportunity as well as a formal education.

I am confident that Mark Atwater will be an asset to any agency seeking training in organizational development.

Cynthia Harris
President

It is with pride and confidence that I recommend Mr. Mark Atwater as an effective and powerful motivational speaker. As the director of the Ohio University Black Man Think Tank in Athens, Ohio, it was my pleasure to work with Mr. Atwater as a presenter and colleague. Mark has the exceptional ability to reach people right where they are. His presentation style coupled with his professional experience acts as a catalyst to his success.

As a testament to his effective Mr. Atwater was invited back to present at the annual conference each year. His ability to handle sensitive cultural issues made his presentations one of the most popular each year. He possesses strong oral, written and technical communication skills which combined, makes for an interactive, informative, relative training session. His approach to teaching and learning is such that session participants leave both educated and empowered.

There is no question about his ability to captivate an audience and as mentioned earlier I highly recommend Mr. Atwater for campus and community training. He is a role model, teacher, mentor and professional and your organization would benefit tremendously from his skills and expertise.

If you would like to discuss my experiences with him directly please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Rex L. Crawley, Ph.D.
Department Head and Associate Professor of Communication
Robert Morris University

Mr. Mark Atwater was invited by the Lyceum Committee of North Carolina Central University to offer a Motivational Speech to our Aspiring Eagles Academy students, as well as students participating in the Initiative for Transforming and Sustaining Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (ITS STEM) Summer Program.  The Aspiring Eagles Academy is a five-week academic-enrichment program, designed to bridge the gap between High School and College, as well as get students acclimated to University Life and the College Culture.  The ITS STEM Summer Enrichment Program is a six-week enrichment program for Pre-Freshmen, who have been accepted to NCCU majoring in a STEM-related discipline, and to help increase the number of underrepresented students who successfully complete degrees in the STEM areas.

With such a diverse group of students in attendance, Mr. Atwater focused on addressing the issue of Leadership and how to embrace one's own Divine Purpose and Responsibility.  Specifically, Mr. Atwater helped our students to understand their leadership purpose and what obstacles they will need to address while embracing the responsibility of being a Leader.
The session was very interactive, as Mr. Atwater encouraged open dialogue, and also included an extensive question and answer period. The feedback we received from our students was very positive, and they felt that the discussion allowed them to acknowledge and appreciate their roles as leaders.

I highly recommend Mr. Atwater as a motivational speaker. The enthusiasm and earnestness that he evokes was evident throughout his presentation. He was able to connect with our students and speak to them on their level - all without losing the message.

Dr. Robin S. Williams

Chair, Lyceum Committee
Associate Dean, University College
North Carolina Central University

I am delighted to write this letter to recommend Mr. Mark Atwater as a speaker. With his experience in the software engineering field, both as a technical expert in telecommunications and as a manager, he had special qualifications to speak to our graduate students here at the School of Library and Information Sciences during the meeting of the student chapter of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) on March 22, 2010.

However, Mr. Atwater spoke not just about planning a career but also about taking care of oneself and the important callings in life. Both students seeking a Master's of Information Science (MIS) degree and also those in the Master's of Library Science (MLS) gained from his presentation the courage to lighten their loads during a time of economic hardships and to focus on meeting goals that will make a difference in life.

I encourage others to invite him to share his vision and specific recommendations to prepare for the future in a holistic and meaningful way.

Deborah E. Swain, Ph.D.
Interim Associate Dean
School of Library and Information Sciences
North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC 27707 USA