OUR PEOPLE
Our Team
Donna Bixler - Executive Director
Alexander Doub - Illustrator
Victoria Horng - Illustrator
Madison Hutchins - Creative Advisor
Grant Means - Founder & CEO
Virginia Means - HR Advisor
Haroun Naeem - Curriculum Development
Naomi Whiters - Curriculum Development
Chad Calvert - Brand/Identity Design
Kyna Fitero - Graphic Design
Our Board
Grant Means - Chair
Virginia Means
Ryan O'Donnell
Team Biographies
Donna Bixler - Executive Director
704.412.8350
A business development professional for over 20 years, Donna brings a successful track record with a wide variety of entrepreneurial companies and new divisions. Her first company was an early startup in San Francisco with micro-based instructional software, and she is excited to be in the social impact/educational arena with SNP. She graduated cum laude with an Economics degree from UMASS, Amherst, and recently earned the Certification for Nonprofit Essentials from Wake Forest University, Charlotte.
Chad Calvert - Brand/Identity Designer
Chad is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Charlotte, NC with a long history of work in the world of performing arts and education – industries that demand bold design choices, vivid imagination, and great flexibility for all matter of different projects. He is also the Visual Communications Manager for the Charlotte Symphony, leading re-branding efforts and new program design such as the “al Fresco Concert Series.”
Alexander Doub - Illustrator
Fueled by his passion for design, Alexander Doub focuses on illustrating impactful visuals that inspire and cultivate the ideals of self-betterment and improvement. A graduate of Liberty University and an Eagle Scout, Alexander hopes that through illustration and design, others may become inspired to unlock their talents and pursue their wildest dreams.
Victoria Horng - Illustrator
Victoria specializes in marketing creative and visual communications for digital and print including branding, advertising, key visual, layout, and illustration. With 5+ years of professional design experience from agency, in-house, to freelance, Victoria has led projects and collaborated on content with international brands including Google, Adidas, and P&G. She offers design expertise for a wide range of industries and flexibility in style to ultimately bring different visions to life! With a bachelor’s degree in Design and Marketing, and a master’s degree in Business Administration, Victoria successfully fills the gaps between design and business.
Madison Hutchins - Creative Advisor
Passionate about research and creative thinking, Madison united her data analytics and creative writing skills to help bring our Cash Cows concept to life. She is a recent graduate of Washington and Lee University where she graduated magna cum laude with a major in strategic communication and a minor in creative writing. She is beginning her post-grad career as an Assistant Account Executive on the Financial Communications team at Edelman in Washington, D.C. where she hopes to put her financial literacy knowledge and creative writing skills to work.
Grant Means - Founder & CEO
As the Founder & CEO of Start Now Press and Start Now Philanthropy, Grant seeks to empower future generations through financial literacy. After nearly a decade of searching for “the value of a dollar,” Grant concluded that the fight for social and economic equity is won through financial education. The lessons and programs from Start Now Press help students build their own “tool-kit” of information, awareness, and education. Bringing this financial “tool-kit” to future generations is a catalyst to “change the story” from poverty to prosperity. (Click here to learn more about Grant!)
Virginia Means - Director, HR Advisor
Virginia brings over two decades of senior human capital leadership and consulting experience for organizations around the world. Able to align people solutions with business strategy, her thought leadership is sought after by C-Level and senior executives. Selected as a Pathbuilders Mentor of the Year, she is a frequent guest lecturer on leadership and talent development. Her HR skills have been recognized by Fortune magazine, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Haroun Naeem - Curriculum Development
With experience as a staff auditor at Deloitte, and in healthcare investment banking, Haroun hopes to help the SNP Team break down relevant personal finance concepts in simple ways, better preparing students to thrive in the real world. He is a CPA, and has passed Levels I and II of the CFA Program. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with an accounting major.
Ryan O'Donnell - Director
Ryan O'Donnell is a serial entrepreneur who loves building high-performing high-impact teams. Currently, he is the CEO and Co-Founder of EmployUs, a venture-backed HR Tech company that helps companies recruit and retain their employees with referral programs. Outside of EmployUs, Ryan built teams that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity, broken Guinness World Records, and combated food insecurity. He is a proud NC State and NCSSM alum.
Naomi Whiters - Curriculum Development
Naomi began her educational career 20 years ago because of her passion for enriching the student learning experience. “Appreciating the role financial literacy plays in life’s successes, motivated me to teach and design finance courses. My focus is on imparting information and demonstrating practical application.”
Maria Kyna Fitero-Flordelis - Illustrator & Graphic Designer
Bringing her design skills on the platform, Kyna is a creative layout specialist for print and digital graphics with over 6 years of graphic design, visual communication, branding and marketing experience. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts majoring in Media Arts. She also shares the passion of empowering children to become wise beyond their years helping the next generation discover their capabilities to excel.
Grant Means
Founder & CEO
Diverse interests and impactful experiences paved the way for Grant to become a passionate entrepreneur and the Founder of Start Now Press. Here are some of his achievements, honors and pivotal moments.
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A double graduate of Stanford, earning a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master's in Management Science & Engineering
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Worked at Deloitte as a Business Consultant
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Worked with Mayor Michael Tubbs in Stockton, translating his “Tubbs platform” into a series of environmental policy recommendations
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Conducted education research in Uganda and assisted in implementing his financial literacy books for children in Kyenjojo and Kampala
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Earned the Eagle Scout rank, where he gained a love of nature and commitment to help other people at all times
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Was a pen pal with oil billionaire and alternative energy investor T. Boone Pickens for 10 years
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Is a founding student board member, current financial coach, and future lecturer with Stanford’s “Mind over Money” program
Recognizing there are many factors that affect financial inequality, Grant is excited to empower students of all backgrounds to effectively manage housing, education, debt, interest rates, and credit. He seeks to provide a platform that helps students seize life’s opportunities.
Grant’s lifelong mission is to plant seeds of knowledge that teach others to grow, climb, and soar to greater heights. He is inspired by the vision “That all people are empowered to learn practical wisdom and achieve a better tomorrow.” He founded Start Now Press as a first step on this path, with a commitment to improving financial literacy for K through college.
