CO-FOUNDER
MARIO D. BALL
Mario is a native of Millen, GA, and graduated from Morehouse College and Georgia Tech with degrees in Applied Physics and Biomedical Engineering. Ball also obtained a EMBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He has gained domestic and international medical device experience from several leading companies including, NASA - Johnson Space Center, Kimberly Clark, Stryker Orthopedics, and Medtronic. At NASA, he worked as a project engineer examining muscular atrophy in astronauts post-flight, initially at Stryker, as an engineer designing knee and hip prosthetics for the Japanese market. For five years, he worked at Medtronic in Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management, as a Clinical Engineer and Pacemaker Sales Representative. He worked in surgery with cardiologists and electro-physiologists in implanting and troubleshooting pacemakers, defibrillators, and other cardiac related devices.
Currently, he is the Regional Sales Manager for Boston Scientific in Houston, TX. Ball has previously worked at Stryker Orthopedics, as a Territory Sales Manager in Chicago, IL in their newly formed Joint Preservation/Sports Medicine Division. During his time at Stryker, Mario worked with orthopedic surgeons in surgery to help repair and educate on sports related injuries. His customers/clients are world-renowned orthopedic surgeons and are the dedicated team physicians for the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears, and Chicago White Sox. In 2015, after being with the company for less than 2 years, he was ranked Top 10 in revenue sales and achieved Presidents Club status.
In the 2012, he was selected for Apex Society's Top 30 Under 30 Award for his work in medical technology and biosciences. As a testament of his success and leadership, in 2013 he was selected to serve on the External Advisory Board for Bioengineering & Bioscience at Georgia Tech, where he is the youngest and only African-American to have served on this board. He is also the current Chicago Chapter President for National Sales Network, a non-profit organization that serves the needs and development of sales professionals and sales mangers by providing training and development, career development strategies, and encouraging philanthropic efforts.
He also has a passion for motivational speaking, addressing the millennial group in their career matriculation and empowering students from underserved communities and schools.
CO-FOUNDER
CHARLES WATSON JR
Charles Watson Jr., is a native of Millen, GA, and is a graduate of The Citadel where he majored in Exercise Science. Charles played football and received All-Southern Conference honors as a member of the track team while at The Citadel. Watson was commissioned into the United States Air Force upon graduation, where he obtained the rank of Captain during his military service. Charles is also a graduate of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology where he earned a Master of Divinity degree.
Watson’s career has led him to leadership roles as a consultant for DeWolff, Boberg & Associates, Inc. and as the Director of Education for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC). Charles currently serves on the board of trustees at Mercer University, on the governing board of CBF and as a board member at Together For Hope.
As a seminary trained religious liberty advocate and educator, he is routinely asked to speak at colleges and universities across the nation. He has been a guest speaker or panelist at schools such as Baylor University, Bowie State University, Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology and Hardin-Simmons University. Watson has published articles covering race relations, as well as religious liberty, for EthicsDaily.com, the Report from the Capital and cbfBlog.com.
Charles is passionate about creating opportunities for forgotten communities.