STAR SIMMONS started Threads of Connection in March of 2010. Her dedicated passion to helping people was her prime motivation in starting this value-based business growth firm. Star is a professional connector and she finds her passion in connecting people in business. She has also successfully produced various conferences and events on sustainability held at such prestigious venues as The Heard Museum and U.S. Airways Center.

Her extensive networking experience gives her the ability to identify strategic alliances for companies and use her social equity in the community to bring companies together in a collaborative manner. She excels at creating valued-minded business packages by creating lead generation and marketing with community outreach. By working hand-in-hand with her clients she is able to increase their awareness and understanding of how to bring all aspects of their business into sustainable balance.

Her professional career began in 1988 when she was hired by Precision Payroll, a publicly held payroll processing company in Los Angeles, to work in the accounting department. Her strong work ethics and enthusiasm paid off. In just two years she was promoted to Assistant Controller, performing month-end closings and assisting with quarterly SEC reporting and filing. It was during this period when she began showing interest in Sales and Marketing. She became a lead generator unlike anyone their sales force had ever seen. It came naturally to her. Star Simmons' full bio can be found HERE.

SNOWDEN BISHOP began her career in the hectic arena of broadcast news as a
reporter and talk host in radio before making a transition to television as a reporter,
then morning anchor for NBC affiliates. Having worked in the corporate world with media giants like HBO, Warner Bros. and EMI/Capitol Records in areas of media relations, marketing, artist relations and production, Snowden is also an accomplished executive and entrepreneur.

As a principal of Bishop Arts & Media since 1998, Snowden has worked with international clients as a writer, designer, PR and marketing specialist and photographer. She is also an award-winning producer and writer of documentaries, theatrical short films, and live theatrical and music events.

Snowden firmly believes that the media is a conduit for greater understanding and
should be accessed as a tool to make the world a better place. She has actively
volunteered with, advocated for and written about environmental and wildlife
conservation concerns since 1985, a passion that has come full circle with the July
2010 launch of AZGreen Magazine, where she currently serves as editor-in-chief and
co-publisher.

Under the auspices of her new media company, BEAM, LLC., she is developing new publishing assets with a focus on philanthropy, sustainability and social responsibility. She also serves as the official documentarian for the Paw Project and as vice-president of the Friends of Africa International Board of Directors.

TRINA BECKSTED founded CloudNine Marketing, Inc., the nation’s first holistic PR and marketing firm, in 1997. She has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing and public relations consultant. As president of CloudNine Marketing, Inc., Trina takes projects from concept to creation. Some of her biggest projects include producing five events for the internationally acclaimed author Deepak Chopra, M.D. She organized and managed each of these events, attracting powerful co-sponsors like Canyon Ranch, Ritz Carlton, Mercedes Benz, Nordstrom and the Cleveland Clinic Health System. Trina's clients particularly appreciate her extensive experience in public relations management. She has handled PR for Columbus-based Smooth Jazz 103.5 and 104.3, promoting the world-class musicians of the Smooth Jazz concert series, Richard Elliot, Marc Antoine, Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons.

She also ran an in-house agency for one of the #1 ranked Ford auto agencies in the US. Her corporate event planning spans telecom industry giants CellularOne, AirTouch Cellular and The Whole Life Expos, garnering attendance figures in the 10’s of 1,000’s range featuring Suze Orman, Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer. Trina Becksted's full bio can be found HERE.

REBECCA EDWARDS has more than three decades of experience as a graphic designer. For more than 12 years she was a principal of Identity Crisis, where she helped small businesses develop their branding and marketing concepts and collaterals. At Office Without Walls, a full service corporate support agency, she was in charge of overseeing all corporate identity development and graphic design services. She later segued into the publishing industry as a freelance designer, and spent more than 11 years as art director for popular magazines, Scottsdale Collection and The Wedding Chronicle.

In 2010, Rebecca co-founded AZGreen Magazine and serves as co-publisher and creative director. She is an expert at creating corporate identity by strategically establishing visual branding and developing all supporting materials including logos, brochures, advertisements, website concepts, and all other collaterals. She is a graduate of Al Collins School of Graphic Design, and has numerous years of technical training with various educational institutions. She currently resides in Scottsdale with her husband and two daughters.