eric south (1978-2023)
co-founder
With nearly 20 years of consulting and staffing experience in the information technology field, Eric South served in several roles at Robert Half, including as the Nashville-based Regional Vice President. Eric’s involvement in the tech community included previous service as President of the Tennessee Chapter of the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners and the Vice President of Programs for the Knoxville HDI. As the founding President of Gladiator Project, Eric was featured in various media outlets such as Today.com, Apple News, MSN.com, The Nashville Tennessean, and WSMV. He was involved in patient advocacy in the clinical trials and patient support space, including participating on a video podcast by mdgroup and serving as a panelist for the North Carolina Biosciences Organization (NCBIO) Clinical Trials Forum. Originally from Moundsville, West Virginia, Eric graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.
leslie south
secretary/treasurer
co-founder
Leslie South is an attorney and career public servant. Having joined the Tennessee Department of Transportation in 2010, she was named General Counsel in 2024. Leslie received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from Trinity University. She received a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law and serves her alma mater as a member of the Alumni Council. Leslie was selected for the TBA Leadership Law Class of 2019. Leslie also is a member of Lawyers’ Association for Women and a graduate of the LEAD Tennessee Class of 2018. She is forever grateful that Eric decided long ago to move to her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, where they met in 2005 and married in 2009, and where she still lives with their two sons.
SEAN COOK
BOARD MEMBER
Sean Cook is an attorney specializing in the representation of individuals in employment and civil rights litigation. He obtained both his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Doctorate of Jurisprudence from West Virginia University. Sean has received national attention and acclaim for a number of high-profile cases involving important issues of social justice and unlawful employment discrimination. He is an active member of the West Virginia Association for Justice and the National Employment Lawyers Association, for which he previously served as Co-Chair of the Legislative Action Committee. Sean lives in West Virginia with his wife, Denise.
robert gayda
board member
Robert J. Gayda is a partner at Seward & Kissel LLP in New York. Bob’s practice focuses on corporate restructuring and bankruptcy. Bob has represented clients in many of the largest and most complex restructurings of the last few years and is active in the restructuring community, writing and speaking frequently. He has recently published articles in the New York Law Journal, TMA’s Journal of Corporate Renewal, the Westlaw Bankruptcy Journal and Law360, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Law360, and The Deal, among others. Bob is the founder of and a contributor to Seward & Kissel’s Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy blog, Back in (the) Black. He is a member of the Turnaround Management Association (NY), the American Bankruptcy Institute, Secretary of the Maritime Bankruptcy and Insolvency Committee of the Maritime Law Association of the US, the Insolvency Section of the International Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association. Bob also serves on the Alumni Interview Committee for the University of Pennsylvania.
ben hanko
board member
Ben Hanko is a Managing Director at UBS and leads the Americas Capital Introduction team. Initially joining UBS in 2001, Ben has spent 20 years at the firm building relationships with both hedge fund clients and institutional investors. He also previously spent time on the buy-side at Capital Management Advisors, where he was responsible for investing in long/short equity strategies. Ben is a CFA Charterholder and earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Accounting from West Virginia University. In addition to his philanthropic work with Gladiator Project, Ben is on the board of the Doug Frisina Foundation and a Governor of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children.
cory rasmusseN
board member
Cory Rasmussen is the Sales Director at Magnum Insurance Agency in Chicago, IL. Magnum operates out of 38 insurance locations throughout Chicagoland and offers all lines of insurance. Cory has over 15 years of executive leadership with teams within the insurance industry and is licensed in seven states. Cory earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. He currently resides in Illinois with his wife and children.