Young Entrepreneurs Academy

Investor Panel Presentations 

Join us for a welcome reception and presentations by the Young Entrepreneurs to a panel of local investors in order to obtain funding for their new businesses and social movements.

Register Now! 

Michael Sherrod, Master of Ceremonies

Michael Sherrod, a pioneer in the online world since 1985, will be our Master of Cermonies. He is a William M. Dickey Entrepreneur in Residence at TCU. He was with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram when he created and sold one of the world’s first electronic advertisements to AT&T through an innovative video-text news service he helped manage. He founded or co-founded 10 companies, including Digital 
City.com and served in senior management roles at AMR Information Services, AOL, Ancestry.com and many others.  Sherrod has a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, a M.A. from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and M.B.A. from TCU’s Neeley School of Business.

Alicia McGlinchey, Panelist

Alicia is a former attorney and long-time community volunteer in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area.  She has served on numerous city and school committees, including two terms on the Bedford City Council.  Currently, Alicia leads the HEB Education Foundation as Board Chair.  The Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises money in support of HEB ISD schools.

Steve Chapman, Panelist

Steve Chapman is the Superintendent for Schools for the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District.  Steve began his educational career as a classroom teacher in 1984 and has held various administrative positions at the campus and central office.  He is the past president of the Texas Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (TxASCD) and serves as an instructor for their Curriculum Leadership Academy.  In addition to his work with TxASCD, Steve has served on the Legislative Council for the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.  Steve has been both a state and national presenter at educational conferences and is a member of several state and national associations, including District Management Council, American Association of Schools Administrators, and the Texas Association of School Administrators.   He and his wife Tanga and two sons are active members of the First Baptist Church of Hurst. 

Michael Land, Panelist

Michael is Co-Owner of Forest Ridge Funeral Home which was established in 1997.  He is married to Suzanne Land.  Michael has served professionally as past president of the North Texas Funeral Directors and Texas Funeral Directors Association.  He currently serves as Board Chair of The Hurst Euless Bedford Chamber of Commerce and is a Board Member of the Better Business Bureau of Ft Worth serving Tarrant, Wise, Parker, Palo Pinto, Erath, Hood, Somerville & Johnson Counties. He continues to serve on the Board of Texas Funeral Directors Association.

Steve Ward, Panelist

The Ward family has operated an Allstate Insurance agency in Bedford for many years. They help people with their insurance home insurance, auto insurance, renters insurance & more. Their service-oriented insurance agency is owned & operated by the Ward family & customers say they make them feel like family.

Steve is a member of the HEB Chamber of Commerce and a Graduate of Texas A&M University.

Deborah Paganelli, Panelist

Debbie joined Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford as president in 2007. Previously, Paganelli served as president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville.  She currently serves as the chair-elect of the HEB Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, the board of directors for CareFlite and the HEBISD Education Foundation, and the boards of the Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake.

Michael Delgado, DDS, Panelist

Dr. Delgado attended Texas A&M University and then Marquette University for dental school. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army as a general dentist, completing an Advanced Education in General Dentistry program where he received additional training in oral surgery, root canals and orthodontics. Later, he enrolled at the University of Louisville where he earned a Master's of Science in Oral Biology and a Certificate as an Orthodontic Specialist. He then spent the next four years serving as an orthodontist in the U.S. Army. His last assignment was at Fort Hood, Texas where he served as Chief of Orthodontics for the dental residency program. Dr. and Mrs. Delgado, along with their two children, enjoy being a part of the flourishing Metroplex community. They share a passion for community service and enjoy working and living in the area.