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Board of Directors
Joseph M. Marchesani, Co-Founder and Board Chairman
Community Outreach Committee Chair
Finance, Marketing/ Communication, Fund-raising and Membership Committee Team Member
 Joe Marchesani is President and Owner of Markee Distributors, LLC a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) located in the Charlotte, NC area. Joe graduated from the Univ. of Central Florida with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration.
Markee is one of the top suppliers of batteries to the Veterans Administration's (VA) medical centers around the country. In 2005 they were awarded their first GSA Contract and a multi-year contract with one of the largest school districts in the country. More recently, they were awarded a multi-year contract with the VA for alkaline batteries.
Joe is a Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), holding an executive position with his local chapter as well as supporting the organization. He is also a Founding Member of USA VetBiz. Recognizing the need for more services for vets, Joe along with key veterans, created the vision and co-founded North Carolina Veterans Business Association (NC VetBiz). He recently received the Small Business Administration's 2009 North Carolina Veterans Small Business Champion of the Year. Joe was elected Board Chairman in 2007.
John Wharton, Co-Founder and Member of Board of Directors
Marketing/ Communication Outreach Committee Chair
Membership Committee Team Member
Mr. Wharton graduated from Clemson University in August of 2001 and was inspired to serve his country in the United States Army after the September 11th attacks. During his active duty service, he held numerous positions of responsibility as a Field Artillery Officer. He is a proud graduate of Ranger and Airborne schools and also received the Bronze Star for meritorious service while deployed in support of OIF IV. He left active duty in 2007 with the rank of Captain and currently serves at that rank in the North Carolina National Guard as an Assistant Fire Support Officer for 130th MEB.
John Wharton is now a North and South Carolina licensed Real Estate Broker with Colliers Pinkard of Charlotte, NC. He joined Colliers in 2007 as an Industrial Specialist upon release from active duty and wanted to use his newly found skill set in assisting Veteran Owned businesses. His decision to pursue efforts within this community ultimately led to co-founding the North Carolina Veterans Business Association with two other Board Members.
C. Ray Kennedy, Member of Board of Directors
C. Ray Kennedy is Chairman, President & CEO of American Product Distributors, Inc., which is located in the Charlotte, NC area. Mr. Kennedy was raised in Newton, NC as one of nine children of Manuel and Rebecca Kennedy. Educated in the segregated public school system (Central High School), Kennedy went on to graduate from The University of Maryland-Eastern Shore (BS); North Carolina Central University (MBA); the LSU Graduate School of Banking of the South; and the UNC-Chapel Hill Executive Program of Professional Management Education.
Married to Cynthia McGlohon Kennedy for over 30 years, they are parents to Cy, Kim, and Mia Kennedy. An accomplished corporate business executive, Kennedy spent more than 20 years in the banking industry and served as a member of the North Carolina Banking Commission.
Kennedy is most distinguished as an innovative entrepreneur. Kennedy owns University Child Development Centers (daycare centers) and Kennedy Academic Learning Centers (NC approved tutoring centers). He is also the founder and majority shareholder of American Product Distributors, Inc. Kennedy is a service disabled U.S. Army veteran having served in the Vietnam War.
An avid golfer, Kennedy is very active in civic and community service and recently turned his attention to future philanthropic endeavors by establishing the C. Ray and Cynthia M. Kennedy Foundation. Kennedy resides in Charlotte.
John Kennedy, Co-Founder and Member of Board of Directors
John C. Kennedy is a Managing Partner of Micradex Systems. Founded in 2001, Micradex provides a variety of affordable managed technology service solutions to businesses. John also serves in the North Carolina Army National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel of Field Artillery. His current duty assignment is Commander, 5th Battalion 113th Field Artillery (HIMARS). He is a veteran of Operation Iraq Freedom and a Bronze Star recipient.
John has a long history of service to the community. In 2003, he received a Community Food Rescue Crystal Apple Award and in 2007 he served on the Greater Carolinas American Red Cross Information Technology Advisory Council
John is an active member of American Legion Post #523 in Harrisburg, NC, The North Carolina National Guard Association, and the National Guard Association of the United States.
John is a co-founder of NC VetBiz and sits on the organization's Board of Directors.
John is a graduate of Brevard College, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in Computer Science, The North Carolina Military Academy Officer Candidate School, The Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advance Courses, The Combined Arms and Services Staff Course, the Field Artillery Pre-Command Course, and the US Army Command and General Staff College. In 2008, he was name a Brevard College Distinguished Alumni.
He and his family make their home in Harrisburg, NC.
Mark M. Haupt, Founding Business Member, President and Member of Board of Directors
Membership Committee Chair
Fund-raising Committee Team Member
 Mark M. Haupt is the Founder and President of Converged Services, LLC. Founded in 2008, Converged Services plans and deploys Information Technology, Telecoms and mission-critical solutions, staff operations, development and service centers and tests hardware and software, and delivers verification, implementation, integration, and migration services. They perform software application, middleware, and multiple database protocol development. Mark served in the USAF from 1972 to 1978 in the highly decorated 31st Tactical Airlift Command (now a MAC Command) at Pope AFB. Mark has more than 30 years international and domestic Information Technology and Telecommunications industry experience.
Mark serves on the Board of Directors for the Tammy Lynn Foundation, an organization providing services and care for Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities. He served on the Research Triangle Park Federal Credit Union Board of Directors during its formative years, 1991 through 1995.
Mark holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from U. Iowa University and an Associate Degree in Electronic Technology from the Community College of the US Air Force.
He and his family make their home in Raleigh, NC
Anthony J Scott, CPA, Member of Board of Directors and Treasurer
Finance Committee Chair and Education Committee Chair
Fund-raising and Marketing/ Communication Committee Team Member
 Anthony Scott is a NC Certified Public Accountant, and an Internal Audit Manager for Scottish Re (a Bermuda Reinsurance Company). He is responsible for supervising and performing internal audits and special project audit procedures over significant business and financial reporting processes. Additionally, he partners with his company's departments to help improve their overall efficiency and effectiveness over these processes. He joined Scottish Re in 2006 and works in the Charlotte, North Carolina office.
Mr. Scott started his accounting career at Ernst & Young, LLP, one of the big "4" accounting firms, where he led local and international audit teams on multi-national SEC clients. He joined Ernst & Young, LLP in 2002 and worked in the West Palm Beach, Florida office.
From 1990-1996, Scott was on active duty as a United States Naval Petty Officer based in Yokosuka, Japan. During his tour in Japan on the USS Curts (FFG 38), he served as a Fire Controlman Second Class Petty Officer & Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist [FC2 (SW)]. Scott took part in the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), which began in January 1991. He obtained nine military decorations including the Kuwait Liberation and Southwest Asia.
He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and holds a Bachelors of Science in Accounting.
Mr. Scott has been involved with many non-profits in the past, Project White Hat (a program to help very sick children through visiting and playing with patients at their bedside); Habitat for Humanity (partners with families communities to create and preserve affordable home ownership solutions) and Junior Achievement (educates children about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs) to name a few. Mr. Scott joined NC VetBiz as a Founding Member in June 2008, where he was elected as Treasurer.
Mr. Scott is married to Elizabeth K. Scott since October 2004, and they are parents to twins, Gabriella and Jason.
Board of Advisors
 J. Quincy Collins, Jr., Honorary Member and Board of Advisors
J. Quincy Collins, Jr. was raised in Concord, N.C.; he graduated from Concord High School, attended The Citadel in Charleston, SC and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Commerce in 1953.
Quincy immediately entered the Air Force as a 2nd Lt. and began pilot training.
21 years later, he had accumulated over 3,000 hours of jet time with a Command Pilot rating and had flown all the jet fighters of the day. He earned his Jump Wings at Ft. Benning, Georgia while a Flight Commander in an F-104 unit at George Air Force Base, California.
He had an illustrious Air Force career, from opening the new Air Force Academy in 1955 as an Air Training Officer, to being the Aide to the Four Star Commander-In-Chief of U. S. Air Forces in Europe, to being shot down by the North Vietnamese Communist and spending 7½ years in prison cells in and around Hanoi.
Quincy retired as a full Colonel in 1974, ran for Congress in the 7th District of Georgia in 1974 and again in 1976. He has since been involved in insurance, was the General Sales Manager for 4½ years at Arnold Palmer Cadillac and was President of his own marketing firm in Charlotte. He is now a commercial and industrial real estate broker and Vice President of Southern Real Estate in Charlotte. He is married to Catherine, his wife of 25 years. She has 3 daughters and Quincy has 3 sons. They have 10 grandchildren - triplet girls (14 yrs.), boy/girl twins (9 yrs.) and four grandsons and one granddaughter, all under the age of nine.
Quincy is very involved in the Charlotte community through his civic and political activities. He is a Deacon at Myers Park Presbyterian Church and has served on the Boards of The Carolinas Carrousel Parade, the Carolinas Concert Association, the Board of Charlotte's Friendship Trays, was President of "The Collector's Circle" of the Mint Museum, and now serves on the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Museum of History. He is the founder and past Chairman of the Carolinas' Citizens Freedom Foundation appointed by the Mayor and the Chairman of the County Commissioners and is now Chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg World War II Memorial Foundation. He was a candidate for Charlotte City Council in 1995. In 1999 Quincy was President of the Citadel Alumni Association headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina. The Colonel was recently designated a "Distinguished Graduate" by his Alma Mater. He is a 10-year member of the prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Club of the Charlotte Commercial Board of Realtors and last year became a member of the Ten Million Dollar Club for two years in a row. In 2003 The Board of Realtors, for only the second time in their history, awarded Quincy their coveted "Realtor Citizen of the Year Award" for his contributions to the betterment of the community and for outstanding public service in the Charlotte Region. He also is recognized as one of the top Commercial Real Estate Producers in the Charlotte Region and has achieved the SIOR designation awarded by the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, an international association of professional commercial real estate brokers. General Shelton, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has recently asked Quincy to serve on the Board of the "Shelton Leadership Initiative" at N.C. State University, and he recently was selected to join the South Carolina State Guard Foundation Board to advise the South Carolina Adjutant General on military matters.
His military awards include:
- 2 Silver Stars
- Legion of Merit
- 2 Bronze Stars
- 2 Air Medals
- 2 Purple Hearts
- Meritorious Service Medal
- Distinguished Service Medal
- POW Medal
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