Born in Ethiopia to Eritrean parents and raised in Atlanta, Faven Ressom is a firm believer that hard work and determination ultimately breed success. As the youngest of 11 children, big events have always been a big part of her life, and her rich blend of cultures, talent and passion for people made it only natural for her to make a career out of curating events that enriched the lives of others.

Ressom understood the importance of creating purposeful events that aligned with her personal values and commitment to giving back to her community. She launched Culinary Passport Atlanta, an international food festival, to create a platform where people would be comfortable sampling a new cuisine. Ressom has worked with international organization SOS Children’s Village International and locally with City of Refuge, Open Hands and the Georgia chapter of the Covenant House.

In addition to her philanthropic endeavors, creation of Faved Events and launch of Culinary Passport Atlanta, Ressom also considers it her social responsibility to educate the Atlanta community about the various cultures that exist within the city. Being a woman who takes pride in her East African culture and background she’s found that her ability to connect with myriad of people is credited to her cultural experience and willingness to share her story. Ressom takes pride in connecting with women from various ethnic backgrounds and allows them to share their voice, their culture, and their “new American” experience in her newest project Foreign Girl Problems.

While she feels fortunate to be doing what she truly loves, Ressom will always be driven by a passion for transforming the lives of others one event and experience at a time. A graduate of Georgia State University, Ressom is known among her colleagues and friends as a visionary, passionately meticulous, yet refreshingly charming

Vlada Galan is a political consultant with extensive experience in domestic and international political campaigns. She joined, Washington D.C. firm, Avenue Strategies in 2017 to bring her campaign management and consulting experience, including international and domestic presidential, prime ministerial, senatorial, gubernatorial, parliamentary, and congressional elections, to the team.

Working with political candidates and international organizations, Vlada has managed client relationships in over 12 countries globally. In 2016 Vlada worked on the successful re-election of Zambian President Edgar Lungu. In 2017 she worked with former President of the United Nations General Assembly Vuk Jeremic, and in 2018 she worked in Colombia with Marta Lucia Ramirez to elect Colombia’s first female Vice President. Vlada’s experience spans five continents and includes campaign work in the United States, Western Europe, the Balkans, Asia, South America, and Africa.

Vlada began her political career in her home state of Georgia in 2012. In 2014, she led a successful National Republican Committee Victory Tour program that resulted in 10 victories in statewide offices. She then founded her own consulting firm, Quantum International Strategies, before joining Arthur Finkelstein and Associates, where she specialized in international consulting and strategy, as well as social media.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine prior to the fall of the USSR, Vlada immigrated to the United States in 1996 and received her United States citizenship in 2010. In 2016 Vlada immigrated her immediate family to the United States as refugees due to the dire situation in Ukraine pertaining to the ongoing war with Russia.

Vlada graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in political science and is bilingual in both Russian and English. Vlada enjoys lecturing at schools, universities, and conferences on international strategy and politics and sharing her immigrant journey to the American Dream