iv Brenda Clark is a retired CTE director, marketing instructor, SBE advisor, and DECA advisor for Jenison, Michigan, Public Schools. She was named Marketing Teacher of the Year at state and national levels. She is a consultant for the MBA Research and Curriculum Center. Clark is also a coauthor of Entrepreneurship and Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance. Clark’s program was named Business of the Year by the Jenison Chamber of Commerce. Two of her marketing department’s school-based enterprises were awarded Gold Certification in 2010 and 2013, respectively. She earned a bachelor degree in marketing education, a master degree in educational leadership, and an EdD in educational leadership with a concentration in career and technical education from Western Michigan University. She currently serves on the DECA Competitive Events Task Force. Cynthia Gendall Basteri, EdD, is a retired high school math and marketing teacher who served as a DECA competitive events coordinator at the district, state, and international levels. Currently, Basteri is the grants coordinator for Tewksbury Public Schools in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. She also oversees all the school year and summer credit recovery programs at the middle school and high school levels in Tewksbury. She continues to update the curriculum in all content areas to reflect current state and national standards. Chris Gassen is the principal of an investment firm and formerly an equity mutual fund manager, financial analyst, accountant, and college instructor. Gassen writes educational materials and business valuations. He holds a master of business administration degree with a concentra- tion in finance from Indiana University and a bachelor of science degree in management from Oakland University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and served as a grader for the national CFA exam. Michelle Walker is the owner of Trebla Consulting, LLC. Prior to r founding Trebla Consulting, Michelle was director of education at DECA Inc., where she used diverse professional development engagement strat- egies to expand and strengthen the performance of 5,900 teachers and managers in the high school and collegiate divisions. She previously worked with a variety of education, nonprofit and private organizations including Texas Education Agency, University of North Texas, and Walker Consulting. Walker has a doctor of philosophy degree in applied technology, training, and development from the University of North Texas. She also taught marketing education and was a DECA advisor in the Dallas Independent School District. About the Authors