Our Team

Doug is an accomplished financial executive with a wealth of experience spanning over 30 years in strategic financial planning, financial analysis, and hands-on management. With a track record of delivering desired financial results, Doug has an excellent understanding of a company's needs and challenges and leverages this insight to provide valuable input to the CEO in breaking through barriers and propelling underperforming entities to market leadership.

Doug's experience in both public and private accounting has proven invaluable in honing his expertise in various specializations, including process improvement, strategic and financial planning, start-up planning and implementation, transformation and business turn-around, systems implementation, capital and operational budgeting, team building, organization, and communication.

With extensive experience in all facets of financial management, as well as capital markets, Doug has a successful track record in leading functional areas such as HR, contracts and compliance, risk management, information technology, administration, and accounting.

Doug's expertise and passion for driving success through financial management make him an invaluable asset to any team. Doug is a senior financial executive with over 30 years of strategic financial planning, financial analysis, and hands-on management skills to drive desired financial results. Experience in both public accounting and private accounting has proven invaluable in understanding a company’s needs and challenges to provide the kind of input to the CEO in breaking through the barrier of a small underperforming entity to the entity becoming a market leader. 

Specialties: Process improvement; strategic & Financial planning; start-up planning and implementation; transformation and business turn-around; systems implementation; capital and operational budgeting; team building, organization, and communication.

Experience in all facets of financial management, capital markets experience, and success leading functional areas including; HR, contracts and compliance, risk management, information technology, administration, and accounting.

V. Cheryl Womack

Cheryl's journey began in a large, struggling Hispanic immigrant family in Kansas City, Kansas, where she was the third eldest of 11 children. Her father, a hard-working laborer who put in 18-hour days at a fiberglass factory, was her role model and inspired in her a strong work ethic and a positive attitude. She learned from him the values of taking responsibility, believing in oneself and embracing change as an opportunity for growth. At the age of 32, Cheryl, who was earning a modest salary of $17,000, chose to take a leap of faith and make a life-changing decision. Now, more than two decades later, Cheryl has become one of America's most successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders.

Cheryl is a shining example of what is possible through hard work, determination, and a positive attitude. Her success, both professional and personal, has earned her countless accolades and awards, including the "A Reason to Believe" Award from her childhood school. As a highly respected role model, she uses her motivational talks and mentoring programs to inspire and empower people, particularly women, around the world. Cheryl leads by example, showing others that anything is possible if they believe in themselves and are willing to work hard.

As a business leader, Cheryl has built her success by empowering her employees to succeed. Her greatest fulfillment comes from watching her team members seize opportunities and exceed their own expectations. She has achieved recognition in two male-dominated industries - trucking and insurance - as a Hispanic woman business owner. Beyond her professional life, Cheryl's passions include community work, art, interior design, wine, and reading. Above all, she treasures her family and is a proud wife and mother of two young adult sons.

Cheryl's story is a testament to the power of hard work, determination, and a positive attitude. She is an inspiration to us all and a role model for those who seek to achieve their own personal and professional goals.

Cheryl was born the third eldest of 11 children of a struggling Hispanic immigrant family in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. Her late father, who consistently worked 18-hour days in a fiberglass factory, was – and continues to be – her inspiration. He instilled not only a strong work ethic but perhaps more importantly, an attitude. Cheryl was raised to take responsibility, believe in herself, and know change is not only possible but in fact, a choice that is available to everyone. At age 32, when Cheryl was earning just $17,000 a year, she took that option and made the choice to change both her life and her lifestyle. Two decades later, she was honored with the "A Reason to Believe" Award from her childhood school. Among the numerous accolades she has received, this one perhaps best embraces the success – both professional and personal - of V. Cheryl Womack.

Cheryl is now one of America’s most successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders. As such, she's a highly respected role model and, through her motivational talks and mentoring programs, an inspiration to thousands of people around the world, particularly women. As in every endeavor she tackles, Cheryl empowers by example. She herself is "A Reason to Believe" anything is possible and one of her greatest talents is instilling this belief in others.  Providing opportunities for employees’ success and watching them seize the moment and excel beyond their expectations has been a source of great personal fulfillment for Cheryl. As a Hispanic woman business owner, significant satisfaction has come from the respect and recognition achieved within two male-dominated industries: trucking and insurance. Ms.Womack has personally experienced our penal system and may provide first-hand knowledge on a number of distinctions about a woman in prison.

Cheryl’s personal life is as full and multi-faceted as her career. Her passions include community work, art, interior design, wine, reading, anything holiday - and, most importantly, her family. Cheryl is married and the proud mother of two young adult sons. 

Andy Protzman

Andy is the founder and owner of a Kansas City-based trial law firm.  After a decade’s worth of experience in a large firm representing corporations, Andy came to the realization that he could do the most good by representing individuals who find themselves at odds with these large corporations. Andy founded Protzman Law Firm to give the ordinary person a voice in their battle with the behemoths of corporate industry.

Andy graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in 1993. In 1996, he graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law, where he earned a position on the prestigious UMKC Law Review and finished near the top of his class.  He has represented clients in numerous multi-week jury and bench trials involving sophisticated claims ranging from securities fraud and complex business disputes to product liability and police misconduct claims.  He has achieved multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients.  A frequent lecturer at continuing legal education programs and seminars on topics ranging from trial strategy to in-depth examinations of legal issues, Andy enjoys both the practical and academic sides of the legal industry. 

 Professionally, Andy is proud of the work he has done for his clients over the years and the results they have achieved together.  However, he is most proud of his philanthropic and personal accomplishments.  He serves on the boards of two non-profits, volunteers pro bono legal work within the Kansas City community, and donates to many charitable organizations.  He values above all his wife and two sons, his years of coaching youth sports and working with kids, both his and others’, and the lifelong friendships he has made along the way.

Brenda Mendez, Director of Marketing

Brenda Mendez is a member of Women of Worth and the founding partner of Religious Relics. Born in Philadelphia, PA, Brenda grew up in Puerto Rico, starting her first business at age 7, she sold eggs door to door. Brenda was sentenced to 24 months in FCI Greenville. Upon her release, Brenda turned her entrepreneurial vision to helping support other women on a similar journey within the prison system.

Religious Relics is a project created by Brenda Mendez and Cheryl Womack. Its intent is to create jobs for women that are coming out of the prison system. The goal is to provide opportunities for women to craft specialty rosaries. These types of experiences help lower their chance of recidivism. Brenda’s time spent behind bars gave her first-hand experience and knowledge that inspires her to help other  incarcerated women who also have to deal with being separated from their families. It is clear that from her experience. Brenda understands the difficulty of working and living within a broken system.

Brenda spent her time in prison learning to read and write in English. She studied entrepreneurism under her mentor Cheryl Womack, previously the chair of The Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World, Inc.

As a mother and wife, family comes first for Brenda. She studied Criminal Justice at the Universidad Interamericana in Puerto Rico and studied as a medical assistant and massage therapist after moving back to Philadelphia at the age of 25. Brenda loves helping others, she enjoys cooking and traveling with her family.