Gary Hoover, Bigwig Games Director, Founder, Chairman, CEO, and President began his entrepreneurial journey at a young age. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago and resides in Austin, Texas. He spent 9 years as a retail analyst and executive at Citibank (NY), Federated Department Stores (Dallas), and the May Department Stores Company (St. Louis). He has founded 4 companies prior to Bigwig Games, including the Reference Press, which was later renamed Hoover’s, Inc, and which today Management believes to be one of the most important purveyors of company and industry information on the Internet. Gary also founded book superstore chain BOOKSTOP, Inc., in 1982.Today, Gary Hoover travels the world speaking to Fortune 500 executives, trade associations, entrepreneurs, and college and high school students about how enterprises are built and how they stand the test of time.

Lonny specializes in Project and Staff Management; Public and Government Relations; Informal STEM Education; Urban Economic Development; Grant Writing/Development; and Public speaking. At Skillpoint Alliance, he is responsible for leading the STEM Council, which connects industry & education for workforce development in Central Texas. The STEM Council works with CEOs and Superintendents to build the high-tech workforce pipeline, focusing on project-based learning programs that inspire students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. The STEM Council also promotes volunteer and mentoring opportunities for high-tech sector professionals across the region.

Prior to joining Skillpoint Alliance, Lonny served as the Outreach Director at the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) and Communications & Outreach Director for Hope Street Group, both nonpartisan policy organizations. He also worked as a Research Analyst for the Texas House Research Organization