K. Shelly Porges

K. Shelly Porges is a successful serial entrepreneur, investor and global entrepreneurship advocate. She is managing director of Reservoir Q Global LLC, an advisory and investment firm. She is also the president of the North American Jury for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, a member of the board of the Global Banking Alliance for Women, on the advisory board for Cornerstone Capital and Global Entrepreneurship Week and an expert on call for Georgetown University’s Entrepreneurship Program. 

Shelly also served as the former senior advisor, Global Entrepreneurship Program (GEP) at the U.S. State Department, a program she expanded to almost 150 countries, under Secretary Hillary Clinton. Before joining the State Department, she had a distinguished career in the private sector, including both corporate and entrepreneurial ventures. She served as executive head of marketing for American Express Canada and as chief retail marketing officer for Bank of America during a historic turn-around. Shelly then founded or co-founded a number of start-up ventures including one sold to Wachovia Bank; Third Age Media, the leading Internet portal for baby boomers; Scudder Weisel Capital LLC, a joint venture between Thomas Weisel Partners and Zurich Scudder Investments; and Global Payments Experts LLC, a payments industry advisory firm. 

Shelly holds both a BS with Honors and MPS degree from Cornell University.