Danny Smith, Chair

Danny Smith has been in the field of financial advising for nearly 40 years.  He is the president of Daniels Financial Group where he helps his clients plan financially for when things go right, and to be prepared when things go wrong.  He is the author of the Amazon.com #1 best seller “The Baby Boomer’s Guide to a Rockin’ and Rollin’ Retirement.”  He is a Qualifying and Life Member of the Million Dollar Roundtable (MDRT) and serves on the Executive Board of the Cleveland / Akron Chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals (FSP).  A passionate and moving speaker, he has been asked to speak all over the US and internationally.

Danny lives in Avon, Ohio and has been married to his wife Brenda for over 40 years.  In their leisure they enjoy spending time with their family, travelling, and checking out classic rock concerts.

Securities and advisory services offered through Mutual of Omaha Investor Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.  Daniels Financial Group and Mutual of Omaha Investor Services, Inc are not affiliated.

Pete Pruszynski, Secretary

Pete graduated Cum Laude from Kent State University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Business Administration & Marketing Degree. Immediately following college he spent 10 years as a sales consultant with Ohio Edison/First Energy. Pete credits his 10 years as a sales consultant with Ahola Payroll Services as extremely important preparation toward business ownership. During his employment with Ahola, he worked closely with business owners and accountants, gained human resources expertise, and was recognized by Ahola management as Employee of the Year. He also was elected to serve a four-year term as a Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce Board Member, which also included a one-year term as CFCC Board President. As Vice President of Star Therapy & Sales Corp., Pete is responsible for school district contract negotiations, account management, recruitment of employees, human resources and public relations. Dina and Pete, owners of Star Therapy & Sales Corp. reside in Shalersville with their two children. As parents and professionals, they are active community members in the Crestwood School District.

Molly Arbogast

Development Director,
Carnegie Hall Foundation (WV)

Larry Dorfman

Larry Dorfman is the Founder and ex-Chairman and CEO of APCO Holdings, Inc., an Atlanta based company that he founded with family and friends in 1984. The company delivers the EasyCare, GWC, MemberCare and Covideo brands in the automotive and RV industries. APCO was created on the premise that the negative connotation that was so readily associated with the automobile industry needed to change. Eager to improve the consumers’ car and RV buying and ownership experience, they set the stage for a business that has become a consistent Top 100 Company to Work for nationally, enjoyes 90%+ Employee Engagement scores, is a Healthiest Place To Work in Atlanta and Nationally, and advocates for consumers in the automotive retail industry.

Larry’s engagement with Because I Said I Would started in 2015 when he saw one of Alex’s Ted X talks and adopted the entire “promise” concept within APCO to drive more personal accountability throughout the organization. He’s been an avid supporter of the cause ever since. He stepped down from the Chairman/CEO role at APCO in May of 2018 so he could spend more time with family and engage more fully in the non-profit, social programs he works with.

When they are not working they spend their time together with their five children and their partners, and four grandchildren engaging with a few select charities they support thru their Curran-Dorfman Family Foundation. They have extensive Non-Profit engagement having served on the board of Hands On Atlanta, Hope Thru Soap, Usher 2020 and Inner Strength (Larry as Executive Director for several years) and contributing to others they are passionate about.

MJ Frumin

A life-long entrepreneur, MJ is a co-founder of Accelion, a company that builds, maintains, and grows ongoing customer engagement and referral pipelines that create incremental sales and revenue growth for companies like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon.  A self-directed visionary leader, MJ is passionate about individuals reaching their highest potential, and his specialty is creating a high-performance culture of self-awareness, continuous improvement, and accountability to maximize performance and results.

Outside of work, you will find MJ devoted to his growing family, as well as helping strengthen individuals and communities.  He serves the less fortunate through Camp Hope for Kids and Greater Philadelphia Church of Christ and helps protect his community’s resources as a planning commissioner.

Dan Heath

Dan is a Systems Engineer for Cisco Systems, working in London and living in Emsworth, UK with his family. Dan graduated from the University of Manchester in 2009 with a MEng in Civil Engineering and soon after changed industry to IT and Telecoms. During the next decade he worked his way through a number of roles and organisations, all the while volunteering in varying capacities.

In 2019, after a busy couple of years including his fiancée, Rachel, finishing her MA Social Work studies and the birth of his two sons, Dan has set out a plan for his next decade. Armed with a new mission statement/question of “what if we could make it better?” he wants to help people and organisations achieve their best through empowerment and enablement.

Dan’s story with because I said I would began in 2014 when he first heard about the movement, bought the t-shirt, and proceeded to cycle the Pacific Coast from Vancouver to San Diego fulfilling his first Promise Card. Alongside Rachel, Dan hopes to develop the movement’s presence in the UK.