ABOUT THE OWNERS

Edward Washington is Owner, President and CEO of Edward Washington & Associates, Inc. He formed the company in 1992 following his early retirement from Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) as a Corporate Vice President with almost 30 years of service to the Coca-Cola "family." Ed had the sales responsibility for national accounts such as the Marriott Corporation, military commissaries and exchanges, and colleges and universities. As Vice President of Community Affairs/Special Markets for CCE, Ed was responsible for corporate-wide community outreach to all field operations in the development and implementation of effective community relations activities, as well as serving as corporate liaison to the ethnic communities in special market events.

Among his many other executive positions with CCE, Ed served as Vice President of Market Development and Special Markets. In this capacity, he was responsible for planning, developing and implementing sales programs and activities for the African-American, Hispanic, and Asian consumer markets. Ed was also the first black General Manager of a sales center within the Coca-Cola system at the Capital Heights, Maryland Sales Center from 1981-1982.

During his lengthy corporate career, Ed has also held several management and supervisory positions for such corporations as the Del Monte Corporation, RJR Foods and Uniworld Advertising.

Ed has an MBA from the University of Southern California and BS in Psychology from Virginia State University. He was also awarded an honorary Ph.D. from Southeastern University. He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, a member of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, a board member of the Atlanta Boys and Girls Clubs and the Atlanta Tip-Off Club. Ed has received numerous awards from such national organizations as Bowie State University, Georgetown University, Operation PUSH, the President’s Award from Florida A & M University, Who’s Who of American Business Leaders, the City of Washington, D. C., the Atlanta Urban League, and was awarded the key to the city of Albany, Georgia.

Ed is married to Dr. Paula Greenfield Washington, President of The WOMENTOR Group, LLC and has three daughters, a son, and six grandchildren.

Paula Greenfield Washington, Ph.D. (Senior Vice President and CFO of EWA Beverage Group, Inc.) assisted her husband, Edward, in the formation of EWA Beverage Group, Inc. in 1992.

Dr Washington was awarded one of the first two Ph.D.s in Women’s Studies from Emory University in 1995, and has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses for the Department of Women’s Studies. Dr. Washington also served as a Research Fellow with Center for Leadership and Career Studies at the Goizueta Business School as well as on Emory’s Commission on the Status of Women and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Emory Women’s Center. She was also appointed one of the first Dean’s Teaching Fellows. Dr. Washington served as Chair of the Emory Center for Women From 2003-2004, and was recently selected to serve on the Emory Board of Visitors.

Her latest book, "THE WOMENTOR GUIDE: Leadership for the new Millennium" is the basis for her consulting firm, The WOMENTOR Group, LLC. Prior to completing her doctorate at Emory University, she spent over 15 years in private and public sector service.

She was Special Assistant in the Carter Administration to former Secretary of Labor, Alexis Herman and co-authored Voices for Women for the Women’s Bureau’s 60th birthday celebration. After the Carter Administration, Dr. Washington joined a labor relations consulting firm and was a lead negotiator in the historic Operation PUSH/Coca-Cola Reciprocity Agreement that provided jobs and contracts to minority and women-owned businesses. She also developed the initial strategic diversity participation plan for MARTA’s expansion in Atlanta.

Dr. Washington holds an MBA in Marketing and Business Law, as well as a BA in Political Science, from the University of Texas in Austin.