A popular speaker on building relationships whether across the room or across cultures, entrepreneurship and leadership, Shelby Scarbrough blends protocol with practicality for business and government executives. She has worked with such notable figures as: His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, Presidents Reagan, Bush, Ford, Carter and Nixon, President Walesa of Poland, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and members of the Royal Family, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela. She planned events and meetings from the Vatican to Buckingham Palace to The Kremlin and The White House.
A political appointee in the Reagan and Bush Administrations, she served as a White House Presidential Advance Trip Coordinator, and a Protocol Visits Officer at the State Department. Upon the death of President Reagan, she served as the Washington, DC Deputy Lead for his State Funeral and advisor to the funeral of President Ford.
She recently concluded her service as the elected global board president of the international association of 7300 plus highly motivated entrepreneurs worldwide from 40 countries. As an “EO Ambassador,” she raised the standard of global events and presided over the increased globalization and world stature of the organization. Membership doubled during her three year tenure on the board.
Shelby is a serial entrepreneur. She founded her consulting business Practical Protocol to specialize in international special events management, business protocol training and custom-designed plans addressing the unique needs of very special clients. Recently, she co-founded Conexus Global Services with fellow entrepreneur Cindy Boyd to provide relationship leveraging services, business development and marketing service.
To follow her passion connecting enterprising entrepreneurs, Shelby co-founded nCourage entrepreneurs, angel investing fund to fuel the dreams of the innovative. The group recently awarded seed funding for two promising concepts at the Rice Business Alliance Business Plan Competition.