The She Chooses(TM) Team

Henry Bass is a co-founder of Wasabi Enterprises, Incorporated and She Chooses™. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis in 1989 on ROTC and leadership scholarships. He served on active duty as a Shop Officer, Platoon Leader and Company Commander in Augsburg, Germany during the first Gulf War. He left the Army in 1992 to pursue a Master's in Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech while working as a research engineer for a small business.

After graduating in 1996, Henry started Automation Creations, Inc. to create the web-based materials property database for use by engineers and designers worldwide, MatWeb.com. He financed the company by working full-time as a technical writer and web site manager for the Army’s SmartCharts software. Within two years, his company had developed expertise in web-based applications with database connectivity. Jointly, the Army and Automation Creations, Inc. created a web-based version of SmartCharts, then undertook the successful deployment of the Acquisition Information Management application (AIM) to the web.

In 2008, Henry was called to active duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom from the Army Reserve and served as a liaison officer in a logistics unit. He helped transition Basra, Iraq from British to U.S. control. He was awarded the Bronze Star and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel while deployed. Henry still serves the Army as a reserve officer, and also participates in local business development and the Boy Scouts program. He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons.

Anne Giles Clelland, M.A., M.S. is President and co-founder of Wasabi Enterprises, Incorporated and a co-founder of She Chooses™. She is President and CEO of Handshake Media, Incorporated, founder of Handshake 2.0 (R), and co-developer with Alex Edelman of the Handshake™ app.

Anne’s Bachelor of Arts in history, minor in geological sciences, and Master of Arts in education are from Virginia Tech. Her Master of Science in mental health counseling is from Nova Southeastern University. She was born in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1958, lived in Columbus, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho as a child, then in Blacksburg, Virginia through young adulthood. She moved to Tampa, Florida in 1983, lived there for twenty-three years, and returned to Blacksburg in July, 2006.

Her interests include entrepreneurship, community mental health, and regional economic development. She trains for creativity, entrepreneurship and sprint triathlons. She is part of a team organizing the inaugural New River Valley Triathlon, Virginia, USA. She has one sister. Her sister is married, has grown children, and lives in Radford, Virginia. Anne is married to Iain Clelland.

Alex Edelman is a co-founder of Wasabi Enterprises, Incorporated, and She Chooses™. He grew up in Tampa, Florida, living for two years in Vancouver, Washington, and now studies physics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His interests are generally too broad and include most science and technology, plus a few others to give the illusion of well-roundedness. Among his joys in life are running, hiking, skiing, playing piano, playing forte, apologizing for puns, reading, and staying up too late. He does computer stuff for Handshake Media, Incorporated, and lives with four animals college students.

Laureen Fleming is a co-founder of Wasabi Enterprises, Incorporated, and She Chooses ™. After graduating with a B.S. in Biology from Virginia Tech in 1992, Laureen completed a 12-month program in Medical Technology at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Laureen began working at Montgomery Regional Hospital in June 1993 after successfully passing her national boards to become ASCP (American Society Clinical Pathology) certified. She worked as the Lead Technologist in the Blood Bank for fours years.

Laureen joined Automation Creations, Inc. in 1997 as a website designer and now manages the Commercial Services division. Her primary roles include business development, proposal preparation, client liaison and project management. These roles allow Laureen to work closely with the talented and hard working ACI employees as well as all ACI's clients.

When not at work, Laureen enjoys spending time at home with her family including her husband, two children and pets. Laureen and her husband Doug are foster parents working with five agencies in the New River Valley of Virginia. Her other interests include swimming, reading and football. The entire family loves to watch college football and root for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Gail Billingsley is a co-owner of She Chooses.

Gail has a strong, eclectic background in marketing and strategic planning. Her recent primary employers were Harrah's Entertainment (casinos, hotels, and theatres), PGA Golf Exhibitions, and the YMCA at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. With Harrah's, Gail worked on the opening team of two properties, including Harrah's first international casino, and worked on the beta launch for the Premier program. While with PGA Golf Exhibitions, Gail worked with a diverse team to develop and launch the new Golf Demo Days and on the development and launch of Play Golf America Days with PGA Magazine.

On its date of incorporation, September 9, 2010, the founders of Wasabi Enterprises, Incorporated, of which She Chooses™ is a division, ranged in age from 19 to 51.

Credit for Anne Giles Clelland photo: TriDuo