Franka Baly, Website and Graphic Design Principal & Founder

At ReEmergence we are not interested in just working with you one-time, we want to be an extension of your company and grow with you as you grow.

Franka Baly is a Houston transplant from the beautiful island of St. Croix. Franka was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug as a child while working with her father in his own construction business.

In 2000, Franka realized her dream by launching ReEmergence. ReEmergence, meaning rebirth or reinvention, had been fostered for several years while Franka honed her skills in design, training, marketing, e-commerce, usability, online community and content development and project management. With such a breadth and scope of skills, Franka has been an asset to several major corporations such as American General, AIG VALIC, Compaq Computer Corporation, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Ashford.com and Hewlett Packard. Franka's extensive experience in various private and public sector enviornments has precipitated the convergence of multi-faceted high level skills, products, and services offered by ReEmergence. REmergence can facilitate the growth and transition of any company to the level desired and envisioned.

Franka is passionate about helping people and using her creative talents to help them bring their vision to life. She has the gift of being able to understand the needs of her clients and then to translate those needs into impactful visual design. To date, ReEmergence has launched or redesigned over 50 websites and has worked on countless projects from usability evaluations to new branding campaigns to technical training. Franka always goes the extra mile for her clients, which has allowed her to build great relationships. Franka has been a member of the Project Management Institute, American Society for Training & Development, and the Usability Professionals Association. She is also the 2005 Chrysalis Award recipient for Success in the City and has won numerous corporate awards. She has been featured in several local publications such as Houston Woman Magazine, Houston Business Journal, and the Minority Executive Report. Franka is also passionate about helping children and the elderly and is a volunteer and board member of several non-profit organizations. She has been married for 16 years and is the mother of active twin boys.

Areas of responsibility: Franka is responsible for consulting with clients on their business/marketing, website, and graphical design needs. Franka is also a content developer and usability evaluator who can provide great value while you are considering a website redesign or are in the process of launching a new marketing project. Franka teaches our Web Marketing workshop for business owners.

Deirdre "Dee" Shook, Training Principal

Dee Shook has spent more than 15 years in marketing and sales as a sales manager, trainer, and business consultant.  Dee has experience as a business professional soft skills trainer with expertise in Leadership Development, Effective Communication, Presentation Skills, Effective Management, Team Building, Project Management, Professional Sales Management, Negotiations, Strategic Planning  as well as other professional development training courses. Dee has contracted her consulting services to small businesses and large corporations alike; and expanded her management and training experience while developing the skills of countless business professionals throughout her career.  Dee is a member of the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE), National Association of Minorities in Communications (NAMIC), and a graduate of the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast - Project Blueprint Class of XXII.  Dee's passion however, is fulfilling the purposes of God through Christian counseling for couples. In 2007, she and her husband, Pastor Herb Shook founded Enduring Commitment, a Christian based company providing marriage, family and relationship counseling services. She also volunteers her time through various community and social organizations.

Areas of responsibility: Dee is responsible for consulting with clients on their training needs focused on the areas of Business, Marketing, and Sales Development.

Gregory Smith, Consulting Principal

Gregory Smith brings a wealth of experience to the ReEmergence team. Greg has helped countless individuals save their homes as a Mortgage Default Coordinator and Staff Development Team Leader for the Houston Area Urban League. Greg also has over 7 years experience as a Mortgage Consultant, nearly 3 years experience as a Mortgage Loan Originator and is a facilitator of Financial Literacy Training Seminars which educate clients about their personal finances in an effort to achieve a higher credit score. In addition, Greg has more than 10 years experience as a Senior Training Manager where he created, planned and implemented Experiential Learning Programs and Services that included soft skilled areas such as Communication Enhancement, Team Building, Conflict Resolution, Leadership and Effective Decision Making.  He has experience facilitating trainings through staff development for corporate clients as well as non-profit organizations.  Greg has an enriched background of experience training and facilitating classes, workshops and seminars in diverse settings. Greg is also a Certified Foreclosure Prevention Specialist and Certified Housing Counselor. Greg continues to expand his knowledge of industry trends and cutting edge techniques that promote superior delivery of client training services and experiences.

Areas of responsibility: Greg is responsible for small business and non-profit consulting with clients on their training needs focused on the areas of Soft Skills Development and Financial Consulting.