Prior to founding Summer Colony Living, Debra Carrington was the Co-Founder & CEO of an intellectual property firm, a leader in the licensing, development, production, promotion and distribution of multicultural entertainment and consumer products on behalf of Fortune 100 companies including Viacom-Paramount Entertainment, Sony Entertainment, American Greetings, and Johnson Publishing Company. Founding partner in a sports marketing company with the late Florence (Flo-Jo) Griffith Joyner, Olympic Gold Medalist and current women’s world record holder in both the 100 and 200 meters. Divisional Merchandise Manager with NikeTown Chicago, a division of Nike, where she oversaw sales and inventory management of Shoes, Apparel, Accessories, and Posters. She was heavily involved in launching the retail stores division as well as introducing the “Big and Tall” category to Nike Retail. Various management roles with Carson Pirie Scott, including apparel and furniture buyer for over 20 locations across the Midwest, and Citibank F.S.B (Chicago) where she was integral in developing and launching a retail branch investment services pilot program and Citibank’s innovative fraud prevention credit card program which has since become one of Citibank’s most profitable divisions. Sought after speaker on Intellectual property and branding topics and has spoken at major Universities and organizations including Harvard Business School, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, UCLA as well as UC-Irvine. Accepted invitations to join the philanthropic boards of The Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild Chapter (Loma Linda Children’s Hospital) and the don’t MiND me Foundation, founded by renowned actress and producer, Mädchen Amick (Twin Peaks, Riverdale) and her husband, David Alexis (songwriter, music producer) to end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness. Certified Commissioner for The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and former advisory board member for UCLA College of Letters & Science, Academic Advancement Program as well as Trustee, The California Science Center.