Eric Smith is the founder of The EKS Group, LLC, and creator of The Financial Literacy Coach and The Money Game Literacy Programs.
Eric is a nationally acclaimed financial literacy presenter with the expertise needed to teach others how to succeed financially. Eric’s resume is unlike anyone else you will meet. Eric was the first ever financial literacy speaker on the NCAA’s national Speaker Registry. Eric has shared his financial education programs with over 230,000 college students and over 20,000 middle and high school students since 2011. He has also been an invited presenter at 27 NFL rookie camps, has been hired twice by the NBA to teach money skills to all of their G League players and even presented at the NBA Draft Program. Eric currently has the highest reviewed in person financial education program ever created for college students. Eric’s passion is helping to empower, educate and inspire everyone that he meets how to make the most of their financial opportunities As a low income first generation college student himself, Eric is passionate about making an impact in the lives of others and in addition to serving many athletic teams and programs across the country, he has served as a resource for nearly 100 federally funded groups such as GearUP, IRCO, CAMP, Veterans Upward Bound and other TRIO groups.
For nearly thirty years, Eric Smith was a successful lender and banking executive in the Atlanta, Georgia area. During the nineties, Eric was one of the highest producing mortgage originators in the metro area originating over one half billion dollars of residential mortgages.
As a commercial lender and manager, he originated and managed nearly one billion dollars of loans, making him one of the highest producing commercial lenders in the metro Atlanta market. As the youngest executive officer of a regional banking company, Eric was involved in the credit review of thousands, many of whom were professional athletes. Speaking of professional athletes, Eric was even a professional business manager for NFL players before he decided to finally pursue his passion for teaching others how to succeed financially.
Eric graduated with honors from Georgia State University and from the Graduate Banking School at LSU. He understands the importance of community service and has served previously as a Director of the Midwest Georgia Homebuilders Association, a county representative for a State of Georgia Water Planning Board, and as Finance Chair for the Boy Scouts. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Coweta County Water Authority. He has a work ethic that he describes as crazy compulsive and makes it a point to never take himself too seriously. Eric’s passion is helping to encourage, educate and equip others to make better financial decisions and as a result increase their chances of winning their own “Money Game.”
Kevin Ung is the director for the Office of Undergraduate Research & TRIO McNair Scholars Program at Lee University.
Kevin has worked with first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students over the last 15 years and continues to dedicate his life and service to closing the education equity gap. He is passionate about seeing families thrive and disrupting generational poverty through financial literacy and economic education. Kevin has served with 68 colleges and universities as a consultant, trainer, and advisor to strategically engage vulnerable and at-risk college students. Additionally, he has raised over $2.6 million in federal funds to support marginalized and under-resourced students.
As the son of refugee parents from Cambodia, and a first-generation college graduate from a low-income urban community, Kevin knows the key behind building generational wealth is understanding the financial complexities and providing tools for individuals to manage their assets. Through comprehensive education, practical resources, and personalized guidance, we strive to cultivate a culture of financial wellness and resilience. One of the greatest pleasures in life is witnessing the transformational change that comes from educating, empowering, and inspiring people to take control of their financial futures. Our team would be thrilled to be part of your journey towards financial freedom!
Kevin graduated with a doctorate in higher education, master in intercultural studies, and bachelor in sports management. His community investments are with United Way of the Ocoee Region, Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, Appalachian College Association, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (West Tennessee), and World Relief (DuPage County, Illinois). When Kevin is not working, you can find him playing pickleball, mentoring students, learning new board games, traveling to unfamiliar places, hanging out with his family, or laughing uncontrollably with his two rambunctious daughters.
