Speakers

Julie M. Allen
Partner
Capital Markets Group

Julie Allen is a partner in the Corporate Department and former co-head of the Capital Markets Group.

Julie’s practice focuses on general corporate and securities matters. She represents both underwriters and issuers in initial public offerings and follow-on equity offerings. Her experience also includes Rule 144A debt offerings, both as counsel to issuers and to initial purchasers. Julie's practice also includes mergers and acquisitions, particularly transactions involving public companies. She represents buyers and sellers, activist stockholders, boards of directors and financial advisors in mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations and tender offers. Julie also regularly counsels public companies and their affiliates regarding disclosure, governance, Sarbanes-Oxley and other securities law and compliance issues.

Kate Andersen Brower
Author

Ms. Kate Andersen Brower is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House.  Her book has been optioned by Kevin Spacey’s production company, Trigger Street Productions, and is in development to be made into a television series.

 In April 2016, Ms. Brower released her second New York Times best-seller, First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies. It explores the friendships and rivalries between the first ladies and the behind- the-scenes dynamics of life in the White House. It was announced that First Women would be made into a TV series. The Residence has similarly been optioned for a series by Fox 21 Studios.

 On June 5th, 2018, Ms. Brower will release her third book, First in Line: Presidents, Vice Presidents and the Pursuit of Power. The book will present an intimate, news-making look at the men who are next in line to the most powerful office in the world—the vice presidents of the modern era—from Richard Nixon to Joe Biden to Mike Pence.

Ms. Brower covered the White House for Bloomberg News and Businessweek, and as part of the White House press corps traveled across the U.S. and around the globe on Air Force One.

Ms. Brower is a graduate of Barnard College with a Master’s Degree from Oxford University.

Rich Andrews
CEO
EZOnline Documents, LLC

 

Rich Andrews is the CEO of EZOnlineDocuments, LLC. His background is in systems development for pharmaceutical companies (Merck, Roche, Genentech, Janssen, Ortho-McNeil), including being responsible for creating solutions for call centers, trial tracking, software management, and document management. Rich co-founded EZOnlineDocuments in 1998 to focus on upgrading shareholder communications by making online documents more engaging and useful. At EZOnlineDocuments, Rich has made online Annual Reports, 10-Ks, Proxy Statements, and Sustainability Reports easier to use through stronger company branding and providing support for all digital and mobile investors. Rich created industry-leading features such as Tiles Navigation and MEET the BOARD™.

Pierre G. Armand
Co-Chief of the Civil Frauds Unit
United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York

 

Pierre G. Armand is Co-Chief of the Civil Frauds Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.  The Civil Frauds Unit investigates and civilly prosecutes large-scale and sophisticated frauds, including healthcare fraud, financial fraud, procurement fraud, grant fraud, and other frauds involving federal funds or affecting financial institutions. Since its creation in 2010, the Unit has recovered more than $5 billion.  Prior to holding this position, Mr. Armand was a Deputy Chief of the Civil Frauds Unit supervising financial frauds, and the Deputy Chief of the Tax and Bankruptcy Unit.  Mr. Armand has received a number of awards for his work on behalf of the United States government, including the John Marshall Award; the Stimson Medal; and a Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an AUSA.  Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2004, Mr. Armand was an associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.  Mr. Armand is a 1999 cum laude graduate of Cornell Law School and a 1994 graduate of Columbia University.

Steven A. Bank
Paul Hastings Professor of Business Law
UCLA School of Law

 

Steven Bank is the Paul Hastings Professor of Business Law at UCLA School of Law, where his primary areas of focus are business, tax, and sports law.  Among other courses, Professor Bank has taught Business Associations, Federal Income Taxation, Executive Compensation, and International and Comparative Sports Law, as well as a seminar on Law, Lawyering, and the Beautiful Game.  He has published extensively in the fields of corporate governance, business taxation, and soccer law, where he is a frequent commentator on issues relating to the governance and operation of FIFA, the United States Soccer Federation, and Major League Soccer.

Prior to entering academics, Professor Bank practiced law at Hughes & Luce in Dallas, Texas and was a judicial clerk for Judge Jesse Eschbach on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from the University of Chicago.

Sundance B. Banks
Senior Corporate Counsel
Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

 

Mr. Banks is Senior Corporate Counsel of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. In this capacity, he advises on corporate governance, securities, M&A and strategic investments, ESG compliance and reporting, and general corporate legal matters. Mr. Banks previously was an associate in the corporate practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, PC.  Prior to attending law school, Mr. Banks worked in Washington, D.C. as Communications Director and Legislative Assistant for multiple members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Banks received his B.A. degree from Tulane University and his J.D. degree from the University of Missouri.

Evan Barth
Senior Counsel
IBM

Mr. Evan Barth is Senior Counsel in the Corporate & Securities Group at IBM. Mr. Barth works on a wide range of corporate and securities matters, including legal support for the IBM board of directors, proxy disclosure, shareholder engagement, and general corporate governance matters. Mr. Barth is the President of the Fairfield-Westchester Chapter of the Society for Corporate Governance. Prior to joining IBM in 2008, Evan was an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in the Capital Markets and Executive Compensation and Benefits practice groups and in the Capital Markets practice group at Loeb & Loeb LLP. 

Mr. Barth holds a B.S. in Management from Binghamton University and a J.D. from NYU School of Law.

Ken Bertsch
Executive Director
Council of Institutional Investors

Ken Bertsch was named Executive Director of the Council of Institutional Investors in 2016. He has more than 30 years of experience across a wide range of investment, consulting, management and corporate governance roles. He most recently served as a Partner at CamberView Partners. Mr. Bertsch previously was President and CEO of the Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals; Executive Director for corporate governance and proxy voting at Morgan Stanley Investment Management; Managing Director for corporate governance analysis at Moody's Investors Service; Director of the governance engagement program at TIAA-CREF; and in various roles at the Investor Responsibility Research Center. Mr. Bertsch holds a JD from Fordham University School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Williams College.

Gregory S. Belliston
Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.

 

Mr. Belliston serves as Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc., a consumer products company headquartered in Utah.  He is responsible for securities and corporate governance matters.

Prior to joining Nu Skin in 2014, Mr. Belliston worked for eight years at the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, followed by three years in the Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance practice group of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Mr. Belliston received his B.S., M.Acc., and J.D. degrees from Brigham Young University.  He enjoys travelling; he and his wife took their six young children on a month-long vacation exploring Ecuador last summer.

David Bobker
Managing Director, Corporate Governance & Board Evaluation
Rivel

Dave is responsible for the development and execution of Rivel’s Corporate Governance Intelligence Council, Corporate Responsibility Advisory and Board Evaluation service on both a national and international level.

For Rivel Governance clients, Dave is the lead consultant for management teams and boards on all governance, ESG, engagement and disclosure matters. Dave consults with board members for the development and execution of custom board evaluations, including assessing the alignment of views on strategy and culture with management and the investment community.

Over a 20-year career, Dave has worked closely with hundreds of companies and their boards through a wide variety of corporate actions, proxy fights, annual and special meetings. Dave provides insightful, tailored corporate governance and ESG advisory services to a broad range of companies and has organized and led dozens of high-profile engagements and communications campaigns, aiding clients in all aspects of their shareholder analysis and engagement.

Dave is active in the Society for Corporate Governance, NIRI, and NACD and presents regularly at local, regional, and national events.

Glenn Booraem
Stewardship Officer
Vanguard

Glenn Booraem is the Investment Stewardship Officer and a principal at Vanguard. Glenn joined Vanguard in 1989, and has led its investment stewardship efforts since 2001. Mr. Booraem has also served as the controller and treasurer for each of the Vanguard funds. In addition to engaging with the Vanguard funds’ portfolio companies and serving as a frequent speaker on corporate governance matters, Glenn also represents Vanguard and its investors through a number of industry initiatives, including the Investor Stewardship Group (ISG) and the Investor Advisory Group for the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). Glenn has been named to the National Association of Corporate Directors’ (NACD) Directorship 100 list each year since 2010, as one of the most influential people in corporate governance. He is a graduate of Temple University and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Robert E. Bostrom
Senior Vice President General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Abercrombie & Fitch

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Abercrombie & Fitch with global oversight responsibility for legal, compliance, ethics, regulatory and corporate governance matters. Abercrombie is a global specialty apparel retailer that operates stores in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and e-commerce websites.

Served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Freddie Mac from February 2006 to July 2011 with responsibility for legal, regulatory and corporate governance matters during the financial crisis, conservatorship, and government takeover.

Previously, Greenberg Traurig, Co-Chairman of the Financial Regulatory and Compliance Group and Co-Head of the Global Financial Institutions and Funds Sector at SNR Denton.

Selected by The National Law Journal as among Washington’s most influential in-house counsel in 2011; 2018 Burton Legends in Law Award; 2016 NYSE Governance Series Distinguished General Counsel Award; General Counsel of the Year Award by the ILO and ACC in 2015; Fellow in The American College of Governance Counsel; Member Georgetown Corporate Counsel Institute Advisory Board.

Jared Brandman
Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary
National Vision Holdings

 

Jared is Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the largest optical retail companies in the United States with over 1,000 retail stores in 44 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Prior to National Vision, Jared was Securities Counsel at The Coca-Cola Company from 2010 to 2017. Jared began his legal career in at law firms in Atlanta, New York and London. 

Jared is an active member in the Society for Corporate Governance, serving as Chair of the Securities Law Committee, a member of the Policy Action and Corporate Practices Committees, and a past President of the Southeastern Chapter. He is also a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the American Bar Association. Jared serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta and on the Compliance Board of the GLOBE Academy Foundation, Inc.

Brian V. Breheny
Partner
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Mr. Brian V. Breheny heads the firm’s SEC Reporting and Compliance practice.  Mr. Breheny concentrates his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and general corporate and securities matters and advises numerous clients on a full range of SEC reporting, compliance and corporate governance matters, including advising clients on compliance with the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC’s tender offer rules and regulations and the federal proxy rules.

Prior to joining Skadden in 2010, Mr. Breheny held a number of leadership positions in the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Breheny began as chief of the SEC’s Office of Mergers and Acquisitions in July 2003, and in November 2007 he became deputy director, legal and regulatory policy. 

During his tenure at the SEC, Mr. Breheny assisted the commission with its consideration of significant rule amendments in a number of areas including shareholder director nominations, tender offers, beneficial ownership reporting, electronic delivery of proxy materials, electronic shareholder forums, short sale disclosure, and proxy voting and shareholder communications.

Mr. Breheny serves as a member of the board of directors of the Society for Corporate Governance and repeatedly has been recognized by the National Association of Corporate Directors as part of its Directorship 100.  Mr. Breheny also has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America, The International Who’s Who of Corporate Governance Lawyers and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Abby E. Brown
Partner
Squire Patton Boggs

Abby Brown focuses her practice on general corporate, US and international mergers and acquisitions, securities law matters and corporate governance issues. Abby has earned a reputation as a business-minded and efficient advisor, who takes a creative and innovative approach to legal matters, often strategizing with companies to provide tailored solutions in unique situations. She serves as primary outside securities compliance and governance counsel to public company clients, and has served as the corporate secretary of several public company government contractors and privately held financial institutions. She believes in building strong relationships with her clients, many of whom she has consistently served over the length of her career.

Colleen Birdnow Brown
Founder
Marca Global

Ms. Brown is a transformational executive, award winning public company CEO and Corporate Board Director, respected advisor and public speaker. She is the founder of Marca Global; a Reputation and Privacy Technology Company which earned a place on the coveted Inc. 5000 fastest growing company list, former CEO of Fisher Communications Inc. (FSCI) a national multimedia corporation and former Chairman of American Apparel (APP) during its reorganization.

She currently serves on the board of True Blue (TBI), Spark Networks (LOV), privately held Port Blakely and Delta Dental of Washington a nonprofit organization. Ms. Brown previously served on the boards of ventured backed DataSphere Technologies, BECU (Boeing Employee Credit Union), CareerBuilder.com, ClassifiedVentures.com and Young Americans Bank.

Brown won the distinction of Director of the Year by the Pacific Northwest (PNW) chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) in 2017, and was also selected as a Top 100 Director by NACD in 2017. Brown has been acknowledged in television through numerous awards, including the industry Technology Leadership Award and the Borrel Innovation Award.

Lillian Brown
Partner
WilmerHale

Lillian Brown is a partner in the Transactional and Securities Departments and a member of the Corporate Practice Group in WilmerHale's Washington, DC office. Ms. Brown advises clients, including public companies and their boards, on federal securities law compliance and corporate governance matters. She has extensive experience in SEC reporting and disclosure requirements, shareholder proposal and proxy matters, proxy access and shareholder activism and engagement. Before joining WilmerHale in 2013, Ms. Brown served in a number of capacities in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, including Counsel to the Division Director.

Janice Brunner
Counsel
Simpson Thacher

Janice Brunner is Counsel in Simpson Thacher’s New York office and a member of the Firm’s Public Company Advisory Practice. Janice advises existing and newly-listed public company clients and companies preparing to go public on a wide range of corporate governance, executive compensation and disclosure matters under the U.S. securities laws and the listing requirements of the major U.S. exchanges.  Janice also  counsels clients on a full scope of general corporate matters.  Ms. Brunner also focuses on new developments and changing best practices in governance, disclosure and corporate law matters.  Janice has advised a wide range of clients, including companies such as The Travelers Companies, Inc., The Carlyle Group, Acushnet Holdings Corp. (owner of Titleist and FootJoy golf brands), K2M Group Holdings, Inc. and Virtus Investment Partners, along with the portfolio companies of Simpson Thacher’s private equity clients.

Janice received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. from Albion College.  Janice formerly practiced as a Certified Public Accountant.

Chris Burke
Senior Relationship Manager
Agenda

 

As the Senior Relationship Manager for all B2B subscription-based customers, Chris is the point person for annual renewals and for maintaining relationships with existing clients. Chris has worked with Money-Media and Agenda since 2007, when he was hired in a business development role for the events team before transitioning to his current role in 2012.

Simon Bryan
Virtual Meeting Technology Specialist
Lumi Globa/Computershare Georgeson

Simon looks after the growth of Lumi's business in North America: Providing tech solutions to improve accountability, effectiveness and efficiency of Shareholder and Member Meetings & Elections, most recently including the rollout of the hot topic item of Lumi’s ‘Virtual’ Annual Meeting Solution. Mr. Bryan has watched over the application of registration, voting and Q&A technology at thousands of Shareholder Meetings around the world over the last 10 years. Beyond his calling of improving Shareholder Meetings, Simon is an adopted Mid-Westerner, wannabe soccer player and Minnesota Hockey Dad.

Maureen Bujno
Managing Director
Deloitte LLP
Center for Board Effectiveness

Maureen Bujno is a managing director in the Center for Board Effectiveness for Deloitte LLP. As a subject matter resource on a variety of corporate governance topics, Maureen works closely with boards, committees and executives on governance challenges, rule developments and leading practices. Ms. Bujno addresses timely topics such as emerging board governance topics, the board’s role in risk oversight, strategic risks assessment, boardroom agenda items, and audit committee leading practices.

Maureen is the governance liaison to several Deloitte clients, and provides education for boards and audit committees. Ms. Bujno leads client board labs for new board and audit committee members, as well as transitioning board members taking on board or committee leadership roles. In 2017 and in 2016, Maureen was recognized by NACD Directorship magazine as one of the top 100 influential professionals in corporate governance and in the boardroom.

Maureen is a CPA in New York and a member of the AICPA.

Herman Bulls
Vice Chairman, Americas
JLL

Herman Bulls is Vice Chairman, Americas, International Director and the founder of JLL’s highly acclaimed Public Institutions Business Unit. During over 29 years at JLL, Mr. Bulls has worked in the areas of development, investment management, asset management, facilities operations and business development/retention. He provides thought leadership and strategic guidance to senior level executives for real estate issues. Herman retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2008.

Mr. Bulls received a BS degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA in finance from Harvard Business School. Board memberships include: USAA, West Point Association of Graduates, Comfort Systems, USA, Rasmussen College, American Red Cross Board of Governors.

Awards and Recognition

Passing the Torch Legacy Award 2007 • African American Real Estate Professionals (AAREP) • 2007 National Minority Leader of the Year Commercial Real Estate News Commercial Property News) • Top 100 Blacks in Corporate America, Savoy Magazine, 2008 & 2012 • Trail Blazer Award 2008 Global Real Estate Diversity Conference, Atlanta, GA • Minority Business Leader Award 2009, Washington Business Journal (WBJ) • APEX Award 2015 Morgan State University Earl Graves School of Business & Management • 2016 and 2017 Most Influential Black Directors, Savoy Magazine • NACD 2017 Top 100 Directors

Dr. Martha Carter
Senior Managing Director and Head of Governance
Teneo

Dr. Martha Carter is a Senior Managing Director and Head of Teneo Governance. Dr. Carter leads Teneo’s corporate governance division, advising CEOs and Boards of public and private companies on corporate governance best practices, activism defense, executive compensation, shareholder engagement, strategy, and other matters that come to the Board.

Prior to joining Teneo, Dr. Carter was the Head of Global Research at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Chair and Founder of the ISS Global Policy Board. During her 13 years at ISS, Dr. Carter led Global Research’s team of 160 corporate governance analysts worldwide. Under Dr. Carter’s leadership, the team provided institutional investors with corporate governance research and proxy voting recommendations on more than 38,000 companies in 115 markets.

Chris Cernich
Managing Director
Strategic Governance Advisors

 

Chris Cernich is a founding partner of Strategic Governance Advisors, which helps corporate leaders secure shareholder support for a company’s strategic objectives – especially in situations where building long-term value may impact short-term financial performance, or where the company has been targeted publicly or privately by activist shareholders. He holds an MBA in finance, and a PhD in literature, from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Cernich was formerly Managing Director at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), the world’s largest proxy advisor with 1,400 institutional shareholder clients managing more than $20 trillion in assets. At ISS, he led the international team providing analysis of and voting recommendations on mergers & acquisitions, economic proposals, corporate scandals, and fights for corporate control. During his tenure he covered more than 250 proxy contests for board seats, as well as many contentious mergers and hostile takeover attempts.

Ning Chiu
Counsel
Davis Polk Capital Markets Group

 

Ms. Chiu is counsel in Davis Polk’s Capital Markets Group with an emphasis on advising public companies and their boards of directors on corporate governance, securities law and regulatory requirements. Her representative matters include advising boards and companies on board and disclosure issues, including director independence, board and committee structure, securities law compliance, board leadership structures, board composition, proxy disclosure, listing standards, shareholder proposals, shareholder engagement and relationships, annual meetings, committee charters, listing standards and the impact of proxy advisory firms. Her practice focuses on new developments and changing best practices in governance matters.

Eileen R. Cohen
Retired Managing Director
JP Morgan Asset Management

Eileen Cohen is recently retired Managing Director for JP Morgan Asset Management, a position she has held since 2001. At JP Morgan she was Chair of the North America Governance Committee and leads the firm’s corporate engagement activities.  Ms. Cohen was also a Senior Client Portfolio Manager and a proven expert in investment consulting, portfolio management and financial communications. Prior to her present position, Ms. Cohen was a partner at Invesco, formerly Chancellor Capital where she held various roles including Portfolio Manager, Head of Asset Allocation and Head of Client Services.  In her earlier professional career, she was a partner at Buck Consulting, an actuarial and investment consulting firm and held manufacturing and finance positions at International Paper Co.

Additionally, Ms. Cohen serves as a mentor in the Executive On Campus program at Baruch College, where she was received the Alumni Allegiance Award.  Ms. Cohen is a board member of The National Grid Foundation, serving as Chair of the Audit Committee as well as a past member of the advisory council of SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board).  Ms. Cohen also served as a member of the EEI ESG/Sustainability Investor Group.

Ms. Cohen completed her BA in economics at Queens College and continued on to Baruch to earn an MBA in finance and economics.

Ms. Jacqueline Q. Condron
Vice President of Proxy Voting & Governance Research
BNY Mellon

Ms. Jacqueline Q. Condron is Vice President of Proxy Voting & Governance Research at BNY Mellon in Boston, Massachusetts. Ms. Condron graduated with a B.A. in International Affairs from Northeastern University in 2007 and a J.D. with a concentration in corporate law from Northeastern University School of Law in 2012. Prior to joining BNY Mellon, Ms. Condron spent a short time working in the governance department at Fidelity Worldwide Investment in London, England. Previous professional experience includes positions at State Street Corporation, NSTAR Electric & Gas Corporation, and the law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.

Joan Conley
Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary
Nasdaq

Joan Conley is Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Nasdaq, and its global subsidiary organizations and in that role is responsible for the Global Nasdaq Corporate Governance Program. Ms. Conley is also responsible for the Nasdaq Global Ethics and Compliance Program. Lastly, Ms. Conley is Managing Director of the Nasdaq Educational Foundation and a member of the Nasdaq NLX Ltd. Board of Directors. 

Ms. Conley is a contributor to NACD publications including the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission 2013 Report on “Talent Development: A Boardroom Imperative” and the 2011 Report on “Effective Lead Director”. Ms. Conley received the award "The Best Corporate Secretary in an M&A Transaction" by Corporate Secretary Magazine in 2008. 

Prior to joining NASDAQ in 2001, Ms. Conley was the Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary at the NASD (now FINRA) from 1994 – 2001 and Director of Human Resources from 1986 – 1994. Prior to her tenure at NASD ( FINRA) Ms. Conley was a Research Associate/ Writer at the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. and Business Analyst at an advertising agency in Chicago, Illinois. 

Ms. Conley holds a Bachelor’s of Arts/Science with a double major in Economics and Communications from Dominican University and a Master’s of Science, with honors, in Industrial & Labor Relations from Loyola University of Chicago. Ms. Conley studied Economics at the London School of Economics and the University of London. 

Ms. Conley serves on the Board and Audit Committee of two non-profit organizations in Washington, D.C. and mentors several young women. In 2014 she was elected to the SIFMA Foundation Board of Directors.

Cathy Conlon
Vice President, Head of Production and Strategy
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc,

Cathy Conlon is Vice President and head of Product and Strategy for Broadridge’s Corporate Issuer business where she oversees business development activities including identifying and executing on acquisitions and partnerships, as well as management of the corporate issuer portfolio of products. Cathy was responsible for the design, development and implementation of the Virtual Shareholder Meeting (VSM) platform and is an expert in the use of virtual meetings for public company annual meetings. Prior to joining Broadridge, Cathy was a Director with the Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund Companies’ Quantitative Equity Research Division.

Fiona Conway
intial f

Ms. Fiona Nolan Conway is an award-winning producer and news executive with expertise in television, radio and digital journalism. Ms. Conway’s journalism career started in Canada, where Ms. Conway moved from radio producing to executive roles at CBC and CTV. She moved to the US and joined ABC News as senior producer of Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, and ABC Special Events.

It was at ABC that Ms. Conway became an Emmy Award winner for both her work on ABC’s millennium special and its September 11 coverage. Her parting role with ABC News was as executive director of news services and client services when in 2012 she returned to Toronto as CBC News’ executive director of programming. Over the course of Ms. Conway career her expertise in talent development and coaching had measurable impact on the industry.

Ms. Conway is passionate about journalism and the importance it plays in our daily lives.  She brings this passion to all of her work and the teams she has led over the years.

Wesley Crowder
Sr. Account Executive
Convene, Inc.

 

Wes Crowder, Sr. Account Executive with Convene, Inc., is an accomplished, results driven professional with 20+ years of experience selling value-based solutions to organizations with a wide range of challenges.  As a creative and effective problem-solver at Convene, he works closely with his prospects and clients to maximize their value with Convene.   Mr. Crowder’s current clients vary from Enterprise, like a Forbes Top 25 Private Firm, Government, Non-Profit and Higher Education. 

Raj B. Dave
Vice President, Chief Securities Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary
Newell Brands

Raj B. Dave is Vice President, Chief Securities Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary of Newell Brands (NYSE: NWL).  Mr. Dave advises the Board of Directors and senior management on securities, corporate governance and corporate law matters.  Mr. Dave also manages a practice group that provides legal support to the real estate, supply chain and procurement functions.

Previously, Mr. Dave served as Vice President, Corporate Law and Assistant Secretary of Owens Corning.  Prior to joining Owens Corning, Mr. Dave served in senior legal and corporate governance roles at a KKR portfolio company and at Assurant.  Mr. Dave began his legal career as an Associate at the law firm of Norton Rose Fulbright in New York City. 

Mr. Dave has been a member of the Society for Corporate Governance since 2007 and has served as member of the board of directors of local chapters of the American Red Cross and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Mr. Dave earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center where he was a recipient of the Dean’s Award for leadership and public service.  He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University.

Christine Q. Davine
Partner
Deloitte & Touche LLP

Ms. Christine Q. Davine is a partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP in its National Office in Washington, DC.  Christine is a Deputy Managing Partner – Professional Practice, Accounting and SEC Service. In this role Ms. Davine co-leads the combined Accounting Consultation, SEC Services, and Standards & Communications departments in the National Office. Ms. Davine routinely works with clients on the most complex SEC issues and represents clients in interactions with the SEC on various matters, including preclearance of accounting and reporting matters, IPO and other registration statements, and resolution of comment letters issued by the Division of Corporation Finance.

Ms. Davine joined the firm’s National Office SEC Services Department in October 1999.  Prior to joining Deloitte & Touche LLP, Christine spent 8 years with the SEC in the Division of Corporation Finance. During her last four years with the SEC, Ms. Davine earned a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Virginia and a M.B.A. in Finance from The George Washington University.

Duane M. DesParte
PCAOB Board Member

 

Duane M. DesParte was appointed a Board Member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board by the Securities and Exchange Commission in December 2017, and sworn in on April 9, 2018.Mr. DesParte joined the board after retiring from Exelon Corporation, where he served as corporate controller and in other financial roles for 15 years, following an 18 year career in the audit assurance business.

Board Member DesParte, a certified public accountant, was Exelon's senior vice president and corporate controller for 10 years, with chief accounting officer responsibilities for the integrity of the company's accounting and external financial reporting and related policies, methods, systems, processes and controls. Earlier, Mr. DesParte also led controller and finance functions at various Exelon business units.

Before joining Exelon, Mr. DesParte was a partner at Deloitte for nine months, after a long career at Arthur Andersen. He worked at Andersen from 1985 - 2002, rising to partner in 1998.

Board Member DesParte graduated with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in accountancy.

Patrick Doherty
Corporate Governance in the Office
New York State Comptroller

Patrick Doherty is Director of Corporate Governance in the Office of the New York State Comptroller, where he helps develop and  administer corporate responsibility initiatives for the 209 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund. Prior to coming to the State Comptroller’s Office in 2010, Mr. Doherty was Director of Investment Responsibility in the New York City Comptroller’s Office. Mr. Doherty holds BA and JD degrees from Hofstra University and a MIA from the Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He has been a member of the New York State Bar since 1985.

Brian F. Doran
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Investors Bank

 

Brian F. Doran is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Investors Bank, a New Jersey-chartered bank located in Short Hills, New Jersey, with branches and operations in New Jersey and New York.

Prior to joining Investors, Brian was the New York / New Jersey Region Executive and Director of Governmental Affairs for Popular Community Bank, a New York-chartered commercial bank. Brian previously acted as the Director of the Legal & Compliance Division at Banco Popular North America.

Prior to joining Popular in 1999, Brian was a partner in the New York office of the McConnell Valdes Law Firm, from 1997 to 1999. From 1988 to 1997, Brian was an attorney with Jones Day, a multi-national law firm. 

Brian also serves on the boards of the Sisters of Charity Housing Development Corporation and Bloomfield College.

Brian received a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Journalism from Marquette University and his Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s (NY) University School of Law.

Kimberley S. Drexler
Senior Attorney
Cravath

Kimberley S. Drexler is a senior attorney in Cravath’s Corporate Department. In addition to working at Cravath, Kimberley has spent significant time serving on the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in various capacities. Ms. Drexler’s practice at Cravath primarily involves counseling companies with regard to their ongoing SEC disclosure and compliance obligations as well as advising on corporate governance matters. Kimberley also provides advice with regard to the SEC’s disclosure requirements and the implications of the securities laws for complex corporate transactions.

Kimberley is actively involved with the national securities bar. From 2012 to 2015, she served as a Vice Chair of the Federal Regulation of Securities Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, and she currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Disclosure and Continuous Reporting Subcommittee. In August of 2017, Ms. Drexler was appointed by the President of the ABA to a three-year term as a member of the National Conference of Lawyers and CPAs.

She received a B.A. with highest distinction from the University of Virginia in 1993, and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1997

Shelley Dropkin
Deputy Corporate Secretary and General Counsel, Corporate Governance, and Managing Director
Citigroup Inc.

Shelley Dropkin is the Deputy Corporate Secretary and General Counsel, Corporate Governance, and a Managing Director, of Citigroup Inc.  Ms. Dropkin supports the activities of Citi’s Board of Directors and its standing Committees, coordinates Citi’s and the Board of Directors’ engagement with the Company’s shareholders on corporate governance matters, oversees governance practices for Citi’s subsidiaries, and works with Citi’s Board of Directors to shape Citi’s governance practices. Ms. Dropkin also serves as General Counsel of the Citi Foundation.

Ms. Dropkin has been with Citi since 1993 during which time she also served as Assistant General Counsel and Senior Counsel.  Prior to joining Citi (then Primerica Corporation), Ms. Dropkin was an Associate at Winston & Strawn.

Ms. Dropkin is the immediate past Chair of the Society for Corporate Governance and a member of its Executive Steering Committee.  Ms. Dropkin is a member of the Society’s Securities Law, Policy Advisory, and Nominating and Governance Committees. She previously served as the Society’s Chair, Chair-Elect, Chair, Nominating and Governance Committee, and 2014 National Conference Chair. 

Ms. Dropkin received a J.D. in 1988 from S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo and a B.S. in 1985 from Cornell University.  She is admitted to practice in New York and Washington, D.C. 

Michelle Edkins, Managing Director,
Global Head of Investment Stewardship
BlackRock

Michelle Edkins is a Managing Director at BlackRock and Global Head of its Investment Stewardship team of over 30 specialists internationally.  Michelle is responsible for the team’s engagement and proxy voting activities in relation to the companies in which BlackRock invests on behalf of clients.  She also serves on the firm’s Global Operating, Human Capital and Government Relations Steering Committees.

An active participant in the public corporate governance debate, Ms. Edkins was named in the NACD Directorship 100 Governance Professionals list the past seven years.  Ms. Edkins is also a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s First Movers program and a former Chair of the Board of Governors of the International Corporate Governance Network. Ms. Edkins currently serves on a number of industry initiatives to enhance governance and sustainable business practices including the US chapter of the 30% Club, a market initiative to increase the number of women on boards and in senior management, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Investor Advisory Group and the CECP’s Strategic Investor Initiative. 

Matthew R. Elkin
Partner
Morgan Lewis

 

Matt works extensively on complex transactional matters with tax-exempt organizations, including the formation of investment funds by both nonprofit and for-profit sponsors; the acquisition and disposition of program-, mission-, and impact-related and other investments; joint ventures; sponsored research; mergers and acquisitions; and financing and licensing arrangements.

In the area of governance, Matt advises boards of directors on fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, risk oversight, board and committee structures, affiliated entities, internal investigations, board-evaluation processes, executive compensation, and compliance with other regulatory and governance best practices.

Matthew R. Elkin focuses his practice on tax and corporate matters affecting tax-exempt organizations, with an emphasis on transactional matters such as charitable investment funds, social enterprises, impact investing, and endowment investment programs and policies. He regularly represents private foundations, trade associations, healthcare organizations, colleges and universities, international development organizations, and medical research organizations. These organizations also turn to Matt for counsel in governance.

Awards and Affiliations: Recommended, Finance: Not-for-profit (nonprofit and tax exempt organizations), The Legal 500US, (2015–2017).

Gina Merritt-Epps
Governance Professional

Gina Merritt-Epps has been a governance professional since 2006, rising to the level of Chief Governance Officer in 2017 at a publicly traded company. In this role, she reported to the CEO charged with directing the people, business processes, and systems needed to ensure proper governance. Her areas of responsibility included the protection of company information, corporate compliance and ethics, and regulatory compliance and she was responsible for all Board processes. Prior to the appointment, she served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, providing general legal counsel to SJI and its subsidiaries.

Lucy Fato
EVP & General Counsel
AIG

 

Lucy Fato is EVP & General Counsel of AIG. Previously she was Managing Director, Head of the Americas & General Counsel of Nardello & Co., a global private investigative firm; was EVP & General Counsel of S&P Global; and prior to that was VP, Deputy General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Marsh & McLennan Companies. Lucy began her career at Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Ms. Fato graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, and received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Law.

Dorothy J. Flynn
Sr. Vice President & General Manager
Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions

Dorothy Flynn is the Sr. Vice President & General Manager of Corporate Issuer Solutions. Ms. Flynn is responsible for communications and governance solutions provided to corporations including proxy processing and tabulation, annual shareholder meeting services, shareholder data and engagement solutions, abandoned property compliance, and transfer agency services.

Prior to joining Broadridge, Dorothy was the Director of Investor Relations for The Walt Disney Company. Prior to Disney, Ms. Flynn was the CEO of The Keane Organization. Keane provides solutions to reduce operational and shareholder risk. In addition, Dorothy has held senior leadership positions in operations, consulting and sales in diverse industries including risk management, financial services, publishing and marine transportation.

Dorothy earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and an MS from the University of Pennsylvania.

Marry A. Francis
Corporate Secretary and Chief Governance Officer
Chevron

 

Mary A. Francis, 53, is corporate secretary and chief governance officer for Chevron Corporation.  Ms. Francis provides advice and counsel to the Board of Directors and senior management on corporate governance matters, manages the company’s corporate governance function and serves on the Law Function Executive Committee.

Francis serves as co-chair of the board of directors of the Council of Intuitional Investors, on the advisory board of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, on the governing board of the San Francisco Symphony, on the board of directors of the American Heart Association, Greater Bay Area, and on the board of trustees of the William and Mary Law School Foundation.

Francis earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Mount Holyoke College, a JD from the College of William and Mary, and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Merrie S. Frankel
President/founder
Minerva Realty Consultants, LLC

 

Merrie Frankel has extensive experience in REITs, capital markets, credit ratings, portfolio management, equity and debt transactions, restructuring, workouts and strategic advisory assignments for institutional, public, and private entities. 

Ms. Frankel is the President/founder of Minerva Realty Consultants, LLC that provides independent REIT and ratings advisory services in addition to litigation support. As a director of Agree Realty Corporation (ADC), she sits on the Audit Committee and Chairs the Nominating and Governance Committee.

Ms. Frankel is an adjunct professor at NYU and Columbia Universities. She is currently a board member of New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) Charitable Fund, Financial Women’s Association of New York (FWA), and the Martha Graham Dance Company, as well as a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and former Chair of ULI New York. She was named one of 50 “Women of Influence” by Real Estate New York in 2008.

She holds J.D./M.B.A. degrees from Hofstra University Law and Graduate Business Schools and graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania with various honors.

Carolyn Frantz
Corporate Secretary, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
Microsoft

Carolyn Frantz is Corporate Secretary, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Microsoft Corporation and head of the Corporate Law Group. She previously managed Microsoft’s worldwide tax litigation. Prior to joining Microsoft, Ms. Frantz was a litigation Partner at Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP, as well as a Rhodes Scholar, a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Law School.

Bruce F. Freed
President
Center for Political Accountability

Bruce Freed is president of the Center for Political Accountability, a Washington-based NGO whose mission is to bring transparency and accountability to corporate political spending. As a result of CPA’s efforts, these are becoming the norm.

Mr. Freed is a respected thinker on money and politics. The Center produces the annual CPA-Zicklin Index, which benchmarks S&P 500 companies on their political disclosure and accountability policies.

Freed draws on his long experience in journalism and strategic public affairs and on Capitol Hill. He co-authored The Conference Board Handbook on Corporate Political Activity and articles in the Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, and Reuters.

Jenarae Garland
Senior Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary
Occidental Petroleum Corporation

Ms. Garland is Senior Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Occidental Petroleum Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas.  In this role, she assists in advising senior management and the board of directors and its committees on corporate governance matters, and supports the Technical Accounting, Treasury, Investor Relations and Communications functions with respect to securities law and general corporate matters. Prior to Occidental, Ms. Garland was an Associate in the Capital Markets practice group of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

Ms. Garland serves as Vice President and Program Chair for the Houston Chapter of the Society for Corporate Governance. Ms. Garland received her B.S. degree with honors from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Tulane University.

Stacey K. Geer
Executive Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Chief Governance Officer and Corporate Secretary
Primerica

Ms. Geer is the Executive Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Chief Governance Officer and Corporate Secretary of Primerica, Inc.  Ms. Geer previously served as Deputy General Counsel of Mueller Water Products, Inc., as the Chief Securities Counsel of BellSouth Corporation and as a partner at King & Spalding in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Ms. Geer previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Corporate Governance, as a member of the Policy Advisory Committee and as Chair of the Small and Mid-Cap Companies Committee.  She was a finalist for Corporate Secretary Magazine’s 2011 Governance Professional of the Year award and has twice been named by Inside Counsel to their annual R-3 100 list.  She has served as a member of Broadridge’s Independent Steering Committee since February 2012.  Ms. Geer obtained her J.D. degree from the UCLA School of Law and was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1992.  She received a B.S.E. from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1988.

Steve Giove
Partner
Sherman & Sterling

 

Steve Giove is a partner at Shearman & Sterling, a leading global law firm.  He regularly advises public companies on a wide variety of securities law and corporate matters.  Mr. Giove is the co-founder of his firm’s corporate governance advisory group, which publishes an annual corporate governance survey.  Mr. Giove’s practice is principally focused on counseling corporate clients with respect to strategic, governance, financing and public company matters.  He is a frequent speaker on Rule 10b5-1 plan practices and insider trading policies.

Richard Gluckselig
Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,

Richard Gluckselig is an Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an S&P 500 biotechnology company headquartered in New York whose mission is to help patients with serious diseases. In his role, Richard focuses on disclosure, corporate governance and financing matters, as well as strategic transactions, shareholder engagement and board support. Previously, Richard worked as a member of the securities and public companies practice group of an international law firm in Manhattan. Richard has studied law in the United States, Belgium and the Czech Republic, and holds an LL.M. from the University of Michigan.

Roger O. Goldman
Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director and member of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committees of American Express National Bank/ Lead Director of Seacoast National Bank
Ignitecorp

 

Mr. Goldman’s current for-profit positions include serving as Chairman of the Executive Committee, member of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committees of American Express National Bank.  His prior roles include Chairman of the Board of the Board, Lead Director, Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee, Compliance Committee Member and Audit Committee Member. 

Mr. Goldman has served as Lead Director at Seacoast National Bank since 2012 and is President and Managing Partner of Berkshire Opportunity Fund.  He has extensive public and private prior board experiences. 

Mr. Goldman’s non-profit leadership positions include Chairman of Lighthouse International and former Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  He currently serves on the Advisory Board of Bankwork$.

Thomas Goldstein
Goldstein Russell

Mr. Tom Goldstein is an appellate advocate, best known as one of the nation's most experienced Supreme Court practitioners. Mr. Goldstein has served as counsel to the petitioner or respondent in roughly 10% (more than 100 in total) of all the Court's merits cases for the past fifteen years, personally arguing 41.

In addition to practicing law, Mr. Goldstein has taught Supreme Court Litigation at Harvard Law School since 2004, and previously taught the same subject at Stanford Law School for nearly a decade. Tom is also the co-founder and publisher of SCOTUSblog – a web-site devoted to comprehensive coverage of the Court – which is the only weblog ever to receive the Peabody Award.

Mr. Goldstein has received a variety of recognitions for his practice before the Supreme Court and for his appellate advocacy generally. For example, in 2010, the National Law Journal named him one of the nation's 40 most influential lawyers of the decade. GQ named him (erroneously) one of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, D.C.

Holly J. Gregory
Partner
Sidley Austin’s Global Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation Practice

HOLLY J. GREGORY, co-chair of Sidley Austin’s Global Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation Practice, counsels public, private and nonprofit companies on the full range of governance issues, including special committee investigations, board audits and self-evaluation processes, shareholder activism and initiatives, compliance with legislative, regulatory and listing rule requirements, and governance “best practices.”

While most of the matters she works on are highly confidential, high-profile matters that are in the public record include advising on the governance and accountability mechanisms of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to replace U.S. government oversight, and advising the Board of The Pennsylvania State University on governance reforms. Holly played a key role in drafting the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and has advised the Internal Market Directorate of the European Commission and the joint OECD/World Bank Global Corporate Governance Forum on governance policy and reform.

The author of numerous articles on governance topics, she writes the governance column for Practical Law: The Journal. Holly recently completed her term as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Corporate Governance Committee.

Richard H. Grubaugh
Senior Vice President
D.F. King & CO

Rick is a Senior Vice President of D.F. King & Co., Inc. and co-director of the Corporate Proxy Division. Rick primarily advises corporations and shareholders involved in complex shareholder transactions specializing in corporate control situations such as proxy contests, mergers and unsolicited tender offers.

Some of recent assignments Rick assisted with include Procter & Gamble in its defense of activist Trian Partners, Broadcom in its proposed acquisition of Qualcomm and USG’s defense of an unsolicited offer from Knauf Group.

Prior to joining D.F. King, Rick was a founding partner of Beacon Hill Partners, Inc. Rick began his proxy solicitation career at the Carter Organization, Inc., joining that firm in 1986.

Keir D. Gumbs
Partner
Covington & Burling LLP

Keir Gumbs is a partner in the corporate and securities practice at Covington & Burling LLP.  Mr. Gumbs started his career at the SEC, where he served for six years - first as a staff attorney, later as a Special Counsel in the Office of Chief Counsel in the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance and finally as counsel to SEC Commissioner Roel Campos.

Mr. Gumbs is recognized as a leading authority on securities regulation and corporate governance who represents a cross-section of constituencies in securities and governance matters, including companies ranging in size from Fortune 50 companies to venture-backed firms, as well as public pension funds, hedge funds, faith-based investors and trade associations.

Mr. Gumbs received his J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his B.A. degree from Ohio State University.

Christa Haas Bierma
Principal Compensation & Benefits National Tax Practice
Ernst & Young LLP

 

Christa Haas Bierma is a member of Ernst & Young LLP’s Washington, DC, National Tax compensation and benefits group.  She advises clients on technical tax issues that arise in connection with employee benefit and compensation arrangements, including executive and deferred compensation, employer-sponsored health and welfare plans, fringe benefits and tax-qualified retirement plans.  Christa has more than 17 years of experience in tax and employee benefit issues.  Christa recently returned to Ernst & Young LLP following three years of service as an Attorney-Advisor in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy. 

Doug Hagerman
Retired SVP General Counsel and Secretary
Rockwell Automation

 

Doug Hagerman recently retired as SVP, general counsel and secretary at Rockwell Automation, where he was responsible for ensuring that the legal team provided proactive advice to support business objectives.

Doug and his team were responsible for legal, compliance, the corporate secretarial function, government affairs, environmental safety, security, global trade compliance and product safety.  Doug played a leading role in the company’s risk management, especially information security.

Doug previously served as a litigator in the Chicago office of Foley & Lardner. He represented litigants in all types of securities disputes.

Doug graduated from Drake University and Harvard Law School. He is also a CPA.

Amber N. Hall
Assistant General Counsel & Assistant Corporate Secretary
Cox Enterprises

Ms. Hall is Assistant General Counsel & Assistant Corporate Secretary for Cox Enterprises, Inc. where she advises the board of directors and senior leadership on corporate governance matters, manages corporate finance matters and directs the domestic and international corporate records, entity management and business licensing functions.

From 2014 – May 2018, Ms. Hall served as the Compliance Officer for Cox Enterprises and Cox Media Group, and was responsible for the design and direction of the organizations’ Ethics and Compliance Programs. She also designed and directed the Cox Enterprises' Records and Information Management (RIM) Program.

Ms. Hall began her legal career as an Associate with a large law firm in Atlanta, where she advised financial institutions on corporate governance, securities, transactions and bank regulatory matters

Ms. Hall earned her B.A., cum laude, from Spelman College and her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School. Additionally, she holds the designation of Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) from the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics.

Waheed Hassan, CFA
Senior Managing Director
Alliance Advisors

 

Hassan Waheed is a Senior Managing Director at Alliance Advisors – a proxy solicitation firm with 600+ clients including Starbucks, Chevron and Twitter - and advices C-level executives and Board of Directors on corporate governance best practices, M&A transactions, and shareholder activism. Prior to joining Alliance, Waheed managed the Special Situations research team at Institutional Shareholder Services ("ISS"). Waheed has extensive experience in engaging with institutional, retail and activist investors and has advised on transactions/proxy contests with market value in excess of $175B.

Thomas R. Herendeen, RPLU
Product Manager, Non-Profit D&O
Travelers Bond & Specialty Insurance

As part of the Travelers Bond & Specialty Insurance D&O Product & Portfolio Management team, Tom is responsible for national production, profitability, marketing and underwriting strategy for Non-Profit business.  In that role, Tom has involvement with the educational sector and a wide range of Non-Profit organizations.

Mr. Herendeen is a frequent speaker and has participated in a number of panel presentations at various industry events.  Topics have included Directors & Officers exposures for non-profit and commercial entities, employment practices, fiduciary liability, professional and Cyberliability.  Additionally, he has been interviewed by and written articles for industry publications such as Property Casualty 360, Best’s Review and Agent & Broker Magazine.   

Mr. Herendeen has a diverse underwriting background which includes a range of management and professional liability, surety and fidelity products.  In addition to his experience with Travelers, he previously led Philadelphia Insurance Companies’ management and professional liability group.  Tom is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany where he holds an MBA in Finance along with a B.S. in Business Administration and resides in the Philadelphia area.

Lakeeta M. Hill
Director of Executive Administration and Corporate Governance
Cargill, Incorporated

 

Lakeeta joined Cargill’s Law Department in 2014, leading the Board Operations team. Over the past four years, Lakeeta has directed large, cross-functional strategic initiatives and led transformational organization-wide processes. As Director of Executive Administration and Corporate Governance, she leads teams that oversee board operations, corporate governance, US subsidiary management, executive administration, common shareholder stock administration, and director relations.

For more than 10 years, Lakeeta has served as a strategic thought leader, advisor, and partner to senior leaders, holding different positions in the areas of class action administration, corporate governance, corporate and health care law.

She is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance (Society), having previously served as a conference panelist and as a subcommittee chair of the Private Companies Committee. She also serves as the chair of Cargill’s Ebony Council (CEC) resource group.

Lakeeta is married and has three children.

Kenneth B. Hoganson, Jr.
Founder, Chairman and CEO
Private Directors Association

Mr. Hoganson is the founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Private Directors Association (www.privatedirectorsassociation.com). For 26 years, Mr. Hoganson was a member of a multi-national manufacturing company’s fiduciary board of directors: Lovejoy, Inc. Mr. Hoganson was the longest standing outside director.

Over three decades as a middle-market investment banker, Mr. Hoganson is an internationally recognized leader in the merger and acquisition (M&A) profession. He was a past member of the Board of Directors, a Chapter President, and recognized leader in the two major international M&A associations: the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG) and the Alliance of Merger and Acquisitions Advisors (AM&AA).

As a successful deal maker, teacher, and leader, Mr. Hoganson maintains business affiliations and personal contacts in every major city in the USA and most major financial districts around the world.
Mr. Hoganson received a BS and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Ken and Shelly, his wife, enjoy outdoor activities at their Michigan native plant farm.

Katie Holahan
Associate General Counsel
US Foods

Katie joined US Foods in September 2017 as Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, where she is responsible for managing corporate legal and securities matters and supporting M&A and corporate finance (treasury) transactions. Prior to joining US Foods, Katie was Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Navigant Consulting, Inc., a specialty management consulting firm, from 2010 to 2017, and held a similar role at Orbitz Worldwide, the online travel company, from 2007 to 2010. Before moving in-house, Katie practiced at Mayer Brown LLP where she specialized in securities law, M&A and general corporate representation.
Katie clerked for the Honorable Justice Harold See on the Supreme Court of Alabama after her graduation from Northwestern University School of Law. Prior to law school, Katie worked in the audit and assurance practice in the Atlanta office of Ernst & Young LLP. Originally from Georgia, Katie earned her undergraduate degree in Accounting from the University of Georgia and is also a Certified Public Accountant. Ms. Holahan is also an avid supporter of several animal rescue organizations.

Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Partner
Covington & Burling LLP

Mr. Eric H. Holder Jr. advises clients on complex investigations and litigation matters, including those that are international in scope and involve significant regulatory enforcement issues and substantial reputational concerns. Mr. Holder, who was a partner at Covington from 2001 to 2009, rejoined the firm after serving for six years as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States.

At Covington, Mr. Holder led the firm’s representation of a major multi-national agricultural company in related civil, criminal, and investigative matters; acted as counsel to a special investigative committee of the board of directors of a Fortune 50 technology company; successfully tried a complex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of a leading financial services company; and represented several life sciences companies in litigation and investigations.

Mr. Holder served as Attorney General from February 2009 to April 2015. As the third longest serving Attorney General in U.S. history and the first African American to hold that office, Mr. Holder is an internationally recognized leader across a broad range of regulatory enforcement, criminal justice, and national security issues. In 2014, Time magazine named Mr. Holder to its list of 100 Most Influential People, noting that he had “worked tirelessly to ensure equal justice.”

Jonathan Holland
Director, Sales
Donnelley Financial Solutions

Jonathan Holland is a sales professional with a focus on Donnelley Financial’s ActiveDisclosure SaaS solution for financial reporting and compliance processes, with over 20 years of providing collaborative solutions for organizations to streamline drafting, filing and distributing periodic reports and shareholder communications to their investors, employees, regulatory agencies and other stakeholders, and has held responsibility for many Fortune 500 stylized proxy statement engagements.  Jonathan received a B.S. in Business from Appalachian State University.

Paul Holmes
CEO, North America
Finsbury

Paul Holmes, CEO, North America, advises clients in areas including strategic and crisis communications, litigation support, public policy, regulatory issues and governance matters. He joined Finsbury in 2007 and has represented several of the world’s largest companies in the financial services, media, retail, transportation, insurance and health care sectors, among others.
Before joining the firm, Paul had a long and successful career in international journalism. He has worked in more than 50 countries, covering conflict, politics and business. Paul
was the Political and General News Editor at Reuters for five years.

Paul is a co-author of four books on international affairs and an Ethics Fellow of the Poynter Institute of Journalism Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida. He speaks fluent French, German and Italian and holds a Bachelor’s degree in modern languages from the University of Exeter in the UK.

William L. Horton
Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Verizon Communications

Mr. William L. Horton, Jr. is senior vice president, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary of Verizon Communications. Mr. Horton is responsible for the corporate secretary function and for providing legal support to Verizon’s strategic transactions and capital markets activities, ensuring the company’s compliance with federal and state corporate and securities laws, as well as providing corporate governance services to the corporation.

As the chief governance officer of Verizon, Mr. Horton coordinates and facilitates meetings of the Board of Directors, develops governance policy, coordinates stakeholder outreach and relations, and leads the annual meeting of shareholders.  As lead securities counsel for the corporation, Mr. Horton provides legal counsel with respect to Verizon’s investor relations activities, including compliance with Regulation FD, and its external reporting obligations, including the drafting of the company’s periodic reports and proxy statement.  He is also responsible for providing legal support to Verizon’s Business Development and Treasury teams, as they structure, negotiate and execute mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity issuances and repurchases, debt issuances, exchanges and redemptions, asset backed securities transactions and other financing transactions.

Ken Hugessen
Founder
Hugessen Consulting

Ken Hugessen is a well‐known advisor to boards on executive compensation and related performance, governance, and shareholder matters. Ken founded Hugessen Consulting in 2006 to meet the growing demand from boards for direct access to independent advice on executive compensation and related performance and governance matters.

Based in Toronto, he has over 30 years’ experience consulting in the US, Canada, and the UK to both public and private corporations, and to large pension/sovereign wealth funds. Ken and his partners founded Hugessen Consulting in 2006 to meet the growing needs of boards and compensation committees for independent advice. He works with clients to align executive pay outcomes with corporate and individual performance, and to strengthen board governance and support director‐led engagement with the shareholder community. He writes and speaks extensively on the role of the Board, and the Compensation Committee and its Chair in executive compensation, and is a faculty member in the Institute of Corporate Directors' Directors Education Program.

Ken holds an Honours BSc from Sir George Williams University, a MA from Dalhousie University, and an MSc from the University of Chicago. He is a Killam and National Research Council Scholar, and is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Sophie Hager Hume
Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary
Starbucks Coffee Company

Sophie Hager Hume has served as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Starbucks Coffee Company and a member of the Starbucks Law & Corporate Affairs leadership team since 2009. Ms. Hume manages Starbucks Board Services and oversees the Corporate and Securities group. Ms. Hager Hume has primary responsibility for Board management, corporate securities, corporate finance, corporate governance including shareholder outreach, general corporate matters and domestic subsidiary maintenance. Prior to joining Starbucks, Ms. Hume was First Vice President and Assistant Secretary at Washington Mutual Bank for 10 years where she was responsible for securities and corporate law and corporate governance.

Ms. Hume was also a corporate securities attorney at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates), Seattle, and Winthrop Stimson Putnam & Roberts (now Pillsbury Winthrop), New York City.

Ms. Hume graduated from Brooklyn Law School where she was a member of the Brooklyn Law Review. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Art History from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts.

Ed Ingle
General Manager, Government Affairs
Microsoft Corporation

Ed Ingle has three decades of public policy and political experience--including senior positions for Microsoft, Hill+Knowlton, and The White House. Since 2003, Mr. Ingle has represented Microsoft’s interests with the Executive Branch, Congress, and Governors. He also serves as Treasurer for Microsoft’s Political Action Committee.

Mr. Ingle was an adjunct professor at NYU from 2007-2013, teaching government affairs in its graduate corporate communication program. He also authored the “Government Relations” chapter for a leading corporate communication textbook, "Reputation Management,” now in its 3rd edition.

Mr. Ingle has a master's degree in public policy and finance (MPA) from Indiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee.

Stacy S. Ingram
Associate General Counsel and Deputy Corporate Secretary
The Home Depot

 

Ms. Ingram serves as Associate General Counsel and Deputy Corporate Secretary for The Home Depot, which she joined in April 2009. She is responsible for a broad range of securities, compliance, corporate governance and corporate finance matters. Prior to joining The Home Depot, Ms. Ingram was a partner in the Atlanta office of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, where she represented clients in a full array of securities, corporate governance and corporate finance matters. She currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Society and as the Chair of the Society’s Policy Advisory Committee. Ms. Ingram also serves on the board of The Home Depot Foundation. Ms. Ingram received a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from Harvard Law School.

Sharad P. Jain
Partner
PwC

Sharad has more than 35 years of experience providing audit and audit-related services to large global companies engaged in consumer and industrial products and services businesses, including captive finance and captive insurance companies.

As Global Engagement Partner on several Fortune 100 companies, Sharad has worked with their Boards of Directors and advised on a variety of complex matters impacting these major organizations.

His experience includes audits of public company and private company financial statements, shared service centers, buy-side and sell-side related due diligence and divestiture projects, carve-out audits, initial public offerings, SEC reporting matters, investigations, and internal audit support. Sharad has been a senior advisor on multidisciplinary PwC teams helping clients in addressing IFRS readiness, US and global tax strategies, IT systems implementations, merger integration, and related internal controls considerations.

Hope Jarkowski
Head of Government Affairs
Intercontinental Exchange

 

Hope is the Co-Head of Government Affairs for Intercontinental Exchange, parent company to the New York Stock Exchange, resident in the DC Office. In this capacity, Hope leads the New York Stock Exchange’s government relations matters before the federal agencies and Capitol Hill. Hope began her career in the Office of the General Counsel at FINRA then transitioned to private securities law practice at a Fortune 100 law firm. Hope left the private sector for public service at the SEC in 2010, just before the passage of Dodd-Frank. As a senior lawyer in the Office of General Counsel, and later as Counsel to Commissioner Troy Paredes, Hope provided counsel on the Commission's rulemaking and enforcement efforts and served as Commissioner Paredes' liaison to Commission senior SEC staff as well as external constituencies, including members of Congress. Following her SEC service, Hope joined the Senate Banking Committee as Senior Counsel for Securities for then-Ranking Member Mike Crapo.

David Jefferis
Market Manager and Senior Sales Engineer
Compliance and Governance

David is a market manager and senior sales engineer for Compliance and Governance Services at CSC® in the Wilmington, Delaware headquarters. With CSC for over 11 years, he has significant experience providing consultative services to clients of CSC Entity ManagementSM, and prospective clients evaluating CSC’s Matter ManagementSM solutions. David gathers insight from clients and prospective clients to help drive CSC’s market strategy and shape the product development roadmap for CSC Compliance and Governance Services.

David’s technology background includes internet, data center, and web hosting product management experience.

Mr. Jefferis holds a BA degree in Telecommunications from Pennsylvania State University.

Blair N. Jones, CCP
Managing Director,
Semler Brossy Consulting Group

Blair Jones joined Semler Brossy Consulting Group as a Managing Principal in 2005 after 15 years at Sibson Consulting where she was an SVP and Practice Leader for Leadership
Performance and Rewards. Blair began her professional career at Bain & Company, helping clients develop pricing and marketing strategies. She has been published in many journals including Directors and Boards, World at Work Journal, Workspan, and The Corporate Board, and has authored chapters in three books on executive compensation. Her views have been sought by and quoted in publications such as The New York Times, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, and HR Executive. Blair holds a bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Williams College.

Eileen A. Kamerick
Adjunct Professor
University of Chicago

Ms. Kamerick serves as an adjunct professor at University of Chicago Law School, Washington University in St Louis College of Law, and University of Iowa College of Law. Ms. Kamerick consults and lectures on corporate governance matters and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow. Ms. Kamerick had previously served as CFO of such leading companies as BP Amoco America, Leo Burnett, Heidrick & Struggles, and Houlihan Lokey. Ms. Kamerick began her career as a lawyer at the law firm of Skadden Arps and she holds a JD and an MBA, with honors, in Finance and International Business from the University of Chicago. Ms. Kamerick graduated summa cum laude from Boston College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Ms. Kamerick is a member of the Board of Directors for Associated Banc-Corp, AIG Funds, Hochschild Mining, plc, and  27 closed end Legg Mason mutual funds. Ms. Kamerick served on the Board of Directors for ServiceMaster and IRI before both companies were purchased by private equity firms. Ms. Kamerick qualifies as an SEC financial expert.  In addition to her corporate board roles, she serves on the boards of the Eckerd Connects, a national child welfare charity, and Christ the King Jesuit High School, a Cristo Rey Network school. 

 

Courtney Schuster Kamlet
Senior Corporate Counsel
Syneos Health, Inc.

 

Ms. Kamlet is Senior Corporate Counsel of Syneos Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYNH)  Prior to joining Syneos Health in February 2015, Ms. Kamlet was Senior Corporate Counsel of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE: FIS) from May 2014 through February 2015 and Senior Attorney – Legal and Business of Arbitron Inc. (formerly NYSE: ARB) from May 2009 through November 2013.  Ms. Kamlet was an associate at two large DC firms from 2004 – 2007 and previously served as an Attorney-Adviser in the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  Ms. Kamlet has a J.D. degree (2001) and B.S. degree (1998) from the University of Florida. She is a member of the DC, Florida and Virginia Bar Associations and serves as the Secretary for the Society for Corporate Governance’s Policy Advisory Committee and Vice President, Program Chair for the Southeastern Chapter.

Adam Kanzer
Managing Director of Corporate Engagement
Domini Impact Investments

Mr. Kanzer has directed Domini’s shareholder advocacy and public policy work for the past twenty years, and has led numerous dialogues with corporations on a wide range of social and environmental issues.

Mr. Kanzer served on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee. He is a founder and current board member of the Global Network Initiative, serves on the public policy committee of US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, and the steering committee of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights. In 2008, he was named to the Directorship 100, Directorship magazine’s listing of the most influential people on corporate governance and in the boardroom.
He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Mitchell Karp
VallotKarp Consulting

VallotKarp is a boutique management consulting firm that focuses on creating inclusive environments where people can work together more effectively.  We provide a broad range of services to corporations, law firms and other organizations on issues relating to diversity and inclusion, unconscious bias, cultural competence, gender dynamics and preventing workplace harassment.

Angela Vallot and Mitchell Karp formed VallotKarp Consulting in 2003.  After practicing law for 17 years in two different law firms, Angela became the first Chief Diversity Officer of Texaco and later, Global Chief Diversity Officer of Colgate Palmolive.  Mitchell was a human rights attorney for 10 years before becoming an organizational development consultant and executive coach.

Our success is not only fueled by our many years of experience, but by our genuine passion and commitment to creating inclusive environments where organizations value and embrace diversity and inclusion.

David A. Katz
Partner, Corporate
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

David A. Katz is a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City, an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law, and co-chair of the Board of Advisors of the NYU Law Institute for Corporate Governance and Finance.

Mr. Katz is a corporate attorney focusing on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, shareholder activism and complex securities transactions, has been involved in many major domestic and international merger, acquisition and buyout transactions, strategic defense assignments and proxy contests, and has been involved in a number of complex public and private offerings and corporate restructurings.  He frequently counsels boards of directors and board committees on corporate governance matters and crisis management.

Mr. Katz taught Mergers and Acquisitions at New York University School of Law for over 15 years and previously co-taught a joint law and business short course on mergers and acquisitions at Vanderbilt University Law School with Delaware Chief Justice Leo Strine.  He is co-chair of the Tulane Corporate Law Institute. Mr. Katz is a graduate of Brandeis University and New York University School of Law

Jennifer Kavanagh
Political Scientist
RAND Corporation

Jennifer Kavanagh is a political scientist at the RAND Corporation and associate director of the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program in RAND's Arroyo Center. Her research focuses on U.S. political institutions, political communication, public opinion, and their implications for U.S. foreign and domestic policy. Ms. Kavanagh also studies defense strategy and planning and military force posture. Kavanagh is also a faculty member at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Ms. Kavanagh graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Government and a minor in the Russian language. Ms. Kavanagh completed her Ph.D. in Political Science and Public Policy at University of Michigan.

Peter Kimball
Head of Advisory and Client Services
ISS Corporate Solutions

Peter Kimball is Head of Advisory and Client Services at ISS Corporate Solutions (ICS), where he leads the team of governance, executive compensation, and sustainability experts.

Before leading the advisory team, Peter was the head ICS advisor to compensation consultants, law firms, and other corporate advisors, along with select company clients. He joined ICS in 2012 after spending four proxy seasons with ISS’s U.S. Research division, where he led a team covering several industries. Prior to ISS, Peter worked as an attorney and an economist.

Peter is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been widely quoted in the press on compensation and governance topics.

James J. Killerlane III
Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel
AIG

James J. Killerlane III is an Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel at AIG where he is the Head of Securities and Corporate Governance. Jim’s principal areas of oversight include SEC and other public disclosure, corporate governance, Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes Oxley related matters.
Before joining AIG, Jim served as an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley, where he served as an Assistant Secretary for the parent company with respect to SEC, corporate governance and other disclosure matters, as well as the Corporate Secretary of the three Morgan Stanley banks. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Jim was a Senior Vice President and Assistant Secretary at Lehman Brothers.

Jim graduated from Fordham University Law School, where he was the Business Editor of the Fordham Urban Law Journal and a member of Fordham’s Moot Court Board.

Jim is currently admitted to the bar in New York and Connecticut. He previously served as the President of the New York Chapter of the Society for Corporate Governance and currently serves on the Membership and Education Committees of the National Chapter.

Thomas J. Kim
Partner
Sidley Austin LLP

Tom Kim focuses his practice on advising companies, underwriters and boards of directors on SEC regulatory and reporting issues, registered and exempt capital markets transactions, and corporate governance, as well as on general corporate and securities matters. Tom has been recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Securities: Regulation: Advisory since 2015, where Chambers noted that he is “well respected for his regulatory expertise and is often sought after by public companies and their boards of directors, as well as underwriter clients, to advise on complex SEC reporting and corporate governance issues.” For 2017, Chambers noted that “the ‘top-notch’ Thomas Kim ‘continues to impress’ market commentators for his work as an expert adviser on securities compliance.”

Prior to joining Sidley in 2013, Tom served for six years as the Chief Counsel and Associate Director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the SEC. Tom currently chairs the ABA’s Disclosure Effectiveness Working Group, which is working with the SEC on the disclosure reform initiative led by the Division of Corporation Finance. He also currently chairs the ABA’s Subcommittee on Securities Law Opinions.

Shannon Kinney
Deputy General Counsel, Governance, Corporate and Commercial and Chief Compliance Officer
ConocoPhillips

Shannon Kinney is Deputy General Counsel, Governance, Corporate and Commercial and Chief Compliance Officer for ConocoPhillips.  She is also the Company’s Secretary of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee.

Prior to joining ConocoPhillips, Kinney was Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at TPC Group. She began her career as a coporate associate at Andrews and later worked as a corporate associate at Bracewell. 

She serves on the boards of the Houston Chapter of the Texas General Counsel Forum and Arms Wide Adoption Services.  She is also a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Tri-Cities Chapter.

Adam R. Kokas
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc.


Mr. Kokas is the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAWW) and its airline operating subsidiaries, Atlas Air, Southern Air, and Polar Air Cargo Worldwide. In his role, Mr. Kokas’ responsibilities include leading the company’s global legal, regulatory, compliance, government affairs, ethics and corporate governance strategy and execution. Mr. Kokas joined the company as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary in October 2006 and was named Chief Human Resources Officer in 2007, a position he held through March 2018. He was appointed to Executive Vice President in 2014.

Mr. Kokas is the Chairman of the Cargo Airline Association, a non-profit trade association comprised of U.S. Cargo airlines and the former Chairman of the Airlines for America (A4A) Law Council, the trade association of the leading U.S. passenger and cargo carriers.

Mr. Kokas was recognized as Governance Professional of the Year (Small to Mid-Cap) at the 2016 Corporate Governance Awards.

Mr. Kokas earned his bachelor's degree from Rutgers College, and is a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law, where he was an Edward M. Hennessey scholar.

Brian Lane.
Partner
Gibson Dunn

Brian Lane has been a partner with Gibson Dunn since 2000, with a practice involving all things SEC, from capital raising, to disclosure and accounting.  Mr. Lane even helps companies with inquiries from the Division of Enforcement.  Prior to his tenure at Gibson Dunn, he spent over 16 years with the SEC leading up to his position as the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance.

Keith Larson is a Senior Attorney and Assistant Secretary at Southern California Edison Company, a subsidiary of Edison International. Mr. Larson is an experienced corporate governance and securities attorney with particular expertise in Board oversight matters, proxy disclosure, shareholder outreach, and emerging governance practices. Keith is an active member of the Society for Corporate Governance, currently serving as President of the Southern California Chapter. Mr. Larson holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UCLA and a J.D. with a Business Law specialization from the UCLA School of Law.

Scott Lesmes
Partner
Morrison & Foerster

 

Scott Lesmes focuses his practice on counseling publicly-listed clients with respect to corporate and securities matters. He advises companies and boards of directors on a broad range of securities regulation and corporate governance issues and has substantial experience in dealing with restatements and internal control concerns. Mr. Lesmes counsels issuers and underwriters in the public offering process and in corporate compliance matters involving SEC reporting and disclosure requirements.

In addition to his time spent in private practice, Mr. Lesmes served as in-house counsel at two public companies. He worked extensively in establishing corporate compliance programs and policies while serving as Chief Legal Officer for Allied Capital Corporation, a NYSE-listed business development company, as well as Deputy General Counsel/Chief Securities Counsel for Fannie Mae, a financial services company. Mr. Lesmes draws on his significant in-house experience to provide valuable perspective in his role as an outside advisor.

Marc Lindsay
Senior Strategist and Senior Manager
Vanguard

 

Marc Lindsay is a senior strategist and senior manager on Vanguard’s Investment Stewardship team, responsible for leading executive and board-level engagement with Vanguard fund portfolio companies on topics including board composition, executive compensation, governance structures, and risk oversight. He leads a team of sector-focused analysts dedicated to engagement and voting to advocate for corporate governance practices that support long-term value creation. In his prior role, Mr. Lindsay served as Senior Counsel in Vanguard’s Legal Department, providing corporate governance support for Vanguard as well as commercial support for key vendor relationships. Prior to joining Vanguard, he was a corporate & securities associate at Dechert LLP. Mr. Lindsay earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and completed undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia, where he was a Foundation Fellow.

Paul Lockhart
Vice President, Sales
Passageways

 

As Vice President, Paul is responsible for the direct sales, channel sales, and strategic partnerships that provide Passageways’ customers with communication and collaboration platforms that improve board and leadership team productivity.  He is particularly focused on integrating secured cloud technology, analytics, and 3^rd party applications with board portal software to deliver more effective meetings.

Previously Paul held sales, marketing and executive positions at Hewlett-Packard, CNA Financial, ADP, and EDS, and has also been a founding partner of several technology companies. He is also deeply involved in philanthropy, serving on the board of numerous nonprofit organizations.

Byron Loflin
CEO
Center for Board Excellence

Byron is founder and CEO of the Center for Board Excellence (CBE). Under his leadership, CBE has emerged as a thought leader in corporate governance as well as an innovator in the digital delivery of board & CEO assessments, D&O Questionnaires and compliance questionnaires.

Mr. Loflin’s career has focused on developing efficiencies and culture in the areas of management, technology and business development. Byron’s experience includes roles as a CEO, director, and in finance. His board experience consists of both corporate and not-for-profit director roles.

Byron is a graduate of Harvard Business School and James Madison University.

Cindy M. Lott, Esq.
Academic Director
Master of Science in Nonprofit Management
Columbia University School of Professional Studies

Cindy M. Lott, Esq., serves as Academic Director for the Master of Science in Nonprofit Management program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies and teaches in that program, as well. Prior to her current position, Ms. Lott served as Executive Director and Senior Counsel to the National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School, and within that Program was the developer and lead counsel to the Charities Regulation and Oversight Project from 2006-2015. Currently, Lott is also a Senior Fellow at the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, working in conjunction with the Institute’s Tax Policy and Charities project. At Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, Lott teaches several courses addressing governance, ethics and the relationship of the nonprofit sector and government.

Lott is a frequent speaker at national conferences in the areas of philanthropic and nonprofit state regulation, compliance, management and governance.  Lott was selected as one of four members of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT) and will serve 2015-2018.

Lott is a 1993 graduate of the Yale Law School and clerked for the United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit. She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Indiana and Massachusetts.

Russell Maher
President and Founder
QDiligence

Russell Maher is the President and Founder of QDiligence and creator of the QDiligence D&O Questionnaire and Board Assessment platform. He is responsible for all operations at QDiligence but focuses on business development, technology innovation, and data security. Well-versed in data security standards and regulations, Russell’s mission is to ensure that QDiligence customers and respondents enjoy a secure, easy-to-use solution that is convenient and saves time. Prior to founding QDiligence, Russell developed many groundbreaking legal technology solutions used globally for matter management, consumer claims tracking, entity management, legal holds, IP management and corporate governance.

Scott Mallery
Senior Director of Sales
Diligent Corporation

Scott Mallery – Scott brings over twelve years of corporate governance related expertise in the Enterprise Governance Management market to Diligent.  Mr. Mallery is responsible for the sales strategy and new customer acquisitions for the Western US and Healthcare and Banking verticals.  He previously served as Vice President of Sales and Client Services at Equilar, leading the sales and client services organizations.  Prior to joining Equilar, he spent nine years at BoardVantage. Scott was responsible for growth in sales with hundreds of organizations, working closely with them to develop best practices for secure, paperless communications for both boards of directors and senior leadership teams. Previously, he held senior sales leadership positions with Oracle, Datasweep and WebEx. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Human Resource Management from California State University, Chico.

Leah Malone
Director
PWC

 

Leah Malone is a director in PwC’s Governance Insights Center, which strives to strengthen the connection between directors, executive teams and investors by helping them navigate the evolving governance landscape.

Leah worked for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP for eight years before joining PwC and has extensive experience in governance matters, in particular relating to executive compensation.

Leah has authored a number of publications for the Governance Insights Center, including the Annual Corporate Directors Survey, our Census of Directors Age 50 and Under, and the Executive Compensation Series.

Leah earned her B.A. from Georgetown University and her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

Pamela L. Marcogliese
Partner
Cleary Gottlieb’s Capital Markets and Corporate Governance Practices

Pamela L. Marcogliese is a partner in Cleary Gottlieb’s Capital Markets and Corporate Governance practices. Ms. Marcogliese has extensive experience in corporate governance matters advising U.S. and non-U.S. issuers on disclosure and corporate governance issues, including SEC, stock exchange, Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank compliance. Ms. Marcogliese also regularly advises boards of directors and management on a variety of topics, including board composition and director independence; shareholder engagement, shareholder proposals and proxy season trends, including charter and bylaw amendments; environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues; and proxy access. Pamela is a frequent contributor to the Cleary’s M&A and Corporate Governance Watch blog.

Barbara Matthews
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Hagerty


Barbara Matthews is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Hagerty and related entities, and is responsible for aligning the overall legal and compliance strategy with the enterprise strategy. With over 25 years as a practicing attorney, Barbara provides legal advice to executive management and the Board of Directors regarding matters with significant company-wide impact. In addition, she oversees corporate governance and serves as Hagerty’s corporate secretary. Ms. Matthews offers leadership and guidance to a staff of lawyers, legal paraprofessionals and support staff that provide legal, compliance, corporate secretary and licensing services to support the achievement of Hagerty’s strategic objectives. Barbara currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of TraverseCONNECT, trustee on the Board of Trustees of Munson Medical Center, and is past President of the Great Lakes Children’s Museum. Barbara obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in International Business from Ferris State University and a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law. Barbara currently resides in northern Michigan with her family.

Jane W. McCahon
Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary
TDS

Jane W. McCahon is senior vice president of corporate relations and corporate secretary for TDS [NYSE: TDS], a diversified telecommunications services corporation headquartered in Chicago. Ms. McCahon oversees the investor relations and corporate governance activities of TDS and its majority-owned, publicly traded subsidiary, U.S. Cellular [NYSE: USM]. Ms. McCahon is also a member of the Company’s corporate strategy group. 

Before joining TDS, Ms. McCahon was a principal with Massachusetts-based Conway Communications, which provided investor relations consulting for a diverse range of companies. Prior to that, she was vice president of corporate relations for Eastern Enterprises and served as manager of investor relations for BJ's Wholesale Club.

Ms. McCahon is a member and former chair of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and co-founder and former chair of the NIRI Ethics Council. She holds a BA in economics and finance from Bentley College, and a JD from Suffolk University Law School.

Teresa McCreight
Director of U.S. Sales
Labrador

Teresa has over ten years of experience in stakeholder communication, promoting the importance of clear and transparent disclosure. She works with organizations/companies who wish to improve the messaging, structure, design and production of their annual documents such as the proxy statement, annual, integrated and sustainability reports, code of ethics and compliance policies. Teresa lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, two sons and three dogs.

Rose McKinney-James
Managing Principal
McKinney-James & Associates


Rose McKinney-James is a seasoned small business leader and independent corporate director with a long history in public service, non-profit volunteerism and private sector corporate social responsibility. The former President and CEO for the Corporation for Solar Technology and Renewable Resources, (CSTRR) and former Commissioner with the Nevada Public Service Commission, also served as Nevada’s first Director of the Department of Business and Industry.

Ms. McKinney-James is currently the Managing Principal of Energy Works LLC and McKinney-James & Associates. Her firms provide business-consulting services and advocacy in the areas of public affairs, energy policy, and economic and sustainable development. A registered lobbyist with the Nevada Legislature, Rose currently represents a range of public and private entities with interests in regulatory and energy policy. Ms. McKinney-James serves on the Board of Directors for MGM Resorts International, MGM Grand Detroit, and Toyota Financial Services Bank.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Ms. McKinney-James is a graduate of the Antioch School of Law in Washington D.C., and received her BA from Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan.

Colleen M. McIntosh
Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel
CVS Health

Colleen McIntosh is Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel for CVS Health. In this role, she provides legal oversight and support for all corporate, corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, and securities matters, including SEC and NYSE compliance. Her scope of responsibility also includes legal support for treasury, finance, human resources, compensation and benefits, and as Corporate Secretary, matters relating to the Board of Directors and subsidiary management.

Prior to joining the company in 2013, McIntosh served as Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel, at Medco Health Solutions, Inc. 

McIntosh is the executive sponsor of the Faith-Based Colleague Resource Group at CVS Health. In addition, she is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Laws, and the Society for Corporate Governance, and has been a contributing author for VC Experts.

McIntosh earned her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from St. John’s University. In addition, she completed postgraduate law studies (LL.M.) in taxation at New York University School of Law. 

Scott Melton
Assistant General Counsel, Corporate Governance Officer and Secretary
Denny’s

 

Mr. Melton is Assistant General Counsel, Corporate Governance Officer and Secretary of Denny’s Corporation. Mr. Melton began working for Denny’s in 1995 and is currently responsible for the Denny’s corporate secretary function which includes providing support to the Denny’s Board of Directors, annual shareholder meeting preparation, NASDAQ compliance and subsidiary management. Additionally, Mr. Melton provides corporate governance oversight, reviews SEC and corporate disclosure, provides legal support for group benefits, executive compensation and incentives as well as other general corporate matters including legal support for the Company’s tax exempt employee relief fund.

Over Mr. Melton’s career he has served as Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (1986 – 1995) and as a tax staff accountant for Arthur Young & Company (1982 – 1986). Mr. Melton is a Certified Public Accountant (although currently inactive) and received his B.S.B.A. – Accounting and J.D. degrees from the University of Arkansas.

Thomas E. Moran
Senior Vice President and Secretary
Eaton Corporation

 

Mr. Moran is Senior Vice President and Secretary of Eaton Corporation plc.  He is responsible for managing Eaton’s corporate governance, board of directors, global subsidiaries and various general legal matters.  He is located in Dublin, Ireland.  In addition to his law responsibilities, he serves as country manager for Eaton’s operations in Ireland.

Mr. Moran’s earlier legal career included serving as in-house counsel for The Dow Chemical Company and Service Corporation International, with responsibility for litigation, corporate transactions, contracts, insurance, EH&S, and other legal responsibilities.

Mr. Moran is a long-time member of the Society and former officer of the Ohio and Detroit chapters.  He is a leader in the American Chamber of Commerce – Ireland, and with the Ireland – U.S. Council.  He has served in a pro bono capacity as an officer and director of several animal welfare organizations.  Mr. Moran received his B.A. degree from Colgate University, and J.D. degree from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Helen H. Morrison
Ernst & Young LLP

Helen H. Morrison is a principal in the Washington National Compensation and Benefits practice of Ernst & Young LLP. Prior to joining the firm, Helen served from 2007–12 as the Deputy Benefits Tax Counsel in the Office of Benefits Tax Counsel for the Department of the Treasury. Ms. Morrison played a lead role in the Administration’s tax-related initiatives on health care reform and executive compensation, including the Affordable Care Act tax matters, sections 409A and 457(f) deferred compensation rules for taxable and tax-exempt organizations, section 457A rules on deferred compensation for companies in “tax indifferent” jurisdictions and other tax-related compensation matters.

Nicole Napolitano
Company Secretary & General Counsel, Corporate Governance
Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company

Nicole Napolitano is Company Secretary & General Counsel, Corporate Governance of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company, an Irish domiciled company. Ms. Napolitano’s responsibilities include overseeing and advising on corporate governance, securities laws and equity-based matters for the public Board of Directors and its global subsidiaries. Nicole also served as Company Secretary & Associate General Counsel for the legacy Willis Group prior to its 2016 merger-of-equals with Towers Watson & Co.

Prior to joining Willis, she was in private practice at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP where she worked on a variety of corporate law matters with a focus on capital markets and corporate governance. She also served as a law clerk for the Honorable William C. Conner in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ms. Napolitano received her B.S. and J.D. degrees, summa cum laude, from St. John’s University and St. John’s University School of Law.

Yumi Narita
Vice President, Investment Stewardship
BlackRock

Yumi Narita is a Vice President on BlackRock’s Investment Stewardship team. BlackRock’s stewardship program is focused on protecting and enhancing the economic value of the companies in which it invests on behalf of clients. Ms. Narita is responsible for engaging with companies, collaborating with portfolio managers to assess the financial impacts of ESG, consulting with policy-makers and regulators, developing stewardship policies and supporting BlackRock’s global proxy voting operations. Ms. Narita follows companies throughout North America and South America; in the United States and Canada, her governance focus is on companies operating in the food, restaurant, retail, automotive, airline and media industries. She is also active in BlackRock’s ESG integration efforts. Her service with the firm dates back to 2004, including her years with Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009.

Ms. Narita has presented on behalf of BlackRock on various ESG issues, including shareholder engagement and executive compensation for audiences including boards of directors, senior corporate executives and their advisors.

Ms. Narita is part of the Investment Company Institute (ICI), PRI’s Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSE), Investor Stewardship Group (ISG), and Associação de Investidores no Mercado de Capitais (AMEC).

Sydney Ann Neuhaus
Partner
Finsbury

 

Sydney Ann Neuhaus has more than 25 years’ experience in developing and managing strategic communications and reputation management programs. She works directly with CEOs, senior administrators, Board members and subject matter experts for Fortune 500 companies, professional associations, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions. She is experienced in helping clients manage sensitive or high-stakes situations, offering strategic counsel and support in communicating with key stakeholder audiences and the media. Prior to Finsbury, Sydney worked at FleishmanHillard, receiving the John D. Graham Award for Excellence, given to individuals who best exemplify leadership and the firm’s values. Previously, Sydney headed the PR division of Harrison & Star and worked at Edelman Public Relations, where she was a member of a Silver Anvil-winning team. 

Ms. Neuhaus received a B.A. in English from Cornell University, graduating with Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. She sits on the Y of Greater New York’s Strong Kids Leadership Council.

Jeffrey N. Neuman
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary
Tronox Limited

 

Jeff is Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Tronox Limited, a vertically integrated manufacturer of Titanium Dioxide which is the base pigment used in all paints and coatings.  He is responsible for managing all of Tronox’s legal affairs and governmental relations.  Jeff’s legal career includes serving as Corporate Secretary for Honeywell International Inc. as well as the General Counsel of its Performance Materials business units.  Jeff was also an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell.  Before becoming a lawyer, he worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch.

Jeff holds a BA from Wesleyan University, an MA from Harvard University in East Asian Studies and an LL.M from Northwestern University.  Jeff lives in Manhattan with his wife and two sons.

Kate O’Brian
Founder
O’ Media Strategies

A prominent media leader, Ms. Kate O’Brian has brought originality and high-performance operational leadership across the media spectrum: digital platforms, social media, television, radio, films, talk shows, investigative reports, and editorials. Talent and cultural development are core to Kate’s leadership approach.

Early producer roles at ABC News in Washington, DC, New York, Rome, and London included work on high-visibility programs: “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings”, “This Week with David Brinkley”, and “Good Morning America”.  Later roles: General Manager for ABC News Radio, Vice President of NewsOne and ABSAT, and overall SVP for News.

Ms. O’Brian joined Al Jazeera America as President just as the news channel made its high-stakes launch in 2013. Kate’s own personal and team awards include a Peabody, Emmy, two duPonts, and the 2015 Robert G. McGruder Award for commitment to gender and ethnic diversity. 

In 2017 O’ Media Strategies was formed, and Ms. O’Brian now consults with media companies on content development, strategy, and management.

A graduate of Smith College, Ms. O’Brian resides in New York City with her husband.

Maureen O’Brien
Vice President, Director of Corporate Governance
Segal Marco Advisors

Maureen O’Brien is Vice President and Corporate Governance Director at Segal Marco Advisors. She joined the firm in September 2011. At Segal Marco, she engages companies on corporate governance issues and oversee the proxy voting service. Ms. O’Brien’s work in shareholder advocacy began in 2003 as a Research Analyst for the Investor Responsibility Research Center. Ms. O’Brien holds an M.A. from American University in Washington, D.C. and B.A. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Zach Oleksiuk
Managing Director
Evercore

Mr. Zach Oleksiuk is a Managing Director in Evercore's corporate advisory business, specializing in shareholder engagement, corporate governance, ESG, and investor relations. Prior to joining Evercore in 2017, Mr. Oleksiuk was Head of the Americas for BlackRock Investment Stewardship. Mr. Oleksiuk has over 16 years' experience in corporate governance.

At BlackRock, Mr. Oleksiuk led a team responsible for engagement with companies on corporate governance, activist situations, and environmental and social matters, as well as developing and executing proxy voting policies. Mr. Oleksiuk also led BlackRock's participation as a founding signatory to the Investor Stewardship Group and the Framework for U.S. Stewardship and Governance. Prior to BlackRock, Mr. Oleksiuk spent five years with Institutional Shareholder Services.

Mr. Oleksiuk served on the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Standing Advisory Group from 2015-2017 and chaired the Council of Institutional Investors (CII) Corporate Governance Advisory Council in 2016-2017. Mr. Oleksiuk earned an MBA from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and a BA from the Pennsylvania State University.

Damon Oshita
Senior Analyst
Capital Research and Management Company

 

Damon Oshita is a Senior Analyst at Capital Research and Management Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital Group. He joined Capital in 2004 and joined the Governance and Proxy Team in 2006. Damon works primarily with investment analysts and portfolio managers to develop proxy voting decisions. Mr. Oshita is also responsible for internal reporting and participates in the formation of voting guidelines as they relate to corporate governance, executive compensation, social, and environmental issues. Damon earned a BA in Economics from the University of California at Irvine and a MBA from Southern Methodist University. He is based in San Francisco.

Beverly L. O’Toole
Head of Corporate Governance Practice Group
Goldman Sachs

 

Beverly is head of the Corporate Governance practice group, focusing on governance matters and disclosure. Beverly recently expanded her role to assume responsibility for overseeing reputational risk governance. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2000 and was named managing director in 2007.  Prior to joining Goldman, Beverly served as corporate counsel at Revlon from 1996 to 2000 and prior to that was at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton. 

 Beverly is a member of the Policy Advisory and Securities Law Committees and a former member of the Board of The Society for Corporate Governance.  She serves on the Society’s NY Chapter Advisory Committee and previously served a term as president. She is on the Advisory Board of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance. Beverly has served on various NYSE groups, including its Commission on Corporate Governance.

 Beverly earned an AB, magna cum laude, from Princeton University and a JD, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Ryan O’Toole
CFA, Senior Proxy Analyst
Fidelity Investments

Ryan O’Toole is a Senior Proxy Analyst in the Investment Proxy Research group at Fidelity Investments. Fidelity is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to more than 20 million individuals, institutions, and financial intermediaries. In this role, Mr. O’Toole is responsible for proxy voting policy development and portfolio company engagement, with an emphasis on executive compensation.

Mr. O’Toole has been employed at Fidelity since 2007, and previously worked as a Senior Fund Accounting Analyst. He has been a part of the Investment Proxy Research group since 2010.

Mr. O’Toole earned his Bachelor of Science degree in economics and finance from Bentley University. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Tonia L. Pankopf
Managing Partner
Pareto Advisors

Tonia L. Pankopf is an experienced public company director, seasoned global investment executive and former Wall Street equity research analyst, investment banker and hedge fund portfolio manager with significant experience identifying, unlocking and creating shareholder value. Ms. Pankopf has worked with entrepreneurial start-ups and Fortune 100 companies. Tonia is currently a strategic and financial advisor to companies and investors and is an active independent board director as well as an experienced Audit Committee and Compensation Chair having served on public and non-profit boards.

Tonia currently serves on the board of Landec Corporation where she chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. More recently, she served for 13 years on the board of TICC Capital Corp., where she chaired the Compensation Committee and was a member of the Valuation, Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Troy A. Paredes
Founder, Paredes Strategies LLC
SEC Commissioner (2008-2013)

 

Troy A. Paredes is the founder of Paredes Strategies LLC.  From 2008-2013, Paredes was an SEC Commissioner, appointed by President Bush.

Paredes advises on financial regulation, compliance, corporate governance, and governmental and regulatory affairs.  Paredes also serves as an independent compliance nsultant/corporate monitor.

 

Paredes was a professor of law at Washington University.  Currently, he is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at NYU School of Law and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School.  Paredes co-hosts a podcast on fintech called “Appetite for Disruption.”  Paredes is a senior advisor at CamberView Partners. Paredes is a member of the board of directors of NAVEX Global.  He was on the board of directors of Electronifie from 2015-2017.

Lyndon Park
Head of Corporate Governance
Dimensional Fund Advisors


Lyndon Park is Head of Corporate Governance at Dimensional Fund Advisors, where he oversees and implements the firm's global corporate governance initiatives, which include managing issues concerning complex M&A, activism, and other event-driven situations. In his capacity, Lyndon also leads ESG-related efforts for the firm's portfolio management group.

Before joining Dimensional, Lyndon was Partner and Head of Governance at a fintech capital market start-up. Previously, Lyndon served as one of BlackRock Investment Stewardship team’s lead governance analysts, managing ESG issues at companies representing around $450 billion of BlackRock’s AUM. Lyndon began his career at BlackRock by supporting BlackRock’s own board of directors on intra-company governance matters out of the corporate secretary’s office. Lyndon also participates actively in public speaking events to share perspectives attained from his experience having served as a corporate governance specialist within both investor and issuer communities, as well as the broader capital markets.

Lyndon received his B.A. in English Literature, magna cum laude, from Columbia University.

Shelley E. Parratt
Deputy Director
SEC Division of Corporation Finance

 

Shelley E. Parratt is the Deputy Director of the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance. In this capacity, Ms. Parratt assists the Director in overseeing the Division's disclosure review program, which is responsible for the selective review in more than 7,000 reporting companies, rulemaking and other Division operations.  Ms. Parratt previously served as Acting Director.  Ms. Parratt received a MBA from Syracuse University and a BA from St. Lawrence University.

Frank M. Placenti
Partner
Squire Patton Boggs

Frank M. Placenti is a partner at the global law firm of Squire Patton Boggs and Chair of its US Corporate Governance Practice. Mr. Placenti is the Founding President and a Trustee of the American College of Governance Counsel. Frank is nationally recognized for his work in corporate governance with over 30 years’ experience advising large and mid-cap public companies as well as private equity investors and private companies. Mr. Placenti serves as Vice Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee of the American Bar Association.  Frank is the Editor of The Directors Handbook, A Field Guide to 101 Situations Commonly Encountered in the Boardroom.  Mr. Placenti serves as Adjunct Professor at The Ohio State University of College Law, where he teaches governance in the College’s Distinguished Practitioner’s in Resident Program. Mr. Placenti has served as a Lead Director or director of several public and private companies. 

Ann Marie Plubell
Regulatory Affairs for the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association, or EMPEA, and Secretary of the EMPEA Institute

Ann Marie Plubell is a member of the Society’s Quarter Century Club. She is VP, Regulatory Affairs for the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association, or EMPEA, and Secretary of the EMPEA Institute based in Washington, D.C. Ann Marie leads EMPEA’s global regulatory and policy advocacy work including coordinating the governance working group of its ESG Community. At EI Ann Marie leads the examination of governance and regulatory ecosystems, in emerging markets.

Prior to joining EMPEA and EI, Ann Marie, served as VP, Associate General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, SallieMae and as Advisor to the Chairman and Board of ICANN, the nonprofit created by the US government in collaboration with the global stakeholders in the worldwide Internet to ensure stability, security, scalability and technical maintenance of the Internet addressing pools and root zones registries.

Ann Marie holds a JD and LLM in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, an MBA from George Washington University and BA cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Ms. Barbara Pomfret
Managing Director
ESG, Joele Frank

An expert on ESG investing, Ms. Barbara Pomfret has investment and analytical experience, working alongside shareholders to integrate ESG into their decision-making processes, both on the buy-side and for a major ESG data provider. Over more than 10 years, Ms. Pomfret has developed a deep understanding of how investors think about ESG issues and how they expect companies to present their ESG credentials.

Prior to joining Joele Frank in 2017, Ms. Pomfret was global product manager for ESG at Bloomberg in London and New York, where she built and launched the ESG company analysis tool and Bloomberg’s ESG research product. Prior to Bloomberg, Ms. Pomfret was an ESG analyst in the Sustainability Research team at Allianz Global Investors in London and Frankfurt.

Ms. Pomfret received an MSc in Environmental Science from Imperial College London and a BA in Geography from St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University.

David S. Post
Director of Research
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board

David leads SASB’s Research Team which, in conjunction with close oversight by the Standards Board, identifies and researches financially material, industry-specific sustainability risks and opportunities in consultation with issuers, investors, and subject matter experts. David has been an equity portfolio manager and research analyst for more than twenty years, during which time he led the equity research departments of two multi-billion dollar AUM firms. David holds a BS in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University, an MBA in Finance from Columbia University, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Katherine “KT” Rabin
CEO
Glass Lewis

Katherine “KT” Rabin joined Glass Lewis shortly after the firm was founded in 2003 and was part of the original management team. She was appointed CEO in 2007.

Before joining Glass Lewis, KT was VP of Communications at supply chain management company QRS Corporation, where she helped create the company’s IR program. Previously, KT was Director of Research at OTR Global, an independent investment research firm. From 1992 to 1997, she was business editor at the Hearst-owned San Francisco Examiner.

KT currently serves on the board of Diversified Health Services, a private healthcare services company that operates assisted living and nursing care facilities and was formerly on the board of Index, a retail software company funded by General Catalyst, Innovation Endeavors and Khosla Ventures.

Ganesh Rajappan
CEO
MyLogIQ

Ganesh Rajappan is the founder and CEO of MyLogIQ, a provider of public company intelligence. Ganesh has 20 years of experience working with public company data and providing software solutions to corporations, investment managers, regulators, law firms, academics, and the media.

Ganesh started his career with software development, architecture, consulting, sales, and sales management for several technology companies in Silicon Valley. Ganesh was born in India and has a Master of Science in Computer Science from Wayne State University, Detroit, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India.

His personal mission is to feed at least 100 needy children a day.

Jane Lewis-Raymond
Partner
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

 

Mrs. Lewis- Raymond is a partner in the Charlotte office of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP.  She co-leads the firms Governance, Risk and Compliance Group and practices in its Energy Group.

Prior to joinig Parker Poe, Mrs. Lewis-Raymond spend a decade as a general counsel and chief compliance officer of Piedmont Natural Gas, a publicly traded company. Mrs. Lewis-Raymond has significant knowledge relating to all aspects of corporate law and governance, as well as the legal issues affecting the natural gas industry in particular.

Mrs. Lewis-Raymond received her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Maryland.

James F. Reda
Managing Director, Executive Compensation
Gallagher’s Human Resources & Compensation Consulting

James is Managing Director, Executive Compensation, of Gallagher’s Human Resources & Compensation Consulting Practice. As an acknowledged leader and expert resource in the field of executive compensation, Jim works closely with public and private companies' compensation committees and management on issues related to executive and board compensation. Mr. Reda is an authority on the assessment of competitive pay levels for managers and directors, and the design, implementation and disclosure of executive and director pay programs.

With a background that includes over 31 years of experience in executive compensation consulting, Jim has advised more than 500 organizations across multiple industries. He held various leadership positions at major management consulting firms before forming James F. Reda & Associates LLC in 2004, which is now part of Gallagher. A co-author of "The Compensation Committee Handbook," he was a key contributor in defining and establishing the function of an executive compensation committee.

Jim holds an S.M. in Management of Information Systems, Finance, and Accounting & Control from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management.

Brandon J. Rees
Deputy Director, Corporations and Capital Markets
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations

 

Brandon Rees is the Deputy Director of Corporations and Capital Markets for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The AFL-CIO is a federation of 55 national and international labor unions that represent 12.5 million working men and women. Union sponsored and Taft-Hartley pension and employee benefit plans hold approximately $667 billion in assets. Brandon Rees also serves as the Shareholder Advocacy Committee Co-Chair of the Council of Institutional

Investors, the Supervisory Committee Chair of the AFL-CIO Employees Federal Credit Union, and is a member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s standing advisory group. He received his B.A. in Economics and J.D. from U.C. Berkeley.

Alexander Reid
Partner
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

A partner in the Tax Practice at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, Alexander Reid specializes in transactional tax, tax policy, and tax controversy, focusing on tax-exempt organizations of all kinds, including grantmaking foundations, international organizations, colleges and universities, advocacy groups, and many others. In addition to providing tax advice, Mr. Reid also helps organizations improve their governance and obtain legislation and administrative guidance from the US Treasury, IRS, and Congress. Before joining Morgan Lewis, Alex served as legislation counsel for the Joint Committee on Taxation of the US Congress, where he advised members of Congress and staff regarding tax policy. Mr. Reid earned a BA with distinction in philosophy from Yale University and JD and LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law where he was editor in chief of the Law Review.

Tangela S. Richter
Corporate Secretary and Chief Governance Officer
American Express

Tangela Richter is Corporate Secretary and Chief Governance Officer of American Express. In this role, Tangela is an advisor and resource to the American Express Board of Directors and senior management, providing strategic advice and counsel on board responsibilities and corporate governance matters.  Before taking on her current role, Tangela was Deputy Corporate Secretary from September 2016 to October 2017.

Prior to joining American Express, Tangela was Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Lending Club Corporation in San Francisco, where she oversaw numerous legal areas including securities, governance. Before joining Lending Club, Tangela worked for nearly eight years at Capital One Financial Corporation, where she led the securities legal team focusing on the company’s public filings, including annual and quarterly reports and the proxy statement. Prior to joining Capital One, Tangela spent more than five years in the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities & Exchange Commission in Washington, DC.

Tangela began her legal career as a tax associate in the New York law firm of Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett. Tangela received a B.A. in English from Howard University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Maria A. Robins
Vice President
Morgan Stanley

 

Maria Robins is a professional with over twenty-five years’ experience in sales support for executive services, marketing and communications, within the financial services industry.  Maria works in the Corporate Equity Solutions Group at Morgan Stanley where she heads up Industry Relations.   She is responsible for all thought leadership initiatives, collaborating with distinguished industry experts as well as academia, in the area of Equity Compensation and Executive Services. 

Maria is a member of the NASPP Executive Advisory Council, Board Member of the NY/NJ NASPP Chapter, and Board Member of the NY/NJ Center for Employee Ownership, as well as serving on the Leadership Team for the NYC Global Equity Organization chapter.  Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Maria held positions at Computershare and Merrill Lynch. In her role at Merrill Lynch, Maria helped create what is now known as the Private Banking Division, working with high net worth clients and Investment Bankers to create successful cross marketing opportunities. Maria is a graduate of Montclair State University and holds Series 24, Series 7 and Series 63 and 66 licenses.   

Jonathan Salzberger
Senior Director
Innisfree M&A Incorporated

Jonathan Salzberger is a Senior Director of Innisfree M&A Incorporated. Mr. Salzberger advises companies and investors on shareholder engagement, corporate governance, activism and proxy solicitation, with an emphasis on merger solicitations and proxy contests.

Prior to joining Innisfree, Mr. Salzberger was a corporate attorney with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Mr. Salzberger earned B.A. degrees in Economics and History, summa cum laude, from New York University, and a J.D. from the New York University School of Law, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the NYU Journal of Law and Business.

Mike Schlanger
VP, Solution Sales
Merrill Corporation

Michael Schlanger develops transaction and compliance product strategies in response to client and regulatory needs and is on the leadership team guiding the development and sale of Merrill Corporation`s SEC compliance and XBRL service offering.

Prior to joining Merrill, he performed numerous roles with other companies, including sales, sales management, division president and business development.

Mike is currently serving as the Vice Chairman of the Board of XBRL US, which he has been a Board member since 2009. He is a frequent speaker at law firms, financial industry conferences and professional associations on topics related to the SEC regulatory initiatives.

Eric Sherbet
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
IQVIA Holdings, Inc.

 

Mr. Sherbet has been the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: IQV), a global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and contract research services to the life sciences industry, since March 2018.  Previously, he served as the General Counsel of Patheon N.V. (NYSE: PTHN), a contract development and manufacturing organization, from November 2014 until November 2017.    From April 2011 through October 2014, Mr. Sherbet was General Counsel and Secretary of inVentiv Health, Inc., a global provider of clinical development and commercialization services to the life sciences industry. Mr. Sherbet has also held senior legal leadership roles with Foster Wheeler AG and Avaya Inc.

Monika Scherer
General Counsel
MicroVest Capital Management

 

Ms. Scherer provides legal advice to MicroVest’s senior management and Board, and oversees legal support for MicroVest’s business, including governance, fund management, investment advisory operations, strategic partnerships and global investments.

Before joining MicroVest in 2017, Ms. Scherer was Lead Counsel, Corporate Affairs for IIC/BID Invest. In that capacity she worked in lending, equity, and fund structuring operations through Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as institutional, strategic and finance legal matters. In the earlier part of her career, Ms. Scherer worked in the Caracas and Washington D.C. offices of Baker & McKenzie, advising clients on corporate and securities law, cross-border transactions, and the intricacies of doing business in regulated industries and in developing economies.

Ms. Scherer is dual-qualified in civil law (Venezuela, admitted 2000) and common law (District of Columbia, admitted 2007). She holds an LL.B. summa cum laude from Universidad Católica Andres Bello and an LL.M. in Law and Economics from the George Mason University School of Law.

Wendy C. Skjerven
Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Group General Counsel
The Travelers Companies, Inc.

 

Ms. Skjerven is Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Group General Counsel at The Travelers Companies, Inc. In this role, she has responsibility for corporate and governance matters, including proxy statement and annual meeting matters, advising the Board of Directors and conducting outreach to investors on governance topics. Prior to becoming Corporate Secretary, she oversaw legal support for Travelers’ investment department and was the lead attorney for strategic development and mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to joining Travelers, she was General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Internet Broadcasting Systems and prior to that was a partner at the law firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard (now Stinson Leonard Street) in Minneapolis, where she practiced in the areas of securities, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Corporate Governance and also serves on the Advisory Board of the Twin Cities Chapter of the Society.

Thomas E. Spahn
Commercial Litigator
McGuireWoods

Thomas E. Spahn practices as a commercial litigator with McGuireWoods in Tysons Corner, Virginia.  Mr. Spahn was selected as the 2013 metro-Washington DC "Lawyer of the Year" for "Bet the Company Litigation" by The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, Inc.).  He has served on the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and is a Member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Spahn has spoken at over 1,700 CLE programs throughout the U.S. and in several foreign countries.  Mr. Spahn graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and received his J.D. from Yale Law School. 

Brian K. Stafford
Chief Executive Officer
Diligent Corporation
Board Member: Diligent Corporation, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

 

Brian Stafford is Chief Executive Officer of Diligent Corporation.  Brian assumed the role of CEO in March 2015 and is responsible for all day-to-day operations with a primary focus on driving global growth by delighting its clients with great products.

Diligent is the leading provider of secure communication and collaboration services to Board members and the C-suite of leading organizations.  Brian previously served as a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he founded and led their Growth Stage Tech Practice. While there, he concentrated on helping Growth Stage Technology companies scale faster and did extensive work with Software-as-a- Service (SaaS) companies, focusing on growth strategy, sales operations and strategy, pricing, international growth strategy and team building. Prior to his tenure at McKinsey, Brian was the Founder, President and CEO of an Automotive spin off of Trilogy Software based in Austin, Texas.

Brian holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Chicago and a Bachelors in Science from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Beth Stewart
CEO
Trewstar Corporate Board Services

Beth Stewart is the founder and CEO of Trewstar Corporate Board Services. Trewstar is a search firm solely engaged in board search assignments. With over 20 years of experience on corporate boards, Beth founded Trewstar with a deep understanding of the intricacies of how a board functions. She is a former director of Carmax, Inc., General Growth Properties, and Avatar Holdings.

Beth started her career at Goldman Sachs as the first analyst in the investment banking division. After graduating from business school, she rejoined Goldman Sachs as an associate in the Real Estate Investment banking division. Since leaving Goldman in 1993, Beth has pursued many professional investing and consulting activities in addition to her directorships. She was also an adjunct professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Business.

Beth graduated from Wellesley College in 1978 and Harvard Business School in 1982. She lives and works in the greater NYC area. She has five grown children and one husband.

Jeffrey M. Taylor
Chief SEC & Corporate Governance Counsel and Assistant Secretary
American Water Works Company, Inc.

Mr. Taylor is the Chief SEC & Corporate Governance Counsel and Assistant Secretary of American Water Works Company, Inc., where he is responsible for American Water’s securities law, corporate law and corporate governance compliance. Mr. Taylor also serves as an advisor to the Board of Directors and a legal business partner to the company’s accounting, communications, compensation, corporate secretary, finance, investor relations and treasury functions. For over 22 years, including seven years directly in the Corporate Secretary function, Mr. Taylor has represented clients in securities, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and capital raising, corporate governance, executive compensation and business and corporate law matters.

Mr. Taylor is currently serving as Treasurer of the Society, and has served three terms as President of the Society’s Middle Atlantic Chapter and two terms as its Vice President and Program Chair. Mr. Taylor has also been a Middle Atlantic Chapter advisory committee member since 2008 and is an active member of the Society’s Securities Law Committee. Mr. Taylor received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Northwestern University and his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.  Mr. Taylor is a member of the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania bars, and holds a limited license to practice as in-house counsel in New Jersey.

Carlos Tornero
Senior Reporter
Responsible Investor

 

Carlos is a senior reporter at Responsible Investor, the global news service reporting on ESG and sustainable finance for institutional investors. Mr. Tornero specializes in corporate governance and stewardship. Carlos was Editor of The Accountant, the oldest news source of the accountancy industry established in 1874, as well as part of the editorial team of sister publication International Accounting Bulletin. Mr. Tornero won the State Street UK Institutional Press Awards, in 2014 (Regulatory Issues category) and in 2017 (Investment category). Carlos is a non-practicing member of a Spanish bar association and holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London. 

The Honorable Karen Valihura
Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware

Justice Karen Valihura, as a practicing lawyer, was consistently selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and The Best Lawyers in America. Recently, she was selected by the National Association of Corporate Directors to the NACD Directorship 100, honoring the most influential people in corporate governance. Justice Valihura’s corporate litigation practice included complex commercial and corporate governance issues, federal and state securities matters, and other transactional litigation. Prior to her appointment, Justice Valihura was a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, where she practiced law from 1989 until her appointment to the Court in 2014.

Justice Valihura served on the Advisory Board of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance and served as Chair of the Delaware Supreme Court’s Board on Professional Responsibility and as Chair of the Delaware Supreme Court’s Permanent Ethics Advisory Committee on the Delaware Rules for Professional Conduct. Justice Valihura served on the Corporation Law Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association and, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Delaware Special Olympics.

Justice Valihura received her undergraduate degree from Washington and Jefferson College in 1985 where she was valedictorian, and her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Angela Vallot
VallotKarp Consulting

VallotKarp is a boutique management consulting firm that focuses on creating inclusive environments where people can work together more effectively.  We provide a broad range of services to corporations, law firms and other organizations on issues relating to diversity and inclusion, unconscious bias, cultural competence, gender dynamics and preventing workplace harassment.

Angela Vallot and Mitchell Karp formed VallotKarp Consulting in 2003.  After practicing law for 17 years in two different law firms, Angela became the first Chief Diversity Officer of Texaco and later, Global Chief Diversity Officer of Colgate Palmolive.  Mitchell was a human rights attorney for 10 years before becoming an organizational development consultant and executive coach.

Our success is not only fueled by our many years of experience, but by our genuine passion and commitment to creating inclusive environments where organizations value and embrace diversity and inclusion.

J.D. Vance
Investor
Commentator and Author

J.D. Vance is an investor, commentator, and author of the #1 New York Times best seller Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, described by the National Review as a “brilliant book” and by The Economist as “one of the most important” reads of 2016.

Mr. Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. During his time in the Marines, he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mr. Vance studied at Yale Law School, where he worked at Yale’s Veterans Legal Services Clinic, providing free legal counsel to veterans.

In 2017, Mr. Vance joined as a partner in AOL founder Steve Case’s venture capital company, Revolution LLC, which concentrates on bolstering entrepreneurship and disruptive, high-growth companies outside of the sphere of Silicon Valley.  Mr. Vance also returned home to Ohio to found Our Ohio Renewal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the state’s opioid crisis and bringing high-quality employment and educational opportunities to Ohioans.

Mr. Vance has appeared on ABC, CBS, and FOX News, and is currently serving as a contributor on CNN. Mr. Vance lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and two dogs.

Jon F. Weber
Portfolio Company Management
BlueMountain Capital Management

 

Mr. Weber is Head of Portfolio Company Management at BlueMountain Capital Management, where he works with management and boards of companies where the firm is an influential investor.

Prior to joining BlueMountain, Jon headed groups at Anchorage Capital Group, Goldman Sachs Special Situations Group and Icahn Enterprises, where he was responsible for operational oversight, governance and value enhancement of portfolio companies.  In those capacities, he acted as board chair or member, senior executive, or board-level advisor for dozens of companies in a broad range of industries over 15 years.

 Mr. Weber is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a board member of Chai Lifeline, an organization dedicated to meeting the needs of seriously ill children.  Jon earned a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and BS and MBA, magna cum laude from Babson College.

 

Josh Westerman
Assistant General Counsel
Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.

 

Mr. Westerman is Assistant General Counsel supporting corporate governance functions for Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc., a holding company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada with regulated utility and construction services business segments.  Prior to his current position, he was an associate with a global law firm in Houston, Texas and Frankfurt, Germany. Mr. Westerman joined the Society in 2013, and this is his sixth National Conference. He received his B.S. from Emory and his J.D. from Vanderbilt. 

Karen C. Wiedemann
Associate Counsel
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board

 

Karen C. Wiedemann is Associate Counsel to the Chief Auditor of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. She previously served as an Attorney Fellow in the Division of Corporation Finance, Office of Small Business Policy, of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Before joining the SEC, she was a partner in the London office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP with a practice focused on private equity and U.S. securities law. Ms. Wiedemann received a B.A., cum laude, from Yale College and a J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law.

Mary A. Winston
President WinsCo Enterprise, and Director Domtar, Dover, SUPERVALU

 

Ms. Winston is an experienced financial executive and corporate board member with years of experience serving as an SEC financial expert on public boards and audit committees. Currently serves on the following public boards and committees: Dover Corporation (NYSE: DOV), Audit Committee Chair for ten years, now serving on the Compensation and Finance committees, Domtar Corporation (NYSE: UFS), Audit and Finance committees, Supervalu Inc. (NYSE: SVU), Audit and Compensation committees, Acuity Brands Inc (NYSE: AYI), Governance and Compensation committees. Winston also serves as Board Chair & President of the NACD, Carolinas Chapter. 

Ms. Winston served as EVP & CFO at Family Dollar Stores, Giant Eagle, and Scholastic Corporation, with broad financial responsibility and oversight of strategy, M&A, investor relations, procurement and communications functions.

Ms. Winston holds a bachelor’s in Accounting from University of Wisconsin, an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School, and is a CPA, as well as a Board Leadership Fellow. 

Hendrik-Jan Witsenburg
Director & Commercial Executive
Intertrust Netherlands B.V.

Mr. Witsenburg is a  Director & Commercial Executive at Intertrust Netherlands B.V. Mr. Witsenburg is responsible for managing a portfolio of Dutch entities for US multinationals & Private Equity firms. He assists his clients with corporate governance, compliance and corporate legal matters.

Mr. Witsenburg career includes serving as head of several service teams in the Netherlands and overseas within the CITCO Group, holding different management positions and acting as Global Sales Coordinator for the Intertrust Group. During Mr. Witsenburg’s career he has acted and acts a Global Relationship Manager for a number of US multinationals and US PE firms.

In these roles Mr. Witsenburg has gained vast experience in dealing with governance & compliance matters across various jurisdictions. He is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Yanira Gonzalez Wong
Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary
DocuSign, Inc

Yanira Gonzalez Wong is Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at DocuSign, Inc. Ms. Wong leads the corporate function which includes securities, mergers and acquisitions, stock administration and corporate governance. Ms. Wong advises the Board of Directors and senior executives on corporate governance matters and manages the company’s corporate governance function.
Ms. Wong has a dual major in Government and Philosophy from Claremont McKenna College and received her law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). Yanira is active in her community, volunteering regularly at Oakland public schools, and previously served on the board of directors of Habitot Children’s Museum in Berkeley, CA.

Jennifer C. Wolfe
CEO
Dot Brand 360

Jennifer Wolfe is CEO of Dot Brand 360, a digital agency, and provides education and consulting for boards and C-suite executives on digital, data privacy and cybersecurity strategy, the impact of emerging technologies, management and compliance.

Ms. Wolfe’s highly acclaimed books have been endorsed by senior executives from Microsoft, Uber, Procter & Gamble, DC Entertainment, General Electric, Richemont, and the Motion Picture Association of America. Her latest book, Blockchain in the Boardroom, provides a practical guide to how blockchain could impact your business.  Jen has served on the GNSO Council of ICANN. Ms. Wolfe has a black belt in Six Sigma process improvement, is nationally accredited in public relations, a National Association of Corporate Directors Governance Fellow and certified in cybersecurity oversight by Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute. Jen is an alumna of the Direct Women Institute and completed the Stanford Law School Rock Center for Corporate Governance Program.

Ms. Wolfe previously served as managing partner of software patent law firm, Wolfe, Sadler, Breen, Morasch & Colby. 

D. Evan Van Hook
VP for Sustainability
Honeywell

 

Evan is Honeywell’s VP for Sustainability, a guest lecturer at the UN ITR, and a BNGO representative at COP 23 of the UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany.  He is a graduate of Yale Law School, a former partner at Sidley & Austin, former Assistant Commissioner of the NJDEP and former Adjunct of International Environmental Law at Columbia Law School,.  He is on the Board of Managers of NTESS, the Advisory Board of The Hudson Riverkeeper and the Board of Directors of the Housatonic Valley Association.  Evan is Lean Expert trained and is a recipient of the Honeywell Senior Leadership Award. 

Holly Youngwood
Managing Director and Associate General Counsel Office of the Secretary
JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Holly Youngwood is a Managing Director and Associate General Counsel in the Office of the Secretary.  Holly leads OTS’ Governance Practice and Americas Legal Entity Management teams.

Prior to joining the firm, Holly was a partner in the Corporate and Financial Services Group at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP where she focused on mergers & acquisitions, private equity transactions, and board governance matters.

Youngwood holds a J.D. from  University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in History from Duke University.

John Mark Zeberkiewicz
Director
Richards, Layton & Finger,P.A.

Mr. Zeberkiewicz is a director of Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A., in Wilmington, Delaware. His practice is focused on transactional matters involving Delaware corporations, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and corporate finance.

Mr. Zeberkiewicz is a member of the Corporation Law Council of the Delaware State Bar Association and has served on committees responsible for significant amendments to Delaware's General Corporation Law, including the statutes relating to the ratification of defective corporate acts. He is a frequent presenter on Delaware corporate law and practice, and has published over 50 articles in the field of corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Zeberkiewicz received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Delaware.

Lori I. Zyskowski
Partner
Gibson Dunn

 

Lori Zyskowski is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s New York office and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance practice group. Ms. Zyskowski advises public companies and their boards of directors on corporate governance matters, securities disclosure and compliance issues, executive compensation practices, and shareholder engagement and activism matters.

Ms. Zyskowski is a frequent speaker on governance, proxy and securities disclosure panels. She graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 1996 and was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Ms. Zyskowski received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University.