Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based VP’ operating in the Communities space. If you think a VP’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Jennifer Perri
Vice President, Univision Creator Network of Univision Communications
Jennifer Perri is Vice President of the Univision Creator Network. For the last two years, Jen has lead the charge in cross platform integration of influencers and brands within Univision. She’s been with UCN since 2015 and helped build an in-house multi-channel network that is now the No. 1 Hispanic focused MCN on YouTube in less than two years. Under Jen’s leadership, UCN has attracted and signed over 200 young and diverse digital talent and has fostered a real sense of community. UCN creators have been integrated across digital, linear and live events, and have expanded Univision’s content offering and have helped us to connect with Hispanic millennials. Prior to her role at Univision, Jen held strategy and development positions at Seventeen (Hearst and Awesomeness TV), Collective Digital Studios (now Studio 71) and co-founded BigFrame. Jen also was a producer and production manager on Current TV, which won the first Emmy award for Best Interactive Television Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards. She is a graduate of the University of San Francisco in Communication studies.
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About Univision Communications: Univision Communications is a media company that provides media-related services.
Peter Lori
EVP Finance of Univision Communications
Peter H. Lori is executive vice president, Finance, chief accounting officer and deputy chief financial officer for Univision Communications Inc. (UCI), the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Based in Teaneck, he leads Univision’s corporate finance team. Prior to joining Univision, Lori served as an audit partner at KPMG, LLP, where he was responsible for supervising the delivery of financial statement audit and advisory services to large corporate clients in a wide variety of industries. Prior to that, he served as an audit manager and partner at Arthur Andersen, LLP, where he worked for 15 years. Lori is a certified public accountant in New York and New Jersey. He holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Montclair State University.
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About Univision Communications: Univision Communications is a media company that provides media-related services.
Simone Knight
VP, Marketing Strategy and Media Intelligence of Univision Communications
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About Univision Communications: Univision Communications is a media company that provides media-related services.
Rand Harbert
Senior Vice President of State Farm Insurance
Rand Harbert is Senior Vice President at State Farm.
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About State Farm Insurance: State Farm is a insurance company that offers insurance and financial services.
John Mulligan
EVP, COO of Target
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Janna Potts
Executive Vice President and Chief Stores Officer of Target
Janna Potts is executive vice president, chief stores officer for Target and a member of its leadership team. In this role, she is responsible for leading more than 300,000 team members and operating more than 1,800 stores. Janna joined the company in 1989 as a campus hire and worked in its Mervyn’s stores in variety of leadership positions. She was promoted to vice president, employee relations and distribution human resources at Target in 2004. She held a number of other key leadership positions and spent nearly five years as senior vice president of store operations, before she was promoted to senior vice president, human resources in 2015 where she was focused on stores and supply chain. Janna graduated from Southwest Texas State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989.
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Jackie Hourigan Rice
Executive Vice President and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer of Target
Jackie Rice is executive vice president and chief risk and compliance officer for Target, and a member of its executive leadership team. She is responsible for the centralized oversight of enterprise risk management, compliance, vendor management and corporate security. She leads a team focused on evolving and enhancing enterprise risk and compliance standards to protect Target and its stakeholders, including guests, team members and vendors. Jackie has more than 18 years of legal and compliance experience. Prior to joining Target in 2014, she served as chief compliance officer and legal counsel for a major global automotive manufacturer. She led a global team of lawyers and compliance professionals to develop programs focused on global compliance including anti-corruption, export controls, data privacy and ethics. Jackie also served as legal counsel across several business areas, including marketing, information technology, transactions and retail finance, including overseas assignments in Zurich, Switzerland and Melbourne, Australia. Jackie graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. She obtained her undergraduate degree from James Madison College at Michigan State University.
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Laysha L. Ward
Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer of Target
Laysha Ward is president of Community Relations for Target and a member of its executive committee. She oversees the corporation’s domestic and international grant making, community sponsorships, cause marketing initiatives, volunteerism and other civic activities. Ms. Ward serves on the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Executive Leadership Council, and Denny’s Corporation. She is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Commission on No Child Left Behind, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and The Links, an international woman’s service organization. She is also a member of the advisory committee for The Shriver Report, a project founded by Maria Shriver that examines current cultural transformations affecting American women and families. Ms. Ward received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University and a master’s degree in social services administration from the University of Chicago.
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Tomas Kadlec
Senior Vice President Infrastructure & Operations of Target
Tom is an IT professional with a powerful combination of technology and business skills in USA, UK, and international environments. He has a wealth of in-store and online IT experience in both mature and growing businesses and markets. Over the past 20 years, Tomas has played a number of leadership roles in technology management in the USA, UK, the Czech Republic and Hungary. He has also undertaken technical roles within service provider organizations. Currently Tomas is working as a Senior Vice President of Infrastructure and Operations at Target.Previously as principal consultant in finance sector and was involved in new technology and start-up businesses. During his time at Tesco, Tomas displayed clear, forward-looking vision and embedded a culture of innovation into his teams, enabling them to rapidly deploy new technology solutions as well as meet the changing demands of business stakeholders. He transformed the siloed country IT teams into a centralized, global IT Services function. His responsibilities included managing a large international teams.
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Carlos Saavedra
Vice President – Brand Marketing of Target
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Rick Gomez
Senior Vice President, Brand and Category Marketing of Target
Rick Gomez is executive vice president, chief marketing and digital officer for Target and a member of its executive leadership team. He is responsible for overseeing marketing and media strategy, creative, guest research, loyalty, and corporate responsibility efforts. In addition, Rick is the head of Target’s e-commerce business and oversees the company’s digital strategy.
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Stephanie Lundquist
EVP and President of Food & Beverage of Target
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About MBOLD, Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Mike McNamara
Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Digital Officer of Target
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About Target, Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Joel Crabb
Vice President, Architecture and Chief architect of Target
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Scott Swartz
Vice President of Target
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Krish Srinivasan
Vice President of Target
Krish is the Vice President for Cloud & Compute with over 18 years of Technology experience. Prior to that he was the Vice President for Security Solutions. In his current role, Krish is responsible for engineering solutions that protect Target, reduce friction for its guests and team members. He is supported by a diverse and high performing security engineering team at Target.
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Tre Jones
Senior Vice President, Growth of Dotdash
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About Dotdash: Dotdash’s vibrant brands help over 100 million users each month find answers, solve problems, and get inspired.
Steven Broudy
VP, Sales of Bevy
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About Bevy, MuleSoft: Bevy is an enterprise-grade virtual conference and community events platform designed to build, grow, and scale global communities.
Martin Remy
VP, Data Science and Analytics of Bevy
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About Bevy: Bevy is an enterprise-grade virtual conference and community events platform designed to build, grow, and scale global communities.
Dave Savage
Vice President, Client Services of Communispace
As Vice President of Client Services at Communispace, Dave leads teams of consulting professionals who help clients connect with their customers in new and insightful ways. He is focused on aligning community efforts to clients’ business priorities, and provides strategic direction for clients on how to get the most out of their private online communities. As one of the founding members of the Communispace Corporation, David is deeply involved in the design and implementation of Communispace. From the initial prototype of the software in 1999 to the present and upcoming releases of the product, David has been listening to our growing number of customers and exploring web-based technologies. Prior to his work with Communispace, David has more than 10 years of experience in the production of multimedia-based training programs. With Micromentor and Omega Performance, David managed the design and production of numerous technology-based training programs where he worked with a diverse client base. At Babson College, David served for three years as the Multimedia Coordinator. David has a BA from Fairfield University in Connecticut. Outside of work, David spends most of his free time with his wife and five children. David enjoys travel, competing in road races, and has been known to shoot a decent round of golf from time to time, though he admits his best rounds were played when he was about seventeen years old.
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About C Space, Communispace: Communispace is now C Space.
Bay Gross
Co-Founder, Chief Product Officer & VP Strategy of Cityblock Health
cofounder Cityblock
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About Cityblock Health: Cityblock Health is a tech-driven healthcare provider for those in underserved communities.
Anjali Peri
Vice President Business Development of SitterFriends
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About SitterFriends: Book your community’s most trusted babysitters, in a second, for free
Wade Warren
SVP – Global Engineering, TechOps, Data Protection & Compliance Officer of Fandom
With over 25 years of engineering leadership experience spanning enterprise, Internet, e-commerce, PKI, streaming video and hosted/platform services industries, I’ve seen some amazing successes and faced big challenges! I’ve been fortunate to have been involved in four IPOs and nearly 40 mergers & acquisitions. I’ve had the privilege to work with some of Silicon Valley’s most amazing leaders and entrepreneurs and to have helped build technologies that hundreds of millions of people have used to connect, collaborate, secure and bring entertainment into their lives. I’ve been instrumental in hiring, mentoring, coaching and celebrating with some of the best minds in the world and watched them grow into amazing Venture Capitalists, CEOs, Vice Presidents and Directors. I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of teams that have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve amazing success. During my career, I’ve had the opportunity to… – Mentor fledgling to rapidly expanding businesses – Be a pioneer in the DevOps cultural revolution – Scale Wikia’s platform to support growth from 30 million to over 190 million users around the world – Scale Netflix’s production environment from 7 million to 22 million streaming video users accounting for over 25% of all US IP traffic during peak viewing hours. Constitute the first Cloud Operations Group to facilitate Netflix’s evolution into a purely cloud service. – Standardized and built a highly scalable production operations environment for VeriSign’s Security Services Division with Engineering teams on every corner of the globe, then inherited and reshaped a floundering world wide IT organization into a world class solutions provider. – Be a pioneer in the cloud revolution before “Cloud” was popularized while responsible for building and scaling LoudCloud’s infrastructure during the first online revolution. – Instrumental in building Web 1.0 with Organic, Inc. bringing legitimacy to businesses digital presence online.
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About Fandom: Fandom is a developer of a global entertainment media platform designed for fans to explore, contribute to, and celebrate.
Marc Steir
SVP, U.S. Sales of Fandom
Marc Steir is the SVP for U.S. Sales at FANDOM.
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About Fandom: Fandom is a developer of a global entertainment media platform designed for fans to explore, contribute to, and celebrate.
Joshua Feldman
VP of Product of Raya
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About Raya: Raya is an online membership-based community for dating, networking, and making new friends.
Carrie Wiley
VP of UX and Design of CustomMade
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About CustomMade: CustomMade is an online marketplace connecting buyers who want one-of-a-kind creations with people who make those goods.
Carrie Wiley
VP of UX and Design of CustomMade
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About CustomMade: CustomMade is an online marketplace connecting buyers who want one-of-a-kind creations with people who make those goods.
Matt McDonagh
VP, Commercial Partnerships of Sofar Sounds
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About Sofar Sounds: Sofar Sounds is a global community hosting curated, secret performances in more than 400 cities around the world.
Thomas Siegman
EVP Strategy, Innovation & Client Relations of RSG Media
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About RSG Media: RSG Media is a media-tech supplier specializing in rights management, whose customers include industry-leading TV networks, studios.
Tom O’Brien
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of ES&S
Tom O’Brien, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, joined the company in 1999 as Senior Vice President and CFO. Mr. O’Brien is responsible for all corporate administrative functions, which include Finance, Human Resources, IT, Legal, Pricing, Intellectual Property and Risk Management. Before joining ES&S, Mr. O’Brien served as CFO for Cornhusker Motor Lines, where he oversaw Finance, Treasury, Pricing, Risk Management and Facilities Management. Mr. O’Brien is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He is a certified public accountant.
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About ES&S: ES&S takes great pride in their opportunity to support clients with their election administration needs.
Kathy Rogers
Senior Vice President of Government Relations of ES&S
Kathy Rogers is Senior Vice President of Government Relations. She serves as ES&S’ government liaison for federal and state agencies. Additionally, Ms. Rogers is responsible for public relations and is a media contact for ES&S. Ms. Rogers joined ES&S in 2009 with the desire to build upon her state and local elections knowledge by including development and manufacturing experience. Before joining ES&S, Ms. Rogers was State Director of Elections for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. She was responsible for a statewide implementation of a new voting system in 2002. Ms. Rogers participated in several national election organizations, including The Election Center and the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers (IACREOT). She served on the Election Center’s National Task Force and the Election Center’s Professional Education Program Board. She also represented the State of Georgia on the Election Assistance Commission Standards Board. Ms. Rogers served on the Voting System Certification Board for the National Association of State Election Directors and was honored to serve as President Elect for that same distinguished organization. She is a Certified Elections and Registration Administrator (CERA) graduate through a program administered by the Election Center and Auburn University.
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About ES&S: ES&S takes great pride in their opportunity to support clients with their election administration needs.
Michael Bender
Vice President of Kennedy Krieger Institute
Michael Bender is the vice president of educational programs and legislative affairs at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is also a professor of education, with a joint appointment, in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University and School of Medicine. Dr. Bender specializes in curriculum development for individuals with disabilities. Dr. Bender graduated from a State Teacher’s College in Massachusetts in 1966 with a bachelor’s of science in education. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees in special and industrial education from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1969 and 1971, respectively. While at the University of Maryland, he was a doctoral fellow of the United States Office of Education and taught undergraduate students. He also has been a public school teacher in Massachusetts and Maryland, and for the past 30 years has been on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University. In the later capacity, he is a member of the Universities Academic Council, Promotions Committee and the Johns Hopkins Council on K-12 Education. Dr. Bender has served on numerous community boards of directors. He has been appointed by the Governor of Maryland to chair the State Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers, and has been a Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation Scholar, a consultant to the United States Office of Education and a consultant to Sweden and Spain in the area of developmental disabilities.
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About Kennedy Krieger Institute: Kennedy Krieger Institute helps children and young adults with disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system.
Linda Brandenburg
Vice President, School Autism Services, Research, & Professional Development of Kennedy Krieger Institute
Dr. Linda Brandenburg is the assistant vice president of School Autism Services for the Kennedy Krieger Institute. In addition, she holds a faculty position as an assistant professor in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) where she has taught graduate classes and trains graduate students.Dr. Brandenburg holds a master’s and a doctoral degree in special education from JHU. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of special education with expertise in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Brandenburg served as a coordinator/facilitator on the Maryland State Department of Education’s Autism Task Force, which published Early Intervention Guidelines for young children with autism. She also serves on the state’s Advisory Committee for the Autism Waiver. In addition to her work in Baltimore, Linda has provided training to staff overseas in the areas of functional behavioral assessments and instructional interventions for students with autism. As assistant vice president of School Autism Services at Kennedy Krieger, Dr. Brandenburg is responsible for organizing the delivery of comprehensive high quality evidence-based practices for students with autism in the areas of curriculum, instruction, employee training in autism, behavioral interventions and best clinical practices, and insuring collaboration in admissions procedures across all Kennedy Krieger School programs. Prior to holding her current position, she has served as the educational director of the Schools’ Life Skills and Education for students with Autism and other pervasive behavioral challenges (LEAP) Program. LEAP serves students with severe forms of ASD, ages 5-21 years old.
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About Kennedy Krieger Institute, The Johns Hopkins University: Kennedy Krieger Institute helps children and young adults with disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system.
Harolyn Belcher
Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer of Kennedy Krieger Institute
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About Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Kennedy Krieger Institute: Kennedy Krieger Institute helps children and young adults with disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system.
Derek Weeks
SVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Linux Foundation
Raised in the heart of Silicon Valley, Derek Weeks has a deep-rooted passion for software development and innovation. His 25 year career in software includes publicly-traded, multi-billion dollar businesses, and venture-backed businesses that he helped lead from early-stage growth to unicorn status to successful acquisitions. At the Linux Foundation, Derek serves as a Senior Vice President supporting technology segments including DevOps, security, containers, networking, virtualization, cloud, blockchain, IoT, big data and analytics, storage, and embedded devices. Prior to the Linux Foundation, Derek helped create new market categories in open source software development and security as a Vice President at Sonatype, while he also built a massive online developer education community as a co-founder of All Day DevOps. While at Sonatype, Derek created and championed research of The State of the Software Supply Chain Report and DevSecOps Community Survey, six years running. Prior to Sonatype, Weeks held global software leadership positions for software portfolios in private and public companies, including: Global 360 (acquired by OpenText), Systar (acquired by Axway), Hyperformix (acquired by CA, Inc.) and Hewlett-Packard – based in the US and Germany. Weeks has received wide recognition for his achievements in the industry where he is a regular keynote speaker, has been named to the DevOps 100 by TechBeacon, distinguished as the DevOps Evangelist of the Year by DevOps.com, and received the Industry Executive of the Year from Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC). He holds a B.S. in international business from San Jose State University.
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About All Day DevOps, Linux Foundation: The Linux Foundation builds sustainable ecosystems around open source projects to accelerate technology development and industry adoption.
Linda Bolton
Senior Vice President & Chief Health Equity Officer of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Dr. Linda Burnes Bolton is Vice President for Nursing, Chief Nursing Officer, and Director of Nursing Research at Cedars-Sinai. Her research, teaching and clinical expertise includes: nursing and patient care outcomes, improving organization performance, quality care, and cultural diversity within the health professions. She is co-investigator of the regional Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes research team. Dr. Burnes Bolton is a past president of the American Academy of Nursing and the National Black Nurses Association. She has provided leadership for several state and national programs including service as chair of the National Advisory committee of Transforming Care at the Bedside, Veteran Affairs Commission on Nursing and vice chair of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing at the Institute of Medicine. She is a trustee at Case Western Reserve University and a board member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She was named one of the top 25 women in health care in 2011 by Modern Healthcare magazine. Dr. Burnes Bolton serves on the American Organization of Nurse Executive Board of Directors and will assume the role of President-Elect in 2014. Dr. Burnes Bolton earned her bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing from Arizona State University (ASU). She completed her master’s of Science degree in Nursing, Master in Public Health, and Doctorate in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
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About American Academy of Nursing, Cedars Sinai Medical Center: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Shlomo Melmed
Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs & Dean of the Medical Faculty of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Shlomo Melmed, MB ChB, MACP, FRCP received his medical degree with distinction from the University of Cape Town, School of Medicine in 1970. At Cedars-Sinai since 1980, he is now Senior Vice-President for Academic Affairs, and Dean of the Medical Faculty. He is also Professor and Associate Dean of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine, and Director of the Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He holds the Helene A. And Philip E. Hixon Chair in Investigative Medicine. Dr. Melmed is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, certified in Endocrinology and Metabolism; a Master of the American College of Physicians; an elected member of the Association of American Physicians and the American Society of Clinical Investigation; recipient of the Endocrinology Medal of the Royal Society of Medicine; the Endocrine Society Clinical Investigator Award; the Society of Endocrinology Transatlantic Medal; Ipsen Fondation Endocrine Regulation Award; the Pituitary Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award; and is listed in BEST Doctors of America. Dr. Melmed’s laboratory has been consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1980, and he has trained over 70 physicians, scientists and graduate students who occupy leading positions in academic endocrinology worldwide. His research is devoted to molecular pathogenesis and treatment of pituitary tumors and growth factor regulation of anterior pituitary function. He has pioneered the discovery and application of novel treatments for endocrine tumors and is a recognized international authority on pituitary medicine. Dr. Melmed is acknowledged as a plenary speaker at multiple national and international meetings and is the author of over 300 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious publications. He edits The Pituitary, co-edits Endocrinology: Basic and Clinical Principles, is the Neuroendocrine Section Editor for DeGroot and Jameson’s Textbook of Endocrinology, and Williams Textbook of Endocrinology; and is pituitary section author for Harrison’s Textbook of Medicine. In addition to being the Editor-in-Chief of Pituitary, he is on the editorial board of Journal of Clinical Investigation and past Editor-in-Chief of Endocrinology. Having served on the NIH Endocrinology Study Section, he also has chaired Special Endocrine Study Sections. He was President and founding member of the Pituitary Society, co-chairs its Program Committee, and was an elected member of the Endocrine Society Council. He was President of the International Society of Endocrinology and a member of the Executive Board Committee, Program Chair of the International Congress of Endocrinology, a Director of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), and is a Board Member of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). At Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Melmed has spearheaded major academic growth and development by leading building efforts, recruiting talented nationally recognized faculty leadership, establishing new programs and maintaining standards of excellence for educational programs. His executive leadership continues to maintain Cedars-Sinai as a top tier academic medical center.
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About Cedars Sinai Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Arthur Ochoa
SVP, Advancement & CAO of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Arthur J. Ochoa is Senior Vice President of Community Relations & Development & Chief Development Officer at Cedars-Sinai. Art Ochoa leads Cedars-Sinai’s external relations, including fundraising, community health programs, volunteer services, communications, marketing and digital strategy. He joined Cedars-Sinai in 2001 as director of Planned Giving, and was appointed chief development officer and senior vice president in 2004. Prior to that, Ochoa practiced corporate and tax law in Los Angeles at O’Melveny & Myers and at Irell & Manella. His community leadership activities include serving as chair of the Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Board of Directors, vice chair of the Board of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and vice chair of the Women’s Heart Alliance, based in Washington, D.C. He also is a board member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, an honorary trustee of the Mexican American Bar Foundation and a member of the Yale Law School Association’s Executive Board. He is a trustee of Marlborough School and immediate past president of the Board of Trustees for the Center for Early Education in West Hollywood. Ochoa, a former adjunct faculty member at American Jewish University, lectures frequently on legal, fundraising, management and governance issues. He has received awards and recognition from a number of organizations, including the National Hispanic Health Foundation, the Mexican American Bar Foundation and Boy Scouts of America. Ochoa earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of Southern California (Phi Beta Kappa) and a juris doctor degree from Yale University.
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About Cedars Sinai Medical Center: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Mike Thompson
Vice President, Enterprise Data Intelligence of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Vice President, Enterprise Data Intelligence at Cedars-Sinai.
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About Cedars Sinai Medical Center: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Richard Jacobs
Senior Vice President of System Development & Chief Strategy Officer of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Richard B. Jacobs is Senior Vice President of System Development & Chief Strategy Officer at Cedars-Sinai.
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About Cedars Sinai Medical Center: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Jeanne Flores
Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Organization Development of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Jeanne Flores is Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Organization Development at Cedars-Sinai.
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About Cedars Sinai Medical Center: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Marc Butterfield
Sr. Vice President of First National Bank Of Omaha
Marc currently serves as Sr. Vice President, Digital & Payment Solutions for First National Bank of Omaha. He is responsible for leading the Bank’s overall strategy and vision for digital & payment solutions. Marc leads the organization in the delivery of the Bank’s digital experience and manages the digital payments landscape. This role also includes accountability for FNBO Direct (a digital-only savings bank), assessing and benchmarking current digital capabilities, identifying and prioritizing key gaps, and demonstrating cost/benefit rationale for investments. Marc began his career at First National Bank in 2001, joining First National from Nexterna, a wireless technology company owned by Union Pacific Railroad. In his tenure at First National Bank, Marc has served in management positions in Marketing, Credit Risk and Product Development. Marc completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a Marketing specialization from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
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About Eleven19, First National Bank Of Omaha, First National Bank Of Omaha: First National Bank of Omaha provides banking services for corporate, small business and personal clients.
Hayley Romer
SVP and Publisher, The Atlantic of Atlantic Media
Hayley is VP and Publisher of The Atlantic. In the role, she oversees the national sales and marketing teams, leading advertising efforts for The Atlantic brand across its print and digital platforms. Prior to joining The Atlantic in May 2012 as Associate Publisher, Hayley spent five years at the Condé Nast Media Group. As Executive Director of Corporate Sales, she managed an integrated team on accounts ranging from Finance to Luxury to Technology across titles such as The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Wired. Before joining Condé Nast in 2007, Hayley managed the luxury account list at Forbes Media.
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About Atlantic Media: Atlantic Media is dedicated to equipping opinion leaders with breakthrough ideas and original insights.
Tom Shoop
Executive Vice President & Editor in Chief, Government Executive Media Group of Atlantic Media
Tom Shoop is vice president and editor in chief at Government Executive Media Group, where he oversees both print and online editorial operations. He started as associate editor of Government Executive magazine in 1989; launched the company’s flagship website, GovExec.com, in 1996; and was named editor in chief in 2007.
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About Atlantic Media, Nextgov: Atlantic Media is dedicated to equipping opinion leaders with breakthrough ideas and original insights.
Lindsay Andrews
Vice President & Principal of Sard Verbinnen & Co
Lindsay assists clients with a broad range of media, crisis, and investor relations support. She has assisted with activist defense planning, primarily for companies in the technology industry. She has also developed crisis communications plans and provided strategic counsel to clients facing a range of situations, including litigation, government investigations, national product recalls and accounting restatements.
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About Juul Labs, Sard Verbinnen & Co: Sard Verbinnen & Co is a leading strategic corporate and financial communications firm.
David Isaacs
Vice President of Sard Verbinnen & Co
David Isaacs is a Vice President based in the San Francisco office. Since joining the firm, he has worked on a number of corporate positioning programs, transactions and special situations, including unsolicited takeover proposals, proxy fights, product recalls and management changes.
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About Sard Verbinnen & Co: Sard Verbinnen & Co is a leading strategic corporate and financial communications firm.
Ingrid J Keiser
General Counsel & Executive Vice President of People Strategy of ClubCorp Holdings
Ingrid Keiser has served as our general counsel, secretary, and executive vice president people strategy since July 2008 and previously as chief legal officer from July 2007 to July 2008. Prior to that, Ingrid Keiser served as an attorney at American Airlines from August 2004 to July 2007. She previously served as assistant general counsel and assistant secretary for Vail Resorts, Inc. from January 1997 to August 2004, and as senior counsel and secretary for Ralston Resorts, Inc. (formerly known as Keystone Resorts Management, Inc.) from May 1992 to January 1997 and as associate counsel from May 1989 to May 1992. She holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School, and a B.A. in international relations from University of California at Davis.
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About ClubCorp Holdings: ClubCorp comprises an elite collection of private golf and country clubs, business clubs, sports clubs and alumni clubs.
Chuck Feddersen
Executive Vice President of ClubCorp Holdings
Chuck Feddersen has served as our executive vice president of golf and country clubs since November 2015. He was previously senior vice president of the business, sports and alumni clubs and led the Atlanta golf region following the acquisition of Sequoia Golf. Prior to that, he served in multiple regional vice president roles in the golf & country club division and in multiple operational roles during his career of more than 25 years with ClubCorp.
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About ClubCorp Holdings: ClubCorp comprises an elite collection of private golf and country clubs, business clubs, sports clubs and alumni clubs.
Anthony Batt
Co-founder, EVP Product and Growth of WEVR
Member Board of Directors at CASH music.
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About WEVR: WEVR is a developer of a technology platform used to offer virtual reality content.
Caroline Dell
VP Strategy & Operations of Chief
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About Chief, LOLA: Chief is the only private membership network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders.
Joe Zekoski
Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Joe Zekoski was named Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 2015. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing operations related to the research, development, engineering and quality of Goodyear’s products. Zekoski and his team lead the company’s market-back innovation strategy globally; including the development of new products and services which are aligned with customer needs in all regions of the world. Zekoski, who had served as Interim Chief Technical Officer since 2012, began his career with Goodyear in 1979 as a commercial truck tire engineer in Akron, Ohio. He then took leadership positions in commercial truck tire development in Luxembourg and in Akron. Zekoski gained experience in consumer tires when he was assigned as Chief Engineer of tire development for the Asian original equipment manufacturers. Zekoski has also held many other leadership roles within Goodyear’s technical organizations, including customer engineering, light truck tire development and North America product development. His business leadership experience encompasses North America’s retread business, as well as the molded products and air spring businesses in the Engineered Products Division. From 2006 through 2008, Zekoski led Goodyear’s Innovation Center in Luxembourg. He served as Vice President of Global Product Development and Innovation Center Operations from 2008 until his most recent appointment. Zekoski has a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Mechanics from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master of Business Administration degree from California State College, Dominguez Hills. He lives in Kent, Ohio and is married with two children and four grandchildren.
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About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber: Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies, with operations in most regions of the world.
David L. Bialosky
EVP & General Counsel of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
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About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber: Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies, with operations in most regions of the world.
Greg Smith
Senior Vice President, Global Operations of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Greg Smith was named Senior Vice President, Global Operations for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 2011. He is responsible for the company’s global strategy for supply chain, logistics, procurement, manufacturing, quality and engineering. Smith joined Goodyear with more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing and supply chain from ConAgra Foods, where he had been Executive Vice President, Supply Chain and Operations since 2007. He joined ConAgra in 2001 as Vice President, Manufacturing for its Venture Brands business and was named Executive Vice President, Operations and Supply Chain for the Grocery Foods group in 2002, President and Chief Operating Officer, Grocery Foods in 2005 and Executive Vice President, Supply Chain in 2006. Prior to joining ConAgra, Smith was Vice President, Supply Chain for United Signature Foods from 1999 to 2001. Smith began his career in 1986 when he joined Quaker Oats Company as a Production Supervisor and held positions of increased responsibility in operations including Plant Manager of two facilities and Brand Manager in a marketing assignment. He joined VDK Frozen Foods in 1996 as Vice President, Manufacturing and Distribution and was named Vice President, Operations in 1998. Smith was born November 18, 1963 in Memphis, Tennessee. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance from the University of Tennessee in 1985. Smith serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Business at the University of Tennessee and on the Senior Executive Advisory Board for the Global Supply Chain Institute.
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About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber: Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies, with operations in most regions of the world.
John T. Lucas
SVP, Global Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
John T. Lucas is Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. In his role, he is responsible for development and implementation of the global human capital strategy for the company. Lucas has more than 30 years of human resources leadership experience and achievement in the manufacturing, consumer products and technology industries. Prior to joining Goodyear in 2015, Lucas was the Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Communications for Lockheed Martin Corporation, the world’s largest aerospace and defense company. Before joining Lockheed, Lucas held the position of General Manager, Human Resources for Microsoft’s Business Division, home to the Office suite of products and the largest and most profitable of the company’s five operating segments. During his career, Lucas has held positions of increasing responsibility in executive human resources with Eastman Kodak Company, ConAgra Foods and Merck & Company. A native of Pittsburgh, Lucas is a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in economics. He earned his master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from St. Francis University. Lucas is a member of the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) Academy and HR 50. Under his leadership, Lucas’ HR teams have routinely been recognized by Fortune magazine as among the “Most Admired for HR.”
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About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber: Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies, with operations in most regions of the world.
Scott King
Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Scott King joined The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development in 2015. King rejoined Goodyear with more than 30 years’ experience in key leadership roles in global companies. In 2006, he joined Goodyear as vice president, finance for the company’s former Engineered Products Division and led the transition of the business as it was sold to The Carlyle Group. From 2007 to 2015, he served as chief financial officer of the spin-off company, Veyance Technologies. Prior to that, King was a senior managing director at FTI Consulting, a financial advisory firm, for four years. From 1983 to 2002, he held various positions ranging from staff associate to partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, primarily in the corporate finance and restructuring practice areas. A resident of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, King holds a bachelor’s degree from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania and a juris doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh.
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About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber: Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies, with operations in most regions of the world.
Laura Thompson
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Laura Thompson was elected Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in December 2013. Over the course of her 30 year career with Goodyear, Thompson has served in a series of financial leadership positions of increasing scope and responsibility. Prior to her current role, she served as Vice President of Finance for Goodyear North America, the company’s largest business. Before that Thompson led M&A activities for the company for several years. She was elected a corporate officer in 2008. Thompson joined Goodyear in 1983 and served in various financial and accounting positions, both in business units and corporate staff, including Finance Manager for Research and Development, Director of Investor Relations, and Finance Director for the North America consumer tire business. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in 1987 and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance in 1992, both from The University of Akron. She has maintained active involvement with the university and was awarded the Frank L. Simonetti Distinguished Business Alumni Award in 2011 and the University of Akron Alumni Honor Award in 2015. In 2012, Thompson was named to Treasury & Risk magazine’s list of “30 Outstanding Women in Finance.” She is a member of The University of Akron’s Advancement Council for the College of Business Administration and the Akron Area YMCA’s Board of Trustees.
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About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber: Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies, with operations in most regions of the world.
Anne Gleason
Senior Vice President of Marketing and Interactive Media of WTTW in Chicago
Anne Gleason is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Interactive Media at WTTW in Chicago.
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About WTTW in Chicago: WTTW in Chicago is a public media organization committed to creating and presenting public television and digital media content.
Jill Britton
Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of WTTW in Chicago
Jill Britton is Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer at WTTW in Chicago.
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About WTTW in Chicago: WTTW in Chicago is a public media organization committed to creating and presenting public television and digital media content.
Joan B. Farrell
Vice President & General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin
Senior Vice President, Chief Risk Officer at CoVantage Credit Union.
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About CoVantage Credit Union, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin: Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin’s mission is to provide training, employment and supportive services for people.
Tim Sudeith
Senior Vice President & Group Manager of Everlast Climbing, Dero of PlayCore
Tim Sudeith is responsible for managing and growing PlayCore’s Everlast Climbing, and Dero brands. An entrepreneur at heart, Tim founded Everlast Climbing more than 20 years ago and continues to bring innovative product development and strategy to our performance recreation brands. He is focused on improving profitability through increased business efficiencies and thrives in leading dynamic teams that support the mission of building communities through active play.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Brenda Grant
Senior Vice President & General Counsel of PlayCore
Brenda is responsible for providing legal services and advice to PlayCore and its brand family, as well as contribute to M&A and business strategy development as the company continues its rapid growth and expansion. Prior to joining PlayCore, Brenda served as General Counsel for Benchmark Rehabilitation Partners. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from McPherson College, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of North Dakota School of Law.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Anita Sayed
Senior Vice President & Group Manager for Aquatics and Performance of PlayCore
Anita Sayed previous experience includes working for US Specialty, General Motors, Hewlett Packard and IEM, where she held several management and marketing positions, including Director of Marketing and Sales, VP of North American Operations and President of IEM. Anita is the recipient of the MIT Entrepreneurship Award, as well as the SBA entrepreneur award for outstanding international expansion. She has served on the U.S.- Japanese trade missions and sits on advisory board for NSPF, as well as Chairperson for “Step into Swim.” Anita received her undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Cambridge, and her MBA from University of Michigan. Her PhD is in economics. She is the recipient of five national advertising awards for impact and brand advertising.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Tom Whittier
Vice President of Operations, Robertson Recreational Surfaces of PlayCore
Tom Whittier is responsible for the day-to-day operation at Robertson and has many years of experience with poured-in-place safety surfacing. Tom’s primary focus is operational efficiencies, personnel management and product delivery for his team. He had 18 years of experience as a store manager, regional manager and eventually Vice President of Marketing in the college bookstore industry employed by Follett College Stores in Elmhurst, IL. Tom and his staff continually modify and upgrade surfacing products to improve communities through safe and healthy play.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Spencer Cheak
Senior Vice President & General Manager – GameTime & Southern Fulfillment Center of PlayCore
Spencer Cheak is the General Manager responsible for all aspects of the GameTime business unit as well as all operations at PlayCore’s Southern Fulfillment Center in Fort Payne, Alabama. He serves on the boards of the DeKalb County United Givers Fund and Oneonta, Alabama Parks and Recreation. Spencer leads a highly skilled team to produce beyond compliant, high-quality playground equipment enjoyed by children and families all over the world.
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About GameTime, PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Jesse Taylor
Senior Vice President of Finance of PlayCore
Jesse Taylor joined PlayCore in November, 2009 and is responsible for the oversight of financial activities of several PlayCore brands. Prior to joining the company, Jesse worked as an audit manager for Ernst & Young LLP. Jesse is a Certified Public Accountant in Tennessee and a member of the AICPA and the TSCPA.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Mike Hawkins
Corporate Vice President of Corporate Risk Management, Insurance & Legal Affairs of PlayCore
Mike Hawkins is responsible for all the company’s legal and risk management endeavors. He is the designated point person for contact with all forms of press or media for all divisions of PlayCore. Mike is an active member of several community organizations and has almost 30 years of experience in the play industry. He is committed to ensuring that PlayCore produces industry-compliant, innovative equipment, and emphasizes the importance of play in our lives.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Josh Goldman
Vice President & General Manager, Power Systems of PlayCore
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Mark Burgess
Senior Vice President & General Manager-Play and Park Structures, UltraPlay,GT Grandstands,UltraSite of PlayCore
Mark Burgess is responsible for oversight of Play and Park Structures, UltraPlay, GT Grandstands, UltraSite, BigToys, Robertson Recreational Surfacing, and National Recreation Systems. He has more than 20 years of experience in the commercial and retail recreation industry in both the United States and abroad and has conducted business in more than 50 countries. He has also served on local, national, and international boards in the recreation industry.
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About PlayCore, PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Mike Love
Vice President of Talent Management of PlayCore
Mike leads Human Resources practices and objectives that promote an employee-oriented, high performance, mission and values based culture that emphasizes teamwork and pride, quality, and continuous improvement. We believe our employees are our most valuable assets and Mike and the Human Resource team are committed to recruit and retain a highly engaged world class team of talent who deliver the highest quality play and recreation products to PlayCore’s stakeholders. Mike is active in several community organizations that promote play and fitness for youth.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Matt Ross
Vice President of Sales of PlayCore
With over 10 years of experience in the commercial play and recreation industry, Matt is responsible for managing and growing the commercial play sales team at Play and Park Structures, BigToys and UltraPlay. Matt received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina, and an MBA from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Lisa Moore
Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Services of PlayCore
Lisa Moore is responsible for the company’s strategic services and Center for Professional Development, which includes independent research, national partnerships, curricula, programming resources, and professional development efforts that promote the value of play and recreation. In addition, Lisa leads the company’s strategic planning, corporate communications & marketing, e-business, and human resources. Prior to PlayCore, Lisa served in a variety of administrative and service provision roles serving people of all abilities in educational and medical settings. Lisa is active in her professional and local communities and is currently a candidate for an Ed.D. degree, with a research focus on play. She believes in the power of play and is committed to building communities through play for children and families of all abilities.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Mike Moll
Vice President & General Manager, Red Bud IL Manufacturing Facility of PlayCore
Mike Moll has more than 20 years’ manufacturing experience including product development, plant supervision, material procurement and operations management. For the past 9 years he has served as the Vice President of Operations at our Red Bud IL facility, where he is responsible for all daily activities and successful implementation of Lean Manufacturing techniques and principles. Mike is committed to providing leadership to a highly motivated and talented group while maintaining an environment dedicated to customer satisfaction.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Joni Manley
Corporate Vice President of Finance & Accounting of PlayCore
Joni joined PlayCore after more than 23 years of financial experience with Beaulieu, a leading floor covering manufacturer. As VP of Finance & Accounting for PlayCore, she oversees the corporate accounting, tax, treasury, compliance, and financial reporting functions. Joni works closely with the business unit finance leaders and executive management. She maintains relationships with the company’s lenders and financial community. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Georgia and holds a Master of Business Administration from Kennesaw State University. She is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Richard Ruegger
Senior Vice President & CFO of PlayCore
Rick Ruegger is responsible for all financial activities of the company, including financial reporting, treasury, tax, legal, audit, banking and insurance. With a 20-year background in the play industry, Rick is committed to providing the financial leadership and structure needed to ensure PlayCore’s continued profitable growth.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Tom Norquist
Sr. VP Corp. Innovation of PlayCore
As a founding board member in 1995, past president and current secretary of the International Play Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (IPEMA) and long-term active American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) representative, Tom Norquist has been involved in all aspects of the play industry. He actively participated in the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, serves on the Board for the International Playground Contractor’s Association, and served from 2002-2004 on the Advisory Board for the National Program for Playground Safety. Tom is a founding member and active leader on the U.S. Coalition for Play. Under Tom’s leadership, IPEMA formed their value of play outreach effort through the www.voiceofplay.org website. Additionally, Tom is serving as an advisor for the National Institute for Play. He is a skilled marketer, product innovator and children’s advocate for safer, creative, inclusive and fun play. Tom is known for his boundless energy and heartfelt love for an understanding of children and adults at play.
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About GameTime, PlayCore, US Play Coalition: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Jim Underwood
Senior Vice President of Manufacturing & Operations of PlayCore
Jim is a senior-level operations professional who has held operations roles with Danaher, Black & Decker, and Porter-Cable Corporation. Jim is focused on providing leadership in operational effectiveness and lean manufacturing to the PlayCore businesses. He has learned the fundamentals of lean manufacturing through the guidance of his lean sensei – Yuri Sugiyama, Shingijutsu. Jim leads by remembering the principle “we demonstrate what we believe through what we do.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Lindsay Richardson
Senior Vice President & Group Manager-Play and Park Structures, BigToys, UltraPlay of PlayCore
Lindsay Richardson is responsible for sales, marketing, and general management for Play & Park Structures, BigToys, and UltraPlay. Her team identifies, develops, and launches innovative new product categories as well as provides sales and service to meet market needs to continuously improve the recreation offerings available to our communities. She has an MA in Marketing and over thirteen years of experience with PlayCore. She helps build her community through volunteer or board positions with the Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Miracle League of Chattanooga, Tennessee Obesity Taskforce, Junior League of Chattanooga, and Hunter Museum of American Art.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Lindsay Richardson
Senior Vice President & Group Manager-Play and Park Structures, BigToys, UltraPlay of PlayCore
Lindsay Richardson is responsible for sales, marketing, and general management for Play & Park Structures, BigToys, and UltraPlay. Her team identifies, develops, and launches innovative new product categories as well as provides sales and service to meet market needs to continuously improve the recreation offerings available to our communities. She has an MA in Marketing and over thirteen years of experience with PlayCore. She helps build her community through volunteer or board positions with the Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Miracle League of Chattanooga, Tennessee Obesity Taskforce, Junior League of Chattanooga, and Hunter Museum of American Art.
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About PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
Noah Margulies
Vice President & Business Unit Manager of PlayCore
Noah Margulies has over 8 years of experience in the commercial play and recreation industry. Noah is responsible for the oversight, growth and profitability of both Belson Outdoors & BYO Recreation.
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About BYO Recreation, PlayCore: PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships.
James Firth
Senior Vice President, Communications, Public Advocacy & Corporate Relations of Exelon Corporation
James D. Firth, 60, joined Exelon in December 2005. He leads internal and external communications, public policy advocacy, and corporate philanthropy. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Jonathan Thayer
Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Exelon Corporation
Jonathan (Jack) W. Thayer joined Exelon Corporation in January 2012 and serves as senior executive vice president and chief financial officer. As the chief financial officer, he is responsible for overseeing the execution of all financial activities including the capital investment process, cost optimization, financial reporting, planning, audit and tax. Additionally, in his role, Thayer leads the treasury function in developing and implementing financing plans as well as the investor relations department.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
William A. Von Hoene, Jr
Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of Exelon Corporation
William A. Von Hoene, Jr., 61, oversees corporate development, corporate strategy, legal, regulatory, government affairs, investments and communications for Exelon, the nation’s number one competitive energy provider. He previously served as executive vice president, Finance and Legal, of Exelon. Von Hoene joined Exelon in February, 2002 and has held numerous positions before assuming his current responsibilities in February 2012. He serves on Exelon’s Executive Committee and is a member of the Boards of Directors of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, the Alliance to Save Energy, and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of Flying Food Group and is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, a joint venture between Exelon and EDF which owns five nuclear units.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Denis P. O’Brien
Senior Executive Vice President of Exelon Corporation
O’Brien oversees the utility businesses of Exelon:- Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE), Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) and PECO. Together, they make Exelon one of the largest electric and natural gas distribution companies in the nation, serving more than 6.6 million electric, and 1.2 million gas customers. Its utility service territories cover more than 15,700 square miles in Maryland, Illinois and Pennsylvania. O’Brien is responsible for leading and maximizing operational and financial performance across the three utilities.
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About Exelon Corporation, Pepco Holdings: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Mike Koehler
Vice President and Chief Information & Chief Digital Officer of Exelon Corporation
Mike Koehler joined Exelon as senior vice president and Chief Information and Chief Digital Officer in April 2016. He is responsible for the strategic direction of Exelon’s information technology resources and technology innovation and for ensuring effective and secure delivery and support of technology systems to all areas of the company.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Joseph Nigro
Executive Vice President of Exelon Corporation
A 26-year veteran of the energy industry, Nigro leads Constellation, Exelon’s competitive retail and commodities businesses. He is responsible for the marketing of electricity, natural gas and other energy-related products and services to Constellation customers, as well as ensuring the optimization of Exelon’s generation portfolio by obtaining maximum value for power produced while managing risk for the company and its shareholders. Constellation has a business presence in 48 states, Washington, D.C., and parts of Canada.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
M. Bridget Reidy
Executive Vice President, Corporate Operations of Exelon Corporation
As executive vice president of corporate operations, Reidy is responsible for Exelon’s information and technology function; corporate and information security services; real estate and facilities; and supply operations and sourcing for Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO, Pepco, Constellation, Exelon Generation and Exelon Business Services Company (BSC).
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Mark Derry
Vice President, Strategy & Performance of Exelon Corporation
Mark A. Derry joined ComEd in 1983 as a Staff Accountant. Mark started with ComEd in June 1983 and is currently the Vice President, Exelon Utilities Strategic Planning. Over the last 30 years, Mark has held positions in various accounting/finance areas, including external financial reporting, regulatory rate case support, corporate accounting, business planning for Exelon Nuclear and EED, and Corporate FP&A. As Vice President of Utility Strategic Planning, Mark is responsible for the oversight of the strategy, policy, and business planning processes for energy providers BGE, ComEd, PECO, and Pepco Holdings. Education: Mark is a CPA and has a Masters of Accountancy from Western Illinois University.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Michael Pacilio
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Exelon Corporation
Pacilio is responsible for the safety, efficiency and reliability of Exelon Generation’s power generation fleet, which includes more than 100 generating units in 17 states. Exelon Generation operates the largest clean energy fleet in America, producing electricity from 10 fuel types including nuclear, natural gas, hydro, wind and solar.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Joseph Dominguez
Executive Vice President, Governmental and Regulatory Affairs & Public Policy of Exelon Corporation
Dominguez leads the development and implementation of federal, state and regional governmental, regulatory and public policy strategies for Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest electric companies with approximately $27 billion in annual revenues. Dominguez’s legal/engineering background and analytical approach to problem solving has and continues to play an important role in Exelon’s success. Dominguez has been selected as a featured speaker at numerous national and regional industry conferences on a broad range of energy matters.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Craig L. Adams
Executive Vice President of Exelon Corporation
Adams is responsible for leadership of PECO’s overall performance associated with service reliability, customer satisfaction, financial management, and regulatory and external affairs. Based in Philadelphia, PECO is Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility. PECO employs about 2,400 people, owns $9 billion in assets, and generates approximately $5.6 billion in annual revenues. PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 497,000 gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. PECO is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s leading energy services companies. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Darryl Bradford
Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Exelon Corporation
Darryl Bradford is the primary legal advisor to Exelon’s senior management and oversees the company’s legal and corporate governance departments. Exelon Corporation is the leading U.S. competitive energy provider with approximately $27 billion in annual revenues. Exelon Generation is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 32,000 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to more than 2.5 million residential, public sector and business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Exelon’s utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to approximately 7.8 million customers in central Maryland (BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO).
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Bryan Hanson
Vice President of Exelon Corporation
Hanson is responsible for ensuring that Exelon Generation maintains high levels of performance and safety across its nuclear fleet. Exelon Generation operates the largest nuclear fleet in the nation, which includes 23 reactors at 14 facilities located in Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
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About Exelon Corporation: Exelon Corporation is a utility services holding company that provides services for energy generation businesses in the United States.
Sundaram Ramesh
Vice President of Educational of Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Sundaram Ramesh is Member of the Board of Director & Vice President of Educational at IEEE in 2016.
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About California State University, California State University, Northridge, Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers: IEEE is a professional association of engineers focused on advancing technological innovation and excellence.
Sheila Hemami
Vice President of Publications Products and Services of Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Sheila Hemami is Member of the Board of Directors & Vice President of Publications Products and Services at IEEE in 2016.
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About Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, Triple Ring Technologies: IEEE is a professional association of engineers focused on advancing technological innovation and excellence.
Wai Wong
Vice President of Member & Geographic Activities of Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Wai Wong is Member of the Board of Directors & Vice President of Member & Geographic Activities at IEEE in 2016.
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About Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers: IEEE is a professional association of engineers focused on advancing technological innovation and excellence.
Jose Moura
Vice President of Technical Activities of Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Jose Moura is Member of the Board of Directors & Vice President of Technical Activities at IEEE in 2016.
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About Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers: IEEE is a professional association of engineers focused on advancing technological innovation and excellence.
Jose Moura
Vice President of Technical Activities of Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Jose Moura is Member of the Board of Directors & Vice President of Technical Activities at IEEE in 2016.
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About Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers: IEEE is a professional association of engineers focused on advancing technological innovation and excellence.
Marc Reed
Vice President, Engineering of RobustWealth
Marc is the Vice President of Engineering. He is responsible for enhancing the reliability and speed of the RobustWealth platform. He swiftly delivers new product features, implements application layers, and structures the engineering team for agile development. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Rowan University and has held senior developer positions at The American Management Association, Merrill Lynch, Siemens Corp and Cerner Healthcare. Marc lives in Lambertville, NJ with his wife and two kids. He enjoys traveling, hiking and paddling.
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About RobustWealth: RobustWealth is a digital wealth management platform built for their needs.
Diane Ott Whealy
Co-founder & Vice President of Seed Savers
Diane Ott Whealy co-founded Seed Savers Exchange with Kent Whealy in 1975. She has been a national leader in the heirloom seed movement and a strong advocate for the protection of the earth’s rare genetic food stocks for over 36 years. In 1986 she helped develop Heritage Farm, SSE’s scenic 890-acre headquarters near Decorah, Iowa to maintain and display endangered varieties. Today she is a featured speaker at garden shows and botanical gardens throughout the country. In June 2011, she published “Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver”, which tells the story of how SSE has grown from a small coterie of passionate gardeners to one of the most active and effective seed saving organizations in the world.
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About Seed Savers: Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), member supported organization.
Ryan Callahan
VP of Marketing of RallyPoint
Ryan Callahan is the VP of Marketing & Partnerships at RallyPoint, the world’s largest online military network. He joined RallyPoint in 2016 as the Head of Advertising Operations. Before RallyPoint, he served as an Enterprise Account Manager for Ve Interactive where he managed online marketing campaigns. Prior to this, Ryan led the digital marketing acquisition channels for Sperry’s E-commerce business. Ryan holds a Master of Science degree from Boston University in Digital Advertising, and a Bachelor of Arts from Fairfield University where he majored in New Media and minored in Marketing.
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About RallyPoint: RallyPoint is a social and professional network with 2 million members-enabling employers and advertisers to reach the military community.
Keith Silverman
Vice President, Environmental, Health and Safety, and Product Regulatory of Ashland
Dr. Keith Silverman, 47, joined Ashland in 2012 as vice president of Environment, Health, Safety (EHS) and Product Regulatory. He oversees EHS programs, including Ashland’s Responsible Care®, occupational and chemical process safety, industrial hygiene, life safety and emergency response, environmental affairs, site remediation and sustainability. In addition, Dr. Silverman also has responsibility for global product regulatory programs, including toxicology, product safety, chemical management and product stewardship. Prior to joining Ashland, Dr. Silverman served as director of product stewardship and science as well as EHS operations for biologics and therapeutic protein manufacturing for Merck & Co., Inc. He spent 23 years with Merck & Co., Inc., holding various positions of increasing responsibility in research and development, global safety and environment. Dr. Silverman earned a Ph.D. in environmental health from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University, a Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree in environmental and occupational health from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from Rutgers University. He is a member of the National TransCAER® Task Group and the International Association of Fire Chiefs Hazardous Materials Committee.
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About Ashland: Ashland provides specialty chemical solutions to customers ranging from consumer to industrial market.
