Previous Speakers

Bill Buckner is president and CEO of Bayer CropScience LP and a member of the Executive Committee of Bayer CropScience AG.

In 1993, Buckner joined Bayer as a marketing executive in the Companion Animal Heath business in Shawnee Mission, Kan. He moved to Monheim, Germany, in 1996 where he worked for the Animal Health Business Group as a business development manager before starting his new position as vice president/general manager of Bayer’s Canadian Agricultural business in Toronto, Ontario, in 1998.

Buckner was appointed president and CEO of Bayer CropScience, Inc., in Calgary, Alberta, in 2002. He relocated to Research Triangle Park, N.C., as senior vice president of commercial operations for Bayer CropScience LP in 2004 and was appointed country head for the U.S. Crop Protection business in early 2005. He assumed his current position in April 2006.

After obtaining his bachelors degree in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1979, he joined USS Agricultural Chemicals, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel in Centralia, Mo., as a retail sales representative. In 1982, he joined Commerce BankShares for three years. From 1985 to 1993, he held various positions with Pitman-Moore, Inc., in Chicago before becoming National Sales Manager.

Buckner is a member of the CropLife America Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Deirdre Connelly is president, North America Pharmaceuticals for GlaxoSmithKline. She is a member of the company’s global Corporate Executive Team and co-chairs, along with GSK’s Chairman, Research and Development, its Portfolio Management Board.

Prior to joining GSK in 2009, Connelly was with Elli Lilly and Company, where she had been president of Lilly USA. During her 26 year career with Eli Lilly, she held a variety of executive positions, including senior vice president of human resources for the corporation, as well as vice president of human resources for pharmaceutical operations.

Connelly began her career in the pharmaceutical industry as a sales representative with Lilly in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She moved to marketing and then joined Lilly’s international management development program. Connelly was named national sales manager for the Puerto Rico affiliate and later became director of sales and marketing for the Caribbean Basin Region. She also served as general manager for Eli Lilly Puerto Rico. Later she was named executive director of global marketing for Evista, and leader of the woman’s health business unit in the U.S.

For seven consecutive years (2006-2012), Connelly has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the 50 most powerful women in business. In 2010, she was named Woman of the Year by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. In 2008, she was appointed to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships and helped select the White House Fellows, a prestigious annual program that fosters leadership and public service.

Born in San Juan, Connelly earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and marketing from Lycoming College. She graduated from Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program in 2000. Connelly serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Macy’s Inc.

Cynthia L. Verst is president of Clinical Operations at QuintilesIMS, a position she was appointed to in 2015. In this capacity, her responsibilities span the clinical development spectrum across the QuintilesIMS organization. Previously, she served as president of Real-World & Late Phase Research at QuintilesIMS. Cyndi has more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience and a proven track record of operational leadership and innovation.
Prior to joining QuintilesIMS, she served as senior vice president, Global Late Phase Research, for OptumInsight (a division of UnitedHealth Group, formerly i3), where she and her team successfully established a new global Late Phase Research Business Unit. Previously, Cyndi and her team established and led Kendle’s global Late Phase Business Unit.
Cyndi began her career in biopharma at Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals as Section Head in its North American Medical and Technical Affairs group, successfully leading the Phase IIIB/IV research requirements of marketed products. She was named one of the top women in biotech in 2014 by FierceBiotech, an annual award that spotlights an elite list of 15 women leaders in the life sciences, academia and regulatory roles.
Cyndi holds a Pharm.D. and bachelor of science degree in Pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati, a master of science in Structural and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois, and a bachelor of science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Northern Kentucky University.

Lou D’Ambrosio is a longtime veteran of the information and technology industry, seasoned keynote speaker and visionary business advisor. D’Ambrosio is currently Chairman of Sensus, a global leader in utility infrastructure systems and resource conservation.

Prior to joining Sensus, D’Ambrosio served as the chief executive officer of two Fortune 500 companies. D’Ambrosio served as CEO and board member of Sears Holdings (comprised of Sears, Kmart, and Land’s End). Previously, he served as CEO and board member of Avaya, Inc., a global telecommunications and technology firm.

Earlier in his career, D’Ambrosio spent 16 years at IBM in various domestic and international executive roles, and was appointed to its Worldwide Management Committee. His roles included leading strategy for global services, sales and marketing for software, and industry operations for Asia Pacific.

D’Ambrosio has spoken at major global conferences, including the World Economic Forum and Interop and has been quoted in major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. D’Ambrosio has participated in television interviews with Charlie Rose and Gale King on CBS This Morning, Betty Liu on Bloomberg’s In the Loop, and Jim Cramer on Mad Money.

He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and Bachelor of Science in business from Penn State University.

Reggie Davis serves as president of RBC Bank. Davis leads the bank’s client focused teams with responsibility for achieving and exceeding client satisfaction and revenue goals. He oversees retail banking, commercial markets, specialized businesses, private banking and residential mortgages. He has more than 25 years of banking experience.

Prior to joining RBC Bank, Davis served in seven executive roles with Wachovia since joining the company in 1985. Among his previous roles at Wachovia, Davis served as executive vice president and Eastern Banking Group executive where he led retail and wholesale activities in 20 east coast states to increase revenue and cross-sell of products. He also developed and executed a best-practices program that improved consistency and performance and increased efficiency across the bank.

He is an active member of the community, currently serving on the boards of The Studio Museum in Harlem and Malaria No More and as chairman of the Division of Business Administration and Economics, Morehouse College Dean’s Advisory Board. He is also a mentor at the Morehouse College Mentorship Program and has been involved in The American Cancer Society and Teach for America. Among several prestigious recognitions, Reggie has been named one of the “75 Most Powerful African-Americans in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise Magazine and was provided the Award of Excellence by The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.

A native of Hartford, Conn., Davis graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta with a bachelors degree in insurance and actuarial science.

Ron De Lange joined Oracle Communications as senior vice president from Oracle’s acquisition of Tekelec. De Lange was appointed as Tekelec’s president and CEO in May 2011 and served as a member of Tekelec’s Board of Directors. He joined Tekelec as president and general manager of the network signaling group in July 2005. He served in that capacity until October 2007 when he became executive vice president of global product solutions.

Prior to joining Tekelec, De Lange was at Lucent Technologies for 24 years and served in numerous executive positions. Most recently, as vice president of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) convergence solutions, he completed the $300 million acquisition of Telica, Inc, as a culmination of his leadership of Lucent’s VoIP product portfolio strategy.

De Lange completed advanced management studies at Wharton School of Management and Yale University. A graduate of DePaul University, Ron received a masters of science in computer science.

He received a bachelor of Science in electronics engineering technology from DeVry Institute of Technology. He has published numerous technical papers on subjects including distributed systems and real-time database designs in national and international technical journals.

De Lange was a board member of Alliance for Telecommunications Solutions (ATIS). He recently served for several years as a board member of the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce. De Lange has also served as a member of the DePaul University School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Information Systems (CTI) Leadership Council.

William S. Demchak is chairman, president and chief executive officer of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., one of the largest diversified financial services companies in the United States.

Demchak joined PNC in 2002 as chief financial officer. In July 2005, he was named head of PNC’s Corporate & Institutional Banking responsible for PNC’s middle market and large corporate businesses, as well as capital markets, real estate finance, equity management and leasing. Demchak was promoted to senior vice chairman in 2009 and named head of PNC businesses in August 2010. He was elected president in April 2012, chief executive officer in April 2013 and chairman in April 2014.

Before joining PNC in 2002, Demchak served as the global head of Structured Finance and Credit Portfolio for JP Morgan Chase. He also held key leadership roles at JP Morgan prior to its merger with the Chase Manhattan Corporation in 2000. He was actively involved in developing JP Morgan’s strategic agenda and was a member of the company’s capital and credit risk committees.

Demchak is director of BlackRock, Inc. He is also a member of the board of directors and serves on the Regulatory Management Committee of The Financial Services Roundtable as well as the Supervisory Board of The Clearing House. He is a board member and past chairman of the Greater Pittsburgh Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In addition, he serves on the boards of directors of the Extra Mile Education Foundation and the YMCA of Pittsburgh.

Demchak received a bachelor of science degree from Allegheny College and earned an MBA with an emphasis in accounting from the University of Michigan.

As a speaker, trainer and success coach focused on achieving high-priority goals, Orna Drawas trains business professionals to drive towards real and measurable results on a daily basis.

Drawas’ professional and leadership development courses have been given to thousands of business professionals across the country from companies such as Honda R&D, United Technologies, Amgen Pharmaceuticals, National Institute of Health, FDA, AXA- Equitable, among others.

The concepts of leadership and peak performance are highlighted in her book: “Perform Like a Rock Star and Still Have Time for Lunch”, which was on Amazon’s list of Top 10 Books for Business Success in 2011; and was featured on a billboard in Times Square in July and August 2013.

Drawas has over 30 years of business and management experience in sales and marketing with IBM, Sprint, and Time Warner Telecom. Now a leadership development consultant, Drawas focuses on delivering unique programs that integrate hands-on workshops with personal coaching, accountability, and extraordinary results.

Orna has a bachelor’s of science degree from Boston University and a MBA from Northeastern University. She lives in Raleigh, NC.

Frank B. Holding, Jr. is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Raleigh-headquartered First Citizens BancShares Inc. and its First Citizens Bank subsidiary.

He was elected Chairman in February 2009 and has served as Chief Executive Officer since January 2008. Holding directs the company with a focus toward a disciplined approach to banking, strong asset quality, a long-term perspective and attention to the needs of clients. Under his leadership, First Citizens has been the recipient of multiple national awards for customer satisfaction and overall stability and security.

Prior to his current duties, Holding was elected President of First Citizens in 1994, after having served in a variety of other senior management positions for the bank in Charlotte, Raleigh, Wilmington, Swansboro and Fayetteville.

A native of Smithfield, N.C., Holding received a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1982) and an MBA from The Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania (1986).

Holding currently serves as chairman of the BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Board of Directors. He was recently named to the Duke Energy Advisory Board. He is also a member of these boards: Mount Olive Pickle Company and Institute for Defense & Business. He is a past chairman of the North Carolina Chamber and also a past board member of the Campbell University Law School Board of Visitors and the Wake Forest University Board of Trustees.

Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., First Citizens Bank delivers exemplary service and comprehensive product offerings in 20 states. It is the largest family-controlled bank in the United States. The Forever First® brand represents the company’s commitment to the people, businesses and communities who rely on First Citizens to be best bank it can be. First Citizens Bank is a subsidiary of First Citizens BancShares Inc. (Nasdaq: FCNCA), which has more than $32 billion in assets.

Lynn Good is president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy. She also serves as vice chair of the company’s board of directors.

Prior to assuming her current role on July 1, 2013, Good served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Duke Energy. She led the financial function, which includes the controller’s office, treasury, tax, risk management and insurance, as well as corporate strategy and development. In addition, Good was responsible for the information technology and supply chain functions.

Having served as Duke Energy’s CFO since July 2009, Good continued in that role following the merger between Duke Energy and Progress Energy in July 2012.

Previously, she served as group executive and president of Duke Energy’s Commercial Businesses organization, since November 2007. She was responsible for the Midwest nonregulated generation, Duke Energy International, Duke Energy Generation Services, the telecommunications businesses, and all corporate development and merger and acquisition activities. Prior to that, Good served as senior vice president and treasurer for Duke Energy. She led the treasury functions for the company, as well as insurance, market and credit risk management, and corporate financial planning and analysis.

Before the Duke Energy/Cinergy merger in April 2006, Good served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Cinergy. Named to that role in September 2005, she was responsible for Cinergy’s treasury, finance and accounting functions. Good joined Cinergy in May 2003 as vice president of financial project strategy. She was named vice president and controller later the same year, and vice president of finance and controller in January 2005.

Prior to joining Cinergy, Good was a partner with the international accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1981—2002, she served in various senior management roles with Arthur Andersen, rising to partner in 1992.

Good serves on the boards of directors of the Edison Electric Institute and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. She is a member of the executive committee of the Nuclear Energy Institute. She also serves on the boards of Hubbell Inc. and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte.

She earned Bachelor of Science degrees in systems analysis and accounting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Good and her husband, Brian, have two sons.

Duke Energy, the largest electric power company in the United States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 7 million customers in the Southeast and Midwest. The company also distributes natural gas in Ohio and Kentucky. Its commercial power and international businesses operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing renewable energy portfolio. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK.

As president and chief executive officer of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Karen Ignagni is the voice of health insurance plans, representing members that provide health and supplemental benefits to more than 200 million Americans. Whenever health-care issues are on the table, she has a prominent seat.

During Ignagni’s tenure as CEO, she has led two mergers to form AHIP, making it the leading voice for the health plan community in America. Recently, AHIP was ranked by Washington Insiders as the second most effective trade association in Washington.

Ignagni has won accolades for her leadership, earning recognition by leading publications, including the New York Times, National Journal, The Hill, Time Magazine, The Washingtonian, Fortune Magazine, and Modern Healthcare, for her extensive health policy background and intrinsic feel for politics. The National Journal said she is “among the most respected and effective lobbyists in Washington,” and also named her as one of the Top 25 most influential women in D.C. Ignagni is one of only eight individuals to be included in Modern Healthcare’s annual rankings of the “Most Influential People in Healthcare” for each year since its inception — a testament to her continued success and leadership in the industry.

Ignagni regularly testifies before Congress on key federal legislation. In recent years, she has appeared before Senate and House committees on matters ranging from health insurance reform to patient protection issues and access to health care coverage issues. She is a frequent contributor to the national health care dialogue, appearing on NBC Nightly News, ABC News, CBS Evening News, CNN,  Fox Business, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, NPR, PBS, USA Today, New England Journal of Medicine, and Health Affairs.

Previously, Ignagni directed the AFL-CIO’s Department of Employee Benefits. She was a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Joseph Laurin is president of Fidelity Health Group, a business that serves small and mid-sized companies in the health benefits space.

Fidelity Health Group was launched in November 2014 and is a unit of Fidelity Investments, a diversified financial services firm that makes financial expertise broadly accessible to people investing their life savings, businesses managing their employee benefits and advisors investing their clients’ money. Since 1946, Fidelity has been helping people live the lives they want through its customer-centered approach, innovative technology and investment solutions.

Fidelity Health Group is a private health exchange which will serve health and ancillary insurance needs of small/medium-sized employers (up to 2,500 employees initially). It will feature a technology platform that will simplify and improve the insurance experience for both the employee through greater choice and decision-making tools, and the employer through a lower administration burden.

Prior to this position, Mr. Laurin was executive vice president and head of Fidelity Consulting Group (FCG), responsible for leading the firm’s internal consulting group, providing management consulting expertise to Fidelity businesses and developing leadership talent for broader enterprise transition.

Previously with Fidelity, Mr. Laurin served as senior vice president and acting head of FCG from 2008 to 2009. In his role, he was responsible for delivering management consulting, strategy, business transformation and research services to the Fidelity spectrum of businesses and leading FCG’s Transformation practice focus.

Prior to joining Fidelity in 2008, Mr. Laurin was a principal for A.T. Kearney Management Consultants where he served as a member of the Organization & Transformation Practice leadership team. Most recently with the firm, he acted as a leader in the Enterprise Wide Optimization division beginning in 2006. From 1997 to 2006, Mr. Laurin was a director of Knowledge Services for A.T. Kearney and was responsible for all P&L functions for the group while managing over 100 people across 19 countries. He began his consulting career with A.T. Kearney in 1993 after spending ten years in Corporate America with technical, sales and marketing positions with Fortune 100 corporations, including General Electric Company.

Mr. Laurin received his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Union College in 1982 and his MBA, with honors, in business strategy and marketing from The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He currently sits on the Executive Board of the Association of Internal Management Consultants and is a board member of the Zeon Corporation.

Maureen Kelley O’Connor is executive vice president of diversified businesses for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and president of Mosaic Health Solutions, a Blue Cross subsidiary created to diversify earnings through strategic investments in companies that offer innovative solutions to meet the needs of consumers and other stakeholders in the health care ecosystem.

Prior to taking on this role, Maureen served as chief strategy and innovation officer at BCBSNC, responsible for the clinical divisions of the company, network relationships and health system innovation, data analytics and insights, strategy, and new business development. Maureen joined BCBSNC in 2000 as vice president and deputy general counsel and later assumed the roles of general counsel and chief administrative officer.

Before joining the company, Maureen served in senior legal roles with CIGNA and Healthsource North Carolina. She also practiced law in North Carolina and in Maine, representing hospital systems, physician practices and life sciences companies.

Maureen serves on the boards of several Mosaic portfolio companies as well as the BCBSNC Foundation and the Advisory Board of the Oliver Wyman Healthcare Innovation Center. She recently completed four years of service on the board of the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare based in Washington and served on the N.C. Civic Health Index Business Advisory Board.

She is active in the community, serving on the boards of Elon University Law School, the SECU Family House, and the United Way of the Greater Triangle. She recently completed a term as Chair of the Board of Meredith College, where she also served as a Trustee for many years. She was named by Triangle Business Journal as one of 12 “People to Watch” in 2014. Diversity Journal designated Maureen as one of the nation’s “100 Women to Watch” in 2009 and she was recognized in 2008 as one of 10 “Women Extraordinaire” in the Triangle by Business Leader Media.

Maureen received a law degree from Suffolk University Law School and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from College of the Holy Cross.

Michael Wilens is president of Enterprise Services for Fidelity Investments, a diversified financial services firm that makes financial expertise broadly accessible to people investing their life savings, businesses managing their employee benefits and advisors investing their clients’ money. Since 1946, Fidelity has been helping people live the lives they want through its customer-centered approach, innovative technology and investment solutions.

Mr. Wilens oversees a number of organizations, including: the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology (FCAT), the firm’s innovation catalyst; XTRAC Solutions, a workflow automation and document management provider; and Fidelity Charitable®, an independent public charity that helps donors support charitable organizations through a national donor-advised fund program. He is also responsible for a number of Fidelity’s diversified investments, as well as several corporate functions, and serves as a member of the board of directors of FMR LLC, Fidelity’s parent company.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Wilens was president of Fidelity’s Corporate Operations and Technology organization, which included corporate technology functions, fund accounting and cash management services, international operations, Fidelity Charitable and a number of other critical shared services. Preceding this role, Mr. Wilens headed Fidelity’s Asset Management organization, overseeing Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMRCo), Pyramis Global Advisors and Strategic Advisers, Inc. (SAI). He has also led Fidelity’s Workplace Investing Client Management organization, which is responsible for developing stronger and deeper relationships with Fidelity’s existing workplace retirement clients and pursuing new and emerging market opportunities.

Prior to joining Fidelity, Mr. Wilens spent 11 years in various senior roles at Thomson Reuters. He served as chief executive officer of Thomson’s North American Legal division (“Westlaw”), responsible for information solutions and software for legal professionals, where he directed approximately 8,000 staff members and worked with annual revenue of $2.2 billion and operating income of $880 million. During his tenure as CEO, Mr. Wilens transformed Westlaw into the largest, most profitable and fastest growing of Thomson’s businesses. Other positions held by Mr. Wilens included chief executive officer of Groupe

Lagardere’s Legion in London from 1995 to 1996, chief technology officer of Lawyers’ Cooperative Publishing from 1994 to 1995, and founder/ chief operating officer of HCIA from 1989 to 1994.

Mr. Wilens received a bachelor of science and master of science in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT in 1975 and his MBA from the University of Michigan in 1978.

For more information call Fidelity Corporate Communications at (617) 563-5800. 10/14

Billie Redmond is a native North Carolinian, growing up in the small textile town of Eden. She is the Founder of TradeMark Properties, a North Carolina-based property management, leasing and brokerage services company. After serving as CEO for the past 30 years, she recently transitioned to Chair of the Board of TradeMark Properties and it’s affiliates which also includes TradeMark Residential, TradeMark Morris in Chapel Hill, NC and TradeMark Association Management.

Today the Triangle Business Journal ranks TradeMark as the largest commercial real estate firm in the Triangle.

Billie received the 2011 Triangle Business Journal Legacy Award, which recognizes leaders who have helped shape the Triangle through their business and community endeavors. She received the TCREW Impact Award, the first women to receive the prestigious award. In 2006, Billie was named Realtor of the year by the Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors. She has received the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award and the Lifetime Achievement award for Women in Business 2008, been named to the Business Leader Impact list, and been named Tar Heel of the Week by The News and Observer, as well as being recognized as one of Business Leader Magazine’s Women Extraordinaire. In 2005, Billie was inducted into the YWCA’s Academy of Women for her efforts to empower women and eliminate racism.

In May 2011 Billie completed 10 years of service to the WakeMed Health and Hospitals Board of Directors, the last two as Chair. She serves on the Board of Directors of Paragon Commercial Bank, the Carolina Hurricanes Kid’s n Community Foundation Board, the Board and Executive Committee of the North Carolina Chamber, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina. Currently, she is Chair of the Governor and General Assembly appointed Education & Workforce Innovation Commission, focused on educational transformation across North Carolina.

She is a past chair of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce where she served an unprecedented extended term. She served as the Co-Chair of the Wake County Citizens Facility Advisory committee, evaluating the Wake County capital improvement program and implementation strategies.

Billie is a member of Pleasant Grove Church and is the Assistant Supervisor of the Children’s Program for Bible Study Fellowship International. She is married and has three children.

Scott Byers joined EDM Americas as President & CEO in 2008 and led the transformation from a records management provider to an information management company.
As chief executive, Byers helped EDM Americas with a four- company merger. Prior to leading EDM, Byers held various executive and leadership roles in finance, operations and legal departments.
Byers earned a Juris Doctor (JD) from the American University Washington College of Law, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the American University Kogod School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Robert Morris University.
Byers is a member of the AIIM Network for Intelligent Information Management and is on the Board of Trustees at Buena Vista University in Iowa. He is also active with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as board member and secretary for the Team PA Foundation.

BRAD WILSON is president and CEO of the state’s largest health insurer. To address health care issues nationally, Wilson serves as a director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and BCS Financial Corporation. In North Carolina he chairs the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. He is also a board member of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and a past chair of the University of North Carolina Board Of Governors.

Brad Wilson brings to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina a passion for health care, a deep commitment to community involvement and expertise in business and public policy.

As president and CEO of the state’s largest health insurer, with 3.8 million customers, Wilson is dedicated to improving North Carolina’s health care system, making health care more affordable and helping BCBSNC adapt in a changing health care environment.

To address health care issues nationally, Wilson serves as a director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and BCS Financial Corporation. He is immediate past chair of the National Institute for Health Care Management.

His work continues in North Carolina, where he chairs the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation — an independent charitable organization that has invested nearly $100 million in community-based health and wellness efforts. He is also a board member of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and a past chair of the University of North Carolina Board Of Governors.

Wilson, who joined BCBSNC in 1995, held a range of senior-level positions before being tapped to lead the organization in 2010. A lifelong North Carolinian, previously he practiced law and served as general counsel to Gov. Jim Hunt, directing the governor’s legislative strategy and heading his legal department.

A lifelong North Carolinian, Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree from Duke University and law degree from Wake Forest University.

Ned Allen serves as a Director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. Make-A-Wish currently grants approximately 14,000 wishes per year throughout the nation with an annual operating budget of $200 million.

Allen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s famed School of Hotel Administration. His entrepreneurial career includes the development of a chain of Le Chateau Steakhouses which were sold to Green Giant Company and the development of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), Chateau Communities, which went public (CPJ-NYSE) in 1993.

In addition to Allen’s numerous philanthropic activities, he is a competitive sailor who won the Southern Ocean Racing Conference and has been involved with the America’s Cup, the Whitbread Around the World Race, and the America 500 Trans-Atlantic Sailing Regatta. Allen’s Unlimited Light Hydroplane, “The Alamo”, raced to three consecutive National Points Championship titles from 1997—1999.

Steve Allen is Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research in the College of Management at NC State University, where he holds appointments in the Departments of Economics and Management. He also is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and a fellow of the Employee Benefits Research Institute. Allen has taught courses in microeconomics, labor economics, and human resource management at NC State. His research in those fields has focused on absenteeism, employee benefits, labor turnover, productivity, retirement, unions, technological change, and wage determination.

Mark Armstrong joined Eyewitness News in October 2004. He is now the ABC11 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sports Director. Prior to arriving at Eyewitness News, Armstrongs’s sports segments were seen nationally via Sinclair Broadcasting’s NewsCentral operation in Baltimore. Armstrong hosted the Utah Jazz’s afternoon call-in and pre- and postgame shows in Salt Lake City, as well as freelance anchoring television sports there. A native of Toronto, Canada, Armstrong attended the University of Western Ontario and the University of Utah.

Dr. Bill Atkinson, a Greensboro, NC, native, became involved in health care as a member of North Carolina’s initial paramedic class and remains passionately involved in a wide-range of emergency services, public health and public policy issues to this day.

Atkinson has over 25 years of experience as a hospital president and chief executive officer in rural and urban settings in several states. He is only the third CEO in the 48-year history of WakeMed Health & Hospitals, a private, not-for-profit multi-hospital system and one of the top health care providers in the state. With more than 7000 employees WakeMed is one of Wake County’s largest private employers. WakeMed’s heart program is North Carolina’s largest.

While working full time, he earned a doctorate in public policy from the University of Colorado – Denver and also holds master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina and University of Colorado – Denver in public health and public policy. He is a graduate of the Executive Management Program of Yale University. Dr. Atkinson is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds adjunct faculty positions in the Schools of Global Public Health and Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the North Carolina State University’s Kenan Fellows Board of Advisors.

He is a delegate of the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board 3. He currently serves as chair of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the boards of the North Carolina Chamber, Wake Technical Community College and is a commissioner with the North Carolina Health & Wellness Trust Fund. Dr. Atkinson has served as chairman of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, North Carolina Hospital Association and the North Carolina Center for Hospital Quality and Patient Safety. He also co-chaired with Ann Goodnight the successful Friends of Wake County $1 billion school bond drive.

He co-chaired North Carolina’s WorkFirst Business Council. He continues to believe in the importance of economically healthy communities as the foundation for healthy residents.

In 2008, Dr. Atkinson was named 2008 Impact Healthcare Leader and inducted into the Business Leader Triangle Hall of Fame. He also was named the 2007 Business Leader of the Year by Business Leader Magazine and Who’s Who 2006 by Metro Magazine. He received the American Red Cross Humanitarian Award in 2007. He is the 2004 recipient of the James O. Page/JEMS International Leadership Award for contributions to emergency medicine. He has also received the North Carolina Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award, the Leader of the Year Award from Leadership Raleigh and was honored by the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education with the Gordon Smith, Jr. Award.

He is recognized nationally for his leadership in disaster preparedness and response, emergency medical services, workforce development, and for his work in reducing gang activity. He lectures frequently on innovation diffusion in healthcare, science, education and public policy.

Edward L. Auslander serves as president and CEO of LORD Corporation, a position he assumed in January 2013. Founded in 1924, LORD Corporation is a privately-held company that serves the automotive, aerospace and defense, general industrial, and electronics markets. With global headquarters in Cary, N.C., LORD has a presence in 25 countries and 2012 forecast revenues of $860 million. LORD is a leading global provider of adhesives, coatings, electronic chemicals, and mechanical and electro-mechanical systems that control noise, vibration and motion.

Auslander began his career at LORD in 1984 under the student Co-op Program and has held numerous management and leadership positions across the Company throughout his career. Auslander served in managerial positions in the Aerospace, Industrial, and Chemical Products groups, including overseas assignments in France (Industrial Products Sales Manager, Europe) and England (Thermoset Products Sales Manager, Europe). Auslander returned to the United States in 2007 and held successive leadership positions, including as Global Business Director, Elastomer Process Materials, and Global Business Director, Aerospace Parts & Assemblies and Electro-Mechanical Systems. Most recently, Auslander served as Vice President, Global Business Management, with global profit and loss responsibility for all of the Company’s Value Streams.

Auslander holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the Pennsylvania State University. He most recently graduated from the Chicago Booth Executive Institute in 2009. Auslander serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce and North Carolina New Schools. He is also an active member of the Aerospace Industries Association, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the National Association of Chief Executive Officers.

Lars Björk leads Qlik as CEO and is a member of the company’s board of directors. He oversaw the company’s initial public offering (IPO) in 2010 on the NASDAQ, which was recognized as one of the year’s top tech IPOs.

Mr. Björk is recognized as an authority on driving company culture through an accessible management style, with articles appearing in the New York Times, Forbes and Harvard Business Review and speaking engagements at conferences including the CEO2CEO Leadership Summit. He attended the World Economic Forum, was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year national winner in the technology category and was invited to speak at the e-G8 Forum. More recently he was nominated to participate in Startup America, a White House initiative to accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship.

Before Qlik, Mr. Björk held several positions as CFO at companies such as ScandStick and Resurs Finance. He has an MBA from the University of Lund, Sweden and a Degree in Engineering from the Technical College in Helsingborg.

William Boulding is the J.B. Fuqua professor of business administration and deputy dean of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He received his bachelors degree in economics from Swarthmore College and his doctorate in marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests lie at the intersection of management, marketing, and strategy.

Of particular interest to Dr. Boulding is evaluating how managers make decisions and how consumers respond to those decisions. He won the 1998 William F. O’Dell Award for the Journal of Marketing Research article making a “significant long-run contribution to the marketing discipline,” and the 2006 Harold H. Maynard Award for the Journal of Marketing article making a “significant contribution to marketing theory and thought.” He is a past recipient of The Outstanding Teacher award from the Fuqua School, and has been cited for teaching excellence in various editions of the book Business Week Guide to the Best Business Schools spanning a period of two decades. He is also a recipient of the Bank of America Faculty Award “for excellence in teaching, research, leadership and service.”

Leah Brown is the founder, president and CEO of A10 Clinical Solutions, Inc.. She is unwavering in her vision to provide exceptional, compassionate, highly talented clinical-research and clinical-care professionals to areas that traditionally experience healthcare disparities. With over 20 years in the healthcare/regulatory compliance consulting space, she founded A10 years following the loss of her uncle to HIV/AIDS and knowing she had to do something critical and innovative to help heal the world.

Brown holds a degree in information technology from Virginia Commonwealth University, holds a juris doctorate from the University of Kentucky, and was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 1992. She also possesses the distinguished designation of Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC), and most recently, she completed Executive Management Programs at Dartmouth College and Northwestern University.

She was selected in Fortune Magazine’s Top 10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs of 2010 and was invited to speak at their Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C. with President Barack Obama, the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, business tycoon Warren Buffett, and many other C-Level women executives of the nation’s top companies. She was also named Inc. Magazine’s 2010 No. 1 African-American-Run Business and Top 10 Women Entrepreneur, in addition to having A10 named the 2010 No. 92 Fastest-Growing Privately Owned Companies in America and No. 5 in the Health Industry. A10 was also named the Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council’s (CMSDC) Supplier of the Year 2010 and the Ernst & Young 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year Carolinas. Brown additionally received the 2010 Women Extraordinaire Award from Business Leader Media, the CMSDC MBE Excellence Award 2011, and the WIPP AT&T Innovator of the Year Award North Carolina 2011. A10 was given the prestigious Corporate Plus® status within the National Minority Supplier Development Council in 2011.

Prior to establishing A10, Brown was responsible for the marketing, architecture, and coordination of complex technical solutions for hospitals and academic medical systems. She also served as Area Vice President for CHC Healthcare.

Brown is an awareness writer and speaker for workforce issues impacting clinical research. She has authored several articles including “Retention: An important Factor of Minority Subjects in Research” and “Taking Clinical Research Careers to a new ‘Life’.”

Brown’s industry leadership roles include: Co-Founder and Vice President of non-profit Diversity Alliance for Science, Inc.; Pharmaceutical/Bio-Tech Industry Chair – Carolinas Minority Development Council; American Heart Association Go Red for Women Executive Leadership Team; Member, Association of Clinical Research Professionals; Forum-At-Large Women Business Enterprise National Council; Advisory Board for Enterprising Women Magazine; Deputy Co-Chair for the Healthcare Committee for Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) in Washington, D.C.; Board of Directors, Greater Women’s Business Council; Board of Directors, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce; and the International Affairs Council member.

Scott Byers is president and CEO of EDM Americas, an information management company dedicated to helping clients in the insurance, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and banking industries transform their business communications and processes to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness while decreasing compliance and business continuity risk. In addition, EDM Americas offers consultancy services, with expertise in technology solutions and outsourcing business processes.

Byers is responsible for ensuring the company is known within the industries it serves and the communities in which it operates as a high-quality solutions provider meeting the demands of a multichannel business communications environment. He oversees strategic planning, client interaction, and business development.

Byers joined Diversified Information Technologies (DIT) in 2008 and oversaw the company’s merger with the EDM Group, the U.K.-based information management company, in 2013. In addition to retaining his position as president and CEO of EDM Americas, he sits on the EDM Group board based in London.

Under Byers’ leadership, EDM Americas has more than doubled in size, with almost 200 percent growth in revenue over the past four years. Byers also helped secure the two largest contracts in the company’s history and helped land the company on the Inc. 500/5000 list for the first time and for four times since its initial recognition in 2009. He has been instrumental in growing the company’s customer base by more than 50 percent and helped expand the company nationwide. By orchestrating the merger with EDM Group, Byers significantly increased the global footprint and capabilities for EDM Americas, and he oversees the company’s subsidiaries established in the West Indies and Barbados.

With decades of C-level financial, legal, and operations experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, Byers brings a wide variety of expertise, experience in legal and finance, and a unique perspective to EDM Americas. Previously, Byers served as vice president of finance and general counsel at Wilkes University, was assistant treasurer at American University, and was a senior accountant at US Airways.

Byers earned his Juris Doctor from American University’s Washington College of Law and an MBA from American University’s Kogod School of Business. He was appointed to the Team Pennsylvania Foundation Board of Directors, a joint public/private partnership with the governor’s office. He also serves on the board of trustees at Buena Vista University in Iowa.

As the director of environmental affairs for Lowe’s, Mr. Chenard works internally with operators, buyers, logistics and marketing and externally with suppliers and environmental organizations to focus on the environmental aspects of Lowe’s business. Since joining in 2002, Mr. Chenard has overseen a number of accomplishments including awards from ENERGY STAR and EPA SmartWay Transport Partners, implementation of rechargeable battery collection in all stores and Lowe’s industry leading wood procurement policy.

Prior to joining Lowe’s, Mr. Chenard worked at Pitney Bowes and Champion International – both in Stamford, Connecticut. At both companies he developed and implemented environmental management systems for the companies’ manufacturing operations. Mr. Chenard began his career in the United States Navy serving for seven years aboard ships in Charleston, SC and the Middle East as well as hovercraft in Norfolk.

Mr. Chenard earned his environmental management graduate degree from Duke University and has an MA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.

Mr. Gillooly has more than three decades of rigorous experience in executive leadership, working with Boards of Directors, investors, and corporate leadership to create competitive advantages and maximize shareholder value in a wide variety of industries.

As the founding Managing Director of ValueGen Partners, Mr. Gillooly has spent the past two years working with life science companies on transformational M+A opportunities.

Prior to ValueGen, he spent 10 years as a Global Vice President at Quintiles. During his tenure at Quintiles, Mr. Gillooly created and led three different business units, exceeding annual goals every year and delivering more than $1.5 billion in sales in total.

Prior to Quintiles, Mr. Gillooly was the President and CEO of a technology startup offering SAAS solutions to the construction industry. He successfully led the company from product conception to commercial launch and secured the company’s first institutional round of financing.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Gillooly was part of a senior leadership team executing a LBO of a manufacturing company from KKR and an immediate series of acquisitions to form an industry leader. Additional roles included finance and brand management responsibilities in a Fortune 500 industrial company.

Mr. Gillooly earned an MBA from Duke University and a Bachelors degree from St. Louis University.

Stephen Cooper has more than 25 years of experience in government and government relations, representing large corporations such as Time Warner, AIG, Boeing, Dupont, Cigna, financial institutions, trade associations, state government, and healthcare plans and healthcare providers.

Over the years Cooper has represented numerous health plans, purchasers of healthcare and health plan associations. He is intimately familiar with the myriad of issues confronting health care insurers and providers – from Medicare payment methodologies, the complexity of the individual healthcare insurance market to HIPAA related issues. Cooper’s experience includes:

• President of the New York Health Plan Association.
• Vice President of the Hospital Association of New York State.
• Executive Director of the New York State Council on Health Care Financing.
• Retainer counsel representing numerous health care plans and state and national provider associations- including the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA), Cigna, United Healthcare, Torchmark, Metropolitan Life Company, and Travelers.
• Director of Congressional Relations at the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association, representing 49 Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans in Washington.

Cooper’s clients look to him for advice on developing and coordinating effective government relations with public relations strategies, and grassroots campaigns. He is often asked to speak at national forums on matters related to health care plans and Washington politics.

Blake Coules, based in Raleigh North Carolina, currently serves as the head of the Asset Resolution Group for RBC Bank USA. In this capacity Coules the guides the business’ overall strategy and resolution of the Bank’s challenged asset portfolio. Coules comes to this role after serving as CEO and Managing Director for RBC Bank’s Commercial Real Estate Business, which included the bank’s Builder Finance division.

Prior to leading the RBC Bank’s Commercial Real Estate Business, Coules served as head of commercial risk. In this capacity, he was responsible for the adjudication and the quality of the bank’s Commercial portfolio. Prior to this role, Coules served as head of production for Builder Finance in Canada for RBC Financial Group.

Coules has been with RBC for more than 25 years in various leadership roles in a variety of businesses and functions, including a three-year assignment in Japan.

Coules joined RBC after earning a bachelors degree in commerce from the University of Toronto. Coules also completed his Executive MBA at the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey School of Business.

Keith Crisco currently serves as the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Crisco’s professional career began as assistant to the executive vice–president of Burlington Industries. In that time, Crisco was chosen to serve as a White House Fellow in the Nixon presidential administration. In 1978, he moved back to his native North Carolina to become the president of Stedman Elastics, based in Asheboro. Along with other partners, he founded Asheboro Elastics Company in 1986, where he remains president and chairman.

Crisco serves as a Trustee for several institutions of higher learning, including Pfeiffer University Trustee for 30 years and formerly as Trustee at both Randolph Community College and Bennett College. Crisco is a former chairman of the North Carolina Center for Public Policy and Randolph County Economic Development Corporation. He dedicated time to many textile and manufacturing organizations including American Apparel and Footwear Association, TC2, and AAPN.

Crisco received his bachelors degree from Pfeiffer University and his masters degree in business administration from Harvard University.

Vern Davenport is the president for the public sector at Allscripts. Davenport has more than 25 years of experience building and transforming healthcare IT businesses both in the United States and globally. In 2008, he was appointed president of professional solutions when Allscripts merged with Misys Healthcare Solutions. At the time of the merger, Davenport served as chief executive officer of Misys Healthcare Solutions where he led a successful operational turnaround of the company.

Before joining the Misys team, Davenport was chief operating officer of healthcare information solutions at Eastman Kodak, where he held global responsibilities and served as general manager of the North American region of Kodak’s Global Health Group. He also held senior positions at Siemens Medical Solutions, including senior vice president of solutions and marketing. While at Siemens, Davenport led the integration of Siemens Medical, Shared Medical Systems, and Acuson into what is now known as Siemens Medical Solutions USA. Davenport also spent 11 years with IBM in executive leadership roles in healthcare and insurance industry market organizations.

In April 2009, Davenport was named one of the “50 Most Powerful People in N.C. Business” by Business Leader magazine. In November 2009, Davenport was chosen to serve on the board of directors of the North Carolina Technology Association.

Davenport earned both a bachelors degree in marketing and a MBA from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.

James W. Dean Jr. is the dean of UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He is also a professor of organizational behavior and a Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Scholar.

Dean served in the top academic position, senior associate dean for academic affairs, at UNC Kenan-Flagler from 2007-2008. He served as associate dean of Executive Development from 2002-2007 and associate dean of the MBA Program from 1998-2002.

As associate dean for Executive Development, he increased the number and global reach of UNC’s non-degree programs, which are ranked among the world’s best. During his tenure, revenues for the programs increased by nearly 60 percent. UNC Kenan-Flagler is especially well known for its custom-designed programs for such organizations as ExxonMobil, the United States Navy, Duke Energy, Cisco and Nucor.

As associate dean of the MBA Program, Dean led an innovative redesign of the curriculum, created corporate advisory boards and developed a strong team of professionals to guide admissions, student services and career services.

Rick Deckelbaum has been a business leader, entrepreneur, and civic leader in North Carolina during his 25-plus year career. He has earned a reputation in the executive search industry for excellence, and is recognized as one of the industry’s best recruiters.

As the chief executive officer of RDA Recruiters, Deckelbaum specializes in retained executive search. His innate ability to identify, attract, and recruit industry stars has made it possible, for those companies for which he recruits, to build their management and executive teams with world class talent. In addition, Deckelbaum serves on non-profit, civic, and corporate boards.

Deckelbaum has enjoyed a stellar career in the executive search profession. Deckelbaum joined Fortune Personnel Consultants and was the CEO of the No. 1 franchise in the nationwide system of over 100 offices until 2003. He was consistently recognized in the Fortune system as a top recruiter in the nation. Rick sold the company to partners in 2003.

Deckelbaum graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelors of arts in international studies.

Following appointment by the College of The Albemarle Board of Trustees on Feb. 19, 2010, and approval by the State Board of Community Colleges on Mar. 19, 2010, Dr. Kandi W. Deitemeyer became College of The Albemarle’s ninth president on Apr. 16, 2010. She brings to College of The Albemarle 18 years of experience in higher education with 15 of those years within community college systems. In those systems, she has provided leadership in both multi-campus and state structured organizations. She has held positions in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Florida.

Prior to her leadership at College of The Albemarle, Deitemeyer served as Vice President of Academic Programs and Services at Davidson County Community College in Lexington, North Carolina (2008—2010), College Provost for Gateway Community and Technical College in Covington, Kentucky (2006—2008) and at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, North Carolina, as a Vice President and Dean of Students Services (2003—2006).

She served the University of South Florida as Director of Education Programs (2000—2001) and Director of Academic Programs (1999—2000) at one of the university’s regional campuses in Lakeland, Florida. Deitemeyer began her higher education career serving at Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Fla. (1992—1999) in various capacities including advisor, coordinator of advising and assistant director of student services.

Deitemeyer earned a doctorate in educational leadership, a masters degree in counselor education, and a bachelors degree in mass communications and public relations from the University of South Florida and an associates of arts degree from Polk Community College.

Dr Daniel George is a tenured Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Divisions of Medical Oncology and Urology in the Duke University School of Medicine. He also has appointments in the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the Duke Cancer Institute where he is the Director of Genitourinary (GU) Oncology. He an internationally recognized clinical researcher and thought leader in GU malignancies, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications. His areas of research include new drug development and biomarkers of GU cancers with an emphasis on signal transduction pathways and angiogenesis. Dr George is principal investigator of the Duke site for the Department of Defense (DOD) Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium since 2006, specializing in Phase I and II studies in prostate cancer. He is also the PI of the MaRCC registry in advanced renal cell carcinoma and Co-PI of the PCF 5000, an international, multi-sponsor supported registry in advanced prostate cancer.

Nationally, Dr George has served on the ASCO scientific committee from 2010-2012 and as the program chair of the GU committee in 2012. He currently serves on two grant committees for AACR. He is the scientific leader for kidney cancer in the Alliance Cooperative Group since 2011 and serves on the Alliance GU scientific committee, NCI GU Steering Committee and the NCI Renal Task Force. He also serves as a senior editor for Clinical Cancer Research, Clinical Advances in Hematology and Oncology, and Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases.

Julie Ann Sosa, MD MA FACS is Professor of Surgery and Medicine (Oncology) at Duke University, where she serves as Chief of Endocrine Surgery and Director of the Surgical Center for Outcomes Research, as well as Leader of the Endocrine Neoplasia Diseases Group at the Duke Cancer Institute and the Duke Clinical Research Institute, a large transdisciplinary group of clinicians and researchers. Her clinical interest is in endocrine surgery, with a focus in thyroid cancer. She is an NIH-funded investigator and author of more than 240 peer-reviewed publications and 50 book chapters, largely focused on outcomes research, health care delivery, hyperparathyroidism, and thyroid cancer, with a focus on clinical trials. Dr Sosa is Treasurer-elect of the American Thyroid Association and was vice president of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons; she serves on the Board of Directors/Executive Council of the ATA, International Thyroid Oncology Group, and Society for Surgical Oncology, as well as practice guidelines committees for the ATA and the NCCN. She is deputy editor of JAMA-Surgery, and serves as associate editor for World Journal of Surgery, Journal of Surgical Research, and Current Opinion in Oncology.

Kimberly L. Blackwell is Professor of Medicine and Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. One of the nation’s leading breast cancer researchers, Blackwell has played a major role in developing therapies that represent revolutionary non-chemotherapy based approaches for treating breast cancer. Her work on promising new therapies that selectively target breast tumor cells led to her inclusion on TIME magazine’s 2013 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

More recently, her work has led to the approval of the first biosimilar treatment for cancer in the United States. Her current research interests include triple negative breast cancer and cancer that has spread to the brain. She has served as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator of more than 50 cancer clinical trials.

Among her honors, Blackwell is a recipient of the Young Investigator Award in breast cancer from the NCI Specialized Program of Research Excellence and the Joseph Greenfield Award for Mentorship of Clinical Research. In 2015, she was recognized as a distinguished Caskey Lecturer by the University of South Carolina, and was awarded the Distinguished Alumni award by Duke University.

Blackwell received her undergraduate degree in bioethics at Duke University and her medical degree at Mayo Clinic Medical School. She completed an internal medicine internship and residency and a hematology-oncology fellowship at Duke University Medical School, where she joined the faculty in 2000.

General James F. Amos, retired, serves on the LORD Corporation Board of Directors, a position he has held since 2014.

General Amos most recently served as the 35^th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and retired on Dec. 1, 2014 after 42 years of active service. He is the first Marine Corps aviator to serve as Commandant.

Born in Wendell, Idaho, Amos graduated from the University of Idaho in January 1970 with a degree in Finance.  After commissioning, he attended naval flight training in Pensacola, FL, and was designated a Naval Aviator on 23 November 1971.

Amos commanded at every level, from Lieutenant Colonel to General.  His command tours included Marine Wing Support Squadron 173, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312, and Marine Aircraft Group 31. As a Major General, he commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and led them in combat twice during Operations IRAQI FREEDOM I and II.  From 2004-2008, Amos commanded the II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, NC, and the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, at Quantico, VA.

In 1998, Amos was assigned to NATO as the Deputy Commander, Naval Striking Forces, Southern Europe, Naples Italy.  During this tour, he served as the Chief of Staff, U.S. Joint Task Force Noble Anvil during the air campaign over Serbia and Kosovo.  Amos’ other staff assignments included service as the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation, the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations, and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration.  Receiving his fourth star in July 2008, he served as the 31^st Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Amos assumed the duties as the 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps on 22 October 2010.  During his tenure he completed the Corps’ combat mission in Afghanistan.   He fought to rebalance and shepherd the Corps during a period of marked fiscal austerity, all while ensuring the combat and ethical readiness of the Marine Corps for its continued role as our nation’s Expeditionary Crisis Response Force.  Responding to multiple global challenges that have been critically acclaimed as “the new normal,” he established Marine Crisis Response commands in both Africa and the Middle East, while adding 1,000 Marine Security Guards to America’s embassies around the world.

He partnered with key legislators to bring national recognition to the service and sacrifices of the Corps’ WWII African American “Montford Point Marines” with the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal.  Lastly, he significantly raised the requirements and capacity within the Marine Corps University for all Marines to attend resident Professional Military Education.

His personal decorations include the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal with Gold Star, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Gold Star, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Jo Abernathy is the Chief Information Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC.  She is responsible for developing the technology strategy and vision in a rapidly changing and heavily regulated industry.  The technical environment at Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC is highly diverse and the organization leverages a wide variety of technology delivery methods to provide business capabilities, including set of hybrid cloud offerings.  These new delivery methods have meant dramatic changes in focus for the IT professionals at Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, particularly in the areas of integration, security, performance management, data management and vendor management.  Jo has been featured in CIO magazine regarding IT transformation and employee engagement.  She has been a speaker at various technology events, including those sponsored by the CIO Executive Council, the NC Technology Association, and the Triangle Technology Executives Council.

Jo has over 25 years of leadership experience in various technology areas, including client services, infrastructure management, data center operations, data warehousing, and application development.  A lifelong North Carolinian, Jo holds a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s degree from UNC-Greensboro. She is a Board member of Child Care Services Association, a non-profit organization headquartered in the Triangle.

Brian Kinahan helps CEOs transform their companies into professionally managed, strategically focused, organizations by installing or upgrading practices in six core areas: purpose, planning, people, process, information and rhythm.

Brian earned his MBA in Finance at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He spent his early years in Los Angeles at Security Pacific National Bank in the corporate loan work-out department and in business turnaround consulting with The Beta Group. He was recruited as COO of Barco of California, a publicly traded apparel company and later as COO of Smith Environmental, a leader in large industrial fume incinerators.

In 1993, Brian and his family moved to the Triangle where he became CEO of ReadyCom, a venture-backed wireless technology company. In 2000 he joined Catalysta Partners, a venture management firm, and in 2003 he launched Alliance’s predecessor firm, Summit, to help CEOs develop and execute winning strategies using the Balanced Scorecard.

In 2012 Brian moved back to Los Angeles with his wife Cami. They have two children; one is with an NGO in Washington DC, the other is in the fashion business in Los Angeles.

Ramesh Ratan is CEO of Bell and Howell with a successful career improving sales and profit performance for leading technology-driven companies including AT&T, Lucent, VocalTec, and Pitney Bowes, where he has consistently transformed industries and companies using advanced technologies.

Most recently, as president of marketing solutions for Pitney Bowes, Ratan developed a new business platform designed to drive substantial revenue growth via partnerships with global marketing data services providers Acxiom, Experian, InfoGroup, and global ad agencies WPP and IPG. Previously, as President of the $600 million Document Messaging Technologies business at Pitney Bowes, he drove accelerated growth by combining U.S. and Canada business, consolidating 23 country organizations into one European unit, and integrating three acquired companies into a single global product management unit resulting in improvements of eight percent in revenue and 33 percent in profit in the first year.

Earlier, as chief operating officer at the Direct Marketing Association, Ratan led a new growth strategy focusing on data and analytics-based marketing and advertising programs. Further, he built an exceptional Digital/Internet leadership committee, improved company-wide pricing structure, and launched new services across all sectors. He also provided leadership for negotiations with U.S. regulators and legislators on technology, data, privacy, and postal regulation and drove over $30 billion in benefits to industry members.

Rata received a BSc degree and graduated first class with distinction and honors at the University of Poona in Poona, India. He received an MBA with honors from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, a program established as a partnership with Stanford University. Further, Ratan obtained a PhD at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business.

Governor Pat McCrory was raised in Guilford County and attended Catawba College in Rowan
County, where he earned degrees in Education and Political Science. Following graduation from Catawba, he packed his bags for Charlotte and went to work full time for Duke Energy. A management-training program put McCrory through a rotation of digging ditches and climbing electric poles as well as stints in various management jobs from human resources to economic development.

In 1989, McCrory ran for an at-large seat on the Charlotte City Council and won. He would win two more elections to the council in 1991 and 1993 and serve as Mayor Pro Tem from 1993-1995.

In 1995, at the age of 39, Mayor Pro Tem was elected as Mayor of Charlotte. He would go on to serve a record 14 years as mayor until 2009.

As mayor, Charlotte was on the cusp of an explosion of growth, and McCrory help take Charlotte to the next level to become one of America’s great cities. He championed major issues such as economic development, infrastructure, transportation, public safety, and education. Charlotte’s economy flourished during his time as mayor as he helped bring tens of thousands of jobs to the region.

McCrory was known as a visionary in the area of transportation during his time as mayor. He prepared Charlotte for population increases by overseeing the construction of the city’s first light rail line and set the groundwork for future rail lines and road improvements. He is also known for successfully reducing the property tax rate as well as the city’s crime rate by increasing the number of cops on the streets and pushing for tougher anti-gang laws.

On Jan., 2013, McCrory became the 74th governor of North Carolina after winning election by over 11 points. Since then, McCrory has focused on improving “customer service” for the people of North Carolina by streamlining operations and cutting waste. He has been an aggressive job creator during his term, including his recent announcement of MetLife’s decision to bring 2,800 well-paying jobs to the state.

Governor McCrory resides in Raleigh with his wife Ann and their dog Moe.

Kristen Mercer Johnson, CFRE, is the President and CEO of Make-A-Wish® Eastern North Carolina. She has served in this role since the spring of 2011. During her time with the chapter, more than 700 wishes have been granted and the chapter has enjoyed their strongest financial standing in its 28-year history, with a steady growth in both wish granting and fundraising. Prior to joining Make-A-Wish, Mercer Johnson devoted more than a decade of her career to raising funds for Duke Children’s Hospital.

“By far the true joy of my work comes from connecting donors and prospects with wish kids and their families—finding ways to make their personal experience memorable,” Mercer Johnson said.

The mission of Make-A-Wish accomplishes something that the best medicine cannot—A chance for children and their families to put medical concerns aside for a moment to fulfill a child’s wish. Whether it is providing a dream come true for a young patient, hope and outreach for the families, or advocating on behalf of hospitalized children, it is truly an honor to lead the charge of granting wishes for children battling for their lives.”

Kristen resides in with her husband Mark and her four daughters.

Robert Merdes is the Vice President/Senior Branch Manager of the Raleigh Investor Center for Fidelity Investments. He has oversight responsibilities for all of Fidelity’s Investor centers in North Carolina and Greenville, SC. He has been at Fidelity Investments for 22 years in a variety of investment advisory and leadership roles.

Rob has his bachelors degree in finance and his MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH.

He has lived in Raleigh with his wife and three children since 2005.

Paul Spreen is president of the Customer Solutions Management Group (CSMG) at Quintiles. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of the company’s growth efforts, including business processes and support as well as its customer management practices across the enterprise. In addition, the company’s marketing and corporate communications functions are under Paul’s leadership.

Billie Redmond is a native North Carolinian, growing up in the small textile town of Eden. She is the Founder of TradeMark Properties, a North Carolina-based property management, leasing and brokerage services company. After serving as CEO for the past 30 years, she recently transitioned to Chair of the Board of TradeMark Properties and it’s affiliates which also includes TradeMark Residential, TradeMark Morris in Chapel Hill, NC and TradeMark Association Management.

Today the Triangle Business Journal ranks TradeMark as the largest commercial real estate firm in the Triangle.

Billie received the 2011 Triangle Business Journal Legacy Award, which recognizes leaders who have helped shape the Triangle through their business and community endeavors. She received the TCREW Impact Award, the first women to receive the prestigious award. In 2006, Billie was named Realtor of the year by the Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors. She has received the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award and the Lifetime Achievement award for Women in Business 2008, been named to the Business Leader Impact list, and been named Tar Heel of the Week by The News and Observer, as well as being recognized as one of Business Leader Magazine’s Women Extraordinaire. In 2005, Billie was inducted into the YWCA’s Academy of Women for her efforts to empower women and eliminate racism.

In May 2011 Billie completed 10 years of service to the WakeMed Health and Hospitals Board of Directors, the last two as Chair. She serves on the Board of Directors of Paragon Commercial Bank, the Carolina Hurricanes Kid’s n Community Foundation Board, the Board and Executive Committee of the North Carolina Chamber, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina. Currently, she is Chair of the Governor and General Assembly appointed Education & Workforce Innovation Commission, focused on educational transformation across North Carolina.

She is a past chair of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce where she served an unprecedented extended term. She served as the Co-Chair of the Wake County Citizens Facility Advisory committee, evaluating the Wake County capital improvement program and implementation strategies.

Billie is a member of Pleasant Grove Church and is the Assistant Supervisor of the Children’s Program for Bible Study Fellowship International. She is married and has three children.

Rob McIsaac is a Senior Vice President of Research and Consulting at Novarica with expertise in IT leadership and transformation as well as technology and business strategy for life, annuities, wealth management, and banking. He has broad experience in IT strategy and management in the insurance and financial services industries. Prior to joining Novarica, he served in a series of senior technology management positions including leading the Business Transformation Office at Nationwide Insurance and as the CIO for First Citizens Bank, a rapidly growing regional firm based in Raleigh, NC. Rob spent the majority of his career at Guardian Life, where he was the Divisional CIO responsible for annuity, distribution and broker dealer operations and at Prudential Insurance, where he held a variety of positions including leading e-Business development efforts. Rob holds a BA in Economics from Montclair State University, an MBA in Information Systems from Seton Hall University and has received a number of business and technical designations including FLMI and LLIF.

Don Waddell, 55, is in his first season with the Carolina Hurricanes after being named president of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment on July 1, 2014. Waddell has nearly 35 years of experience in professional hockey as a player, coach, general manager, scout and business executive. As president of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, Waddell oversees the business sides of the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Everblades, and Plymouth Whalers.

Prior to joining the Hurricanes, Waddell spent three seasons as a professional scout with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Waddell was general manager of the Atlanta Thrashers from the team’s founding in 1998, until 2010 when he took the role of team president. Waddell also served as executive vice president and co-chair of the executive committee of the Atlanta Spirit, the parent company of the Thrashers, the National Basketball Association’s Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena. He won the Stanley Cup as assistant general manager of the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-98.

Before becoming an NHL executive, Waddell helped build and guide two International Hockey League (IHL) franchises in San Diego (1990-95) and Orlando (1995-97) as those clubs’ executive vice president and general manager. While in Orlando, he was vice president of RDV Sports and served on the executive committee that oversaw the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the IHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, and the company’s retail and aviation interests. Waddell was twice named IHL executive of the year (1992-93 and 1995-96).

Waddell played four seasons of Division I collegiate hockey from 1976-80 at Northern Michigan University where he majored in business management. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1978, and spent three years with the organization. Waddell played more than nine seasons of professional hockey, spending the final years of his playing career as player/coach of the IHL’s Toledo Goaldiggers (1985-86) and Flint Spirits (1986-88). He also served as head coach of the San Diego Gulls in 1991-92, and was interim head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers on two occasions during his tenure with the club.

A native of Detroit, MI, Waddell has also served in several capacities with USA Hockey during the past five decades. In October 2013, he was named international consultant with a special focus on player identification and interface with the U.S. National Junior Team and USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Waddell was the general manager for United States’ teams at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Italy, and the 2001, 2002 and 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men’s World Championships. As a player, he helped Team USA to the gold medal at the 1983 IIHF World Championship.

As president and chief executive officer, David Williams leads the national staff and 62 chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in its simple, heartfelt mission: granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Since 1980, the world’s largest wish-granting organization has granted the wishes of more than 225,000 children in the United States.

Williams joined the Foundation in January 2005. Under his leadership, the national office annual revenue has more than doubled since 2004 to $70 million, distributions to chapters have quadrupled to $43 million, and overall revenue including chapters has increased by over $100 million to $240 million. Before joining the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Williams spent 11 years to Habitat for Humanity International, rising to executive vice president and chief operating officer. Williams began his work in nonprofit leadership by serving as executive direction of The Houston Food Bank for 11 years.

Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bloomsburg (Pa.) University and a master’s degree in business administration for the University of Houston.

Brad Wilson brings to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina a passion for health care, a deep commitment to community involvement and expertise in business and public policy.

As president and CEO of the state’s largest health insurer, with 3.8 million customers, Wilson is dedicated to improving North Carolina’s health care system, making health care more affordable and helping BCBSNC adapt in a changing health care environment.

To address health care issues nationally, Wilson serves as a director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and BCS Financial Corporation. He is immediate past chair of the National Institute for Health Care Management.

His work continues in North Carolina, where he chairs the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation — an independent charitable organization that has invested nearly $100 million in community-based health and wellness efforts. He is also a board member of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and a past chair of the University of North Carolina Board Of Governors.

Wilson, who joined BCBSNC in 1995, held a range of senior-level positions before being tapped to lead the organization in 2010. A lifelong North Carolinian, previously he practiced law and served as general counsel to Gov. Jim Hunt, directing the governor’s legislative strategy and heading his legal department.

A lifelong North Carolinian, Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree from Duke University and law degree from Wake Forest University.