Alumni Board
The Alumni Board is a group of Owen’s most committed alumni. Board members serve the community through promotion of, and support for the school’s strategic priorities and initiatives. Their role is to both strengthen connections within the Alumni community at-large, and to partner with Owen in ensuring the school’s long-term growth and success.
A Letter from Brent Turner, MBA 1999
Chair, Owen Alumni Board
Dear Alumni and friends of Owen,
As Alumni Board President, I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the school's leadership, its faculty, its students, and its alumni. Outside of our formal meetings, we are constantly engaged in recruiting students, engaging in classroom participation, placing MBA candidates, and maintaining connections with our fellow alumni. To every person associated with our school: remember that your membership in the Owen family is for life. Each of us hopes that you will feel more than welcome to reach out to us for help, information, advice, or support when you need it.
Best Wishes,
Brent Turner (Chair)
Vanderbilt MBA 1999
Brent Turner is President of the Vanderbilt Business School Alumni Board of Directors, currently in his third year. Turner is a veteran of the Digital Media industry, having held a number of executive and senior leadership roles over the past thirteen years. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President of Call Advertising Products for Marchex, where he was responsible for building the company's Digital Call Marketplace, now the majority of Marchex's revenues. Prior to joining Marchex, Turner was Microsoft's General Manager of Search and Display Media Network, where he led the roll-out of the Bing and Microsoft Media Network brands to advertisers all over the world. He joined Microsoft through its acquisition of aQuantive, where he was a ten-year veteran, serving in three major capacities. First, as Vice President of Operations at Avenue A, he helped lead the financial turnaround of the young agency and build it into one of the most powerful names in the industry, serving brands such as Disney, Nike, BestBuy, and AT&T. In 2003, Turner invented and built the Atlas Publisher platform, which was soon responsible for serving Microsoft's performance display media in over twenty countries. In 2006, he founded the aQuantive lead generation business unit and shepherded the acquisition and technological rebuilding of Franchise Gator, aQuantive's first foray into the space. Turner is also a General Partner of Founder's Co-Op, a high-tech startup incubator in Seattle. Turner holds an MBA from Vanderbilt Business School, where he won the Igor Ansoff award and played on the "Old Boys" rugby team. He also holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Memphis. He is the Chairman of the Board of Real Escape from the Sex Trade, a Gospel-based nonprofit in Seattle that serves victims of trafficking.
Susan Adzick
Vanderbilt Executive MBA 1984
Vice President, Sales & Marketing, McLane Food Service
Susan Adzick is Vice President of Sales & Marketing for McLane Food Service, a $4.5 billion subsidiary of McLane Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. Susan is responsible for sales and marketing, national accounts and customer relations. She started her career in food distribution as Vice President of Operations for PepsiCo Food Systems, and was promoted to Vice President of National Accounts. Previously, Susan was in the chemical manufacturing industry with Occidental Chemical Company, Rhone-Poulenc and DuPont de Nemours, Inc. She earned a degree in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA from Vanderbilt.
Cris Ashworth
Vanderbilt Executive MBA 1985
Owner, United Record Pressing (retired)
Cris started his career with Nashville Gas Company (NGC). After twelve years, he was the CFO of its parent company Tennessee Natural Resources' (TNR) and a board member of its subsidiaries NGC, Alabama Oxygen Company, Mansfield Carbon Products. Cris also developed and executed the TNR merger with Piedmont Natural Gas Co. Post merger, Cris spent seven years in the following industries : school fundraising, licensed apparel, real estate syndication and development, telecommunications . In 1992, Cris moved to the New York area and became the CFO of Medical Economics (Publisher of the PDR ). He spent five years acquiring synergistic companies in Latin America and Europe where he converted an old line print business to a digital information business. An opportunity to return to Nashville later caused a career shift to acquire United Record Pressing (URP 1999) a vinyl record manufacturer. Over the next nine years URP became the largest supplier of vinyl records in the U.S. Cris sold the business in 2007. Cris earned a BS degree from UT Knoxville, EMBA from Vanderbilt Owen School and was a licensed CPA in Tennessee. Cris has provided expert testimony before the TPSC and FERC and provided board governance in both public and private environments. Cris resides in Nashville.
Robert Barnett
Vanderbilt MBA 1993
Managing Director, Conway MacKenzie
Robert Barnett has more than 15 years of experience providing companies with crisis management, restructuring, corporate finance, and bankruptcy services. He has deep experience in mergers and acquisitions cases. Prior to joining Conway MacKenzie, he was a Managing Director at Hays Financial Consulting he played an influential role in the operations of the turnarounds and crisis management, Chapter 11 bankruptcy and corporate finance practices. Some of his significant engagement experience while there included providing financial advisory services for Cornerstone Ministries Investments and also Atlantis Plastics. Mr. Barnett's other experience includes Partner at Finley Colmer & Company, Senior Principal at eLoyalty, and Senior Consultant at Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group.
Robert received his Masters of Business Administration degree and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University. He is active in the community in Atlanta, GA serving on several boards including the Atlanta Speech School Board, Fletcher Public Relations, LLC, Mary Brown Fund and the Woodruff Arts Center Atlanta Firms Committee. He is a member of the Turnaround Management Association. .
Tom Barr
Vanderbilt MBA 1998
Vice President, North America Marketing, Starbucks Coffee Company
Tom Barr, in his current role as Vice President, Global Coffee leads Starbucks' global go to market Coffee strategy across all business units. His team drives "edge" coffee innovation and is accountable for share growth around the world. He also leads a team responsible for Coffee P&L performance in the U.S. retail stores. Tom joined Starbucks in 2000 as Sr. Product Manager, Brewed Beverage and has since served in several general management roles. Prior to his current role, he led North American Marketing, with responsibilities including managing marketing teams across the United States and Canada with the mission of designing sales driving programs through promotion, sampling and advertising. Prior to joining Starbucks, Tom worked with GlaxoSmithKline as Manager in the Consumer Health Product division. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University Graduate School of Management and has BA in Economics from Hampden-Sydney College.
Andrew Bogle
Vanderbilt MBA 2004
Chapter Director, Kieretsu Forum (New York Chapter)
Andrew Bogle is currently the Chapter Director for the New York chapter of Kieretsu Forum- an investment community organized around private equity funding for mutual benefit. Prior to joining Kieretsu Forum, Mr. Bogle worked at Gerstein Fisher as a member of the client advisory team with a focus on institutional business development, primarily working with corporations, non-profits, foundations and endowments. Previously, he worked at the Robin Hood Foundation from 2006-2010 where his primary role was to analyze hedge fund performance of Robin Hood donors. Before joining Robin Hood, Mr. Bogle was an Associate in Private Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley from 2004-2006. During his tenure he traded options and equities for clients and evaluated alternative investments and equity strategies. Prior to that, he was an Account Executive at Telemet America, a provider of financial information whose client base was predominantly buy side institutions. Mr. Bogle serves on the Board of Trustees of the Kent School, where he is a member of the Investment and Finance Committees. He served as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors at Connecticut College in 2004. He received a B.A. in economics from Connecticut College and an M.B.A. in finance from Vanderbilt University in 2004.
Charles Byrge II
Vanderbilt MBA 1985
President and CEO of Harpeth Capital, LLC
Charles Byrge is currently President and CEO of Harpeth Capital, LLC – a middle market investment banking firm located in Nashville, TN. Charles has more than 20 years of experience with capital raising and M&A transactions for middle market companies. Most recently, Charles was the Managing Partner of West End Capital Partners, a boutique investment banking firm that he founded. Previously, he was a Senior Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking at FTN Financial Securities, a subsidiary of First Tennessee Bank. Prior to that, he was Managing Director and Co-Head of Mergers and Acquisitions at SunTrust Equitable Securities (now SunTrust Robinson Humphrey), where he was responsible for directing a wide variety of assignments for both public and private companies. He has also served as a senior member of the Mergers and Acquisitions Department at Morgan Keegan & Co. and a Vice President at NationsBanc Capital Markets in Dallas, Texas where he co-directed the M&A practice for the Western U.S.
Charles Byrge received a BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a big four accounting firm.
Bryan Deaner
Vanderbilt MBA 1993
Senior Brand Manager, Intel Corporation
Bryan Deaner is a Senior Brand Manager for Intel Corporation based in Santa Clara, California where is responsible for helping to manage the brand portfolio of one of the world's top 10 "Most Valuable Brands". He has held various positions in brand, campaign and marketing strategy. Prior joining Intel in 1999, Bryan was a Global Campaign Manager for IBM in the B2B enterprise segment. Bryan began his career as a business intelligence consultant at the M/A/R/C Group in Dallas, Texas, a leading research and marketing consulting agency where he worked on major CPG brands such as Nestle, Heinz, Coors, Coca-Cola and others. Bryan hold an MBA from Vanderbilt and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University.
Robert Deaton
Vanderbilt MBA 1991
Chief Investment Officer, Cambium Capital Partners
Robert is a founding member of Southeast Apartment Investors (SAI) and Proffitt Dixon Partners (PDP). Robert, a CFA charter holder, has enjoyed a long and successful investment management career as a money manager and private investor. In addition to his leadership role within SAI and PDP, Deaton currently is managing member of Fat Pitch Capital, an investment partnership. Robert was a founding member of Bennett Lawrence a NY-based investment fund, which had peak assets of over $2 billion. Robert was chief investment officer of Cambium Capital and member, and is past managing member of Deaton Partnership. Deaton holds an AB from Davidson College, an MBA from Vanderbilt University and is a CFA charter holder. Robert is married with two children and resides in Charlotte, NC.
Tim Dod
Vanderbilt MBA 1993
Director, Private Banking, Credit Suisse
Tim joined Credit Suisse in 2002 from the Private Wealth Management group at Morgan Stanley, where he served as an Advisor and Executive Director between 1993 and 2002. Tim spent six years in New York and was a founding member of the Morgan Stanley PWM office in Atlanta. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Tim worked in the Municipal Bond department at Franklin Funds in San Mateo, California and received his MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Karen Doolittle
Vanderbilt MBA 1996
Senior Vice President & National Sales Manager, Wells Fargo
Karen Doolittle serves as the National Sales Manager for Wells Fargo Health Benefit Services. In that role she sits on the management team of a specialized line of business focused on health savings accounts (HSAs). During her tenure, the HSA portfolio has grown 375% and revenue is up 600%. Coming out of Owen in 1996, Karen started her banking career at Citicorp in New York and served in a variety of sales roles across transaction services banking before joining Wells Fargo in 2003. She earned a Bachelor's degree in political science as well as her Master of Business Administration degree at Vanderbilt, with a focus on finance and marketing while at the Owen Graduate School of Management. She is a two-time Chairperson for The Junior League of Atlanta's largest annual fundraiser.
In addition, she previously served on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood of Georgia and has been active with the Partnership Against Domestic Violence, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and Dress for Success. She still considers herself a newlywed and is married to Lester Dragstedt, with two great step-kids Victoria and Stephen.
Vikas Dwivedi
Vanderbilt MBA 2000
Global Oil and Gas Economist, Macquarie Group
Vikas Dwivedi is the Global Oil and Gas Economist for Macquarie Group and is based in their Houston office. Prior to Macquarie, Vikas was a Principal at BTU Capital Management, where he led its trading and research efforts in crude oil and natural gas markets and was previously at Quantum Energy Partners, Morgan Stanley and Prudential Equity Group in a variety of equities research roles. Vikas has more than 13 years of buy and sell-side experience in the oil, gas and power sectors, covering equities and commodities research, commodity derivatives and commercial project management. Vikas earned a BA from the University of Texas, Austin and his MBA from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management
David Ficeli
Vanderbilt MBA 1999
Founder and CEO, PL360 Beverage Partners
Dave Ficeli is the founder and CEO of a Denver-based wine and spirits company called PL360 Beverage Partners. PL360 creates brands and sells them to large chain retail stores. The company utilizes a unique, proprietary brand development system called BrandSPAN which focuses on consumer behaviors. You can find PL360's brands in retail chain stores across the company. Dave's career has focused on understanding customer needs/wants and adding value to businesses and brands. He has held various brand, strategy, and general management roles in both consumer goods and services companies. Most recently, Dave was COO of a boutique branding firm in Chicago where many of his clients were private equity group portfolio companies. He also founded a consulting and investment firm called BASIS Strategy Group. Dave earned a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. Dave lives in Chicago with his wife Christi and son Luke.
Russell L. Fleischer
Vanderbilt MBA 1991
Chief Executive Officer, HighJump Software
As CEO of HighJump Software and member of the company's board, Russ Fleischer, guides overall corporate strategy and ensures the company serves it's over 4,000 customers efficiently and effectively. Before joining HighJump, Russ served as Chief Executive Officer for Healthvision Software, a healthcare information technology provider focused on systems interoperability, health information exchange and clinical applications. Under Russ' leadership Healthvision grew from $25M in revenues to a global business employing over 300 people generating approximately $70M in revenues and $20M in EBITDA. Prior to joining Healthvision, he served as the CEO of TriSyn Group, a core banking applications software provider focused on the top 100 banks in the US. Russ earned a BA in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Vanderbilt. Russell lives in Fort Worth along with his wife, Liz and their twins Amelia and Alexander.
Paul Frankenberg
Vanderbilt MBA 2003
President, CEO and Co-Founder of Focus Search Associates
Paul Frankenberg is President, C.E.O, and Co-Founder of Focus Search Associates, a nationally-recognized Top 25 Healthcare Executive Search Firm specializing in the recruitment of high-value Executive Leadership throughout the Healthcare Industry. Paul has completed more than 225 Corporate Executive, Senior Management and Board of Director search assignments during his twelve year career. Paul earned his undergraduate degree from The University of Tennessee and his MBA from Vanderbilt University. He serves on the board of the American Heart Association and is one of the Founding Officers for Owen's Healthcare Alumni Board. Paul is a published writer and is often an invited guest speaker and panelist on leadership, executive development, entrepreneurship and recruiting industry topics. Paul and his wife, Beth, reside in Nashville, TN.
Frank Grant
Vanderbilt Executive MBA 1991
Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Adriema
Frank is currently the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer for Adriema. Previously, Frank co- led the Connected Healthcare Vertical for the U.S. and Canada with Dr. Kaveh Safavi. In this position, Frank's responsibilities included all strategy and business requirements for the vertical with particular emphasis on sales, channels, strategic alliances, training, and services. Prior to accepting this role, Frank was most recently Operations Director, where he was responsible for managing sales and business activity in Cisco's Southwest Enterprise Area for accounts greater than 1,500 employees. He has over 28 years experience in information technology sales and sales management, including roles with IBM and Hitachi Data Systems as a District Manager. In his 11 years with Cisco, Frank has led customer engagements with the largest companies and public entities in the South: Hospital Corporation of America, Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Delta Airlines, State of Georgia, State of Florida, and FedEx. Grant received his BA in Economics and German and his MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Jane Kennedy Greene
Vanderbilt Executive MBA 1981
CEO and Board Chair, Kenco Group, Inc.
Jane Kennedy Greene currently serves as CEO and Board Chair for Kenco Group, Inc. which is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Kenco is one of the largest family owned and privately held third party (3PL) logistics providers in the country. Operating in over 30 states and Canada, Kenco's core competencies include logistics services, transportation, real estate management and material handling equipment. Now in its 63rd year, Kenco's customers include the Fortune 500 companies of Whirlpool, Glaxo SmithKline, Electrolux, Green Mountain Coffee, DuPont, Mead Johnson, Ralston, Cummins and Stryker. Jane is a third generation owner. Previously, Jane worked in alumni development for Vanderbilt University and in account management for several advertising agencies both in New York City and Dallas. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Greg (MBA 1981 and former member of Owen Alumni Board) and 3 children - the oldest of whom graduated from Vanderbilt undergraduate school in 2010. Jane has been an active community volunteer serving on the boards of the Junior League of Dallas, her church, the Dallas Children's Theater and The Episcopal School of Dallas.
John D. Hawkins
Vanderbilt MBA 1992
Principal, The Sterling Group
John joined The Sterling Group, a private equity investment firm, following his graduation from Owen in 1992. At Sterling, he is responsible for sourcing and executing acquisitions and the oversight of portfolio companies. John currently serves as chairman of the board of Saxco International and on the boards of B&G Crane, Velcon Filters and North American Energy Partners. He was previously on the professional staff of Arthur Andersen & Co. In addition, he currently serves as the chair of the board of St. Paul's Methodist Foundation of Houston and on the board of the Institute for Spirituality and Health in the Texas Medical Center. John received a B.S.B.A. in accounting from the University of Tennessee and an M.B.A. with honors from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. He currently resides in Houston, TX with his wife Renee and two children, Jack and Anna Grace.
Paul Huffman
Vanderbilt MBA 1993
President and Founder, Commodore Advisory Partners LLC
Paul is the President and Founder of Commodore Advisory Partners LLC, a boutique investment banking firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. Previously, Paul was a Managing Director with Hadley Partners, a middle market investment banking firm with offices in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Paul focuses his business efforts on opportunities in the consumer sector, with particular focus on the restaurant industry. Prior to joining Hadley Partners, Paul was a managing director in the Investment Banking Group of Morgan Joseph & Co. Paul joined Morgan Joseph at its formation in 2001 and he was head of the firm‟s Los Angeles office. Prior to the formation of Morgan Joseph, Paul was a member of the Investment Banking Group of ING Barings based in the firm‟s Nashville office. Prior to joining ING Barings, Paul was a member of the Investment Banking Group of SunTrust Equitable Securities and its predecessor, Equitable Securities Corporation, beginning in 1993 following his graduation from the Owen school. A native of Manchester, Tennessee, Paul received his MBA with a concentration in finance from the Owen school in 1993. He received a BA in economics from Vanderbilt University in 1992. Paul, his wife Sarah, and their two daughters reside in Nashville, Tennessee.
Shandy Husmann
Vanderbilt Executive MBA 1998
Managing Director, Huron Consulting Group
Shandy is a Managing Director in Huron Consulting Group's Higher Education & Healthcare division. During his career, which includes five years at Vanderbilt University, he has been involved in numerous consulting engagements and projects in higher education and health care institutions. Shandy specializes in assisting educational institutions and health care organizations in areas of research administration, cost accounting, finance, compliance issues related to federally funded programs, operational efficiency, strategic planning and other university administrative processes. He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois and his Executive MBA from Owen in 1998. He is a Board member of Catholic Charities of Tennessee, and he currently resides in Nashville with his wife, Donna, and their two children.
Thomas Hussey
Vanderbilt MBA 1998
Principal, Diversified Trust Company
Thomas joined Diversified Trust in 1998. He is integrally involved with the coordination, due diligence and execution of our private equity fund strategies. He is also actively involved in the management and oversight of client relationships and new business development. Prior to joining Diversified Trust, Thomas worked in the investment division of Trustmark National Bank, based in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was responsible for various accounting and oversight duties for the bank holding company's investment portfolio. Thomas received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Vermont and a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, The Med Foundation, and The Alliance of Nonprofit Excellence and is a former Board Member of Hands on Memphis, a non-profit organization.
Peter Keogh
Vanderbilt MBA 1991
Managing Partner, Kairos Partners
Peter Keogh is currently Managing Partner of Kairos Partners, a strategy advisory firm based in Charlotte, NC. Before joining Kairos Partners, Peter spent several years working for FTI Palladium Partners as a turnaround executive, holding COO, and CFO roles in distressed situations. Prior to Palladium, he spent 10 years at Celerant, a London-based management consulting, working with non-distressed companies around the globe, in the areas of sales, supply chain and organizational development. Peter began his business career in telecommunications (ALLTEL) after graduating from Owen (1991), holding the role of Marketing Director. He received his BDSc, from The University of Queensland, Australia and currently resides in Charlotte, NC with his wife Eileen. They have four children, two at college and two in high school.
Erika Bogar King
Lead Talent Director, Deloitte Consulting
Vanderbilt MBA 1999
Erika Bogar King is the Lead Talent Director for Deloitte Consulting LLP, a $4 billion management consultancy with over 15,000 practitioners in the U.S., Mexico and India. In this role, Erika leads a team of 115 Talent professionals who provide development, deployment, career management and performance management services for Deloitte Consulting's leaders and practitioners, with the objective of driving growth, high performance and retention. Prior to joining Deloitte's Talent organization, Erika was a consultant for Deloitte Consulting's Human Capital practice, where she led a range of talent-related projects to help clients meet their goals, focusing on change management, merger integration and organizational effectiveness. She honed her client advisory skills in human performance as the Talent leader for Deloitte Consulting's Strategy & Operations practice. Prior to Deloitte, Erika worked as an executive recruiter and a human resources relationship manager for one of the nation's largest financial services institutions. Erika earned a BBA in International Business from James Madison University and a MBA in Human Resources and Organization Management from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management. and her family reside in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mark Kuhns
Vanderbilt MBA 1992
Chief Executive Officer, OCM
Mark Kuhns is currently CEO of OCM. Prior to that he served as the Vice President of Outdoor Division for Under Armour. Before coming to Under Armour he was the Vice President of E-Commerce and contributed to the success of Under Armour's online sales which increased by 51% in 2009. In addition Mark is an Executive with over 18 years of experience managing complex, growth oriented businesses, including Financial experience at Federated Investors, United Parcel Service, TACA Airline, US Airways. Mark earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from Owen in 1992. Mark currently resides in Baltimore, MD.
Charles D. Leone II
Vanderbilt MBA 1992
CDL Holdings
Chuck began his investment career in July 1992 as a floor trader on the Chicago Board Options Exchange. In January 1999, he joined Minotaur Partners, a Chicago-based venture capital fund as Director of Acquisitions, identifying and evaluating investment candidates. Among them was TaxLienAuction.com, where Chuck became a director, responsible for transforming the business from an informational service to a transaction-based Internet company. In November 2000, Chuck returned to equity options trading, employing risk arbitrage and various other investment strategies. In 2004, he was a founding partner of Madison Street Partners; a long-short value based equity hedge fund. He received a BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA in Finance from Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management. He and his wife, Sharon, along with their son reside in Denver, Colorado.
Adelmo (Al) Lopez
Vanderbilt International Executive MBA 1999
President and Chief Executive Officer of Blair Corporation (retired)
Retired former President and Chief Executive Officer of Blair Corporation, a +$426 million direct marketer of apparel and home goods, Al Lopez was born in a small Honduran village and migrated to the United States in 1977, settling in Chicago. After the U.S. Army and a stint as a factory laborer, He enrolled in the University of Illinois at Chicago and graduated with honors in accounting in 1988. His professional career has spanned a wide range of corporate experience, both in the U.S. and abroad. While continuing his professional career, Al, a firm believer in the opportunities afforded by education, has attended a wide range of academic institutions, graduating in 1999 with an MBA from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.
Al Lopez joined Blair Corporation, a publicly traded company, in 2006 as a Senior Vice President in the dual roles of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The Board of Directors named him President and CEO of Blair Corporation in January, 2007. Prior to joining Blair, he served as Group General Manager, responsible for five strategic business units, at Russell Corporation. Before joining Russell, Al Lopez served as CFO of Dole Fresh Fruit International. Prior to that, he held a series of executive positions in Sara Lee Corporation and its subsidiaries and joint ventures. These included Group CFO for Sara Lee's Branded Apparel, Latin American Group, and VP of Administration and CFO for Axa Alimentos S.A. de C.V., a joint venture between Sara Lee and AXA, a $1.5 billion Mexican conglomerate. Al and his wife have two daughters and reside in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his family maintain close ties to relatives, business, and charitable activities in his native land of Honduras.
Rob Louv
Vanderbilt MBA 1997
Managing Director, ArchPoint Partners
Robert Louv serves as managing partner for ArchPoint Partners Corp., an investment bank he founded in 2009 focused on emerging growth technology companies. Prior to founding ArchPoint Partners, Rob was a Board member, Managing Director and co-head of the Software and Technology Services practice at Montgomery & Co. Prior to joining Montgomery & Co. in May 2004, Rob spent seven years at J.P. Morgan Securities as Vice President of global mergers and acquisitions supporting clients in the IT services, Internet, storage, EMS and health care industries. Rob received his MBA from Vanderbilt graduating in the top 5 percent of his class and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance from the University of Florida.
Jim Maske
Vanderbilt MBA 1999
Vice President, Goldman Sachs & Co.
Jim is a Vice President at Goldman Sachs & Co. in their Private Wealth Management group. Jim joined Goldman Sachs after receiving his MBA from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management in 1999. Prior to attending Owen, Jim served as a Project Manager and Electrical Design Engineer in the Healthcare Division at Smith, Seckman, Reid, Inc., an engineering consulting firm in Nashville, TN. Jim holds Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt. Jim is active in the Atlanta community and currently serves on the Annual Fund Committee for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the Administrative Board and the Finance Committee at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, and serves as lower school co-chair for the Aim High capital campaign at Pace Academy. Jim coaches youth basketball and is married with two children.
Richard McRae III
Vanderbilt MBA 2005
Vice President of Retail Strategy and Finance, Dollar General Corporation
Richard McRae is Vice President of Retail Strategy and Finance at Dollar General Corporation where he is responsible for real-estate strategic planning, financial forecasting and modeling, and strategic growth initiatives. Prior to joining Dollar General Richard held various positions with Accenture Consulting and First Union Securities. Richard holds a Masters in Business Administration from Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University (magna cum laude) Richard resides in Nashville, TN with his wife, Adrienne and two children, Kaylee, and Duncan.
Bappa Mukherji
Vanderbilt MBA/JD 1995
CEO, Gics Foods
Bappa Mukherji is currently the CEO of Gics Foods, a food packaging business in Greenville, S.C. Gics is the first company to focus solely on retort packaging, which are plastic laminate and metal foil containers that can withstand the high temperature and pressure used to cook what's inside them. Following Bappa's graduation from Owen he worked with a Nashville law firm, where he concentrated mostly on mergers and acquisitions. In 1997, with the help of two business partners, Bappa launched a startup that manufactured recycled toner cartridges. That business eventually became known as Guy Brown Products, a Brentwood, Tenn. Based office products distributor with revenue close to $200 million in 2010 where Bappa served as the CEO until he his current position with Gics Foods. Bappa earned his BS in Economics from California Institute of Technology in 1987 and his MBA/JD in 1995 from Vanderbilt University. He currently resides in Nashville, TN.
Jeff Olmstead
Vanderbilt MBA 2006
President, Chief Financial Officer and Director, Mid-Con Energy Partners
Jeff Olmstead serves as President, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, a Delaware limited partnership formed in July 2011 to own, operate, acquire, exploit and develop producing oil and natural gas properties in North America, with a focus on the Mid-Continent region of the United States. Jeff previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Primexx Energy Partners, Ltd., a privately held exploration and production company, from May 2010 until July 2011. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Olmstead served as an Assistant Vice President at Bank of Texas/Bank of Oklahoma in the bank's energy group. Jeff graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BE in Electrical Engineering and Math and an MBA from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. Jeff resides in Dallas with his wife, Summer and their three children.
Joseph B. (Joe) Owens
Vanderbilt MBA 1979
Vice President, Strategic Transformation for Global Business Travel, American Express
Joe is currently Vice President, Strategic Transformation for American Express Global Business Travel, the largest corporate travel management company worldwide. His focus in this role is on identifying and implementing significant revenue development, cost reengineering, and process improvement opportunities. Joe has been with American Express since graduating from Owen in 1979. He has extensive Finance related experience, including business planning, controllership, audit, and activity based costing. He has held cross product line CFO positions in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. During his career with American Express, he has lived in Bangkok, Rome, London, Frankfurt and Miami, as well as his base in New York. Joe holds an MBA with concentration in Finance and Accounting. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He currently resides in New York City.
Steve Rawlins
Vanderbilt MBA 1990
Managing Director and Founder of Rawlins Capital Corporation, Inc.
Steve Rawlins is Managing Director and Founder of Rawlins Capital Corporation, Inc., a global strategic business development practice. His clients range from individual start-ups to major academic institutions to Fortune 50 corporations. Mr. Rawlins' industry experience includes manufacturing, banking, mining, distribution, healthcare, marketing, public relations, technology and service-related firms. He is highly experienced in international trade and has assisted numerous clients in entering the global marketplace. He is also an expert at structuring complex capital structuring. Extremely competent under pressure, Mr. Rawlins has led successful assignments ranging from management turnarounds to rapid growth scenarios. Prior to entering private practice Mr. Rawlins served as Executive Vice President/Treasurer of an international manufacturing/distribution concern. During his tenure the firm grew from early-stage start-up to second position globally within its market. He began his career in the banking industry. Mr. Rawlins received his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.
John Roberts
Vanderbilt MBA 1983
Managing Director and Head of Flow Sales for Credit Rates and Fx, Credit Agricole, CIB
John Roberts is the Managing Director and Head of Flow Sales for Credit Rates & Fx at Credit Agricole CIB. Formerly, John was a Managing Director responsible for US Rates Financial Institutions Group sales team at Barclays Capital. He covers a broad range of accounts including hedge funds, bank portfolios, insurance companies, investment managers and federal agencies. He also has primary responsibility for the firm's Asian client franchise during the New York trading hours. John previously ran the firm's US Primary Dealership and the bank's US Dollar Portfolio and was instrumental in building the US Inflation franchise. John joined Barclays Capital in 1996 and is Chairman of the Barclays North American Pension and Thrift Committee. John's role encompasses involvement in sales, trading and risk management for Barclays Capital. He serves as the Barclays Representative to the Federal Reserve Bank and the US Treasury. He is an appointed member of the New York Fed's Treasury Market Practices Committee. John earned both his MSBE in Mechanical Engineering and his MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Polo Romero
Vanderbilt MBA 2002
Vice President, Client Development Group Mexico, Univision Communications
After enjoying success as an entrepreneur, Polo Romero joined Univision in 2006 as Director of Marketing and New Business Development promoting Univision to Mexican companies and Government Entities both at the state and federal level; he was promoted to Vice President one year later. His current interests are in the area of digital marketing and the use of social media to complement media plans, particularly among the Hispanic population of 18 to 24 years of age. Polo Romero earned a degree in Public Accountancy at ITAM (Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico) and an MBA from Vanderbilt in 2002 with a major in Strategy and Finance. Polo lives in Mexico City with his wife of 15 years, Katya, and three sons, Jeronimo, Nicolás and Diego. He enjoys reading, soccer and music.
Rob Shults
Vanderbilt MBA 1994
President, Honours Golf
As President of Honours Golf Company, Rob is responsible for the strategic direction and business development activities. Rob originated the idea and conceptualized the framework for Honours Golf. Rob graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a BS in Management and Systems Engineering. Following graduation he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and served four years as a United States Army officer. He further pursued his education at Vanderbilt and received an MBA in 1994 with concentrations in Accounting and Finance.
W. David Stalnaker
Vanderbilt MBA/JD 1989
President and Chief Investment Officer, Symmetry Capital Advisors, LLC.
David Stalnaker is President and Chief Investment Officer of Symmetry Capital Advisors LLC in Dallas, Texas ("Symmetry"). Symmetry is an independent registered investment advisory firm that provides wealth management services to high net worth clients. Previously, David served as President and Chief Operating Officer of another wealth management firm, was Executive Assistant to the President of Clemson University, and was a Shareholder in a Dallas law firm. David earned his MBA and JD (law degree) from Vanderbilt in 1989. He and his family reside in Dallas, Texas.
Emily Baker Tobin
Vanderbilt MBA 1992
Managing Director, Epoch Investment Partners (retired)
Emily was a Managing Director at Epoch Investment Partners where she was the lead portfolio manager for their International Small Cap equity strategy and a key member of their global investment team. Prior to joining Epoch, Emily served as a Partner and Senior Analyst with Artisan Partners where she was a member of the EAFE portfolio team. Before Artisan, Emily held the role of Partner and Managing Director at Chilton Investment Company where she managed European equities. Prior to Chilton, Emily worked as an European equity analyst at BEA/Credit Suisse Asset Management. Emily holds a BA in Economics and an MBA in Finance from Vanderbilt University. Emily also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Long Island Nature Conservancy.
John Underwood
Vanderbilt MBA 1998
Managing Director, Investment Management Division, Goldman Sachs & Co.
John Underwood is a managing director in the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs & Co. He is part of an advisory team in Private Wealth Management (PWM) and is primarily responsible for the team's portfolio risk management as well as the management of concentrated positions. John is a member of the team's Investment Committee, the PWM Client Experience Committee, PWM Leadership Council, PWM Top Advisors group and the West Coast Operating Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1998 as an associate in PWM and was named managing director in 2006. John serves on the Boards of the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation; the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University; and Larking Street Youth Services, which benefits homeless youth in San Francisco. John received an MBA from Vanderbilt in 1998 and a BS in Finance and Accounting from Marquette University in 1991. He is a candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and a member of the CFA Institute. He and his family reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.
David H. Windley, CFA, CPA
Vanderbilt MBA 1997
Managing Director–Healthcare Equity Research, Jefferies & Company
Dave Windley is a Managing Director in the Equity Research Group of Jefferies & Company, having joined Jefferies in August 2000 as a founding member of the firm's healthcare industry group and Nashville, Tennessee office. Mr. Windley follows companies in the Pharmaceutical Services and Managed Care sectors. Prior to Jefferies, he was a senior analyst at J.C. Bradford & Co. from 1998 to 2000. Mr. Windley has been recognized five times in the Wall Street Journal's Best on the Street Survey, including a #1 rank in Pharmaceuticals in '05 and #1 in Healthcare Services in '07 and '09. He received Starmine Analyst Awards for 2004, '05, '06, and '08. Dave frequently is quoted by the national business press and invited to speak at industry conferences on his research of the drug development business. Mr. Windley earned his Masters of Business Administration from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University, graduating Beta Gamma Sigma. Prior to attending Vanderbilt Dave began his professional career with Coopers & Lybrand, LLP in the firm's healthcare practice focused. Dave graduated summa cum laude from Transylvania University with a BA in Accounting. Dave is a chartered financial analyst and certified public accountant.
Derek Young
Vanderbilt MBA 1991
President, Asset Allocation Division, Fidelity Investments
Derek Young is president of the Asset Allocation Division (AAD) of Fidelity Investments, and vice chairman of Pyramis Global Advisors, which serves the firm's institutional clients. Mr. Young assumed his current position in August 2011 and reports directly to Ronald P. O'Hanley, president of Asset Management and Corporate Services. Mr. Young most recently served as chief investment officer of the Global Asset Allocation Group (GAA) for Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMRCo), the investment advisor for Fidelity's family of mutual funds. In this role, Mr. Young maintained oversight for the strategic investment direction of asset allocation portfolios and the development of talent in the Global Asset Allocation Group. Prior to joining Fidelity, Derek worked in the Risk Strategy Consulting Practice for KPMG and for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. Derek received a BS from Troy University in 1986 and an MBA from Vanderbilt in 1991. He holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst; Derek has published articles and chapters in books on risk management and investment management.
