Executive Advisory Board Members

Jennifer Stevens is an executive-level professional with real asset expertise and extensive knowledge of the General Partner & Limited Partner Universe.

Her professional experience includes sixteen years of institutional portfolio management and consulting, strategic and investment planning, real asset investment underwriting and a specialization in areas including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and industry best practice.

Prior to forming Alliance Global Advisors, Jennifer held several positions within The Townsend Group, advising clients with cumulative total plan assets of over $300 billion and approximately $20 billion in Real Estate allocations.  She was a voting member of Townsend’s Advisory Investment Committee, responsible for reviewing and approving due diligence reports and strategy for all advisory clients of the firm.  Her clients included Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles Fire & Police, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, San Diego City, Sacramento County and Queensland Superannuation Plan. 

She has served as a representative member of the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UN PRI), Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), PREA Foundation Diversity Working Group, Institutional Real Estate, Inc. (IREI), Women in Institutional Investment Network (WIIN) and National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) in addition to speaking at numerous educational and industry events. In 2016, Jennifer Stevens received the inaugural GRESB Leadership Award from the US Green Building Council to recognize her efforts in establishing and growing Townsend’s ESG Program.  In 2019, Ms. Stevens was on the Chief Investment Officer’s annual list of most influential investment Consultants, she received the 2021 GlobeSt Women of Influence award and the Connect CRE 2023 Women in Real Estate Award. In 2022, Jennifer was elected to the PREA Board of Directors and joined PREA's Social Impact Committee. In 2023, Jennifer joined the Advisory Board of Haystacks.AI. In 2024 Jen was named one of the most empowering women in business by Inc. Magazine and joined NCREF’s Reporting Standards Board.

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University in 2004 and remains an active alumna. She is a former President of Ohio University’s College of Business Society of Alumni & Friends and currently serves on the Executive Alumni Board. In 2019, Jennifer joined the Board of the Ohio State University Center for Real Estate.

Jennifer spends time in Ohio and Florida.  She enjoys sailing with her husband and spending time together with their daughter, Chloe. On a long holiday weekend, you might find Jen visiting friends in Napa, the Florida Keys or skiing with her niece and nephews.

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EAB member since 2011

Other Volunteer Alumni Organizations

• Executive Committee, Schey Sales Centre

Education

• M.A., Psychology specialization in Diversity/Cultural Competency, Cleveland State University
• B.A., Sociology/Criminology, Ohio University

Professional Experience

Yvette Alexander Slate is the Founder and Principal of Carried The Bag, LLC, a company specializing in professional development, business sales coaching and sales effectiveness strategies. Yvette has over twenty years of professional sales experience — developing people, relationships and producing results — in pivotal leadership roles, for major corporations like JC Penney Co., ADP and Huntington National Bank. Through Carried The Bag, she exercises her passion for personal and professional development by helping others sharpen their sales efforts with creative and business-focused solutions.

Starting with her coaching sessions, Yvette Alexander Slate selects the right customized roadmap to growth for each client and business team. Whether she is talking with the partner of a law or accounting firm, the owner of a luxury spa or the staff in a physician’s office, Yvette guides each individual to grow, gain confidence and sharpen personal skills. Her warm, engaging style puts people at ease to share in one-on-one or group meetings. The customized coaching that results from these relevant and thought-provoking sessions helps individuals to build authentic, enduring relationships that drive business development and growth.

Unlike many development coaching firms, Yvette’s models are unique to her practice. Her insights are a fusion of intuitive talents, perceptive listening and a philosophy of professional growth based on twenty-plus years of experience in the business world, including fifteen years as principal of her coaching business.

Yvette attended Cleveland State University, earning a Master’s degree in Psychology with a specialization in Diversity / Cultural Competency & Organizational Effectiveness. She is a Certified Diversity Practitioner (CDP) and infuses cultural competency with her customized one-on-one coaching and group sessions.

Coach Yvette provides a level of comfort to her clients so that open and honest dialogue on diversity can be achieved. When the culture of an organization is assessed and evaluated, the outcomes will help identify the strengths and opportunity areas of companies. These results will assist leadership with managing and maintaining organizational effectiveness. Every individual brings their unique personality, experiences and perspectives to their respective companies and when they feel valued, everyone wins.

Teaching & Service

• Member of the Steering Committee and Executive Advisory Board of the College of Business at Ohio University, Athens, OH
• Adjunct Professor at Otterbein University
• Teaching Senior Year Experience (SYE) Personal and Professional Development, Cultural Competency, Transitioning from College to Career
• Yvette was a 2014 Honoree for WELD (Women for Economic & Leadership Development)
• Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Sigma Omega Chapter, Columbus, OH

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EAB member since 2013

Past Chairperson (2015-2017)

Other Volunteer Alumni Organizations

Schey Sales Centre Advisory Board

Education

BBA, Ohio University, 1971

Professional Experience

Bill Axline retired from Actuant Corporation in 2013 as the Executive Vice President. Bill is currently the Chair for Sarasota Trusted Alliance. In addition, he serves on the Boards of ER Wagner Corporation of Milwaukee, WI., Hyde Tool Group in Southbridge, Ma., and WIHA Corp. in Schoch, Germany. Prior to Actuant, Bill held the role of Chief Operating Officer of Fluidmaster, Inc.; President, Chief Executive Officer, of Distribution America, Inc.; and held the role of Vice President, General Manager at Alltrade, Inc. Axline also brings over 27 years of leadership experience with The Stanley Works (Stanley Black & Decker), a $10+ billion global manufacturer and marketer of tools and security products to the consumer, industrial, construction and automotive industries.

Bill is a founding member of the Schey Sales Centre at Ohio University and serves on the Sales Centre Board.  Bill and his wife, Barbara, have two grown sons – Jeffrey and Michael. The Axlines have lived in many locations in the United States, and spent a year in Amsterdam.

United Fiberglass of America (UFA) is the industry's leading manufacturer of quality fiberglass conduit, pipe, and bridge drainage systems.

Focusing on the future has always been important to Chris’ leadership style — whether that means helping individuals at the firm grow in their roles or identifying market opportunities to better serve clients. He places great value on learning from others and remaining humble and flexible in his approach to guiding the strategic direction of a diverse group of professionals.

Chris began his career with Cohen & Company in 1999 and initially focused on providing audit and tax services to privately held business. In 2004, he helped establish the firm’s investment industry practice and played an important role in its growth, including the expansion into the Milwaukee, Chicago, New York City and Baltimore markets. Chris also served as a lead audit partner for many of then firm’s largest mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, private equity fund and alternative investment fund clients up until his appointment as CEO in 2022.

As CEO, Chris is always looking at the bigger picture, evaluating new ways to position the firm for long-term success. He is responsible for strategic direction, growth and development of the firm against three key areas: being the employer of choice, driving operational efficiency in client engagements, and serving as a premium provider in priority markets and industries.

Chris lives in Avon Lake, Ohio, with his wife and three children, and is an avid golfer and Cleveland sports fan. Chris has visited more than half of the Major League Baseball stadiums with his two sons with a goal of seeing them all before his youngest son turns 18.

Darren Butler is a Managing Director, Principal, and National Real Estate Services President at NAI Brannen Goddard.  He specializes in assisting industrial users and owners with implementing their real estate strategy throughout the United States. Darren has expertise in all aspects of corporate real estate, including corporate consolidations, lease negotiation/restructuring, strategic planning, build-to-suit oversight, site selection, logistical consulting, labor analysis, incentive consulting, and disposition/leasing services.  Darren has completed over 2,500 transactions totaling over $2.5 billion in volume. Over the last 18 years, Darren has continually been recognized as one of the country’s top industrial brokers.

Education

A 2003 graduate of Ohio University, Darren earned a degree in Sports Industry with a Business minor. For the past 10 years, Darren has been instrumental in starting and growing the Darren Butler Sport Business Forum at Ohio University. This annual event allows OU undergrads to interact with national employers for internships and career opportunities.

Personal

Darren grew up in Centerville, OH and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Bethany and their daughter Hartley (11) and son Ford (8). He enjoys playing all sports with his son and loves watching his daughter dance competitively.  He is an avid Bengals football fan and also enjoys a round of golf on a sunny day.

Upon graduation from Ohio University with a B.B.A. in Accounting, Chuck joined Deloitte Haskins and Sells in their Columbus Office as a Tax staff person. In 1990, he was made a partner with Deloitte and Touche. The first class of new D&T partners after the 1989 merger of Deloitte Haskins and Sells and Touche Ross. He spent over 40 years with Deloitte serving in three different offices, Columbus, New York and Detroit. Chuck has held numerous geography and functional leadership positions within the Tax function in his first 30 years with the Firm. He then served as the US Automotive Supplier Industry Leader for all of Deloitte’s professional services being delivered to their clients. In addition, he was a senior Lead Client Service Partner on some large and complex clients of the Firm.     

Chuck also has served on numerous not-for-profit charitable and civic boards in his career: Ohio University Foundation Board, Easter Seals of Central Ohio, Columbus Zoo, MS of Central Michigan, Detroit Public TV, The Parade Company, Association of Public Television Systems and Forest Lake Country Club. 

Now retired, Chuck and his wife, Joanne, have six children and five grandchildren residing in four different states of the US.  

Education

• BBA, Ohio University
• MT, Capital University Law School

Other Volunteer Alumni Organizations

Advisory Council, Ohio University School of Accountancy

Taylor Evans is the Founder and President of Rust Belt Recruiting, a leading manufacturing recruiting agency. A vocal and active advocate for the growth of skilled, technical and professional workforce in our communities, his company is committed to serving as a catalyst for change within the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.

Taylor has found the perfect intersection of his passions: economic and social impact, workforce development and community revitalization. Taylor focuses on company vision, community engagement and business development. 

Taylor is actively involved as the Vice Chair and an Executive Committee member of COSE’s Board of Advisors and is the current chairman of the COSE Small Business Caucus. He is also an Executive Committee member of the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Board of Directors and a member of their Government Affairs Council. With Team NEO, the region’s economic development agency, he is a member of the Talent Development Council. On a national level he is an active member of the National Small Business Association’s (NSBA) Leadership Council. He is a board member for One Step Ahead Ohio, a Northeast Ohio non-profit supporting local communities. Civic engagement is at the core of his daily work and drives his professional decision making. 

Taylor is a proud graduate of Ohio University, where he had numerous campus affiliations including Student Senate (College of Business Senator), The Ralph and Lucy Schey Sales Centre, the Sports Business Association (President) and Ohio Volleyball (Student Director of Operations). He remained involved post graduation as a member of the Sport Management Alumni Advisory Board and continues to support the Sales Centre on an ongoing basis. 

He resides in Bay Village with his wife, Jenna, and their four children, Camden, Mila, Chloe and Paige. 

Signature Topics

• Workforce Strategy
• Manufacturing Renaissance
• Skilled Trades
• Mission Based Workplace 

Panels and Speaking Engagements 

- Modern Manufacturing Talent Acquisition, Precision Metalforming Association, May 2025 

- BIG Summit, Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), October 2024 

- Skilled Labor Panel, One Step Ahead Ohio, September 2024 

- Impact Program Alumni Event, Jumpstart, March 2024 

- EOS, North Coast Business Initiative, September 2023

- Talent Webinar, Precision Metalforming Association, March 2023 

- Company Culture, North Coast Business Initiative, November 2022 

- 60 Productivity Hacks in 60 Minutes, Council of Smaller Enterprises, February 2022 and March 2023 

- Looking Ahead in 2022: Economic & Workforce Outlook, Team NEO, January 2022 

- Retaining & Attracting Talent: Old Problem. New Day!, Entrepreneur's EDGE, March 2021 

Press

-ProductionMachining.com (June 2020)
-ScoutLogic "Winning The Recovery" (June 2020)
-Wall Street Journal (October 2022)
-Wall Street Journal (November 2023)
-MarketWatch (December 2023)
-IdeaStream (December 2023)
-IdeaStream #2 (March 2024)
-The Manufacturing Report (May 2024)
-Fortune (June 2024)
-MarketWatch #2 (September 2024)

Allison Fillmore is the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Learfield, where she leads strategic initiatives focused on Naming Rights for collegiate properties and drives sales and strategy for premium inventory. Her role is central to enhancing the value and visibility of collegiate sports partnerships across the country.

With a distinguished career in sports and entertainment, Fillmore brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success. Prior to joining Learfield, she held several senior leadership roles, including Vice President of Business Development and Executive Director of the TOUR Championship, Vice President of Sales at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Vice President of Ticket Sales and Services for the Atlanta Dream, and Ticket Sales Manager for the Atlanta Falcons. Known for her results-driven approach, she has consistently exceeded sales goals, sold out events, and built high-performing teams committed to delivering exceptional fan experiences.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Fillmore earned her Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration from Ohio University. She remains actively involved with her alma mater as a board member of the Ohio University College of Business and also serves on the board of the Jacksonville Humane Society.

Fillmore resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, with her husband, Scott, and their two daughters, Taylor and Alexa. She is an engaged member of the local community and a passionate advocate for the continued growth and innovation of the sports industry.

Aaron Garry is the President and CEO for Bizerba North America and the United Kingdom. Bizerba is a 169-year-old German manufacturer of Weighing, Labeling, Slicing, and Inspection equipment for the Retail Grocery and Food Processing Industries. Aaron has 15 years of experience at Bizerba and 29 years of experience in and around the food processing and grocery industries. Aaron works out of the Bizerba North America Headquarters in Joppa, Maryland and the UK Headquarters in Milton Keynes, England. Aaron is responsible for 620 people and approximately 350 million USD in revenue across North America and the UK. 

Aaron's 29-year career in food processing has centered mainly around supply chain, procurement, logistics, and packaging automation initiatives in companies concentrated in the candy, beverage, snack food, ready-meal, beef, pork, poultry, and seafood segments. Additionally, Aaron has significant experience in retail grocery operations relating to the fresh, bakery, deli, and seafood departments as well as many labor optimization and checkout technology initiatives across the industry. Most recently, Aaron was responsible for helping Subway install 24,000 Bizerba slicers into their USA and Canadian restaurants for a menu conversion to fresh sliced sandwich meats. 

Aaron was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and is a 1998 Graduate of the Ohio University College of Business with a B.B.A. in Marketing. While at Ohio University, Aaron was a member of the Varsity Golf Team and the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Aaron currently resides in New Albany, Ohio with his wife Shawna (B.S. Communications ’00), also an Ohio University Graduate, and their 15 year old twin boys Evan and Ethan. Both of Aaron's parents (Josh B.A. Political Science '71 and Ronna BSEd '72) graduated from Ohio University. In his free time, Aaron coaches travel baseball in Central Ohio and volunteers with the National Kidney Foundation and the New Albany Food Pantry. He still regularly attends as many Ohio University basketball and football games as time and travel will allow.

Bio

Amy Greene is a Director, Chief of Staff in People & Culture at Bread Financial. Amy is responsible for a wide range of activities, including managing financials, management reporting & interpretation of information, process management, and communications for the entire department. She serves are the primary confidant and advisor to the SVP, Chief People and Culture Officer and the People & Culture Senior Leadership team. Amy previously has held roles as Chief of Staff for other business areas, Director of Transformation Delivery Officer, Project Management in Technology organization, and Client Partnerships account management roles. Over the last 15 years at Bread Financial, Amy is known to be a leader that will learn new areas, strengthen processes and department operations.

Education

EducationA 2009 graduate of Ohio University, Amy earned a degree in Marketing with a Professional Sales Certificate. She was involved in the Schey Sales Center and the American Marketing Association.

Personal

Amy grew up in McMurray, PA and currently lives in Worthington, OH with her husband Tyler, two kids and five pets. Tyler is also 2010 graduate from Ohio University with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering. Both of their children have a piece of Ohio University in their full names.

Pat is currently a Managing Direct at Comvest Partners, a US middle market focused private equity and private credit investment firm. Pat leads Comvest's investor relations and capital raising functions. 

Before joining Comvest, Pat led institutional capital raising and relationship management at Voya Investment Management, covering both private and public credit and equity strategies.

Previously Pat spent 10 years at Keybank.  He spent 8 years with Keybanc Capital Markets, where he led a team distributing equity research and capital market transactions to investment managers nationwide. Pat also worked as a senior analyst on the institutional sales team at Victory Capital for two years.

Pat received an M.B.A. from Cleveland State University and a B.A. from Ohio University.

Pat has been an engaged alum since graduating in 2006.  He previously led campus recruiting at OU for KeyBanc Capital Markets, served on the Finance Advisory Council for 6 years before joining the EAB, and helped endow a COB scholarship with a group of friends for the College of Business in memory of a close friend.

Education

BBA, Ohio University

Professional Experience

Julie Mann Keppner began her career at Wachovia Bank within the Technology College Graduate rotational program eventually working as a Technology Project Manager for the Lockbox and Check Processing areas for six years. She then moved to Bank of America to work in their Digital Banking group for 9 years. At Bank of America, she had several roles ranging from Channel Management to Product Management, focusing on Digital Emerging Payments and Commerce. In 2017, she moved to the fintech startup space working for a small Payments company called Payzer as their VP of Product Operations. She recently joined a new startup called PerformLine, the leading provider of omni-channel compliance technology, as their VP of Product. 

Since graduation, Julie has been volunteering for Ohio University in many capacities including the President of the Charlotte Alumni Chapter, the President for the College of Business Society of Alumni and Friends, and the Chair of the Ohio University Alumni Association Board of Directors. In this capacity she had the honor to serve on both the Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees as well as the Ohio University Board of Trustees. In 2007, she received the Ohio University Alumni Association Charles J. and Claire O. Ping Recent Graduate Award. And in 2020, she received the Ohio University Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. Julie resides in Charlotte, NC, with her husband Rob, her son Hanly, and her daughter Reagan. 

Lori Klamo graduated Ohio University in the winter of 2002 with a B.B.A. in Marketing and Management Information Systems (MIS). During her college career, she worked on campus selling advertising for The OU Post, was the Marketing Manager for Baker Center, and held internships with Nationwide Insurance (IT) and Enterprise Rent-a-Car (sales). She got her first job at Wachovia Bank in Charlotte, NC as an Online Marketing Manager and was recruited by Microsoft in 2005 to join their Search Advertising Sales team.  She has held a variety of roles at Microsoft, including over 10 years in sales management. She pivoted her career path in 2018 to focus on employee experience and HR within Microsoft, and pivoted to tech sales in 2024. She is currently a Sr Sales Excellence Lead for Cloud & AI.

Lori has been involved with Ohio University since she became an alum, as the VP of the Charlotte chapter, Exec Board of the NY/NJ chapter, and Social Media chair for the Chicago chapter. She served on the Society of Alumni and Friends for the College of Business from 2008–2012, and was President from 2010–2012, and as Secretary and Founding Member of the Marketing Advisory Board from 2014–2018.

Education

• BSA, West Virginia University
• MBA, Finance, Ohio University
• MA, North Carolina State University (Economics)

Professional Experience

Mr. Knopp retired as Vice President and Portfolio Manager with SunTrust Bank in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Headquartered in Atlanta, SunTrust Banks, Inc. is one of the ten largest banks in the US. Steve had nearly 30 years of investment management and research experience with several banks. He worked in personal trust, corporate trust, administration and equity research. His latest position was focused on investment strategy and asset allocation. He was also a strategist on the fixed income research team. After retirement, he taught economics and finance at colleges in North Carolina.

Originally from West Virginia, Mr. Knopp serves on several boards including the Ohio University College of Business and the United Methodist Church. He has served on such organizational boards as the Boy Scout Council, Kiwanis Club, Association for Retarded Citizens, Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs and the Chamber of Commerce.

He is also a long distance runner and a bicycling enthusiast. He served as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam as well as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He and his wife Barbara have two sons: Stephen is a Methodist Minister in Charlotte, North Carolina and Andrew is a marketing specialist with Enterprise Rental in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mr. Knopp holds a BS degree from West Virginia University, an MBA from Ohio University and an MA in Economics from North Carolina State University. He is a graduate of the Ohio Bankers Association and the West Virginia Bankers Association Trust Schools, as well as the Cannon Trust School.

EAB member since 2006

Past Chairperson (2013-2015)

Education

BBA, Human Resource Management and Management, Ohio University

Professional Experience

Ms. Kurtz joined Westwood Holdings Group Inc. in September 2024 as the Director, Human Capital and is responsible for Talent Management, Employee Relations and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Prior to joining Westwood, Ms. Kurtz worked at Molina Healthcare as an AVP, Human Resources where she was responsible for leading the HR function for 8,500 employees, 23 Health Plans for a $25B Medicaid Business.  Ms. Kurtz has served in a trusted partner capacity for a variety of business and industries to include Cooper Industries (now part of Eaton), Siemens Energy & Automation, Kellogg and CommScope. She is a global and strategic HR leader that is results driven and has led a variety of teams through mergers and acquisitions, transformations, growth and innovation.  She fosters a talent culture of high performance, engagement and retention and operational excellence.

Ms. Kurtz holds a BBA in Human Resource Management and Management, graduating cum laude from Ohio University. She is active on the Executive Advisory Board for the College of Business at Ohio University, where she has previously served as Chair (2013-2015) and is now on the Membership Committee. Debra enjoys giving back to Ohio University through her interactions with the Board as well as working with students to include mentoring and advising students in the OHIO Women in Business organization, Wandell Fellows, Select Leaders and Corporate visits.  She was instrumental in forming a partnership with the Consumer Research Center of Ohio University and the Kellogg Company.  In addition, Debra was successful in implementing a sales recruiting partnership with the Schey Sales Centre during her time at CommScope. Debra received the R. Budd and Janet Kelsey Werner Executive Service Award in 2018. 

While attending Ohio University, Debra served as a Corporate Leadership Fellow and was President and Student Advisor for the student chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management).   In addition, she was a member of Delta Sigma Pi Professional Business Fraternity and was a founding sister of the Ohio University Chapter of Delta Zeta.  She served in various positions for both chapters.

Debra and her husband Brian currently reside in Coppell, TX with their two daughters.

Kyle Leciejewski is the Senior Vice President of North America Sales at Dell Technologies, overseeing one of the company’s largest and most strategically important regions. His team serves small and medium businesses, enterprise accounts, public sector, federal, and global customers across the U.S. and Canada. Together, they help organizations leverage Dell’s broad technology portfolio to modernize infrastructure, harness the power of AI and solve complex challenges. 

Kyle brings nearly 20 years of technology sales leadership to the role. Before leading North America, he served as Senior Vice President of Global ISG Specialty Sales, a core growth engine and competitive differentiator for Dell Technologies. ISG is a critical part of Dell’s strategic direction and long-term success, and under Kyle’s leadership it achieved record-setting results in servers and networking while driving innovation across AI, multicloud, modern infrastructure and cyber resilience. 

Kyle also led Dell’s Global Storage, Platforms & Solutions business, guiding sales teams to incubate, accelerate and scale new offerings. He successfully integrated multiple specialty sales disciplines into a single, cohesive global team supporting enterprise, commercial and public sector customers, which delivered significant market share gains.

Kyle began his career at Dell Technologies in 2006 as an EMC Sales Representative in Boston and, over the next decade, held progressive sales and leadership roles in Chicago, Washington DC and Charlotte, building partner programs from the ground up, leading high performing global teams and managing relationships with some of the largest enterprise customers in the country.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Kyle graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing and a certificate in professional selling. He is based in Charlotte with his family, serves on Ohio University’s Executive Advisory Board, and is an active advocate for Dell’s Next Generation Employee Resource Group, which focuses on developing and empowering future talent

Education

BS, Accounting, Miami University, 1980

Professional Experience

Mr. McHale began his first business, McHale and Associates, in 1982.  Currently, he is Chairman Emeritus of Staffco-Campisano, an international manufacturers’ representative firm.  The company engineers and designs custom components for the automotive and appliance industries, and represents over 30 global manufacturers.

Mr. McHale has played a significant role in the development of an interdisciplinary sales curriculum at Ohio University.  Larry is a member of the OU Trustees’ Academy, Past Vice Chair of the Ohio University Foundation, is a steering committee member for the Professional Sales Advisory Board of the Sales Centre at Ohio University, and served on the steering committee for the Third Century Campaign and the Executive Advisory Board of the College of Business.

Education

BSJ, Ohio University

Bio

Cathy McPhillips is Chief Marketing Officer at SmarterX, the parent brand of Marketing AI Institute, where she leads marketing, brand, and communications strategy across the organization’s media, events, and education divisions—including flagship initiatives like MAICON (Marketing AI Conference), AI Academy, and The Artificial Intelligence Show. In her role, Cathy helps executives, marketers, and educators navigate and accelerate their AI transformation journeys by connecting them with trusted knowledge, practical training, and visionary thought leadership.

Her career spans more than three decades of strategic marketing leadership, including serving as Vice President of Marketing at Content Marketing Institute, where she led marketing for Content Marketing World, one of the world’s largest marketing conferences. Cathy also managed national community engagement and activation for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, helping grow and mobilize a passionate community around childhood hunger. Earlier in her career, she founded and ran her own digital marketing consultancy and worked at two leading Cleveland-based advertising agencies.

Cathy has been recognized as a Folio: Top Women in Media, a MarTechExec Woman You Need to Know in Martech, and a 2024 Crain’s Cleveland Business Notable Leader in Communications. She has served as an Ohio University Jerry L. Sloan Visiting Professional in Public Relations and remains actively engaged in mentoring and speaking with students and professionals at the intersection of marketing, technology, and AI innovation. Cathy has held executive board positions with Community of Hope, the Orange Effect Foundation, and the OU College of Business Professional Advisory Board, reflecting her deep commitment to education, access, and community impact.

Cathy is deeply committed to fostering collaboration, continuous learning, and ethical leadership in the evolving AI landscape, bringing both practical expertise and strategic vision to her advisory roles.

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathymcphillips/

Education

BBA, Ohio University

Professional Experience​

Brandon Nowac is currently the EVP Head of Payments across KeyBank’s Commercial and Institutional Banks. Through a team across the U.S., he is responsible for delivering payments and workflow automation solutions to over 5,000 commercial clients of Key.

Prior to Enterprise Payments, Brandon was a member of Key’s Corporate Development and Strategy team, where he supported various inorganic and organic strategic initiatives for Key. He began his career at the bank in KeyBanc Capital Markets in the Institutional Investment Banking department.

Brandon is a member of KeyCorp’s Executive Council as well as a member of the Ohio University College of Business Executive Advisory Board. He is a Cleveland native and resides with his wife and two daughters in Chagrin Falls, OH.

Zachary Pyers is a proud fourth generation Ohio University Alumni. He previously served on the Ohio University College of Business Society of Alumni and Friends as a Board Member, the Treasurer, and President.

Zach is a Partner in the Columbus, Ohio, office of Reminger Co., L.P.A., and actively practices throughout Ohio and West Virginia. Zach is also a member of the firms Associate Liaison Committee, which oversees and assists in training and developing the firm’s young attorneys. His practice focuses on civil litigation, including complex and class action litigation, corporate and commercial litigation, professional liability, and catastrophic loss. Zach also practices in the area of emerging technologies, having written and spoken extensively on the intersection of tort law with advancing technologies and changing business models.

Zach is actively engaged in the community. He serves on several Boards and in leadership roles within legal and community associations.  He is an Adjunct Professor at Capital University Law School, where he has taught courses in Depositions, E-Discovery, Expert Witnesses, Ridesharing and Autonomous Vehicle Litigation, and the school's Mock Trial Competition Team. Zach also co-hosts the firm's podcast, The Reminger Report Podcast: Emerging Technologies.

Education

BBA, Ohio University

Professional Experience

John Rosan is a partner in PwC’s risk organization where he serves on the U.S. leadership team that manages regulatory risk for PwC. Prior to this role, John was a partner in the audit practice where he served financial services clients. John has 25 years of experience at PwC and he led the audits of companies that report on US GAAP, NAIC statutory and IFRS and basis of accounting. John is most fulfilled by coordinating the broader assurance, advisory and tax capabilities of PwC to help solve complex business problems of PwC’s clients.

John has a history of diverse professional experience beyond public accounting. John was Vice President and Manager of Fifth Third Bank central Ohio public funds department from 2002 to 2004. Also, John had previous experience working professionally in politics, serving as Finance Director of the Franklin County Republican Party and in other consulting and fiduciary roles, where he built relationships with dozens of public officials and community and business leaders in the central Ohio area.

John is a 2018 graduate of the FBI's Citizens Academy where he got an inside look at the FBI's investigative techniques and strategies across its disciplines. He also is a graduate of the Medal of Honor Griffin Leadership Institute, having participated in the inaugural cohort of the leadership program studying the values and virtues of Medal of Honor recipients.

John is a proud alumnus of Ohio University having graduated with a BBA in accounting in 1993 and served as Student Senate President. He met his wife at OU. They have two children and live in central Ohio.

Vice Chair and MIS Board Member since 2010. EAB member since 2018.

Bill received his BBA from Ohio University with a degree in Management Information Systems with a concentration in Accounting. He began his career in public accounting working for Deloitte & Touche in Pittsburgh, PA. After 2 years with Deloitte, Bill took a position with EY. Today Bill is an Executive Director in the Pittsburgh office of EY overseeing the Risk Assurance practice for the firm’s Pittsburgh and Charleston, WV offices. He is a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) and Certified Risk Professional (CRP). Bill has over 22 years of IT audit and advisory services related experience in a wide range of industries such as health care, financial services/banking, retail, consumer products and manufacturing, real estate, entertainment, and aerospace/defense. His technical experience includes topics such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) application integrity controls, cybersecurity, data analytics, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, and service organization controls (SOC) reporting. Some of his clients are LBrands, AKSteel, Bayer, American Eagle, UPMC Health System, and Westinghouse Electric Company.

Education

BBA, Ohio University

Professional Experience

Bill Schlegel earned his BBA in MIS, with honors, from the Ohio University College of Business in 1993. He holds two professional certifications: Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Risk Professional (CRP).

While attending Ohio University, Bill was a member of the Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity and active in various MIS related clubs at the time. He was also a member of the NCAA wrestling team and participated for his freshman season as a red-shirt on partial scholarship.

Upon graduation from OU, Bill joined Deloitte & Touche LLP as a consultant in their Computer Assurance Services practice in Pittsburgh, PA. He left Deloitte after two years to join Ernst & Young LLP as a Senior in their newly forming global Information Systems Advisory and Audit Services practice in 1995.

Bill has held many positions and responsibilities with EY over the years before being promoted to Executive Director in 2006. He has extensive experience in advising his clients in many areas of IT, including but not limited to cybersecurity, privacy/GDPR, IT governance (policy and procedure), auditing, information security and IT strategic planning. His career-long focus has been on assisting his clients with systems and application auditing and advisory services.

Bill routinely gives presentations in the market and conducts training and workshops on the topic of IT internal controls to audiences such as EY staff, the Pittsburgh chapters of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), as well as to local colleges, universities and to clients.

Bill has been the Campus Coordinating Partner for EY to Ohio University since 2010. In this role he has been an active supporter of Ohio University. He routinely presents in the classroom on campus and has facilitated tours at EY to the OU COB Business MIS and Select Leaders programs, and recruits interns and graduating seniors from the COB.

Along with being an active member of the EAB, he is the current Chair of the COB AIS Advisory Board and has been an active member of that Board since 2010.

Bill and his wife Ivy currently live in Mars, Pennsylvania, with their many children.

Education

• MBA, Ohio University
• BBA, Baldwin Wallace

Professional Experience

Anna Stavreska has more than 15 years of financial markets experience at major investment banks and asset management organizations with proficiency in origination, structuring, trading and portfolio management across multiple industry groups and products. Currently, Anna is a Credit Portfolio Consultant with the Credit Portfolio Management team within the Wholesale Risk division at Wells Fargo. In this role, she is responsible for credit concentration management, emerging risk identification and mitigation, loss modeling, portfolio performance forecasting and capital optimization.

Anna joined Wells Fargo from Caxton Associates, where she was responsible for a credit and equity long/short strategy. Prior to Caxton, Anna was a senior desk analyst managing proprietary and flow PNL for JPMorgan’s North America Credit Trading Desk. Anna started her career as a senior credit analyst on the Principal Credit Trading desk at Wachovia (First Union) in Charlotte. She earned her MBA with concentration in Finance from the Ohio University College of Business after graduating, with honors, from Baldwin Wallace College. Anna is a member of the College of Business Finance Advisory Council as well as a member of the Ohio University College of Business Executive Advisory Board.

Education

Frank Straub earned a B.B.A. in Accounting and Business Pre-Law from Ohio University in 1995. During his time at Ohio University, he was an active member of the Corporate Leadership Fellows, Delta Sigma Pi and the Accounting Club. 

Professional Experience

Frank began his career at John Gerlach & Company as an audit and tax associate and furthered his public accounting experience at Coopers & Lybrand, including its merger with Price Waterhouse. While at PwC Frank’s client Z-Tel Communications, Inc., a telecommunication start-up, went public and he joined them in 2000. In 2004, prior to its IPO, Frank joined Archipelago, an electronic stock exchange, and departed upon its acquisition by the New York Stock Exchange to join Deerfield Capital Management in 2005. Frank progressed from Manager of Financial Reporting to Chief Accounting Officer and in 2008 became the Chief Financial Officer of Deerfield Capital. Frank joined Golub Capital as the Chief Financial Officer in 2010 and added the title of Chief Administrative Officer in 2014. Frank currently has oversight of the Fund Accounting, Tax, Operations, Investor Communication, Treasury, Operational Risk and Change Management, Administration and Technology teams. 

Frank has also served on the Ohio University College of Business Society of Alumni and Friends Advisory Board.

Frank lives in Naperville, IL with his wife, Jennifer, a Ohio University College of Business graduate, and their two children Patrick and Julia.

Education

• BS, Management Information Systems, Ohio University
• Executive Education, Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business

Professional Experience

Paula Tolliver is a member of the C.H Robinson and Invesco public boards and the Syniti private board of directors. She is an investor and member of the Advisory Boards for the CXO Fund and Osage Partners venture capital firms and an advisor to several technology companies and startups.

Paula is an experienced Fortune 50 senior business and technology executive with deep expertise in IT and digital transformation, advanced analytics, cyber security, operational excellence, and global business growth leadership.

Tolliver was formerly the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and member of the Executive Management Committee at Intel corporation from 2016-2019. While at Intel, Tolliver led over 7,000 IT professionals worldwide with a $1.60B IT budget focused on providing leading practice IT solutions and services to Intel’s growing $70+B business portfolio across 58 countries globally. Her responsibilities included driving digital transformation across Intel, protecting data and intellectual property assets, deploying innovative applications and advanced analytics throughout the value chain, and advancing Intel’s world class factory automation, engineering and product design technologies. Her IT organization also partnered with the business product groups to advance Intel’s product and solution offerings in the market.

Before joining Intel, Tolliver was Corporate VP of Business Services and CIO at Dow Chemical. In her over two decades career with Dow Chemical, Paula led a progressively expanding portfolio of global business services with a strong track record for driving bottom-line results and corporate-level transformational change. Her responsibilities included driving IT strategy while also overseeing a large portfolio of business services – comprised of global procurement, business process transaction service centers, customer service, advanced analytics, cyber security, and facilities. Paula also lead the services business unit at Dow with revenues of over $1B.

Byron currently serves as the Managing Director, Northeast Region at OneTen, a national non-profit organization with a mission to hire, promote, and advance one million Black individuals who do not have a four-year degree into family-sustaining careers over the next 10 years. Prior to joining OneTen, Byron served as a Regional Director of Corporate Engagement at Year Up, Inc.

A wonderful career journey afforded Byron with the opportunity to positively impact some of the world's largest corporations and brands including Executive roles at  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Pearson Education, Avaya,Inc., Lucent Technologies, and AT&T.

Byron graduated with honors and received the Outstanding Senior Leader Award from The Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a double major in African-American Studies. 

Byron has dedicated his life to uplifting others and is an advocate for education, youth mentoring, and social justice causes. He has held leadership positions in several non-profit and philanthropic organizations including the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Byron currently serves as a State Director for the New Jersey Department of Higher Education.

Due to his achievements in business and commitment to community and civic causes, Byron has received local and national recognition including Ebony Magazine as one of the “50 Leaders of Tomorrow”, President Obama’s White House Community Service Award, The NAACP’s “Living Legend” award, and recently received The Ohio University Distinguished Service Award.

Byron is a proud native of Cleveland, Ohio and currently lives in New Jersey. 

Founder and CEO, TPG

Mike Wolfert is the Founder and CEO of TPG, a leading sports marketing and media agency recognized for its dynamic culture and industry leadership. Under Mike’s guidance, TPG was named the Gold Medalist for Best Places to Work by Sports Business Journal in the sports agency category during its first two years of eligibility.

Mike earned his Bachelor of Science in Business (Marketing) from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in 1988, and is a proud graduate of the Ohio University Sports Administration program (Class of 1989). He has remained deeply engaged with Ohio University throughout his career, serving on the Ohio University Sports Administration Advisory Board from 2018 to 2025, including a term as the board’s first-ever Chair from 2021 to 2023.

Mike and his wife, Michele Wolfert (MSA ’90), established an endowed scholarship to support future OUSA students. They are the proud parents of three children — all of whom have attended Ohio University:

• Michael Wolfert – MBA ’18, MSA ’19
• Amanda Wolfert – MBA ’19, MSA ’20 (currently Associate Director of the Ohio Bobcat Club)
• Mary Cathryn Wolfert – MBA (’25) and currently pursuing her MSA (’26) at Ohio University

Mike’s family has a deep-rooted connection to Ohio University. His parents — Ken Wolfert (BSED ’65) and Pat Wolfert (BAEE ’69) — are both OU alumni, and his father began his professional career at Ohio University as an Assistant Athletic Trainer. Mike was born in Athens during that time. His brothers, Matt Wolfert (’90) and Dan Wolfert (’01), also graduated from the Sports Administration program, continuing the family legacy.

In recognition of his professional accomplishments and commitment to the university community, Mike received the Charles R. Higgins Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019 from the Ohio University Sports Administration Program and the Award for Achievement in Business in 2023 from the Ohio University College of Business.

A long-time advocate for diversity in sports business, Mike has also held leadership roles on numerous nonprofit and community boards and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of industry professionals.

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mr. Young heads up product for Mutual of America Capital Management LLC, where he has overall responsibility for the firm’s mutual fund family, MoA Funds, as well as product strategy to help lead the firm’s growth initiatives. In addition, his role includes management of fund administration and operations, including service provider oversight. Mr. Young also serves as the President and Chief Financial Officer of the MoA Funds. Prior to joining Mutual of America in 2022, Mr. Young was responsible for FIS’ Asset Management & Alternatives BPaaS businesses, including Global Transfer Agency and Private Equity, as well as the client relationship management team within FIS Global Transfer Agency Services.

He brings over 30 years of experience in the mutual funds, wealth management, and investment services industries. Prior to joining FIS in 2017, he worked as Vice President and Director of Relationship Management of Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC., where he was responsible for the firm’s relationship management team. Prior to the acquisition of Huntington Asset Services by Ultimus Fund Solutions, he functioned as President of both Huntington Asset Services, Inc., and its affiliated broker-dealer, Unified Financial Securities, Inc., which represented over $48 billion in assets. Earlier in his career, he held several leadership positions with BISYS Fund Services and served as a senior consultant with Broadway & Seymour.

In addition to holding various officer positions for several fund families during his career, he also served as the Chairman of the Board of Valued Advisers Trust since its inception in 2008 through 2017, as Chairman of the Board of the Capitol Series Trust since its inception in 2013 through 2017, and on the Board of Trustees of the Coventry Group and The Coventry Funds Trust. He most recently served as an independent trustee for Zell Capital, a closed-end mutual fund, from its inception in 2021 through its conversion to a private fund in 2023.

He currently serves on the Investment Company Institute’s (ICI) Sales and Marketing and Collective Investment Trust Committees. He previously served on the NICSA Fund Administration Committee and previously served as a board member and secretary to the Greater Cincinnati Mutual Fund Association as well as a representative on the ICI Small Funds Committee. He is a current member of the Ohio University College of Business Executive Advisory Board. He previously served on the Finance Advisory Council to the College of Business.

He has been an industry panelist and speaker and has authored, co-authored, and published articles and papers on topics ranging from social media to fund governance. Mr. Young earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Ohio University, where he has served as a guest lecturer.