Valisha Graves is an executive director in the institutional securities technology group at Morgan Stanley. She is the product manager for IRIS (Interactive Derivatives Investment Strategies), a Flex data visualization application that allows users to model and analyze equity derivatives strategies. At Morgan Stanley, Valisha has worked with the ModelWare team, responsible for the development and delivery of Web-based applications including intrinsic value (valuation), food chain, profitability analysis, clustering, nearest neighbor and correlation. She was also responsible for improving the efficacy of Workbench, an Excel-based application and managed the Cross Asset Class (CAC)/LBO application. Additionally, Valisha led a team responsible for screening investment ideas, valuation, and due diligence on behalf of the financial sponsors (private equity) and strategic investment groups. In this initiative, the ModelWare framework was used to conduct fundamental, 'bottoms up' investment and capital structure analysis and screen investment ideas across multiple asset classes. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Valisha was a senior analyst with RateFinancials, a private, independent equity research firm that ranks and rates the financial reporting, quality of earnings and corporate governance of S&P 500 companies. Valisha was part of a four-person deal team at Accordia, a $100 MM early stage, quasi private equity e-commerce technology fund. She was a vice president in the finance division of Lehman Brothers, responsible for financial modeling, academic research and data analysis for a global risk equity allocation project. She was a manager in Ernst & Young's financial services consulting practice. She spent 10 years at National Westminster Bank in roles including asset/liability management in the treasury group, where she identified interest rate hedging strategies, recommended proprietary trading strategies using financial futures and options and marketed fixed income, derivative and foreign exchange products. Valisha Graves received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her MBA from Columbia University.
Sarah McDonald is currently the Chief of Staff to the president of eBay marketplaces. Over her ten year career at eBay, she has held several operational roles including global policy manager, manager for cross border trade, and director of seller development which included management of eBay's Daily Deal program. Prior to eBay, McDonald worked as a strategy consultant at Accenture in Boston working in the High Tech practice - but eventually made her way to the Bay Area and eBay in the Fall of 2004. Sarah McDonald received her undergraduate degree from Occidental College and her MBA from Cornell University Johnson School of Business.
Diane Sakach is Executive Director of Corporate Leadership Center (CLC), a partnership between major corporations and academic institutions, which advances top corporate leaders and leadership practices. CEO Perspectives, CLC's flagship program, has been offered since 2006 with the Kellogg School of Management. In 2008, Diane joined Corporate Leadership Center to co-develop its second program, Leading Women Executives, which focuses exclusively on high-potential women executives and their companies in order to strengthen and sustain female advancement in business. She is responsible for the program's strategic direction, marketing, relationship management, and delivery. Previously, Diane was an independent consultant focused on enhancing the effectiveness of investment sales and client servicing organizations.
From 1996-2002, Diane was Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Northern Trust Global Investments (NTGI), the institutional investment division of Northern Trust Corporation. Diane was a member of its executive management team accountable for market strategy of the $180+ billion institutional business. Diane developed and ran the business model that provided client and regulatory support for all NASD regulated investment sales and servicing functions. She led key initiatives to build cross functional business management systems and web-based client reporting, which improved communication flow and servicing capability. Diane designed and facilitated an ongoing training and development program for the division's investment professionals and collaborated with third party specialists to capture client satisfaction metrics and competitive positioning criteria to grow NTGI's market share.
Prior to this leadership role, Diane was an Investment Relationship Consultant and advised Fortune 500 firms on their institutional tax-advantaged plans. Diane began her career with Northern Trust Corporation in 1987 as a portfolio investment manager and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Diane Sakach received her undergraduate degree from the College of St. Benedict and her M.B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago.
Charlotte Dieroff works in the area of Business Development at the International Food Network (IFN)in Ithaca, NY.
Her early career at IFN included product development in the areas of frozen desserts, weight-loss and dry mix beverages. She later joined Tastemaker (acquired by Givaudan) and worked in food flavor applications. Upon returning to IFN Charlotte's efforts morphed into the areas of business development including sales and behind the scenes marketing.
Charlotte Dieroff holds a B.S. in Food Science from Cornell University and an MBA from Xavier University.
Eric Allyn is one of the owners of Welch Allyn, Inc, a company founded in 1915 when Allyn's great-grandfather invented the ophthalmoscope.
Today, Welch Allyn is a 100% family-owned company,employing some 2,800 people worldwide. Welch Allyn is a recognized leader in Medical devices, producing instruments ranging from blood pressure gauges and stethoscopes to wireless cardiac monitoring equipment.
Allyn began his career at Welch Allyn in 1982, and worked in a variety of functions through the company, including US and international sales, marketing, business development, product management and executive management. He spent more than five years abroad running various businesses, with responsibilities in both Europe and Asia. He now serves on Welch Allyn's board of directors, and is chairman of the company's voting trust. He chairs the investment committee at the Allyn Foundation, serves on the board of the Gifford Foundation, is chairman of the board of Auburn Memorial Hospital, and is a board member of the Hospital Trustees of New York State. In addition, Allyn is the managing partner of several private investment funds. He is a former board member of Hand Held Products, Inc. (eventually sold to Honeywell) and Everest-VIT (eventually sold to GE).
Allyn attended Dartmouth College, and earned an MBA from University of Virginia. He lives in Skaneateles with his wife Meg O'Connell and their three daughters.
Mark Miller has a twenty-year track record with expertise in business strategy, business development, fund raising, and middle-market M&A. Miller's area of focus includes the full spectrum of the higher education marketplace: educational, custom and on-demand publishing, and publishing technology, new media and online communities. Miller's greatest strengths include his faith in a long-developed gut instinct; his ability to connect with Boards and other C-level executives, helping them through the complexities and ups and downs of the M&A process; and his drive to get deals to the goal line.
Miller has been a serial entrepreneur since winning Cornell University's Johnson School Business Plan Competition for TakeNote. Miller founded and has served as president and executive chairman of a number of outsourced service and technology companies. Miller was founder and CEO of TakeNote; The Custom Publishing Group; NetPaper; PowerProse; The Daily Jolt; and CollegiateLink. Miller is currently the founder and CEO of markmillers LLC, a middle-market M&A advisory services company. Miller served as the sole advisor on the sale of Xplana Learning to MBS Textbooks/Barnes & Noble College Stores. Miller has provided consulting services and served on boards of for-profits and non-profit companies, including O'Reilly Media, Harvard Business School Publishing, Tizra, Course Advisor, Textbook Revolution and Freeload Press.
Linda Choong is Senior VP, Global Retail Development for the National Basketball Association.
As senior vice president of the NBA's global retail development group, Linda Choong manages the global multi-channel retail businesses for the NBA, WNBA, and NBA Development League. Choong oversees the strategy and execution for league-branded retail, e-commerce, and direct-to-consumer channels. Her areas of responsibility include merchandising, traditional and digital marketing, operations and international expansion. Choong joined the NBA in 1998 to help establish and open the flagship NBA Store on Fifth Avenue, the first retail store to be owned and operated by a North American professional sports league. Choong has also been responsible for the completion of the league's e-commerce partnerships and has overseen several site launches and redesigns.
In July 2008, Choong oversaw the opening of the NBA Store's first retail locations outside the U.S., with two stores in Beijing, China. She also introduced a new global retail design with a new store in Shanghai, China during the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Choong has held several positions at the NBA, including vice president of retail, senior director of retail, and director of e-commerce business operations.
Prior to joining the NBA, Choong was the director of planning at A|X Armani Exchange, where she was responsible for merchandise planning for the U.S. business and served as the primary lead for four Asian buying offices. Before that, she held various planning positions at Ann Taylor.
Choong received a bachelor's degree in design and environmental analysis from Cornell University.
Nancy Taber Richards is the owner/cheesemaker at Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese Co. LLC, located between Ithaca and Watkins Glen, NY. All the milk comes from Taber Hill Farms' 50-head Holstein cowherd belonging to her parents and brothers. Nancy's business partner, an experienced Dutch cheesemaker, helped establish the cheesemaking process. Previously, she was a reporter at the Bar Harbor Times. Nancy Richards is a graduate of Cornell University
Bruce George is a visionary, executive producer, writer, poet and activist. He was born and raised in New York City. He has written poetry and prose for over 25 years. His work has been published in major magazines, anthologies and literary publications.
Bruce George has won multiple literary and talent contests including a Peabody Award for "Russell Simmons Presents, Def Poetry (HBO)"
Bruce George is a co-founder of "Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam". He is also the founder/managing editor of "The Bandana Republic, an Anthology of Poetry and Prose by Gang Members and Their Affiliates".
Bruce George is a graduate of Niagara University where he earned a BA in Psychology.