<p>Bill Weidlein has been with Trans National Group since 1987. In his current role as Vice Chairman, Weidlein has Board level responsibility for overseeing TNG's four majority owned operating affiliates, as well as the Company's Real Estate and Investment activities. Included within the operating affiliates are TNT Vacations (tntvacations.com), Trans National Communications International (tncii.com), Trans National Marketing (tnmarketing.com), and LiveBridge (livebridge.com).</p> <p>Prior to his current position, Weidlein has served TNG in the roles of Group CFO; President, International; and Executive Vice-President, Trans National Financial Services (US). During his 17 years with TNG, Weidlein has been directly involved in the founding of ten companies in the affinity marketing industry, including four international ventures. Before joining Trans National, Weidlein worked at Bain & Company in Boston for five years, where he specialized in Consumer Financial Services and Information Industry clients. While at Bain, Weidlein led the consulting team for MBNA which identified the affinity credit card marketing opportunity and developed the five year business plan for MBNA's, and TNG's, rise to leadership in that market segment. Prior to receiving his MBA, Weidlein spent four years with Rohm and Haas Company in Philadelphia in Development Engineering and M&A.</p> <p>Bill Weidlein holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA, with distinction, from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.</p>
Timothy M. Gunn is Chair of the Department of Fashion Design at Parsons The New School for Design. In addition, he serves as an on-air mentor to designers on the Bravo reality television program "Project Runway".
Gunn has been a vital part of the Parsons community for more than 23 years. In August 2000, he was appointed Chair of the fashion design program with the charge of retooling and invigorating the curriculum for the 21st century. Under Gunn's direction, the department has strengthened its position as the indisputable leader in fashion design education in America and as one of only a handful of leading programs in the world.
Prior to his appointment as Chair of the fashion design program, Gunn spent most of his career at Parsons as Associate Dean of the school. In that capacity, he worked closely with the academic departments and helped develop programs and relationships abroad, including the international spectrum of Parsons affiliates in Paris, Korea, Japan and the Dominican Republic.
Gunn has lectured widely on fashion and lifestyle design and Parsons' influential role in putting America on the global design map. His interviews have appeared in publications as diverse as Time and Newsweek, Crain's New York Business, Martha Stewart Living, Elle Magazine and Women's Wear Daily, and his television interviews have appeared on CBS, NBC, and the Metro Channel.
Timothy Gunn holds a B.A. degree from Yale University and a B.F.A. in sculpture from the Corcoran School of Art & Design.
Paul Polak is president of International Development Enterprises (IDE), a nonprofit, poverty alleviation organization he founded in 1981. IDE pioneered the development and marketing of affordable technologies within developing countries. The Technology Museum of Innovation named IDE-International a Laureate for its development of "Easy Drip" a truly affordable micro-irrigation system for the rural farmers in developing countries. In 2004, Paul was awarded Ernst & Young's "2004 Entrepreneur of the Year" award in the category of social responsibility. As a result of technologies like "Easy Drip" and facilitated market entrance, IDE families have increased their net annual income by more than $200 million annually. Recently Polak was honored by Scientific American as one of the Top 50 innovators in 2003 for his work pioneering poverty alleviation worldwide. In 2007, Polak founded D-Rev, an organization created to design affordable technology for dollar-a day customers and developing markets where they can be sold profitably and sustainable at a fair market price. Paul Polak received his MD from the University of Western Ontario and practiced psychiatry for 23 years.
Jill Hurst-Wahl, MLS, is a digitization consultant and owner of Hurst Associates, Ltd. She also teaches digitization for Syracuse University's School of Information Studies. Prior to forming Hurst Associates, she worked for Manning & Napier Advisors and Corning Incorporated.
Hurst-Wahl has more than 15 years of diversified professional experience with significant accomplishments in information retrieval and information technology. She is currently working on a two-year planning project with the Western New York Library Resources Council. She has also completed planning projects with the Capital District Library Council and the South Central Regional Library Council. She has also worked on several private (in-house) projects and the Women's Suffrage Digitization Project, a demonstration project completed in 2000 by the Rochester Regional Library Council. Her knowledge in the area of digitization includes project planning, project management, vendor selection, intellectual property concerns, and material access.
Jill Hurst-Wahl received her MLS from University of Maryland's College of Library and Information Science and her Bachelor's degree from Elmira College.
Ramsey Brous is co-owner of Ithaca Bakery and Collegetown Bagels located in Ithaca, NY.
Barbara Lang, founder of RTR Ideas, offers a wide range of experiences, including 10 years as a culinary director at a Napa Valley winery; a former co-owner of a successful restaurant in Ithaca, NY; 17 years as a lecturer at Cornell's Hotel School and is author of "From Restaurant to Retail, a Handbook for Food Professionals".
Lang developed and launched The Ithaca Wegman's Culinary School, produced and hosted a series of food programs and culinary videos for Cornell's Cooperative Extension, created the Popcork Experience, a fun, interactive wine and food pairing experience, developed the Rolling Stove, a series of culinary adventures for children, and was past president of the American Cheese Society. A popular public speaker, Lang has spoken at over 50 conferences and symposia, including at the National Restaurant Show, The Professional Association of Innkeepers International and the California Wine Experience.
Barbara Lang holds an undergraduate degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University's Hotel School and a masters degree in professional studies in Food Marketing from Cornell University's Department of Applied Economics and Management.
Dr. Lois Frankel is a professional coach and author.
Her last two books, "Nice Girls Don't Get The Corner Office" and "Nice Girls Don't Get Rich" are international bestsellers translated into over twenty-five languages worldwide.
Frankel has been featured on the TODAY Show, CNN and CNBC, in the New York Times, USA Today, and in PEOPLE and TIME Magazines. BUSINESSWEEK named Corner Office among its top ten business books of 2004 and Paramount purchased the rights for a major motion picture.
Combining her experience in human resources at a Fortune 10 oil company with insights and information from her Ph.D. in Psychology, Dr. Frankel founded Corporate Coaching International, headquartered in Pasadena, California. Her client list reads like a who's who of multinational corporations, including Amgen, British Petroleum, McKinsey & Company, Inc., Procter & Gamble, Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company and Goldman Sachs to name just a few of the hundreds of companies that have invited her back time and again.
Lois Frankel holds a PhD in Psychology from University of Southern California.
Andrew Tisch is the co-chairman of the board, and chairman of the Executive Committee, of Loews Corporation. Previously, Andrew served as chairman and chief executive officer of Lorillard, Inc., and as president of the Bulova Watch Company and Bulova Corporation, which he helped to transform into one of the most innovative and successful watch companies in the world.
In addition to his responsibilities at Loews, Andrew serves on numerous corporate boards and is a firm believer in giving back to the community. His leadership and support benefit a wide range of organizations and institutions, from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Brookings Institution to Cornell University, Harvard Business School and the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He is also prominent in Jewish communal affairs, serving as a trustee of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, as founding chairman of the Jewish Leadership Forum, and as the founder of the Jewish Business Leadership Forum.
Andrew Tisch received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and his MBA from Harvard University.
Fred Johnson is the owner of Johnson Estate Winery. He received his undergraduate and MBA degrees from Cornell University.