Our Board

Born in Vichy, France, on June 21, 1940, GWP immigrated to the United States with his parents and two brothers in March 1946, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1953. He received a BA in History from the University of Rochester in June 1962 and an MBA in Finance from New York University in June 1971. From June 1962 through June 1966 he served on active duty as a commissioned officer in the US Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Captain.

His firm, Wyser-Pratte & Co., has its origins in Paris, France, which his father, Eugene, opened in 1929, specializing in international arbitrage. The firm was re-opened on Wall Street in 1948, and after a 25 year career with Prudential-Bache he resurrected the family firm Wyser-Pratte & Co. in February 1991.

He has authored two monographs for the New York University Salomon Brothers Center: Risk Arbitrage and Risk Arbitrage II, which are considered to be the standard textbooks in the industry. Risk Arbitrage was updated and republished by John Wiley & Sons in 2009. He is the recipient of The Alternative Investment News 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr. Wyser-Pratte became a driving force in the shareholder activist movement beginning in 1974. He has maintained, throughout his 50 year career as both a risk arbitrageur and shareholder activist, a singular dedication to the basic tenets of shareholder rights and the need for investment managers to play a more active role in their investments. During that time, Mr. Wyser-Pratte has initiated over 90 activist projects in 10 jurisdictions globally. He has served on corporate Boards of Directors in both the United States and Europe.

Mr. Wyser-Pratte is former President and now Vice Chairman of the U.S. Marine Corps University Foundation, a former trustee (and now Trustee Emeritus) of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and served on the “Kitchen Cabinet” of the former Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the now Chairman of MCUF, Gen. James T. Conway. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mr. Oprison serves as the General Counsel and member of the Audit Committee for the Marine Corps University Foundation. He served on active duty in the Marine Corps from 1998 through February 2002, attaining the rank of Captain. During his service, Mr. Oprison was stationed at Camp Lejeune and served as a legal advisor to the Base Commanding General and as a prosecutor. Carrying one of the largest caseloads in the Marine Corps, he prosecuted hundreds of courts-martial, including twenty-eight contested jury and bench trails involving some of the most serious crimes under the UCMJ.

Mr. Oprison is a Litigation Partner in Akerman LLP and splits time between the firm’s Miami, Fl and Washington, DC offices. He handles domestic and international disputes, represents and advises corporations and their officers, directors and employees in connection with government enforcement actions regarding allegations of financial reporting and disclosure issues as well as investigations by federal and state enforcement agencies, including healthcare fraud investigations. He has also represented public company boards and audit committees in internal investigations on a variety of issues. Mr. Oprison also counsel’s corporations and individuals on compliance matters, particularly on the False Claims Act and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Prior to joining Akerman LLP in January 2014, Mr. Oprison litigated high profile and bet-the-business cases at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington DC. He also served from November 2006 through May 2008 in the White House Counsel’s Office as a Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to the President of the United States, where he handled a variety of legal, legislative and policy issues, including Congressional oversight investigations and litigation implicating privileges and equities of the President. Mr. Oprison also previously served as a judicial clerk for then-Chief Judge Terrence W. Boyle of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina and for the late-Judge Fred I. Parker on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Born in Powhatan County, Virginia, Mr. Oprison graduated with honors from UCLA in 1994 and received his law degree with honors from George Washington University Law School in 1997. He was also an honor graduate of both the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School and the Naval Justice School.

In addition to serving on the Marine Corps University Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Oprison is active in other civic and community service activities. In 2013, he was appointed by former VA Governor Bob McDonnell to a five-year term on the Library of Virginia’s Board of Directors. He also was appointed in 2014 by the incoming President of the Virginia State Bar to the Special Committee on Lawyer Malpractice Insurance.

Mr. Oprison, his wife Jennifer and their five children, Charlie, JP, Emma Grace, Sophia Marie, and George recently relocated to South Florida but also maintain a home in their native Virginia.

The Honorable Kim T. Adamson is a Senior Justice Court Judge in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to her appointment to the bench in 1997, she served as a law enforcement officer for over twenty years, specializing in mountain and swiftwater rescue operations, wilderness medicine and hazardous materials operations. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Westminster College of Salt Lake City in 1979 and is completing her requirements for her Masters of Professional Communication.

Judge Adamson, a CWO5 in the USMCR, was mobilized in October 2001 and while stationed at MCB Quantico served as a G-3 Action Officer, Staff Secretary for MCB Quantico and as the Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Officer for the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon. In February 2005, CWO5 Adamson joined the 4th Civil Affairs Group, where she deployed to Iraq as a Civil Affairs Officer and the Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Officer for OIF II-2. Upon her return from this deployment, she joined Personnel Retrieval and Processing (PRP) Company (-) in Washington, D.C. as a Platoon Commander. CWO5 Adamson has since deployed as the Officer-in-Charge for OIF 09.2, OEF 10.1 and is currently deployed for OEF 12.1.

Judge Adamson is very active within her community. She serves on the Westminster College Board of Trustees, and is an active member of the Alta Club, Women Marines Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators, International Police Association, International Association of Women Police, Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association and the Warrant Officers Professional Association.

Living a very active lifestyle, Judge Adamson enjoys big game hunting, scuba diving, skydiving, off-road 4-wheeling, camping, cycling, travel and reading. She has homes in Salt Lake City, Utah, Coronado, California and Tucson, Arizona. She has one daughter, Anne.

Mr. Harry Lee Crisp III, or Lee as he is commonly referred to, is an owner of Pepsi MidAmerica and Co-Founder of TAKL. In addition to running one of the largest Pepsi franchises in the nation for the last 20 years, Crisp has served in a number of leadership and philanthropic roles, including principle benefactor of the Mayo Clinic, founding member of the Smithsonian Council for American History, a Patron of the Arts at the Vatican Museum, Board member of the Museum of the Bible, and chairman of the board for the Independent Bottlers Association.

Lee also recently served as a Founder, Director and Treasurer of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, where he oversaw the National Museum of Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia.

Lee, who has been awarded 44 patents, including the technology behind, GE Appliances’ SmartDispense technology which was Popular Science Magazine’s “Best of What’s New” award as one of the 100 best inventions in 2005 and Coca-Cola’s FreeStyle and PepsiCo’s Spire units. This technology was awarded the Gold Award at the 2011 Edison Awards’ Best New Product Awards.
Lee resides in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife Stacie, daughter Hallie, and sons Harry and Isaiah.

After graduating from Franklin and Marshall College in the spring of 1987, Mr. Scott attended the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia and received his commission in December of 1987. Following completion of The Basic School and Field Artillery School, he reported to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines. Mr. Scott deployed to the Mediterranean with the 24th MEU on board the USS Portland. In December of 1990, he deployed to the Persian Gulf with the 2d Marine Division during the 1st Gulf War.

In 1992, Mr. Scott left the U.S. Marine Corps as a Captain and returned to Washington, DC where he started his career in the financial services industry. Today he is a Senior Vice President with Merrill Lynch Private Bank and Investment Group in Washington, DC.

Mr. Scott is a Trustee of the Marine Corps University Foundation where he serves as the Chairman of the Development Committee. He has served on the MCUF Board since March of 2006.

He was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. He attended high school at Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland and received his undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he majored in history and played on the football team.

Mr. Scott resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife, Marcie and their three daughters, Maggie, Greta and Tory. He spends his free time working on his golf game, biking and fitness and watching his daughters participate in various activities. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Yellow Ribbon Fund. The Yellow Ribbon Fund supports wounded, ill and injured troops and their families as they recuperate at Walter Reed and provides assistance as they transition back into society.

Lieutenant General Conant’s last active duty billet was serving as the Deputy Commander, United States Pacific Command. He joined the Marine Corps University Foundation as a Trustee in March 2019.

He is a former resident of Jackson, Michigan and a 1975 graduate of Central Michigan University (BSBA) and The Platoon Leaders Course. He graduated from The Basic School in 1976 and subsequently was designated a Naval Aviator in 1977. He has a Masters of Military Studies with Honors in Defense Management (Program and Acquisition Management) from American Military University.

He has commanded HMLA-167; Marine Aircraft Group 36; and served as Commanding General of Training Command; Deputy Commanding General of Training and Education Command and
Commanding General, 3d Marine Aircraft Wing.

Lieutenant General Conant has served in 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 4th Marine Aircraft Wing as an AH-1W and UH- 1N Assault Support Helicopter Pilot.

His staff duties have been as a Rotary Wing Monitor Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC); Aide-de-Camp Commanding General Marine Forces Atlantic/II Marine Expeditionary Force; Faculty Advisor, USMC Command and Staff College; Joint Chiefs of Staff, J8; and Branch Head Aviation Plans, Programs, and Budget, Department of Aviation.

Lieutenant General Conant’s General Officer staff tours have included Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Department of Aviation, HQMC; Assistant Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, HQMC; and Director, Capabilities Development Directorate, Marine Corps Combat Development Command and Director for Strategic Planning and Policy (J5), U.S. Pacific Command.

Lieutenant General Conant has participated in various operations overseas to include: noncombatant evacuation operations in Liberia (Operation Sharp Edge), contingency operations in Haiti (Operation Support Democracy) and peacekeeping operations in Somalia (Operation Restore Hope and UNOSOM) and supported combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lieutenant General Conant is a graduate of the USMC Amphibious Warfare School, USMC Command and Staff College, and Marine Corps War College.

Derrick T. Dortch is President of The Diversa Group, a global management consulting firm providing strategic advice and solutions to organizations and individuals to assist them in capitalizing on opportunities, effectively deal with critical challenges, and achieve success. In 2005 Mr. Dortch assumed the leadership of The Diversa Group after serving as Vice President. Since then he has taken the lead in expanding services and successfully growing the company.

In addition to his work at The Diversa Group Mr. Dortch is a columnist for The Washington Post. His column focuses on the Federal Government and helping both Federal Workers and Federal Job Seekers achieve success in their careers. Each week Mr. Dortch hosts a radio show on Federal News Radio 1500 AM called “Fed Access with Derrick T. Dortch”. Every Friday at 12 noon he talks to various guests in the Federal Sector about everything from how to win government jobs and contracts, to learning about interesting federal agencies and government contractors and their work, to providing listeners insight on how to best utilize government services.

Before assuming the leadership of The Diversa Group, Mr. Dortch worked as Assistant Director for Georgetown University’s Career Education Center. At Georgetown he served as a career counselor, special programs manager, employment advisor and was in charge of the Center’s educational technology and marketing. Mr. Dortch previously held the position of Manager of Internships, Government and Non-Profit Opportunities where he worked to find Georgetown students jobs in the federal government, nonprofit, and public service sectors by building relationships with government agencies and non-profit employers and advising students on how to succeed. He served as the first Director of the Georgetown Public Interest Program (GPIP) before being promoted to Assistant Director.

Mr. Dortch served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in various capacities from combat operations in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm to training, operational planning, career counseling, and administration. His military personal and unit service awards include the: Combat Action Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, and Meritorious Unit Commendation.

He continues his service to his country by serving as Captain (O-3) in the Maryland Defense Force, Maryland Military Department. There he commands a unit focused on providing support to the Maryland National Guard and Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). He also serves as a Flotilla Staff Officer (FSO) with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Mr. Dortch is deeply committed to service and responding in times of need and crisis. As a member of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team in Washington, D.C. Area, Mr. Dortch was one of the first Red Cross Disaster workers on the scene providing support to the rescue and recovery efforts at the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He continues to answer the call during various emergencies.

He has years of experience working in the business, education, non-profit, and government sectors. Before taking his posts at Georgetown University, Mr. Dortch worked with the City of Detroit Youth Department as a program coordinator for the Resident Youth Council, an academic, career and leadership development program for high school students. He also worked as a counselor with the YMCA and as a Youth Minister at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. While pursuing his degrees at Tuskegee University Mr. Dortch worked as Assistant to the Vice President, Judicial Officer, Director of Orientation Programs, and Editor-In-Chief of the Campus Digest (Tuskegee University’s Student Newspaper).

Mr. Dortch holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Masters of Education in Counseling and Student Development from Tuskegee University. He has also taken graduate level and professional development courses in technology and national security at Georgetown University.

Mr. Raymond V. Gilmartin is the former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co., Inc., a global research driven pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative vaccines and medicines. Mr. Gilmartin joined Merck as President and Chief Executive Officer in June 1994 and was named to the additional position of Chairman of the Board in November 1994. Shortly after retiring from Merck in 2006, he joined the faculty at Harvard Business School where he taught in the MBA and executive education programs through 2012. Prior to joining Merck, Mr. Gilmartin served as Chairman, President and CEO of Becton Dickinson, a global company that develops, manufactures and markets medical devices and diagnostic products. He joined that company in 1976 as vice president, strategic planning, and took on positions of increasing responsibility over the next eighteen years.

Mr. Gilmartin serves on the boards of General Mills, Inc. and the National Association of Corporate Directors. He is a trustee of the American Enterprise Institute and a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development. He is the past Chairman of the Board of The United Negro College Fund and has served as Chairman of the Board of Dean’s Advisors for the Harvard Business School.

Mr. Gilmartin has been an active participant in health industry affairs worldwide. Mr. Gilmartin was co-chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, is a past chair of the Healthcare Leadership Council and was a board member of the Alliance for Healthcare Reform. In addition, he is the past chair of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and a past president of the International Federation of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations. Mr. Gilmartin also has been involved in global economic and trade issues that concern the pharmaceutical industry. He was a member of the President’s Export Council and is a past chair of the Council on Competitiveness.

Mr. Gilmartin received a BS in electrical engineering from Union College in 1963 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1968.

Mr. Donald Knauss served in the U.S. Marine Corps from August 1976 to January 1981. He was an artillery officer with First Battalion 12th Marines in Kaneohe, Hawaii. When he left active duty in 1981, he had attained the rank of Captain. Mr. Knauss currently serves on the Kellogg Company Board as well as the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University and the Board of Trustees for Morehouse College.

Mr. Knauss began his business career as a brand manager in the paper products division at Procter & Gamble. He spent twelve years with The Coca-Cola Company. He joined the company in 1994 as Senior Vice President of Marketing for The Minute Maid Company and, in 1996, was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager for Minute Maid’s U.S. retail operations. Beginning in 1998, Mr. Knauss served nearly two years managing Coca-Cola’s business in ten countries of Southern Africa. In 2000, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer of The Minute Maid Company. He became President and Chief Operating Officer of Coca-Cola North America in 2004. Mr. Knauss previously held a variety of positions in marketing and sales with the Frito-Lay and Tropicana divisions of PespiCo, Inc.

Mr. Knauss retired as Executive Chairman of The Clorox Company in July 2015. As CEO, he had overall responsibility for directing the company’s worldwide business, which generated revenues of $5.7 billion in FY2015.

On September 18, 2014, The Clorox Company issued a press release announcing that it had named Donald Knauss to the newly-created position of Executive Chairman to be effective on November 20, 2014.

In addition to being a trustee for the Marine Corps University Foundation, Mr. Knauss serves on the Board of Directors of The Kellogg Company, as well as The McKesson Corporation and the Target Corporation. Additionally, Mr. Knauss is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The University of San Diego.

After completing Boot Camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, Mr. Robert Lutz was selected for the NAVCAD program in April 1955. He received his naval aviator wings the following year and was commissioned a Marine Second Lieutenant. Mr. Lutz was released from active duty in April 1959 with the rank of First Lieutenant. He served as a reserve aviator until 1965, accumulating 1,300 hours predominantly in single-seat, single-engine jet aircraft such as the F9F series, the McDonnell “Banshee,” and the Douglas “Skyhawk,” and attained the rank of Captain.

Mr. Lutz is currently the Vice Chairman of Global Product Development of General Motors. He previously served as the Chairman, GM North America of General Motors Corporation. He is the former Vice Chairman of Product Development and Chairman of GM North America, as well as the former Chairman, President and CEO of Exide Corporation.

Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Mr. Lutz became a U.S. citizen in 1943. He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of California-Berkeley in 1961 and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Master of Business Administration the following year from UC-Berkeley. Mr. Lutz currently maintains flight proficiency in a privately owned ex-Soviet Air Force L-39 “Albatross” jet aircraft.

Mr. Lutz and his wife, Terri, reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Mrs. Charlene Marshall is the former Executive Director of the Garden Club of America and was Associate Director of the Maine Community Foundation. She is a Lay Eucharistic Minister and for many years taught Stephen Ministry (a pastoral care ministry at St. James’ Episcopal Church in New York), formerly Chairman of the Juilliard School Council and member of the Councils of the American Museum of Natural History and Roundabout Theatre, a member of the Objects Conservation Committee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Patron Committee of WNET/Channel 13, and a Trustee of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Until his death in 2014, she was married to Hon. Anthony D. Marshall, Founding Chairman of the Marine Corps University Foundation, former United States Ambassador to Kenya, Madagascar and the Seychelles, and Trinidad and Tobago, and daughter-in-law of the philanthropist Brooke Astor. Both Mr. and Mrs. Marshall received Tony Awards for their Broadway productions of Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Best Revival of a Play) and I Am My Own Wife (Best Play). At that time, Mrs. Marshall was Vice President of Delphi Productions, LLC.

Douglas McGowan served in the US Government as a Marine Officer, a Government Civilian and Government Contractor. During his time in service between 2000 and 2011, Doug served in numerous operational, analytical and liaison positions and deployed multiple times in support of Afghanistan and Iraq operations, as well as more broadly in support of the Global War On Terrorism and other efforts. As a Marine Officer, he served with Second Battalion, Seventh Marines and as a Government Civilian and Government Contractor, he served with a Department of Defense combat support agency and with associated contracting companies. For his US Government service, Doug earned Personal Decorations, to include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Medal, and the Joint Civilian Service Achievement Medal, a Joint Meritorious Unit Award, as well as several Campaign and Service Awards.

After leaving US Government service, Doug has spent his post-service years working in Market/Business Development and Sales, Risk & Control, Strategy, and Portfolio/Program/Project Management positions in the Energy and Financial Services industries. In his current role in the Energy Industry, Doug manages Market Development for an Industrial & Government focused business. In prior roles in the Financial Services Industry Doug oversaw aspects of a Risk & Control portfolio for an Equities and Credit Investment Bank desk, provided Quality Assurance across an Investment Bank Change Management Portfolio, managed an Operations Team across a Consumer & Community Bank, and Program/Project Managed the overhauling of a key Collections Litigation segment and two major Legal & Compliance regulatory initiatives.

Doug currently serves on a number of veteran focused non-profit Boards of Directors and military/veteran themed Committees. Doug is the Chairman of the Board of the New York City based United War Veterans Council and associated, UWVC Foundation, whose mission is to honor an serve America’s veterans. Doug is a Director on the Board of Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Plaza, which oversees the continued care of the New York City Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Plaza in lower Manhattan. Doug also is a member of the Union League Club of New York’s Military Affairs Committee which was founded in 1863 by a group of concerned citizens to help preserve the Union.

Doug holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs focused on International Security Policy and a Master of Business Administration focused on Management and Strategy from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Peace & Justice Studies from Tufts University and is an elementary and high school alum of the Ethical Culture Fieldston Schools. Doug has also attended numerous US Government leadership and management courses.

Doug lives with his wife, Paula, who is the founder of a minority and woman owned digital marketing and social media agency. They have two children and live in New York City. He is the middle son of Marine veteran father, Vince, whose Vietnam service was captured in the Commandant’s Professional Reading List / Category: Counterinsurgency book, “The Village,” and a career Flight Attendant mother, Brenda. His brothers, Matt and Zach, are successful business owner and public figure husbands and fathers, who are married to successful business entrepreneur wives and mothers, Lisa and Emily.

Steve was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania on December 20, 1951. After graduating from Slippery Rock State College in 1974, he received his commission and was ordered to the The Basic School.

Upon graduation from TBS in December 1974, he was ordered to the Third Marine Division where he served as a rifle platoon commander and company executive officer in the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines. Upon his return to CONUS in February 1976, he was assigned to the Armed Forces Examination and Entrance Station in Newark, New Jersey.

In April 1979 he was ordered to the Second Marine Division where he commanded Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines and served as the assistant operations officer for the 34th Marine Amphibious Unit for two Landing Fleet Sixth Fleet deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. In June 1981, he assumed the duties of Inspector-Instructor Company F, 2d Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, in New Rochelle, New York.

Following his promotion to Major in July 1984, he was ordered to Headquarters Battalion, Headquarters United States Marine Corps where he served as Commanding Officer Company B and Company A. In July 1987, he was assigned as a Military Observer, Observer Group Lebanon, United Nations Truce Supervision Organization and remained there until July 1988. Upon his return to CONUS he attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. Upon graduation he was ordered to the First Marine Division where he served as the S-3 of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines. During this period the battalion served as the Ground Combat Element of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) and participated in operations in support of both Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Following his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in July 1991, he was assigned to the Marine Corps Systems Command and served as the Head, Manpower and Training Section and remained there until his selection and attendance at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Ft. McNair, Washington D.C., in August 1993. Upon his graduation from ICAF, he assumed the duties of S-3 of the Basic School, Marine Corps University until his retirement in March 1997. His personal awards include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon.

Since his retirement, he has worked as the USMC, USN, USCG Marketing Director for Firearms Training Systems (FATS), which is now Meggitt Defense and operates as Meggitt Training Systems located in Suwanee, Georgia. He currently resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Mr. Paul Michael (“Mickey”) Pohl recently retired as a Partner in the global law firm Jones Day. He joined Jones Day’s Cleveland office in 1976 and in 1989 opened Jones Day’s Pittsburgh office. He was Partner-in-Charge of the Pittsburgh office from 1989 until 2003 when he became head of the Jones Day Product Liability Practice. In 2012, the Product Liability and Trial Practices were combined into the Firm’s Business and Tort Litigation group, the firm’s largest practice, which he headed until 2014. He was a partner in the Firm from 1983 through 2018.

He graduated from Princeton University in 1970, where he won the Lyman Atwater Prize in Politics, was nominated by Princeton for a Rhodes Scholarship, and received a National Science Foundation Grant for post-graduate research. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during 1971-72, and received the Navy Achievement Medal for his service at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. Mickey graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1975, was the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review, and won the Gourley Cup Trial Competition sponsored by the Allegheny County Bar Association. Following his graduation from Law School, he served a one-year clerkship for Mr. Justice Roberts of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

With more than 40 years of litigation experience in a wide variety of cases, Mickey was the quintessential first-chair, big case litigator. He has tried jury and non-jury cases across the United States and has counselled clients around the world. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America (2018 ed.) in four separate categories. The 2015 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers publication listed him as the “Best Lawyer” in Bet-the-Company litigation. In June 2011, The Legal 500 (U.S.) publication named Mickey as one of the three “leading lawyers” in product liability and tort litigation in the United States. In April 2017, The Legal 500 named him to its initial “Hall of Fame.” He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

He has made frequent television guest appearances on litigation matters and appeared in a feature on MTV concerning the presidential election and his role as a legal advisor to Steve Forbes. He has been quoted in numerous publications, including Forbes Magazine, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal on developments in the law and politics. He was part of the litigation team that represented Ronald Reagan in one of the first cases in the United States under the Federal Election Campaign Laws. He was employed briefly as a newspaper reporter prior to entering military service. In 2003, he was named a Knight of St. Gregory the Great by the Vatican. In 2013, he received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross, awarded by Pope Benedict XVI on petition of Bishop David Zubik.

He has served on the Board of Directors of The Prince of Wales Foundation, U.S.A., and is on the legal team which advises Saudi Aramco. He was the lead lawyer in the trial of the Zubik v. Burwell case where he and the Jones Day team represented more than 70 religious entities which sued the United States over what was called the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act.

He has served as Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Rand Corporation’s Institute for Civil Justice. He has lectured at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. In August 2011, he was honored by the United States Marine Corps as the Guest of Honor at a Sunset Parade in Washington, D.C. He received an honorary doctorate in Christian Ethics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2016.

Mickey was designated by the United States Golf Association and Oakmont Country Club to serve as chairman of the 2007 United States Open, which was held at Oakmont.

Frank Quinlan has broad experience in leadership of large organizations stemming from his duty as a U.S. Marine Corps commander, as current chairman of several corporation board audit committees and member of an investment committee with sizeable assets under management, and as former general counsel of a national not-for-profit foundation. His board responsibilities include oversight of internal audits and the preparation of financial statements by international accounting firms; and development of business continuity plans. He co-founded the AV rated Newport Beach firm of Kester & Quinlan, LLP, and for over 20 years represented banks, venture capital firms, mortgage, title and general liability insurers, public and private corporations, receivers and individuals in business.

General Quinlan began his law career as a legal officer in a Marine helicopter gunship squadron, followed by a tour as an FBI Special Agent. He returned to the Marine Reserve after the FBI and served in command positions at the Squadron, Air Group, Air Wing, Marine Expeditionary Force and Joint Force levels. His most recent command assignment was Vice-Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific and Central Commands during Operation Enduring Freedom. During 2008-09, he was recalled to active duty as Special Investigator and Director of a national security assessment and investigative team during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His professional education includes coursework at numerous senior officer schools including Information Security and Operations at the Air War College and the National Security Program for US and Russian General Officers at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Devoting a substantial part of his practice to critical internal investigations, institutional crisis management and corporate governance, Mr. Quinlan regularly advises clients faced with complex financial fraud, securities fraud, due diligence and other transactional challenges involving investment, real estate, labor, lending and bank operations (including money laundering, embezzlement and Patriot Act issues), and personal business, tax and estate planning issues. He periodically consults in the defense of white-collar crime and unfair business practices claims and serves as an expert witness in corporation litigation.

In the rising arena of Cybercrime and IT Security, Mr. Quinlan conducts risk identification, management and business continuity analyses, advises on information technology security assessments and IT project cost containment, and counsels during governmental agency inquiries at state and federal levels.

As an FBI Agent, Mr. Quinlan was involved in substantial federal criminal investigations into white-collar crime, public corruption, bank and insurance fraud, organized crime, labor, tax, and extortion of business. He also served as an FBI pilot and completed the FBI Special Agents’ Course in Investigative (forensic) Accounting.

Mr. Thomas A. Saunders III is president of Ivor & Co., LLC and the Ivor Foundation, a private investment firm and family foundation respectively, both located in New York City.

He began his investment banking career at Morgan Stanley where he was a managing director, headed the firm’s syndicate and capital market group and ultimately became Chairman of its $2.2 billion private equity fund. After leaving Morgan Stanley in 1989, he founded the private equity firm, Saunders Karp & Megrue, which merged in 2005 with Apax Partners, LP, a private equity firm headquartered in London.

Mr. Saunders continues to be an active private equity investor and is a Senior Advisor to a number of investment funds including Citi’s Metalmark Capital, Citi’s Old Lane Funds, Roundtable Partners, Parallel Partners, Goode Holdings and Blackrock‘s private equity fund of funds. In addition, he serves on the Boards of Directors of the publicly traded Dollar Tree, Inc., where he is Lead Director, and Hibbett Sporting Goods, Inc.

Mr. Saunders’ philanthropic interests have focused principally on public policy, higher education, historic preservation and the arts. He is the Chairman of The Heritage Foundation, located in Washington DC. He is a member of the Trustees’ Council of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. He is the former chairman of the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation. He has been a member of the Boards of Visitors of the University of Virginia and the Virginia Military Institute. From 1995-2000, he was the National Co-Chairman of the University of Virginia’s $1.4 billion capital campaign.

Mr. Saunders served on the Board of Directors of the University of Virginia Investment Management Company, is the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and is a present Trustee of the New-York Historical Society. Mr. Saunders and his wife, Jordan, are recipients of the 2008 National Humanities Medal. Mr. Saunders is the recipient of the highest awards bestowed by the Marine Corps University Foundation, the New-York Historical Society, the Virginia Military Institute and the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Mr. Saunders received his BSEE from the Virginia Military Institute in 1958 and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School in 1967. Jordan Saunders, daughter of U.S. Marine Corps Major General Matthew C. Horner (deceased) is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Marine Corps University Foundation.

The Saunders reside in Palm Beach, Florida. They have two children and four grandchildren.

Jordan Saunders has been actively involved in a broad range of civic and philanthropic pursuits with a particular focus on national defense, historic preservation, higher education, health care and the arts. She was recognized for her contributions to the humanities in 2008 when she and her husband Thomas A. Saunders III were named the first joint recipients of the National Humanities Medal, presented by President George W. Bush.

Mrs. Saunders has served on the Board of Trustees for the Marine Corps University Foundation for more than 20 years. She was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Interior to the Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission which commemorated the 400th anniversary of the first permanent settlement at Jamestown. Mrs. Saunders was also appointed, by the Governor of Virginia, to serve on the Board of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She served as a Trustee and Chairman of the Development and External Affairs Committee of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. Mrs. Saunders has been actively involved with a number of other organizations including: the School of American Ballet, the Museum of the City of New York, Robert E. Lee Foundation, Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Old Westbury Gardens, the Churchill School and Grosvenor Neighborhood House in NYC.

In 1995, Mrs. Saunders chaired the committee that planned and organized the University of Virginia’s $1.5 billion Capital Campaign Kick-Off Dinner for 1500 guests. She served as Chairman of the Virginia Military Institute’s Parade Ground Dinner in 2000 and has the unique honor of receiving two dress parades: one at the United States Marine Corps Headquarters at “8th and I” in Washington D.C., the other at the Virginia Military Institute with a “fly over” of U.S. Airforce-F16.

Mrs. Saunders is the daughter of the late Major General Matthew C. Horner, USMC and Mrs. Rebecca J. Horner. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders are the parents of a son, Taz and a daughter Calvert. Mrs. Saunders has four grandchildren: Carter, George and Schuyler Moore and Fin Saunders. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders reside in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mr. Mitchell Shivers is President of Hughes+Shivers, LLC, an international advisory firm located in Washington, DC.
He is a former Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian & Pacific (now Indo-Pacific) Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy). In that capacity, he was one of the Pentagon’s top officials developing, implementing and overseeing the region’s defense policies for Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. Previously, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Central Asia, with defense policy responsibilities for Afghanistan, Pakistan and five former Soviet republics.
From November 2004 until November 2005, Mr. Shivers was the senior economics and finance advisor to two United States ambassadors to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad and Ronald Neumann, and was the Economic Sector Chief of the State Department’s Afghanistan Reconstruction Group (ARG) at the United States Embassy, Kabul.
An international investment banker by profession, Mr. Shivers retired from Merrill Lynch as Managing Director and Head of Global Public Credit Origination in 2002. In his almost thirty years in financial services, Mr. Shivers held senior management posts in New York, Chicago, Singapore, Tokyo, London (twice) and Jakarta with Merrill Lynch as well as two major British merchant banks, Samuel Montagu and Kleinwort Benson (where he was the first American member of the main board of directors at each bank).
Mr. Shivers was an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps, and is a combat veteran of Vietnam. From 2015 to 2019, he served on the Marine Corps University’s Board of Visitors at Marine Corps Base, Quantico.
He is a Distinguished Alumnus, Distinguished Business Alumnus and former trustee of Monmouth University, and attended New York University’s Graduate School of Business.
Mitch has served on the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, and as Vice Chair of the New Jersey Cultural Trust. From 2013 until 2018 he served as a gubernatorial appointee, with NJ Senate confirmation, on the NJ State Investment Council, and its Investment Policy Committee, overseeing some $75 Billion in official state funds. Mitch recently joined the Advisory Council for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, DC.
He has twice been awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, has received the State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award and a Presidential Award for Excellence from President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan.

Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart (Vince) is the Founder and CEO of Stewart Global Solutions, LLC, an international consulting organization. He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps after more than 38 years of active commissioned service to the nation. On his final tour of duty, he served as the Deputy Commander United States Cyber Command, one of the 11 Combatant Commands of the Department of Defense with military and civilian personnel stationed worldwide. Prior to that assignment, he served as the 20th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), culminating an intelligence career by overseeing the global defense intelligence enterprise supporting customers from the President of the United States, to the troops deployed around the world. In his other General Officer assignments, he served as the Commander, Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command and as the Director of Intelligence, for the U.S. Marine Corps.

A career intelligence officer, with over thirty years’ experience in national defense, cyber security, information technology development and customer support, he served around the globe in leadership positions for both the Marine Corps and the National Security Agency, specializing in Signals Intelligence and Cyber Operations.

He has vast experience in large, complex global and national information operations, information technology deployment, and customer requirement satisfaction. While the Director of DIA, he implemented regionally aligned, integrated analytic mission centers to bring focus to the global challenges facing our Nation. He has the unique ability to integrate complex programs and business operations allowing the organization to focus on mission essential goals.
Vince is also a member of a variety of professional associations, public and private boards and serves on government pro bono committees and panels to examine ways to enhance homeland and national security capabilities.

He earned a Baccalaureate Degree from Western Illinois University, and has earned Masters’ Degrees in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, R.I. and in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Washington, D.C. Additionally, he has completed executive development programs at Harvard University.

Among his awards and decorations are the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.