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Jared Cohon is president of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has more than 25 years of teaching and research experience, has written one book, and is author, coauthor, or editor of more than 80 professional publications.
In 1969, Dr. Cohon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as a construction inspector in Philadelphia and as an engineering assistant for the Philadelphia Water Department before attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering in 1972 and a Ph.D. in civil engineering in 1973. Dr. Cohon began his teaching career in 1973 at Johns Hopkins University, where he served as assistant, associate, and full professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering and as Assistant and Associate Dean of Engineering and Vice Provost for Research. In 1992, he became dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and professor of environmental systems analysis at Yale University. Dr Cohon assumed his duties as the eighth president of Carnegie Mellon University on July 1, 1997.
Mr. Chen, chairman, CEO, and president of Sybase, is a technology industry leader, corporate turnaround specialist, and uncommonly well-informed voice on relations between the U.S. and China. He has served as chief executive officer and chairman since November 1998. Under his leadership, Sybase has become a highly and consistently profitable company and is firmly established as the largest independent software vendor specializing in mission critical enterprise database, information management and mobility solutions. Through early investment in the Unwired Enterprise space, Sybase has garnered number one analyst rankings as leader in mobile database, mobile device management and mobile middleware. Before joining Sybase, Mr. Chen held positions as the president of the Open Enterprise Computing Division of Siemens Nixdorf, and chairman and CEO of Pyramid Technology Corporation.
Mr. Chen is recognized as an expert on global business and international trade. He is actively involved in international relations, particularly between the U.S. and China. He was among the first American business executives to argue in favor of permanent normal trade relations with China. In January of 2004, he was elected to the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company. In December 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush appointed him to serve as a member of the President’s Export Council, a bi-partisan committee of prominent business leaders, Cabinet Secretaries, and members of the U.S. House and Senate that provides advice and recommendations to the U.S. government on export and international trade policy. Mr. Chen is also a member of the boards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Committee of 100, and the San Francisco Symphony.
Mr. Chen graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, receiving a degree in Electrical Engineering. He also holds a master’s of science from California Institute of Technology, an honorary professorship from Shanghai University, an honorary doctor of Science degree from the City University of Hong Kong and an honorary doctor of Business Administration from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
As Associate Vice President for Homeland Security at The George Washington University, Frank J. Cilluffo manages the University’s homeland security programs. Cilluffo joined GW from the White House where he served as Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. Shortly following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Cilluffo was appointed by President George W. Bush to the newly created Office of Homeland Security. In his capacity as Special Assistant to the President for External Affairs, Cilluffo was responsible for engaging and building partnerships with the private sector, academic, and state and local officials and emergency responders on homeland security policies and initiatives. He was a principal advisor to Governor Tom Ridge and directed the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council and its four Senior Advisory Committees.
Prior to his White House appointment, Cilluffo spent eight years in senior policy positions with the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), a Washington based "think tank.” At CSIS he chaired or directed numerous committees and task forces on homeland defense, counterterrorism, transnational crime, and information warfare and information assurance.
In addition to publishing extensively in professional journals, magazines and newspapers worldwide, Cilluffo is co-author and editor of Combating Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Terrorism: A Comprehensive Strategy (2001); Cyber Threats and Information Security: Meeting the 21st Century Challenge (2001); Russian Organized Crime & Corruption: Putin’s Challenge (2000); Cybercrime, Cyberterrorism, Cyberwarfare (1998); Russian Organized Crime (1997); and Global Organized Crime: The New Empire of Evil (1994).
He has testified before the United States Congress on a number of occasions and has been a regular guest on major television and radio networks. Cilluffo has served on various national security-related committees sponsored by the U.S. government, non-profit organizations such the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum, and was on the board of directors of a publicly traded company. Cilluffo also currently serves as Counselor to the Center for the Study of the Presidency.
In August of 2001, Sandy deployed the first TravelTalkRADIO Internet Show. As Executive Producer and Host, Sandy offers an original view of travel and tourism introducing her audience to the worlds top travel experts. After spending more than 10 years as founder and President of Electronic Pen, Inc. in the Silicon Valley, and two and half years as co-founder and Vice President of Marketing at CommerceWAVE, Inc in Carlsbad, California, Sandy has accumulated a rich heritage of classic Web site design and development and a firm understanding of elements that are successfully linked to creating and maintaining a commerce related site.
As a pioneer in online strategies, as well as digital graphics since it's inception in the early 80's, Sandy brings a high touch to TravelTalkRADIO focusing on using technology to deliver and distribute entertaining and educational content and while still allowing the listener the opportunity to instantly communicate with Sandy and her guests. As a respected Web authority, Sandy has given countless presentations on conventional and online marketing, and successfully implementing an electronic commerce Web site.
TravelTalkRADIO, TravelTalkTV and TravelTalkNEWS produce and distribute informative travel news segments, entertaining interviews, and promotional segments that are broadcast via conventional radio and TV in California, Mainland China and the UK and also distributed and heard worldwide over the Internet. The companies also produce live remote radio broadcasts, travel news segments for TV, B-roll and digital still photography, destination and event promos, press releases and newsletters, all with worldwide distribution availability.
Ms. Dhuyvetter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University in illustration and design. Sandy served as adjunct professor at Mission College in Santa Clara where she taught computer graphics.
Thomas J. Donohue is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation representing 3 million companies, associations, state and local chambers, and American Chambers of Commerce abroad. Since assuming his position in 1997, Donohue has built the Chamber into a lobbying and political force with expanded influence across the globe.
Donohue established the Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), which has won significant legal reforms in the courts, at the state and federal levels, and in elections for state attorneys general and Supreme Court judges. Under Donohue's leadership, the Chamber has also emerged as a major player in election politics, helping elect congressional pro-business candidates through financial support and voter activism and turnout generated through the Chamber's grassroots organization, VoteForBusiness.com. Since Donohue took over the Chamber in 1997, it has tripled its annual revenues to more than $130 million. In addition, Donohue launched a $200 million capital campaign to help secure the Chamber's financial future.
Prior to his current post, Donohue served for 13 years as president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations, the national organization of the trucking industry. Donohue serves on three corporate boards of directors. In addition, he is a member of the President's Council on the 21st Century Workforce as well as the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Donohue is president of the Center for International Private Enterprise, a program of the National Endowment for Democracy dedicated to the development of market-oriented institutions around the world.
Roger Dow is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), a position he assumed on January 1, 2005. With 2,000 organizations as members, TIA is the national, umbrella organization that represents and speaks for all segments of the $600 billion U.S. travel and tourism industry in promoting and facilitating increased travel to and within the United States. TIA is headquartered in Washington, DC with overseas offices in Japan, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.
Prior to TIA, Dow rose through the ranks at Marriott International in a career that spanned 34 years. Most recently he was Senior Vice President, Global and Field Sales for Marriott International, leading Marriott's 10,000-person worldwide sales organization.
Roger Dow began his career working summers as a lifeguard at Marriott's sixth hotel. When he left to join TIA, Marriott had over 2,800 hotels and resorts in 69 countries worldwide. During his more than three decades with Marriott, he directed every aspect of sales and marketing, including: advertising, public relations, promotion, sales training, compensation and succession planning. He developed Marriott Rewards, the world's leading frequent traveler program.
Roger Dow has been the recipient of many awards during his illustrative career including being named by the Convention Industry Council (CIC) to its prestigious Hall of Leaders, being named by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) as one of the industry's top leaders, and being honored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) with its Academy of Leaders Award.
Dow served in the United States Army with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star and other citations.
A native of New Jersey, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Seton Hall University, where he was senior class president, captain of the varsity wrestling team and secretary of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. He was named TKE alumnus of the year for 1991 and was presented with the award by President Ronald Reagan.
John Engler is president of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the largest industry trade group in America, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Engler became NAM president on Oct. 1, 2004.
In September 2005, Engler was named Vice Chairman of the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), the U.S. Government’s senior trade advisory panel. As NAM president, Engler is committed to educating the public and policymakers that manufacturing is critical to our future as a nation. Under his leadership, the NAM advocates policies that seek to level the international playing field and reduce the cost of doing business at home, with special attention to high health care and litigation costs. The NAM will continue to emphasize that manufacturers are driving innovation and productivity growth in the economy, providing the bulk of U.S. exports and offering rewarding careers for highly-skilled workers.
The former three-term Michigan Governor brings to the NAM a lifelong commitment to reducing the size of government as a means to boosting economic growth and job creation. Engler insists that lower taxes on businesses and individuals, and reasonable and scientifically-based regulation, will create more wealth, improve standards of living for all income groups and best sustain America’s vital middle class.
Born in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, in 1948, Engler graduated from Michigan State University and later earned a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing. In Feb. 2005, President Bush appointed Engler to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations to give advice on U.S. objectives and bargaining positions before trade agreements are adopted. He also serves on the boards of Northwest Airlines, Universal Forest Products and is a past chairman of the National Governors’ Association.
Susan Ginsburg, a Nonresident Fellow at MPI, is an independent consultant and policy analyst. Since July 2004, Susan Ginsburg has provided consultation for the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, testified before Congress, and written strategic policy. Prior to acting as an consultant, Ms. Ginsburg served as Senior Counsel and Team Leader on the staff of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission). In that position, she was responsible for research and policy recommendations concerning the entry of the 9/11 hijackers, terrorist travel, and border controls.
In addition to her recent work with the 9/11 Commission, Ms. Ginsburg has substantial experience in both the private and public sectors. She has worked as a consultant to nonprofit and academic institutions, providing strategic and operational planning relating to firearms policy. Prior to that Ms. Ginsburg worked at the Department of Treasury as Senior Advisor and Firearms Policy Coordinator, Under Secretary for Enforcement. Before that she was Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Enforcement.
Ms. Ginsburg is a member of the DC Bar Association, and as an attorney she has specialized in civil litigation with two private law firms. Ms. Ginsburg worked as a Special Assistant in the Bureau of International Narcotics Matters at the Department of State.
J.W. Marriott, Jr. is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc., one of the world's largest lodging companies. His leadership spans nearly 50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a $19 billion global lodging company with 2,700 properties in 70 countries.
Mr. Marriott's vision for the company is to be the world's leading provider of hospitality services. It is grounded in his intense focus on taking care of the guest, extensive operational knowledge, the development of a highly skilled and diverse workforce, and offering the best portfolio of lodging brands in the industry. Under his leadership, Marriott continues to enjoy strong customer, owner and franchise preference, steady growth and profitability.
Known throughout the industry for his hands-on management style, Mr. Marriott has built a highly regarded culture that emphasizes the importance of Marriott's people and recognizes the value they bring to the organization. Marriott International's "spirit to serve" culture is based on a business philosophy started 76 years ago by his parents, J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott - "Take care of the associate, and they'll take care of the guest." Today, approximately 128,000 Marriott associates are serving guests throughout the world.
Marriott International is also well known as a great place to work and for its commitment to diversity and community service. It has consistently been named to Fortune's lists of most admired companies, best places to work and top companies for minorities.
Mr. Marriott has also worked to compile a family of 18 lodging brands that range from limited service to full service luxury hotels that meet the needs of any traveler. Today, the company manages and franchises hotels and resorts under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn and Ramada International brands. Marriott also develops and operates vacation ownership resorts, executive apartments and conference centers.
Mr. Marriott serves on the board of directors of Sunrise Assisted Living, the board of trustees of the National Urban League, and is a director of the Naval Academy Endowment Trust and the National Geographic Society. He is a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotional Advisory Board, a member of the executive committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council and a member of the National Business Council. He is also chairman of the President's Export Council, a presidential advisory committee on export trade, and serves as chairman of the Leadership Council of the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries.
Mr. Marriott attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., earned a B.S. degree in banking and finance from the University of Utah and served as an officer in the United States Navy.
Jim May was named president and chief executive officer of the Air Transport Association (ATA) in February 2003. Prior to joining the ATA, May served as executive vice president of the National Association of Broadcasters. He has held a variety of other senior executive positions in public affairs and government relations for major corporations and industries including the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York, PepsiCo and the Grocery Manufacturers of America.
On the political front, May was eastern Washington state coordinator of the President Ford Committee and a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington’s 4th Congressional District in 1976. He also served on President Ronald Reagan’s transition team in 1980.
A native of Yakima, Wash., May attended the University of Washington in Seattle and served in Vietnam as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Since joining the organization as Executive Director in 1998 and becoming President of the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) in February 2001, Maria Luisa O’Connell has led the organization’s day-to-day operations and policy development. In addition to overseeing BTA’s Main Office in Phoenix, Arizona, she travels frequently to Washington, D.C., and Mexico City to promote the organization’s advocacy agenda. Her work on behalf of BTA also includes regular trips to border communities to meet with local government and community leaders whose input is critical to the organization’s mission.
Prior to joining BTA in 1998, Maria Luisa was a Financial Analyst at Bank One International Corporation, a leading financial lending institution. She also worked for the National Federation of Merchants of Colombia, where she represented the organization at trade shows.
A native of Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia, Maria Luisa is fluent in Spanish and is conversational in French. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance and International Relations from the Universidad Externado de Colombia. An avid traveler, she has lived in five different countries in Latin America.
Eduardo Padrón is President of Miami Dade College (MDC), the nation’s largest institution of higher education. He serves as chief administrative and academic officer, responsible for the affairs of six campuses and several outreach centers enrolling over 168,000 students.
He came to this country at the age of fourteen, speaking little English and having few prospects. But he transformed his life through his dedication to learning. He attended public high school in Miami, began his college studies at Miami Dade College, and received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Florida. He returned to teach at the newly-opened Wolfson Campus of Miami-Dade and has spent over thirty years championing higher education opportunity. The excellence of his contributions has been recognized by a series of U.S. Presidents. As the ever-growing list of appointments and awards attests, Eduardo Padrón is held in the highest esteem by colleagues in every walk of life.
Under Dr. Padrón’s leadership, MDC welcomes the largest enrollment of Hispanic students and the second largest enrollment of Black Non-Hispanic students in the US. The College ranks first nationally in associate’s degrees awarded to minorities, and holds the number one ranking for overall degrees awarded. The College has developed the United States’ most ambitious bilingual education program.
Among his many national involvements, Dr. Padrón has served on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence For Hispanic Americans; the boards of directors of The College Board, American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), American Council on Education (ACE), and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; national board of Campus Compact (co-chair of Florida chapter); governing board (founding member and former Chairman) of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU); board of directors of the U.S. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, League for Innovation in the Community College, and the executive advisory board of the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy.
Gregory O. Principato joined the Airports Council International-North America as President on July 1, 2005. In this capacity, Principato oversees the leading association of airports and airport-related businesses in North America, which enplane nearly all of the domestic and international airline passenger and cargo traffic on the continent. ACI-NA is the largest of the six worldwide regions of Airports Council International.
Principato's involvement in aviation and transportation infrastructure spans more than twenty-five years. From 1979 to 1986 he worked on transportation issues for two senior members of the United States Senate: J. Bennett Johnson (LA.) and Joseph R. Biden (DE.). After leaving the Senate, he went to work in the administration of Virginia Governor Gerald L. Baliles. The Baliles administration was nationally known for a commitment to transportation infrastructure, a commitment that went well beyond roads to include airports and other modes. During that time, Principato worked with Congress on the transfer of Reagan National and Washington Dulles airports from federal control to the control of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, worked to increase international service at Dulles, and also worked with Governors from other states on transportation issues through the National Governors' Association.
In 1993, as Executive Director of the National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry (National Airline Commission), Principato was responsible for the high profile work of a commission composed of 15 leaders from airlines, airports, manufacturers, general aviation, labor and the financial community. The Commission tackled important issues such as air traffic control reform, capacity enhancement, federal funding, international air service rights and foreign investment. Its report was presented to the President of the United States two days before the statutory deadline, and one-third of the Commission's budget was returned to the Treasury.
In the years since, Principato has worked on a wide variety of aviation issues including the negotiation of a new air service agreement between the United States and Japan; the development of a new, global, standard for aircraft noise; the negotiation of an agreement between (then) US Air and its pilots; the negotiation of an international airline alliance and a host of other issues. In several instances, he coordinated the development of broad-based coalitions. In the case of the U.S.-Japan issue, the coalition had more than 3,000 members including airports from around the country. In the case of the noise standard coalition, there were more than 90 members worldwide, including a number of airports.
The Coalition for a Global Standard on Aviation Noise worked closely with ACI in Geneva and Washington and participated in two of ACI's Greenport conferences. In each case, Principato coordinated the activity of the coalition, managed its budget, and served as a liaison between and among the coalition's members.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Principato earned an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago.
Jay Rasulo is chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a family vacation business that spans three continents and includes five world-class vacation destinations, a top rated cruise line and the most popular resort locations in North America, Europe and Asia. During the past 50 years, nearly 2 billion guests have passed through the gates of Disney theme parks around the world.
Rasulo is the architect of the long-term global growth strategy for Disney Parks and Resorts' business, including Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened on September 12, 2005 – bringing the enchantment of a Disney theme park to a whole new region of the world.
Rasulo oversees a broad range of businesses that help make Disney the leader in the vacation destination industry. The theme parks and resorts include the Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition, Rasulo is responsible for the Disney Cruise Line; Walt Disney Imagineering -- the designers and builders of theme parks, attractions and other facilities and Disney Regional Entertainment, comprising the ESPN Zone sports-themed restaurants.
Rasulo, who has been with The Walt Disney Company for 19 years, was appointed president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in 2002. In the fall of 2005, he became chairman of the segment. He spent two of the five years with the company in France as chairman and CEO of Euro Disney, S.C.A. where he was instrumental in turning Disneyland Resort Paris into Europe's top tourist destination.
In addition to his duties at Disney, Rasulo has emerged as an advocate for travel and tourism – leading national and local efforts to highlight its importance to the economy. A recognized leader in the tourism industry, Rasulo was named chairman of the United States Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board in 2003.
Rasulo first joined The Walt Disney Company in 1986 as director and later rose to senior vice president of Corporate Strategic Planning. In this role, he led strategic development for all real estate-based businesses in The Walt Disney Company portfolio.
After two years as a senior vice president of Corporate Alliances and three years with Disney Regional Entertainment, Rasulo moved to Paris as executive vice president, Euro Disney, S.C.A. He served as president and C.O.O. before taking over as chairman and CEO in 2000.
A native New Yorker, Rasulo has a degree in economics from Columbia, and both an MA in economics and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Before joining Disney, he held positions with Chase Manhattan Bank and the Marriott Corporation.
Keith Reinhard is chairman of DDB Worldwide. DDB ranks among the largest global advertising agency networks in the world, with 206 offices in 96 countries. Acknowledged as the industry's most creative multinational network, DDB has won more Grand Prix awards in the 50-year history of the International Advertising Festival in Cannes than any other agency, and over the last 16 years, has won more awards in Cannes than any other agency network. In 1998, DDB was named by Advertising Age as its first-ever Global Agency Network of the Year and, in 2004, DDB Worldwide was named 2003 Global Agency Network of the Year by Advertising Age magazine and 2003 Global Agency of the Year by Adweek magazine. In 2004, for the fourth consecutive year, DDB was also named Network Agency of the Year at the Clio Awards.
In 1986, Keith was one of the architects of the advertising industry's first and only three-way union, creating Omnicom, one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services holding companies. Concurrent with the creation of Omnicom, Keith accomplished the merger of Doyle Dane Bernbach and Needham Harper Worldwide, first known as DDB Needham Worldwide and now DDB Worldwide. Keith's vision as chairman-CEO was to create a new DDB capable of bringing to life the insights of DDB founder Bill Bernbach and applying them broadly to the modern world.
Advertising Age has referred to Keith Reinhard as the advertising industry's "soft-spoken visionary" and in 1999 named him among the top 100 industry influential in advertising history. The Wall Street Journal has included Keith in its well-known "Creative Leaders" campaign.
Keith's background is on the creative side of the advertising business, so he is understandably proud of his agency's creative record.
DDB's multinational clients include, among others, Anheuser-Busch, Clorox, Dell Computer Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald's, Exxon Mobil, Royal Philips Electronics, and Volkswagen.
Dr. Roth has been Dean of the UNM School of Medicine and Associate Vice President for Clinical Affairs since 1994. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Roth held various high-level positions in the School of Medicine including Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Director of Ambulatory Care Programs, and Chief Medical Officer. Since 1990, Dr. Roth has served as Director of the Center for Disaster Medicine at the University of New Mexico. He is a Fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians. Currently Dr. Roth serves as a member of the Advisory Council for Public Health Preparedness to Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson.
He attended the George Washington University School of Medicine and did his residency at University of New Mexico.
Roxane Cohen Silver, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior and the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her undergraduate and graduate training in Social Psychology at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and was on the faculty at the University Of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, before relocating to UC Irvine in 1989. A national expert in the field of stress and coping, Dr. Silver is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. In December 2003, Professor Silver was appointed by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to the Academe and Policy Research Senior Advisory Committee of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, and in November 2005, she testified at the U.S. House of Representative’s Committee on Science hearing entitled The Role of Social Science Research in Disaster Preparedness and Response. Professor Silver also serves as Director of Graduate Affairs for the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, the coordinator of its doctoral program in Health Psychology, and the co-Director of her department’s NIMH Institutional Training Grant in Social and Environmental Contexts of Adaptation. Previously, Dr. Silver served as the Associate Dean for Research and the Faculty Chair in the School of Social Ecology, as well as the Associate Director of UC Irvine’s Newkirk Center for Science and Society.
For the past 25 years, Dr. Silver has studied acute and long-term psychological and physical reactions to stressful life events such as physical disability, death of a spouse or child, childhood sexual victimization, divorce, family violence, war, natural disaster, and human-caused disasters, including the Columbine High School shootings and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Dr. Silver was recently principal investigator of the only national longitudinal study of responses to the September 11th attacks. The 7th wave of data collection, marking the 3rd anniversary, was completed in fall, 2004; the first report of this study appeared as the lead article in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association in September 2002. In her research, which has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the U.S. Public Health Service (Bureau of Maternal and Child Health), Dr. Silver seeks to identify factors that facilitate successful adjustment to stressful life events and to identify myths concerning the coping process. Her work also explores the long-term effects of traumatic experiences, and considers how beliefs and expectations of one’s social network impact on the adjustment process.
Professor Silver is also a dedicated teacher and active mentor of predoctoral and postdoctoral students. In recognition of her efforts toward graduate and undergraduate education at UC Irvine, she has received a number of teaching awards, including UC Irvine’s 2001 Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award for Teaching (the 16th recipient in UCI’s history), the 1999 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research, UC Irvine's Award for Special Distinction in Promotion of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, UC Irvine's "In Celebration of Teaching" Awards for Excellence in Teaching and for Undergraduate Mentoring, the Outstanding Professor Award from the graduating Senior class on two occasions, Professor of the Year from the Social Ecology Student Association, and several Excellence in Teaching Awards from UC Irvine’s Order of Omega Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council.
Richard (Rick) Stephens is Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration for The Boeing Company. Stephens is responsible for companywide Human Resources and company administration and is a member of the Boeing Executive Council.
Stephens was appointed to lead Human Resources and Administration in September, 2005. He previously served as senior vice president of Internal Services and president, Shared Services Group. Prior to these assignments he was vice president and general manager, Integrated Defense Systems Homeland Security and Services.
In a career with Boeing that spans 25 years, he has led a number of businesses, including Space and Communication Services, Reusable Space Systems, Naval Systems and Tactical Systems, submarine combat systems, Space Shuttle, and a number of service and support-related programs.
He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, serves as the Boeing executive focal for the University of Southern California and is vice chairman of the Orange County Business Council. Stephens serves on a number of non-profit and business focused boards and has been recognized for his long-standing leadership to local and national organizations regarding the use of science and technology education programs to develop the workforce of the future.
Stephens received his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1974 from the University of Southern California and his Master of Science degree in computer science in 1984 from California State University, Fullerton. He has completed the bulk of units necessary to receive a master of business administration from the Claremont Graduate School of Business.
Stephens is an enrolled member of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, and served as its chairman from 1988-89. He is also a former U.S. Marine Corps officer.
Rose Mary Valencia has been a member of the Office of International Affairs serving The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center since 1980.
Rose Mary is also a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the Houston Immigration and Naturalization Service District Director Round Table and the Houston Forum. As a NAFSA member, Rose Mary has held several leadership roles including Texas State Representative, Regional Chair, Local Arrangements Chair for Region III, Chair of the Membership Committee, Vice President for Member Relations and currently Board Member at Large.
Charles M. Vest is President Emeritus and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Vest earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University in 1963 and both his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in 1964 and 1967, respectively. He is the recipient of ten honorary doctoral degrees.
Dr. Vest served as President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1990 through 2004. During this time, he placed special emphasis on enhancing undergraduate education, exploring new organizational forms to meet emerging directions in research and education, building a stronger international dimension into education and research programs, developing stronger relations with industry, and enhancing racial and cultural diversity at MIT.
Dr. Vest has worked to bring issues concerning education and research to broader public attention and to strengthen national policy on science, engineering and education. He chaired the President’s Advisory Committee on the Redesign of the Space Station and serves on the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. He chaired the U.S. Department of Energy Task force on the Future of DOE Science Programs, was vice chair of the Council on Competitiveness for a decade, and is a past chair of the Association of American Universities. Dr. Vest recently completed service as a member of the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction and of the U.S. Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education. He now serves on the Department of State Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy and the Rice-Chertoff Secure Borders, Open Doors Advisory Board Subcommittee.
Dr. Vest currently sits on the board of directors of IBM and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, and is a trustee of the Kavli Foundation and In-Q-Tel.
This page was last reviewed/modified on July 15, 2008.