José (Joe) Almeida
José (Joe) E. Almeida is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Baxter International Inc.
Almeida assumed his current responsibilities at Baxter in January 2016. He is now leading the company through a period of dynamic evolution and innovation, powered by Baxter's mission to save and sustain lives and vision to transform healthcare.
Before joining Baxter, Almeida served as chairman, president and CEO of Covidien plc from 2012 to 2015, and as president and CEO from 2011 to 2012. Prior to this, he held a range of senior leadership roles at Covidien and its predecessor organization, Tyco Healthcare, including president, Medical Devices, and president, International. A career healthcare veteran, Almeida also held leadership and management roles at multiple companies across the industry, including Wilson Greatbatch Technologies, American Home Products' Acufex Microsurgical division, and Johnson & Johnson's Professional Products division. He began his career as a management consultant at Andersen Consulting (Accenture).
Almeida is a member of the Bank of America Board of Directors and the Northwestern University Board of Trustees. A native of Brazil, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia
Robert Brunn
Robert S. (Bob) Brunn was senior vice president of investor relations, corporate strategy, and new product strategy for Ryder System, Inc., (NYSE: R), a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation, and commercial fleet management solutions.
In this position, Mr. Brunn was the primary channel of communication with the equity analyst community and was responsible for developing Ryder’s strategic agenda as it relates to all business segments, product lines, functional areas, and geographies. Mr. Brunn is also responsible for identifying and developing new products throughout the company with a focus on developing partnerships with start-up companies including through RyderVentures, the company’s venture capital fund.
Mr. Brunn was previously vice president of investor relations and public affairs for Ryder, managing Ryder’s relationships with the investment analyst community, as well as leading the company’s community and public affairs efforts, including the Ryder Charitable Foundation. During this time, Mr. Brunn established Ryder’s comprehensive national partnership with the American Red Cross to support disaster preparedness and response efforts.
Institutional Investor magazine named Mr. Brunn among the “Best Investor Relations Officers” for the Airfreight & Surface Transportation Sector for eleven consecutive years (2009 through 2019). Investor Relations Magazine named him as the “Best Investor Relations Professional” for U.S. mid-cap companies in 2015, a nomination he also received in 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2012, while Ryder was named as having the “Best Overall Investor Relations” program for U.S. mid-cap companies in 2015, with additional nominations for four consecutive years (2012-2015) within its industry sector. Ryder was also named to the Global Top 50 companies and nominated for Global Best IR by a small/mid-cap company in 2015.
Mr. Brunn holds a Master of Business Administration degree in finance/international business from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is the past chairman and a member of the Conference Board’s Investor Relations Council, and a member of the National Investor Relations Institute’s (NIRI) Senior Roundtable. Mr. Brunn also served on the exam writing committee for NIRI’s IR Certification. He has been a Program Director at the Conference Board’s Investor Relations Council facilitating professional development for IR professionals at member companies. Mr. Brunn has served on the Boards of the Humane Society of Greater Miami, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and Goodwill Industries of South Florida, and on the Corporate Advisory Council of the American Red Cross.
Ken Cooper
Ken Cooper is the President and Managing Director of Four Hills Advisors.
Founded in 2013, Four Hills Advisors recently celebrated 10 years of serving clients as a boutique investor relations and financial consultancy based in Minneapolis, MN. Four Hills is known for incredible service and candid feedback for a mix of small and mid-sized clients across a diverse set of industries. Four Hills also manages the IR BarnTM,platform, which is a one-stop shop of investor relations tools and resources for CFO’s and IRO’s.
Prior to founding Four Hills, Ken was a vice president for Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LTH), where he spent 14 years helping Life Time grow from $53M in revenues to $1.1B, mainly in a finance capacity. Included in his career at Life Time was building and running Life Time’s investor relations efforts from the time of its June 2004 initial IPO until 2010. In addition during his tenure, Ken was part of a team that acquired over $1 billion in capital (combination of debt and equity), led the company’s budget and forecast process for a number of years, and built the Company’s detailed capital planning model, which serves as the lifeblood of all critical and material decisions for Life Time. Ken also spent time as the managing executive of an operational division (Athletic Events and Endurance) and in Corporate Development (M&A). Not to mention rolling up the sleeves and filling in on lots of other things that helped Life Time go from a Minneapolis gym company to a national healthy-way-of-life leisure brand.
Ken started his career at Arthur Andersen LLP, where he provided audit advisory and process improvement services to mainly retail, restaurant and hospitality clients, including Carlson Companies, Inc., National Car Rental, Carlson Hospitality (hotels), Rainforest Café, and Life Time Group Holdings, Inc.. Ken earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Penn State University.
Ken resides in the Twin Cities with his bride, Kathleen, and their 3 daughters Lily, Madeline and Avery. A long-time athlete, he still competes on the masters running circuit, bikes regularly, and loves March Madness. He also coaches his kids in hoops and track.
Daniel Cravens
Dan Cravens has more than 25 years of business experience focusing primarily on the capital markets. He is currently vice president of investor relations for Alcon, Inc., a Swiss-based diversified med-tech company that focuses on the eye. In this position, Dan is responsible for managing the relationships and communicating the company’s strategy and vision to the company’s global institutional investors and sell side analysts. Prior to Alcon, Dan was managing director of investor relations for American Airlines Group Inc. Dan held this same role at pre-merger US Airways Group, Inc. in Tempe, Arizona.
Prior to US Airways, Dan was a principal at Nest Ventures, a boutique private equity and consulting firm in Phoenix where he consulted on capital formation, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic planning. Additional work experience includes corporate development for Wavo Corporation, a public digital media company in Phoenix; and as an associate equity research analyst for Stonegate Securities, Inc., a boutique investment bank located in Dallas, Texas.
Dan has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Indiana University, a certificate in business administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana, and an MBA in International Finance from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Sally Curley
Sally is a 30+ year corporate executive, Board Director, author, angel investor and successful entrepreneur. She has built and led corporate sustainability, investor relations and governance engagement programs for Fortune 500 public companies such as Cardinal Health and Genzyme Corporation (now Sanofi Aventis), in addition to smaller public and private companies. She has extensive expertise in risk assessment, governance and capital market strategy – including execution for complex IPOs, spin-offs, divestitures and acquisitions. As a confidante to public and private company directors and C-suite, Sally has partnered to facilitate leadership transition, talent identification and development, and manage crises, including shareholder activism. She currently serves on the Advisory Boards of MOBILion Systems, Inc. and Articial Intelligence Risk, Inc., and as Board Director of Ariel Savannah Angel Partners, a national angel investing group.
Brad Delco
Brad Delco is the Senior Vice President of Finance for J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. He is responsible for the oversight and management of all investor relations activities for the company. He also leads the company’s corporate development, financial planning and analysis efforts and is active in Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives. In addition, Brad oversees ELEVATION, J.B. Hunt’s initiative to find, foster and follow employee-submitted ideas to make the company a better organization. Brad has a bachelor’s degree in business from Wake Forest University.
Carol DiRaimo
Carol DiRaimo was Chief Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Officer at Jack in the Box Inc. from July 2008 until August 2019 and returned as Interim Vice President of Investor Relations from November 2020 until March 2021. Previously, she was Vice President of Investor Relations for Applebee’s International, Inc., where she was employed for 14 years and served in a variety of capacities, including financial planning & reporting, treasury and corporate analysis, before heading the investor relations function. Carol has over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry and six years of public accounting experience at Deloitte.
Carol has served as a Board Advisor to Hawaiian Bros since July 2021, and was officially appointed to the Board of Directors in October 2023, where she serves as chair of the Audit Committee. She was previously a member of the Board of Directors of Qdoba Restaurant Corporation, serving as Chair of its Audit Committee from October 2020 until the company was acquired in October 2022. She currently serves on the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board and on the Advisory Board of Gleam Network, a non-profit dedicated to providing mentorship and leadership development in the foodservice industry. She also served on the Board of Trustees and Audit Committee of Rockhurst University from 2010 until 2019. From 2006 to 2011, Carol served on the Board of Directors of the National Investor Relations Institute.
Carol has received numerous awards, including being recognized by IR Magazine with a lifetime achievement award in 2020, and named one of the top 30 global investor relations professionals over the past 30 years in 2018. IR Magazine honored Carol six times as Best Investor Relations Officer in the U.S. for a small- to mid-cap company. In 2017, Jack in the Box received awards for Best Overall Investor Relations Program (midcap) and Best in Sector: Consumer Discretionary by IR Magazine. In 2017 and 2018, Jack in the Box Inc. was recognized as one of the magazine’s Global Top 50 IR programs. Institutional Investor named Carol to its All-America Executive Team 12 times, ranking her as the Best Investor Relations Officer by the sell-side for six consecutive years (2013 – 2018) as well as the Best Investor Relations Officer by the buy-side in 2016 and 2017. Institutional Investor also recognized Jack in the Box Inc. as one of America’s Most Honored Companies for five consecutive years (2015 – 2019).
Carol graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri with a BS in accountancy, and received a Bronze Medal on the CPA exam in 1983. She also earned an Executive Fellows MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City in 2004.
Hope Dmuchowski
Hope Dmuchowski is senior executive vice president and chief financial officer for First Horizon Corporation. She has responsibility for accounting, treasury, financial planning & analysis, line of business finance, corporate development and investor relations. In addition to her financial Management responsibilities, she also has responsibility for corporate properties, sourcing and procurement.
Dmuchowski has over 20 years of experience in banking and brings a wealth of finance, accounting and merger expertise, having served in several key roles running integrated business and economic models, budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, regulatory reporting and operations. Prior to joining First Horizon in 2021, Dmuchowski worked at Truist and the predecessor bank BB&T in numerous roles, including head of financial planning and analysis and management reporting, chief financial officer of corporate banking, commercial banking and corporate groups, chief financial officer group director as well as chief financial and operating officer of enterprise operations services. Dmuchowski began her banking career in the Leadership Development program for the sales and trading division of Deutsche Bank.
Dmuchowski has a passion for serving her community and is an avid volunteer in every city where she has lived. She currently serves on the non-profit boards for the National Salvation Army, where she is the treasurer, 4Word, and the Baptist Hospital Foundation.
Dmuchowski holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Business Management both from Saint Elizabeth University, as well as a Women in Leadership certification from Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business.
Hope has been married for over 20 years and she and her husband have three sons, Brayden (15), Logan (14), Connor (10) and two Berne Doodle dogs Zoey (4) and Clover (2).
William Galligan
William Galligan enjoyed a twenty-five year career heading up Kansas City Southern’s (KCS) investor relations program. Under his direction the company won numerous prestigious IR awards and in 2018 he was awarded IR Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award. His history of KCS, Vision Accomplished, was published by Indiana University Press in early 2024.
Barbara Gasper
Barbara Gasper is a senior finance practitioner with 40 years of corporate experience, including 25 years in corporate investor relations. Her diverse industry background includes aerospace-defense, automotive, financial services/payments, management consulting services, steel and telecommunications. Most recently, she created the IR function at Mastercard in advance of the company’s 2006 IPO and led that effort as the company grew from $4 billion to over $100 billion in market cap during her 10-year tenure.
Prior to joining Mastercard, Gasper held many senior positions, shaping the investor relations efforts at multi-billion dollar global companies like Ford Motor Company, Lucent Technologies and Raytheon. She also had previous IPO experience during her tenure at PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Group. Before that, Gasper spent more than 20 years at Lukens Inc., where she worked in production, engineering and corporate finance roles, eventually being appointed Treasurer.
Since May 2017, she has served as a Senior Advisor for the Arbor Advisory Group, which provides strategic IR counsel to a number of public companies.
Ms. Gasper has been a member of the Main Line Health Systems Board of Trustees since 2019, currently serving on the Executive, Audit, Education & Research and HR & Compensation Committees.
Ms. Gasper is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and is a former NIRI National Board member, Chair of the NIRI Ethics Committee and member of the Senior Roundtable. She also served as an officer of the Investor Relations Association.
She has been the recipient of IR Magazine’s 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award and 2002 Most Improved IR Program Award, as well as numerous awards from Institutional Investor Magazine. Ms. Gasper was inducted as a NIRI Fellow in 2014. Additionally, she was named as one of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry by Automotive News in 2005.
She has been a frequent speaker at professional conferences (both in the U.S. and internationally) and holds a BS in Mathematics from Bucknell University and an MBA from Widener University.
Rejji Hayes
Rejji P. Hayes is executive vice president and chief financial officer of CMS Energy and its principal subsidiary, Consumers Energy. He was named to this position in 2017.
Hayes is responsible for treasury, tax, investor relations, accounting, financial planning & analysis, internal audit services, supply chain, fleet, facilities, safety, and mergers & acquisitions.
Hayes also served as board chairman of EnerBank USA®, a nationwide provider of home improvement loans and former CMS Energy subsidiary, and as executive sponsor of the Minority Advisory Panel, one of CMS Energy’s largest business employee resource groups.
Hayes joined CMS Energy from ITC Holdings Corp., a regulated electric transmission utility, where he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer. In his role as ITC’s chief financial officer, Hayes was responsible for the company’s accounting, tax, mergers & acquisitions, internal audit, investor relations, treasury, financial planning & analysis, management reporting and risk management functions. He co-led the strategic review that resulted in the sale of ITC – which was then a publicly traded company – to Fortis, Inc. Under Hayes’ tenure as CFO, ITC’s market capitalization increased from approximately $4.7 billion to $7 billion. Hayes has been recognized by Institutional Investor as one of “America’s Best CFOs” in the Utility sector multiple times.
Prior to joining ITC Holdings Corp., Hayes held strategy and financial leadership roles for Exelon Corporation, Lazard Freres & Co., and Banc of America Securities.
Hayes is a board member of Fortive Corporation (NYSE: FTV), where he serves as chair of the audit committee. He also serves on the boards of Amherst College, Business Leaders for Michigan, and the Detroit Regional Chamber.
Hayes earned a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College.
Jane McCahon
Jane W. McCahon is vice president – corporate secretary for TDS [NYSE: TDS], a diversified telecommunications services corporation headquartered in Chicago and its majority-owned, publicly traded subsidiary, UScellular [NYSE: USM]. McCahon oversees corporate governance activities, including management of the TDS and U.S. Cellular boards of directors. She is also a member of the Company’s corporate strategy group. She was previously senior vice president of corporate relations and corporate secretary and was responsible for day-to-day communications with the investment community, the Company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) program, and corporate communications. McCahon joined TDS in 2009 as vice president of corporate relations.
Before joining TDS, McCahon was a principal with Massachusetts-based Conway Communications, which provided investor relations consulting for a diverse range of companies. Prior to that, she was vice president of corporate relations for Eastern Enterprises and served as manager of investor relations for Waban, Inc. (now BJ's Wholesale Club).
McCahon is a former chair of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI). She is a co-founder and former chair of the NIRI Ethics Council and has also served on the NIRI Senior Roundtable Steering Committee. In 2011, she was named in the inaugural class as one of eleven NIRI Fellows. NIRI Fellows are recognized leaders who represent the ideals of the investor relations profession. In 2023, she won IR Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a member of the Society of Governance Professionals.
McCahon holds a BA in economics and finance from Bentley University and a JD from Suffolk University Law School.
Lee McEntire
Lee McEntire is the Investor Relations executive and Local Markets executive for Bank of America. McEntire joined the company in 1989 and has served in various finance managerial positions. He is a member of the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer leadership teams, as well as the bank’s management committee.
As Investor Relations executive he oversees the Investor Relations team. He joined the team in January 1998, as Investor Relations manager, and was promoted to Investor Relations executive in 2014. In this position, McEntire is the daily contact for analysts and investors, and is responsible for implementing a comprehensive investor relations program designed to improve the company’s stock valuation. During his tenure, the team has received numerous honors for its work with investors, including Investor Relations Team of the Year and Investor Relations Executive of the Year for Large Cap Stocks as voted by institutional investors.
As Local Markets executive, McEntire is responsible for leading the team that ensures the company delivers all of its capabilities to clients, communities and employees across the United States, with market executives and other community and integration specialists in nearly 100 of our largest markets. The group is responsible for driving the company’s business integration strategy by connecting the banking and investment resources offered through our eight lines of business to companies, families and individuals. The group also has responsibility for our local market efforts to deploy Bank of America’s resources to address social and economic concerns and build strong communities. McEntire assumed the leadership responsibility for this group in 2021.
McEntire serves on the board of directors of The First Tee of Greater Charlotte and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Carol Murray-Negron
Founder and President of Equanimity, Inc., Carol Murray-Negron is an executive and leadership coach. She works with senior leaders to optimize their executive presence and leadership effectiveness, with a focus on communication and interpersonal skills. Carol is also a Leader Coach with Right Management.
Ms. Murray-Negron brings a first-hand understanding of organizational needs to coaching engagements. She has corporate management experience in both U.S. and international, including V.P. positions with Avon Products in investor relations, marketing and sales, including Marketing V.P. of Asia-Pacific, and Regional V.P. of U.S Sales. She's widely known in the field of investor relations where she coaches leaders to communicate more effectively with investors.
Carol believes that great leadership derives from a combination of emotional awareness and the ability to connect with others, along with an openness to learn and adapt. In this fast-changing business environment, being a powerful leader involves agility and the capacity to inspire and influence others. Carol uses a direct but empathic coaching style to help clients unlock their strengths and overcome roadblocks.
During her tenure as Avon’s Vice-President of IR, the program received industry recognition as “Most Improved IR” among mid-cap companies. Ms. Murray-Negron received IR Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award, is a Fellow of NIRI, and a former NIRI Board member. She holds an MFA in Drama from Yale University and a BA in English from Chatham University, where she received the 2016 Alumni Leadership Award.
Sue Nunn
In 2005, Sue retired from NIRI as SVP for Member Services & Chapter Development. Sue staffed the NIRI Ethics Council, created the NIRI Bookstore & Career Center. Sue served on the board of the Rappahannock Concert Association from 2005-2017. In 2017, she created a program to give free lessons on violin, viola & cello. Sue's responsibilities are grant writing, operations & communications for the Strings Crewe (beginners) & SONNY, a junior string orchestra for intermediate students.
Blair (Andy) Rieth
Blair A. “Andy” Rieth joined Welch Packaging in 2017 as General Manager, Indianapolis after retiring in 2015 as vice president of investor relations, investor relations officer and global brand officer for Hill-Rom, the former medical technology unit of Hillenbrand Industries, Inc. After serving as General Manager for Welch Packaging, he subsequently served in Vice President roles for Human Resources, Mergers and Acquisitions, Administration, Sales and Marketing, Training and Development and, currently is Executive VP for HR, Culture and Communications.
Prior to joining Hill-Rom in 2006, he served as Investor Relations Officer for Guidant Corporation, and Investor Relations Magazine named him the Best Investor Relations Officer of a Large-cap Company in 2002 and 2004. Mr. Rieth previously held management roles in marketing, sales, strategic planning, and human resources. He also opened and headed Guidant’s Washington government affairs office where he led legislative, advocacy and policy efforts.
Mr. Rieth started his career in 1982 at Eli Lilly and Company, holding positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing and business development roles until the founding of Guidant corporation in 1994.
A native of Goshen, Indiana, he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics from DePauw University and earned an MBA degree from Dartmouth College's Amos Tuck School of Business Administration in 1982. Mr. Rieth has served on the Board of Directors of the DePauw Alumni Association, and the Board of Visitors and was National Chair for The Fund for DePauw (formerly known as the Annual Fund). Mr. Rieth currently serves on the DePauw Board of Trustees and has been a Trustee since 2001. He was also elected to the Board as a graduating senior in 1980 for a three-year term.
Mr. Rieth is a director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center in Noble County, Indiana. Merry Lea is the largest privately held land reserve in the state of Indiana and is affiliated with Goshen College. Rieth is also on the Board of Advisors for PMC Solutions, a private injection molding company primarily engaged in medical device and automotive components.
Mr. Rieth is a former director of Rieth-Riley Construction Company, a family company founded by his grandfather and now one of the largest employee-owned businesses in the Midwest. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Indiana Medical Device Manufacturers Council (IMDMC).
Rieth is married and a proud father of two grown daughters.
Andrea Shaw Resnick
Andrea Shaw Resnick is a strategic, innovative and results-driven communications and financial executive with nearly 40 years of experience in complex organizations. She has extensive knowledge of communications, finance, investor relations, portfolio management, equity research, capital markets and M&A. Andrea led the strategic due diligence team for the company’s first acquisition (Stuart Weitzman in 2015) and played an integral part in the $2.4 billion acquisition of Kate Spade (in 2017). She was also part of the core team that took the company public in 2000. Andrea has a proven track record of driving growth while leading and motivating teams to achieve high performance while retaining top talent.
She joined the company in 2000, prior to the company’s initial public offering. During her tenure, she implemented an Investor Relations program for the company which has been regularly recognized as best-in-class by both Institutional Investor Magazine and IR Magazine, as well as creating on-the-ground corporate communications capabilities in Japan and Greater China. In 2011 she spearheaded the company’s listing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, the first U.S. issuer to do so. From mid-2016 and into early 2017, then again from early 2019 through mid-2019, and from mid-2020 to mid-2021 she also held the position of Interim CFO for which she was recognized by Institutional Investor Magazine in 2020.
Before joining Tapestry from 1988 through 1999, Ms. Resnick was a Director and Senior Portfolio Manager with HSBC Asset Management Americas in New York where she managed $500 million in US mid-cap and aggressive growth equity funds and co-managed an additional $2.6 billion in growth and income funds. She achieved superior track long-term records in her funds, with top quartile performance. Ms. Resnick also established and chaired the Regional Investment Strategy Group for North America, providing input to global asset allocation strategy.
Previously, Ms. Resnick was an Equity Research Analyst for Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. from 1982 to 1987, where she researched, analyzed and recommended stocks within the restaurant, lodging and gaming industries.
Ms. Resnick attended Barnard College of Columbia University and is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute, the Arthur Page Society and the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) Council.
Paul Surdez
Paul Surdez has led award-winning investor relations programs at public healthcare companies, including multiple S&P 500 companies, since 2002. He has been recognized numerous times in buy-side and sell-side surveys as a top investor relations officer during his tenures at Catalent, LabCorp, and Covance.
Paul received both his MBA and B.S. from Rutgers Business School, where he volunteers as a guest speaker and investor relations subject matter expert. He earned the Investor Relations Charter (IRC) credential awarded by the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) in 2017.
Steve Winoker
Steve Winoker is Chief Investor Relations Officer and Group Vice President, GE and GE Aerospace. In this role, he is responsible for leading the communication of the vision and value of GE’s profitable growth oriented transformation with its shareholders and the financial community.
Prior to joining GE, Steve worked for UBS, where he served most recently as Managing Director for U.S. Multi-Industry and Electrical Equipment and Sector Head for U.S. Industrials. In this role, he served large global institutional investor clients and authored more than 450 publications covering industrial and related companies, including GE. Earlier in his career, Steve held a series of leadership roles in sell-side research, marketing, strategy, financial services and general management, including work at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., Honeywell Corporation, United Technologies Corporation, and Bain & Company, Inc.
Since joining GE in early 2019, Steve has worked to build trusted relationships with thousands of investors and analysts, represent their voice within the business, and help capital markets understand and value GE through a historic transformation into three independent, investment-grade industry leaders: GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and GE Healthcare.
Steve earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Relations and Commerce from Brown University and a Master in Business Administration with high distinction from Harvard Business School. He and his wife have two children.
Maureen Wolff
Maureen Wolff is CEO of Sharon Merrill Advisors, a premier boutique strategic communications firm in the areas of investor relations, story creation and stakeholder engagement. A nationally recognized thought leader in investor relations and corporate communications, Maureen has more than 35 years of experience advising C-level executives and board of directors on how to improve their communications, build credibility and maximize stakeholder value. She provides clients with strategic guidance in investor relations, corporate communications and sustainability, covering a variety of special situations such as executive transitions, crisis communications, IPOs and M&A, among others. She received a B.S. degree in Communications from Montclair State University and completed prescribed studies in “Financial and IR” at the Simmons College Graduate Program in Communications.
As an expert in the complex and ever-changing landscape of corporate governance and investor relations, Maureen is frequently called upon to bridge the intersection between the two fields. She has earned a reputation for providing clients clear and actionable advice on implementing best-in-class sustainability strategies, navigating proxy contests and activism campaigns, elevating proxy communication, raising capital and developing crisis communication strategies. Maureen’s history of leadership within the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) includes serving as chair and a board member, as well as spearheading the development of NIRI’s Standards of Practice for IR.
- Speaker at high-profile industry events hosted by such organizations as the Association for Corporate Growth, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange and the Society for Corporate Governance.
- Recipient of the IR Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award ● NIRI Fellow ● Member of the NIRI Senior Roundtable ● Honorary Director of the Boston Chapter of NIRI
- Former Chairperson for NIRI IR Certification Council and contributing developer of the inaugural Investor Relations Certification exam
- Lecturer at leading academic institutions such as Bentley University, Boston University, Emerson College and Harvard University, and at NIRI’s ‘Regulation Fair Disclosure’ seminar
