Decision Makers
Board of Directors
Alison Sommers has a broad corporate background holding senior financial and general management positions, such as Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer, at companies including The Travelers, Baxter, Citicorp and Pitney Bowes. Her corporate background is complemented by extensive entrepreneurial experiences in her years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Carveth Porter Associates, a full-service business consulting firm specializing in acquisitions, joint ventures and turnarounds. Alison has a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Economics from The University of Connecticut, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She has a Masters in Business Administration from New York University with a concentration in Finance, graduating with distinction. Alison is currently finishing her first book, a collection of humorous stories from both her personal and professional life.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citicorp |
Chief Operating Officer |
Current |
| Pitney Bowes Inc. |
Chief Operating Officer |
Current |
| Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (Cohi) |
Managing Director of the Drake Group |
Current |
| The Human Resource Consortium |
|
Current |
| Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (Cohi) |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| New York University |
Masters In Business Administration |
Former |
| University of Connecticut |
Bachelor's Degree In Political Science and Economics |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citicorp |
Vice President |
Current |
| Iplsn |
|
Current |
Albert Haddad is a recently retired Executive Director of Citicorp. During his 15 years there, he became a treasurer of the Global Cash Management Services Division and developed portfolio management strategies to maximize float return while eliminating interest rate risk on a $6 billion+ pool. He also established the FX desk in New York, resulting in FX customer service desks in London and Singapore. Mr. Haddad's focus with Lodge is new product development, operational systems, and revenue enhancement initiatives. He also directs Lodge's pending plan to establish an offshore product, utilizing his extensive banking contacts worldwide. Mr. Haddad holds a masters of business administration degree from Farleigh Dickinson University.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citicorp |
Executive Director |
Current |
| Lodge Capital Group LLC |
Partner |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Panthertrade |
Chief Technology Officer |
Current |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
Director of Software Development |
Current |
| Citicorp |
Director of Software Development |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Eracent, Inc. |
Director, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing O |
Current |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
Array
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Neps, Inc. |
Chief Financial Officer |
Current |
| Aetna Life and Casualty |
|
Current |
| Ifc Credit Corporation |
Cfo |
Former |
| Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania |
MBA Degree |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| Floyd Landis Foundation |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University |
M.B.A. |
Former |
| Arizona State University |
B.S. In Economics |
Former |
Mr. Shepherd has experience developing applications and programs for various companies including Citi Corp. and Standard & Poor's. Mr. Shepherd was also founder and CTO of iPing, Inc., which was recently acquired by eCal Corporation. Mr. Shepherd attended the University of Pittsburgh with a major in Information Science. As Chief Technology Officer, his primary responsibilities include the conceptualization and implementation of convergent technologies, processes, and systems that make bSmart's integrated, interactive platform. Mr. Shepherd has also developed and conceptualized the Company's first application, SmartComposer .
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Iping, Inc. |
President and Chief Technology Officer |
Current |
| Bsmart Communications, Inc. |
President and Chief Technology Officer |
Current |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| Standard & Poor's |
|
Current |
| Iping, Inc. |
Co-Founder |
Former |
| University of Pittsburgh |
|
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| San Diego Coastkeeper |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| San Diego Social Venture Partners |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| American Graduate School of International Management |
MBA |
Former |
| Western Michigan University |
Bba |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Oprisk Advisory LLC |
Executive Director |
Current |
| Citicorp |
Head of Systems Planning and Development |
Current |
| Reward, Inc |
|
Current |
| Riskbusiness |
|
Current |
| Solomon-Lawrence Partners |
President of D. B. Lawrence & Co. |
Former |
| Citibank |
Vice President |
Former |
| Cambridge University |
M.A. In Natural Sciences |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Euromoney Lease Training |
|
Current |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| ADVO, Inc. |
Chief Human Resources Officer |
Current |
| Citicorp |
Attorney |
Current |
| Solventc LLC. |
Attorney |
Current |
| ADVO, Inc. |
Executive Vice President |
Former |
| Winstar Communications |
Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration |
Former |
Gary Dichtenberg is the president of Professional Development Associates, a training and development consulting firm, dedicated to assist organizations and individuals achieve their highest level of performance excellence. The vast majority of workshops and consulting services occurred at companies such as MassMutual, Delta Air Lines, Lucent Technologies and Pfizer. Gary founded Professional Development Associates in 1988 after serving as vice president of training and development for Citicorp. Prior to his work at Citicorp he served as manager of management development at Consolidated Edison where he directed a broad developmental strategy that contributed to a fundamental change in the business. Gary's expertise in persuasion and communication skills is enhanced by his broad experience in assisting companies improve their managerial excellence.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Professional Development Associates |
President |
Current |
| Professional Development Associates |
Founder |
Current |
| Asme |
|
Current |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| Professional Development Associates Completes Training |
President |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Jefferies Capital Partners |
Executive Vice President |
Current |
| W&T Offshore Inc. |
Manager of Three |
Current |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| Jefferies Capital Partners |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| W&T Offshore Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| The Sheridan Group |
Member of the Board of Directors |
Current |
| Jefferies Capital Partners |
Member |
Current |
| Yale University |
B.A. In History |
Former |
Mr. Wells founded and manages Wellspring Consulting, which specializes in using technology to expand access to financial services for populations underserved by traditional financial institutions. Mr. Wells also works with a wide range of government, corporate, philanthropic and social organizations seeking to better serve the financial needs of low- to moderate-income consumers. Previously, Mr. Wells was Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances at Electronic Funds & Data Corp, where he helped pioneer the concept of bank-centric, internet-based Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP). Mr. Wells has over twenty-five years of management and consulting experience in traditional banking and non-traditional delivery of financial services with such firms as Citicorp, HongkongBank and MasterCard, in North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Mr. Wells performed his post-graduate business course work at the C.W. Post Center, Long Island University and has a B.A. in Biology from the University of Miami.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| D2D Fund |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Electronic Funds |
Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances |
Former |
| Wellspring Consulting |
Founder |
Former |
| University of Miami |
B.A. In Biology |
Former |
Jan has over 20 years of mortgage banking experience with the industry's largest mortgage lenders, including Citicorp, Countrywide and Flagstar Bank. Her experience includes both retail and wholesale where she held management positions in both sales and operational roles. With Flagstar Bank, Jan developed and managed a regional underwriting center responsible for underwriting more than $380 million per month in loan production. With LenderLive Network, Inc. she is responsible for the underwriting department including hiring; training; monitoring performance; the introduction of products and technology; ensuring compliance with product guidelines and corporate procedures. Her skills with conforming, non conforming, and alt-A underwriting, along with the many years of experience in the industry make Jan a valuable member of the LenderLive Network, Inc. team.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Lenderlive Network, Inc. |
Vice President, Underwriting |
Current |
| Flagstar Bank |
|
Current |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| Lenderlive Network, Inc. |
member |
Former |
Twenty years experience as President of Jeffery Gross Associates Architects, commercial architects for such corporations as Southland Corporation, Citicorp, and Cigna Healthplan. Projects include all types and phases of general architectural services such as building design and exterior renovations, interior design and space planning. Prior to opening own firm, worked for John B. Kelso, Architect.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| Southland Corporation |
|
Current |
A graduate of Princeton University in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Martin Feder obtained his MBA from New York University in 1981 after studying at HEC in France and at the London Business School. After working with the Colgate-Palmolive Company and Citicorp in New York, he spent three years in Israel helping emerging high-technology firms with international strategy. For the past fourteen years he has helped companies in Europe and the U.S. implement fundamental business changes, obtaining significant and measurable improvements in productivity and service quality. Currently with Hecris Management, he assists European and American clients with customer satisfaction, structural efficiency, and operational strategy issues.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Colgate-Palmolive Company |
|
Current |
| Hecris Management |
|
Current |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| New York University |
MBA |
Former |
| Princeton University |
|
Former |
Array
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Hretc |
|
Current |
| Southwest Missouri State University |
Degree In Human Resources and Business & Industrial Communications |
Former |
Ron Crowin is the Senior Advisor for Business Development at Integre Advisors. He brings over 35 years of industry experience. He has held senior executive positions at Citicorp (in the US and in Europe), the American Stock Exchange, and NatWest Bancorp. He holds a PhD and MS from Syracuse University and a BS from the University of Wisconsin.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Isaac Morehead & Associates |
|
Current |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
Walter Hinchcliffe, Vice Chairman. Mr. Hinchcliffe has served as a consultant to major financial institutions for more than 30 years. His experiences include improving operations and staff reductions for companies such as Allstate Insurance Company, AIG, Citicorp, Chase Manhattan and Dean Witter. He also served as president of the former Laser Recording Inc., before the company was sold, at which time he resigned.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citicorp |
|
Current |
| Allstate Insurance Company |
|
Current |
| Dean Witter |
|
Current |
| Chase Manhattan |
|
Current |
| AIG |
|
Current |
| First Independent Financial Group |
Vice Chairman |
Current |
| First Independent Financial Group |
Consultant |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Frito-Lay, Inc. |
|
Current |
| Citicorp |
Director |
Current |
| Conoco, Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| Ford Foundation |
President |
Former |
Hamid Biglari is currently Chief Operating Officer of the Institutional Client Group of Citigroup, which represents Citigroup's global investment banking and trading business. Institutional Clients Group is a business with more than $1 trillion in assets and operations in 140 countries. Prior to his current role, Dr. Biglari was the Global Head of Investment Banking for Financial Institutions in Citigroup. In this role, he advised chief executives of the world's leading financial institutions in North America, Europe, and Asia on their strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and capital-raising needs. Previous to that, he was Head of Corporate Strategy and a member of the Management Committee at Citigroup, jointly reporting to Messrs. Sanford I. Weill and Robert E. Rubin. In that seat, he worked with the senior management of Citigroup on all major group-wide strategic, corporate governance, organizational structure, and risk management decisions. Prior to joining Citigroup in 2000, Dr. Biglari was a partner at McKinsey & Company, the international management consulting firm, where he co-led the Firm's global financial institutions consulting practice. His experience base spans the entire spectrum of consumer and wholesale financial services. Prior to that, Dr. Biglari was a theoretical research physicist with rank of Associate Professor at Princeton University's Plasma Physics Laboratory, the nation's leading center for controlled thermonuclear fusion research. Dr. Biglari is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Trinity School in New York City. Dr. Biglari holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University. Prior to that, he received a B.S. in Applied Physics and a B.A. in Mathematics from Cornell University, both with Distinction.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| The Trinity School |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Citicorp |
Vice Chairman |
Current |
| Citigroup Inc. |
Vice Chairman, Citicorp |
Current |
| Citigroup Inc. |
Chief Operating Officer, Institutional Clients Group |
Former |
| McKinsey & Company, Inc. |
Partner |
Former |
| Financial Institutions, Inc. |
Global Head of Investment Banking |
Former |
| Princeton University |
Theoretical Research Physicist, Plasma Physics Laboratory |
Former |
| Princeton University |
Ph.D., Astrophysical Sciences |
Former |
| Princeton University |
M.S., Astrophysical Sciences |
Former |
| Cornell University |
B.S., Applied Physics & B.A., Mathematics |
Former |
Onno Ruding is a Vice Chairman of Citicorp and its principal subsidiary Citibank. He is responsible for corporate and investment banking activities in North America, Europe and Japan. He received his Master of Arts degree in economics in 1964 and his PhD in 1969, both from the Erasmus University, Rotterdam He served as chairman of AMRO International Ltd. From 1982 to 1989 he was Minister of Finance of the Netherlands. From 1990 until 1992, Dr. Ruding was chairman of the Netherlands Christian Federation of Employers (NCW) in The Hague. He also chaired the Committee of Indepedent Experts on Company Taxation, which published its report in 1992.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Citibank |
Vice Chairman |
Current |
| Citicorp |
Vice Chairman |
Current |
| European Tax College |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Employers |
Chairman |
Former |
| Citicorp |
Director |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Holdings Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| FreshDirect, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Cadbury Schweppes plc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Lenox Hill Hospital |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| MphasiS BFL Limited |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Citicorp |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| marketRx Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Disclinc, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc. |
Principal |
Former |
| Dartmouth College |
Degree In History |
Former |