Blue Cross Blue Shield

Carl J. Ascenzo is Chief Information Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. He oversees the Information Technology Division and is responsible for the company's technology strategy, architecture, new systems development, and technology operations in support of 2.4 million members.

As Senior Vice President of Health Services and Chief Medical Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), Gary D. Smethers, M.D., is responsible for overseeing the development of corporate medical policies and the daily administrative functions of the Health Services Division. In addition to the academics of medical policy development, those functions include: medical underwriting, medical claims review, clinical quality improvement, care management, disease management, health promotion/wellness, utilization review and provider credentialing. In this capacity, he manages a division of over 200 employees. Dr. Smethers also contributes his expertise to the development of corporate strategy as it relates to health services, and serves as a corporate liaison to the Arizona clinical community most notably the Arizona Medical Association. Dr. Smethers has been with BCBSAZ since 1994. A native of Pennsylvania, Dr. Smethers received his bachelor's degree from Gettysburg College, and earned his medical degree from the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center Integrated Program in Phoenix where he also had the honor of serving as chief resident. Now a long time Arizonan, Dr. Smethers is well known within the local medical community. Before joining BCBSAZ, he served as the director of emergency medicine and admissions at the Phoenix Veterans Administration Medical Center (now Carl Hayden VA Medical Center); as medical director for Phoenix Health Plan, one of Arizona's AHCCCS (Medicaid) HMOs; and as medical director for Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center (now Banner Thunderbird Medical Center). Prior to his career in administrative medicine, Dr. Smethers had an internal medicine private practice in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Committed to the academic advancement of health services, Dr. Smethers is a member of the American College of Physicians, The American College of Physician Executives, and has been a member of the teaching clinical faculty of the University of Arizona, College of Medicine since 1983. He is a past chairman of the National Council of Physician Executives of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and is a member of the Arizona State University (ASU) W. P. Carey School of Business Curriculum Advisory Board for Health Administration and Policy. Nationally recognized as one of the leading experts within the health care delivery and insurance industries, he is often a guest speaker for a variety of organizations especially in the area of Health Promotion and Wellness. Dr. Smethers is active in the community at large, having served on many community volunteer boards including: Body Positive, an AIDS clinical research and services organization, The Phoenix Museum of History, the Glendale YMCA, the Herberger Theater Center, and Ballet Arizona. He is currently an active member of the John C. Lincoln Health Network Quality and Safety of Patient Care Committee and the Arizona State University Katherine K. Herberger College of Fine Arts Dean's Council.

Matt first joined PDA in 1992. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Mankato State College and did graduate work in Psychology. Matt is experienced at performing sophisticated data analysis. He specializes in multivariate analyses and hierarchical linear modeling. Matt is skilled at framing results for extremely technical projects and presenting information simply. He is a keen observer and excels at exploring technical issues to eliminate possible problems in analysis. Matt serves as a guide for our clients, transforming mass amounts of data into meaningful, accessible results. Matt is currently working as chief statistician on a physical activity survey for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, a school bullying survey and reporting system for Hazelden, a health promotion and level of job satisfaction study for Gillette Children's Hospital, an objective structured clinical exam reliability and validity study for the University of Minnesota Department of Surgery, and an evaluation of a media campaign for ClearWay Minnesota.

Thomas L. Simmer, M.D. is senior vice president for Health Care Value and Provider Affiliation and chief medical officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Simmer is responsible for contracting with more than 20,000 physicians who participate in Blue Cross Traditional and PPO plans, as well as directing medical policy. He is responsible for professional payment policies and programs to improve the quality, cost, and access to medical services. Under his leadership, BCBSM has implemented physician incentive programs to promote collaborative improvement programs for more consistent care for persons with chronic illness, and more cost effective prescribing patterns. Prior to 2006, Simmer was senior vice president for Health Care Programs and Provider Services and chief medical officer. Prior to joining the Blues in 1999, he served as vice president of Health and Medical Affairs and as medical director for the Health Alliance Plan. Simmer also served as associate program director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Henry Ford Hospital and was the recipient of several Distinguished Service awards. He is a member of the Michigan State Medical Society and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

As executive vice president of external operations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCSAZ), Sandy Gibson oversees BCBSAZ's actuarial, strategy and informatics; health services; sales, marketing, government relations and provider affairs; and underwriting departments. Gibson has been with BCBSAZ since 1988. Sandy began her BCBSAZ career as an analyst and has been promoted to Manager, Director, Vice President, Chief Actuary, Senior Vice President Strategy and Business Informatics, and most recently, Executive Vice President, External Operations. Her community and professional affiliations include serving as past president of the Arizona Actuarial club, membership in the American Academy of Actuaries, and holding the distinguished designation of Associate of the Society of Actuaries. She was appointed by the Governor of Arizona to the Statewide Health Care System Task Force. She served as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee to the AHCCCS HRSA State Planning Grant and Arizona Legislative Statewide Health Care Insurance Plan Task Force. She serves as a member on the Board of Directors of the Phoenix Symphony, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She was a member of Class XXV of the Valley Leadership Institute. Gibson graduated from Arizona State University summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in education.

Lehnhard oversees BCBSA lobbying and policy development activities related to representation before Congress and the Administration. She has nearly 25 years of leadership experience, representing BCBSA's Washington Office and Member Plans' policies to Congress, government agencies and other associations. Her background includes responsibility for BCBSA's issues on managed care, healthcare reform, financing and tax legislation. She has directed the activities related to the Association's role in Medicare, Medicaid and CHAMPUS.

As senior vice president of marketing and provider affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), Richard M. Hannon oversees the organization?s marketing and provider network management activities. This includes responsibility for sales, product development, Web-based services, advertising, public relations, communications, media relations, provider network contracting and issues management. He is also responsible for the company?s legislative programs at the state and federal level and corporate strategic planning as it relates to marketing and provider network management activities. Hannon directs 185 employees in this capacity. Hannon joined BCBSAZ in 1990 as vice president of the legal division. Prior to joining the organization, he served for five years as general counsel of Phoenix Children?s Hospital. For more than 14 years Hannon was a senior attorney at Greyhound Corporation, serving two of those years as the general attorney for Greyhound Lines-West in San Francisco. He began practicing law with the Phoenix City Attorney?s Office and Maricopa County Attorney?s Office. Hannon currently serves on the board of directors for the Arizona State Chamber of Commerce and Communities in Schools of Arizona, which partners community service agencies with schools having a large population of at-risk students. He is also a member of the Heard Museum?s Director?s Circle. He is an inactive member of the Arizona and California Bar Associations. In 2001, he was named ?Executive of the Year? by the Phoenix chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Hannon earned his juris doctorate degree from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Neb. He has been an Arizona resident since 1975.

Diana C. Jones, J.D., is Vice President of Community Affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. She has held a number of positions since joining the Blues in 1974, including Assistant Vice President of Community Affairs, Manager of GM Managed Care, Coordinator of Case Management and Senior Community Relations Representative. She joined the company as a Customer Service Representative. Jones holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Detroit-Mercy Law School. She received a master's degree in speech communication and a bachelor's degree in psychology and speech from Wayne State University. Jones is a member of the Boards of Directors of the American Heart Association, the Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, Downtown Detroit Inc., Black Family Development Inc, and Visiting Nurses Association. Additionally, Jones is a member of Elder Law of Michigan Inc., and serves on several committees with United Way Community Services, such as Community Problem Solving and Youth Initiative.

Mrs. Grogan has served on the Board of Trustees since March 2008. She and her husband, Bill, are the parents of three children. Two children have graduated, and one child still attends Clinton Public Schools. Mrs. Grogan is Vice President, Service Operations, at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. She is also a Certified Public Accountant. She is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants. She is a graduate of Leadership Clinton. She serves as Judges Chairman for the Clinton Junior Miss Program, and she is a member of First Baptist Church.

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Howard Epstein is medical director of Commercial Operations and Clinical Design at BlueCross and BlueShield of Minnesota. He was previously medical director of Palliative Care and Care Management at Regions Hospital in St. Paul and Associate Medical Director of Hospice of the Lakes at HealthPartners. Dr. Epstein received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. After completing his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota, he joined the teaching faculty at Regions Hospital and helped establish their nationally acclaimed hospital medicine program. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota and is a faculty member of its Palliative Care Leadership Center. Dr. Epstein has given numerous lectures locally and nationally on palliative and end of life care, ethics and care management. He has served as Chair of the Committee for Evidence-Based Practice at the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement and was the workgroup leader of ICSI's Palliative Care Guideline. He is the current chair of the Society of Hospital Medicine's Palliative Care Task Force and has served as a member of SHM's Ethics Committee since 2001. Dr. Epstein was recognized for his many efforts to improve the quality of care for hospitalized patients with SHM's 2006 National Award for Clinical Excellence.

As Senior Director of Corporate Relations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), Kate Wilson manages the company's charitable giving, assists the Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations in an array of communication and strategic matters, and works on special assignments for the Chair and CEO largely related to corporate community objectives. Prior to joining BCBSMA, Kate served in several positions at Harvard Business School, most recently as the Assistant Director of Communications, where she managed the school's internal communications program.

Clarke Gay has attended Grace Church since 1991 and has been active in many servant and leadership capacities since 1994. In 2005, he joined the board of elders for Grace; Clarke is the secretary for the Board of Trustees for GCF. He currently works as a Senior Project Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and has been in the banking and insurance industry for more than 29 years. Clarke has a BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina. He and his wife, Cindy, live in Chapel Hill with their three children.

Mr. Wigfall is the Diversity Manager for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina. Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its family of subsidiaries serve more than 8.3 million people. Mr. Wigfall is a member of the Columbia Mayor's Committee of Employment for PWD and Vice President of the SC Vocational Rehabilitation's Business Partnership Network.

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Mr. Scott is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with extensive IT experience in systems development that spans many types of systems/applications and industries including financial services, healthcare, and aerospace. He has a vast experience in program/project management with many successes in leading project teams and driving execution over large complex projects through successful completion. In addition to his PMP certification, Mr. Scott's academic achievements consist of a Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Electrical Engineering. Mr. Scott is currently employed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida as a senior project manager in the IT Information Management organization. Mr. Scott is also an active member of the Northeast Florida PMI chapter located in Jacksonville Florida. He has served as an active PMI board member since 1997 in various roles including VP Finance, VP Membership, and VP Communications.

Sharon is a health improvement project manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. She received her master's degree in community health education from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She has managed people and programs in various healthcare settings for nearly 20 years including the former University of Minnesota Health System; Stratis Health; ican, Inc. and the American Heart Association.

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Terry Masters is a Senior Manager of Human Resources Information Technology at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts where she is responsible for creating and implementing HR technology strategy and solutions that support the HR vision and move the HR organization from its current to future state of technology, business process, and system optimization. Terry has over 15 years of experience in HRIT and has delivered presentations for the IHRIM New England Chapter, IHRIM Spring Conference, and at ADP's National User Conference.

Angela is a senior representative in the Community Affairs department at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. This highly motivated professional, recognized for her exceptional problem solving and public speaking skills is also a best-selling author of women's fiction.

CLAUDIA BONNELL, R.N., M.L.S. Ms. Bonnell is the Project Manager, Medical Information Services with TEC; she has been with TEC since 1993. She received her baccalaureate degree in nursing from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and her Master of Library and Information Sciences degree from Rosary College in River Forest, Illinois. She has completed several Medical Library Association advanced medical reference courses. She manages TEC customer relations, and is the Association's medical and dental coding specialist.

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Denise Cadwell is the Mother of Nickolas Gamache who is 15 years old. Nickolas was diagnosed with von Willebrand type IIA at 10 months. Since that time, she has been an active volunteer for HFMD on several outreach programs. Denise is a Health Care Improvement Coordinator with BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota and is actively involved on a daily basis with programs designed to "Bring a Healthy Difference in People's Lives." She has been employed with BCBSMN for the past 9 years and looks forward to utilizing her Medical Insurance knowledge and expertise on the HFMD Board. In addition, Denise is also a mother to JoDee Gamache (19) and four fun step children. She and her husband, Charles, are proud Grandparents to Julien and Paige Marie as well. Denise takes great pride in co-parenting a large family and believes that through volunteerism, parents demonstrate to their children that they are invested in the certainty of their child's' future. In turn, their child will learn to teach, share, and become active volunteers themselves in order to secure and solidify their own futures!

EDGAR BLACK, M.D. Dr. Black is Medical Director, Policy Resources; he has been with TEC since 2006. Most recently, he was Regional Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Rochester Region. His specialty is medical policy and internal medicine. He is the author of numerous articles, chapters, books, and monographs relating to clinical diagnostic strategies and health care quality improvement and also is a member of the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC). He is board-certified in internal medicine.

FRANK LEFEVRE, M.D. Dr. Lefevre is a Senior Clinical Consultant with TEC and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, with appointments in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. Dr. Lefevre has been with TEC since 1991 and is the primary author on more than 30 TEC Assessments in the areas of internal medicine and cardiology. At Northwestern, he works as a hospitalist on the University Service and on the general medicine consultation service. He teaches evidence based medicine and medical decision making to medical students, and has developed a course that he teaches for the Northwestern Masters of Public Health program titled "Technology Assessment: Evidence-based approaches to assessing medical effectiveness." He has published widely in the peer-reviewed literature in the areas of evidence-based systematic reviews, quality of care, and preoperative medical consultation.

Heather Matias is the service coordinator for United Healthcare, PacifiCare and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Her responsibilities include providing and organizing proposals and reviewing paperwork for new case submission. She oversees the underwriting and case installation process of all group cases submitted. Heather@plantexas.com

Worked in a variety of health care settings- acute care (Med/Surg, OR, ICU) and home care (VNA, pediatric private duty). She has recently earned a degree in health information technology and works as a Nurse Reviewer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Katherine Bingham, a native Memphian, has worked for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee since 1987, and, since 2003, has held the position of Statewide Community Relations Manager. In addition to serving on the Tennessee Senior Olympics Board, she also serves as the 2nd Vice Chairman of Shelby Residential & Vocational Services (SRVS) Board of Directors, and is a member of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Festival Association Board of Directors. A native Memphian, Ms. Bingham served on the Special Grants Committee of the Memphis Arts Council, Past-President of the American Cancer Society Board of Directors, Mid-South Division, Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity and The Grant Makers Roundtable for The Grant Center. She has chaired numerous events benefiting the American Cancer Society and has served as a speaker for The Grant Speaker forums, the Mid-South Women in Business IRIS Awards, and The Optimist Club. Ms. Bingham is proud to be a graduate of the 2004 Leadership Memphis Class.

Kevin Tuczek is a Senior Communications Specialist with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in the Advertising and Support Services area. Tuczek came to BCBSM from John Bailey & Associates, where he was an Account Executive working with JB&A's automotive and health care clients. Prior to his time at JB&A, Tuczek was with Bassett & Bassett, Inc., a communications management and consulting firm in Detroit, where he was a publicist. One of Tuczek's specialties there was being an integral part of the team that developed and managed communications strategies and materials for the Chrysler Jeep Superstores Detroit APBA Gold Cup unlimited hydroplane races held annually on the Detroit River. Before Bassett & Bassett, Tuczek interned with the Detroit Pistons, Shock and Fury at the Palace of Auburn Hills. While there, he developed media materials and assisted in communications plans for the three teams. While attending Michigan State University, where he earned a B.A. in Journalism with a specialization in Public Relations, Tuczek worked at The State News, MSU's independent student newspaper. Although he rotated between many different desks, the sports desk was the one he stayed at longest and most enjoyed. Tuczek also had brief stops with various weekly newspapers in Lansing while attending school. Besides being a communication professional, Tuczek also plays drums for SVR Recording Artist 'Wingman.' The band is eagerly awaiting the release of its debut album.

Larry Hurwitz joined HealthEquity as Chief Information and Technology Officer in the Spring of 2007. Mr. Hurwitz is a proven technology executive with more than 25 years of P&L responsibility in start-up, multi-million, and billion-dollar companies. Prior to joining HealthEquity, Mr. Hurwitz served as Senior Director of Operations and Technology for RxAmerica/Long Drugs. In this capacity he managed the organization and operational procedures of the user and technical help desk for PMB RxAmerica. Mr. Hurwitz was also co-founder and CEO of Inimage Software Inc where he led efforts to develop and publish the award-winning product TABs. Additionally, Mr. Hurwitz brings vast business experience, having served as a consultant to NASA, ATK, Blue HealthCare Bank, MarketStar, Sorensen Communication, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Walt Disney Corp., and Martin Marietta. In these capacities Mr. Hurwitz has demonstrated an ability to innovate, build competitive advantage, maintain IT alignment with business, stabilize existing operations, manage change, and increase margins. Respected by his peers, he lends himself as an inspiring leader and team builder who seizes opportunities, manages complex issues, and earns respect through persuasive, participatory leadership. Mr. Hurwitz received a Bachelors of Business Management from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.

MARK D. GRANT, M.D., M.P.H. Dr. Grant is a Senior Scientist with TEC, joining the program in May 2005. His clinical background includes Geriatric and Family Medicine, and he was previously the Director of Research in the Department of Family Medicine at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. He is board certified in Family Practice and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine. He has published in JAMA, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, and Annals of Human Biology. Some special interests include epidemiologic methods, treatment and prevention of aging-related diseases. He has taught epidemiology on the graduate level at the University of Illinois and on the undergraduate level at the University of Chicago. Additionally, he is currently pursuing a doctorate in epidemiology at the University of Illinois School of Public Health where he previously obtained his master's degree.

NAOMI ARONSON, Ph.D. Dr. Aronson is the Executive Director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Technology Evaluation Center (TEC). She has overseen TEC's development as a nationally recognized technology assessment program and an Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Dr. Aronson has directed over 300 technology assessments and 10 evidence reports for AHRQ. She has published articles in Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Cancer, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Academic Radiology, Journal of Family Practice, and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. She represented the private sector on a U.S. Agency for International Development team providing technical assistance to the Hungarian government on building evidence-based medicine capacity in the national health insurance system. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine Forum on Drug Discovery Translation and Development, and the Steering Committee of the Chicago-Area DEcIDE Research Center and the National Business Group on Health Committee on Evidence-Based Benefit Design. Previously, Dr. Aronson was a member of Northwestern University faculty, specializing in sociology of science and medicine. She was also a post-doctoral fellow in the Science, Technology and Society Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received research awards from the National Science Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies. Dr. Aronson's academic research focused on how the organization of scientific specialties in biomedical and clinical research affects the process of scientific discovery.

Dr. McLemore is medical director of the subacute program at Rest Haven Central in Palos Heights. He is also an assistant professor at Rush Medical College in Chicago. He is a Physician Advisor for BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois and is board certified in electrodiagnostic medicine (EMG).

Patty Bruce is an HRIS Consultant at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. She provides project leadership for HR initiatives related to BCBSMA's e-HR strategy. Patty has over 10 years of experience in HR Information systems and has successfully managed several HR web technology projects.

Rhonda graduated from Cedar Mountain Center of Massage in 1996. She is a licensed massage therapist in Washington and is certified in foot reflexology through the American Reflexology Certification Board. She has been an instructor in Anatomy and Physiology, Kinesiology, Advanced Massage Techniques, REIKI, Introduction to Reflexology, and Raindrop Therapy.

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Shamiere Bridgeford is currently an auditor with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. She is responsible for assessing risk and ensuring that adequate control environments are in place and operating effectively for the company's business areas. Prior to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Bridgeford was with St. Paul Companies now Travelers from 2002 to 2008, and handled medical malpractice claims, managed a regional litigation process with external counsel and performed corporate audit engagements. Prior to that, she managed product category inventory and vendor relations for Best Buy Co., Inc. and BestBuy.com respectively. She has over 10 year's professional experience in insurance operations and supply chain management. Bridgeford received her Bachelor of Science degree from Southwest State University while taking advantage of various educational opportunities through campus exchanges and cultural programs. She is an active volunteer in her communities. Some of her volunteering activities include Habitat For Humanity, BestPrep e-mentor and reading mentor, EXPO Elementary School Site Council and Ramsey County elections judge. Her personal mission is to assist in affording people opportunities to choose and pursue their desired paths in life. She is currently living in St. Paul with her husband, Michael and two children Jada, age 7 and Amia, age 9.

Tonja got started with the Ride For Roswell through work, thanks to her boss, who also volunteers. She is a health educator and works as the team leader of health promotion for BlueCross BlueShield of WNY and BlueShield of NENY. "Promoting health and chronic disease (cancer) prevention is my work and my passion. I have also enlisted many of my colleagues to help. This year will be my sixth year volunteering and the fourth leading the 9-mile route. In the Fall of 2001, after my second year of volunteering, my Aunt Charlotte passed away from cancer. She was a remarkably kind woman who died much too young. Aunt Char is sadly missed by her 6 children, and their families, including 17 grandchildren, along with her husband, step-daughter, brothers, sister, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, and nieces and nephews. She lived along the 9 mile route in Amherst and so I feel her presence every June when leading that ride. I dedicate my volunteer hours to her."

Steve Hammons is an OU alum who has lived in the Phoenix area since 1992. He has worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona for the past eight years as editor of company's provider newsletter for physicians, hospitals and health care providers statewide. Steve started at OU in 1970 and attended through '74, then worked on a final senior research project in psychology in California and finally graduated in summer of '77. He received a BGS degree with dual majors in communications (journalism focus) and health education (psychology focus). Steve visited Athens in September 2004 as the new school year was starting at OU. Currently, he is marketing and promoting his two novels, MISSION INTO LIGHT and the sequel LIGHT'S HAND about an unconventional government and military research group that looks into unusual phenomenon. The books are available in paperback from Barnes & Noble and most booksellers. In his spare time, he also is editor and research analyst at a Web site called IntelDesk.com, an innovative Web site that includes live feeds of news and information from diverse worldwide sources, satellite, scientific developments and many other features. One of Steve's articles for IntelDesk.com was also published May 13, 2005, in The Post at OU.

DeWitt Ezell, Jr. served as state president of Tennessee for BellSouth Corporation, a communications services company, from January 1990 until his retirement on April 30, 1999. Prior to that time, Mr. Ezell served in various engineering, regulatory and public relations positions during his 37-year tenure with BellSouth Corporation. Mr. Ezell currently serves as the chairman of the board of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, a non-profit health insurance company, and will continue to serve as a director after his term as chairman expires on April 1, 2009.

As El Paso Electric Executive Vice President of External Affairs, Hector Gutierrez Jr. is responsible for regulatory, public affairs and government affairs areas. Gutierrez has more than 34 years of experience in industries such as national defense, telecommunications, higher education and federal/state legislation. Prior to joining EPE, Gutierrez was the Managing Director of Governmental Operations at Hilco Partners where he provided strategies and tactical advice to the company's team of lobbyists. He has served as a Public Affairs Consultant for the City of El Paso, the El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board, AT&T, and the American Heart Association. Gutierrez was also the first Senior Advisor for Legislative Affairs for Governor Perry when he was first elected Lt. Governor of Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas A&M University and also attended the International Executive Program at the Amos Tuck Graduate School of Business at Dartmouth College. Gutierrez serves on the boards of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce Governing Board of Directors, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, the El Paso International Museum of Art, the Paso del Norte Group, Kids Excel El Paso and as a Big Brother/Big Sister Mentor. He also serves on the Texas Affiliate Board of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Texas A&M University Chancellor's Century Council; President's Board of Advisors. While in Austin, Gutierrez was a member of the board of Ballet Austin and of the Knights of the Austin Symphony, and served as a co-chair for the 2005 Texas Medal of Arts Ceremony. He is a retired Lt. Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserves.

James B. Foster, M.H.A., is a retired C.E.O. from Lake Shore Health Care Center, Silver Creek, NY. Previously, he was the C.E.O. of St. Luke's Memorial Hospital in Utica, NY Mr. Foster received his master's degree in hospital administration from the Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, and undergraduate degree from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. He is a life Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives and the Royal Society of Health, London, England. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of BlueCross and BlueShield of Western New York. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Healthy Living. He was a member of the American Society for Quality Control, Biomedical Division. He was also a board member for the Mid-Erie Mental Health Organization, Buffalo, NY. Mr. Foster is the recipient of the Annual Regent's Award, given by the American College of Health Care Executives.

Mr. Pignatelli joined TEP as Senior Vice President in August 1994 and was elected Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 1996. He was named Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UniSource Energy in January 1998, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of TEP in March 1998. On June 23, 1998, Mr. Pignatelli was named Chairman, President and CEO of UniSource Energy and TEP. Prior to joining TEP, he was President and Chief Executive Officer from 1988 to 1993 of Mission Energy Company, a subsidiary of SCE Corp. Mr. Pignatelli was awarded Independent Energy's Executive of the Year in 1992. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of UniSource Energy and TEP. Additionally, Mr. Pignatelli serves on the Board of Directors of TMC Healthcare, Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Habitat for Humanity Advisory Board, INNCOM International Inc., and AZ Council on Economic Education. Mr. Pignatelli has degrees in Accounting/Economics and Law.

John L. Olson - 69 ( 24 ) Sidney, Montana Expertise: Marketing, finance, business development and franchising. President and chief executive officer of Blue Rock Products Co. and Blue Rock Distributing Co., beverage bottling and distributing companies, and chairman of Admiral Beverage Corp.; a director of a health insurance company.

Rob Calise is a founding partner of Cornerstone Group. He helps clients control the costs of employee benefits by focusing on consumer driven strategies and on how to best utilize the tax savings tools the government provides. Rob is a board member of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI Broker Advisory Board, United HealthCare of New England Broker Advisory Board and the Rhode Island Business Healthcare Advisors Council. He is also a member of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), American Health Insurance Association (AHIA) and the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC), as well as various human resource associations. Rob is a graduate of Bryant College with a BS in Finance.

Mr. Beall is chairman of Beall's, Inc., the parent company of Beall's Department Stores, Inc., and Beall's Outlet Stores, Inc., which operate retail stores located from Florida to California. Until August 2006, he was also chief executive officer of Beall's, Inc. Mr. Beall is a director of SunTrust Banks, Inc., Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida and the National Retail Federation. He is also past chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Florida Council of 100. Mr. Beall has been a director of FPL Group since 1989.

Mr. Cabot has served as a director of Tier since January 1997. He has served as President of Samuel Cabot Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of premium quality exterior stains and architectural coatings, since 1978, and as Chairman of its Board of Directors since February 2000. He is also on the Board of Directors of Plasticolors, Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc., Fiduciary Trust Co. and Reed & Barton Inc., and is Chairman of Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM). Mr. Cabot also served two years in Chile as a Peace Corps volunteer. Mr. Cabot received an A.B. from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Boston University.

Sona Wang possesses 18 years of venture investment experience. Since 1987, she has raised two Chicago-based venture capital funds totaling over $80 million under management: Batterson, Johnson & Wang ('88-'01), and INROADS Capital Partners ('95-present). Previously, she was an investment manager with Allstate Venture Capital, one of the oldest institutional venture funds with over $400 million invested. Her investment focus has been in early stage technology and women and minority-owned businesses. Prior to her career in venture capital, Ms. Wang was employed with Intel Corporation in key management positions in manufacturing and marketing. Ms. Wang is a nationally recognized venture capitalist with a reputation as a pioneer in creating new funding vehicles for the underserved markets of women and minority owned businesses. Her latest fund, INROADS, was the first national venture capital fund to target women and minority owned businesses. INROADS was also the first fund approved by the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for community reinvestment credit (CRA) to banks as investors in a nationally focused venture fund. Ms. Wang is a leading figure in the Women's business community. She was the Chairman of the Springboard Forum in 2001 and 2003 (Midwest region); a founding advisory board member for the Northern Trust Company's VisionKeepers Forum, and an advisory council member for the Women's Business Development Center (WBDC). She was the recipient of the YWCA Leadership Award for Women's Entrepreneurship in 2001. She was named "100 Most Influential Women in Chicago" by Crain's Business in 2004. Ms. Wang currently serves on Northwestern University's Board of Trustees where she has been a Vice Chairman of the Capital Campaign and Co-chairman of the Diversity Committee. She also served on the Board of Advisors to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's Transition Team in 2002-03. Other current positions include the (Chicago) Mayor's Council of Technology Advisors and the Board of Governors for the Metropolitan Planning Council. She also serves on the board of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. Ms. Wang graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering (1980), where she was a recipient of the University's Canfield Scholarship. She received an M.B.A., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Retired Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Ryder System, Inc. Tracy Leinbach, 48, served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Ryder System, Inc. (logistics and transportation solutions provider) from 2003 until 2006. Prior to that, she was Executive Vice President, Fleet Management Solutions for Ryder since 2001. Ms. Leinbach is a Director of Forward Air Corporation and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida.