University of Houston

Dr. Paul Ching-Wu Chu has gained worldwide renown for his discoveries in superconductivity the cornerstone of the MRI technology used in Aurora breast-imaging systems. He is currently the President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology one of the fastest growing research universities in the Pacific Rim and also serves as T.L.L. Temple Chair of Science, Professor of Physics and Executive Director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston. Professor Chu received his B.S. degree in physics from Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan, his M.S. degree in physics from Fordham University in New York, and his Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of California at San Diego. Following two years of research at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ, Dr. Chu was appointed Assistant Professor of Physics at Cleveland State University in 1970, where he was promoted to Professor of Physics in 1975. He joined the University of Houston as Professor of Physics in 1979. At the University of Houston, Dr. Chu carried out research on superconductivity, the phenomenon in which electrical resistance in certain materials completely disappears at extremely low temperatures. In 1987, he and his team made an epic breakthrough: Using a special ceramic material, they achieved stable superconductivity at a relatively high temperature (above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen). This finding ushered in the age of high-temperature superconductivity, which has made commercial use of superconductivity much more feasible. Dr. Chu's discovery has been called one of the most significant advances in all of modern physics. He has been honored with some of the world's most prestigious scientific awards including the U.S. National Medal of Science, the Bernd Matthias Prize, and John Fritz Medal, which he shares with such luminaries as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Enrico Fermi.

Dr. Willson is Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Houston. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT.

Anthony R. Chase has been a Director of the Company Since October 1999. Since 1991, Mr. Chase has been a Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center, and he is also Chairman & CEO of ChaseSource, a staffing & recruiting firm. He most recently served as Chairman & CEO of ChaseCom, a global customer relationship management firm, until its sale to AT&T Corporation in December 2007. Mr. Chase is Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. He received his JD from Harvard Law School, his MBA from Harvard Business School and his AB from Harvard College. Mr. Chase is also a director of Western Gas Partners.

Bruce A. Williamson was named Dynegy Inc.'s President and Chief Executive Officer and elected to the company's Board of Directors in October 2002. In May 2004, the Board of Directors elected Williamson as Chairman. In his leadership role, Williamson is responsible for the development and execution of Dynegy's business strategies with a focus on delivering long-term value to investors. This includes positioning the company as a leader in the independent power producer sector. Today, the company's diverse operating platform includes three regional U.S. business segments and more than 18,000 megawatts of baseload, intermediate and peaking power plants fueled by a mix of natural gas, coal and fuel oil. Prior to joining Dynegy, Williamson served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Duke Energy Global Markets. In this role, he was responsible for all Duke Energy business units with global commodities and international business positions. Williamson was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Duke Energy International in 1997. In this position, he was responsible for strategy, business development and asset management for all international activities. Prior to the Duke-PanEnergy merger in 1997, Williamson served as Vice President of Finance for PanEnergy and was responsible for corporate development, corporate-wide commodity risk management and strategic oversight of corporate treasury. Before joining PanEnergy, he held positions of increasing responsibility at Royal Dutch/Shell Group, advancing to Assistant Treasurer. Williamson earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Montana and a master's of business administration from the University of Houston. He is active with the University of Houston, serving on the Dean's Advisory Board for the C.T. Bauer College of Business and the Chancellor's National Advisory Council. He also serves on the board of Questar Corp., an independent gas and oil producer.

The Board of Sage Leadership Partners consists of two vice chairs. Judith Pennywell, Ed.D., is the newly appointed Executive Director of International Initiatives for the University of Houston, Clear Lake Campus and Lecturer in Educational Leadership. Prior to joining the University of Houston, Judith served four years as the Director of International Student and Scholar Services at Vanderbilt University. In 2003, Judith was selected as a Fulbright Scholar, receiving an international education administrators award. Judith earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Indiana University, completing her Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy at Vanderbilt University. Mike Dishman, J.D., Ed.D., also serves as vice-chair. Mr. Dishman is a partner of McLocklin, Murphy & Dishman, L.L.P. For the past decade, Mike's practice has consisted almost exclusively of the representation of public school districts. In addition to the representation of schools, Mike has considerable academic interests in educational law, previously serving as an assistant professor of education law at the University of Alaska and presently serving in that capacity at Kennesaw State University. Mike's areas of practice include federal and state labor and employment law and litigation, on which he has extensively written and spoken. Mike holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Mississippi and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University.

Michael Ahearne is Associate Professor of Marketing and Executive Director of the Sales Excellence Institute at the University of Houston. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Houston, he was a professor at the University of Connecticut and Pennsylvania State University. He has been a visiting professor at Emory University, ESSEC School of Business in France, and the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in Belgium. He has both a Ph.D. and M.S. in Marketing with a minor in Decision Sciences from Indiana University. He has an M.B.A. and a B.S. in Mathematics with honors from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Mike is the incoming editor of the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, which is the premier journal internationally that is devoted to the publication of peer-reviewed articles in the field of selling and sales management. Mike's research examines factors influencing the performance of salespeople, sales teams and sales organizations. He has published in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Management, and the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, as well as several other journals. His research has been profiled in Business 2.0, Business Investors Daily, and INC Magazine and many other news outlets. Mike has substantial experience conducting marketing research in the health care and pharmaceutical industry. Before entering academia he worked for Eli Lilly and Company and PCS Healthcare. He currently works as a consultant for a number of companies in the sales technology and pharmaceutical industries.

Fred has over 34 years of senior management experience in the financial services industry and is one of the founders of PPC LOAN. Prior to founding PPC LOAN in 2008, Fred was one of the founders and served as President and CEO of Professional Practice Capital, LLP since 1998. Prior to founding Professional Practice Capital, Fred started and managed the Professional and Executive Banking Division for a large Chicago bank and managed their Small Business Banking Division. Fred has specialized in providing professionals and entrepreneurs access to capital in order to grow and manage their professional practices and businesses since he began his banking career and possesses expertise in the areas of private banking, commercial lending, financial planning, business development, and marketing. Fred graduated from the University of Mississippi with a BBA in Banking and Finance. He is a licensed Certified Financial Planner, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Pacific Dental Education Foundation of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, CA, and a founder of the Center for Insurance and Risk Management at the University of Houston Downtown in Houston, TX.

Charles S. Hausmann is Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus and is also Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston where he conducts the major choral organizations and teaches conducting and voice. Dr. Hausmann holds degrees from Westminster Choir College, Trenton State College and the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He has served on the faculties of Western Kentucky University, Westminster Choir College, Princeton and Cranford Senior High School in New Jersey. Choirs under his direction have received national and international acclaim appearing at major music conventions and festivals in the United States and Europe. Dr. Hausmann has served as choral clinician, guest conductor and vocal soloist throughout the U.S. Most recently he prepared The Houston Symphony Chorus for performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 8, Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe and Mozart's Requiem. He also led The Houston Symphony Chorus on tour to Mexico City where it received critical acclaim for performances of Verdi's Requiem, and to Europe where it performed Orff's Carmina Burana with the Basel Symphony.

David Walker is the Regional Director for the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) at the University of Houston. He received B.A. in Business Administration and a B.S. in Finance from Sam Houston State University. For more than 30 years David has been involved in manufacturing, sales and management, in various industries including sub-sea drilling equipment, construction, and power and temperature control at the regional and national levels. David currently provides visionary leadership to TMAC and serves as the chair of the Product Development Committee

Fred McGhee is the Director of Business Operations for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Houston. His duties are to direct the administrative, financial and human resources operations of the college. This includes a budget of over $60 million and 1,300 employees. Additionally, he has over 15 years of experience working successfully with several start ups and other small businesses. The vast array of businesses range from real estate, entertainment, food and beverage, publishing, consulting, and auto sales just to name a few. He was CEO of a very successful recording company for 8 years in which he sold to his partners so that he may pursue other projects. He currently serves on the board of Ace Corp Enterprises, Houstonis Lower Downtown Brewing Co., and the HBGA Golf Association of Texas.

Dean Ruck is a professional artist who has lived and worked in the target area since 1989. He is the owner of a resurrected 100 year old home in Cottage Grove and has renovated numerous older homes and warehouses in the Washington Avenue corridor. By day he works as an architectural project manager at the University of Houston.

Aaron graduated in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of New Mexico. Aaron now works as a Program Coordinator in the College Success Program at the University of Houston and is currently completing his coursework to obtain a master's degree in education. Aaron became a member of Omega Delta Phi in the spring of 1999 at the Zeta Chapter at Eastern New Mexico University. After transferring to the UNM in the fall, he became a founding father of the Alpha Eta Chapter. During his tenure at AH, Aaron has held over 10 positions including Prospective Member Educator and Standards Chair. He was also involved with ASUNM Senate, LOBOrientation, El Centro de la Raza and the Minority Undergraduate Fellowship Program through the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. During his tenure at UNM, Aaron earned many awards including numerous ODPhi Unity Awards, the Dean of Students Service Award, the Alumni Association Citizenship Award and the NASPA Rising Star Award. Prior to becoming a regional director, Aaron held the regional membership development chair for the Southwest and East Texas Regions and was an alumni advisor for the Alpha Eta Chapter. Aaron currently resides in Spring, Texas with his wife and two sons. In his free time he enjoys working out, reading and listening to music. "I am honored to represent the East Texas Region and to be able to continue to work with our national board and this great brotherhood."

Alejandro Chaoul was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were he completed up to High School studies. He came to the US and obtained a BA in Philosophy and a BS in Mass Communications from Boston University (1987). Traveling to India and Nepal, he had the great fortune to receive teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other teachers. Back in the West he studied under Tibetan masters such as Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. Inspired by this he pursued his academic studies in religious studies, focusing on Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, at the University of Virginia (1994-6), and obtained his MA (1999). In the past seven years he has been at Rice University, where he recently completed his Ph.D. in religious studies, writing his dissertation on Tibetan mind-body practices and applications with cancer patients. Alejandro has been teaching Tibetan meditation and mind-body techniques under the auspices of the Ligmincha Insititute in various parts of the US and Mexico, since 1995. He currently teaches at Rice University and is a Mind/Body Intervention Specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he is involved in research using Tibetan mind-body techniques with cancer patients and facilitates meditation for cancer patients and their support system's at their Place of Wellness. He also lectures at the University of Houston and the Jung Center of Houston and is on the Adjunct Faculty at the Institute for Religion and Health in the Texas Medical Center in Houston. He lives in Houston with his wife, Erika de la Garza, and their two children Matias and Karina.

Dr. Daneshy is recognized worldwide as a technical expert and pioneer in Hydraulic Fracturing. Dr. Daneshy has over 38 years of industry experience in both the technology and application of Hydraulic Fracturing. Dr. Daneshy has designed, and executed numerous fracturing treatments around the world. He has been a technical advisor and consultant for oil and gas companies in the US, Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Dr. Daneshy is a professor at the University of Houston and a recipient of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Service award for contributions to Hydraulic Fracturing. Dr. Daneshy received his PHD from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1969.

Dr. Amalia M. Issa is the Director of the Program in Personalized Medicine and Targeted Therapeutics (P2MT2) at the Abramson Center for the Future of Health (a joint initiative of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and the University of Houston) and Associate Professor at the University of Houston. She is a pharmacologist and clinical epidemiologist with primary interests in how basic and clinical pharmaceutical sciences are translated into clinical research and practice and health policy. The mission of the P2MT2 is to advance knowledge of and promote informed decision-making about the effectiveness of pharmaceutical products, services, and policies, with a particular focus on personalized medicine technologies Dr. Issa conducts research on the implications of genetics and individualizing drug therapies for clinical practice, research and health policies; pharmaceutical innovation, regulation and technology assessment; the impact of personalized medicine on healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry; the incorporation of genetic analysis on clinical trials methodology; the integration of diagnostics with therapy; and the pharmacoepidemiological analysis of adverse drug reactions and safety Dr. Issa received her doctorate from the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery (specialization: neuropharmacology) at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and her public health degree from the UCLA School of Public Health. She completed fellowships at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Nazcmzadeh is the Economics Coordinator at the University of Houston-Downtown and oversees the Finance, Accounting, and Computer Information Systems (FACIS). Since 1981 Dr. Nazemzadeh has served as a teaching instructor of economics at Louisiana State University, Florida State University, Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Houston-Downtown. The subjects he has taught include Principles of Economics, Money and Banking, Intermediate and Graduate Micro/Macro Economics, International Economics, Business Fluctuations and Forecasting, Managerial Economics and Public Finance Comparative Economic Systems. He has published and prepared many (more than 50) technical reports and papers.

Dr. Smith is a Professor of Economics at the University of Houston and Director of the Institute for Regional Forecasting. He teaches and conducts research in urban economics and public finance. He has been affiliated with the University of Houston since 1973 and has served as chairman of the Economics Department (1987-1990) and as director of the Center for Public Policy (1984-1987). Dr. Smith continues to work with the Center as its senior economist in charge of regional economic analysis. He has conducted numerous studies in housing, transportation and environmental economics, and he has published many articles in academic journals and books. During the past 15 years, Dr. Smith has gained national and local recognition for his analyses of the Houston economy and real estate markets. He wrote the Centera s Handbook on the Houston Economy (1987, 1989) and continues to publish two symposium reports per year on Houstona s economy and real estate markets. Dr. Smith received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from Brigham Young University (1969) and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago (1971, 1974).

Dr. Brent Isbell is the Preaching Minister for the Bering Drive Church of Christ, located in West Houston's Galleria District. He is also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Houston and sits on a variety of non-profit boards, in addition to serving on the board of Alpha Houston. He is married to Melinda, and they have two daughters, Jordan and Sarah. Brent began his Alpha journey in the 1990s, while doing local ministry in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He has been in Houston since 2004, where his Bering Drive congregation is an active and enthusiastic Alpha sponsor.

Brian is currently a doctoral student at the University of Houston working towards a degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He was the original founder of Project DIBS and holds a master's degree in Educational Technology and a bachelor's degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from Purdue University. His work includes integrating emerging technology into science education, ocean literacy and environmental literacy research and online community development.

Carl Lindahl, Martha Gano Houstoun Research Professor in English at the University of Houston, has studied and published widely in the fields of oral narrative and Gulf Coast traditions. He is a Fellow of the American Folklore Society, a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar, and author or editor of 15 books, including American Folktales from the Collections of the Library of Congress (2004).

Chad High is an undergraduate student in History at the University of Houston and is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2009. He is also working on his teacher certification through the university and plans to teach United States and World history at the secondary level. His interests in history cover a wide range of topics from ancient Greece to 20th century United States. His main area of study is on the nation states of early modern and modern Europe, particularly Spain and Great Britain.

Cindy Arispe is a native Texan and currently a second year graduate student at the University of Houston. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. After one year of teaching 5th grade, Cindy realized social work was her true calling. The experiences she had with her own aging family members led her to become passionate about the aging population. Cindy is looking forward to the experiences and knowledge she will gain from the committee. When she is not working, in class, or in field, Cindy enjoys reading, scrapbooking, and spending time with her family and friends. Cindy can be reached at: clarispe@uh.edu clarispe@uh.edu .

Curt Tueffert is considered America's Master Sales Motivator due to his hgh energy, enthusiastic audience presence, and knowledge of sales motivaiton. He understands that motivation and knowledge can be combined to create the outcomes required to be successful. He communicates a balance that gives people the right tools to get and stay motivated. Professionally, he has spent 25 years in sales. From building teams from the ground up, to Vice President of Sales of Houston's top industrial distributor, he has been around the block. He has created successful teams, marketing programs, and exceeded sales goals as a professional. Curt is currently managing a large sales force in the Houston area, where he is responsible for sales leadership development, marketing, recruitment and retaining of great people, and delivering year over year results. Curt has taught at the University of Houston for 5 years. In the Excellence In Selling program, Curt taught Introduction To Sales, and Advanced Professional Selling. Many universities and colleges are beginning to offer a structured track on selling and are using the ideas and courses from the U of H program as a model. In 2004, Curt Tueffert was voted the Teacher Of The Year by his peers for the Program For Excellence In Selling. Personally, he is a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA) with Target Training International. His study of sales and human behavior provides a strong foundation for his Leadership, Motivation, and Sales presentations. He is the author of 201 Sales Motivators, a collection of quotes and short editorials designed to inspire and motivate sales professionals. Curt has just completed 5 Stones For Slaying Giants, a book written to address 5 critical success factors for business and life. Many of his written articles have appeared in newspapers and corporate newsletters such as Selling Power, Sales & Marketing Magazine, and Houston Business Journal.

Dennis Dotson, specialist in jazz trumpet, has been a professional trumpeter for forty years, having played in the house bands in Las Vegas and free-lanced in New York City and Houston, Texas, where he now lives. He was trumpet soloist in the Woody Herman and Buddy Rich big bands and as a small group player has performed alongside Joe Lovano, Joe Henderson, Marvin Stamm and David Liebman, among others, and has performed in big bands with such as Carl Fontana, Bobby Shew, Tom Harrell, and Kenny Wheeler. He is on the faculty at Houston Community College, where he teaches private lessons in trumpet and improvisation and is jazz trumpet instructor at the University of Houston. He has led several All-Region high school jazz bands and has been a guest soloist/adjudicator/clinician at over forty high schools and colleges. He is very active as a trumpet player in jazz and commercial circles throughout the state of Texas, has performed with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and has been a sideman on numerous jazz recordings.

Donald Williamson has taught and practiced systems thinking, as applied to families, groups and organizations for forty years. As tenured faculty, he taught psychology to seminarians at Duke University in the 1960's; he was Dean of the Institute of Religion and Human Development in Texas Medical Center, Co-Founder of the Houston Family Institute and Clinical Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston in the 1970's; he was Professor of Family Medicine and Director of the Family Stress Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in the 1980's. In 1992 he came to the Leadership Institute of Seattle (LIOS) as Associate Dean, and since 1999 has been Senior Fellow at LIOS.

Dorothy Caram, Ed.D., EmeritusAs a resident of Houston, Dr. Caram acts as an adjunct Professor of Sociology at the University of Houston. As a result of her dedication to years of volunteer work, King Juan Carlos bestowed an award naming Dr. Caram the "Lady in the Order La Catolica." She is also recognized as the "Distinguished Mexican American" for her participation in the Fiestas Patrias Celebration. Additionally, she sits on the boards of: United Way Texas Gulf Coast, Volunteers of America, Houston Pops, Houston Ballet Folklorico, and many more. back to top

E. Robert Baumann, the AFS Chair in 1994 was the middle child born to second generation German-American parents on May 12, 1921 and received his degree in Civil Engineering from University of Michigan in 1944. Bob served in the armed services in World War II completed an Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) at the University of Illinois with the award of a B.S. degree in sanitary engineering. He left the Army in 1946 to return to Illinois to earn M.M. and PhD degrees in sanitary engineering. Baumann worked on research programs in pre-coat filtration and stream hydraulics before joining the faculty at Iowa State College in September, 1953 as a tenured Associate Professor of Civil Engineering. He was responsible for the teaching and research program in sanitary engineering. He conducted research in heat treatment of swine disease organisms transmittable when feeding raw food wastes to swine, pre-coat and deep-bed filtration and wastewater treatment. He was promoted to Professor in 1956 and named as an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering in 1972. He was a National Science Foundation Science Faculty Fellow at the University of Durham, Kings College, England in 1959-1960 where he joined the British Filtration Society, and was one of the founders, with FM Tiller of Incofilt, the Consortium of Filtration Research Groups. In 1972-1973, he traveled around the World to visit and lecture at Incofilt Universities in Japan, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, England, and the University of Houston in the USA. He was active in the Filtration Society from its inception. Baumann and Tiller worked together in presenting nearly 100 short courses on filtration for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers throughout the world. Baumann was a consultant to Mekorot, the water company in Israel that is responsible for water supply for the whole country. The design of the Los Angles aqueduct water treatment plant was based on Bob's pilot plant work That plant has been in operation for over 20 years. Baumann retired from Iowa on May 21,1991 after 38 years of service. He will reach the age of 85 on May 12,2006 and will celebrate 60 years of marriage to Mary A. Massey of Peoria, Illinois on June 15, 2006. They met at the University of Illinois while he was in the ASTP program there in 1945.

Dr. Claridge has had a distinguished career spanning a period of several decades, first, in various research departments of Shell Oil and Royal Dutch Shell and, later, as a consultant to TCA and an Associate Professor at the University of Houston, where he was the Director of the Graduate Program in Petroleum Engineering. His reputation for excellence in experimental work involving miscible flooding and the physics and chemistry of fluid systems for enhanced oil recovery is well known to many in the Petroleum Industry. Dr. Claridge assisted in the description of the physics embodied in our miscible flood simulator, and he has worked closely with us on numerous field projects for TCA clients since the firm's inception. Dr. Claridge is able to offer assistance in the design and interpretation of the ofttimes very difficult laboratory experiments required to determine data on phenomena such as waterblocking of oil from the CO2 solvent and the impact of hysteresis in relative permeability and phase separation (e.g. L1, L2, asphaltene) on in-situ mobility of the injected CO2. Dr. Claridge is currently heavily involved in the investigation of foams for mobility control in systems characterized by poor volumetric conformance. Dr. Claridge has been recognized a

Mark Berger was named President and chief executive officer of PWI in February 2005. He is a past PWI Board member and chaired the Board of Directors from 2001-2003. Berger joined PWI after serving as principal consultant of a management assistance firm he founded in 1998. The firm's focus was on strengthening nonprofit organizations and leaders. From 1980-1998, he served as Associate National Director for Community Services of the Council of Jewish Federations. He previously worked at Jewish federations in San Diego, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. He received a Masters degree in community and organizational change from the University of Maryland and has studied in the MBA program at San Diego State University's College of Business. He continues to teach nonprofit management at Chapman University and Nonprofit Management Solutions. Berger is an active community leader and has served on the boards of several nonprofits. He and his wife Jacquelyn Tolley are parents of Jenna Tolley Berger, a historian and editor at the University of Houston.