Board Of Directors
Paul J. Brown 4
President, Brands and Commercial Services Hilton Worldwide
McLean, VA
Mr. Brown has been President, Brands and Commercial Services for Hilton Worldwide since 2008. Prior to that, he was with Expedia Inc. for four years, most recently serving as President, Expedia North America and Expedia Inc. Partner Services Group. From 2001 through 2005, Mr. Brown was a Partner with McKinsey & Co. in their London and Atlanta offices. Earlier in his career, he was Senior Vice President of Brand Services for Intercontinental Hotels Group, a Manager with the Boston Consulting Group, Inc. and a Senior Consultant with Andersen Consulting. Mr. Brown received a Bachelors Degree in Management from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1989 and earned a Masters of Business Administration Degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University in 1994. He is also a Director of Borders Group, Inc.
William C. Cobb
President and Chief Executive Officer H&R Block, Inc.
Kansas City, MO
Mr. Cobb was named President and Chief Executive Officer of H&R Block, Inc. in May 2011. He has been a member of the company’s Board of Directors since August 2010. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Cobb was President of eBay Marketplaces, the company’s flagship division. Under his leadership, the eBay division traded $25 billion in goods and services, and reached a record $2.6 billion in revenue. In addition to eBay’s U.S. performance, Mr. Cobb was responsible for affiliated businesses such as StubHub, Shopping.com and Rent.com. Mr. Cobb led eBay’s International division from 2002 to 2004, growing revenue from $300 million to more than $1 billion in two years. He started with eBay in 2000 as the head of eBay’s Global Marketing, where he developed the company’s first brand campaign and the largest internet marketing function on the web.
From 1987 until 2000, Mr. Cobb held several senior-level positions at Pepsico and YUM! Brands, including Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of International Marketing for YUM!, and Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Pizza Hut U.S.
Mr. Cobb holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
Mr. Cobb and his wife, Carole, have three children.
Marvin R. Ellison 2
Executive Vice President – U.S. Stores The Home Depot, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Mr. Ellison has been Executive Vice President – U.S. Stores of The Home Depot, Inc. since August 2008. From January 2006 through August 2008, he served as President – Northern Division. From August 2005 through January 2006, he served as Senior Vice President – Logistics and from October 2004 through August 2005 he served as Vice President – Logistics. From June 2002 through October 2004, he served as Vice President – Loss Prevention of The Home Depot, Inc. From 1987 until June 2002, Mr. Ellison held various management and executive level positions with Target Corporation, a general merchandise retailer. His final position with Target was Director, Assets Protection. Mr. Ellison earned a Business Administration Degree in Marketing from the University of Memphis and a Master of Business Administration from Emory University.
Robert A. Gerard3*,4
Chairman of the Board H&R Block, Inc.
General Partner and Investment Manager GFP, LP
New York, NY
Mr. Gerard is the General Partner and Investment Manager of GFP, L.P., a private investment partnership. From 2004 until 2010, Mr. Gerard was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management Committee of Royal Street Communications, LLC, a licensee, developer and operator of telecommunications networks in Los Angeles and Central Florida. He served from 1974 to 1977 in the United States Department of the Treasury, completing his service as Assistant Secretary for Capital Markets and Debt Management. From 1977 until his retirement in 1991, he held senior executive positions with the investment banking firms Morgan Stanley & Co., Dillon Read & Co., and Bear Stearns. After his retirement from the securities business, Mr. Gerard pursued his interest in art history and served as a lecturer at the University of London, on the staff of the British Museum and as a visiting scholar at Columbia University. In 1999, he returned to financial advisory working primarily with London, England’s public transport system and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. He has served on the H&R Block Board of Directors since October 2007 and was recently elected Chairman of the Board. He also is a Director of Gleacher & Company, Inc., an investment banking firm headquartered in New York City. Mr. Gerard is a graduate of Harvard College and holds MA and JD degrees from Columbia University.
David Baker Lewis 1*,4
Senior Shareholder Lewis & Munday
Detroit, MI
Mr. Lewis is Senior Shareholder and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lewis & Munday, a Detroit-based legal firm with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Seattle. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Oakland University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan School of Law. Mr. Lewis is also a Director of The Kroger Company and STERIS Corp., and was previously a Director of Conrail, Inc., LG&E Energy Corp., M.A. Hanna, TRW, Inc., and Comerica, Inc.
Victoria J. Reich 1
Former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer United Stationers Inc.
Deerfield, IL
Ms. Reich served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of United Stationers Inc. from June 2007 until July 2011. Prior to that, Ms. Reich spent ten years with Brunswick Corporation, where she most recently was President of Brunswick European Group from 2003 until 2006. She served as Brunswick’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2000 to 2003 and as Vice President and Controller from 1996 until 2000. Before joining Brunswick, Ms. Reich spent 17 years at General Electric Company, where she held various financial management positions. Ms. Reich holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Brown University. She is also a Director of Ecolab Inc.
Bruce C. Rohde 1,2*
Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ConAgra Foods, Inc.
Omaha, NE
Mr. Rohde has served in multiple roles with ConAgra Foods, Inc. since 1984, including General Counsel, President, Vice Chairman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retiring from that role in 2005 as Chairman and CEO Emeritus. Mr. Rohde is the Managing Partner of Romar Capital Group and Of Counsel to the Hunkins Newton Law Firm. Mr. Rohde holds two degrees from Creighton University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Juris Doctor, cum laude. Mr. Rohde serves as Lead Director at Gleacher & Company, Inc. He also serves as Chairman of Creighton University Board of Directors, on Harvard University’s Private and Public, Scientific, Academic and Consumer Food Policy Committee, as a Presidential Appointee to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council and a Director of Preventive Medicine Research Institute. Mr. Rohde holds many court admissions and also holds a certified public accountant certificate.
Tom D. Seip 2,4*
Private Investor
Easton, MD
Mr. Seip currently serves as managing member of Way Too Much Stuff LLC and Ridgefield Farm LLC, all private investment vehicles. He served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and director of Westaff, Inc., a temporary staffing services company in Walnut Creek, California, from May 2001 until January 2002. Mr. Seip was employed by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, California, from January 1983 until June 1998 in various positions, including Chief Executive Officer of Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. from 1997 until June 1998 and Executive Vice President, Retail Brokerage from 1994 until 1997. Mr. Seip is also a trustee of the Neuberger Berman Mutual Funds, New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University and participated in the Doctoral Program in Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan.
Christianna Wood 1
Chairman of the Board International Corporate Governance Network
New York, NY
Ms. Wood is the Chairman of the Board of the International Corporate Governance Network (“ICGN”). Ms. Wood is also the Chief Executive Officer of Gore Creek Capital Ltd., an investment management consulting company based in Golden, Colorado. Ms. Wood served as the Chief Executive Officer of Capital Z Asset Management, the largest dedicated sponsor of hedge funds, from 2008 through July 2009. Previously, Ms. Wood was the Senior Investment Officer for the Global Equity unit of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) for five years. Prior to CalPERS, Ms. Wood served as a Principal of several investment management organizations. She is a Trustee of Vassar College and on the Investment, Audit and Social Responsibility Committees of the Vassar College Board of Trustees. Ms. Wood is a member of the Board of the International Securities Exchange. She was previously a member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Standard Advisory Group (2006-2008) and the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) Consultative Advisory Group (2006-2009). Ms. Wood obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College and a Masters of Business Administration degree in Finance from New York University.
James F. Wright 2
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Tractor Supply Company
Brentwood, TN
Mr. Wright has been Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Tractor Supply Company since November 2007, where he previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 2004 to November 2007 and as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2000 through 2004. Mr. Wright previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Tire Kingdom, a tire and automotive services retailer, from May 1997 to June 2000. He also serves on the Board and as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade assocation. He was previously a Director of Spartan Stores.
Footnotes indicate Board Committees. Asterisk indicate Committee Chairpersons.
1. Audit Committee
2. Compensation Committee
3. Finance Committee
4. Governance and Nominating Committee
