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NCEO Board of Directors
As elected in February 2012
- Victor Aspengren (Chair)
- Prairie Capital Advisors
As part of Prairie Capital Advisors' Cedar Rapids office, Victor Aspengren provides Midwest and nationwide business owner clients the expertise needed for their ownership transition planning and implementation needs. He lived the ESOP experience as an employee owner, HR Manger and CEO in ESOP companies. Victor is a former Dale Carnegie instructor, YMCA Senior Director, Creativity Central trainer and coach for The Great Game of Business. Victor is a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership and chair of the board. He is also a member of the National ESOP Association and a former board member, Ownership Culture committee chair, and IA/NE Chapter officer. Victor is a regular presenter in the employee ownership world. - Tom Roback (Vice Chair)
- Blue Ridge ESOP Associates
Tom Roback is the managing director of Blue Ridge ESOP Associates and, effective as of April 2011, the vice chair of the NCEO's board of directors. Tom has worked in the accounting, investment, and ESOP industry for over 20 years. He is an expert in the design, implementation, and execution of ESOP, stock option, stock purchase, and restricted stock plans. Tom received his MBA from the University of Baltimore and a BS in accounting from the College of William and Mary. He is a Qualified 401(k) Administrator and a Certified Equity Professional. Tom is also the Capital Area Regional Vice President of the ESOP Association's Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Tom enjoys fishing and coaching the various youth sports teams of his two children. - Steve Baker
- Great Game of Business
Steve Baker is the Vice President of The Great Game of Business, a division of employee-owned SRC Holdings Corp. He speaks nationally on topics of Open-Book Management, Business Literacy and Employee Engagement. The Great Game helps companies unleash the entrepreneur inside every employee through High-Involvement Strategic Planning and Execution. He serves on the board of directors of the NCEO and on the Steering Committee for SRC's Ownership Culture Initiative. Steve spent 18 years in marketing/branding roles & holds a Design degree from MSU. Steve and his trophy wife, JoAnn, make their home in Springfield, Missouri with their 3 above-average children. - Nancy Dittmer
- Verisight, Inc.
Nancy Dittmer is a Managing Director for Verisight, Inc. As the leader of the firm's ESOP administration and consulting practice, Nancy is responsible for all of their ESOP services. These include feasibility studies, repurchase obligation studies, annual participant accounting and reporting, etc. In addition to being a member of the Board of Directors of the NCEO, she authors a column on ESOP Operational Issues for their website. She is a member of The ESOP Association and currently serves as the Chair of the Administration Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Interdisciplinary Advisory Committee on Fiduciary Issues. Nancy is also a member of the Employee Owned S Corporations of America (ESCA). - Elizabeth Dodge
- Stock & Option Solutions
Elizabeth Dodge is a Vice President for Stock & Option Solutions, Inc. Her responsibilities include monitoring developments in equity compensation, performing market research, defining products, and helping clients solve equity compensation challenges. Elizabeth joined SOS in 2008, and has been in the equity compensation field since 1998. Elizabeth regularly speaks at industry events. She also spoke at the FASB Roundtable on FAS 123(R) and co-authors the chapter on accounting in The Stock Options Book. She became a Certified Equity Professional in 1999 and volunteers for the CEP Institute. She is also President of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the NASPP. - Ron Gilbert
- ESOP Services, Inc.
Ron Gilbert, president of ESOP Services, Inc., began his career working with Louis Kelso and has over 30 years of experience in "quarterbacking" ESOP transactions. Ron serves on the boards of four ESOP companies, and the Legislative and Regulatory Committee of The ESOP Association. He is co-editor and co-author of Employee Stock Ownership Plans: ESOP Planning Financing, Implementation, Law and Taxation, the most complete work on the subject, published by the Beyster Institute. Ron is a frequent speaker at ESOP seminars sponsored by The World Bank, The ESOP Association, the NCEO, the Beyster Institute, The American College, banks, national and state governments, etc., and has spoken in Argentina, Belarus, England, Estonia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland and Russia. - Brad Hams
- Ownership Thinking
Brad Hams is on a mission to eradicate entitlement. His company, Ownership Thinking, has helped over 1,000 companies to do this, and to create cultures of earning; of employees who think and act like owners. Prior to founding Ownership Thinking in 1995, Brad was president of Mrs. Fields Mexico, and held leadership positions in a fortune 100 company. He is a lifelong student of business and finance, and holds a master's degree in Organization Development and Human Resources. Brad is an internationally recognized consultant and speaker, and the author of Ownership Thinking: How to End Entitlement and Create a Culture of Accountability, Purpose, and Profit (McGraw Hill). - Paul Horn
- WorkPlace Consultants, LLC
Paul Horn litigated retirement plan cases for IRS Chief Counsel and then worked at major law firms before returning to the government as FDIC Benefits Counsel. He then served as Benefits Director for a large 100% ESOP company. Paul formed WorkPlace Consultants, LLC in 2007 to assist clients with ESOP and benefits-related matters. Paul earned a B.A. Mathematics, SUNY Binghamton (1980), J.D., Boston University Law School (1983), and MLT, Georgetown University Law School (1987). Other positions/accomplishments: Past President, The ESOP Association (TEA) Mid-Atlantic Chapter; TEA Chapter Officer of the Year (2003); Past Chair, TEA Ownership Culture Committee; Trustee, Employee Ownership Foundation. - Daniel Janich
- Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.
Dan Janich, attorney, is an officer of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. in Chicago whose law practice is in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. His clients are businesses, including ESOP companies, as well as executives and other professionals. He has extensive experience designing and implementing equity compensation plans, negotiating executive compensation agreements, and litigating ERISA and other benefit and executive compensation related claims. Mr. Janich is currently a senior editor of Employee Benefits Law and management co-chair of the Reporting and Disclosure Subcommittee of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section's Employee Benefits Committee. - Judy Kornfeld
- ESOP Economics
Judy Kornfeld, the founder and president of ESOP Economics, Inc., has been working with ESOP companies for more than 20 years on all aspects of repurchase obligation planning, focusing on developing strategies for managing and funding these obligations. She has authored many articles about ESOP repurchase obligations and is a frequent speaker at regional and national ESOP conferences. Judy received The ESOP Association's Life Service Award in 2008 and was elected to the Board of the NCEO in 2011. She holds a JD/MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and The Wharton School. - Todd Leistner
- Scot Forge Company
Todd Leistner is the Controller for Scot Forge Company, a 100% employee-owned manufacturer of custom open die and rolled ring forgings. Scot Forge has over 100 years of experience, leading the industry as one of the most modern and respected forging companies in the world. Todd further developed his strategic knowledge of ESOP planning and administration through his prior 12 years' experience in public accounting serving a wide variety of large successful ESOP clients. He and his team of owners at Scot Forge are very involved and dedicated to serving the ESOP community. - Mark Lewis
- Woodfold Manufacturing
Mark Lewis joined Woodfold Mfg., Inc. in 1985 and assumed the role of President in 1993. Woodfold formed an ESOP in 1987 and became 100% employee owned in 1998. Mark has served as Chair of ESCA for three years and currently serves the role of Immediate Past Chair. He also serves on the national boards of NCEO and the Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME). He sits on the Executive Committee of the Oregon Workforce Investment Board (OWIB) and Chairs the OWIB Manufacturing Committee. - Linshuang Lu
- Praxis Consulting Group
Linshuang Lu is a consultant at Praxis Consulting Group, where she assists companies with communications, ownership culture development, and employee committees. She is a member of the ownership culture committee of the ESOP Association and has authored a chapter in the NCEO's ESOP Committee Guide. Linshuang also guest teaches at the University of Pennsylvania on the accounting, financing, and social implications of nonprofit, cooperative, and employee-owned enterprises. Before joining Praxis, Linshuang worked at Nonprofit Finance Fund, where she taught workshops and provided consulting services to nonprofits in financial planning, management, and education. - John Miscione
- Duff & Phelps, LLC
John L. Miscione joined Duff & Phelps in 2005. He is a managing director in the New York office and part of the firm's ESOP and ERISA Advisory Services practice. John specializes in structuring and arranging financing for leveraged employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), management buyouts and recapitalization transactions on behalf of selling shareholders and management teams. John also has expertise in issuing fairness and solvency opinions in corporate transactions. He is a nationally recognized expert in ownership transition and private company finance who speaks widely on these topics. - Pat Moody
- Fleetwood Group
Pat Moody is the Vice President of Business Development at Fleetwood Group, a $25 million, 100% employee-owned manufacturing business. In 2006, the ESOP Association named Fleetwood Group the top ESOP in the United States. Pat's hands-on employee ownership experience spans 18 years in sales and corporate leadership positions. He is currently an inside director of Fleetwood's board of directors, as well as chair of the company's ESOP's board of trustees. Pat's alma mater is The United States Military Academy at West Point. - Karen Needham
- Charles Schwab
Karen Needham is the director of relationship management & education for Charles Schwab Stock Plan Services and has been involved in equity compensation for over 30 years. Having worked on both the issuer and provider sides of equity compensation, Karen has a unique perspective that allows her to understand the issues facing all parties. In addition, Karen has been an NCEO board member and chair of the equity committee working to expand the NCEO to the greater equity compensation industry. She is committed to employee education. She is a CEP and is a member of the advisory board for the Certified Equity Professional Institute at Santa Clara University. - Loren Rodgers
- NCEO
Loren Rodgers is the executive director of the NCEO. Having written dozens of articles, he speaks extensively about topics including communications, ESOP education, employee committees, business literacy, building and maintaining enthusiasm, current research, and corporate governance for employee ownership companies. Rodgers has a master's degree in public policy from the University of Michigan, where he studied employee ownership and international development with a focus on Slavic Europe. Before joining the NCEO in 2005, he was a senior principal and co-owner of Ownership Associates, a employee ownership consulting firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he worked for 10 years. He is a researcher and active volunteer in the field. - Scott Rodrick
- NCEO
As the NCEO's director of publishing and information technology, Scott is in charge of all publications except the Employee Ownership Report. He designed and created the NCEO's present line of books and is the author or coauthor of several books himself, including the best-selling An Introduction to ESOPs, Understanding ESOPs, and The Decision-Maker's Guide to Equity Compensation. He is an attorney and served at the U.S. Department of Labor as an attorney-advisor from 1991 to 1993 before coming to the NCEO. Before law school, he earned an MA in music from UCLA, where he served as a teaching associate. Scott is also a Web developer; he created the NCEO's first Web site in 1994 and has maintained the NCEO's presence on the Internet since then. - Corey Rosen
- NCEO founder
Corey Rosen, Ph.D., is the cofounder and senior staff member of the NCEO. He co-authored, along with John Case and Martin Staubus, Equity: Why Employee Ownership Is Good for Business (Harvard Business School Press, May 2005). Over the years, he has written, edited, or contributed to dozens of books, articles and research papers on employee ownership. He is generally regarded as the leading expert on employee ownership in the world. Rosen received his Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University in 1973, after which he taught politics at Ripon College in Wisconsin before being named an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in 1975. He worked on Capital Hill for the next five years, where he helped initiate and draft legislation on ESOPs and employee ownership. In 1981, he formed the NCEO. - James Steiker
- SES Advisors
James G. Steiker is chairman and CEO of SES Advisors, Inc. and founding partner and Chairman of Steiker, Fischer, Edwards & Greenapple, P.C. Jim is a corporate, pension and tax attorney and financial advisor with more than 25 years of experience in Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and other employee ownership matters. Jim is a Chair of the Finance Committee of The ESOP Association, a trustee of the Employee Ownership Foundation and a member of the board of directors of the National Center for Employee Ownership. He is also a frequent speaker and author on ESOP matters and serves as a director of eight ESOP companies. - Cecil Ursprung
- Reflexite Technology Corp. (retired)
Cecil Ursprung recently retired as CEO of Reflexite Corporation after 25 years. Reflexite's ESOP was established in 1984. Based on NCEO information services, Reflexite not only made the ESOP its largest shareholder, but also established other equity vehicles including a stock options plan, an ESPP, and an internal market for the stock. Cecil is now NCEO Board Co-Chair and VP, Government Relations, New England Chapter of The ESOP Association. He has worked on the leadership transition at NCEO, as well as helping to grow more active relationships with the other organizations serving the ESOP community. One example is the ROOF steering committee, which has members from throughout the ownership community. Cecil also currently serves on the boards of two ESOP companies. - Dan Walter
- Performensation
Dan Walter, CEP, is the President and CEO of Performensation. Dan has assisted companies for more than 15 years with both executive and broad-based compensation programs. Dan's expertise includes equity compensation, executive programs, performance-based pay and talent management issues. His experience with these programs includes: diagnosis, design, communication, administration and reporting. In addition to consulting, Dan's career has included creating software solutions, administrative and technological best practices for these programs. A popular and frequently-requested speaker, Dan does dozens of presentations a year, combining humor and technical expertise into accessible and practical information. - Alison Wright
- Baker & McKenzie LLP
Alison Wright is a partner in the San Francisco/Palo Alto office of Baker & McKenzie LLP. Alison's practice focuses on the tax, securities, and ERISA aspects of executive and equity compensation (including nonqualified deferred compensation plans, stock compensation plans and employee stock purchase plans) and of traditional employee benefit plans — including 401(k) and other retirement plans — health and welfare plans and cafeteria plans.
