The NCEO is delighted to announce six new members of its board of directors: Lori Atone, Jennifer Briggs, Haydee Caldero, Timothy Garbinsky, Susan Kildahl, and Dan Markowitz -- their bios are below. The three-year terms of the new directors will begin on April 1, 2023. Congratulations and thanks to our new directors!

In addition to the newly elected or appointed directors, many members of the board remain as directors, including three who were elected to serve a second term: Theodore Becker, Scott Miller, and Hugh Reynolds.

Scott Rodrick has long been the staff representative on the board. He will remain on the board, but shift to an at-large position. The staff's new board representative is Timothy Garbinsky, the NCEO's communication director.

As we welcome the new directors, we also give huge thanks to the board members who will no longer be directors when the new term starts. We owe a debt of gratitude to Bill Carris, Amanda DeVito, Kevin Long, Sandra Reid, Bill Roark, Joanne Swerdlin, and Achaessa James.

Lori Atone - TVF
Lori Atone is the Learning & Development Director of TVF, a global textile wholesaler that is a subsidiary of Empowered Ventures, a 100% employee-owned holding company. Lori is a passionate believer in employee ownership, not only as a means of wealth creation and succession planning, but as a way to motivate people to do their best work, create a sense of purpose, and help foster connection as human beings. A founding member of the NCEO's Innovative Communications Coalition, Lori has been both a live and virtual speaker at the NCEO's Annual Conference and Fall Forum, as well as for various ESOP Association events, including their National Conference. Lori is a member of TVF's vibrant Ownership & Engagement Board (OEB), focusing on ESOP education. She is currently interested in utilizing strength-based assessments to amplify the employee ownership mindset. Lori obtained a MSEd in Learning Design & Technology from Purdue University and a BA in Journalism and Japanese language from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Jennifer Briggs - Mosaic Creations
Jennifer Briggs brings over two decades of practice in executive leadership, human resources, and organizational development from various industries. She served as VP of Human Resources and Organizational Development with New Belgium Brewing for over 12 years and as a consultant with the Beyster Institute, Rady School of Management at UCSD. She now serves as a contract executive and as an independent outside director. Building healthy, profitable, growth-oriented companies with a dedication for integrated impact with shared capital ownership is her passion. She brings a non-traditional leadership viewpoint focused on values, communication, and community. 

Haydee Caldero - Crêpes à Latte
As COO of employee-owned Crêpes à Latte (CAL), Haydee oversees the alignment of the  company's growth strategy. In 2018, she oversaw CAL’s transformation into a 100% employee-owned company. The company, which is in experiential hospitality, was awarded the Inc 5000 ranking as one of the fastest-growing companies in America from 2018 to 2020. Haydee has experience scaling the sales, finance, technology, and human resource operations of organizations, and she is passionate about ensuring ESOPs can continue to create generational wealth for their workers and the local communities they serve. Before joining CAL, Haydee Caldero was a cofounder of Dignitas, where she advised a portfolio of 50+ business owners on succession planning, acquisitions and dispositions, corporate finance, and capital structure. 

Timothy Garbinsky - NCEO
Timothy Garbinsky is the Communications Director at the NCEO. In his role, Tim works with volunteers, allied organizations, and the press to creatively and effectively disseminate information about employee ownership and advance the NCEO's mission. He earned his BA from Duke University in 2009 and has since worked as a content creator and an educator, skills which he transfers to the NCEO. Originally from Maryland, Tim now lives in California's central valley with his fiancee.

Susan Kildahl - NHS Northstar, Inc.
Susan Kildahl is CFO of NHS Northstar, Inc., a disability services provider in northern Minnesota.  Leading the transition of NHS Northstar to an ESOP, she came to see the advantages to ESOP companies when employees understand ESOP structure, culture and financial benefits.  Involvement in the NCEO helped her identify opportunities to make the employee ownership experience even better by helping sellers plan past the transaction, motivating leaders to coach employees to participate through responsible decision making, and educating participants at every level on factors that impact valuation. This led to developing educational sessions that simplify complex financial topics as well as demonstrate how guiding principles can empower decision making at every level.  

Dan Markowitz - Boulay PLLP
Dan is a partner at Boulay PLLP and the leader of the firm’s ESOP practice. He specializes in audit and other financial reporting engagements for public, private and ESOP-owned clients in a variety of industries. Through his work over the past 12 years, Dan has become very passionate about employee ownership and how ESOPs can play a powerful role in closing the wealth gap in the United States. As a member of the NCEO’s board, Dan aims to continue to find ways to increase the number of companies that transition from private to ESOP ownership, while counteracting misinformation about ESOPs. Finally, he is committed to providing comprehensive education to new and existing ESOP companies. In his free time, Dan enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, traveling, and coaching and playing hockey.