Advisory Board of Directors

GOVERNOR TOM RIDGE

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Tom Ridge then the Governor of Pennsylvania was named to be the first Secretary of the Office of Homeland Security. He was charged with developing and coordinating a comprehensive national strategy to strengthen the United States against terrorist threats or attacks. In the words of President George W. Bush, Ridge had the strength, experience, personal commitment and authority to accomplish this critical mission.

A two-term governor, Mr. Ridge is a popular Republican from a traditionally moderate Democratic state. He was twice mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for vice president – for a brief period during the early days of Bob Dole's run for the presidency in 1996 and, more recently, as a potential running mate for candidate Bush.

Mr. Ridge earned a scholarship to Harvard, attended his first year at the Dickinson School of Law, and then was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam and earned the Bronze Star for Valor.

After returning to Pennsylvania and earning his law degree, he became an assistant district attorney in Erie County. He was elected to Congress in 1982. He was the first enlisted Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S. House, and was re-elected six times.

Mr. Ridge was sworn in as Pennsylvania's 43rd governor on January 17, 1995. He was re-elected in 1998 with 57 percent of the vote in a four-way race. Mr. Ridge's share of the vote was the highest for a Republican governor in Pennsylvania (where Democrats outnumber Republicans by almost 500,000) in more than half a century.

SENATOR LARRY PRESSLER (Ret.)

Senator Larry Pressler (Ret.) was a member of Congress (R - S.D.) for 22 years, serving for 18 years in the United States Senate and four in the US House. He authored the Telecommunications Act of 1996; served as chairman of the US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and authored various aviation, pipeline, transportation, satellite, foreign policy, business and trade legislation during his time in Congress. He is a former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, England (graduate) and Harvard Law School graduate. Mr. Pressler was awarded Vietnam decorations for his service as a lieutenant in the US Army in Vietnam. He currently serves on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Center Advisory Council.

During his 22 years in Congress, Mr. Pressler served on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was chairman of the European and Asian Subcommittees.  Since leaving the Senate in 1997, Larry Pressler has pursued a business career largely centered on a telecommunications law practice; lobbying; teaching; and serving on corporate boards.  He has made numerous successful trips on international business to India, Brazil, Europe, China and the Far East. He is a frequent speaker at investment banking conferences on topics such as, “What's Happening Next in Telecommunications Policy?” and has recently lectured at Harvard on corporate governance.

Mr. Pressler served as a member of Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush's IT Steering Committee 2000, and was a member of the Bush Transition Team in January and February 2001. In November and December 2004 and early January 2005, Mr. Pressler served as a US government-sponsored observer in Ukraine in the presidential elections and traveled to Kiev and Odessa, Ukraine. He received a letter of commendation from Vice President Cheney for his work in Ukraine.

Mr. Pressler was a senior fellow at the University of California in Los Angeles for the year 2001. He has lectured at Harvard, Georgetown, Creighton, Oxford University, England, and several Chinese universities.

ROBERT I. KRAMER,  M.D., FAAP

Dr. Kramer is a prominent physician with a specialty in pediatrics and pulmonology. He is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Pulmonology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and previously was chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor University Medical Center. His additional work history is extensive, including serving as distinguished Professor at the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management. 

Dr. Kramer is active as a medical advisor, Board member, and consultant for numerous corporations, community arts and civic organizations, as well as medical and educational centers. He currently serves as corporate medical director for Zale Corporation, Texas Industries, Wyndham International, and Prentiss Properties.

His medical education and training background includes: Tufts Medical School; Yale University School of Medicine; and University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. Dr. Kramer also is a graduate of the Harvard Business School's Executive MBA Odyssey Program. He has been the recipient of several honors and awards, and has authored numerous publications.

FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN GIL GUTKNECHT (R-MN)

Former Congressman, Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota brings both political and technology expertise to the team. Gutknecht served 12 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives before serving 12 years in the U.S. House. He served as Vice Chair of the House Science Committee where he was involved with federal research into new technologies. During his time in Congress he recognized that more and more consumers, especially in his home state of Minnesota, were purchasing prescription drugs from Canada and other countries. Congressman Gutknecht worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact policies that would allow market access to affordable prescription drugs while protecting the health and safety of Americans. He led efforts to require the FDA to develop technology protocols that would set track and trace standards to intercept potentially dangerous counterfeits from other nations. Until being introduced to the "elegant simplicity" of the SSI system, he was convinced that RFID and microscopic chips would combine for the solution. Now he enthusiastically supports the much more cost effective SSI approach.

Gutknecht, who was also a leader in developing environmentally friendly alternative fuel technologies was recently appointed by the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy to Co-Chair the Federal Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee.

Gil has developed contacts in the private sector as well as within the government that could prove helpful to the success of the company. He strongly believes that new technology will help us solve many of the problems we face today, from energy and the environment to health care.

THE HONORABLE HARRY N. WALTERS

Harry Walters is the former Administrator of Veterans Affairs, reporting to President Ronald Reagan, from 1983 to 1986. That post is now a cabinet position and the chief executive is now the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The Veterans Administration, at that time, had a $30 billion budget and 225,000 employees. Mr. Walters introduced management initiatives that brought a significant increase in efficiency within the organization and received notice outside the VA.

From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Walters participated as commissioner and a co-chair on the President's Task Force to Improve Healthcare for American Veterans.

Mr. Walters was President and CEO of Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, an $800 million international manufacturer of carbon based and artificial graphite industrial products from 1986 to 1993. Other previous positions include Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs from 1981 to 1983, and Chairman, CEO and Owner of Potsdam Paper Corporation and St. Lawrence Pulp Corporation from 1976 to 1981.

In April of 1991, Mr. Walters was asked by the White House to assume the duties of President and CEO of the Desert Storm Homecoming Foundation, a 501(C)3 corporation, that sponsored, and managed the National Victory Celebration in Washington DC on June 6, 1991.This corporation was founded by our nation's veterans service organizations who fulfilled their obligations by serving on the Board of Directors. Over one million Americans were in Washington to observe the largest parade since WW 2, a great tribute to our Desert Storm troops. The Foundation was funded by charitable donations of nearly $7 million.

Mr. Walters is a principal in general partnership of Lafayette Equity Fund, a $12 million Washington, DC-based venture capital fund invested in emerging growth technology companies nationwide and has his own consulting corporation. He is also one of the founders of the Veterans Coalition (VCI), an initiative of the American Legion, VFW, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the AmVets. VCI is a 501(C)3 Corporation. He also serves as a managing commissioner on the Commission on the Future for Americas Veterans, a subsidiary of the Veterans Coalition. This independent commission is tasked with recommending an “outside the box “ 20 year strategy for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Walters was Commissioned 2 nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, class of 1959. At West Point, Walters was an honorable mention All American football player, a fullback on the last undefeated Army football team, frequently blocking for Heisman trophy winner, Pete Dawkins.

ADAM J. FEIN, Ph.D

President – Pembroke Consulting

afein@pembrokeconsulting.com

Adam J. Fein , Ph.D. is the founder and president of Philadelphia-based Pembroke Consulting, Inc.

Dr. Fein advises manufacturers, distributors, and technology companies on business strategy; serves as an expert witness in legal cases involving wholesale distribution; and delivers presentations to executives around the world.

Dr. Fein is a well-known scholar and thought leader on distribution channels and B2B supply chains. He has published over 100 academic and industry articles as well as authored or edited eight books. His latest book, Facing the Forces of Change ® : Lead the Way in the Supply Chain , was published in 2007 by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW).  He also writes two online web logs devoted to distribution strategy: DistributionTrends.com and DrugChannels.net .

He is frequently sought by the media for his industry expertise and has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal , The New York Times , Business Week , Inc. Magazine , Dow Jones , The Chicago Tribune , NPR's Marketplace , Pharmaceutical Executive and many other leading publications.  Dr. Fein was named to Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine's list of “Top Industry Analysts to Know” and Electrical Wholesaling magazine's list of “Super Industry Influentials.”

He serves as the first Fellow of the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and on the editorial board of Pharmaceutical Commerce magazine.  He also sits on the Advisory Boards of Supply Chain Equity Partners , a private-equity fund, and IntegriChain , a venture-backed technology company.

Dr. Fein earned his Ph.D. from the Wharton School of Business and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Brandeis University . He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and their two children.