INSTITUTE - Key Persons
A Charismatic Speaker, Audrey wakes up audiences, empowering them to act as agents of change. Speaking to audiences of over 1000, she combines the fervor of her Pentecostal upbringing with humor and practical tools. She is a fearless communicator and a gifted teacher of consciousness, sharing new information from diverse fields such as science and quantum physics.
Christine is a highly skilled catalyst who transforms early stage companies and new ideas through technology transfer into companies that can grow and generate wealth for their stakeholders. She integrates her experience of founding, managing, operating, and advising start-up and early-stage companies with a disciplined approach to business and an inspirational perspective on leadership. Christine believes that developing people is as important as developing technology and she has built international teams with successful track records for the past 20 years. Her career highlights include using real time, intelligent engines to solve complex integrated system problems. Christine led the development of 2 enterprise software systems, now in use for medical risk assessment and same day close for stock transactions. She has lead international teams of highly skilled technology experts in the design, coding, and final versions of these tech solutions. Christine uses collaborative networking, alliance structuring, and a consensus management style to achieve high value results for her team and all shareholders.
Ms. Adamow earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simmons College in Boston in Nutrition and Child Development and Master's Degrees from Boston University, Columbia University, and Framingham State College in Corporate Finance, Strategic Planning, and Biochemistry, respectively. Christine's academic study includes coursework leading to the PhD in Human Nutrition at Columbia University in the City of New York. She left the program before completion of her thesis focused on the effect of Total Parenteral Nutrition on the neuroendocrine development of neonates, to start her first technology company.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations & Innovation Officer Read Bio
Curt is highly skilled in Cross-functional Team Leadership, Marketing, and New Product Development.
He is widely recognized for his thought leadership and advocacy in Strategic Partnerships, Business Alliances, Collaborative Leadership, and Innovation Systems.
His broad expertise in Business Strategy, Competitive Analysis, Product Development & Commercialization, Marketing Strategy, and Change Management will be extremely valuable as the Institute grows its intellectual acumen and expands globally.
Curt's greatest contributions to the Institute are his abilities to see problems and opportunities holistically as interrelated systems, to ask the difficult questions that open new levels of thinking, and his vision to embrace collaborative innovation as a great competitive advantage in a fast moving, rapidly changing business world.
Curt has degrees from several universities, including MBA and MS (chemical engineering) from Michigan State University, and a Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry from Marquette.
Job Titles:
- Collaborative Project Management & Construction Read Bio
- Professor
- Retired Professor of Project Management at the University of Calgary
Dr. Jergeas is a recently retired professor of project management at the University of Calgary. George is a Civil Engineer with an MSc and PhD in Construction Management from Loughborough University of Technology in the UK with over 45 years of construction, consulting, and academic experience.
As a Professor, George was involved in both the teaching of and research into project management and has demonstrated a strong interest in improving the efficiency of major capital projects. He has worked with project teams in oil and gas, hospitals, roads, bridges, tunneling, LRT expansions, ports, pipelines, and mining projects. George has investigated reasons for cost overruns and delays and ways to improve performance and enhance project predictability. He also developed a method for building and sustaining collaborative relationships on projects. His method has been applied on more than 180 major capital projects for organizations in Canada and the USA.
His expertise also includes project assurance, due diligence, project front-end planning, organizational and project readiness, claims and disputes resolution, risk management, construction productivity improvement, legal & ethical aspects, contract administration and contractual strategies and models.
George has provided consulting services and delivered project management training to many organizations and professional associations across North America, Asia, and Europe.
Mr. Scali is a financial professional with over 30 years of industry experience. During his career, he has managed personal investment portfolios, authored investment research reports for Wall Street Firms. Complimenting this investment world experience, Mr. Scali also served as the comptroller for early stage technology firms in the greater Boston market. In his capacity as a finance executive, he has raised both private equity and venture capital for these early stage companies. He has worked with Christine Adamow and was a founding member of the executive management team of 3 starts ups in the software and renewable energy industries.
Joe currently assists startups with financial issues. He, also, conducts and refines several securities industry licensing and insurance exam preparation programs. The programs include both on-line web based programming and in-person lecturing. Class length ranges from half-day seminars to three full day sessions.
Mr. Scali received his Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and his MBA from Boston University.
Job Titles:
- Advisory Council
- Strategic Alliance Consultant, Coach
Mike Nevin is a high ly experienced international strategic alliance consultant, coach and author. Mike was the founding Chairman of ASAP in Europe (ASAP is the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals) which he launched in March 2002.
Mike has consistently espoused the virtues of best practices in alliance instigation and management and it was this approach that inspired a twenty-year research programme into the common success factors of alliance relationships.
To date over 600 of the world's leading partnering organisations in: Europe, the USA, Australia and India have benchmarked themselves against Mike's best practice database which has resulted in the development of a highly detailed knowledge base of over 200,000 entries. It is this rigorous research and deep knowledge that allows Mike to present with authority and keen insights into the critical success factors of business to business partnerships thus ensuring that they are performing to their optimum.
Job Titles:
- Hispanic Education & Translation Read Bio / Advisory Council
Mitchelle is an energetic, creative, adaptable and resourceful foreign languages educator.
She thrives in dynamic and challenging environments where she can make learning come alive.
Mitchelle works best with those who truly have a motivation to learn, despite the obstacles.
She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian as a translator.
Mitchelle works with the Institute's clients to ensure not just accurate translations, but a gracious and warm environment for learning and interaction. She has the ability to relate well to people from very diverse backgrounds.
She has excellent interpersonal skills, is a strong listener, and has the talent to identify and tailor programs for students, parents and institutional needs.
Mitchelle holds a degree in French and Italian from the University of Puerto Rico.
Pedro E. Wasmer was born in Santiago, Cuba on August 10, 1940. In 1951, his widowed mother remarried and emigrated with her son to Baltimore, Maryland. In 1958, Wasmer graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. He continued his education at the University of Maryland, where he served as President of his class for two years, and then as President of the Student Government Association. Wasmer was a member of Sigma Chi, and was inducted into the Kalegethos Society and into Omicron Delta Kappa. In 1962 Wasmer earned a B. S. in Civil Engineering and, at graduation, was recognized with the Citizenship Award. In 1964 he completed the curriculum for a Master's program in Latin American Area Studies at American University.
A resident of Naples, FL, and formerly of Fairfield, CT, Wasmer has been active in several civic, philanthropic, and educational activities. He served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Regents of the Fairfield College Preparatory School, and as Chair of its Development Committee. He was inducted into the Fairfield Prep Hall of Fame in 1989.
Wasmer has served as a Director and as member of the Executive Committee of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association. He currently serves as a Director in the Bridgeport Regional business Council; Director, Junior Chamber of Commerce; Director, Advisory Board, Discovery Museum; Nominating Committee, Fairfield Museum; Chair, Executive Committee, Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport; Director, Santa Energy Corporation; Director, Community's Bank. Wasmer also serves as Trustee of the University of Maryland Foundation as well as Trustee of the University Systems of Maryland Foundation. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors of the Clark School of Engineering. In 2008, Wasmer received the Tyser Gotwals Award as an outstanding alumnus of the University, and the Centennial Medal from the Civil Engineering Department of the Clark School.
Wasmer began his career as a civil engineer. In 1964 he became involved in information technology when he joined IBM, later Honeywell, and in 1974 DPF, Inc., a lessor of high-technology equipment. In 1980, Wasmer formed Somerset Investment Services, a partnership leasing computers and other high-technology equipment to the major American and international companies. His firm merged with another leasing company and was subsequently acquired by Goldome Bank, of Buffalo, NY. In 1984 Wasmer founded Somerset Investment Services, Ltd, and in 1989, St. James Leasing Ltd. In 1996, Wasmer incorporated Somerset Capital Group, Ltd to operate as the parent of the other two companies. During December, 2007 Somerset Capital's shareholders, which included most of its employees as well as Wasmer, sold the company to management and other investors.
Since 1995 "Hispanic Business Magazine" has recognized Somerset as one of the top Hispanic-owned firms in the country. In 2005 Somerset was listed as number 40 of the top 500. In 1998, the magazine selected Wasmer as finalist for its "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award. In 2004, Wasmer was inducted into the Free Enterprise Hall of Fame by Junior Achievement of Western Connecticut. In 2004, and again in 2005, Somerset was selected as one of "Inc." magazine's "Inner City 100" companies. In 2004, Somerset was selected as "Supplier of the Year" by the Connecticut Minority Suppliers Development Council.
Wasmer and his wife, Ann, reside in Naples, FL and have three children: Peter, married to Kathleen, lives in Naples, FL with their children, Lydia, Sophie, and Pierce; Jennifer, who lives in London, England; and M. Conrad, married to Kristi, lives in Minneapolis, MN with their daughter, Sadie Jane.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman & CEO Read Bio
- Co - Authored the Last Three Articles of His Life
Robert has been recognized for his groundbreaking work in creating "the architecture of cooperation" which underpins thousands of strategic alliances in this country and around the world. He has written several books and the profession's first benchmarking studies. He pioneered the initial research in Alliance Architectures with Best Practices research beginning in 1988, followed by a series of bench-marking studies in Alliance Formation and Management in 1993, Strategic Sourcing in 1997, and e-Commerce in 1999. Mr. Lynch continues his quest to discover and innovate in the Strategic Alliance Profession. Robert is deeply engaged in the next edge of cooperation, specifically using Alliances as Engines of Innovation, the Leadership Role of Alliance Champions, the Architecture of Trust, Synergistic Negotiations, and the New Economics of Synergistic Systems.
Mr. Lynch holds a master's degree in Organizational Development from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Brown University. He is an adjunct faculty member of the Universities of Alberta, British Columbia, and San Diego; and has served as a faculty member of the American Management Association, American College of Physician Executives, the Canadian Management Centre and the Institute for International Learning.
Job Titles:
- Advisory Council
- International Supply Chain Leader
- Relationship Architect
Simon is a highly respected international supply chain leader who has held a number of senior leadership roles in numerous industries. He has also worked with numerous governments and businesses globally on capacity building and cross border trade and development.
Simon is a passionate relationship architect, who drives additional value and makes a difference.
Job Titles:
- President
- President of the Institute ) Senior Executive at Proctor & Gamble Stated It Another Way
Steve spent over 40 years in supply chain and supply management as a practitioner (30 years at Procter and Gamble as Coffee Supply Chain Director, Purchases Director for the Fabric and Home Care business and a Corporate Director responsible for sourcing training, skill development, internal controls and material price hedging); consultant (The Warren Co. and the Cincinnati Consulting Consortium), academic (Executive Adjunct Professor at Xavier University for 12 years, teaching MBA Business Strategy, Supply Chain and Business Management courses), and authored two books (The Supply Based Advantage and On Demand Supply Management) and several magazine/journal articles.
At P&G Steve was named the "Father of Strategic Sourcing" and won a career sourcing award for saving over $1 Billion, redesigning the coffee supply chain using key alliances with source country coffee, transportation, and silo blending suppliers; leading strategic supplier alliances in packaging materials, developmental and ongoing chemicals; and developing counter-party relationships in the financial hedging area. He was viewed as one of a handful of P&G experts in Sourcing Strategy, Supplier Relationship Management and hedging strategy skills.
Today, Steve brings to the Leadership Institute a powerful vision of "Collaborative Systems Architecture" that will guide the future of business.