David Baer- Partner, Ruberto, Isreal & Weiner, P.C.
David Baer is the Managing Shareholder of Ruberto, Isreal & Weiner, P.C. as well as the founder and past president of the North Shore Technology Council. Mr. Baer has substantial experience in all matters relating to closely held corporations, including mergers, acquisitions, shareholder agreements, corporate reorganizations and business succession issues. In 2004, Mr. Baer was awarded Massachusetts Super Lawyer. He received a B.A. from Elmira College, a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law and a Masters in Taxation from Boston University School of Law, 1983.
Henry J. Bertolon Jr.- Entrepreneur
Henry is currently involved in condominium projects in Peabody and Salem and is very active in working on innovative housing solutions for the "greying of America." He has restored the old Johnson's Christmas Tree farm in North Beverly and planted 10,000 Christmas Trees over the past few years. Henry is a past member of the Prudential Board at Second Congregational Church in North Beverly, and is a strong supporter of open space and water conservation efforts on Cape Cod. Henry enjoys spending time with his wonderful family, (including Donna, his wife of 23 years, and three children, Jennifer, Alyssa, and John) boating, fishing,playing golf and tennis. Says Henry, "I'm still sorting out what I want to do for the next half of my life!"
C.W. Dick- Managing Director, Ascent Venture Partners
Walter has helped build and finance successful New England-based technology and non-technology companies for over twenty years, including thirteen at Ascent. Prior to joining Ascent, Walter spent twelve years in a variety of executive positions in numerous subsidiaries of UST Corp., including President of its Venture Capital and Corporate Finance Subsidiaries. Walter is a former member and chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies. He received a BS in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University, as well as an MBA from Babson College.
K. Brewer Doran- Dean, School of Business, Salem State College
Kathleen Brewer Doran is Dean of the School of Business at Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts. Dr. Doran possesses a diverse background in teaching, research and management. She has taught at a variety of universities in the United States and Canada, including Babson College, McGill University and California Polytechnic State University, and is a specialist in global marketing and management as well as consumer behavior. Dean Doran also appears regularly in the media as an expert commentator, primarily on consumer issues and China business issues. She has been featured on National Public Radio, Voice of America, and all the Boston area network affiliates as well as a broad cross-section of newspapers, from the Washington Post to the Boston Globe to Mass High Tech magazine. She is a regular commentator on New England Cable News. Dean Doran is also listed in the prestigious Marquis Who’s Who in America. Dr. Doran holds an AB from Dartmouth College (cum laude, senior fellow), an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and a PhD from McGill University.
Thomas Dusenberry- Founder/CEO, Dusenberry Entertainment, www.dusenberryentertainment.com
Following a 20-year career with leading global game-makers Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers, Thomas Dusenberry founded the entertainment software publisher, Hasbro Interactive, Inc. Hasbro Interactive quickly became a top-10 PC and video games publisher. Under Mr. Dusenberrys leadership, the company successfully developed and marketed such global game brands as Atari (tm)and Monopoly (tm), and won the interactive rights for Formula 1 (tm), NASCAR (tm), a full line of game shows, and arcade classics Frogger (tm) and Pac-Man (tm), among others. Mr. Dusenberry has served on the boards of the Interactive Digital Software Association and Entertainment Software Ratings Board, and is a frequent guest speaker at interactive entertainment and toy industry events, such as the Consumer Electronics Show, Electronic Entertainment Expo, Game Developers Conference, Digital Kids, and American International Toy Fair.
Bonnie Henry- President, DKH Enterprises Inc.
Bonnie has over 25 years of proven entrepreneurial and leadership experience across multiple industries; 13 of those years with P&L responsibility. Her success in launching new ventures both internally and externally is supported by her unique blend of experience as a successful entrepreneur, general manager, and strategy consultant. She has worked with both large and early stage companies including: Frito-Lay, Pillsbury, Estée Lauder, Ross Stores, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital.Bonnie works with early stage companies and their management teams to clarify strategy, accelerate growth, and position for exit. She brings particular strength in strategic issue analysis, strategic positioning, new channel development, product development processes and driving operating results. Bonnie earned an MBA at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and holds an undergraduate degree in Business and Communications from State University of New York, Plattsburgh.
David W. Ives- CEO, NiiS, Inc.
Mr. Ives is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NiiS, Inc., an international insurance management and consulting company. Headquartered in Danvers, they have 10 offices around the United States and in London. A frequent speaker at industry seminars, Mr. Ives has published articles on insurance and claims topics in The Self-Insurer and The John Liner Review. Mr. Ives is active in many community organizations, including The Salem Partnership, where he served a three-year term as the President. He has also served as the chairman of the Salem State College Assistance Corporation.
Elliot Katzman- Partner, Commonwealth Capital Ventures
Elliot Katzman has been a senior executive in some of New England's most successful software companies. He founded and led Myteam.com, a direct marketing/web services company that merged with The Active Network. Prior to Myteam.com, he was at SolidWorks, where as Senior Vice President and CFO, he led the merger with Dassault Systemes. As CFO of Atria Software, he led an IPO and a $1 billion merger with Pure Software, the largest software merger of its time. Prior, Elliot served as CFO of Epoch Systems, where he had senior operational responsibilities and managed the company's merger with EMC. He was also an executive with Prime Computer during its significant growth phase in the mid-1980s. Elliot is involved in local community and civic organizations and is a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Johns Prep High School. He is also on the Board of Fellows of Trinity College. He received his B.S.B.A. from Salem State College.
Pete Kaznoski- Senior Vice President, Eastern Bank
Since January 1999 Pete has been the Vice President of Small Business Banking at Eastern Bank. He heads up the Credit Administration and underwriting for all commercial loans under $1,000,000 as well as all SBA loans for the entire bank. Prior to joining Eastern Bank, Pete was a commercial loan officer for Summit Bank in NJ. Pete is actively involved in the community serving as Treasurer for the Salem Main Street Program, as a member of the Massachusetts Community & Banking Council’s Economic Development Committee, and as a loan committee member for the Salem Harbor CDC Program.
Kevin Malone- Senior Vice President, TD Banknorth
Kevin Malone is the strategic manager for the North Shore C+I lending group located in Beverly, Mass. This seven member team provides loans, cash management, international services and financial advice to many family operated and entrepreneurial companies engaged in a wide array of activities including restaurants, manufacturers, service providers, and contactors. Prior to this position Malone was the Senior Vice President and Regional Credit Manager for the Eastern Massachusetts Region of Banknorth. The Eastern Region is the fastest growing and largest commercial lending operation in the bank, representing approximately $5.0 Billion in Loans. Kevin Malone received his MBA from Anna Maria College in 1985 and also holds a BA in Economics from the University of Massachusetts. His community involvement includes coaching for CYO Youth Basketball and serving on the Quincy Parents Advisory Council
Kim A. Meader- Executive Vice President of Business Lines, Salem Five Bank Kim A. Meader joined Salem Five Bank as Executive Vice President of Business Lines in May 2004 and is responsible for accelerating growth and market share for Salem Five’s Commercial, Retail and E-Banking Divisions. During his twenty-year career in banking and finance, Mr. Meader has held various leadership positions in business and in the Greater Boston community. Prior to joining Salem Five Bank, Mr. Meader worked for Citizens Financial Group, serving as the Chairman, President and CEO of Citizens Bank, New Hampshire. Preceding his career with Citizens Bank, Mr. Meader served as a Division Executive in Middle Market Commercial Lending for BankBoston and for BayBank. From 1983 to 1991, Mr. Meader worked as a Senior Vice President and Division Executive in the Commercial Real Estate and Workout divisions for Bank of New England.
Thomas P. Riley- Chairman/CEO, ConnectEdu
Thomas P. Riley has spent over twenty years working with families in various healthcare and education settings. As Chairman and CEO of The Brown Schools, he operated behavioral programs for at-risk youth as well as boarding schools for students with specialized needs. As President and CEO of National Mentor, Thomas provided housing and educational support services for disadvantaged youth. As Chairman and CEO of ConnectEdu, Thomas is dedicated to providing college bound students and their families with an organized and thoughtful approach to searching for, applying to and paying for college. As the parent of two current college students, Thomas knows personally how daunting the current process can be and how important it is to young people to find the college that is the "right match" for them.
