International Business Conference 2008 - Featured Presenters | Educational Outreach | Department of Educational Outreach

3rd International Business Conference 2008
"Venture Capital and Private Equity - Building Wealth in a Declining Economy"

November 10 - 15, 2008

BYU-Hawaii
Laie, Hawaii

Educational Outreach 675-3780
(8-5 HST)

outreach@byuh.edu

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Featured Presenters Key Note Speaker Robert Gay All Presenters (listed in alphabetical order) Andy Andrews \| Richard Blumell \| Jeff Clark \| Ty Detmer \| Sheri Dew \| Flashboard Chad Ford \|Jason Galloway \|Robert Gay \| Stephen W. Gibson \| Andre Harris Imagine Learning \| Barbara B. Jones \|William Joseph \| Jack Lau \| Chad Lewis Ron Lindorf \|Marcus Martins \| Tom Matkin \| David McCulloch \| Susie Mullen Tom Mullen \| Wendy Watson Nelson \| Von Orgill \|Virginia Pearce \| Steve Peterson Robert Phillips \|Susan Preator \| Relenco Energy \| im Ritchie \| David Senior \| Vai Sikahema Todd Stevens Kimball Taylor \|A. Richard Vial\| Steven Wheelwright \|Mike Wilcox \| Dal Zemp
Key Note Speaker
	Robert Gay - Keynote Speaker CEO and Managing Director of H & G Capital partners
Robert Gay is a former Managing Director and Chairman of the Management Committee of Bain Capital. Bain Capital is one of the world's leading private equity firms with over $40 billion in capital with offices in the US, Asia, and Europe. Mr. Gay left Bain Capital in 2004 to become the mission president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. He returned home from that assignment in July and has become the Chief Executive Officer of a new billion dollar plus private equity and asset management firm with Jon Huntsman, Sr. as his partner and Chairman. In April 2008, he was ordained an Area Seventy member with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before joining Bain Capital, Mr. Gay was an Executive Vice President of General Electric Credit Corporation Capital Markets Group, Vice President in the Merchant Banking Group at Kidder Peabody, and Engagement Manager at the international consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. Mr. Gay is a member of the Executive Committee of the President's Leadership Council of Brigham Young University and a member of the National Advisory Council of the Marriott business school at BYU. He is actively involved in poverty relief and humanitarian aid in developing countries, serving as an advisory board member of the BYU Center for Economic Self Reliance and as a board member of Ascend Alliance. He is a co-founder of Unitus, a world leading micro finance accelerator that is currently helping lift over two and one half million impoverished families and is the founder of the Komart Foundation in Ghana, a micro finance and humanitarian aid organization. Mr. Gay is also Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for Operation Kids, a board member of Right To Play which serves over 500,000 children in 53 nations and is actively involved with the Forever Young, Anasazi, and Christmas Box foundations which support children and youth who are at risk or in need around the world. Mr. Gay taught economics at Harvard University where he also received a PhD in Business Economics and the Harvard Business School Division of Research Scholarship. Prior to serving an LDS mission in Spain, he attended BYU where he was awarded Phi Eta Sigma. He graduated top 1%, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa with an AB from the University of Utah. Mr. Gay is married to the former Lynette Nielsen. They live in Florida and are the parents of seven children. He is a past recipient of the Turn for Peace Award and the BYU President's award. Back to Top
Presenters (listed in alphabetical order)
	Andy Andrews New York Times Best-Selling Author
Andy Andrews is a New York Times Best-Selling Author, Speaker, and Comedian with a Powerful Message. What could this one man possibly have to say that is important enough for the Commander of the Allied Air Forces to ask his help? Why did every senior leader the United States Air Force has in Europe and the Middle East recently assemble in one room—at one time—to hear him speak? Who is this man, that he would walk the golf course with Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez as she played her last tournament as a touring professional? Why was he invited to spend an afternoon with General Norman Schwarzkopf and his son, who was about to depart for college? What would he be asked to discuss with a ninety-one-year-old Bob Hope alone by the swimming pool in the entertainer's back yard? Hailed by a New York Times writer as a "modern-day Will Rogers who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America," Andy Andrews is an internationally known speaker and novelist whose combined works have sold millions of copies worldwide. He has been received at the White House and has spoken at the request of four different United States presidents. His two-hour PBS special is entitled Andy Andrews: The Seven Decisions and is now airing nationally to incredible reviews. Andrews's best-selling book, The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success, is an international sensation, remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for four and a half months and being translated into nearly twenty languages. Featured on ABC's Good Morning America as a book-of-the-month selection, The Traveler's Gift is the stunning story of one man's search for meaning and success in life by traveling back into time and conversing with seven historic individuals. Its message of hope, faith, and perseverance is transforming thousands of lives worldwide every day, spawning a teen version, The Young Traveler's Gift; The Traveler's Gift Journal; a home study audio program, Timeless Wisdom from the Traveler; and life-study curriculums in high schools, mental-health organizations, and prisons nationwide. Back to Top

	Richard Blumell Chairman and CEO of Renelco Energy Inc.
Chairman and CEO Richard Blumell founded Renelco Energy Inc. and its predecessor Aqueolic Canada Ltd. Richards prior experience includes 14 years as legal counsel for Texaco Canada, and Esso Resources (a subsidiary of Exxon) prior to founding these companies. Richard was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1978 after graduating from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts. Renelco Energy Inc. is a privately held company that is engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas. Renelco Energy employs proprietary technologies to stimulate and enhance oil and gas production. Back to Top

	Jeff Clark Chairman and CEO of J.D. Clark & Company
Jeffrey D. Clark is the Chairman and CEO of J.D. Clark & Company, a full-service administrative, accounting, and advisory firm serving the hedge fund industry since 1991. The firm manages all components of accounting, tax and regulatory compliance, and client reporting with the unique ability to provide the entire Chief Financial Officer function to a hedge fund or fund of hedge funds. Mr. Clark is also the Managing Member of Praesideo Management, LLC and Praesideo Technologies, LLC and is the Chief Investment Officer of the Praesideo Funds -- Hedge funds of funds. His companies are headquartered in Utah with offices in New York and Grand Cayman. Mr. Clark was graduated from Utah State University with a BA in Accounting. Upon graduation he joined KPMG in Seattle, WA where he worked in their audit and small business advisory practice. He is a Certified Public Accountant. He was the V.P. of Finance from 1984 to 1986 for the Cascade Funds and Rainier Partners, investment funds specializing in Risk Arbitrage. From 1986 to 1990 he was the CFO of the Genesee Funds, multi-strategy, multi-manager hedge funds of funds. He started J.D. Clark & Company and the Praesideo Funds in January 1991. Mr. Clark is also a Director of Palladon Ventures, Sendside, Inc., Agrasyst, LLC, and is Chairman of the Promontory Angel Investors. He is also active in community service as a Board Member of Utah State University's College of Business Advisory Board. He is a past Board Member of the Weber Foundation where he chaired the Business Development Committee, and past Chairman of the Utah Junior Miss Board of Directors. Jeff currently serves as a Bishop and has served as a High Councilor, Young Men's President twice, and a counselor in a Bishopric. Back to Top

	Ty Detmer Chief of Athletic Services at Triton Financial and Professional Athlete
Ty Detmer is a former American football quarterback who starred at Brigham Young University. Detmer holds many records for his performance as BYU's quarterback and won the Heisman Trophy in 1990. Detmer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in recreation administration and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during his junior year there. During Detmer's NFL career he played for the Packers, Eagles, 49ers, Browns, Lions and Falcons. Detmer currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and four daughters and works for Triton Financial as Chief of Athletic Services. Back to Top

	Sheri Dew President and CEO Deseret Book Company
Sheri Dew graduated from Brigham Young University. She served as second counselor in the general Relief Society from 1997 to 2002. In March 2003 the White House appointed her a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations. She is also the author of the biographies of President Gordon B. Hinckley and President Ezra Taft Benson and the inspirational book No Doubt About It. Sheri was named the new president and CEO of Deseret Book Company in 2002. Dew became the first woman to head the company, which is owned by Deseret Management Corp., the for-profit holding company of the LDS Church. Dew is a veteran of the LDS publishing industry, working first in 1978 as an assistant editor at Bookcraft for three years, and then for six years as an editor and associate publisher at This People Magazine. She joined Deseret Book in 1988 and became vice president of publishing in 1993, and in 2000 was appointed executive vice president. Back to Top

	Chad Ford Director, David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding Assistant Professor, International Cultural Studies
Chad Ford is an Associate Professor of International Cultural Studies and Director of the McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding in Hawaii. Professor Ford has a bachelor's degree in History from BYU-Hawaii a master's degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University and has a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law School. He has experience as a mediator and facilitator in family, community, organizational and international conflicts. He has worked on conflict resolution projects in the Middle East, Africa, Northern Ireland and the United States. He specializes in large group ethnic, cultural and religious conflict resolution and peacebuilding. He also administers and teaches a new Intercultural Peacebuilding professional certificate program. Professor Ford has also been working closely with the Arbinger Institute, the Simon Peres Center for Peace and PeacePlayers International spearheading a project in the Middle East that brings Palestinians and Israelis together through Arbinger and the game of basketball. He also was the co-founder of former CEO of Sportstalk.com -- an internet start-up that was purchased by ESPN in 2001. Professor Ford spent several years as a senior editor and writer at ESPN before leaving in 2005 for his current post as the Director of the McKay Center. Professor Ford is the author of several articles about peacebuilding in both academic journals and the popular press. Back to Top

	Jason Galloway Co-Founder of Hawkins Capital
Jason is a Co-Founder of Hawkins Capital, a private lender in Salt Lake City, UT. He oversees the day-to-day operations including underwriting, financing and managing investor relations. Hawkins makes short-term bridge loans from $1 million to $10 million. Prior to starting Hawkins in 2005, Jason worked with a privately held real estate development company in Utah. His roles included land development, financing, and sales and marketing for a portfolio of commercial and residential properties. Before that, he was based in New York where he transacted real estate deals. Jason graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University with a BS in Accounting and received an MBA with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. Back to Top

	Stephen W. Gibson Entrepreneur, Author, Investor and Educator
Entrepreneur, author, investor and educator Stephen Gibson has been a great contributor to both BYU Provo and Hawaii. Besides being a faculty member at BYU Provo, Gibson helped move the BYU Center for Entrepreneurship into one of the top 25 Business Schools for Entrepreneurship in the nation. In 2001, he was named the BYU-Hawaii Executive of the Year and established the Gibson Entrepreneurial Scholarship. One of his greatest passions is helping average students become high achieving entrepreneurs in their own business. He opened a non-profit Academy for Creating Enterprise that taught 1,100 Filipino returned missionaries how to start and grow their own businesses in the Philippines. Gibson also developed a medical oxygen business with eight offices in six states before he sold it to a national medical company. This venture has allowed the Gibson's to devote the last 14 years to helping college-aged Latter-day Saint students both in the United States and Philippines to become budding entrepreneurs. Gibson has started the Utah Angels organization that has 20 experienced entrepreneur's who have invested almost $20 million in new start up companies. Back to Top

	Andre Harris Customer Service Executive of Westfields
bio coming soon... Back to Top

	Barbara Barrington Jones Author and Speaker
Barbara Jones is the author of five books for women and teenage girls and travels worldwide. She has been a CES (Church Education System) speaker for over 20 years with programs such as Education Week and Especially for Youth. With the Church Public Affairs, she has spoken at universities, high schools, and to business leaders, teacher and women's groups. She also has addressed countless husbands and wives as well as youth and young single adults of the Church. As a professional 12 year member of the NSA (National Speakers Association) she has spoken to Universities, i.e. Johannesburg University-Golden Key Honor Society in South Africa, University of Queensland-Valedictory Address in Australia and most recently to the student body at Tianjin University in China. She is an international image consultant, fashion designer, former owner/administrator of 2 Barbizon Schools of Fashion Merchandising. She has performed as a professional classical ballerina and is currently the President and CEO of the San Francisco based-HBJ Foundation, which is committed to empowering women of all ages to reach their potential. Back to Top

	William Joseph Classical Piano Prodigy
A classical piano prodigy, William Joseph was awarded a scholarship at age eight from the Boys Club of America that put him under the tutelage of Russian instructor Stella Saperstein. From that point on, the Phoenix, AZ, native performed and wrote music through to his early teens. After a brief period away from the stage Joseph returned to piano performance, releasing two independently recorded CDs, and by his early twenties he had garnered a loyal following. In 2003, while attending at a local charity event for legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, Joseph was introduced to successful producer David Foster. An impromptu performance of an original composition by Joseph caught Foster's attention and he invited the young talent to perform that evening. The performance was such a success that soon after Foster began work with Joseph on what would become his major-label solo debut. Released on Reprise in 2004, Within features a mix of original compositions, reworked rock songs, and classical pieces. Also this May William Joseph released his newest album Beyond, which compositions include his well admired Heroes, and heart pounding Austurias. To learn more about William Joseph, visit his website at http://www.william-joseph.com/. Back to Top

	Jack Lau Chairman of New Horizon Capital (Goup) Ltd.
Mr. Lau is the Chairman of New Horizon Capital (Group) Limited which is a diversified financial group in private equity and investment banking. Throughout his career, Mr. Lau has been involved in the listing projects of more than 30 companies and has procured over 100 mergers and acquisitions and over a dozen of backdoor listings. Besides being the major/strategic shareholders of three publicly listed companies in Hong Kong, Mr. Lau invests through his financial group in more than 20 projects in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Japan, encompassing industries including natural resources and industrial gases, mobile value added services, copyright management and digital licensing business, agriculture and healthcare services, etc. Mr. Lau was an investment banker and financier for several major international financial institutions and has more than 25 years' solid experience in the industry. Mr. Lau was also the group managing director of a leading listed industrial/investment group (with 30,000 workers) for a period of 7 years prior to setting up his own business in 1993. Under the leadership of Mr. Lau, the listed group was ranked first in the "Overall Best-managed Company" award among the small-to-medium size listed enterprises in Hong Kong by an international prominent financial magazine, Euromoney. Mr. Lau holds a degree of Bachelor's of Science in Accounting/Business Management and an MBA from BYU-Hawaii and BYU Provo respectively. From 1992 to 1998, Mr. Lau was a member of the Council of the City University of Hong Kong and was also a member of the Electronics Committee of the Hong Kong Industry Department. Back to Top

	Chad Lewis Professional Athlete
Chad Lewis formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles and the point man for the NFL in China will bring a unique perspective on the emerging NFL in China. He will also be speaking about his experiences as an 11 year professional athlete and his membership in the church. Back to Top

	Ron Lindorf Private Equity Investor
Ron Lindorf is a successful international, serial entrepreneur and teaching professor at the Center for Entrepreneurship at BYU. Besides having taught entrepreneurship at BYU-Hawaii, Mr. Lindorf has assisted with the business idea and business plan competitions. In addition, he also mentored multiple student teams for each competition. Mr. Lindorf was the Founder and Chairman of Western WATS Center (WWC), Inc., the nation's largest data collection and survey research processing house, comprising 10 locations and 1,200 seats. Clients include leading full service market research firms, key Republican pollsters and Fortune 1000. WWC employs over 2,000 people involved in conducting and processing surveys by telephone and internet. WWC operates internationally, with operations in Canada and the Philippines. Mr. Lindorf was the Founder and Chairman of Humanvoice, an advanced outsource CRM company servicing Fortune 500 clients, awarded the AC Nielson/AMA EXPLOR award in 2000 for innovation in on-line research and named "Top 25 under 5" by Utah Valley Entrepreneur Forum 2000. Mr. Lindorf received a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Communications from BYU. Back to Top

	Marcus Martins Chair, Department of Religious Education - BYU-Hawaii
Marcus Martins holds degrees in business management, organizational behavior, and sociology. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he worked as a systems analyst and project manager for the Brazilian government and as a private consultant before moving to the USA in 1990. He previously taught at BYU and Ricks College, and has lectured on a variety of topics throughout the U.S., Brazil, China, and Japan. He has been nominated twice to the Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and was elected “Teacher of the Year” by BYU-Hawaii’s President’s Council in 2002. Among his topics of interest are: strategic management in a global environment, technology, languages, law, politics, and world cultures. Brother Martins joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1972, and became the first Latter-Day Saint with Black African ancestry to serve a full-time mission after the 1978 Revelation. Since then he served twice as a bishop, five times as stake high councilor, and also as temple officiator and translator of the Book of Mormon. Back to Top

	Tom Matkin Attorney, Cardston Alberta Stake President
Tom Matkin lives in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. For over 30 years he has been engaged in the practice of business transactional law and the legal aspects of real estate development, conveyancing and securitization. He has taken a particular interest in investment fraud, and is currently involved as a litigation consultant in a $100 million class action law suit against the perpetrators and facilitators of a multinational ponzi scheme. His primary duties in the matter have been to follow the money to find out how and why the scheme worked, and to try to sort out the victims from the bad guys. As the current president of the Cardston Alberta Stake he has also developed gospel insights and teachings into the easily recognizable warning signs of investment scams and why people of all degrees of sophistication are often blind to them. Back to Top

	David McCulloch Private Investor, PLC member
David McCullough is the Trustee of a family real estate Trust with apartment properties in Utah, California, Oregon and Washington. He has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Fresno State College and an MBA from the University of Southern California. His wife, Mary, graduated from BYU-Hawaii in Education. They have three children, Kyle, Laura, and Ryan. David and his family reside in Lake Oswego, Oregon. David enjoys coming to BYU-Hawaii to talk about real estate to students and says this is one of the fun things he gets to do. Back to Top

	Susie Mullen Presenter
Susie was the owner of Mullen Cotillions where she taught dance and etiquette to children and youth. She also conducts business training seminars in social etiquette for professional organizations. She has performed and taught dance professionally for over 30 years. Susie graduated from Brigham Young University where she also taught dance and directed one of their Ballroom Dance teams. As a student, she performed and competed both individually and also with the Ballroom Dance Tour Team. Susie and her husband, Tom, recently returned from serving as mission president in the New York, Utica mission. They have four children, two of whom are currently serving missions. Both Tom and Susie enjoy many recreational activities including triathlons. Back to Top

	Tom Mullen Associate Athletic Director Brigham Young University
Tom Mullen currently serves as a Associate Athletic Director and Director of Development for Athletics at Brigham Young University, Provo campus. He is responsible for all Athletic development including major gifts, Cougar Club, scholarships, Coaches Circle, special events and former-athlete outreach. Earlier in his career, Tom was involved in small business consulting and was a cofounder of Folio Corporation. He was invited by the LDS Church to join their LDS Philanthropies office. He still serves on the senior leadership team for LDS Philanthropies at BYU-Provo in addition to his work at Athletics. Tom, along with his wife, Susie, and their children, recently returned from service as mission president in the New York Utica Mission. They enjoy outdoor activities including triathlons. Tom has been actively involved in volunteerism, including service as a board member and president of Utah Special Olympics. Back to Top

	Wendy Watson Nelson Author
Wendy Watson Nelson holds a Ph.D. in family therapy and gerontology. Prior to her marriage to Elder Russell M. Nelson on April 6, 2006, Sister Nelson was a Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy for 25 years. She taught for 12 years at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the last 13 years at Brigham Young University teaching doctoral students and masters students. In 1999 and 2000, she chaired the BYU Women's Conference. She is the author of several books including Rock Solid Relationships; and several talks on CD including Things are not always as they appear. Back to Top

	Von Orgill President & CEO of the Polynesian Cultural Center
Von Orgill has been President and CEO of the Polynesian Cultural Center since 2000. He has worked in senior management positions and as a consultant in a variety of industries for over 20 years. IBM, Xerox, Goodyear, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Education, State Farm Insurance, Arthur Anderson & Co., Franklin Covey, and Covey Leadership Center are a sampling of the more than 55 organizations with which he has worked. Mr. Orgill earned a Master's Degree in Organizational Behavior and Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University. His church service includes being a missionary in the Islands of Tonga, a long-time scouter in Utah and Hawaii, a Bishop and member of a stake presidency and two mission presidencies in the Washington, D.C. area, and he has been serving as the President of the BYU-Hawaii 3rd Stake since 2004. He is married to Sherri Ketchum and they are blessed with seven children and ten grandchildren. Back to Top

	Virginia Hinckley Pearce Author and Deseret Book Board of Directors, BYU School of Social Work Board, and University of Utah's Humanities Partnership Board.
Virginia Hinckley Pearce holds a bachelors degree in history and a Master of Social Work degree, both from the University of Utah, and has worked as a therapist in private practice and a mental health agency. She is the wife of Dr. James R. Pearce, mother of six, and grandmother of twenty-four. Her lifelong service in the Church has included the Primary General Board and first counselor in the General Young Women Presidency. She compiled and edited the book about her mother "Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley." Her most recently published book is "A Heart Like His." She currently serves on the Deseret Book Board of Directors; the School of Social Work Advisory Board, BYU; and the Humanities Partnership Board, University of Utah. Back to Top

	Robert L. Phillips President of Hawkins Companies
Robert currently serves as President of Hawkins Companies. Robert has also served as President of Hawkins-Smith, a related company, and as in-house counsel where his legal work focused on real estate, corporate, and business law areas. As a part of his work, Robert has negotiated or closed deals with lenders, tenants, attorneys, purchasers, and sellers from New York to Alaska. Prior to working for Hawkins Companies, Robert worked for the law firm of Givens Pursley & Huntley in Boise, Idaho. He is also a CPA and worked in public accounting for Price Waterhouse in Virginia. HIs public accounting work consisted of auditing and financial consulting for small to medium size companies. Robert graduated with high honors from J. Rueben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. He also graduated Valedictorian from the Utah State University College of Business where he studied accounting and business.

	Susan Preator Founder Imagine Learning
Susan Wakefield Preator, a founding owner of Imagine Learning, Inc., has served as CEO since the company's beginning in May of 2004. Imagine Learning's mission is "teaching English to the children of the world" through the use of computer programs. These programs are sold primarily to public schools across the nation and are beginning to be sold internationally. Prior to Imagine Learning, Susan spent ten years as the Vice President of Waterford Institute, a non-profit educational research organization. There, she directed the team that developed the Waterford Early Reading Program, a children's literacy software program that has been used by millions of children across the U.S. Susan holds a BA in English with a minor in Marriage, Family, and Human Development from Brigham Young University. She is married to Barry Preator, and they have six children and twelve grandchildren. Back to Top

	Jim Ritchie Director, Willes Center for International Entrepreneurship at BYU-Hawaii
James Ritchie was raised by two very hard working and entrepreneurial parents. Then, as a young man preparing to leave the mission field and make his mark on life, Ritchie learned the success formula from David B. Haight, who served as his mission president in Scotland. Ritchie put those two training programs together and has spent the last 40 years in some very successful business ventures as well as taking seventeen years "off" for full time church service on four continents. In between his many entrepreneurial adventures he also served as Senior V.P. For Franklin Quest (a billion dollar company which later became Franklin Covey) during those exciting early years and assisted in taking them public in 1992. His ability to see a good deal - and find a creative way to finance it - gave him many opportunities in real estate, housing, hospitality, agriculture, senior living, hospitals, automobile agencies, planned unit developments, travel, airlines, angel investing, manufacturing, retail, food services just to name a few. He is a member of BYU President's Leadership Council for both Provo and Hawaii, a member of the NAC for the Marriott School of Business and has been an adjunct professor at Provo before coming to Laie. He has served as a Board member and NAC advisor to Southern Virginia University. His church service has included serving as Bishop, Stake President in Simi Valley, Mission President in Roanoke, Missionary Training Center President in Ghana, Institute Director in New Zealand, CES Area Director in Africa and Regional Representative in the Provo Region. Ritchie is married to Carolyn Orton, father of eight and grandfather of thirty five. Back to Top

	David Senior Chief Executive Officer Pronaia Capital Partners, Ltd.
David Senior formed Pronaia Capital Partners, Ltd. in 2006 and serves as the Company's CEO. Pronaia Capital Partners, LTD. is a Private Equity firm specializing in the acquisition and management of operating companies. Holdings in this portfolio include asset in Japan, China and other locations in Southeast Asia. Pronaia Capital also engages in real property investment and development opportunities. Prior to the formation of Pronaia, David Senior was the CEO of Yamagata Corporation. Senior gained experience in the Banking Industry as a Vice President at both The Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corporation and Bank of America. At Mitsubishi, Senior was responsible for Pacific Rim business development and investment banking. Senior severs as a Director of FLP, Japan, Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Town and Country Bank in St. George, UT, and BCI International in Lawrence, Kansas. Mr. Senior earned a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Utah and a Master of Business Administration/Master of International Management from The American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). Senior is fluent in the Japanese language. Back to Top

	Vai Sikahema Sports Director and Former NFL Player
Vai Sikahema was an American football running back-kick returner in the NFL who played for eight seasons from 1986 to 1993. Sikahema was a special teams standout for several teams, including the St. Louis/ Phoenix Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia Eagles. He was named to the Pro Bowl twice (in 1986 and 1987). Upon retiring, Sikahema was hired by then-CBS owned and operated television station WCAU in Philadelphia to do weekend sports. Surviving the station's sale to NBC, Sikahema later moved to weekdays and is currently the Sports Director. Back to Top

	Todd Stevens Managing Director, EPIC Ventures
Mr. Stevens is the founder and Managing Director of EPIC Ventures (formerly Wasatch Venture Fund). EPIC is a venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies with offices in Utah, New Mexico and Idaho. Mr. Stevens is also the Manager of the Zions Bank Venture Capital Department. Mr. Stevens oversees the operations of five venture capital funds with assets of over $240 million. Prior to founding EPIC, Mr. Stevens worked as a consultant, treasurer of a Utah based publicly traded company and as a real estate development executive. He has raised capital and invested over $500 million in private and public companies. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Management from the University of Utah, cum laude. He also received a Master in Business Administration degree from Harvard University, Graduate School of Business graduating with honors. He serves on the board of CopperKey, Exagen Diagnostics, Drive Safety, First Choice Solutions, Vortex and ZARS. He is married and father of five children. He is active in professional, community and church service. Back to Top

	Kimball Taylor M.D., Founder and President The Children of Israel Foundation
Dr. Kimball Taylor is a Family Physician who resides and practices in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. His first trip to Israel was in 1987, and he quickly fell in love with the land, and the people. Since then Dr. Taylor has been to Israel many times, and never tires of the wonder of it. In an effort to increase his knowledge and understanding of the country and the heritage of the Jewish people, he has been pursuing a Master's Degree in Jewish Studies in Chicago for the past few years. This has resulted in a realization of the struggles faced by the Jewish people, past and present, and a deep appreciation for the covenants God has made with this "Peculiar People." Dr. Taylor founded "The Children of Israel Foundation" on April 6, 1998, to provide an avenue whereby Christians could assist in blessing the lives of those of The House of Israel wherever they may be in need. The Foundation serves to strengthen ties between Christians and Jews and promote understanding and assistance. Dr. Taylor completed his medical school and training in Family Practice at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He has practiced in Cardston for twenty years and currently serves as Chief of Staff of the Cardston General Hospital. He is a member of The College of Family Physicians of Canada and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Taylor is a nationally recognized speaker on the subject of "Stress and Depression," and has lectured across Canada. He has been affiliated with "BYU Education Week," and has also lectured extensively to Christian groups about Israel. Dr. Taylor and his wife, Marianne (Evans), have four children: Rebecca, Leslie, Mark and Timothy. A practicing Christian, Dr. Taylor has a great love for the people and land of Israel, and a firm belief that God's promises to His Covenant people will be kept. Back to Top

	A. Richard Vial CEO of the Northwest HOA Law Center
Rich Vial is CEO of the Northwest HOA Law Center in Portland, Oregon, a multifaceted law and education firm serving the needs of 2000 plus HOA and Condo associations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah. In 2007 the firm recovered more than $25MM on behalf of homeowners in a variety of groundbreaking cases. In both the practice of law and the operation of a business with 50+ employees, he has come to appreciate the value of mediated solutions to intractable problems. Rich is the father of 6 natural and 7 adopted children, and counts 26 grandchildren to date. He and Paula live on a 50 acre farm outside of Portland, Oregon, and also have significant real estate holdings in Windsor, Vermont. Among the family business interests is a thriving commercial construction company, and extensive commercial, industrial and residential properties. As a lawyer, Rich has been recognized among the top of his profession by earning an AV rating from international law data management firm Martindale-Hubbell. Rich serves on numerous boards and is active in a variety of community service programs. He currently serves as a Board Member with the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Back to Top

	Steven Wheelwright President of BYU Hawaii
After graduating from the University of Utah where he majored in Mathematics President Wheelwright received an MBA and a PhD from The Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He first taught at INSEAD, (an international business school in Fountainebleau, France) and then taught at both the Harvard Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. President Wheelwright retired from HBS in August 2006, after serving as a Senior Associate Dean for 8 years with responsibility for the MBA Program, Faculty Hiring and Planning, and Publications (as Chairman of HBS Publishing.) President and Sister Wheelwright presided over the London England Mission from 2000-2003, and were missionaries at BYU-Idaho when called to serve as President of BYU-Hawaii. Back to Top

	Mike Wilcox Author and Institute Instructor
Following a mission in France and Switzerland, Brother Wilcox attended BYU, obtaining a B.A. in English. He then earned an M.A. from Arizona State University and a Ph.D. at University of Colorado, both in Education. He has written numerous books and various magazine articles, guided tours to Europe, the Holy Land, Central America, China, and Church history sites. He was Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture department at BYU, taught seminary in Arizona and Canada, and was an institute director and instructor in Colorado. Brother Wilcox says, "Applying the scriptures to the life of the students has always been my major goal." He is currently teaching at the S.L. University Institute of Religion. Back to Top

	Dal Zemp Entrepreneur & IBC Chairperson
The Conference Chairman of the International Business Conference held at BYU-Hawaii. Dal has started over 14 companies in the US, Canada and Europe. His most recent ventures include the founding of Whisper Creek Log Homes, Kodiak Mountain Stone, and Paradise Canyon Golf Resort and Land Corporation. Before entering business, Dal spent 10 years with the Special Olympic Organization in Canada and Utah. He was also the Director of Competition for the 1991 World Special Olympics Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He returned to business in 1992 as a means to raise capital for his charitable efforts. Back to Top