Executives in Residence Program

Dawn Amato-Rudolph began her professional career as a painter and sculptor, showing in galleries and selling her work. She founded Sidewalk Designs Inc. as a visual merchandising company in 1986. The company grew quickly, and in the early ’90s, she expanded into the new media of computer aided design (CAD). By 1991 Sidewalk Designs was a successful design studio, developing campaigns and creative for exhibits, large-scale Broadway spectaculars, websites, print advertising and other out-of-home media with a national client base.

Sidewalk Designs has worked on brands such as North Fork Bank (where Ms. Amato-Rudolph headed the acquisition and branding conversion of Home Federal, Jamaica Savings, Reliance and Greenpoint Savings Banks), as well as the North Fork Bank expansion into metropolitan New York with the acquisition of Commercial Bank of New York, while concepting and managing the branding of new branches throughout the Long Island, New York and New Jersey regions. During this time, Ms. Amato-Rudolph headed the rebranding transition from Kinkos to FedEx, as well as many other projects for national brands such as Vitamin World, Party City, Carvel, Barnes & Noble, Dolphin Mall in Miami, Channelside Mall in Tampa, Robb & Stucky’s, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Starbucks, many different Florida development projects, and the rebuilding of outdoor advertising throughout Florida following Hurricane Katrina. In 2007 she partnered with Paul Levine to relaunch Sidewalk Designs as Slightly Mad Communications.

Dawn Amato-Rudolph graduated cum laude from LIU Post with a degree in fine art.

Areas of Interest: Marketing, advertising, research, strategic planning and branding

Kenneth Brodlieb is chairman of East Hills Auto Group, an automobile franchise consisting of five stores, including a Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram dealership in Greenvale; a Subaru dealership in Roslyn; and three Chevrolet showrooms located throughout Long Island.

Mr. Brodlieb has been a distinguished friend and benefactor of the University for more than two decades. He has established several scholarships at Hofstra, including: The Kenneth and Theodore Brodlieb Distinguished Professorship, the Andrea and Kenneth Brodlieb Endowed Law School Scholarship, The Kenneth Brodlieb MBA Endowed Scholarship and Kenneth Brodlieb Endowed Scholarships. He has also pledged scholarship dollars as one of the lead capital campaign gifts for the Frank G. Zarb School of Business.

Mr. Brodlieb has been a mentor for Zarb students for many years. Currently, he sits on the Frank G. Zarb School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board, and is a past member of the President’s Leadership Council. He attended the Nasdaq closing bell ceremony in honor of Nasdaq and Hofstra’s Minds on the Markets program, which teaches high school students about financial markets. Mr. Brodlieb graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science degree. He is also a Hofstra parent – his son Timothy graduated with a BBA in banking and finance in 1989.

Areas of Interest: Leadership versus management, starting and operating a small business, retail sales, marketing and entrepreneurship

Harris Brodsky has been a leader and agent of change within the health care industry for over 40 years. After volunteering in the emergency room upon recommendation of a friend, Professor Brodsky knew health care was the right fit for him.

Professor Brodsky began his career as a senior associate director at Long Island Jewish Health System, administering the emergency room, ambulance service and outpatient department. He then took a position at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, which includes a 350-bed hospital and a 600-bed nursing home, the largest voluntary not-for-profit nursing home facility in the state of New York at the time. Professor Brodsky was a licensed nursing home administrator and associate director of the hospital where he stayed for over 30 years. He later went on to various roles at Bialystoker Nursing Home, Fieldston Lodge Nursing Home and Regal Heights Nursing Home. Professor Brodsky was appointed by the governor of New York to the State Home Health Council and named Mentor of the Year by the Village of Great Neck Plaza. He currently serves as a Life Fellow at the American College of Health Care Executives and member of the Health Care Financial Management Association.

Professor Brodsky completed a BA in economics, MBA in management and MS in hospital administration from Columbia University.

Areas of Interest: Management, hospital and health administration, and long-term care

Robert B. Catell is former chairman and chief executive officer of KeySpan Corporation and KeySpan Energy Delivery, the former Brooklyn Union Gas. His career with Brooklyn Union Gas started in 1958. Following National Grid’s acquisition of KeySpan Corporation, Mr. Catell became chairman of National Grid, United States and deputy chairman of National Grid plc.

He currently serves as chairman of the board of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) at Stony Brook University, New York State Smart Grid Consortium, Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School, Futures in Education Endowment Fund, and the New York Energy Policy Institute’s Advisory Council (NYEPI). Mr. Catell serves on the board of the New York State Economic Development Power Allocation Board (EDPAB), a governmental organization. He also serves on the board of the following not-for-profit organizations: Brooklyn Community Foundation, City College of New York 21st Century Foundation, Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, National Grid Foundation, St. Francis Hospital Foundation, Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation and the New York City Police Foundation. Robert Catell serves on the board of numerous business organizations, including American Vanadium Corp. (AVC), Long Island Angel Network (LIAN), Long Island Association (LIA), National Petroleum Council, the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) and the Water Company, LLC, as well as the advisory board for Advanced Power North America (APNA), CAI Investments, the Center for Urban Sciences & Progress (CUSP), EC Infosystems, Our Energy Policy Foundation, Posillico Inc., SUNY Farmingdale, the President’s Advisory Council at Adelphi University, VNG.CO and the Winthrop Hospital Board of Regents.

Mr. Catell was named the first John J. Phelan, Jr. Fellow of the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business at Adelphi University. He is former chairman of the American Gas Association, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, KEYERA Energy Management Ltd., Long Island Association, Partnership for New York City, Inc., United States Energy Association (USEA), Business Council of New York State, the Advisory Board of the City College of New York’s School of Engineering and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Mr. Catell is a former board member of the Brooklyn Public Library Foundation, Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Energy Association of New York State, Long Island Foreign Affairs Forum, New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), Brooklyn Law School (member emeritus), as well as the advisory board of HeartShare for Human Services.

Additionally, Mr. Catell is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers, CUNY Business Leadership Council, National Society of Professional Engineers, New York State Society of Professional Engineers and the Society of Gas Lighting.

Robert Catell received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the City College of New York and is a registered professional engineer. He has attended Columbia University’s Executive Development Program and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Areas of Interest: General management, energy and technology Executives

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John T. Costanzo is the President & Founder of LDK Global Logistics, a New York based transportation and logistics agency focused on helping companies to improve the performance and cost of delivering their products throughout the US and rest of the world. He also serves as the Executive Director of the MAPLE Business Council’s New York Chapter, an association focused on facilitating trade and investment between the US & Canada.

John has served in several senior executive roles over the past 30 years…prior to LDK John served as President of Purolator International in Jericho, NY from 2001-2019, the US subsidiary of one of the largest Package and Freight delivery companies in North America; President & CEO of InterPost, a joint venture of KLM and the Dutch Post Office, focused on forwarding and delivering books, magazines and periodicals for major publishers like McGraw Hill, Forbes and Reed Elsevier throughout the world; President of the Americas region for TNT Post Group’s International Express Mail & Parcel delivery business; and Senior VP of Emery Air Freight Corporation, a global Air Freight forwarder.

An active member of the LI community, John also serves on the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council; the board and executive committee for the Long Island Association & chair of the LIA’s International Trade Committee; as co-chair of the LI Manufacturing Committee for the ESD; and as a director of the United Way of Long Island.

Frederick Davis, Jr. is the tax practice leader at Mitchell & Titus, LLP. He has over 22 years of public accounting experience specializing in servicing public companies, tax-exempt organizations and entrepreneurial businesses. He is a certified public accountant in New York and Maryland.

Mr. Davis primarily focuses on serving clients in the areas of corporate tax, not-for-profit organizations, employee benefit, payroll, accounting and financial transactions. He has a strong background in high-profile issues such as corporate reorganizations, capitalization, accounting methods changes, domestic tax audits and international tax. With his experience in non-profit organizations, he provides clients with valuable insight into the rules with respect to unrelated business income, public support test, functional expenses, program activities, and the mix of non-profit and for-profit activities. He has served as the tax partner on numerous engagements for major non-profits, consumer product conglomerates, energy, insurance, banking, media/entertainment and utilities. Mr. Davis also advises the firm’s employee benefit plan audit group on tax and legislative changes that may affect the firm’s clients.

Prior to joining Mitchell & Titus, Mr. Davis served as a tax partner at former “Big Five” firm Arthur Anderson. He has a Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law, a Master of Science in taxation from Long Island University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Hofstra University. He has also completed the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University program titled “Building a High-Performing Minority Business.” Mr. Davis has co-authored several articles for trade publications on various tax topics. His articles have been featured in The Journal of Bank Taxation and Real Estate Weekly, among other publications. Furthermore, Mr. Davis was also admitted to the Bar in New York and New Jersey.

Mr. Davis is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). Mr. Davis serves on the AICPA’s tax practice and procedures committee as well as on NABA’s corporate advisory board. He is also a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Davis is a member of the American Bar Association, New York Bar Association, Metropolitan Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.

His external activities also include serving as past president of Hofstra University’s National Alumni Organization, as treasurer on the board of trustees for Vision of Hope Development Corporation, a New Jersey community-based, not-for-profit organization, and as treasurer of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Alpha Lambda Chapter. Additionally, Mr. Davis served on the deacon board of the New Hope Baptist Church of Newark, New Jersey, and is the treasurer of One Hundred Black Men, Inc. (New York).

Area of Interest: Tax

Ellen is a visionary business veteran who has delivered outstanding results with multi-dimensional skills and cutting-edge execution. As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Stem Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: STMH CSE: STEM), she brings more than 20 years of senior leadership experience to the company. She oversees Stem’s business operations, driving strategy, revenue growth, efficiency, and profitability across all of its various business segments including cultivation, production, distribution and retail.

Prior to joining Stem, Ellen was most recently a Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAIN), a leading natural and organic food and personal care products company in North America, Europe, and India. During her more than 20 years at Hain, Ms. Deutsch also held a variety of senior leadership executive roles, including SVP/Global Technical Services and Chief Sustainability Officer, and SVP/Strategic Planning and Customer Satisfaction, and SVP/Global Marketing and Sales, during which time she led numerous business teams and functional areas, identified and integrated acquisitions, and created the Company’s technical and corporate social responsibility platforms.

Ellen has been a contributor to many business and industry publications, and served as a media spokesperson and expert guest as well as speaking at events including Food Marketing Institute (FMI) marketing and sustainability conferences, FUSE, Natural Products Expo, Food Innovation and Technology Forum, and NY/Women in Communications. Ms. Deutsch holds both her BBA and MBA degrees from Hofstra University’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business. She is a long-term member of the Executive in Residence team at Hofstra, and has been honored as a distinguished alumnus. She currently is an adjunct professor teaching the MBA thesis course at Zarb, and was a Board member of the Long Island Cares—Harry Chapin Food Bank for ten years. She is also a classical pianist.

Areas of Interest: Marketing, operations, retail

Esther Fortunoff-Greene is the owner and president of Fortunoff Jewelry. Building on the success of her e-commerce business (fortunoffjewelry.com) which launched in 2010, Ms. Fortunoff-Greene opened the Fortunoff Jewelry boutique at 1504 Old Country Road in Westbury, New York. Her 30-year career began in her family’s regional chain of department stores where she was instrumental in transforming Fortunoff into a New York institution and a go-to store for millions looking to purchase fine jewelry. An award-winning jewelry authority and industry leader, she continues to direct the buying of precious gemstones, diamonds and pearls, and the design and manufacture of proprietary jewelry collections. As a woman pioneer in the diamond and jewelry business, she has received numerous awards, including induction into the “Retailer Hall of Fame” of National Jeweler Magazine and “Retailer of the Year” from the Women’s Jewelry Association. She has served as a director of Jewelers of America, the Jewelers vigilance committee, the National Color Diamond Association and the American Gemstone Trade Association Laboratory. She is passionate about the jewelry industry’s social, environmental and ethical issues, and currently serves on the ethical initiatives committee of the Jewelers of America board.

An active member of the Long Island community, Ms. Fortunoff-Greene serves on the executive committee of the Long Island Association, and as trustee of the Long Island Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and a director of The Safe Center, LI, a combination of the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV) and the Coalition Against Child Abuse and Neglect (CCAN). She is a founding and current board member of Mabou Mines, New York City, one of America’s oldest avant-garde theatre companies. She earned her degree in history at Colorado College and resides in Nassau County with her husband, Joshua.

Fortunoff Jewelry Business

As a granddaughter of the founders of the Fortunoff retail chain, Ms. Fortunoff-Greene grew up in the family business. In 2005 the Fortunoff family sold the chain to two private equity firms, which in 2008 put the chain into bankruptcy. Eager to revive the jewelry business and keep the family traditions and atmosphere of the old Fortunoff stores alive, Ms. Fortunoff-Greene launched the fortunoffjewelry.com e-commerce site in 2010 and opened her retail boutique in 2014. Her staff is composed of former Fortunoff managers and employees, who provide knowledgeable, friendly sales assistance and represent the company’s policy of best quality jewelry at best prices. Ms. Fortunoff-Greene continues to source jewelry from talented international manufacturers and little-known local and women designers. Her store carries some unusual jewelry made from recycled materials. Fortunoff Jewelry’s goal is to always exceed a customer’s expectations in selection, quality, design and service. Ms. Fortunoff-Greene’s goal is to continue to earn her customer’s confidence, as her grandparents did before her.

Areas of Interest: Retail, ethical sourcing, and consumer research

Norman Goldberg has nearly 30 years of management experience with a major emphasis on improving productivity and compatible human relations among owners, managers and employees of well-known corporate entities and family-run businesses. Most recently, he served as advisor to a number of families who were facing daily interpersonal conflicts in trying to maintain and grow a successful business. He is also working on a novel titled The Third Generation Can Kill You, and a screenplay titled Retribution.

Mr. Goldberg was chief operating officer of The Wiz, a consumer electronics retail chain owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation. He was also a member of the Cablevision Corporate Management Group. Prior to Cablevision, Mr. Goldberg spent 15 years as chief operating officer of Fortunoff. In this role, he advanced several innovative marketing strategies, including the implementation of the bridal registry.

Before joining Fortunoff, Mr. Goldberg was executive vice president for advertising, sales promotion and vendor relations for the French-owned designer house Christian Dior, USA. Previously, he spent 10 years at Bloomingdale’s where he held a variety of management positions, and three years as senior vice president at Diane von Furstenberg Cosmetics where he helped build the national reputation and business of the Tatiana fragrance. Earlier in his career, Mr. Goldberg was invited to join Skill Achievement Inc., a new training consortium made up of The New York Urban League, the Puerto Rican Forum, and Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where he developed a concept called high intensity training, which was replicated across the country.

Additionally, Norman Goldberg was a board member of Cosmetique Inc., the nation’s largest and most successful cosmetic mail order club. He is an active pro-bono advisor to the Lustgarten Foundation for pancreatic cancer research. Furthermore, he organized and was the moderator for a seminar at Hofstra University’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business called Family Business Challenges and is a guest lecturer at The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College.

Areas of Interest: Theatre, politics, television, and family businesses

A regular on the Long Island Press Power List of “Top 50 Influentials” and an inaugural class member of the Long Island Business News Hall of Fame, Katherine Heaviside, president of Epoch 5 Public Relations, has unmatched long-standing contacts and relationships with the media, corporate leaders, and community and government leaders. Ms. Heaviside established Epoch 5 as the region’s premier full-service communications firm, consistently delivering high-powered visibility and credibility for clients and helping them manage sensitive issues and crises that could damage their business. Under her direction, Epoch 5 was awarded the Silver Anvil Award, the PR industry’s most coveted award; the national Mercury Award, for recognition of excellence in the PR community; and the PRPLI Award for Best PR Campaign.

Among her many honors, Ms. Heaviside is a New York State “Woman of Distinction,” was recognized by Women on the Job, and is the recipient of Promote Long Island’s Spirit of Long Island Award for Entrepreneurship. A charter member of Top 50 Women in Business, she has published articles in national magazines, been quoted in major daily newspapers, appeared on national television and radio, and has presented seminars on marketing and public relations throughout the United States.

Ms. Heaviside is a member of the executive board of the Long Island Association and former board member of North Fork Bank. She has also served on the boards of several business associations and educational and humanitarian organizations, including Long Island Angel Network, United Way, Quality Review Board of Stony Brook Hospital and Regional Plan Association. Former affiliations include: chair, board of directors, Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce; United States Congressman’s Citizens Review Board; Suffolk County Small Business Advisory Commission; membership on the board of directors of the United Way of New York State, the Long Island Partnership, the Family Service League, Nassau County Boy Scouts and Stony Brook University.

Areas of Interest: Marketing, consulting, and leadership

With more than 20 years of financial technology and global management experience, Kevin Hesselbirg currently serves as CEO of Primatics Financial. Before Primatics, Mr. Hesselbirg served as CEO of OpenLink Financial. As CEO of OpenLink, Mr. Hesselbirg helped transform OpenLink into a multinational and industry-leading commercial software and professional services organization with more than $300 million in revenue and 1,200 professionals located in nine countries. Previously, Mr. Hesselbirg served as OpenLink’s chief financial officer and later as its chief operating officer.

A native of New York, Mr. Hesselbirg began his career at Ernst & Young, LLP, where he ascended to the position of audit manager in the specialized privately owned and emerging business group, providing both audit and business advisory services to high-growth businesses primarily in the medical technology industry. Mr. Hesselbirg has also served as a chief financial officer for two medical technology firms. Over the course of his executive leadership career, Mr. Hesselbirg has led multiple business sale and/or merger transactions, returning more than $1 billion in equity value to investors.

Kevin Hesselbirg holds a Bachelor of Science from Fordham University where he graduated valedictorian of the Class of 1987.

Areas of Interest: Financial technology, medical technology, tech enabled services, and manufacturing
 

Kirk Kordeleski is widely considered a breakthrough performer and leader in the credit union industry. He is known for his commitment to the cooperative principals of the industry, as well as his vision of growth, extraordinary value and world-class service. Mr. Kordeleski has more than 35 years of experience in the credit union industry. For 15 years, Mr. Kordeleski served as president and chief executive officer of Bethpage Federal Credit Union, the largest community credit union in the Northeast. During his tenure, Bethpage was awarded the largest federal charter in the country and was able to double its size every five years, growing from $950 million to $6 billion.

Located in one of the most competitive retail banking markets in the United States, Bethpage FCU was a market share leader in mortgages, checking and deposit growth, and it set the standard for credit union branding in the New York metropolitan area. Among his achievements as CEO, Mr. Kordeleski helped create large-scale collaborations in both technology and back room operations, the first such collaborations in the industry. Prior to taking the CEO position at Bethpage, he was the credit union’s executive vice president for seven years. Before joining Bethpage, Mr. Kordeleski served as a director on the executive team of Bank-Fund Staff FCU for seven years.

Mr. Kordeleski holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration and accounting systems. He has held a number of community leadership positions, including chairman of Long Island’s top business association, Friends of the Arts, and board positions on the United Way, among many others.

Areas of Interest: Financial institutions, digital discipline, analytics and market lending (FinTech), community development for business and not-for-profits, not-for-profit strategy and financial performance, strategic practices, brand creation with a community emphasis, leadership practices, and dynamic growth.

Jeffrey Kraut serves as the executive vice president for strategy and analytics at Northwell Health and as associate dean for strategy for the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, one of the nation's newest medical schools. In addition to coordinating the strategic planning and health policy activities of Northwell, as well as the development of its network of providers through merger, acquisition or affiliated relationships, he is also responsible for data governance and organizing the next generation of business and clinical analytics throughout the Health System.

Often recognized for his skills in health planning, policy and analytics, Mr. Kraut serves as Chair of the NYS Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC). The PHHPC oversees public, health planning, regulatory and Certificate of Need activities in New York State. He has focused on influencing the interoperability and sharing of health data through the development of regional health information organizations and incubating innovation opportunities in pharma/biotech R&D environments. He served as the founding Chair of the Long Island Patient Information Exchange (LIPIX) and was instrumental in its merger with its New York City counterpart, NYCLIX, to form Healthix, the largest RHIO in New York State.

Mr. Kraut is a board member of the American Hospital Association's Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and serves on the Standards Council of the Commission on Accreditation on Healthcare Management Education. He was the recipient of the 25th Anniversary Leadership Award of The New York State Society for Health Planning, an organization of which he served as past president. He serves on various committees of the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) and on the board of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council.

He is also involved in regional economic development and community building activities as a board member of the Long Island Regional Planning Council, Sustainable Long Island and The Brookville Center for Children Services. Mr. Kraut serves as a health policy advisor to the Long Island Index and ERASE Racism.

Prior to joining Northwell, Mr. Kraut served as the Vice President for Policy and Planning at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, where he was recruited from the health care consulting group of KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Kraut received an MBA in Healthcare Management from Baruch College/Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.

Paul Levine entered the media world in 1988 with International Thomson’s online division. In the ’90s, he worked for Warwick Baker & Fiore and Mad Dogs & Englishmen as general manager and head of client service. During his tenure, Mr. Levine saw agency billings triple and revenues more than double, and he was made partner. In 1999 Bates Worldwide (Cordiant Communications) recruited Mr. Levine as chief marketing officer for Bates North America. Mr. Levine spearheaded a global repositioning and development initiative resulting in his promotion to chief marketing officer for Bates Worldwide, appointment to its management board and responsibility for its other marketing service companies.

In 2004 Mr. Levine became a marketing, advertising and emerging media consultant, serving clients such as LG Electronics, Hyundai, Panasonic, Bed Bath & Beyond, DUX Bed, The Frick Collection, Guggenheim Museum, Apollo Theater and American Ballet Theatre.

This led to Mr. Levine being retained in the role of president of Agent 16 in March 2006 to re-engineer the agency’s product and service offerings. Its client roster consisted of one client in a single category. Through Mr. Levine’s leadership, the agency was able to attract clients from the video game, beverage, publishing, paper and cosmetics industries. Mr. Levine also managed the reorganization of the agency’s custom publishing group. He then created and launched a syndicated and custom research division in partnership with the Scratch DJ Academy called Scratch 16.

In spring 2008 Mr. Levine partnered with Dawn Amato-Rudolph to launch Slightly Mad Communications, a strategic and creative advertising agency located in Northport, New York, where he currently serves as president.

Paul Levine serves on numerous corporate advisory boards, is a Gerson Lehrman Group council member, was on the board of trustees of the Advertising Club of New York, was an American Association of Advertising Agencies committee member and served on the board of the National Autism Coalition (now Autism Speaks).

Areas of Interest: Marketing, advertising, research, strategic planning, and branding

Neil Smith is a partner with McKinsey and Company. He has more than 20 years experience leading large-scale revenue generation and performance improvement projects, and before that spent 6 years as the Chairman of a manufacturing company.

His manufacturing experience helped Neil develop a unique approach to dramatic profit improvement for CEOs of Fortune 750 companies. This process had its origins in the financial services industry in the early 1990s. As a founder of EHS Partners, Neil was able to demonstrate that techniques learned in banking could be applied even more effectively to other industries, when he led a pioneering project in the transportation industry in 1998. Other successes followed. In 2000, Neil first showed that the techniques could be applied to large companies when he led a hugely successful project at a 23,000-person company. In 2001, the same techniques were used for the first time with a company, which was not only large and global, but could be considered a true industry leader. Working with the CEO and his team, Neil demonstrated that there are huge opportunities in even the best-run companies.

Over the last few years, a number of the companies Neil has worked with are rated among the best in their industry, including: healthcare, banking, food manufacturing, distribution and insurance.

In 2009, Neil left EHS Partners to form Promontory Growth and Innovation, growing the company to revenues in excess of $100 million in just 3 years.

In 2011 and 2012, Neil led the ground-breaking Bank of America New BAC initiative. A project on this scale (90 countries, 300,000 employees) had never been completed before and the announced results were an annual profit improvement in excess of $8 billion a year.

In 2012, Neil wrote his New York Time Bestseller, How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things.

Before buying the food manufacturing company in a leveraged buyout, Neil spent five years with McKinsey & Company, working in New York and London, and helped to build McKinsey's early work in Brazil and Indonesia. In 2017, Neil rejoined McKinsey as a partner in the Recovert and Transformation Services practice.

Before business school Neil was a journalist in London, working with the BBC and the London Sunday Times.

Until recently, Neil served on the International Advisory Board of British American Business, Inc. (the British American Chamber of Commerce). He is a member of a Harvard Business School alumni committee and until recently was Chairman of the U.S. Alumni of the University of Keele.

Neil has an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School, where he was the only Knox Fellow. He earned a B.A. (with honors) in Physics and Economics from the University of Keele, England. In 2015, Neil was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (D. Univ.) from the University of Keele.

Neil enjoys rugby, soccer, cricket, and baseball, and collects ancient British coins.

Salvatore F. Sodano is chairman and chief executive officer of Worldwide Capital Advisory Partners, LLC, which provides research and advisory services on corporate finance and investment activities, management, operations and technology matters, in addition to commentary and research on a range of global macro events and regulations. He is also senior advisor to the chief executive officer at Burke & Quick Partners, a position he held from 2012 to present, and where he previously served as chairman of strategy and business development.

Mr. Sodano is vice chairman and a member of the board of directors of Gabelli Securities, Inc., a global asset management firm/broker dealer. He is chairman of the audit committee of the board and has been at Gabelli since 2014.

In January 2015 Mr. Sodano became chairman of the board of directors and chairman of the executive committee and the executive compensation committee of Catholic Health Services, a multi-billion dollar, 23,000-employee healthcare system. He previously served as a member of the board of directors and chairman of the investment committee of Catholic Health Services of Long Island, Inc. Mr. Sodano was appointed chairman of the board of trustees of Catholic Health Services, Eastern Region, and chairman of Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, St. Charles Hospital and St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in February 2011. His tenure as chairman concluded in April 2012.

Mr. Sodano is the Sorin Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University. He has been a member of the faculty and executive in residence at the Zarb School since June 2005 with academic appointments as a part-time full professor in both the Management and Finance departments. He served as the dean of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business from 2006 to 2010. Mr. Sodano also served as chairman of Hofstra University’s Board of Trustees for the maximum three one-year terms from October 2002 through October 2005. He first joined Hofstra University’s Board of Trustees in 2001. From 2010 until recently, Mr. Sodano also served as a member of the Office of the President as senior executive advisor to the president.

For six years (1999-2005), Mr. Sodano, as chairman and chief executive officer, led the American Stock Exchange (Amex) through some of the most tumultuous times in global capital markets history, including September 11, 2001, ultimately creating a revitalized institution with a strong focus on rebirth, innovation and product development. He directed the complete overhaul of the Amex infrastructure, developed new products, rebranded the over 100-year-old institution and established new relationships with key constituencies. In 2000, while serving as chairman and chief executive officer of the Amex and chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the NASD (then parent of the Nasdaq Stock Market), Mr. Sodano was elected vice chairman of the NASD, a position he held until December 2004. He served as a member of the NASD board of governors from 1999 to 2004. In September 1999, six months after his appointment as acting president, Mr. Sodano was elected Amex chairman and chief executive officer while continuing to serve as chief operating officer of the NASD. Mr. Sodano’s achievements at the NASD were many, including personally overseeing the “Reinvesting for the Future” program, which resulted in ongoing annual savings of approximately $100 million. In 1999 Mr. Sodano was awarded the NASD Chairman’s Award by Frank Zarb, given to the employee who best demonstrated outstanding performance and leadership.

Mr. Sodano was part of the task force to monetize the value of NASD’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Nasdaq. This included starting the process to make Nasdaq a publicly traded company. In addition to participating in all the technical requirements, Mr. Sodano personally made road show presentations to the CEOs of Microsoft, Yahoo and Sun Microsystems, amongst others, ultimately resulting in the private placement of Nasdaq stock. This laid the groundwork for Nasdaq’s future as a publicly traded company. Mr. Sodano also served as chairman and president of Securities Dealers Insurance Company, Ltd., a wholly-owned fidelity bond insurance subsidiary of the NASD, from 1997 to 2004, and as a member of the board of directors of the Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC) from 1999 to 2002. Previously, he was a key executive at Westpac Banking Corporation. Earlier in his career, he held increasingly responsible positions at Bankers Trust Company, Morgan Guaranty International Finance Corporation (JP Morgan) and Price Waterhouse.

Recognized globally for his academic and corporate achievements, Mr. Sodano has also been honored with several appointments and recognitions, including the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2000, the Coalition of Italo-American Associations, Inc. Leadership in Finance and Investments Award in 2001, and the National Italian American Foundation’s Special Achievement in Business Award in 2003. Hofstra University acknowledged Mr. Sodano’s professional achievement with its Alumni Achievement Award in 2000. In addition, Beta Alpha Psi, a national academic fraternity, selected him for its Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2002. Mr. Sodano was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, the national honor society of collegiate business schools, in 2007 and into the William and Kate Hofstra Honor Roll “Hofstra University Hall of Fame” in 2010. In 2013 Mr. Sodano received the Excellence in Teaching Award from The National Society of Leadership and Success Honor Society.

Widely respected for his business perspectives, Mr. Sodano has also been a frequent guest on CNBC, CNN and the Fox News Channel, and has often been quoted in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Financial Times. Speaking regularly, often as a keynoter at leadership forums, his appearances have ranged from The National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to the World New Economy Forum at China’s Great Hall of People in Beijing.

Mr. Sodano received a master’s degree in finance and investments and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and economics from Hofstra University.

Areas of Interest: Leadership, corporate governance, board of directors, healthcare, and finance

Frank G. Zarb is a senior advisor to Promontory Financial Group, LLC. He serves as senior advisor to Hellman & Friedman, LLC, and advisor to The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., the NASD and other clients.

Mr. Zarb served as chair and CEO of the National Association of Securities Dealers from February 1997 until November 2000. He served as chair and CEO of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (a NASD company) from January 2000 until February 2001.

Mr. Zarb was chairman, chief executive officer and president of Alexander & Alexander Services, Inc., a global organization of professional advisors providing risk management, insurance brokerage and human resource management consulting services from offices in more than 80 countries, from June 1994 through January 1997.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Zarb was vice chairman and chief executive of The Travelers, Inc. and chairman and CEO of Smith Barney, a Travelers subsidiary, which he joined in 1988. He was named group chief executive on June 24, 1993. Mr. Zarb was elected a vice chairman of The Travelers, Inc. on September 25, 1991.

During his tenure at Smith Barney, Mr. Zarb oversaw international growth in the firm’s diversity and its clientele. His responsibilities at The Travelers included direct management of Primerica Financial Services, American Capital Management Research, RCM Capital Management, and corporate administration and legal functions.

Before joining Smith Barney, Mr. Zarb was a senior partner of Lazard Freres & Co. From 1978 to 1988, he was responsible for a broad range of investment banking activities, focusing on international finance, and acted as financial advisor to governments around the world.

From 1974 through 1977, Mr. Zarb was the senior official for all United States government energy-related activities, serving as executive director of the Cabinet-level Energy Resources Council, administrator of the Federal Energy Administration, and assistant to the president for energy affairs (the “Energy Czar”). He led the nation’s energy response to the first major oil embargo. Prior to these appointments, he had been associate director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1973 to 1974, and served as assistant secretary of labor between 1971 and 1972. He served in various assignments with the Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush and Clinton administrations.

Before entering public service, Mr. Zarb acquired considerable experience in the securities industry where he began his career with Goodbody & Co. in 1962. He served in various capacities for predecessor firms of Shearson Lehman Brothers, as executive vice president of marketing, operations and investment banking, as well as chairman of the executive committee.

He has served as a director on 13 public company boards. He was chairman of Long Island Power Authority, the New York State agency responsible for overseeing the restructuring of the electric power system of Long Island.

In 2003 the governor of New York named Mr. Zarb chairman of the New York State Commission on Education Reform, a bipartisan group of educational, business and community leaders who worked together to reform New York State’s educational system. In 2001 the governor of New York appointed Mr. Zarb to the board of directors of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, an organization charged with overseeing the development of the downtown New York City area following 9/11.

In 1999 the governor of New York named Mr. Zarb chairman of the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority, a body assembled to lead a state effort to turn around Nassau County’s financial crisis.

Mr. Zarb is a member of the board of trustees of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation. He is a former chairman of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Hofstra University, where he still serves as a board member. Hofstra named its business school after Mr. Zarb.

Mr. Zarb was a member of the Mayor’s Commission on Homelessness in New York City and led the Privatization Task Force of the New York City Partnership. He also served as chairman of the Council for the United States and Italy.

Frank G. Zarb, who earned a BS and an MBA in business from Hofstra University, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by the University and received the school’s Outstanding Scholar Award. The Georgetown University McDonough School of Business also conferred an honorary doctorate on him in 2000. He is an adjunct professor of finance at Hofstra.

He served eight years in the United States Army Reserve and retired with the rank of captain.

Areas of interest: Financial crises and public policy