Economics Advisory Board

Greg Achten

Managing Director
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

Gregory G. Achten is the Ohio Valley Complex Managing Director within the firm's Global Wealth Management Group. In his current role, Mr. Achten oversees seven Advisory offices to include 150 Financial Advisors as well as support staff and leadership team. His geography focuses primarily in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton.

Before assuming his current position in February 2008, Mr. Achten served as the Director for the State of Oklahoma based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was responsible for the firm's network of advisory and private banking operations.

Mr. Achten joined Merrill Lynch in 1987 in an operations role within the Cincinnati Regional Operations Center located in Blue Ash, Ohio. During his operations role, he was selected for the Regional Operations Manager Training Program. In 1990, Mr. Achten was promoted to Operations Manager in Dearborn, Michigan and later was promoted to Administrative Manager in the same location.

In 1992, Mr. Achten became a Financial Advisor; later in 2001 he was promoted to the Resident Director in Dearborn, Michigan, with responsibilities for leading 28 advisor businesses.

In 2004, Mr. Achten was promoted to Regional Associate Director for the Texas Mid-South Region, responsibilities included leading marketing initiatives and managing the regional activities for five states and 1400 Financial Advisors.

From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Achten was again promoted and served as Director of the Oklahoma complex. While in Oklahoma and currently in Cincinnati he is actively involved in leadership development and selection for the firm.

Mr. Achten graduated from St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati, Ohio and received a BBA in Accounting and Marketing from the University of Cincinnati and his MBA from Xavier University. Mr. Achten and his wife Theresa are Cincinnati natives and involved with Ronald McDonald House, St. Xavier High School and Make-A-Wish.

Ross Anderson

CFO
Klosterman Baking Company

Ross A. Anderson is the Chief Financial Officer of Klosterman Baking Company. Klosterman Baking Company was established in Cincinnati in the 1890s and today is one of the largest family-owned bakeries in the Midwest, serving restaurants, groceries, hospitals, schools and other institutions both regionally and nationally. Before joining Klosterman, Ross spent 20 years in Milacron Inc.'s global manufacturing business, serving in a variety of financial and operational capacities including Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer and Vice President N.A. Machinery Technologies. Ross is a 2003 graduate of Xavier's Executive MBA program, and a 1979 graduate of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.

Gregg Battaglia

CFO
Storopack, Inc.

Gregg Battaglia is the Chief Financial Officer of Storopack, Inc. Prior to joining Storopack in 2008, Gregg spent 15 years with a closely-held Cincinnati-based manufacturer as CFO. Gregg is a CPA and a graduate of the University of Dayton.

Eric Baumgardner

Associate Director, Corporate Finance
Procter & Gamble

Eric Baumgardner is the manager of Corporate Forecasts & Analysis, responsible for consolidating the company's sale and earnings forecasts and guidance. He has been at P&G for 14 years, previously working as a global finance manager for Pampers and in P&G's global treasury division. He is a corporate trainer in P&G's internal finance college for initiative valuation, pricing analysis, and forecasting. Eric is also founder and managing principal at Financial Technologies Corp., a provider of corporate financial consulting, business valuation, equity research, and industry analysis. Eric earned his BA in economics at Xavier in 1995 and an MBA in finance from the University of Cincinnati in 1996.

Joseph Bourgraf

President
Ferno-Washington

Joe Bourgraf is President and CEO of Ferno-Washington and the Ferno Group of 16 companies around the world that serve the emergency response, mortuary, and aquatic and hydrotherapy markets. Joe joined Ferno in 1990 to lead efforts in marketing, research and development, and international market management. After leading the strategic planning effort in 1998-99, he became President and CEO of Ferno-Washington and the Ferno Group. Joe serves on corporate boards in medical and healthcare related companies. He graduated from Xavier University.

Marcia Brandstadt

Director, Commercial Service Cincinnati
US Department of Commerce

Marcia Brandstadt is Director of the U.S. Commercial Service in Cincinnati, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce that promotes trade as a tool for economic development and job creation. In addition to her supervisory role, she works with U.S. companies to market & sell their products and services overseas. Marcia previously served as International Trade Specialist for the Commercial Service in Cleveland and Manager of the World Trade Center in Cleveland. She received her BA from Mount Holyoke College in International Relations and German Studies.

Doug Campbell

Publications Manager
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Doug Campbell is an economics writer, editor, and manager in the Public Affairs Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He works out of the Bank's Cincinnati Branch. His writing focuses on monetary and economic policy. He is the founding editor of the policy journal Forefront and serves on the Bank's speech writing team. Prior to joining the Bank in 2008, he served as senior editor for Region Focus, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's quarterly economics magazine. He received a BA from the UC Berkeley and an MBA from UNC Greensboro.

Daniel Cunningham

President & CEO
Long-Stanton Group

Daniel Cunningham is President and CEO of the Long-Stanton Group, focusing on developing his Profit & Loss level executive team, leading the strategic process and managing the Long-Stanton brand. He owns and operates business in both the US and China, including Long Stanton and Long Stanton Asia, which both focusing on metal stamping and fabrication; and Long-Stanton & Lee, a bi-cultural manufacturer of assemblies made from metal, rubber and plastic, with operations in Shanghai, Beijing, Changzhou, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and the United States.

Dan graduated from Ohio Northern University and has taken graduate business studies at Union College and Xavier University and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management Program. Service duties include Board Director of the Cincinnati Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; member of the Donghai Securities Strategy Advisory Board, LeeWorld Capital Chinese Media Fund Advisory Board, Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, and the China/Emerging Market Roundtable Advisory Committee of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

Stephen Cuntz

President & CEO
BlueStar

Steve Cuntz is the president and CEO of BlueStar, an international distributor of specialty electronics, including automatic identification, barcoding, RFID, enterprise mobility and point of sale products. In addition, BlueStar provides software solutions for retail, enterprise mobility and supply chain management. In 2003, he was recognized as a winner of Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for his work in marketing and value-add partnering for electronics distribution. Steve earned a BSBA and MBA from Xavier University and is a CPA.

Scott Dowrey

President
Storopack, Inc.

Scott Dowrey is President of Storopack North America, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio with operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Scott graduated with a BBA from the University of Cincinnati.

In addition to his responsibility in North America, Scott is a member of the International Packaging Board. Scott's professional experience includes sales and sales management, international sales and marketing, acquisitions and market development.

Storopack, headquartered in Metzingen, Germany is a global manufacturer, converter and marketer of ?in the box? protective packaging materials with operations in over 30 countries.

Richard Eberly

General Manager
Meridian Bioscience Inc.

Richard L. Eberly is Chief Commercial Officer of Meridian Bioscience, Inc., a NASDAQ publicly-traded medical diagnostic company. Rick graduated with an MBA from Xavier University. In addition to management, his expertise is in international business, mergers and acquisitions, marketing and sales, and quality systems. He has over 25 years of experience in the medical diagnostic and life science industry. Meridian Bioscience develops, manufactures, and markets more than 200 innovative diagnostic test kits and related products for diagnosing a variety of critical infections.

Joel Handorf

VP of Investments
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

Joel Handorf is a Vice President at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. As a member of Graystone Consulting, the institutional consulting group at Morgan Stanley, he provides investment advice, fiduciary support and retirement plan consulting to corporate clients. Joel is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), serves on the Research Committee of the 401(k)/Profit Sharing Council of America, is a member of the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) and the Association of Professional Investment Consultants (APIC). He has been nationally recognized for his accomplishments in the retirement plan industry, and earned his BSBA in Economics from Xavier in 1994. Joel lives with his wife Kathy, who he met at Xavier, and their three daughters in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Andrew Hawking

Chief Lending Officer
The Bank of Kentucky

Andy is the Chief Lending Officer of The Bank of Kentucky, a $1.8 billion asset bank, headquartered in Crestview Hills, KY with expansion plans into the Cincinnati market. In this role, he is responsible for the production, profitability and quality of the Bank's loan portfolio. Andy earned his BA from Indiana University in Economics and Psychology and earned his MBA from Xavier University.

David Hehman

President & CEO
Federal Home Loan Bank

David H. Hehman is President and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, a $77 billion regional wholesale bank serving 738 member financial institutions in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. David also represents the bank on the Board of the Council of FHLBs. He received his bachelor's degree in economics at Xavier University.

LaVaughn Henry

VP & Senior Regional Officer
Cincinnati Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

LaVaughn M Henry is vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and senior regional officer for the Bank's Cincinnati Branch Office. He is responsible for building and maintaining a strong presence and reputation for the Bank in central and southern Ohio, and eastern Kentucky. Lavaughn has experience in both the private and public sectors, recently serving as senior director of market economics and risk analysis at PMI Group. He previously held positions at Fannie Mae and the Ford Motor Company. Lavaughn earned a bachelor's degree in economics from fellow Jesuit institution Rockhurst University in Kansas City and his PhD in economics from Harvard University.

Steve Hiltz

Physician, Gastroenterology
Tristate Gastroenterology Associates

Dr. Hiltz is a practicing gastroenterologist at Tristate Gastroenterology Associates, which he founded in 1982. He recently completed 23 years as chairman of the Kenton County board of Health and continues to serve on the Board for the Northern Kentucky Independent Health District. He is President of the Northern Kentucky Medical Society Foundation. He has served on the Clinical Practice and Economics Committee for the American Gastroenterological Association and continues to serve on other committees for the AGA. Dr. Hiltz received his B.S. and MBA from Xavier University and his M.D. from the University of Kentucky.

Matt Huber

VP & General Counsel
Sogeti USA

Matt is Chief Legal Officer and Ethics & Compliance Officer of Sogeti USA, managing all legal matters for the multinational organization and assisting his business teams in meeting their business objectives. Prior to Sogeti, Matt worked for NCR Corporation as Chief Counsel of Managed Services and Business Unit Counsel for its Worldwide Customer Services Division. Matt is married and has four children, and enjoys fun activities with his family and teaching his children about life values to enable them to grow into super young adults.

William Keim

Microsoft Global Business Manager
Procter & Gamble Company

Bill Keim is the Global Business Manager for Microsoft's partnership with the Procter & Gamble Company. In this capacity since January 2010, Bill leads a diverse global team of business development, technical and partner resources to create and deliver sustained business value.

Prior to his current role, Bill spent two years as a sales director responsible for Consumer Goods, Retail, Distribution and Professional Services industries. Previously, Bill served as the central region distribution and services sales director beginning in 2005. Bill's balanced scorecard in both leadership roles included customer and employee satisfaction, revenue growth, and deployment of Microsoft and partner solutions. Bill's tenure at Microsoft began in 2004 in Cincinnati as an application platform business manager.

Before joining Microsoft, Bill was with NCR in their Teradata division for ten years in Atlanta and Dayton. As an account executive he grew his business by 126% over five years, fostered strong executive relationships with companies including Yum! Brands, Harrah's Entertainment and Saks Inc., and his territory consistently scored in the top 5 percent in customer satisfaction. He also spent five years in corporate and global marketing roles.

Bill earned his MBA from the University of Dayton, participated in Wharton's executive finance program, and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati. Bill is a member of Xavier University's Williams College of Business board. He is an advisor with The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center and the Cincinnati ArtsWave. He and his wife Christina their three daughters, Chloe, Mia and Allie, live in Mason, Ohio.

Russell Newsom

Attorney at Law
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Russell Newsom is an attorney with Dinsmore & Shohl in Cincinnati. His practice includes general business and corporate law with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, federal and state securities laws, and government relations. Russell previously served in the Domestic Policy Council in The White House. Russell earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Xavier and a law degree from the University of Chicago.

Tom Partridge

President & CEO
Fifth Third Bank, Kentucky

Mr. Partridge serves as president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, Kentucky, which has $2.9 billion in assets. He is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the bank's five main businesses: Commercial Banking, Business Banking, Retail Branch Banking, Mortgage Lending, and Investment Advisors. He joined Fifth Third Bank in 1997 and has more than 20 years of banking experience. He most recently served as Market President of Fifth Third Bank (Northeastern Ohio) and prior to that position, Executive Vice President and manager of Commercial Banking at Fifth Third Bank (Northeastern Ohio). Prior to moving to Cleveland Mr. Partridge managed the Middle Market and Commercial Real Estate groups in Cincinnati. Mr. Partridge received his bachelor's degree from Xavier University and his master's degree from Indiana University.

Bradley Ruwe

Partner & Counsel
Peck Shaffer & Williams LLP

Bradley Ruwe is a partner with Peck Shaffer & Williams LLP and focuses on finance for governments, schools, health care, and economic/industrial development. He has authored articles on the Uniform Commercial Code and Internal Revenue Code, and he is a co-editor of the Tax-Exempt Leasing Letter. Brad was has been named a "Leading Lawyer" in Cincinnati for 2006 - 2010 in the area of Government/Public Finance by Cincinnati Business Magazine. He received his BSBA in Economics from Xavier University, and his JD from the Chase College of Law.

Nick Sargen

Senior VP & Chief Investment Officer | Chief Investment Officer
Western & Southern Financial Group | Fort Washington Investment Advisors

Nick Sargen is Senior VP and Chief Investment Officer of the Western & Southern Financial Group and Chief Investment Officer at Fort Washington Investment Advisors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Western & Southern. He is responsible for overseeing the investment activity for all assets managed by Fort Washington and its subsidiaries, more than $29 billion in June 2009. Before joining Fort Washington, Nick was Chief Investment Strategist for JP Morgan Private Bank, Chief Investment Officer for Global Fixed Income Advisors at Prudential Insurance, and Director of Bond Market Research for Salomon Brothers.

Nick earned his Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University and undergraduate degree in economics at the UC - Berkeley. He frequently writes research articles on global investing in various publications and appears regularly on television business programs.

Dave Worster

President
Clique International USA, LLC

Dave Worster is Portfolio Manager at New Albany Capital Partners, LLC in Columbus, Ohio. In this role he works with nonprofit organizations, government entities and individuals as part of a team overseeing approximately $250 million in investments. Since leaving the Marines as a Captain in 1991, Dave has worked throughout the financial services industry in the banking, insurance and investment sectors. Dave has also gained extensive experience working in the global transportation and logistics field.

He has a BBA with a major in Marketing from Ohio University, received an MBA from Xavier University and was an adjunct professor of finance at Franklin University. Additionally, he has obtained the Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and Certified Financial Planner ? designations.