J. Veronica Biggins is an equity partner of HNCL Search, an executive and board search firm. Ms. Biggins previously served as the managing partner of Heidrick & Struggles' Diversity Practice and was a member of the firm's consumer, financial services and board of director practices.
Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Ms. Biggins served as an assistant to the president of the United States and director of presidential personnel from 1994 to 1995. In this role, she worked directly with the president on appointments at all levels of the administration, including the placement of agency heads, ambassadors, and members of presidential boards and commissions. Ms. Biggins also served as vice chairwoman of the United States delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China. She continues to serve as chairwoman of the Czech Slovak American Enterprise Fund.
Prior to her service with the president of the United States, Ms. Biggins spent 20 years with NationsBank (now Bank of America) and its predecessor, The Citizen and Southern Bank. She began her work at the bank as a management trainee and was promoted to executive vice president and director of human resources. She then became executive vice president for corporate community relations and was responsible for the NationsBank Foundation.
Ms. Biggins is a member of the board of directors for AirTran Holdings, Inc., ZEP, Inc. and Kaiser Permanente of Georgia and also serves on several community boards.
Ms. Biggins holds a master's degree from Georgia State University and a bachelor's degree from Spelman College. She is a member of the International Business Fellows.
As a member of Avnet's Board of Directors, Ms. Biggins serves on the Compensation Committee and the Corporate Governance Committee.
Retired Senior Vice President of The Boeing Company and President, Boeing Enterprises; Vice Chairman, the National Bureau of Asian Research
Board of Directors Member Since 1998
Prior to his retirement, Mr. Clarkson was senior vice president of Boeing and president of Boeing Enterprises.
At Boeing, Mr. Clarkson served as senior vice president of planning and international development, with responsibility for the company's overall global growth strategies. He played a key role in introducing a new strategic-planning process and represented the company on an international level, leading The New York Times to describe him in December 1996 as "the closest thing (Boeing) has to a corporate secretary of state."
He joined Boeing in January 1988 as Commercial Airplane's senior vice president - Government and International Affairs, after a 20-year career with Pratt & Whitney, where he became the youngest president of Pratt's commercial jet-engine division.
Mr. Clarkson is the former chair of the U.S. Pacific Basin Economic Council and the National Center for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and currently serves as vice chairman of The National Bureau of Asian Research. He is a director of several other international and industry organizations, and is past president of both the Washington State China Relations Council and the Japan-America Society of Washington, and a past vice president of the Wings Club. Mr. Clarkson is also former chair of the Seattle opera and the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and is on the board of the Corporate Council for the Arts. In addition, he is a former overseer of the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.
Mr. Clarkson holds a bachelor's degree from DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, and a juris doctorate degree from the University of Florida. He is a member of the Florida Bar Association and serves as a trustee of DePauw University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a recipient of DePauw's highest honor, the Old Gold Goblet, an annual award for "eminence in life's work and service to the alma mater."
As a member of Avnet's Board of Directors, Mr. Clarkson chairs the Finance Committee, and serves on the Corporate Governance Committee.
Last Updated: 1/7/2004
Holdings: 18,691
Ehud Houminer
Executive-in-Residence, Columbia University Business School, New York, NY
Board of Directors Member Since 1993
Ehud Houminer is an executive-in-residence at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, in New York. His areas of academic interest revolve around the topics of general management, domestic and international business strategy, international expansion and overall business policy. He has taught a variety of courses in these disciplines, both in the regular MBA and the executive MBA programs, and has lectured on them in numerous forums.
Prior to becoming associated with the Columbia Business School in 1991, Houminer enjoyed a corporate career with Philip Morris Companies Inc., which saw him hold a number of senior financial, strategy and general management positions in Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA.
Mr. Houminer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to service on the board of Avnet, he is currently a member of the board of several Dreyfus Mutual Funds. He is also a member of the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Business School. He serves as Chairman of the Board of the EXPLORE Charter School in Brooklyn, New York and is the Chair of the Advisory Board of the MBA program at Ben Gurion University.
As a member of Avnet's Board of Directors, Mr. Houminer chairs the Compensation Committee and serves on the Audit Committee.
James A. Lawrence joined Unilever in September 2007. He previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of General Mills since October 1998 where he was responsible for corporate finance activities and international operations.
Before arriving at General Mills, Mr. Lawrence was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Northwest Airlines, a position he held since 1996. Before joining Northwest, he spent four years at Pepsi-Cola International, where he served as President and CEO of their operations in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Inc., Mr. Lawrence was Chairman and co-founder of LEK Partnership, a highly successful corporate strategy and merger/acquisition consulting firm headquartered in London with 11 offices and more than 350 consultants in North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim. Before launching his own firm, Mr. Lawrence was a partner with Bain and Company, establishing and heading offices in both London and Munich.
Mr. Lawrence earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Yale University and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. Mr. Lawrence is currently a director of British Airways PLC and Physicians Formula Holdings, Inc.
As a member of Avnet's Board of Directors, Mr. Lawrence serves on the Audit Committee and the Finance Committee.
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of R.H. Donnelley Co.
Board of Directors Member Since 2004
Frank Noonan, former chairman and CEO of R.H. Donnelley Co., joined Avnet's board in March 2004.
Mr. Noonan spent 11 years with R.H. Donnelley, and under his leadership the company completed a successful spin-off from parent company, Dun & Bradstreet, as well as the acquisition of Sprint Publishing and Advertising, which created the nation's largest public, stand-alone publisher of Yellow Pages directories. Mr. Noonan also served as senior vice president, finance, with Dun & Bradstreet, and was a member of its board of directors in 1998. Prior to that he held senior executive positions with UNUM Corporation and, earlier, held various finance and strategic planning posts with General Electric Co.
A U.S. Army veteran, he is also a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and serves as a trustee of the university's foundation. He is a member of the board of directors of Newstar Financial Inc., and previously served as a director on the board of Toys 'R Us, Inc.
Mr. Noonan chairs the Audit Committee and serves on the Finance Committee of Avnet's board of directors.
Last Updated: 1/7/2008
Holdings: 14,613
Ray M. Robinson
Non Executive Chairman of the Board of Citizens Trust Bank; Retired President, AT&T Southern Region Business Services Division
Board of Directors Member Since 2000
Ray M. Robinson is the non-executive chairman of Citizens Trust Bank, the largest African-American-owned bank in the southeast United States.
Mr. Robinson retired as president of the southern region of AT&T in 2003 after 35 years of distinguished service. During his career -- spanning human resources, operations, sales, marketing strategy, customer service, international business, government affairs, product management and community relations -- he held positions such as district sales operations manager, vice president of corporate relations/public relations and president and CEO of AT&T Tridom.
Post retirement, Mr. Robinson accepted the position of vice chairman of the Atlanta, Georgia-based East Lake Community Foundation, known for its award-winning mixed-income community development project. The Foundation is affiliated with the East Lake Golf Club, permanent host to the PGA Tour Championship. Mr. Robinson also serves as president emeritus of the golf club.
In addition, he serves on the boards of Aaron Rents, Inc., Acuity Brands, Inc., Choice Point, Citizens Bancshares Corp. and AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, as well as several philanthropic, educational and civic organizations.
He holds a bachelor of science degree in finance and economics from the University of Denver and an MBA in finance from the University of Denver Graduate School of Business.
As a member of Avnet's Board of Directors, Mr. Robinson serves on the Finance Committee and the Corporate Governance Committee.
Independent business consultant Gary L. Tooker is the former chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors of Motorola, Inc. After retiring from Motorola in 1999 he remained a member of the board of directors until 2001.
He served as a consultant to Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Private Equity from June 2000 to June 2001.
Mr. Tooker serves on the boards of directors of Avnet, Inc. and the Eaton Corporation. Additionally he sits on the Arizona State University Foundation Board and the board of directors of the ASU Research Park. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Mr. Tooker formerly served on the boards of directors of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. and Arco, Inc., was a member of the boards of trustees of Morehouse College and the Phoenix Art Museum, was chairman of the international board of directors of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, chairman of the board of directors of the American Electronics Association, the Semiconductor Industry Association and Junior Achievement of Chicago. He also served on the Policy Committee of the Business Roundtable, the Executive Committee of the Council on Competitiveness, was a director of the National Alliance of Business, the Scottsdale Boys and Girls Clubs, and ASU's Alumni Association.
Mr. Tooker graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and did postgraduate studies in business administration. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 1996 ASU awarded Mr. Tooker an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and in 1999 he received its College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Engineering Excellence Award.
As a member of Avnet's board of directors, Mr. Tooker serves on the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee.
Last updated: 1/7/2008
Roy Vallee
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Avnet, Inc.
Board of Directors Member Since 1991
Thirty-six years ago Roy Vallee was stocking shelves at an electronics distribution company in Los Angeles. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to the shipping dock and eventually established a sales office for the company in San Diego.
Today he heads one of the world's largest companies, Avnet, with revenue exceeding US$15.68 billion.
Mr. Vallee's leadership ability and sales skills served him well when he joined Hamilton/Avnet as a field sales representative in 1977. Through subsequent promotions he held positions such as systems business manager, general sales manager, general manager, regional director and vice president.
In 1989 Mr. Vallee was appointed president of Hamilton/Avnet Computer, and in 1990 was named senior vice president and director of Worldwide Electronics Operations for Avnet.
He was elected to Avnet's board of directors in November 1991, and in March 1992 was appointed president and chief operating officer. In July 1998, Mr. Vallee was named chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Avnet, Inc.
The groundwork for Avnet's future as an international company had begun in 1991 with the acquisition of U.K-based The Access Group, a semiconductor distributor. In quick succession 21 more important strategic companies had been acquired in Europe, South Africa, Asia and the United States.
When Mr. Vallee assumed the chairman and chief executive role, he continued on the acquisition path and from 1998 to 2007 Avnet added 24 more companies to increase its geographic coverage, size and scope, and add on new suppliers and customers.
Mr. Vallee also introduced value-based management to Avnet in 2002. Employees have embraced the concepts of return on capital employed greater than the weighted average cost of capital and operational return on working capital and have contributed to considerable cost savings and process improvements in the last few years.
Active in the community and in various roles outside of Avnet, he is a longstanding member of the Center for Corporate Innovation and is co-chair of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano's Council on Innovation & Technology. Mr. Vallee is also a member of the boards of directors of two outside companies: Teradyne (NYSE:TER), an automated testing company for the electronics, communications and software industries and Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), a supplier of electronic design automation software.
In May 2007 Mr. Vallee was inducted into the CRN Industry Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals who have transformed the technology industry with new ideas, revolutionary concepts and ingenious technology. According to CRN, "the Industry Hall of Fame allows us to pay tribute to the industry's pioneers, visionaries, entrepreneurs and evangelists. Through their ideas, drive, and perseverance, these individuals have revolutionized the computer industry."
Some of his thoughts are included in the book entitled, Leadership Secrets of the World's Most Successful CEOs, by Eric Yaverbaum (Dearborn Trade Publishing, Chicago, Ill.).
As a member of Avnet's board of directors, Vallee chairs the Executive Committee.
According to those who know and work with him, Roy Vallee exhibits the best leadership qualities - with a particular emphasis on communications skills - and is a positive role model for future business leaders.
Dean of the School of Engineering, The Cooper Union, New York, NY
Board of Directors Member Since 1994
Dr. Eleanor Baum is Dean of Engineering at Cooper Union Engineering School in New York and the executive director of the Cooper Union Research Foundation. She was the first female dean of engineering in the U.S. in 1984 when appointed to that post at Pratt Institute and the first female president of the American Society for Engineering Education.
Dr. Baum is a frequent writer and speaker on issues related to women and minority students in higher education and other engineering education issues. She is a guest on numerous radio and television programs and is frequently quoted by the press as an authority in these areas. She has scoured community colleges and high schools in urban centers in the Northeast to find women and minority students of college potential who face obstacles in attending college. Dr. Baum has been successful in not only convincing large numbers of students that they could attend college, but also in ensuring that they successfully completed their course of study. She has attracted many of them to the engineering profession.
Dr. Baum is a director of Avnet, Inc. and of Allegheny Energy. She served on the board of the United States Trust Co. She has been president of ABET and chair of the New York Academy of Sciences. She is a board member of the New York Building congress and a trustee of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. In 2007 Dr. Baum was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Dr. Baum earned her Ph.D. from Polytechnic University in New York and has been awarded honorary doctorates from Union College, Trinity College, Notre Dame University, the Colorado School of Mines and New Jersey Institute of Technology. She is a Fellow of IEEE, SWE, ASEE, and ABET.
She has served on many advisory committees for universities, corporations, and government. Included among her many awards are the ASEE centennial medal, the Upward Mobility award from SWE, the Steinmetz medal from IEEE, the Townsend Harris medal from CCNY, the Achievement Award from Michigan State University, the Woman of Distinction Award from the National Conference of Student Leaders and outstanding alumnus awards from CCNY and Polytechnic University. Crains, N.Y. has again named her to its list of the 100 most influential women.
As a member of Avnet's Board of Directors, Eleanor Baum chairs the Corporate Governance Committee and serves on the Audit Committee.
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Board of Directors Member Since 1991