Alliance Directors bring a wealth of experience to the Alliance. Not only do they lead their Alliance Groups, but they are available upon request, to provide direct assistance to Alliance members in their areas of expertise. If you need assistance, we encourage you to consider retaining one of our Alliance Directors who have deep experience helping CEOs with a wide variety of challenges.
Amelia began her career at Federal Express, where she eventually ran their entire Midwest operations. She later worked with Ernst & Young and Oracle prior to leading Hyperion Solutions' turnaround as Chief Administrative Officer. She currently leads The Thornton Group, a management consulting company specializing in team performance effectiveness and executive coaching.
Bob Jurkowski is a founding partner of On Demand Advisory Services, a strategic consulting firm focused on helping CEOs with their business strategy with a particular emphasis on growing revenue predictably and profitably. Bob has built and scaled nine software and services companies as an operating “hands on” leader at every stage of revenue growth from startup to public companies.
Bob is the CEO of Sadler Consulting, Inc. He brings over 30 years of experience as an accelerator of major corporate changes such as mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, systems integrations and culture changes. He has trained and coached over 6,000 executives and managers in communication and change management techniques.
Bill was formerly Executive Vice President of Operations for Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream. During his career, Bill also served in a variety of general management roles with Levi Strauss & Co.
Dave brings over 30 years of international buisness and leadership experience to the Alliance of Chief Executives. He has run international marketing and distribution businesses in Asia for FORTUNE 500 companies in a variety of vertical markets.
David Brewer has served as a trusted advisor to prominent executives in a wide range of fields. Since 1980, David's work with clients has focused on the pervasive value of exceptional leadership, the primary determinant of sustained enterprise success.
A pioneer in niche market publishing, Dennis created BAM Magazine in 1976. An innovator from the start, he made BAM the first publication to be distributed free at point-of-purchase in retail outlets throughout California. In 1978, Dennis founded the first Bay Area Music Awards, more commonly known as the "Bammies." Dennis is currently the president of the Placemaking Group.
Douglas is the Alliance's Oscar winning Director for the development of Digital Compositing Technology which was used in Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and The Abyss. He founded George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic Computer Graphics Department in 1985 and grew it to more than 150 artists and production personnel.
Hank is a Founding Principal with Pragmatic Business Solutions, a senior management consulting firm that works with companies to improve their strategies and business processes in order to meet their revenue and earnings objectives. The firm is comprised of successful senior executives that have been with America's best companies.
Irene Hughes is the Founder and Managing Partner of Essence Consulting, which specializes in sustainability leadership and individual and organizational transformation. She works with organizations as diverse as Monster.com, Wal-Mart and Earthjustice. She is known for her innovative solutions to ordinary organizational dilemmas and has over 25 years experience in business leadership, strategic planning, and coaching individuals and teams to achieve breakthrough results.
Jim is the Founder and Managing Partner of BenchBoard Financial Services, which provides a comprehensive suite of financial and management services. Prior to BenchBoard, Jim built the financial and operational foundations for both Intuit and NetFlix.
John Linehan has over twenty-five years of experience in consumer goods and related industries. Linehan began his career at Procter & Gamble where he moved through their sales management organization selling food products. He then joined the Clorox Company where, for seventeen years, he held positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing and general management. As Managing Director of Linehan Consulting, he is actively involved in helping consumer goods companies be more successful
Racanelli Partners Inc., helps leaders drive positive change in their organizations. John and his team provide a range of professional services to meet the needs of CEOs and top executives, with specialties in strategic visioning, executive coaching, change management, leadership team development and expert communication skills training. John comes to Alliance with an extensive leadership portfolio gained over 25 years in leading businesses and non-profits—as a CEO, COO, VP/Marketing and Executive Director. He is a nationally recognized speaker on ocean conservation and stewardship.
Juli Betwee has helped CEOs and their teams develop and execute strategic growth for over 20 years. Currently she consults with emerging growth companies in the Bay Area and runs peer advisory forums for CEOs of high growth companies.
Julia has over 20 years of experience launching successful businesses and helping individuals and organizations change. She works at all levels of an organization to create the thinking, direct communication and systems required to produce results.
Kathleen Holmgren has over 25 years' experience in the storage, computer systems and management consulting industries. Kathleen is a principal of Sage Advice Partners, a management consulting firm supporting her clients with strategic and operational solutions. Previously, Kathleen was CEO of Mendocino Software and had a successful 21-year career with Sun Microsystems, serving as GM of the Storage Systems Business and holding various leadership positions.
Ken co-founded Corporate Development Partners, a management consulting firm serving the high-technology industry. He works with CEOs and executive teams to align strategy, organization/teams and structures to yield competitive advantage and profitable results.
Laura is the Founder and Managing Director of VC Privé, a specialized placement agency which helps form and raise money for new venture capital funds, and is an information conduit for accredited investors wishing to access VC opportunities.
Michael Kaufman is one of four founders of the innovation consulting firm InnovationLabs. Michael is internationally recognized as a facilitator, consultant, and experiential educator, focusing on strategy formation, complex problem solving, innovative product and service design, and organizational transformation. His approach to facilitation combines 30 years' experience including the best of Accelerated Learning, the Design Process, brain-based learning and a rich background in the practice of innovation and collective creativity.
Mitch guides pioneering leaders and organizations through high-stakes transitions and transformations. He is the President of SGRPartners, a consulting firm specializing in accelerated innovation and change. Earlier in his career, Mitch led groundbreaking research and was a popular teacher at the Center for Organizational Learning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Modie has successfully founded eight different companies in industries ranging from software to Internet development to ranch equipment. He brings more than 25 years of experience in building companies and management teams.
Prior to founding the Alliance of Chief Executives in 1996, Paul had a diverse range of experiences from founding a highly successful executive search firm to senior executive positions with Air Liquide, a $6 billion international manufacturing organization.
Managing Partner of Pacific Rim Partners, Richard is responsible for identifying cross-border opportunities. He has consummated significant international deals with Mitsubishi, NTT Communications and Pioneer Corporation. Richard began his career as an adjunct Professor of Cognitive Field Theories, lecturing widely in the US, England and Japan.
Robert is the author of "Feel of the Deal" and Principal of CEO to CEO, a business consultancy dedicated to the world in which CEOs work. Robert was a Founder and CEO of Bentley Publishing Group, which he ran from 1984 to 2006. He grew Bentley into an industry leading art publishing firm through organic growth and four acquistions.
The leader of our Alliance Team of Directors, Russ has run both public and private companies. Russ was the founding President of AMR International, American Airlines' technology business which he grew to 5,000 employees. Russ was also the first CIO for McKesson and built Bank of America's international banking systems.
