Rohit Verma, Dean, Darla Moore School of Business

Rohit Verma is the Dean, USC Educational Foundation Distinguished Professor and Professor of Management Science at the Darla Moore School of Business. He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah. He also holds an M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Utah and a B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (India).

Verma served as the Founding Provost and Chief Academic Officer for VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam (established in strategic collaboration with Cornell University and University of Pennsylvania) during July 2019 to June 2023. He served as the Dean of External Relations for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (May 2016 – June 2019); Singapore Tourism Board Distinguished Professor (January 2014 – June 2019); Executive Director for Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures (July 2015 – June 2018); and Executive Director of Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (July 2009 – June 2012). Earlier in his academic career, Verma served as George Eccles Professor of Operations Management at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah and Associate/Assistant Professor at the Driehaus College of Business and Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University. 

Verma has received several professional honors and awards, including being designated as a Fellow of the Production and Operations Management Society (2023) and a Fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute (2020). Verma received the Excellent Leader Award (2021) given to the five highest-performing leaders across the entire ecosystem of Vingroup with 70,000+ employees worldwide in recognition of the successful launch of VinUniversity. Earlier, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Production and Operations Management Society's College of Service Operations; several Industry Relevance Awards from the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research; Skinner Award For Early Career Research Accomplishments from Production and Operations Management Society; Spirit of Inquiry Award, the highest honor for scholarly activities within DePaul University; and Professional Service Award from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.

His research publications have received several awards including the Jack Meredith Best Paper Award from the Journal of Operations Management; The Most Influential Service Operations Paper Award from Production and Operations Management journal; and the Best Case Study Award from the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). Verma has received teaching excellence awards from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah and the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University. 

Patrick Wright, Associate Dean, Corporate Relations

Patrick Wright is the Associate Dean for Corporate Relations, management department chair, Thomas C. Vandiver Bicentennial Chair and professor of management at the University of South Carolina. He is also founder and former faculty director of the Center for Executive Succession at the Moore School. He teaches, conducts research and consults in the area of strategic human resource management. In particular, his research focuses on how firms use people as a source of competitive advantage, changing nature of the chief HR officer role and CEO succession processes. Each year he conducts a survey of Fortune 500 CHROs which gains insights on issues and challenges from the top of the HR house.

Wright has published over 70 research articles in journals, over 20 chapters in books and edited volumes and has co-authored two textbooks and two books on HR practice. He has also served a 3-year term as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Management. 

He has conducted programs or consulted for a number of large organizations. He currently serves as a member on the boards of directors for both the Society for Human Resource Management and the National Academy of Human Resources. He is a former board member of HRPS, SHRM Foundation and World at Work (formerly American Compensation Association). From 2011 to 2017, he was named by HR Magazine as one of the 20 “Most Influential Thought Leaders in HR.” In 2014, Wright won SHRM’s Michael Losey Award for HR Research and in 2017, he won the Herbert Heneman, Jr. Award for Career Achievement.

Hannah Horne, Award-winning Journalist

Hannah Horne combines a unique career spanning 25 years in television news, combined with front-line, small business-economic development. Hannah has worked as a TV news reporter and anchor in five markets, including CNN Headline News in Atlanta and in Columbia, South Carolina where she anchored the highest rated NBC morning show in the country at WIS-TV.

Hannah pivoted her career in 2012 when she earned her MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Hannah served as the Vice President of the 3-time National Chamber of the Year in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, leading small business advocacy and programming for nearly 10 years.

In 2021, Hannah was honored to receive an invitation to lead the Gravity Center for Entrepreneurship in Rock Hill, South Carolina, as it launched entrepreneurship services in the region. Hannah led hundreds of business classes and programs during her two years at the Center and helped hundreds of small businesses start and scale their ventures. She remains active in entrepreneurial and mentoring programs around the area. She is a mentor and board member of SCORE—an SBA led program in local communities for small businesses.

Currently, Hannah owns a small media and creative services company. She also produces and anchors a monthly news magazine for the University of South Carolina called “Inside Carolina” and spends time golfing and attempting new recipes - or is it attempting golf and trying new recipes?

Kent Masters Chief Executive Officer, Albemarle

Kent Masters is the chairman and chief executive officer for Albemarle, a global leader in transforming lithium and bromine into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity and health. Masters has accelerated Albemarle’s profile as a purpose-driven, values-led organization committed to creating a more resilient world where people and planet thrive. Under his leadership, Albemarle has expanded to more than 70 countries serving nearly 2,000 customers around the world.

Barron’s named Masters to its Top 25 CEOs list in 2023, while TIME included Albemarle in its list of 100 most influential companies for that year. In 2024, the company was recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and by TIME as one of the World’s Best Companies. Masters first joined Albemarle as a member of its board of directors in 2015 as part of the company’s Rockwood Holdings Inc. acquisition. Before joining Albemarle, Masters served as operating partner of Advent International, an international private equity group. Prior to Advent, he was chief executive officer of Foster Wheeler AG, a global engineering and construction contractor and power equipment supplier.

He is also a former member of the executive board of Linde AG, a global leader in manufacturing and sales of industrial gases. Masters serves on the board of directors of Vibrantz Technologies. He is also a member of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council. Masters earned a Master of Business Administration from New York. University and a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Melissa Anderson Executive Vice President, Chief People and Transformation Officer, Albemarle 

Melissa Anderson is the executive vice president and chief people and transformation officer for Albemarle. In her role, Anderson is responsible for strategic marketing initiatives and transformational efforts within the company. She also oversees all aspects of human resources, inclusive of talent, total rewards, culture and the foundation. 

Anderson joined Albemarle in January of 2021 to lead the human resources organization. Before joining the company, she served as executive vice president, administration and chief human resources officer for Duke Energy. Previously, she served in senior leadership roles at Domtar Corporation, The Pantry, Inc. and with IBM Corporation. 

Anderson serves on the board of directors of Vulcan Materials and as a member of the advisory board of the HR Policy Association. She is a member of the advisory board for the Center for Executive Succession at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. Anderson also serves on the board of directors for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), previously serving as its chair. 

She earned a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in industry relations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Lloyd E. Johnson Independent Board Director and Strategic Advisor

Lloyd Emerson Johnson, MBA, MACC, CPA, is a corporate board leader and experienced corporate executive with over 30 years of progressive senior leadership experience in leading edge Fortune 500 companies.  Johnson currently serves as national Board Chair of AARP.  He also serves as a public company board member of Apogee Enterprises, Beazer Homes, Haemonetics Corp., and VSE Corp. 

Johnson has extensive experience in enterprise level strategy, governance, finance, mergers and acquisitions, information technology, cybersecurity and enterprise risk management.  He retired from Accenture Corporation in 2015 and has served on corporate boards and provided board and leadership consulting since retiring.  His career includes senior finance leadership positions with Delphi Automotive Corporation, Emerson Corporation and Sara Lee Corporation. 

Active in local community service, Johnson serves on the USC Business Partnership Foundation where he chairs the audit committee.  He is also a member of the DMSB Center for Executive Succession CEO Directors Council.  Johnson has served on the United Way of the Carolinas Board of Directors, NACD Carolinas and as a board member of the United Way Legacy Foundation.  He also served on the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and is the immediate past board chair of AARP Foundation.

Lloyd was recognized by Savoy Magazine in 2024 as one of the Most Influential Black Corporate Directors.  He has also been recognized by Boards and Directors Magazine as one of 25 Directors to Watch.  

Lloyd holds an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business, a Masters of Accountancy and BSBA in Accounting from the Darla Moore Business School at the University of South Carolina. He is a CPA, NACD Board Governance Fellow and holds the NACD Directorship Certification. 

Kurt Ekert CEO, Sabre 

Kurt Ekert is president and CEO of Sabre, a leading technology platform to the travel and hospitality industry. He was appointed CEO in April 2023 and leads a global team of highly talented colleagues.

Kurt joined Sabre as president in January 2022, bringing 25 years of global operating leadership and governance experience in technology, travel and tourism, and a track record of growth and turnaround performance.

Before joining Sabre, Kurt spent five years as President & CEO of CWT, where he engineered a digital transformation, while delivering significant growth, highlighted by $7 billion of new business wins. Prior to CWT, Kurt was EVP & Chief Commercial Officer at Travelport, where he led the operational turnaround that enabled a successful IPO in 2014. His industry experience also includes senior executive positions at GTA and Orbitz Worldwide, as well as executive roles at Cendant and Continental Airlines. Kurt has held prominent industry governance positions as Chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel & Tourism Advisory Board, and as a director of eNett, Carlson Travel Inc., the World Travel & Tourism Council, and the UNGA Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.

Kurt holds a BS from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the University of South Carolina, and saw active duty as a U.S. Army officer. He is a current board of directors’ member for Sabre, Passur Aerospace and ZYTLYN Technologies.

Outside of work, Kurt enjoys sports, history, reading, traveling and spending time with his family.

Wendy Thomas CEO, Secureworks, a Sophos Company

Wendy K. Thomas has served as the CEO of Secureworks (NASDAQ:SCWX), a Sophos global cybersecurity company, since 2021, securing customers globally with expert services and Taegis™, an AI driven cybersecurity platform. Since joining the company in 2008, Wendy has played a leading role in Secureworks' growth through multiple acquisitions, an initial public offering in 2015, and most recently shaping the company's transformation from a pure-play security services organization to a leading global SaaS security company. Wendy's experience in strategic and visionary leadership spans over 25 years in public and private technology companies, in roles including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Product Officer, and President Customer Success.   
  
Wendy is a frequent speaker on Bloomberg Business, CNBC, and global security and technology panels discussing the trends, regulations, and challenges shaping the cyber landscape. Passionate about the collective endeavour to secure human progress, Wendy serves on the boards of IonQ, an industry leader in quantum computing, and the Technology Association of Georgia. She is also a member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and a liaison for AFS, a 100+ year old global exchange student program.  
  
Wendy earned an International MBA from the University of South Carolina School of Business and a double major in Economics and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia. 

Andrea B. Smith CEO, Charlotte Business Alliance and Former Chief Administration Officer, Bank of America

 As a trailblazer and champion for women in banking, Smith held a number of senior leadership positions for Bank of America during her 34-year career with the company. Those included such roles as the head of Global Human Resources, where she transformed the bank’s hiring, employee benefits, and diversity and inclusion efforts and subsequently Chief Administrative Officer. Among her numerous recognitions include American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking, Business North Carolina’s Most Influential Business Leaders in North Carolina, and Charlotte Businesswoman of the Year by Queens University. 

In 2021, Smith was named the Citizen of the Carolinas, the CLT Alliance’s most prestigious award given to a Carolinian who has made great strides in the betterment of the quality of life in the Charlotte region and the country through years of accomplishment in community leadership. She has been an ardent supporter of equitable economic mobility in Charlotte, including serving as the inaugural Co-Chair of the Leading on Opportunity Council. Smith is the chair of Bank of America Alumni Network and also sits on the boards of HCA, Every Mother Counts and is the Co-Chair of the Charlotte Sports Foundation. 

Smith was also the Chair of the Executive Committee for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce in 2017, one of the CLT Alliance’s two predecessor organizations. She currently serves as Interim President & CEO for the CLT Alliance. 

Josh Bronstein Head of Global Talent, Bank of America

Josh Bronstein is the head of Global Talent at Bank of America. He also serves as the Human Resources executive for Global Human Resources. 

As head of Global Talent, he leads a global team of HR professionals with responsibility for talent acquisition, talent management, succession planning, organization design, performance, promotions, and employee engagement across all lines of business in support of the company’s more than 200,000 global teammates. 

His teams are responsible for filling tens of thousands of positions annually with high quality external and internal candidates, and overseeing programs that deliver training, development and coaching to our more than 20,000 managers and senior executives. 

In addition, Josh is the Human Resources executive for Global Human Resources, which comprises approximately 4,000 human resources professionals globally. 

Josh is a member of Bank of America’s Operating Committee, Human Resources Leadership Team, the Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and the company’s Artificial Intelligence Council. He serves as the market sponsor for the Southwest Florida market. 

Prior to leading the Global Talent function, Josh led the Global Learning organization and has held several other line of business Human Resources leadership roles. 

Josh joined Bank of America in 2013 as a leadership development client manager for the Fixed Income Sales and Trading businesses. 

Prior to joining Bank of America, Josh was an engagement manager in the Human Capital Mergers & Acquisitions practice at Deloitte Consulting LLP. In this capacity, he advised C-Suite clients on organization design, change management, leadership transitions and culture in the context of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. 

He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. from Cornell University. He resides in New York with his husband Jason and two daughters. 

Melissa Anderson Executive Vice President, Chief People and Transformation Officer, Albemarle 

Mairéad Magner Sr. Vice President and Chief HR Officer, Trane Technologies

Mairéad Magner is senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Trane Technologies. In this role, she is responsible for the global human resources strategies that enable the company’s business goals and enhance the capabilities of the more than 46,000 team members around the world.

Mairéad joined the company in 1998 through a human resources leadership development program in Ireland. She grew her career with the company by leading human resources strategies for several of the company’s business units around the world, including the Thermo King Americas business, the former global Industrial Technologies business, and the former Security Technologies business in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. In these roles, Mairéad’s strong business partnerships and depth of experience enabled her to support business growth, mergers and acquisitions and transformation initiatives.

Prior to her current CHRO role, Mairéad served as vice president, talent and organization capability, where she has been instrumental in shaping employee engagement, building an uplifting culture, advancing diversity and inclusion, and developing leadership and organizational capability around the world.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from the University of Limerick, Ireland.

Jerrold Coakley Chief HR Officer, Stater Bros. Markets

Jerrold serves as the senior vice president of human resources (“CHRO”) of Stater Bros. Markets, which is the leading grocery retailer in southern California.  Jerrold has also held the same position at other large-scale, billion-dollar food companies for a total of over eight years as a CHRO.  He has led all aspects of human resources and has built a reputation as an innovative problem-solver with strategic business acumen.  Jerrold also spent almost a decade in various human resources leadership positions across marketing, sales, and supply chain for the Kellogg Company.

Over the course of his over twenty years of human resources experience, he has developed and led global human resources teams, while working directly with C-suite and board leaders.  In addition to his practical and hands-on human resources experience, Jerrold has been a licensed attorney for over fifteen years. 

Jerrold is a sought-after speaker, creatively illustrating how he has brought strategic and actionable insights to complex, real-world business challenges.  He now lends his experience and expertise to business leaders by leading them to building and maintaining the optimal culture to deliver their desired business results.

Jerrold earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Michigan State University College of Law, Cum Laude, and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Western Michigan University, along with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with a concentration in finance, from Liberty University.

Distinguished Alumni Award

Wendy K. Thomas , ’98 International MBA

Wendy K. Thomas has served as the CEO of Secureworks (NASDAQ:SCWX), a Sophos global cybersecurity company, since 2021, securing customers globally with expert services and Taegis™, an AI driven cybersecurity platform. Since joining the company in 2008, Wendy has played a leading role in Secureworks' growth through multiple acquisitions, an initial public offering in 2015, and most recently shaping the company's transformation from a pure-play security services organization to a leading global SaaS security company. Wendy's experience in strategic and visionary leadership spans over 25 years in public and private technology companies, in roles including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Product Officer, and President Customer Success.   
  
Wendy is a frequent speaker on Bloomberg Business, CNBC, and global security and technology panels discussing the trends, regulations, and challenges shaping the cyber landscape. Passionate about the collective endeavour to secure human progress, Wendy serves on the boards of IonQ, an industry leader in quantum computing, and the Technology Association of Georgia. She is also a member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and a liaison for AFS, a 100+ year old global exchange student program.  
  
Wendy earned an International MBA from the University of South Carolina School of Business and a double major in Economics and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia. 

Distinguished Young Alumni Award

Brendan Nagle, '15 BS

Brendan Nagle is an executive director on the Biopharma Investment Banking team at Wells Fargo, where he advises clients on their financing, business development and mergers and acquisitions strategy. In 2024, Nagle led the origination and execution of $2.3 billion in equity capital raised across 10 equity offerings and $32 billion in debt capital. During his career at Wells Fargo, he has advised on more than $23 billion in equity capital markets offerings, $4 billion in completed mergers & acquisitions transactions, and $121 billion of debt capital markets offerings. Nagle joined Wells Fargo directly after graduating summa cum laude from the Darla Moore School of Business and South Carolina Honors College in 2015 with a B.S. in finance and minor in economics. Brendan lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Caroline, and his two children, Truman and Shay.

Distinguished Service Award

Cliff Brune, ’74 BS

Cliff Brune, a Certified Public Accountant, before retirement, had over 40 years of experience working in and directing all areas of business operations. His expertise was centered on the timely identification and implementation of strategic initiatives in both public companies and private entities.

Formerly with now PWC, one of the world's largest accounting and consulting service organizations, Cliff directed all phases of client services, including advisory and tax services, for numerous emerging growth companies as well as large multinational accounts. Additionally, he served on various national committees and was responsible for the development of industry specific training and instruction materials and processes, as well as staff recruiting and development.

Cliff also held a variety of senior executive and board of director's positions, including CFO, Group President, and COO, in numerous emerging growth private and public companies. He oversaw legal and regulatory compliance, manufacturing and distribution, research and development, intellectual property, sales and marketing, finance and accounting, mergers and acquisitions, as well as public and investor relations, both in domestic and international operations.

Through this experience, he acquired a vast expertise in the restructuring and organizing of growth-oriented companies and continued using his expertise in a consultancy role through his personal launching of his Strategic Business Initiatives, LLC practice. He successfully guided entities by developing growth-oriented business plans, identification and acquisition of the necessary internal and external resources for implementation, as well as scrutinizing, negotiating, and finalizing complex financial and fund-raising transactions necessary for plan execution.

Cliff is a native South Carolinian from Greenville, and a 1974 graduate of the University of South Carolina, with a BS degree in accounting and finance.

Since retirement he has been active at the Darla Moore School of Business, and incubated through consultation and contributions, a new program for sales curriculum, which resulted in the development of the Center for Sales Success, as well as the student organization Carolina Sales Institute. The Brune family also has endowed the USC Business Partnership Foundation to provide scholarships for needy students interested in the sales initiative. He also recently served on the DMSB dean search committee and assisted in the selection of the newly appointed Dean Verma. 

An avid sports enthusiast, Cliff supports Gamecock athletics as a Diamond Spur member and is also a proud member of the Garnet Society.

He and his wife, Cathy Brune, also a 1974 business school graduate and recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, reside in Florida.