Corporate Governance

Athena Countouriotis

Athena Countouriotis, M.D., is co-founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of Avenzo Therapeutics. She most recently led Turning Point Therapeutics as President and Chief Executive Officer through its IPO in 2019 to its eventual acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb for $4.1 billion in August 2022. During the time period, she and her team raised more than $1.2 billion across multiple equity financings.

With over 20 years of industry experience, Dr. Countouriotis has served as an officer in both public and private companies, led multiple initial public offerings and acquisitions, and guided several development programs to approval in the U.S. and Europe. She previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Adverum Biotechnologies and Halozyme Therapeutics. Dr. Countouriotis also served as Chief Medical Officer of Ambit Biosciences, where she helped lead the company’s initial public offering and was responsible for the clinical development of quizartinib until the company’s acquisition by Daiichi Sankyo in November 2014. Earlier in her career, Dr. Countouriotis led various clinical development organizations within Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb for oncology therapeutics including Sutent^®, Mylotarg^®, Bosulif^® and Sprycel^®.

Dr. Countouriotis also serves on the board of directors of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Passage Bio, Recludix Pharma, Leal Therapeutics and Capstan Therapeutics. She earned a B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine. She received her initial medical training in pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and additional training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program.

Enhancement of Culture & Inclusion

John Driver

John Driver is a Chief Executive, Independent Director, business strategist, and change agent with broad and diversified experience in large global, mid-market, and early- stage software companies. He has a foundation in software marketing and sales for matrixed and entrepreneurial organizations and direct experience in new product launches for first-to-market categories. In these roles, he held P&L accountability for established and pre-revenue businesses. Navigating complexity, delivering innovation through technology, creating new opportunities, and motivating international organizations to exceed business and operational objectives are hallmarks of his career.

Mr. Driver is an Independent Director at Broadway Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: BYFC) and its subsidiary City First Bank, N.A., and Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE: VTLE). He is a member of the Audit, Nomination & Governance, Finance and Risk & Compliance Committees, is NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) Directorship Certified, and NACD Cybersecurity Oversight Certified. He has been a guest speaker on entrepreneurship and corporate directorship at Stanford University and the University of California Berkeley, and various corporate director events and seminars. Mr. Driver is a Mentor for the Black Corporate Board Readiness Program at Santa Clara University, a member of the 2024 Selection Committee for the 50 Women to Watch for Boards Campaign, a Board Member at 50/50 Women on Boards and a Board Member of the NACD Pacific Southwest chapter.

Currently, he leads Lynx Technology a Smart Home IoT and digital media technology firm powering a range of consumer electronics products. Mr. Driver’s specific expertise in international acquisitions and divestitures, allowed him to successfully execute a management buyout of the North American, European, and Japanese Connected Home business operations, including the transfer of the market leading Twonky™ media connectivity technology, from PacketVideo, a subsidiary of Japanese public company, NTT DOCOMO. Mr. Driver successfully completed the asset purchase agreement, which was approved by the PacketVideo Board of Directors due to his knowledge of and commitment to the business. His strong business and financial acumen enabled Lynx Technology to grow profitably. As a change agent, he outsourced the entire business operation, reducing overhead and increasing profitability. While continuing to develop the pioneering Twonky™ software platform, embedded in tens of millions of consumer electronics devices worldwide, he generated revenues to fund research and invest in new innovations.

Previously, he was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of PacketVideo, a subsidiary of NTT DOCOMO, a global leader delivering innovative, digital media solutions to the world’s largest service providers and consumer electronics manufacturers. He led the company’s Connected Home business operations with full P&L responsibility across North America, Europe, Japan, and India while also driving global marketing strategy and its execution, which grew the division’s profitability.

Mr. Driver was the Senior Director of Global Field Marketing for Serena Software, a private equity-backed provider of SaaS enterprise software and services. He built and managed a new field marketing organization, with 8 global teams harnessing SEO, SEM, and other strategies to generate sales pipeline for new software license opportunities. At Sun Microsystems, he was the Corporate Leader of Sun’s Global Mid-Market Strategy targeting companies with $100M to $1B in revenues, which significantly increased market share.

Mr. Driver is a Trustee and former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Fleet Science Center, former Chair of the Stanford Associates Board of Governors, and Board Member and Marketing Chair of the San Diego YMCA Overnight Camps. He is a recipient of a Director of the Year Award (2024) from the Corporate Directors Forum and a Stanford University Governor’s Award for exemplary and long-standing volunteer service. Mr. Driver earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He and his wife have three adult children and reside in greater San Diego, California

Companies in Transition

David Brenner

Dr. David A. Brenner was named president and chief executive officer of Sanford Burnham Prebys in September 2022, after serving as vice chancellor for health sciences at UC San Diego and dean of its school of medicine for an unprecedented 15 years, during which he oversaw the launch and expansion of numerous multidisciplinary efforts, including the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, the Institute for Genomic Medicine, the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, the UC San Diego Sanford Clinical Stem Cell Program, and the C3 Cancer Center Consortium (comprising UC San Diego, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Sanford Burnham Prebys).

Previously, he served as chair of the Department of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University and, before that, as Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As a distinguished physician-scientist, Brenner is a recognized leader in the field of gastroenterology research, with more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, two patents and ranking among Highly Cited Researchers by Web of Science and Clarivate Analytics.

He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine; past president of the Association of American Physicians and former editor of the journal Gastroenterology (2001 to 2006).

He is currently deputy editor of the journal PNAS Nexus.

Emerging Board Leader

Ed Magee

Ed Magee is a C-Suite executive and combat veteran with 17 years of global supply chain management and operations leadership roles. Mr. Magee has extensive experience building and developing global leadership teams that drive organizational and culture change within high-profile brands, including Harley-Davidson Motor Company, ABB where he managed a $1 billion P&L and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Ed is an Independent Director on the Board of WD-40 (NASDAQ: WDFC) and serves on the Audit and Finance committees.

Mr. Magee also has extensive non-profit board experience including the Board of Visitors at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Co-President of the Fender Play Foundation, Advisory Board of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Nashville and the Smithsonian Council for Education. While Co-President of the Fender Play Foundation, Ed was a founding member of the campaign team that successfully passed Proposition 28, a $1 billion ballot initiative that permanently funds music and arts education for over 6,000,000 public school children in California.

Mr. Magee recently joined Belmont University as the VP of Strategic Operations and Executive in Residence, Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business. Ed is currently co-chairing the Office of the President, Flourishing Together Task Force: Addressing the challenges facing young men and providing strategic and start-up advisory services to the Dean of the Thomas F. Frist Jr. College of Medicine, launching in 2024.  During his 6 years at Fender, Ed directed every aspect of manufacturing, sustainability, new product introduction, supply chain, planning, logistics and distribution functions, leading over 3,000 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia and managing over 120 contract and raw materials manufacturers in Asia and LATAM.

Previously, Mr. Magee was a senior executive at Harley-Davidson where he led what Craig Kennison at the research firm Baird described as “certainly the best [factory] turnaround I’ve ever seen.”  He was selected as a Diversity MBA Magazine Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive Leaders in 2009 and Savoy Magazine Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America in 2010. Prior to his executive experience, Ed was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Air Medal, Roman Numeral 1 and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Mr. Magee holds a Master of Business of Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, a Master of Public Administration from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the U.S Naval Academy.  He resides in Nashville with his wife Jamelle and enjoys attending live music events and his early AM Peloton rides.

Not-For-Profit Board Governance

Gil Cabrera

Gil Cabrera has been an attorney in San Diego for over twenty-five years, starting his legal career in San Diego right out of law school.

Gil started practicing at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP – one of the then oldest law firms in the region. From Luce Forward, he was recruited to Cooley Godward, one of the top law firms in the country. At Cooley Godward, Gil specialized in securities litigation and complex business litigation. Since 2007, he has run his own law firm, The Cabrera Firm.  Presently, Gil specializes in business and employment litigation and serves as general outside counsel to a number of local and regional businesses. Because of his extensive experience as a former regulator of campaign finance, ethics, and lobbying laws, Gil represents a number of local elected officials, individuals, and businesses as they navigate local, state and federal laws and disclosure requirements in the political sphere.  He has been named one of the top attorneys in San Diego since 2012 by the San Diego Daily Transcript, San Diego Business Journal, and Super Lawyers.

Gil has been an engaged member of the San Diego community.  He presently serves as Chair of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority which operates San Diego International Airport.  Mr. Cabrera is also the immediate past chair of Sharp Healthcare, San Diego County’s largest healthcare system overseeing five hospitals and three medical groups.  In his capacity as Chair of the San Diego Airport Authority he is overseeing the $3.8 billion construction of the new Terminal One at San Diego International Airport.  He frequently speaks to community groups, students, state and local governing bodies, and media about airport related issues, including careers in aviation and airport management and operations.  Mr. Cabrera has a significant local following on X (formerly Twitter) as well as Facebook and Instagram.

In the past, Mr. Cabrera served as a wish granter and on the Board of Directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego and ultimately on the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Board of Directors. He began his public service in the late 1990s when he co-chaired Chief David Bejarano’s San Diego Police Department Use of Force Task Force, which reviewed the department’s use of force procedures and made one hundred recommendations to improve police interaction with the public. In 2005, Gil was appointed to the San Diego Ethics Commission where he served for five years, two as its Chair.  During his chairmanship, the Commission ushered in the largest overhaul of the City’s lobbying laws increasing transparency of lobbyist activity.  Between 2013 and 2020, Gil served on the San Diego Convention Center board of directors, serving as Chair in 2017 and 2018.  Between 2013-2018, Gil served on the San Diego LGBT Community Center Board of Directors.  Since 2017, Gil has served on the Alliance for Hope International Board of Directors.

Not-For-Profit Lifetime Achievement

Maggie T. Watkins

Maggie T. Watkins is celebrated for her exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication to not-for-profit board governance. She has an illustrious history of service, having chaired the International Legal Marketing Association (LMA) and the National Association of Accounting Marketing (AAM). As a regular speaker at industry conferences and seminars, she shares her extensive knowledge and experience, and she is deeply involved in the communities she serves.

Throughout her career, Watkins has contributed to over 40 not-for-profit boards, including prominent organizations such as Susan G. Komen, the Alzheimer’s Association (as Chapter Chair), Girl Scouts San Diego, Vista Hill, Peninsula YMCA (as Board Chair), Project Concern International, Leadership California, LEAD San Diego, and the Corporate Directors Forum. Currently, she is a board member of the Sharp Grossmont Hospital Foundation, the Sharp Foundation (where she chairs the Stewardship Committee), the San Diego Salvation Army Metropolitan Board, and the ABA Law Practice Management Women Rainmakers Board.

Professionally, Watkins has an impressive track record, having served as Chief Marketing Officer for four Am Law 200 law firms, CMO of a global publicly traded expert services and consulting firm, and President and CEO of an international law firm association. Her career began at Aetna, where she was recruited to sell employee benefits programs and pension plans to middle-market companies in San Diego. Recently, she launched her own professional services marketing and business development consultancy. Watkins is distinguished by her expertise in the three pillars of revenue generation: marketing, business development, and communications.

With over 25 years of experience in supporting revenue generation for professional services firms, Watkins is highly regarded as a thought leader whose strategic and innovative approaches deliver outstanding financial results. She is known for her upbeat, energetic, and polished communication style, and her collaborative and motivational leadership is deeply valued by her teams and colleagues.

Watkins’ greatest passion lies in client service. She understands that the health of any firm depends on its ability to meet and exceed client expectations. Early in her career, she pioneered one of the accounting industry’s first client feedback programs. She has implemented similar programs at every firm she has worked with, using client feedback to identify service issues, amplify the client’s voice, educate professionals on client service, and uncover cross-selling opportunities. This approach has resulted in millions of dollars in new revenue and numerous retained clients due to improved service.

Additionally, Watkins excels in business development. She provides extraordinary value by training and coaching professionals to create personal plans, develop new skills, and generate new business for themselves and their firms. Her expertise and dedication have made a significant impact on the firms and communities she serves.

Lifetime Achievement

Ron Merriman

CAREER EXPERIENCE
Ronald L. Merriman is a retired Vice Chairman and partner of KPMG, a global accounting and consulting firm, having served with KPMG from 1967 to 1997. Mr. Merriman was the managing director of Merriman Partners, a management advisory firm from 2003 to 2011. Prior to founding Merriman Partners, Mr. Merriman served as a managing director of O’Melveny & Myers law firm from 2000 to 2003, Executive Vice President of Carlson Wagonlit Travel from 1999 to 2000, and President of Ambassador Performance Group, Inc. from 1997 to 1999. Mr. Merriman served on the board of directors of nVent Electric plc (NYSE: NVT) from May 2018 to May 2022 and had served as the chairman of its audit and finance committee. Mr. Merriman also served on the board of directors of Pentair, Plc, formerly Pentair, Ltd. (NYSE: PNR) from 2005 to 2018 and was the chairman of its audit committee. Mr. Merriman formerly served as the chairman of the audit committee and was a member of the compensation committee of Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE) from 2005 2017. Mr. Merriman served on the board of directors of Aircastle Limited (NYSE: AYR) from 2006 to 2020, served as the chairman of its audit committee from 2006 to 2020, and was a member of its nomination and governance committee from 2012 to 2020. He served on the board of directors of Realty Income (NYSE: O) from 2005 to 2024. Mr. Merriman has been named as a director of the NACD Directorship 100 for 2022. Mr. Merriman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University.

PERSONAL HISTORY
Mr. Merriman has been married to his wife, Kathy, for 57 years. They have raised three sons, each engaged in international consulting businesses. The Merriman’s also have three grandchildren, the love of their lives. Ron & Kathy were High School classmates in Illinois, married, and after Ron’s graduation from Northern Illinois University in 1967, moved to California to start his public accounting career with KPMG. Ron’s public accounting responsibilities and Public Company Board service has always included global business components that has allowed them to also pursue their global travel interest; having now toured over 40 countries and all 50 United States.