Founding Members Spotlight

Dr. Carson is a pharmaceutical leader, data and technology innovator, and a board-certified psychiatrist who has led the development of blockbuster drugs and a world-leading R&D organization. He recently joined the board of directors of Lutron, a private corporation that is technology-driven and people focused.

He is also Chairman of the Board of Decibel Therapeutics (NASDAQ GS: DBTX), a member of the board of directors of Annexon Biosciences (NASDAQ GS: ANNX) and serves on the board of directors for Excision Biotherapeutics.

Adela is a director of BMO Financial Corp., the U.S. holding company for BMO Bank, with over
20,000 employees and 1,000 branches located throughout the Midwest and West, after the
recent acquisition of Bank of the West. Ms. Cepeda previously chaired the audit committee of the board of Wyndham International, Inc., a 20,000 employee, publicly traded company that owned and operated hotels and resorts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

The Board at Wyndham tapped Ms. Cepeda to chair the committee of independent directors designated to evaluate strategic alternatives leading to the sale of Wyndham to Blackstone Group for $3.2 billion. She also currently serves on the mutual fund boards of UBS, Mercer and Pathway Funds. Ms. Cepeda has extensive community involvement and serves on the board of Arrupe College, and is president of Teatro Vista. She is the chair and co-founder of Angeles Investors, one of the fastest growing angel groups in the U.S. with a mission to find, fund and grow Latinx startups

Entrepreneur and strategic thinker, Wanda Whitmore, passionately follows the current events, cultural shifts and technological advances driving business, science, and global affairs. Regularly examining issues of the day enables her to effectively analyze how cultural shifts might influence the media and industries that intersect with information transfer. This experienced producer knows where to dig deeper for facts, when there are openings for persuasive arguments and course corrections; and how to pull solutions and narrative threads toward useful ends. Ms. Whitmore’s documentary style videos are well sourced and seamlessly integrate diverse human perspectives.

In the Board Room, writing and directing skills translate into an uber prepared, astute observer and contributor. Small business success working in construction sites, gilded suites and remote foreign locations have led to a direct, flexible leadership style and a mastery of new and unfamiliar content. Business specialists, with whom she shares a fiduciary role, find unique insights from the executive creator’s data interpretations, and grow to rely on her thorough planning, judgement, and fealty to mission.