Director, MIT Collaborative Initiatives

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Albright is the director of MIT Collaborative Initiatives, which promotes a systems-based approach to solving deep-rooted societal issues by engaging experts from a broad range of disciplines both within and outside the scope of a problem.

She is a faculty member and lecturer in general surgery at Harvard Medical School, is currently on the Board of Research!America and the Bloomberg Family Foundation, and is a consultant to, and formerly chairwoman of the Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Albright also serves on the National Council of Advisors of the Center of the Study of the Presidency and Congress. She was formerly a director of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., State Street Bank and Trust Company, and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. She has also served as delegate to the World Health Assembly for four years and has been inducted into the Military Health System Honor Society. Dr. Albright is the recipient of the 2011 White House Fellows Valenti Award.

Dr. Albright graduated from Harvard Medical School after attending Radcliffe College and has received eight honorary degrees. Earlier, she was a gold medal–winning Olympic figure skater.

Seley Distinguished Professor of Management

Professor of Organization Studies

Director, MIT Leadership Center

MIT Sloan School of Management

Deborah Ancona's pioneering research into how successful teams operate has highlighted the critical importance of managing outside, as well as inside, the team's boundary. This research directly led to the concept of X-Teams as a vehicle for driving innovation within large organizations. Her work also focuses on the concept of distributed leadership and on the development of research-based tools, practices, and teaching/coaching models that enable organizations to foster creative leadership at every level.

She is the author of the book X-Teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate, and Succeed (Harvard Business School Press, June 2007) and the related article, “In Praise of the Incomplete Leader” (Harvard Business Review, Feb. 2007). In addition to X-Teams, her studies of team performance also have been published in the Administrative Science Quarterly, the Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, and the Sloan Management Review. Her previous book, Managing for the Future: Organizational Behavior and Processes (South-Western College Publishing, 1999, 2005), centers on the skills and processes needed in today's diverse and changing organization. Dr. Ancona has served as a consultant on leadership and innovation to companies such as AT&T, BP, Credit Suisse First Boston, Hewlett-Packard, Merrill Lynch, News Corporation, and Vale.

Dr. Ancona holds a B.A. and an M.S. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in management from Columbia University.

Founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer, DNA Medicine Institute

Dr. Chan is a physician-innovator who has made numerous contributions to genomic technologies, medical devices, and instrumentation. He is the founder, president, and chief scientific officer of the DNA Medicine Institute, an organization focused on advancing patient care, alleviating human suffering, and treating disease through innovation. His current work is focused on developing a small handheld device that will allow anyone to perform hundreds of lab tests on a single drop of blood. This technology was recently successfully tested with NASA in zero gravity. He is also developing a noninvasive diagnostic device for malaria, which will allow for improved diagnosis and management of this disease in global health settings. Eugene graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude and the Harvard Medical School, MIT HST program with honors. He completed his postgraduate medical training in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital. While taking a six-year hiatus from medical school, he founded and served as the chairman and CEO of U.S. Genomics, now Pathogenetix. Its technology is being utilized for diagnosing complex infectious diseases without the need for blood cultures. He is the founder of five biotechnology and medical-related companies that have raised more than $125 million in funding and launched numerous successful products. He holds more than 40 U.S., world, issued, and pending patents. He has been recognized as one of Esquire magazine's “Best and Brightest” and MIT Technology Review's “Top 100 Innovators Under 35.” His work has been praised in the pages of Fortune, Forbes, Newsweek, Wired, Scientific American, and the New York Times.

Founder and CEO, Year Up

Gerald Chertavian is the founder of Year Up, an innovative program that empowers urban young adults to enter the economic mainstream. With an annual operating budget of more than $60 million, Year Up is one of the fastest growing nonprofits in the nation and was recognized by Fast Company and The Monitor Group as one of the top 25 organizations using business excellence to engineer social change. Gerald has received numerous awards and honorary degrees for social entrepreneurship and youth development, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and Fox Business. He serves on the Massachusetts State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Board of Advisors for the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative and recently led a working session at the first Clinton Global Initiative to focus solely on driving economic growth in America. A graduate of Bowdoin College and Harvard Business School, Gerald lives in Boston with his wife and three children. His book, A Year Up, is a New York Times bestseller.

Founder and President, DEKA Research & Development Corporation

Dean Kamen is an inventor, an entrepreneur, and an advocate for science and technology. He holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices that have expanded the frontiers of health care worldwide. While still a college undergraduate, he invented the first wearable infusion pump. In 1976, he founded his first medical device company, AutoSyringe, Inc., to manufacture and market the pumps.

Following the sale of AutoSyringe, Inc., he founded DEKA Research & Development Corporation to develop internally generated inventions as well as to provide research and development for major corporate clients. Examples of technologies developed by DEKA include the HomeChoice™ portable dialysis machine, the iBOT™ Mobility System, the Segway™ Human Transporter, a DARPA-funded robotic arm, a new and improved Stirling engine, and the Slingshot water purifier.

Mr. Kamen has received many awards for his efforts, including the National Medal of Technology in 2000 and the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005 and has been a member of the National Academy of Engineering since 1997.

In addition to DEKA, one of Mr. Kamen's proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use, and enjoy science and technology. Founded in 1989, this year FIRST will serve more than 300,000 young people, ages 6 to 18, in more than 50 countries around the globe. High school–aged participants are eligible to apply for more than $15 million in scholarships from leading colleges, universities, and corporations.

Ex-President & CEO Wyse Technology

Global executive operator, investor, and advisor in Information Technology. Operational and investment areas of focus include information security, infrastructure management, social media, mobility, virtualization, converged infrastructures, contextual intelligence, and cloud computing technologies. Executive roles at Dell, Wyse, CA, IBM, Quest, and Sterling Software. Founding chairman of TechAmerica’s state and local government cloud computing commission. Served, serve and serving on the boards of the Bay Area Council, World Economic Forum’s Cyber-Security Alliance, Silicon Valley Education Foundation, and Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a coalition of senior executives to improve the quality of life for all citizens of the region and the world through its advocacy around public and private policy issues, from the mecca of innovation and progress, Silicon Valley. Involved in leading, advising, and fund-raising for several not-for-profit organizations and programs around economic development, poverty elimination, entrepreneurship, education, and social justice, including E&Y Entrepreneurship, Strategic Growth and Innovation Programs, MIT’s Collaborative Initiatives, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Project Skolkovo (Russia), and eLearning Africa. Advisor to several IT start-up companies and boards. The Winner of 2012 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award in California; a frequent speaker, commentator, and author on current business, economic, and social issues in the media and academic circles. Graduated from Istanbul Technical University in Turkey with a B.S. degree in Engineering Management. Received an MBA degree at Midwestern State University, in Wichita Falls, Texas, in the heartland of America. Attended Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School along with several business and political leaders of today. Avid fan of sports, politics, arts, books, nature, history, Earth, innovative ideas, and people.

More on Tarkan at: www.tarkanmaner.com.

Vice Chairman, NetApp

Tom joined NetApp in 1994 and was responsible for sales until becoming president in 2000. In 2009 he became vice chairman.

Tom has given talks on the power of corporate culture and leadership all over the world to people in such diverse organizations as the U.S. Marine Corps, West Point, CIO forums, Oracle's Leaders Circle, and Stanford University. In 2009 he was the corecipient with NetApp Chairman Dan Warmenhoven of the Morgan Stanley Leadership Award for Global Commerce.

Tom holds a B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame and is an alumnus of Stanford University's Executive Business Program. In September 2000, Notre Dame renamed its business school the Mendoza College of Business after an endowment made by Tom and Kathy Mendoza.

Admiral Mike Mullen served as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2007–2011). He was the principal military advisor to President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, as well as two Secretaries of Defense.

He led the military during a critical period of transition, concluding the combat mission in Iraq and creating a new military strategy for Afghanistan. He advocated for the rapid development and fielding of innovative technologies, championed emerging and enduring international partnerships, and advanced new methods for combating terrorism.

Admiral Mullen has deep experience in leading change in complex organizations, executive development and succession planning, diversity implementation, crisis management, strategic planning, budget policy, congressional relations, risk management, technical innovation, and cyber security. Widely recognized as an “honest broker” in his key leadership roles as a trusted advisor to both President Bush and President Obama, he also maintains strong relationships with leaders around the globe.

He and his wife, Deborah, remain staunch advocates for disabled veterans and their families, drawing public attention and institutional focus on a broad range of challenging issues.

A native of Los Angeles, Admiral Mullen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968. His extensive naval fleet command experience, progressing through every level—and including NATO—culminated in his appointment as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations (2005–2007).

Admiral Mullen earned an MS in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School and completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

Founder, Intellectual Ventures

Nathan Myhrvold founded Intellectual Ventures after retiring as chief strategist and chief technology officer of Microsoft Corporation.

During his 14 years at Microsoft, Dr. Myhrvold founded Microsoft Research and numerous technology groups. Dr. Myhrvold is an avid inventor who has been awarded hundreds of patents and has hundreds of patents pending.

Before joining Microsoft, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge University and worked with Professor Stephen Hawking. Dr. Myhrvold earned a doctorate in theoretical and mathematical physics and a master's degree in mathematical economics from Princeton University, and a master's degree in geophysics and space physics and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from UCLA.

An avid nature and wildlife photographer, Dr. Myhrvold's work is featured in the books America 24/7 and Washington 24/7, where his photographs helped capture a week in the life of people and nature in the United States during the spring of 2003. His research has been published in scientific journals including Science, Nature, Paleobiology, Environmental Research Letters, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and the Physical Review, and he has contributed articles to magazines and online news sites including Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Time, Bloomberg BusinessWeek and National Geographic Traveler. In 2004, he provided the foreword to a book profiling some of the world's greatest inventors—Juice: The Creative Fuel That Drives World-Class Inventors. He has also been named one of the most influential people in intellectual property by several leading IP trade publications.

Last year he released the award-winning Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, a cookbook surveying the science, technology, and techniques used in modern cuisine. The James Beard Foundation honored Modernist Cuisine with awards for Cookbook of the Year and Cooking from a Professional Point Of View. In 2012, he released the highly acclaimed Modernist Cuisine at Home.

CEO, IBM 2002–2011

From January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2011, Mr. Palmisano served as chairman, president, and CEO of IBM. He was chairman of the Board from January through September 2012. Under his leadership, IBM achieved record financial performance, transformed itself into a globally integrated enterprise, and introduced its Smarter Planet agenda.

Mr. Palmisano began his career with IBM in 1973 in Baltimore, Maryland. In a 39-year career with the company, he held leadership positions that included senior vice president and group executive of the Personal Systems Group, senior vice president and group executive of IBM Global Services, senior vice president and group executive of Enterprise Systems, and president and chief operating officer.

Mr. Palmisano is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University. Among his many business accomplishments, Mr. Palmisano was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Johns Hopkins University in 2012 and from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2005. In 2006, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the London Business School. Mr. Palmisano has received a number of business awards, including the Atlantic Council's Distinguished Business Leadership Award in 2009 and the inaugural Deming Cup, presented in 2010 by the W. Edwards Deming Center for Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness at Columbia Business School. He is also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and served as co-chair of the Council on Competitiveness's National Innovation Initiative.

Head of Global Operation and Technology

State Street Corporation

James S. Phalen is an executive vice president and head of Global Operation and Technology. He is also a member of State Street's Management Committee, the company's most senior strategy and policy-making team.

Previously, Mr. Phalen was head of State Street's international operations for investment servicing and investment research and trading. In this role, he oversaw strategy, operations, and business development for State Street's investment services and investment research and trading outside North America.

He was formerly chairman and CEO of CitiStreet, one of the largest global benefits delivery firms in the country. Before joining CitiStreet, Mr. Phalen spent eight years in senior roles at State Street. Prior to this, he was president and chief operating officer of Boston Financial (BFDS), a joint venture of State Street and DST Systems, Inc.

Mr. Phalen is a director of Boston Financial Data Services and the Boston Medical Center. He holds a degree from Boston College and graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. He also attended the Executive Development Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management.

Senior Vice President, Enterprise Transformation, IBM

Linda Sanford leads the strategy for IBM's internal transformation to becoming the premier globally integrated, smarter enterprise. In this role, Ms. Sanford is responsible for working across IBM to transform core business processes, create an IT infrastructure to support and integrate processes globally, and help create a culture that fosters innovation.

Previously Ms. Sanford has held a number of senior leadership positions at IBM, including heading the Storage Systems Group, Global Industries and the mainframe division. Ms. Sanford is a member of the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Engineering.

Ms. Sanford coauthored Let Go To Grow: Escaping the Commodity Trap, a book that details how successful companies are pursuing strategies to drive long-term growth and innovation.

A graduate of St. John's University, Ms. Sanford earned an MS in Operations Research from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and was awarded an honorary doctorate in commercial science from St. John's.

President, Dell Software

In his role as Dell Software's president, John Swainson is responsible for building software capabilities and providing greater innovation and organizational support in the delivery of end-to-end IT solutions to Dell customers. The Software group adds to Dell enterprise solutions capabilities, accelerates profitable growth, and further differentiates the company by increasing its solutions portfolio with Dell-owned intellectual property.

Prior to joining Dell in 2012, Mr. Swainson was senior advisor to Silver Lake, a global private equity firm, and sat on a number of boards, including Broadcom, Assurant, Cadence Design Systems, and Serena Software. From early 2005 to the end of 2009, he was CEO and director of CA Technologies, a Fortune 500 enterprise software company.

Before joining CA Technologies, Mr. Swainson worked for IBM for more than 26 years, where he held various management positions in the United States and Canada, including seven years as general manager of the Application Integration Middleware Division, a business he founded in 1997. During that period, he and his team developed the WebSphere family of middleware products and Eclipse open source tools. He also led the IBM worldwide software sales organization and held numerous senior leadership roles in engineering, marketing, and sales management.

Mr. Swainson earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of British Columbia, Canada. He currently serves on the board of Visa Inc., where he is the lead director.

CEO, Virtual Instruments

Instruments Board of Directors since 2009

Prior to joining Virtual Instruments, Mr. Thompson was chairman of the board and CEO of Symantec Corporation, the leader in Internet security, from April 1999 to April 2009. He continued to serve as chairman of the board until October 2011. Mr. Thompson also served in a number of senior leadership roles at IBM Corporation, including general manager of IBM Americas, prior to assuming the CEO role at Symantec. During his 10-year tenure as CEO of Symantec, Mr. Thompson transformed the company into a leader in security, storage, and systems management solutions, delivering world-class products to a global customer base, from individual consumers to many of the world's largest enterprises. He helped grow revenues from $600 million to more than $6 billion in ten years.

Beyond his role at Symantec, Mr. Thompson has served on the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NIAC), making recommendations regarding the security of nation's critical infrastructure, and the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, investigating the cause of the 2008 financial collapse and making recommendations to Congress on steps to avoid or mitigate the impact of a reoccurrence. He is an active investor in early-stage companies and currently serves on the board of directors of Liquid Robotics, the world's first wave-powered autonomous platform, and DOMO, an emerging platform for business intelligence. Mr. Thompson also serves on the board of UPS, the global leader in logistics, and Microsoft, the world's largest software company.

John W. Thompson completed his undergraduate studies at Florida A&M University and holds a master's degree in Management from MIT's Sloan School of Management.

Chef and Restaurant Owner

Ming Tsai is the James Beard Award–winning chef/owner of two restaurants—Blue Ginger and Blue Dragon. Also an Emmy Award winner, Mr. Tsai hosts PBS-TV's Simply Ming, now in its tenth season. Mr. Tsai is the author of five cookbooks, including his latest, Simply Ming in Your Kitchen.

In 2012, Mr. Tsai was invited by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to represent the United States with the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership Initiative/American Chef Corps. The Chef Corps is a network of American chefs that participate with official government programs that use food as a foundation for international diplomacy efforts.

Mr. Tsai is a national spokesperson for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). Mr. Tsai also worked with Massachusetts Legislature to help write Bill S. 2701, which requires local restaurants to comply with food allergy awareness guidelines.

A member of the Harvard School of Public Health's Nutrition Round Table, Mr. Tsai also supports many charities, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cam Neely Foundation, Family Reach Foundation, and Greater Boston Food Bank.