2008 Leadership Experience Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Mike Krzyzewski
"Building World-Class Leadership Teams"
Head Basketball Coach of the Duke University
Men's Basketball Team
Executive-in-Residence, Fuqua/Coach K
Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE)

Alison Levine
"Oxygen Not Included"
Founder, Daredevil Strategies
Leader of the First American Women's
Everest Expedition

Ben Dunlap
"Winning with Teams that Lose"
President, Wofford College
Among 50 "Remarkable People" at TED

John Mullen
"Managing a Crisis"
Vice President & General Manager of
Education, State and Local Government, Dell Inc.

Nathan Whitaker
"Leading Toward a Legacy"
Founder, Whitaker Partners, LLC.
Co-Author, #1 New York Times best seller,
"Quiet Strength"

Keynote Speaker Biographies

Mike Krzyzewski
"Building World-Class Leadership Teams"
Head Basketball Coach of the Duke University Men's Basketball Team
Executive-in-Residence, Fuqua/Coach K Center on
Leadership & Ethics (COLE)

Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) is Head Coach of Duke University's Men’s Basketball Team, a COLE Executive-in-Residence at The Fuqua School of Business and the 2008 United States Olympic Basketball Head Coach.  Krzyzewski is widely recognized for his leadership - leading Duke to three national championships and ten NCAA Final Four appearances.  Krzyzewski has been named the National Coach of the Year twelve times in eight different seasons.  Author of two New York Times best sellers, “Leading with the Heart” and “Beyond Basketball - Coach K's Keywords to Success” (Warner Books), he is a frequent motivational speaker for numerous Fortune 500 companies. He is also host of the successful XM Satellite Radio show, Basketball and Beyond.


                                                                                           

Alison Levine
"Oxygen Not Included"
Founder, Daredevil Strategies
Leader of the First American Women’s Everest Expedition

Alison Levine is no stranger to risk-taking. She has survived sub-zero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, sudden avalanches, and a career on Wall Street – all without the use of supplemental oxygen.

Surprisingly, Levine was born with a life-threatening heart condition that precluded most demanding physical activities. As a teenager, her health was so unstable that she was not even allowed to do such basic things as drive a car or walk up stairs. But 13 years after her initial diagnosis she had surgery that changed her life - and climbing stairs soon gave way to climbing mountains, a passion that Levine continued to pursue despite her initial health setbacks.

In between starting business school and starting a job on Wall Street, Levine “accidentally” scaled the world’s highest mountains. Over the next several years as she continued to climb the corporate ladder, Levine also pushed her limits on the world’s highest peaks and soon became one of the most experienced female mountaineers in the country.

In 2002, Levine was recognized for her track record of leadership and success in the mountains when she was invited to serve as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, a history-making climb that would put her heart and her spirit to the test. An avid explorer and adventurer, Levine also traveled across the Arctic Circle on skis for more than 100 miles to successfully reach the top of the world – the geographic North Pole. Most recently, she became the first American to ski to the South Pole following the route of legendary explorer Reinhold Messner.  Her success in extreme environments is noteworthy given Levine suffers from Raynaud’s Disease which causes the arteries that feed her fingers and toes to collapse in cold weather, leaving her at extreme risk for frost bite.

Levine’s expeditions have been documented by more than 450 media outlets. She has made numerous appearances on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, Fox, ABC News, CBS’ Evening News, and other national programs. Her story has been the subject of articles in Oprah Magazine, National Geographic, Lifetime Magazine, Sports Illustrated Woman, Outside and other publications. Levine has earned many honors for her achievements and her ability to overcome adversity, including the Courage in Sports Award from the Anaheim Angels. She was named one of San Francisco’s Top Business Leaders Under 40 and was listed as one of Arizona’s (her native state) Most Interesting People. She has also been featured prominently in the book More Than 85 Broads, the book that captures the efforts of the women of Wall Street to find success and take risks on their own terms.

Ms Levine’s 18-year business career encompasses healthcare, technology and finance. After earning her MBA from Duke University she moved to New York to work for one of the top investment banks on Wall Street. In 2003, she left Wall Street to serve as deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his successful bid to become Governor of California.

Levine is the founder and President of Daredevil Strategies, a consulting firm specializing in organizational effectiveness, leadership development and team dynamics. Drawing parallels between staying alive in the mountains and thriving in a fast-paced business world, Levine focuses on the topics of leadership, teamwork, overcoming odds, tackling fear, taking responsible risks and dealing with changing environments.

Benjamin Bernard Dunlap, 10th President of Wofford College, was born December 3, 1937, in Columbia, S. C.  After graduating summa cum laude from Sewanee: The University of the South in 1959, he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and Harvard University as a graduate student in English language and literature, receiving his PhD in 1967.  Since that time, he has held academic appointments at Harvard, the University of South Carolina, and Wofford College, where for seven years prior to becoming president he served as the Chapman Family Professor in the Humanities, a position he still holds.  He has twice served as a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in Bangkok, Thailand, and Chiang Mai, Thailand, and was a member of the inaugural class of U.S.-Japan Leadership Fellows in Tokyo. 

Dunlap’s academic fields include literature, intellectual history, Asian studies, film history and criticism, fiction writing, and the arts.  On those subjects and others, especially higher education, he has lectured and spoken widely in this country and abroad including an appearance as one of “Fifty Remarkable People” at the 2007 TED Conference in Monterey.  A frequent moderator for the Aspen Institute’s Executive and C.E.O. Seminars as well as its Henry Crown Fellowship and such affiliated programs as the Executive Seminar Asia, the Faculty Seminars at Wye, the Aspen-Rodel Fellowship, the Africa Leadership Initiative, the Central European Leadership Initiative, and the Liberty Fellowship of South Carolina, he has also designed and moderated seminars in Europe, Africa, and the United States for corporate clients as varied as the Netflix Corporation, Young & Rubicam, the Nova Chemical Corporation, and the Arab Banking Corporation. 

Dunlap’s many publications include poems, essays, anthologies, guides, and opera libretti.  As a writer-producer and on-camera talent for public television, he has been a major contributor to more than 200 programs, for which he has won numerous national and international awards, and, for four and a half years in the 1970’s and 80’s, he performed as soloist and principal dancer for the Columbia City Ballet.  Frequently recognized for both teaching and research, he has recently completed a novel, Famous Dogs of the Civil War, which awaits publication.

Nathan Whitaker is the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Quiet Strength, and the founder of Whitaker Partners, LLC, a firm specializing in the representation of coaches and front office personnel. 

A two-sport athlete in baseball and football at Duke University, he played for Steve Spurrier on Duke’s most recent ACC Championship football team and graduated cum laude with a degree in English and Political Science in 1991.  Following that, he graduated cum laude from the Harvard Law School in 1994, at which point he began his varied professional journey.  He initially spent two years as a law clerk for William Terrell Hodges, a United States District Judge, and then practiced in general business litigation and employment law with Smith, Helms, Mulliss & Moore, LLP in Greensboro, NC. 

Whitaker left the firm in 1998 to join the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he was responsible for the club’s football operations and budgeting, as well as working with the salary cap and player contract negotiations.  After two seasons with the Jaguars, he switched conferences and Florida coasts to work for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  It was in Tampa, while working on legal, salary cap and scouting matters that he worked alongside Tony Dungy.

In 2004, he embarked on a three-year journey to write a book, a portion of which time he also was employed as the Director of Community at Van Dyke United Methodist Church in Lutz, Florida.  During this time he also founded Whitaker Partners, LLC, in which he and his father, a Gainesville, Florida attorney, assist coaches and administrators with the professional and personal matters of their lives.

Panel: Motorsports "Innovation Under Constraints"

Panelist Biographies

Andy Papathanassiou
Executive Director, North Carolina Motorsports Association
Pit Crew Coordinator, Hendrick Motorsports

When Andy Papathanassiou talks about being in the fast lane, he’s referring to something other than his life experiences.  Starting in 1993 as the “pit crew coach” for Hendrick Motorsports, Dupont, Nextel Cup Race Team, Andy has been an integral part of the team building and communication talents that have led to many victories on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Circuit.

A native of Emerson, New Jersey, Andy grew up as the only son of Greek immigrants who favored education over sports.  An honor student, Andy sought physical achievement as well.  As a freshman at Emerson High School, he began his athletic career by trying out for the football team because, according to Andy, “I was drawn to the competitive nature of athletics.”

Not only did Andy become a three-sport high school athlete, lettering in football, wrestling and track, he was voted a USA Today All-American.  He held the New Jersey state record in the shot put for twelve years.  As he successfully captained three varsity teams, Andy’s focus became clear.

“I was just beginning to realize that everything you do as an individual is ultimately part of a team experience--if you interact at all, with anything, you are part of a team.”

Upon graduation, Andy accepted a football scholarship to Stanford University.  He chose Stanford because it combined an unparalleled education with Division I athletics.  He competed in both football and track, earned an undergraduate degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Organizational Behavior, while at the same time excelling on the gridiron.  He started in 45 out of 45 football games as an offensive lineman.  In track, he was a Junior-Nationals champion and qualified for the PAC-10 track and field championship finals, for three years.

Following graduation from Stanford, he sought to explore various industries to start a career.  Though he didn’t know much about it, NASCAR racing was on the list.  He always had an interest in racing and believed his degree in organizational behavior combined with his athleticism could benefit the sport.  His first racing experience was sneaking into the garage area at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA for the 1991 event.  He made some contacts and got to help out a team for the weekend by cleaning the car, sweeping the garage and helping in the pits on race day.  Two months later Andy gave notice to his employer and moved to Charlotte.   

He aggressively sought out and worked as a garage hand for over a year as a member of several NASCAR crews.  In 1992 he was offered a job with Hendrick Motorsports as the first ever pit crew coach.  The job was with the newly formed, Dupont race team, driven by Jeff Gordon.  Andy immediately put Gordon’s pit crew to work beginning with rigorous workouts designed to build strength and teamwork in the pits.

Andy explains, “A pit crew is just like a football team--you need dedicated players and a good system.  Without both you will never achieve your potential.  Most spectators don’t realize the coordination and timing required of the pit crew.  There are potentially, hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line when a NASCAR Nextel Cup car pulls into the pits.  Our seven-person crew is expected to change four seventy-five pound tires and fill the car with twenty-one gallons of gas, in less than fourteen seconds.  At the same time, there are forty-one teams out there that are trying to do it better than us.”

His perseverance and belief in the team concept helped Hendrick Motorsports teams win the 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2006 and 2007 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships.  The first championship coming in only the Dupont teams third year of existence.  In addition, the Dupont pit crew won the 1994 Pit Crew championship.  Today, Andy continues as the Pit Crew Coordinator for all of Hendrick Motorsports.  In 2000 Andy became the company’s Personnel Director where he worked with contracts, bonus programs, HR, safety & compliance, employee and driver development.  Hendrick Motorsports has 550 employees with groups as varied as pilots, mechanics, engineers, business and administrative staffs.

In 2006 this culminated in Andy being elected as Executive Director of the North Carolina Motorsports Association.  As Director of the NCMA he is involved in public policy, workforce development and other events benefiting the 5.9 billion dollar North Carolina Motorsports industry.  

Personal accountability and follow-through maintain the overall effectiveness of the team as it races toward its goal.  While directing the pit crew, Andy always stresses each individual’s importance in getting his job done.  “It’s a waste of time and energy to worry about what the person next to you is doing or how much time is passing in the pit.  These distractions can lead to serious mistakes.  Instead, break down your job into simple steps, then concentrate on one simple step at a time in order to produce high quality results.”

In a team environment, everyone has a job to do.  Circumstances change all the time and each member needs to be updated continuously so he or she can address the needs of the moment.  “By listening to the driver and crew chief, on the headset, the pit crew can be ready to adjust the car during a pit stop and get it back on the track quickly,” explains Andy.  This constant awareness and adjustment goes on until the checkered flag drops.

Successful businesses can benefit from Andy’s “fast lane” approach to team building and development. He speaks to corporate management groups about the motorsports industry and on how to create and maintain successful, high performance teams.

Patrick Perkins
Vice President of Marketing, Hendrick Motorsports                     Click Here !!

Birthdate: Aug. 2, 1968
Hometown: Upland, Calif
Residence: Charlotte, N.C.
Family: Wife Mary, daughter Julia

As Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of marketing, Patrick Perkins leads sponsorship acquisition and servicing efforts while overseeing a 15-person department responsible for public relations, client services and marketing.

A 1992 graduate of California Lutheran University, Perkins joined Phoenix International Raceway that same year as marketing manager. In 1995, he became vice president and general manager of Phoenix-based Associated Companies, a group of advertising and promotional agencies specializing in the retail automotive industry.

Perkins was successful during his first two stops, developing business and promotional opportunities at each. His experience, combined with lessons learned from watching his father and role model, Jim, ultimately prepared Perkins for joining Hendrick Motorsports in 1999.

When he arrived at Hendrick Motorsports, Perkins quickly transitioned into the role of director of marketing services. In August 2002, he was named the director of marketing, and five years later he became the vice president of marketing.

No matter his title, though, Perkins has surrounded himself with highly talented, quality employees to assist in leading the department’s daily operations. He enjoys a career where he can combine his two passions – racing and the automotive business.

Perkins acknowledges his parents, particularly his father, a former General Motors and Toyota executive, as tremendous influences in his life. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Mary, and daughter, Julia, exercising and competing in triathlons.

Lauri Wilks
Executive Vice President of Management and Administration,
Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte

Marylaurel Eberhart Wilks grew up in Jackson, Michigan near Michigan International Speedway where her mother was the Controller.  During her high school and college days, she worked as an intern at Roger Penske’s Michigan International Speedway and while in law school, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Wilks graduated from Jackson High School and received her BA cum laude degree in History and Political Science at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. in 1990.

Wilks graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law in May, 1993.  At Wake Forest Wilks co-founded of the Sports & Entertainment Law Association and she urged the administration to develop a sports-law class.  The year after Lauri graduated, Wake began the class.

In August 1993, Wilks was hired to work in the Events Department at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  One month later she was promoted to Corporate Counsel of Charlotte Motor Speedway, which was a first in speedway history.  Within 18 months Wilks assisted Bruton Smith and Humpy Wheeler to form Speedway Motorsports, Inc. which included Charlotte (or Lowe’s), and Atlanta Motor Speedways.  In 1995, this corporation became public and was traded on the New York Stock Exchange. At that time Wilks took on the additional responsibilities of Investor Relations and Corporate Secretary for the new public company.  In 1997, she was promoted to General Counsel, and Vice President of Communications of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. In 2006, Wilks was promoted to Senior Vice President of Administration of Lowe’s Motor Speedway where she oversaw the ticketing, logistics, finance and legal operations at the speedway, as well as the operations of the Speedway Club. Recently, she was promoted to Executive Vice President of management and administration; her responsibilities have been expanded to include supervision of the speedway's executive team and administration of the facility's day-to-day operations. She continues to serve as vice president of communications for Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the track's parent company.

Lauri is married to Whit Wilks (Wake Forest, MBA-JD ’91) and they have 2 young boys Andrew and Bennett. The family lives in Charlotte.

Lauri is active in various organizations. Most notably, she is a member of the NC State Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County Bar Associations, The May 20th Society, Visitor’s Advisory Council, Women’s Impact Fund  and the National Investor Relations Institute.

She is currently serving on the following boards; Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce and the North Carolina Motorsports Association.

Awards and Honors:                                                                                                                               Click Here !!

1998   Women in Business Achievement Award, The Business Journal
2000   40 Under 40, The Business Journal
2004   Legal Elite by Business North Carolina
2007   Business Woman of the Year Finalist

Phi Alpha Theta Member - recognizing conspicuous attainments and scholarship in the field of history

Michael Schriefer
President, SGI/ChampBoat Series, LLC.

Michael T. Schriefer (age 43)
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Resides: Cornelius, NC
Position: President/Owner, F1 ChampBoat Series
Wife: Lauri - Children: Hannah (9), Julia (7) and Sarah (6)

Mike Schriefer, the racer...
Mike has been involved in motorsports his entire life. He started racing motocross at age 8, winning his first race at 11. He advanced all the way to the professional level competing in AMA national events (125/250cc pro) until he sustained career ending injuries at age 20. Mike then switch from two wheels to four, first in the desert where he raced in three Baja events, then moved into open wheel race cars. In auto racing he competed in SCCA, Formula Atlantic and sports cars, prior to turning his full attention to marketing and management in 1988 at age 25.

Mike Schriefer, the marketer…
In 1988 Schriefer founded Speedway Group, a Marketing and Management Company specializing in auto racing and premium automotive events. He managed several Indy drivers including; Kevin Cogan, Danny Sullivan, Emerson Fittipaldi and Unser just to name a few. Speedway Group specialized in the production of premium driving event services for the auto industry where they have now produced over 250 new product launch tours for over fifteen automotive brands including, BMW, Ferrari and Mercedes. To fulfill these driving events, Schriefer’s teams included over three hundred various professional racing drivers, with experience ranging from F1, Indy and NASCAR.  

In 2004, Schriefer acquired the F1 ChampBoat Series, now the #1 spectator sport on water. F1 powerboat racing has quickly become the premier powerboat racing sport in the world. The forty-year old sport needed to go back to its history and Schriefer has done that by rebuilding classic events in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Miami and San Diego. In addition, Schriefer saw that there was a need with newly developed downtown waterfronts, and this world class show didn’t need a stadium or race track built. F1 ChampBoat Series airs on SPEED CHANNEL, where Schriefer is the Executive Producer. Schriefer is now focused on applying simple automotive marketing techniques to the marine industry, starting with “performance marine festivals’ at ChampBoat events.

Doug Herbert
Owner and Driver, SnaponFranchise.com Top Fuel dragster

Doug Herbert, the 40-year-old veteran driver of the SnaponFranchise.com Top Fuel dragster, grew up around racing, becoming involved in motorsports early in his childhood. His father, Chet, was a pioneer in the sport of drag racing as a developer of the roller cam and zoomie headers, among many other innovations that are now standard in the sport. Doug’s aunt Doris, a respected motorsports journalist, and his father are both members of the prestigious Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

Doug began driving Alcohol dragster in 1986, moving to Top Fuel in 1991, where he has achieved many highlights in his 17 years of competition. He became the quickest driver in NHRA history and the first to crack the 4.80-elapsed time barrier in 1992, also recording the second ever 300-mph run and the first to do it during competition. Doug is a four-time IHRA champion, dominating that circuit until he moving to full-time competition on the NHRA tour. He has recorded nine NHRA national event victories, including a win at Reading in 2007 that placed him in the inaugural Countdown to the Championship, and has finished in the top 10 ten times in his distinguised career.

His career best performances include a 4.441 elapsed time (eighth quickest in history) at 330.63 mph. For 2008, Herbert will partner with Snap-on Tools for 13th consecutive season, proudly touting the benefits of being a Snap-on franchisee with the SnaponFranchise.com Top Fuel dragster.

          Want to know more about the Doug Herbert Racing, click the icon !!