DIvIDEnD - Stephen M. Ross School of Business - University of ...

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relationships with hedge fund and private
equity sponsors. Sherman co-founded
JME Management LLC, a distressed and
special situation investment vehicle, where
he played a key role in the formation of the
investor group and in raising financing for
the acquisition of Diversified Machines (Uniboring
Inc.) by the Carlyle Group and JME.
Trent N. Tappe, BBA/MAcc ’90, has been
named senior VP and chief corporate
governance and securities counsel at
Warner Music Group, the only stand-alone
music company in the U.S. to be publicly
traded. In addition to his responsibilities in
corporate governance, securities law, and
securities compliance, Trent also is in charge
of coordinating the company’s corporate
secretary function. He is a member of the
disclosure committee and the SOX steering
committee. Prior to joining Warner Music in
2004, Trent was an associate at Shearman &
Sterling LLP, a New York law firm. He has a
JD from Columbia Law School.
Steven Tuch, BBA ’90, recently joined
the Greenwich, Conn., office of Atlantic-
Pacific Capital as co-head of direct private
placements. The firm assists clients in
meeting a variety of capital-raising objectives,
including acquisition financing, project
financing, recapitalizations, distressed
or special situations, joint ventures, and
growth capital. Prior to this position, Steven
spent four years at Deutsche Bank as a
managing director in equity capital markets
and also as head of the firm’s private equity
placement group. Before that, he was with
Thomas Weisel Partners and Montgomery
Securities.
Christopher Leader, MBA ’91, recently was
hired as COO of Hoshizaki America. He is
a former officer in the United States Navy.
Most recently, Christopher headed operations
at Skyline Corp., a NYSE company in
the manufactured housing and recreational
vehicle industries. Prior to Skyline, he was
affiliated with TREK Bicycle Corp., where
he also was responsible for operations.
Steven Morgan, MBA ’91, has been promoted
to managing director of institutional sales
for FBR Capital Markets Corp., a leading
investment bank serving the middle market.
Steven is a 13-year veteran of FBR’s institutional
sales team. A CPA, he began his
career as an accountant at Deloitte, Haskins
& Sells and then became an acquisition specialist
for Heitman Financial. He also spent
several years in corporate finance at HBO.
Robert Bennett, MBA ’92, has been
appointed a committee chair of the
National Investor Relations Institute of
Boston. Rob joined BioCryst Pharmaceuticals
as executive director, business development
and investor relations, in April 2009. For
the previous four years, he was executive
director, investor relations, at Merck KGaA
and Serono SA. From 2001 to 2005 he was
senior director, investor relations and corporate
communications, for Celera. In addition
to nine years of investor relations and communications
experience, Rob spent 13 years
in various commercial roles in the specialty
chemicals industry, including international
marketing, product management, sales, and
business development.
alumni updates{ClassNotes}
James Danko, MBA ’92, the Helen and
William O’Toole Dean of the Villanova
School of Business, has been elected to
the board of directors of the Graduate
Management Admission Council (GMAC).
Established in 1953, GMAC is a nonprofit
organization of graduate business schools
worldwide. Based in McLean, Va., GMAC
owns and administers the GMAT exam.
As a GMAC director, James collaborates
with other board members to ensure
effective and strategic operation of the
organization. The board monitors GMAC’s
activities, projects, and programs to ensure
its mission is present in each.
Steve Simoncic, BBA ’92, is chief creative
officer at independent marketing communications
firm Jacobson Rost. He joined
Jacobson Rost from PEAK6 Energie, the
marketing division of PEAK6 Investments
LLP, where he served as CCO and helped
establish the innovative financial services
firm’s branding division. Previously, Steve
was a senior VP and creative director at
Leo Burnett Worldwide, where he created
award-winning campaigns for leading
global brands during his 15-year tenure.
When he’s not copywriting, directing TV
spots, or collaborating with clients and
team members, Steve spends his leisure
time playing in his band and writing plays.
marc A. Wites, BBA ’91,
a shareholder of Wites & Kapetan, P.A., authored
the 2009 edition of Florida Causes of Action
(James Publishing Inc.), and the 2009 edition of
The Florida Litigation Guide (www.flalitguide.com).
Marc has authored these publications since 2007
and 1997, respectively. In August 2009 he argued
before the Florida Supreme court, which issued
a ruling in favor of his client. Marc represents
investors in securities arbitrations and class actions,
and injured persons and families in personal injury
and wrongful death actions. he resides in Boca Raton, Fla., with his wife,
Jennifer, and sons, Asher and leo.
spring 2010 DIvIDEnD 55