Ivy Council

Case Study Leader

Dr. Charles Dwyer

Dr. Charles Dwyer has been on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania since 1966. He has held positions as Chairman of the Board of the Wharton Center for Applied Research, Director of Wharton's Management and Behavioral Science Center, and Faculty Coordinator for Wharton's Effective Executive Development Programs. He is currently the Academic Director for the Aresty Institute's Managing People Program in the Wharton School. Dr. Dwyer has thirty years of experience in corporate and organizational consulting and executive development. His client list includes IBM, Dupont, Xerox, AT&T, General Electric, The New York Stock Exchange, Polaroid, Texaco, R.J.R./Nabisco, General Mills, Pepsi Cola, Caterpillar, Pitney Bowes, The Buick Division of General Motors, Mercedes Benz, Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, Intel, Bates Advertising, The Justice Department, The General Services Administration, and The Federal Reserve System.

Workshop Leader

Bridget Gillespie Paverd

Born and educated in Johannesburg, South Africa, Gillespie Paverd has been a PR Practitioner since 1987. As president of BGP Publicity and Communication, she has worked for an array of clients, from sagging celebrities to corporate moguls, toxic producing paper mills, lascivious dual-faced politicians and saint-like philanthropists. She radically adjusted her client selection procedures six years ago, “I have to really like and respect what you stand for to work with you… my hired gun days are over.” The American Lung Association and Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco and the University of KwaZulu Natal remain her firm’s major clients. Gillespie Paverd has offices in Wilmington, Delaware and Philadelphia. Gillespie Paverd has won several awards locally, regionally and nationally for her pioneering leadership as a PR Practitioner. With her unique global experience and her no-nonsense modus operandi, Gillespie Paverd’s inspiring work has elevated the visibility of controversial issues such as tobacco control, discrimination, education, addiction, embryonic stem cell research and air quality. BGP Publicity is particularly well known for raising the visibility of organizations and their leaders. “Making people relevant,” she calls it. “ And keeping them relevant.” Before starting her own company, Gillespie Paverd worked as public affairs manager for Africa’s largest plastic and glass manufacturing conglomerate, Consol. She attributes this work experience, gained during South Africa’s dire apartheid era, as the most valuable ever. “As a white South African woman, viewed by many as part of the apartheid regime simply because of the color of my skin, I had to negotiate with African leaders and businessmen in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland and other Sub Saharan countries. I learned very rapidly that a sound communication strategy is half learned, half instinct. Basic Instinct. We just have to recognize and respect our PR intuition.” Gillespie Paverd relocated to the USA in 1994 and became a naturalized US citizen in 2001. Gillespie Paverd serves as Publicity Chair on the Delaware Press Association Board, is an active member of the Federation of Press Women, Advertising Federation of America, Public Relations Society of America and AAUW.

Panelist

Jean Hester

Jean Hester is Executive Director, Production Administration, ABC STUDIOS, where she handles administration, operations and logistics for staff and freelance employees, and acts as a liaison between series and the Studio. In addition, she works as a Production Executive on comedies and variety shows, including the current seventh season of “Scrubs.” Since joining the Studio in 2002, Hester has overseen the administration of the ABC Production Associates Program (part of ABC’s Talent Development Group), as well as managing the ABC College Internship Program.

After graduating with a BFA in Drama (Directing) from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA in Cinema Production from the University of Southern California, Hester worked in both television (sitcoms, talk shows, reality shows, long form) and features before joining the Walt Disney Company as a Project Manager, producing road tours, short films, tradeshows and special events. A brief stint in 2001 as a Production Executive at Buena Vista Television followed prior to joining Touchstone Television (now called ABC Studios).

Panelist

Vicky Kyproglou

Vicky Kyproglou is Managing Director and Head of Payments and Cash Management for Wealth Management Americas. In this role, she manages funding, liquidity and cash management needs, as well as collecting and disbursing funds for the Firm. Vicky began her career as a credit analyst with Dun & Bradstreet. She later moved to banking with Bank of America as a Relationship Manager providing cash management products to the financial services industry. Vicky joined UBS in 1991 as a Network Management analyst. She is a steering committee member for All Bar None, the women’s network at UBS, and co-chair of the 2007 Women’s Leadership Conference. Vicky also has been active in the Securities Industry Association (SIA) and Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) since 2000.

Panelist

Robert Slegelmilch

Robert “Sledge” Slegelmilch was appointed vice president of Technical Operations, Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors (MS2) in July 2005. In this capacity, he is responsible for an engineering organization comprising 6,000 people. He has direct responsibility for providing people, process, and technology leadership in radar, command and control, weapons systems engineering, software, hardware design and development. Mr. Slegelmilch joined Lockheed Martin in 1984. He held leadership positions supporting the Department of Defense and NASA programs with systems including ground, defense and civil spacecraft, and communication and power systems. He began his career as a ground systems hardware design engineer in Re-entry Systems, progressing to chief engineer in 1992. Transferring to Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Mr. Slegelmilch served in multiple levels of ground systems engineering management. In 1996, he was named director of engineering and in 1998 was named director of Government Programs for the Communication and Power Center, where he ran LOB operations supporting all DOD, NASA and special programs. In 2001, Mr. Slegelmilch joined Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems as technical integration director, responsible for driving integration initiatives across multiple M&DS regions, lines of business, Space Systems, and other Lockheed Martin companies. Mr. Slegelmilch also served as deputy vice president of engineering at Integrated Systems Solutions, where he led internal operations of the engineering organization and multiple, large, cross-regional integration initiatives. Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Slegelmilch served as vice president of MS2’s Technical Operations-Moorestown. In this role, he was responsible for 2,000 technical and engineering people supporting eight lines of business. Mr. Slegelmilch is a member of the board of directors for INROADS Mid Atlantic region. He is a member of the Villanova University Dean of Engineering Industry Advisory Board and the Dean of Electrical and Computer Engineering Industry Advisory Board. He also served as the Local Lockheed Martin MS2 United Way Chairman in 2004 and 2005 and served as the Lockheed Martin executive sponsor of the Minorities in Engineering Program. He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University in 1984 and his master’s degree in engineering science from Pennsylvania State University in 1990. He is also a 2007 graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Manager Program. Mr. Slegelmilch also enjoys coaching sports, collecting toy trains, and actively participates in school and church activities. Also a graduate of Villanova University, his wife Chris and he have one child, Paul.

Panelist

Gordon Zacks

Gordon B. Zacks is Chairman of the Columbus, Ohio-based R.G. Barry Corporation. Trusted confidante of President George H.W. Bush and friend of President Ronald Reagan, Mr. Zacks met privately with them to discuss US-Israel relations, the Middle East peace process, Soviet Jewry, and the changing political landscape of the American Jewish community. Mr. Zacks was a member of President Reagan's Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations, a member of President Bush's Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and the Advisory Committee for the North American Free Trade Agreement, and Chairman of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service Advisory.