Professor Michael Clement, Professor of Accounting, University of Texas at Austin

Michael Clement is an associate professor in the Department of Accounting, at the McCombs School of Business, at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Clement received his BBA (magna cum laude) from Baruch College in 1980, his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1988, and his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1997. His research interests include security analysis, financial accounting, financial markets and statement analysis. Dr. Clement is the recipient of numerous awards, including the CBA Foundation Research Excellence Award for Assistant Professors for 2003-2004.

Dr. Clement is credited for providing much of the inspiration for the PhD Project, a nationwide program to encourage targeted minorities—African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and Puerto Ricans—to enter business school doctoral programs. Armed with an MBA from the University of Chicago, he had held a great job with Citicorp but left it for Stanford’s PhD program to work with its leading faculty. Clement had realized that what he wanted out of his life was to make a long-term contribution. And for him, teaching and research was the way to make it.

Dr. Clement has been involved with City ACES since its inception, and has been played a pivotal role in all of its activities since.

Kevin Knotts, Principal Consultant for the Federal Consulting Practice

Kevin Knotts is a Principal Consultant with the Computer Sciences Corporation’s (CSC) Federal Consulting (Defense Logistics) Practice, a certified Project Manager Professional, and team Lead for L&SCM and POC for Army PEO Ammo Program and Army Business Area.

Kevin has over 30 years experience in logistics, training, and finance. The first 21 years were in Army logistics operations as an Ordnance Officer. Kevin’s assignments were in both the Army’s wholesale logistics and field service organizations. His wholesale logistics experience was at the Tank and Automotive Command where he was a contracting/project officer, and later the Executive Officer to the Commanding General. His field service positions included, Army G-4 Readiness Branch Chief, Battalion Commander, Brigade XO, Brigade S3, and during Desert Storm he was the Executive Officer of the 66th Maintenance Battalion that deployed with the 10th Special Forces Group, Operations Support Command.

Kevin traded Army Green for Corporate Grey in 1998. He cut his teeth in consulting with
PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM, focusing on supply chain logistics, process improvement, and finance. Kevin then partnered with Dr. Jay Sculley (former Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition Logistics and Technology) at Horne Engineering in 2004 and established a supply chain logistics group specializing in munitions. In 2005 Kevin moved his group to CSC. He currently manages a logistics consulting group with expertise in supply chain logistics to include: supply chain assessments, industrial base assessments, acquisition, public private partnerships, and business process re-engineering.

Kevin holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from the Virginia Military Institute and a Masters Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in finance and accounting from Babson College.

Kevin’s service awards include: The Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Army Staff Badge, Parachute Badge, various other decorations for Gulf War Service, and the Army Material Command’s Besson Award for Contract Excellence.

Kevin is married to the former Diane Gail Karnilla from Homestead, Florida.

Peter Speaks, Deputy Secretary and Special Adviser to the Pennsylvania Governor (Ed Rendell) for Minority, Women-Owned and Disadvantaged Business Development

Peter Speaks currently serves as Deputy Secretary and Special Advisor to the Governor for Minority, Women-Owned and Disadvantaged Business Development. Speaks formerly served as Deputy Secretary for Administration for the Department of General Services, where he oversaw the Bureau of Minority and Women-Owned Business Opportunities. In his new capacity, Speaks will have a much broader level of responsibility to help create greater participation and growth among minority and women-owned businesses.

In 2001, as deputy auditor general for performance audits, Speaks established the Auditor General’s first Minority and Women-Owned Business Statewide Task Force and conducted the performance audit of the commonwealth’s minority and women-owned business program, which has served as the foundation for Governor Rendell’s minority and women-owned business program. Speaks initially joined state government in 1990 as a Hearing Officer in the Department of Insurance. In 1992, Speaks was appointed as Director of the Office of Hearing and Appeals for the Department of Public Welfare. Speaks was appointed as Deputy Auditor General for Performance Audits by Robert P. Casey, Jr. in 1999.

Speaks is a graduate of Morehouse College, in Atlanta, Georgia, and Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, California. During the earlier part of his legal career, Speaks worked for Duquesne Light Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as corporate counsel and Director of Governmental Relations, overseeing the company’s Harrisburg Office.

Former Councilmember Patricia Stringer

Patricia Stringer is a native Pennsylvanian, a member of the Greater Harrisburg Area Interdenominational Ministers Conference ‘s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Development Class of 2009; former member of Harrisburg City Council (2000 – 2004); member of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Executive Office (1973 – 1975) serving under Pennsylvania Governors: Milton J. Shapp, Dick Thornburgh and the late Robert P. Casey; tax collector for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue (1995 – 2001); and a Agent for the Pennsylvania Office of Inspector General (2001 – 2004); served as member of the United States Army Reserves (1974 -1986) as a administrative specialist with the 316th Station Hospital (300 Bed).

Prior to relocating to Harrisburg, worked in Pittsburgh for Sears, Roebuck and Company and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Ms. Stringer graduated from the United States Army NCO Academy at Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, Pennsylvania (1977) and Duff’s Business Institute (1968) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Patricia Stringer has traveled extensively as a Friendship Force ambassador and delegate to the following countries:

United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales); Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Germany Lichenstein, Switzerland, France, Korea, China and Taiwan. She has also visited Egypt, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico,Canada, and the islands of Jamaica, Bahamas and Virgin Islands.

She has served on the board of directors of the Harrisburg Multicultural Coalition; Greater Harrisburg YWCA; Camp Curtin Branch YMCA; Metro Arts of the Capital Region; United Negro College Fund, Greater Harrisburg Branch NAACP, Urban League Guild of Metropolitan Harrisburg and the Harrisburg Human Relations Commission. She has held memberships in the National League of Cities (National Black Caucus of Local and Elected Officials), Black Women’s Caucus of Harrisburg; American Legion Post 733, Women’s Political Network of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania League of Women Voters and the Central Pennsylvania Family of Leaders.

Ms. Stringer is the sister-in-law of the Class of 2009 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Coach, C. Vivian Stringer,head coach of Rutgers University’s Women Basketball Team; former aunt of the late Minnesota Vikings tackle (#77), Korey Stringer and cousin of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Prescott Burgess (#54) and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker (#52) David Herron, Jr.

John Greene, Executive Director of Big 33 Scholarship Foundation, Inc.

Penn State University followers and fans may remember John Greene as offensive co-captain of the 1988 Nittany Lion football team. A fullback as a senior, Greene also played tailback and safety during his Penn State career. He was a member of the 1986 National Championship team as well as the 1985 squad that played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the national title.

Winning three football letters as a member of the Nittany Lions, he finished his career with 815 yards on 167 attempts, an average of 4.9 yards per try. Greene scored eight rushing touchdowns and was the Lions’ second-leading ground gainer as a junior. He was the No. 3 rusher in 1988. Greene caught 19 passes for 240 yards and a TD in the 1987-88 seasons.

After college, John worked at two ‘Fortune 500 Companies’; Merrill Lynch and IBM. He developed a strong background in finance, which contributed to him becoming a successful businessman. Eventually, John returned to Penn State University, as the Associate Director of Athletic Development. He was instrumental in raising millions of dollars for the university throughout his tenure. The experience John gained from his previous positions contributed to his excellent qualifications that lead him to becoming Executive Director of the Big 33.

In the future, John’s vision is to evolve the top rated high school all-star football game, as well as expand the Scholarship and Buddy Programs. As an Ohio native, he is committed to advancing the relationship between PA and OH. John lives in Etters, with his wife Mitch, and their two children; John Francis, Age 8, and Sadie, age 6.

“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
-Barack Obama