Riverside Military Academy Board of Trustees
Lucile E. Beaver, Emerita
Daughter of General & Mrs. Sandy Beaver, Mrs. Beaver has been a member of the board since 1970. A resident of Arlington, Va., she earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Agnes Scott College, a master's degree from the University of Georgia and a master's degree from Columbia University's School of Library Science. In 1954, Ms. Beaver accepted a civilian position with the U.S. Army in Europe and was employed as a librarian by Army Special Services, the organization whose responsibilities included the delivery of library servies to USAREUR communities. She was stationed in Germany, and after two years, she was promoted to assistant command librarian. This command was responsible for 45 libraries. In 1959, Mrs. Beaver was transferred from Germany to Washington, D.C. for a position in the overseas recruiting team of Army Special Services. This five-person team was responsible for recruiting personnel to staff service clubs, libraries, arts and entertainment facilities. In 1963, she accepted a position as reference librarian in the library of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) in Washington, D.C. and was later promoted to chief, Reference Branch of the FAA Library. This department was later merged into the Department of Transportation. In 1982, Mrs. Beaver retired from the position of director of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation Library in Washington, D.C. During her time of service, Mrs. Beaver was listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Government, and Who's Who of American Women.
Frederick J. Kennedy, '64, Chairman
Mr. Fred Kennedy is a 1964 graduate of Riverside Military Academy. He is a distinguished military graduate of The Citadel where he received his Bachelor of Arts in political science. He later earned master's degrees in psychology and special education from Georgia State University and Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. Mr. Kennedy spent his first career in the U.S. Army as an infantry and special forces officer. He taught at the Infantry School and the Special Warfare School. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1990 and then served as senior army instructor and later president of North Carolina's Oak Ridge Military Academy as well as assistant commandant at The Citadel. He also worked in the private sector with several different business enterprises. He is chairman of the founding board of trustees of the North Carolina Leadership Academy.
A decorated veteran, Mr. Kennedy has served as past president of the Retired Officers Association and the Military Order of the World Wars. He joined the Riverside board of trustees in February 2006 and served as chairman from 2006-2009. He and his wife, Nancy, are residents of Mt. Pleasant, SC. They have two sons - Matthew and Christopher.
Ira J. Middleberg, Esq., '66, Vice Chairman
Mr. Middleberg is a Managing Partner, and heads the Business Services Section in real estate and construction litigation. He graduated from Riverside Military Academy in 1966. He attended the Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he received a Juris Doctor degree in May 1973. Mr. Middleberg was an Assistant City Attorney for the City of New Orleans from 1973 to 1981 under the administrations of Mayor Moon Landrieu and Mayor Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial where he was in charge of real estate and construction litigation. He served as General Counsel to the New Orleans Aviation Board from 1994 to 2002. He was primarily responsible for overseeing $200,000,000 of new construction and renovations and the airport's regulatory matters. In the Metropolitan New Orleans area, Mr. Middleberg has overseen the Firm's representation of clients developing over 1,000 hotel rooms and zoning and permitting issues for Harrah's Casino, as well as representing large shopping centers in all construction matters. He is the author of "Louisiana Foreclosure Synopsis," The National Mortgage Servicer's Reference Directory (Fifth Edition), Vernon Enterprises, Publisher, 1988. He is also co-author of the Louisiana Section of the Residential Mortgage Lending: State Regulation Manual - South Central Region (1991). He has served as Special Counsel to the Attorney General, State of Louisiana and Special Counsel to the Insurance Commissioner, State of Louisiana. He has served as judge pro tempore of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. Mr. Middleberg is admitted to practice law in the state of Louisiana, District of Columbia, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. In his commitment to education, he has founded an endowed scholarship at the University of Southern Mississippi, served on the USM Board of Directors and was past president of the Foundation Board, served as a member of the Loyola University Law School Visiting Law Committee, and serves on the Riverside Military Academy Board of Trustees and on numerous local non-profit Boards.
Arnold B. Evans, Treasurer
Mr. Evans graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point) in May 1988. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Army Air Defense Artillery until 1993. As a Captain, he held many leadership and planning positions of increasing responsibility in the United States, Europe and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Evans led between 39-150 soldiers in a broad range of training, logistics and operational missions. After leaving the Army, he attended the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia where he received his Master in Business Administration followed by graduating from The School of Law at the University of Virginia in 1997. Upon receiving his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Evans went to work for JP Morgan Financial Institutions Group in New York. He was later promoted to Vice President, Equity Capital Markets and served in this role from 1999-2005. In 2005, Mr. Evans moved to SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (STRH) in Atlanta, GA. He is currently Managing Director and Head of the Equity Capital Markets Originations Group and oversees 80+ Client Managers who are responsible for 1,000+ corporate clients. In addition, Mr. Evans serves as a Corporate Leadership Council Member for Fernbank Museum of Natural History and is a member of the New York Bar Association. He is also a former Alumni Counsel Member for the University of Virginia School of Law and a former U.S. Chairman for The British-American Project (BAP).
Steven T. (Terry) Clontz, Secretary
Mr. Clontz is a veteran in the telecoms industry with over 38 years of experience. He began his career in the U.S. and has worked internationally for the past 24 years. He lives in Atlanta where he stewards the North American and European Telecoms investments for Singapore Technologies Telemedia, Temasek's wholly owned strategic investor/operator for a global portfolio of info-communications businesses. He began his career as an engineer with Southern Bell in 1973. He moved to the new subsidiary, BellSouth International, in 1987 and held senior executive positions involving corporate development activities in Latin America, Western Europe, Asia, and Australia. He served his last three years with BellSouth as President of the Asia/Pacific Region where he was responsible for corporate development and investment stewardship. He served as CEO and President of New York-based IPC Information Systems Inc., a global leader in specialized Voice trading systems for the financial industry from 1995-1998.
Mr. Clontz moved to Singapore in 1999 to head the start-up venture, StarHub. Since commencing commercial operations in April 2000, StarHub has become the second largest telecommunications company in Singapore. He served as StarHub’s CEO until his retirement in December 2009 and has remained a non-executive member of the board. He also serves as a non-executive Director for StarHub's wholly owned subsidiary Nucleus Connect, which is building fiber based next generation broadband services for every home and business in Singapore. He has served as an independent Director of InterDigital Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:IDCC) since 1998 and became non-executive Chairman in January 2010. InterDigital invents and licenses wireless technologies, owning a large patent portfolio involving hundreds of essential patents in wireless technologies. In April 2005, he was appointed to the board of Equinix (NASDAQ:EQIX), the largest global provider of carrier-neutral data centers. He joined Global Crossing's (NASDAQ:GLBC) Executive Committee of the Board in January 2004. Global Crossing provides telecommunications services over a global IP-based network. He was appointed a non-executive director for Eircom Limited, Ireland's largest Telecommunications operator, in 2010. He also serves as an Advisory Board member for Borderless HealthCare Group (Singapore), a private investment company focused on the convergence of ICT and Healthcare.
Margaret O. Blackstock
Margaret Owen Blackstock of Atlanta is known for her many volunteer leadership positions over the years, particularly in educational institutions. Her late husband, Jerry Byron Blackstock, RMA Class of 1962, was Chairman of the Academy's Board of Trustees from 2002 until his death in 2006. Mrs. Blackstock is a native of Charlotte, NC and a graduate of Brenau University in Gainesville. She served as President of the Brenau Alumni Association and repeatedly received the Alumnae Leadership Award as well as being the recipient of the Outstanding Alumna Award and The Service to Brenau Award. In 2002 she was named to the University’s Roll of Honor. In addition to her work as an alumnae with Brenau, Mrs. Blackstock has been involved with various parent leadership organizations related to her children's educations. She served as President of both the Trinity School Parents’ Association and the Woodward Academy Parents’ Association. Mrs. Blackstock also served on multiple capital campaign committees through her children's educational careers.
Mrs. Blackstock's involvement in the Atlanta community includes positions with the Atlanta Unit of the American Cancer Society, where she served on the Board of Trustees and Board of Advisors in addition to chairing the unit's Residential Crusade and the American Red Cross, where Mrs. Blackstock chaired the Fulton County Volunteers. Mrs. Blackstock has also served as President of the Circle for Children, an Atlanta based organization that supports Tallulah Falls School, where she was on the Board of Trustees. As an active member of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Mrs. Blackstock has held numerous leadership positions including Chairman of the Administrative Board and Chairman of the Board of Trustees. As a member of the Phi Mu Sorority, Mrs. Blackstock served on the local and district levels before being named National Public Relations Director and later being elected first as National Alumnae Vice President and then National President. Most recently, she chaired the organization's capitol campaign for the building of its national headquarters. Mrs. Blackstock's interests include history, travel, reading, running, photography and genealogy. She is a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, a past Trustee of its Board and a current member of its Council of Advisors. She has compiled and authored a book of her paternal family tree, The Lineage of the Reverend John Owen.
Counte Cooley
Mr. Counte Cooley (President/Owner) started with Electronic Sales Company, Inc. in 1958 as he held flashlights and passed tools to his dad. He built his first HAM radio transmitter at the age of eight and earned his HAM radio operator's license by the age of nine. He attended Southern Tech where he majored in electronics engineering. From 1967-72, he served in the Georgia National Guard Infantry with training in Advanced Infantry. He is now President and Owner of Electronic Sales Company and has attended more than 100 Electronic Security Seminars. He frequently speaks to the electronic security industry on security and business management topics. The most recent seminar he presented was to the National Poultry and Egg Association, concerning agro-terrorism. He is proud to have led his company since 1972 while meeting the standards of Underwriter Laboratories. In 1999, after many years of pursuing a National Listing by its industry trade publication, Electronic Sales Company finally obtained the listing of Position #99 in the "Top 100" listing of the SDM Magazine.
Mr. Cooley served for two years as President of the Georgia Burglar and Fire Alarm Association and four years as Director. He also served a two year term as Vice President of the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association and three years as a member of the “Strategic Planning Committee.” He was recently involved in chartering the new Georgia Electronic Life Safety and Systems Association (GELSSA) and served as Director. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors. In 2011, he was named to the Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board: Division of Low Voltage Contracts by Governor Nathan Deal, which serves to safeguard the public against faulty, inadequate, insufficient or unsafe electrical, plumbing, conditioned air or low voltage contracting, installation or repair. He is also President and Major Stockholder of Georgia Powder Coating in Gainesville, Georgia. He served as past President of the Gainesville Kiwanis Club. He serves on the Finance Committee at the Chattahoochee Country Club and as a member of the board for the University of North Georgia's School of Business. Mr. Cooley is co-founder, along with his wife Jackie, of the "For Her Glory" foundation which provides wigs for cancer patients that have no other means of obtaining one.
C. Brian Daniel
Mr. Brian Daniel of Gainesville, Georgia, is president and CEO of Carroll Daniel Construction Co. of Gainesville. Mr. Daniel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Auburn University and a Master of Science in building construction from Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia. His community involvement includes membership on the board of directors for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Daniel serves as a director of the Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia and Associated General Contractors. He and his wife, Kristin, are members of First Baptist Church of Gainesville and are the parents of a son, Stuart, and a daughter, Callie.
Thomas M. Finn
Mr. Finn was a charter member of the RMA Board of Visitors and served as a member of the BOV from 2010-2012. As principal attorney for the law firm Thomas M. Finn, LLC, he represents injured workers and Social Security disability applicants. He has been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell for 15 consecutive years. He has also been selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer in Super Lawyers, a rating service of outstanding lawyers, since 2010. He has served as presiding officer of the Workers' Compensation Sections of both the State Bar of Georgia and Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Finn’s service on the Governor's Workers' Compensation Advisory Commission and the successor Review Commission produced significant statutory changes, the first complete analysis of Georgia's workers' compensation system and white papers concerning both Commissions. As lead or Amicus attorney, he has been involved in numerous reported appellate decisions affecting workers' compensation law and practice. He has authored and presented papers at 25 seminars and legal symposiums.
Mr. Finn received his BA from Georgia State University, and he earned his JD degree from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. He has practiced law in Dalton, GA since 1973. He is married to Dr. Angela S. Finn, Ph.D. They have two children, Katherine and Michael. Michael is an alumnus of the RMA Class of 2007.
P. Alexander Fraser
Mr. Fraser retired as president of Turner Properties, Inc., a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System. He was responsible for overseeing the global facilities and security of all Turner properties worldwide. Duties included strategic real estate planning and portfolio management, supervision of building design and construction, security protection, supervision of property management services, oversight of technical facilities, and coordination of more than 500 Turner Properties employees in over 40 locations worldwide. He lives in Atlanta. Mr. Fraser has been responsible for the design and construction of the Turner section of Time Warner Center in New York, the establishment of Turner House, Turner's broadcast and sales facility in London, and the building of a new Asia broadcast and company regional headquarters in Hong Kong. In addition, he oversaw the significant expansion of Turner Entertainment Group's facilities at its mid-town Atlanta campus. This expansion included the design and construction of five new buildings that contain new studios, new broadcast control and equipment areas, and new space to house Turner's growing television and on-line networks such as TNT, TBS, PGA.com, and NASCAR.com. Prior to joining Turner in 1996, Mr. Fraser completed 24 years in the U.S. Navy, serving as a ship captain on destroyers and cruisers. His last command, the cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71), earned the Arizona Memorial Trophy for being the most combat-ready ship in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. USS Cape St. George is a guided missile cruiser that has the latest AEGIS radar, can guide 24 missiles simultaneously, carries two helicopters, and has a crew of 500. Mr. Fraser was commissioned in the Navy following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. He later earned a Master of Science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California and graduated from the National War College in Washington, D.C. He has served as President of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Riverside, Vice Chairman of the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, and on the Executive Committee of Central Atlanta Progress. He and his wife, Sheila, live in Atlanta. Their son is an investment banker in NYC for Deutsche Bank.
Bernard M. Freeman, ‘58
Mr. Freeman is a 1958 graduate of Riverside Military Academy. He attended the United States Military Academy from 1958 to 1960 and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Engineering with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1964. From 1964 to 1973 he held a variety of engineering positions with the Virginia Department of Highways, E.I. Dupont Engineering, and Construction and Allied Chemical Corp. Engineering. He joined Steel-Fab Inc. in Fitchburg, Massachusetts in 1973 as general manager. He purchased the company in 1979 and became chairman, president and CEO from 1979 to 2007. Since 2007 he has been chairman and treasurer. Mr. Freeman and his wife, Marcia, divide their time between homes in Vero Beach, Florida, and East Harwich, Massachusetts.
Felix A. Gonzalez Canto, '86
Felix Gonzalez Canto served as governor of the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico from 2005 to 2011. A native of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, he attended Riverside from eighth through twelfth grades, and graduated in 1986. He was battalion commander his senior year as well as class president each year from eighth through eleventh grades. Following graduation from Riverside, Mr. Gonzalez earned a degree in economics from the Technological and Higher Studies Institute in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Prior to entering the public sector, he was the coordinator of advisors for the Center of Finance and Economics at the Institute, and he also served as advisor to the president of CANACO on the subject of external commerce during the presidency of Victor Santin Padilla. His elected positions include mayor of Cozumel from 1999-2002, federal representative of the 59th Legislature of Congress of the Union for District 1, Quintana Roo; secretary of the committee of tourism of the Chamber of Representatives of the Congress of the Union, and representative of Mexico before the Central American Parliament in 2004. Mr. Gonzalez includes among his accolades and awards the earning of the Douglas McArthur Award presented to him personally by General McArthur's widow at Riverside Military Academy in 1986. He and his wife, Narcedalia Martin Villanueva, have two children, Victoria Patricia and Felix Lenin.
Charles A. James, '64
Mr. James, a 1964 graduate of Riverside Military Academy, also graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 1968 to 1992, he was employed by Kindley Yarns, Inc. and served as President and Treasurer from 1982-1992. He served as Chairman of the Board of Cabarrus Bank from 1996 to 2000. Currently, he is a Director of Frontier Spinning Mills and First Charter Corporation. He is also the owner of Charles James Farms and co-owner of Mt. Pleasant Bonded Warehouse. Mr. James is a resident of Fernandina Beach Florida and Georgetown, South Carolina where he is a member of the Winyah Indigo Society and De Bordieu Country Club. He began serving as a Riverside Trustee in September 2008.
James D. Kalmenson, '77
Mr. Kalmenson, a 1977 graduate of Riverside, has been active president and general manager of KWKW Radio and ESPN Deportes in Los Angeles, California since 1986. He also oversees all radio, television, and Internet operations for the family-owned Lotus Communications Corporation. Mr. Kalmenson is responsible for negotiating sports partnerships with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, LA Galaxy, and other major league sport franchises. In addition to Mr. Kalmenson’s behind-the-scenes career in the business of broadcasting, he is also known for his role as the host of a highly rated radio program in Los Angeles from 2001-2009. Mr. Kalmenson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in history from Southern Illlinois University in 1981 and a master's in business administration from Vanderbilt University in 1983. Before joining the family business, he was vice president of sales for South Carolina Radio Network and an account executive with WCNN Radio in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Brentwood (Los Angeles), California. They have two children, Leah and Jake.
Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman
In September 2005, Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman became the charter president of the new Georgia Gwinnett College, located in Lawrenceville, the first new 4-year college in Georgia in over 100 years. The mission of GGC is to provide baccalaureate level degrees that contribute to the economic development needs of Gwinnett County and the surrounding region. In addition to his duties at the college, Dr. Kaufman is a member of the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Partnership Gwinnett Steering Committee, a member of the Executive Committee of the Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development Committee, a member of the Board of Directors of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services. He is also a founding director of Touchmark National Bank. Prior to assuming his duties as president of Georgia Gwinnett College, he was a brigadier general in the U.S. Army, serving as Dean of the Academic Board and Chief Academic Officer at the U.S. Military Academy-West Point, a position from which he retired in June 2005. In his capacity as the chief academic officer, Dr. Kaufman was responsible for the design and implementation of the academic program at West Point. Prior to his selection as chief academic officer, he was Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences. Before being named Department Head, he was director of the International Relations and National Security Studies program at West Point. He has taught courses in international relations, comparative politics, national security affairs, U.S. foreign policy, and American politics and government.
Dr. Kaufman has written several books, the most recent being Understanding International Relations. His other books include U.S. National Security Strategy for the 1990s, U.S. National Security: A Framework for Analysis; Democracy, Strategy, and Vietnam; and NATO at Forty: Change, Continuity, and Prospects. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1968. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of Armor and awarded a Bachelor of Science degree. He also holds a Masters of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and a Doctorate in Philosophy in Political Science from the MIT. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Studies Association, and the American Political Science Association. Upon retirement from active duty, he was honored by the British government as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.). He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honorary Society. Dr. Kaufman's military service includes tours with cavalry and armor units in the U.S. and Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star for heroism and two Purple Hearts for wounds sustained during combat. He has served as a member of the National Security Council staff in the White House and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He also served as a Special Assistant to three Chiefs of Staff of the Army. He was a member of the Department of Defense Presidential Transition Team in 1992. He was involved in the development of the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, which opened in Kabul in April 2005. He and his wife, Kathryn, are both natives of Brunswick, Georgia. They have two children, Emily and David; one granddaughter, Emma; and one grandson, Connor.
Charlie J. (Jody) Lail, Jr.
Mr. Lail is the president and CEO of the Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia, which opened in September 2008. Mr. Lail led the organization through regulatory approval, capital-raising and the pre-opening organizational process; he also serves as a director of the bank. His previous bank experience includes tenures at Quantum National Bank and SunTrust Bank. Mr. Lail earned a Bachelor of Science engineering degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, his juris doctorate from Georgia State University College of Law, and a master's from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He served in the Georgia National Guard from 1988 to 1995. Mr. Lail is a native of Atlanta and a long-time resident of south Hall County, Georgia. He and his wife, Nancy, have two sons.
Kenneth L. McKelvey
Mr. Ken McKelvey is Chairman and CEO of Defender Resorts, Inc. The company and its subsidiaries are involved in vacation ownership property management, resales, and rentals. The company represents 19 timeshare resorts located predominantly in the southeastern United States and the Caribbean. Mr. McKelvey is a CPA recognized by the ARDA Educational Institute as a Registered Resort Professional (RRP). He is a licensed builder in South Carolina and a Real Estate Broker in both North and South Carolina. He currently serves on the American Resort Development Association Investment Committee and the Management Committee. He is Chairman of the ARDA-Resort Owners Coalition Executive Council and is past Chairman of ARDA-Carolina. He also serves as a member of the ARDA Board of Directors and as a member of its Executive Committee as well as a Trustee. He is a member of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors and the Myrtle Beach Tourism Committee. He has been a featured presenter at many industry conferences.
Mr. McKelvey is an ordained Deacon of his church and served as chairman of a capital building program that successfully doubled the size of the church building. Previously, he was partner and principal in a CPA firm for 15 years; controller and financial vice president for a large privately-held industrial maintenance and real estate development firm; and a participant in the development of numerous timeshare resorts in Myrtle Beach, SC. He is a graduate of USC-Columbia and holds a degree in Business Administration. He and his wife, Rachel, are parents of a current RMA cadet.
Richard M. Nichols
Mr. Nichols joined the Board in October 2006. A native of Cynthiava, Kentucky, he is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Mr. Nichols served as a history, government and economics instructor at Riverside Military Academy from 1962 until his retirement in 2000. During those years, he also served as basketball coach, assistant principal, athletic director, activities director, drama director, and advisor for the Horton Society. He is now an active community volunteer and serves as the sports announcer for Riverside Military Academy athletic events.
J. Allen Nivens Jr.
Mr. Nivens is the Director of Corporate Sales for Indigo Energy, an oil distribution company in Alpharetta, Georgia. Mr. Nivens was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in management from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1997 with a minor in finance. Prior to college, he attended and graduated from The Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina. His community involvement includes chairing the John Jarrard Foundation, serving on the executive board of the Gainesville State College Foundation, the executive board of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and the First Methodist Church Lay Leadership Committee. He was named Hall County Young Man of the Year in 2007 and received the Silver Shovel Award from the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. He serves on the finance committees of the United Way of Hall County and the Chattahoochee Country Club. He is a board member of First Century Bank. Mr. Nivens and his wife, Meg, are the parents of two daughters, Sara and Annie. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2009.
Daniel G. "Bud" Oakey, '75
Mr. Oakey is Chairman and Managing Director of Advantus Strategies, LLC. He specializes in assisting and growing strategic business relationships with local, state, and federal governments, crisis public relations and influencing public policy issues impacting clients. Mr. Oakey has been an active participant in numerous transportation projects and economic development issues throughout Virginia over the last 20 years, including the routing of Interstate 73 through Virginia, the expansion of Interstate 81 from the Tennessee to West Virginia borders and numerous economic development site locations and negotiations. He has represented business interests before the Virginia General Assembly since 1989 and previously represented economic development interests before Louisiana's legislature and administration.
Mr. Oakey's extensive communications background includes serving as Louisiana Press Secretary for former President George Bush's 1988 election campaign. He also served as a member of Virginia Governor James S. Gilmore, III's transition team responsible for initial public policy recommendations concerning the Virginia Department of Transportation. He is an appointed member of several Advisory Committees of the Joint Commission on Science and Technology including Technology in Transportation, Topics in Law and Technology, Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act (UCITA), and the Uniform Electronic Technology Act (UETA) and Privacy. In addition, Mr. Oakey has extensive experience in developing government relations programs for business groups at all levels of government and enjoys a strong background in information technology, economic development, transportation, environmental policy and regulatory matters.
Andy Talkington, ‘71
Mr. Talkington, an RMA graduate and Battalion Commander in the class of 1971, is a Senior Client Partner in Korn/Ferry International’s Houston office. He is a member of the firm’s Global Industrial Market where he specializes in the Board and CEO Services Practice and Energy, Chemicals, Crop Science and Mining Sub-Sectors. He is also the co-leader of the Global Chemicals and Crop Science Practice. He has over 16 years of executive recruitment experience, placing mostly Board of Director, CEO and executive-level management positions within the industrial field. He has conducted over 350 global searches for private equity, venture capital, and small to large private and public companies in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Talkington accumulated over 20 years of management experience in the agricultural, energy, chemicals, and mining industries. Prior to entering the search business, Talkington was vice president of Occidental Chemical Corporation, a division of Occidental Petroleum Corporation. He received both his master of engineering and Bachelor of Science degrees in chemical engineering from Cornell University. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Houston with their two children, Hayley and Jack.
Jeffrey S. Weiner, Esq., '66
Following his years as a cadet at Riverside Military Academy, Mr. Weiner attended the University of Miami, where he was voted a member of the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the University's highest honor. In 1974, Mr. Weiner earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he was president of the Student Bar Association, Moot Court winner and an intern with the Cook County Public Defender. Mr. Weiner began private practice in Miami in 1974. He formed a law firm which evolved into one of the largest exclusively criminal defense law firms in the nation. Seventeen years later, he formed a smaller criminal defense law firm, known as Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A., in which he is the managing partner.
For almost 40 years, Mr. Weiner has been a practicing criminal defense attorney. He has argued trials and appeals in state and Federal courts throughout Florida and the United States, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Florida Supreme Court and numerous Federal and state Courts of Appeal. As an international criminal defense lawyer, Mr. Weiner has represented clients all over the world. Mr. Weiner has been invited to lecture on constitutional criminal law and procedural topics before practicing lawyers, law students, law enforcement personnel and dozens of bar associations and seminars throughout the U.S. Mr. Weiner was a Regent and faculty member of the National Criminal Defense College at Mercer University School of Law. Mr. Weiner is a Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification and a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. He has authored many peer-reviewed articles in national legal publications. Mr. Weiner is a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and of the Florida Criminal Defense Attorneys Association. He was also Chair of the Miami-Dade County Bar Association Criminal Courts Committee and of the Criminal Law Section of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. Mr. Weiner has been consistently voted by his peers for inclusion in the “Best Lawyers in America®” "Top Lawyers in South Florida®” in the South Florida Legal Guide, in Super Lawyers®, Criminal Defense – White Collar Crime, in the "Top 1.7% of Lawyers in Florida as voted by members of The Florida Bar" in Florida Trend magazine’s "Florida Legal Elite®" and has an AV Preeminent Peer Review rating which is “the highest possible rating in both legal ability & ethical standards”. Mr. Weiner received the Robert C. Heeney Award, NACDL's highest honor, awarded annually “to the one criminal defense attorney who best exemplifies the goals an values of the Association, and the legal profession”. In 2006, Mr. Weiner was a recipient of his law school's prestigious Professional Achievement Award. In 2008, he was honored as the recipient of Riverside's Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is a volunteer in numerous community, civic and charitable organizations and has donated hundreds of hours of pro bono legal work. He is married to Bonnie, and they have four sons, two of whom are current cadets at Riverside. Their eldest son graduated from RMA in 2009, and the second eldest graduated from RMA in 2011 and is a cadet at West Point.
Chris Whitlock
Mr. Whitlock was recently appointed Chief Operating Officer of SpeedTracs, a sports and fitness related business with an innovation system helping athletes improve speed, agility, explosiveness and stamina. He was previously a Partner for Growth and Innovation in IBM’s $2 billion public sector business focused chiefly on the defense and intelligence related markets. He orchestrates multiple capabilities from across IBM to be deployed for clients, including hardware, software, and services. He became a Partner upon IBM’s acquisition of NISC where he was one of the top five officers in a 1,300 person, $200 million business.
Mr. Whitlock’s experience includes 20 years as a management and technology consultant, including six years with Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the nation’s leading management and technology consulting firms. He also spent a one-year stint with futurist Alvin Toffler in a small boutique consultancy, Toffler Associated. He has served five years in the Central Intelligence Agency as a military analyst. He served in the U.S. Navy and as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Ole Miss, a Master of Arts degree in National Security from Georgetown University, and an executive MBA from George Mason University. Mr. Whitlock is the father of Riverside graduate C.G. Whitlock, ’11, and John Whitlock, who attended Riverside for one year. He resides in Atlanta, GA.