ILVR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The ILVR Board of Directors is comprised of individuals committed to advancing research and education in voice restoration and laryngology.
Julie Andrews
Honorary Chairman
Julie Andrews is an internationally acclaimed star of stage, film and television. Among her many well-known stage roles are Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Queen Guinevere in Camelot and Maria in The Sound of Music. Her films include Thoroughly Modern Millie, Star, Hawaii, Tom Curtain, Darling Lili, The Tamarind Seed, 10, S.O.B., That's Life, Victor/Victoria, Duet for One, Relative Value and The Princess Diaries. She has starred in many television programs and films.
Ms. Andrews has also authored a number of children's books under the name of Julie Edwards and written a series of other children's books with her daughter Emma. She is also working on her autobiography.
Ms. Andrews has been active on behalf of a number of major charities, including Operation USA, UNICEF and Save the Children; she served as Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM in 1992. She has received innumerable awards and honors, including Golden Globe Awards, an Academy Award and British Academy for Film and Television Arts Special Tribute Award. She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2000 and was honored at The John F. Kennedy Center for the 24th annual national celebration of the arts in 2001.
Barry Merkin
Vice Chairman
Barry Merkin is Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Department of Management and Strategy at the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University.
Professor Merkin joined the Kellogg faculty in 1993 after thirty years of business experience, the most recent 10 years as Chairman and CEO of Dresher, Inc. The company progressed quickly to public ownership and a New York Stock Exchange listing and was three times named one of the "Best Small Companies in America" by both Business Week and Forbes, as determined by its 3 to 5 year growth record in sales, earnings and return on equity.
Prior to Dresher, Professor Merkin was President and Director of Charter Communications, President and Director of Pan American Paper Bag Company and President of Procon Pump Company. Mr. Merkin has served on numerous boards, including All-Phase Electric, Barker Bros, Bruener Furniture, DuoDesign, Follett Corporation, Transmedia (NYSE), and VOCA.
Mr. Merkin teaches entrepreneurship courses in both the MBA and Executive Management Programs. He has been faculty advisor to four Kellogg teams in the MOOT CORP Business Plan Competitions; all teams were finalists and one was the World Champion. He has been the faculty adviser on Kellogg student GIM trips to China, Chile, Peru and Argentina. He has served as educational director for six World Presidents' Institutes at Kellogg. At the Ernst & Young 2000 Entrepreneur of the Year ceremonies, he received the Entrepreneurship Supporter Award.
His professional activities have included the American Furniture Manufacturers Association ( President and Director ), Harvard Business School Seminars, Washington Government Conference and Young Presidents' Organization. Other directorships have included the American Association of Entrepreneurs, Boys Clubs, Chicago Crime Commission, Chicago Harvard Business School Club, Chicago World Presidents' Organization, Eagle Scouts, National Conference of Christian and Jews ( Silver Plaque Award Recipient ) and the Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Cancer Institute.
Professor Merkin received his MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University.
John L. Ward, Ph.D.
President
John Ward is Co-Director of the Center for Family Enterprises at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, teaching and studying strategic management, business leadership and family enterprise continuity. Recognized as a leading authority in this field, Dr. Ward is an active researcher, speaker and consultant on succession, ownership, governance and philanthropy.
Dr. Ward is also the Wild Group Professor of Family Business at IMD (Lausanne, Switzerland) and is a regular visiting lecturer at Bocconi University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, IESE and The Stockholm School.
Dr. Ward is currently a Director of the McGaw (Evanston) YMCA, The Family Institute of Northwestern University and a founding Director of the Justin Wynn Youth Leadership Fund and is the founder of a girls soccer club.
Dr. Ward received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his MBA and Ph.D. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Eric Stromquist
Treasurer
Eric Stromquist is a partner of the Wellington Management Company LLP of Boston, where he specializes in investing in the equities of technology companies. He has been with Wellington for fourteen years. Prior to that he lived in Chicago, where he began his career in the investment management industry as a derivatives trader. He received his BS in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981 and remains interested in physics, the biological sciences and the philosophy of science. His other interests include hiking and skiing.
John A. Webster Jr.
John Webster, Jr., has been an active entrepreneur in veterinary-supply industry-related companies and organizations. He served as the President of J.A. Webster from 1978 until 2001 and now serves as a consultant to the newly formed Webster Veterinary Supply Co.
After a brief stint in the insurance business, Mr. Webster joined his father's company, J.A. Webster, in 1958 as a sales representative. The company was a distributor of veterinary products in New England. For the next ten years, he sold the company's products to veterinarians throughout the New England region. In 1968, he became Vice President of Sales and held that position until he was appointed President in 1978. During the next 10 years, he grew the company from a New England regional company to a flourishing company in the Eastern United States with offices in Alabama Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas. Mr. Webster was joined by his three sons in business during the 1980's and 1990's, during which time the company continued to grow, reaching over $100 million in annual sales. In 2001, J.A. Webster was purchased by Patterson Dental Supply, a leading distributor in the dental industry. Mr. Webster continues to serve a consultant role to the newly named Webster Veterinary Supply.
Mr. Webster has served on the Board of Directors of BioCeutic Laboratories and was also a Director of Tech-America, a pharmaceutical start-up company, and Phoenix Scientific, an animal health pharmaceutical start-up. He was instrumental in establishing the American Veterinary Distributors Association, serving as both President and Chairman.
In 2002, Mr. Webster and his wife of 45 years Anne, funded the Monsweag Foundation, a charitable foundation to support a research program on hydrocephalus at Children's Hospital. They have also been active supporters of The Orchard House (home of the Alcotts) in Concord, MA; Mr. Webster is a Corporator and his wife serves on the Board of Directors.
Mr. Webster received his B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University.
