David Brown
President & CEO of Wyo-Ben, Inc.
David is President & CEO of Wyo-Ben, Inc., a 70-year-old family owned and family managed mining and manufacturing company. The Company mines Sodium Bentonite, a clay based industrial mineral, in Wyoming and Montana and processes it in its three Wyoming located plants into dozens of products for worldwide application in oil and gas exploration, metal casting, steel making, water treatment, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, clumping cat litter, construction, and animal feeds, to name a few.
After earning his MBA, David returned to Billings to step into a leadership role at the family business, eventually becoming the Company’s third generation CEO. David also has a management role in the family’s 100 year-old, Montana based ranch.
David’s recent Board leadership roles include the Billings Clinic, American Hospital Association Committee on governance, Boy Scouts of America Western Region, Montana Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Minerals Association, and the National Mining Museum.
Alysha Loumakis-Calderon
CEO and President, ISYS Solutions, Inc
Chairman, Family Enterprise USA
Alysha is the current President & COO at ISYS Solutions, Inc., a family owned business that operates a medical case management company (ISYS Case Management) and online healthcare and senior care education business (CareerSmart Learning). After starting her career as a social worker and later earning her MPA, Alysha held leadership positions with the California Bureau of State Audits and California Department of Social Services before transitioning into the family business to launch the new education division. In 2018, as part of a structured transition to second-generation leadership, Alysha took over as President of the company responsible for oversight of both businesses in the family’s portfolio.
Alysha is an accomplished author and speaker on subjects related to senior care, healthcare, case management, and family business operations. She is an active member of the CSUF Center for Family Business and a member of the Board of Directors for the Mental Health Association of OC. Alysha and her family place a high value on “giving generously” and supporting mental health and wellness causes in the community, in particular.
Charles D. (“Skip”) Fox IV
Treasurer and Assistant Secretary
Skip Fox is a retired McGuire Woods LLP partner. While at McGuireWoods, Skip served as chair of the firm’s Tax and Employee Benefits Department and Private Wealth Services Group. Skip was on the faculty of the American Bankers Association’s National Trust Schools from 1987 to 2021. He was an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University School of Law from 1983 to 2005 and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law from 2006 to 2021. Prior to retirement, Skip spoke extensively around the country on estate planning topics and was the co-presenter for over twenty years of the monthly teleconference series on estate planning and fiduciary law issues sponsored by the American Bankers Association. Skip has contributed articles to numerous publications and is the author or co-author of seven books on estate planning topics.
Skip is a Fellow and Past President of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Skip received his A.B. from Princeton, his M.A. from Yale, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia. Skip’s wife, Beth, is a retired trust officer and they have two sons, Quent and Elm.
David W. Henderson
President & CEO, Cilker Henderson Properties
Dave grew up in the Philadelphia area and earned a business degree from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to joining Cilker Henderson Properties (formerly Samaritan Medical Center), a family-owned business in 1988, he worked in the electronics industry in Philadelphia, San Jose, Salt Lake City and Chicago. Under Dave’s leadership, Cilker Henderson Properties now encompasses 400,000 square feet of premium medical buildings that serve 200 physicians and 4,000 patients daily. The most recent addition to the campus is a four-story landmark building that was developed with the vision of an integrated cancer care center. The building has been leased by Stanford Hospital & Clinics for its first South Bay Cancer Center. Dave has served on Director and Advisory Boards of the Stroke Awareness Foundation, the Health Trust, the American Cancer Society, Wells Fargo Bank, and several family foundations. He is one of the founders of Cancer CAREpoint, a nonprofit that provides support services to cancer patients, their families, and caregivers.
Dave has been married to Noelle for 43 years and has three grown children and three grandchildren.
Matt Nielsen
Shareholder, Director and Executive for Nielsen-Massey Vanillas Inc.
Matt Nielsen is a third-generation steward, director and shareholder for family-owned Nielsen-Massey Vanillas Inc. and Nielsen-Massey Vanillas International BV, Managing Director of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas International LLC, and Managing Director of Nielsen Real Estate BV. The company’s headquarters is in Waukegan, Illinois with manufacturing facilities in Waukegan, Illinois and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
He currently operates as the Strategic Advisor for Corporate Development, overseeing the companies’ inorganic growth strategies via acquisition and investment. Over Matt’s 30+ years engaged in the family business, he also had responsibility at one time or another for the company’s worldwide operations, retail & food service sales, strategic initiatives, and European business unit.
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Matt is currently a Director for Nielsen-Massey Vanillas; Director for family-owned Graziano Brothers, a 4th generation producer of specialty sausage products, specialty retailer and wholesaler; Director for family-owned Gibsons Restaurant Group, a 2nd generation owner and operator of multiple distinguished restaurant concepts; Director for Family Enterprise USA; Vice President – Treasurer and Director of the Nielsen-Massey Foundation; Mentor and Panelist in Kellogg’s John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises; and a member and speaker at multiple Family Business Centers and conferences.
He is a past Executive in Residence in Kellogg’s John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises; Director and Officer of the Specialty Food Association; the Specialty Food Foundation; The French Pastry School’s Curriculum Advisory Board; the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing; and advisor for four specialty food startup companies – Droga Chocolates, Rare Bird Preserves, Two Fold granola and Sunday Night Foods specialty dessert sauces.
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David Plimpton
Chairman, CEO of INOLEX
David Plimpton is the Chairman, CEO & President of INOLEX, a leading independent, global manufacturer dedicated to providing innovative, natural, and sustainable ingredients for health, wellness and beauty care brands around the world.
In his earlier career, David was Director of Private Equity Investments at Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management (formerly, the legacy Alex. Brown & Sons investment bank). Reporting into the Head of Private Equity in Zurich, David led capital formation, fund launches, and relationships across dozens of Deutsche Bank proprietary private equity fund offerings in his capacity as Head of Business Development & Distribution for the Americas. He has worked with various venture firms and led entrepreneurial “hands on” investments in several startups.
At heart, David is an early stage entrepreneur, believing that people of every successful and meaningful enterprise must seek to “serve one another as together we serve”.
Casey Roscoe
Eugene, Oregon
Casey Roscoe is passionate about the family-owned enterprises and multigenerational businesses that make up the backbone of the American economy.
Casey graduated from Providence College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. She moved to Washington, D.C. to work for Congressman Bob Smith who represented Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District and was also Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
After the Congressman retired, Casey went on to pursue a career in media and marketing working for the Associated Press, Comcast, WDCW – TV, and then The Washington Post.
The Washington Post has international offices, as well as six domestic offices located throughout the country. Casey quickly became one of the top Senior National Account Executives and was given the company’s flagship list of clients which is the Advocacy clientele whom she helped to create and implement multi-platform media strategy to change minds, hearts, and perceptions.
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Casey’s family company was Seneca, which consists of four sawmills, 175,000 acres of sustainably managed timberlands, and an energy company that has the cleanest running biomass plant in America.
Casey joined Seneca in 2016 as part of Seneca’s four-person executive team. She was the SVP – Marketing & Communications, and she loved sharing Seneca’s core values and goals of creating pristine productive forests, clear running streams, abundant wildlife, clean air, renewable building materials, family-wage jobs, and world-class outdoor recreation.
Casey’s family recently sold Seneca to another family in the wood products industry.
Casey currently sits on the board of GreenLane Sustainable Business Network, the Oregon State University Forestry Education Council, the Summit Bank Advisory Board, and Western Resources Legal Center.
Casey and her husband live in Eugene, Oregon with their two grade-school-aged kids. The couple just bought a small ranch in Central Oregon where they plan to grow hay, ride horses, entertain friends, and continue to use and enjoy Oregon’s natural resources and advocate for family businesses.
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Lex Saturno
Fourth Generation McKee Foods; Little Debbie’s Cakes
Lex Saturno is a fourth-generation family business owner of McKee Foods Corporation, maker of the Little Debbie snack cake brand. His commitment to the business began at age 14. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky, he spent time pursuing professional interests outside the company before returning to McKee Foods in 2021 to support manufacturing recruiting. He has since held various leadership roles, including his current position as Transportation Operations Superintendent for Collegedale, TN. Lex is also active in civic affairs, serving on the Public Policy Committee for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. Lex is also passionate about travel photography and learning languages, having become fluent in Italian during a year abroad in college and currently learning Swedish.
Nasser Watar
Chairman & Chief Executive, Trophy Automotive dealer Group
A serial entrepreneur in multiple business verticals with global automotive, insurance and Real Estate business partnerships that spans from the United States of America to the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia.
Nasser is the Chairman & Chief Executive of his group and a longtime philanthropist where his business partners formed Shefa Fund. The cofounder of Nasser & Rula Watar Foundation in partnership with Dar Al Aytam, a collaborator to the End Fund and a benefactor to the University of Southern California for student continuing education.
Steven M. Wells
American Food & Vending Corp
Steven Wells is co-founder of American Food and Vending Corporation. The hospitality company is one of the US largest privately held, family owned, on-site culinary and refreshment service providers of dining and catering management, coffee bars, advanced micro markets, vending, pantry and water purification services. American has its headquarters in Syracuse, New York and operates in over forty cities across twenty-eight states serving tens of thousands of guests every day at their workplace in business and industry, higher education, charter & private schools, museums, stadiums and other venues.
Steve received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration ’86 and his juris doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law ’89. Upon graduation, Steve was employed in Dallas, Texas at Fulbright & Jaworski, and then as an Assistant Criminal District Attorney in Ft. Worth, Texas. Steve is active in political affairs. He is Treasurer of the New York State Republican Party and ran for Congress in the NY-22 District.
Pat Soldano
President, Family Enterprise USA
Pat Soldano spent over 30 years providing family office services as owner of Cymric Family Office Services, and then as Managing Director of Western Region for GenSpring for 5 years and then a Family Office Consultant.
Currently she is President of Family Enterprise USA; its mission is to promote the growth of generational owned family businesses in the US, and President of Family Enterprise USA Action (formerly Policy and Taxation Group), which she formed in 1995, that works to reduce onerous tax and economic policies for successful families, family offices and family business.
Tim Schultz
CEO, Family Enterprise USA
Tim Schultz, CEO of Family Enterprise USA and FEUSA Action, combines deep family business expertise with hands-on federal advocacy experience to champion the interests of family enterprises in Washington, D.C., and across the country. Over his decades working with family enterprises, Tim has served in leadership roles spanning operations, governance, strategy, and federal advocacy, giving him a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing business-owning families.
Prior to joining Family Enterprise USA, he served as Director of the Center for Family Business at California State University, Fullerton, and as a Principal with LeadershipOne, advising family enterprises on strategy, leadership development, and governance. He also spent many years with Lundberg Family Farms, serving in senior executive and board leadership roles within the third-generation family business.