Corporate Executive Board Member Profiles

Seattle, WA

As president of the Microsoft Business Division, Jeff Raikes oversees the Information Worker Group and the Microsoft Business Solutions Group. This division delivers software and software-based services that maximize the impact that an organization's key assets, their people, have on both structured and unstructured business activities, thereby amplifying business success. Its products include the Microsoft Office system of programs, servers and software-based services and Microsoft Dynamics, the recently announced business applications for small and midsize businesses, large organizations and divisions of global enterprises.

Raikes is a member of the company's Senior Leadership Team and, along with Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer and Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates, is responsible for developing and guiding Microsoft's core business strategy.

Before assuming his current position in September 2005, Raikes was group vice president of the Information Worker Business, which was responsible for the Microsoft Office system of programs, servers, and software-based services.

He previously served as group vice president of the Worldwide Sales and Support Group, where he was responsible for providing strategic leadership for Microsoft's sales, marketing and service initiatives. Before that, he served as senior vice president of Microsoft North America, a position he had held since 1993.

Raikes joined Microsoft in 1981 as a product manager and was instrumental in driving Microsoft's applications marketing strategy. Promoted to director of Applications Marketing in 1984, he was the chief strategist behind Microsoft's success in graphical applications for the Apple Macintosh and the Microsoft Windows operating system. In this role, he drove the product strategy and design of Microsoft Office, the leading business productivity suite. Raikes was promoted to vice president of Office Systems, where he was responsible for development and marketing of word processing, workgroup applications and pen computing. Before joining Microsoft, he was a software development manager at Apple Computer Inc.

For contributions to the software industry in the development and marketing of Microsoft Office, and in developing opportunities for channel partners through Microsoft's Solution Pr?vider Program and other innovative efforts, Raikes was inducted in November 2003 into Computer Reseller News Magazine's Computer Industry Hall of Fame.

Raikes holds a bachelor's degree in engineering and economic systems from Stanford University. He served on the board of directors of the Software Publishers Association from 1987 to 1993 and twice served as chairman of the board. Raikes also served on the board of the Washington Technology Center.

A native of Nebraska, Raikes is a trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation. He is involved with numerous community activities, focusing on education and children's issues. As part of a community effort to preserve Major League Baseball in the Pacific Northwest, he joined with other Seattle business leaders in 1992 to purchase the Seattle Mariners baseball club.

Los Altos, CA

Mrs. Abrams recently completed an interim-CEO role for ZiLOG. Mrs. Abrams comes with considerable sales, marketing and executive management experiences, working with high tech companies in the U.S. and abroad. She entered the areas of financial and technology management with Norwest Banks (now Wells Fargo). While at Unisys she was Vice President, Program General Manager for Retail Delivery Systems (solutions sold to branch banks). She later headed a sales and marketing unit based in Hong Kong focused on the Asian banking market. At Apple Computer she was Managing Director of Apple Asia, opening the China and the India markets and went on to become President of Apple Americas. At VeriFone (leader in debit/credit card authorization solutions) she was President and CEO. While at Palm Computing she was President and CEO. More recently she has focused on high-profile start-ups, including Chemdex, Blue-Kite, Connection-to-eBay and most recently Firefly Mobile, the first mobile phone for mobile kids.

Mrs. Abrams also serves on the Boards of Directors for HCL Technologies, ZiLOG and BEA Systems.

Mrs. Abrams holds a B.S. in political science and history and a J.D. from the University of Nebraska.

Omaha, NE

Nancee Shannon Berger is President and Chief Operating Officer of West Corporation. She is responsible for the entire corporation’s operations and growth.

West Corporation is a leading provider of outsourced communications solutions to many of the world’s largest companies, organizations and government agencies. West helps its clients communicate effectively, maximize the value of their customer relationships and drive greater profitability from every interaction. The Company’s integrated suite of customized solutions includes customer care, sales, 911 services, and accounts receivable management services. West, known as the brand InterCall, is also the world’s largest conferencing provider. West Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Omaha. West has a team of 28,000 employees based in North America, Europe and Asia.

Berger joined West in 1989 and was part of the team that built the largest automated voice response company in the country. She was promoted to her current position in September 1998.

She came to West Interactive from Applied Communications, Inc. a major banking software provider. Before joining ACI, Berger was employed as a Marketing Representative with the IBM Corporation.

Berger graduated in 1982 from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. She is married and has three children.

Lincoln, NE

Software Technology, Inc. (STI) was founded in 1979 and is privately owned. Mr. Berlin is one of the two co-founders of the company. STI develops and sells financial and practice management software to law firms across the United States. There are currently over ten thousand law firms using STI software. The company has been self-sufficient and profitable in each of its 25+ years of business. Tabs3, a time and billing system for law firms and STI’s primary product, has the largest install base of any time and billing system in law firms with 10 to 50 attorneys. STI products hold many technology awards from the legal industry.

Mr. Berlin earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science in 1975 from the University of Nebraska.

Hillsborough, CA

Jim is a founder and Managing Director of Silver Lake Partners. Silver Lake is the world's largest and most successful private equity fund focused on large-scale investments in technology companies.

Prior to founding Silver Lake in 1999, Jim was a Managing Director at Hambrecht & Quist where he was Head of Technology Investment Banking and before that, Head of the firm's Mergers and Acquisitions business. Jim was also a member of the Hambrecht & Quist's Commitment Committee.

From 1984 to 1990, Jim was a corporate and securities lawyer for Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro. Jim currently serves on the boards of Flextronics International (NASDAQ: FLEX) and Seagate Technology (NYSE: STX). He also serves on the boards of a number of private and non-profit companies. Jim received a B.S. from the University of Nebraska and J.D. from the University of Michigan.

Omaha, NE

Ryan D. Downs is the senior vice president of worldwide operations at PayPal.   He is responsible for risk operations, merchant support, consumer support, payment operations and other operational functions.  His organization supports PayPal’s 130 million domestic and international accounts from operational facilities in the United States, Ireland, China and Canada.

Downs joined PayPal in December 2001.  Previously, he served as chief executive officer for eTopia Technologies, Inc., an Omaha-based IT consulting and web development firm.  Before that, Downs was a partner at the law firm of Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott in Denver, Colorado, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation.

Downs earned a bachelor of science degree in Agricultural Sciences in 1991 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School in 1994.

In late 2006, Downs relocated to San Jose to lead project Fusion, which seeks to deliver a higher-quality PayPal on eBay experience at a lower cost.

Denver, CO

Ms. Sally Else joined First Data Corp. in 2006 as President of IVR Services. Prior to that, Else joined CSG in January 1999 and was named Vice President of Product Management in October 2000. She was responsible for the strategic direction of CSG's Broadband software products and oversees market analysis, marketing plan development, pricing/promotion and business objectives. During her tenure, she has also served as executive director of product management and director of product marketing for CSG's High Speed Data rollout.

Prior to joining CSG, Ms. Else was Vice President of International Business Development with First Data Corporation. She previously held various roles in international operations, business development, account management and product development within First Data. Prior to that, she was a sales consultant for Applied Learning.

Ms. Else is a 1982 University of Nebraska graduate.

Sarasota, FL

Mr. Howard currently holds the position of Senior Vice President, Global Sales for Siemens Business Services. In this role, Mr. Howard is responsible for facilitating business growth through the leadership of large, new bids and major renewals; directing the revenue management process and facilitating business analysis and business planning for the firm's Global Outsourcing business.

Mr. Howard joined Siemens Business Services, Inc. in February 2002 as Senior Vice President of Siemens Group. In this role, Mr. Howard was charged with further developing the Siemens Business Services business within the diverse $20 billion Siemens Group businesses in the U.S.

Mr. Howard brings more than 15 years of Information Technology experience to Siemens Business Services, Inc. Most recently, Mr. Howard held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Riverton Corp., a consulting organization focused on the business value chain from strategy to the implementation of solutions.

Mr. Howard holds a B.A. in Marketing from Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia Canada an MBA and is currently working towards an MA in Leadership.

Paradise Valley, AZ

Mr. Jensen was the co-founder and served as Executive Vice President for 20 years of Information Technology, Inc., a computer software provider to banks and savings and loan associations. Mr. Jensen retired from that position when Information Technology, Inc. was sold in 1995.

Mr. Jensen served as the youngest Vice President of The National Bank of Commerce at the age of 23. His industrial knowledge and expertise has been developed through his investments in technology companies, professional sports, entertainment, oil and gas, land development, and restaurant development. Mr. Jensen has been a Director of Stratford American Corporation since March 1998 and a Director of Swift since May 2003. He also serves on the board of the Arizona Diamondbacks Major League baseball team and was recently elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Board of Directors. Mr. Jensen has served on numerous charitable and civic boards. In addition, his most notable investments include the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks Major League baseball team, and Sands Hill Golf Club, which is located in Nebraska and voted Best Modern Golf Course in the World (referring to any golf course built since 1960).

Mr. Jensen attended the University of Nebraska and majored in business and computer science.

Lincoln, NE

Mr. Kauffman is a partner at the law firm Cline, Williams, Wright, Johnson, & Oldfather. Some of Mr. Kauffman’s accomplishments include: Order of the Coif. Board of Editors, Nebraska Law Review, 1961-1964; President of the Lincoln Bar Association, 1976-1977; President, Nebraska State Bar Association, 1994-1995; Chairman, House of Delegates, 1990-1991; Fellow: American College of Trial Lawyers; International Society of Barristers; and Member of the Nebraska Judicial Qualifications Commission, 2000 - present.

Mr. Kauffman attended Iowa State University and earned a B.S. in law in 1962 and a J.D. in 1964 from University of Nebraska.

Bonita Springs, FL

Mr. Kerrigan currently is associated with Information Technology, Inc., a financial technology solution developer which provides virtually all software and associated services required for banking to more than one third of US banks. Mr. Kerrigan functions as a consultant to the company on many software and business issues.

Mr. Kerrigan began his career as a software engineer for First Data Resources, FDR in Omaha, Nebraska. He then served with the Burroughs (now Unisys) Corporation as a Technical Representative for three years before being hired as the first employee at Information Technology in 1977 as a software developer. Mr. Kerrigan was deeply involved in the development of several independent systems developed by the company and was an instrumental part of the staff which developed the company’s core banking applications. In 1981 he was named head of the Administration Division of the company and ultimately was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the company before his retirement in 1999.

In addition to his professional career Mr. Kerrigan has been involved in many and varied real estate ventures since 1969. These would include various rental property ventures in homes, commercial and office buildings, as well as commercial land development and during the last three years included resort development in the Caribbean.

Mr. Kerrigan received a B.A. in mathematics from the UNO College of Arts and Sciences in 1973.

New York, NY

Susan S. Kozik is Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at TIAA-CREF. In this capacity, Ms. Kozik, with over 27 years of experience in information technology management, is in charge of company-wide technology strategy, information security, systems engineering and architecture, technology risk management, application portfolio management and data center operations.

Under Ms. Kozik's leadership, IT plays a key role in helping the company achieve its strategic goals. In addition, Ms. Kozik oversees almost $350 million of investments in new applications and is in charge of providing new tools that will transform the operations of the Client Services and Asset Management areas at TIAA-CREF.

Ms. Kozik joined the company from Lucent Technologies, where she served as vice president of IT Operations and Services. While at Lucent, Ms. Kozik managed global information technology operations and services and directed numerous business process reengineering initiatives and strategic projects.

Previously, Ms. Kozik was senior vice president and chief technology officer at Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, where she served on the company's executive management team. She began her career at CIGNA Corporation.

Ms. Kozik serves on the board of directors for the University of Nebraska J.D. Edwards Honors Program, the  North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte MBA Mentoring Program. In addition, Ms. Kozik and her team have been recognized for their innovative use of technology with CIO Magazine's CIO 100 Award, the Charlotte Chamber Information Technology Council's Blue Diamond Award and Hewlett-Packard’s 2005 Innovation Award.

Ms. Kozik graduated from Bates College and was the first recipient of its Distinguished Young Alumni Award in 1987. She also serves on the school’s Board of Trustees.

Leawood, KS

In June of 2002, Mr. Lauerman and his business partner sold their company, GeoAccess, Inc., to United Health Group (UHN) a $30 billion public company. Mr. Lauerman co-founded GeoAccess in 1991 to provide software and services to the managed healthcare industry. GeoAccess software products have become industry standards and are used by virtually every major managed healthcare network and consulting firm in the nation. GeoAccess also has created and hosts the Internet's most popular physician search engine, with more than 100 million health plan participants relying on GeoAccess systems. In each of the company's first three years of eligibility, GeoAccess was recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the nation's 500 fastest-growing private companies.

Prior to founding GeoAccess, Mr. Lauerman was with Towers Perrin where he consulted internationally on the issues of managed healthcare, information systems and actuarial science. While at Towers Perrin, Mr. Lauerman and his partner pioneered techniques which later became the basis for GeoAccess software. Prior to joining Towers Perrin, Mr. Lauerman was actuary and vice president of information systems for a national life and health insurer.

Mr. Lauerman earned his engineering degree in computer science from the University of Nebraska, where he later taught actuarial science. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. In 1999, Mr. Lauerman was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He is currently an investor in and serves on the board of several private companies. He is currently an investor in, and serves on the board of, more than a dozen private companies.

Torrance, CA

Barbra Cooper is Group Vice President and Chief Information Officer — Information Systems for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. She is responsible for the strategy, development and operation of all systems and technology that support TMS. Cooper also heads the University of Toyota, located in Torrance, CA, which provides training and education for Toyota associates, as well as Toyota and Lexus dealership personnel throughout the United States.

With a career that spans more than 30 years in information technology, Cooper joined Toyota in 1996 as Vice President, Information Systems. Prior to that, she held the position of Group Vice President and Chief Information Officer for MicroAge Corp., Chief Information Officer for Maricopa County in Phoenix, Ariz., Vice President of Technology for American Express, and Director of Information Systems for Miller & Paine department stores.

Cooper has been recognized by Automotive News three times as one of the 100 Leading Women in the automotive industry in 2000, 2005 and 2007. She also received the CIO 100 Award in 2005 and was honored as one of the Computerworld’s Premier IT Leaders in 2001. In 1996, Cooper was named by McGraw Hill Publishing as one of the Top 100 Women in Computing, a national honor recognizing women in the information services field who have achieved both technical expertise and advanced management positions.

Cooper earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Nebraska and attended the University of Oslo in Oslo, Norway graduate studies program. She is a member of the Society for Information Management, Organization of Women Executives, the Corporate Executive Board for Chief Information Officers, the UCLA IS Associate Program, and the CIO Executive Council.

Lincoln, NE

John holds two degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in business administration, both of which were earned as a member of the J.D. Edwards Honors Program. Through J.D. Edwards, Wirtz served as a program manager, directing teams that provided software solutions for Information Technology Incorporated in Lincoln, Neb., and the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services in Lincoln. As an undergraduate, Wirtz worked as a team lead on a project for the Office of the President at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and also served as a developer on a team working for Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Neb. During his time at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Wirtz also served as the Chief Administrative Officer for the J.D. Edwards Corporate Executive Board, and interned at Sprint in Overland Park, Kan.