Leadership Team
Wayne Cooper
Chairman, Chief Executive Group & CEO, Chief Executive Network
Wayne is chairman of Chief Executive Group. He has been an entrepreneur since 1995 and successfully built multiple high-growth businesses. Wayne was previously a management consultant with Bain & Company and Monitor Company in Boston, London, Milan and Los Angeles. Wayne has an MBA from Harvard and a BA from Stanford University.
Marshall Cooper
CEO, Chief Executive Group
Marshall is CEO of Chief Executive Group. He has been successfully turning around and building companies for almost 20 years. Marshall previously worked for KKR’s media roll-up (Primedia) and The New York Times Co. and served as a White House aide from 1989-1991. Marshall earned a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College.
Dan Bigman
Editor-in-Chief & Chief Content Officer
Dan is editor-in-chief of Chief Executive and Corporate Board Member magazines and oversees content development across all CEG platforms. Prior to joining CEG in 2017, he was managing editor of Forbes and the first Business Editor of NYTimes.com, where he co-founded the popular NYT Dealbook franchise in 2001. He has a BFA from Emerson College, Boston.
Jamie Tassa
Vice President of Events & Publisher, Corporate Board Member
Jamie leads all events under Chief Executive Group’s full suite of channels. Additionally, as publisher of Corporate Board Member, she is in charge of the portfolio of media, content distribution and event platforms serving the board member community. Previously, Jamie was a managing director at Equilar overseeing the company’s strategic partnerships and events, and served as senior vice president of events for the NYSE’s Governance Services division. Jamie received her BA in Journalism from the University of Georgia.
Christopher Chalk
Publisher, Chief Executive
Chris Chalk, publisher of Chief Executive is responsible for revenue generation and growth through sales of integrated marketing programs to B2B marketers seeking to engage with the CEO and board member communities Chief Executive Group serves. Chris oversees Chief Executive Group’s team of client advisors while managing client success and sales operations.
Rob Grabill
President, Chief Executive Network
Rob is the president of Chief Executive Network, a member organization that helps chief executives improve their effectiveness and gain competitive advantage. He began in 2003 as meeting manager, was promoted to director of sales & marketing and became VP of company operations in 2009. He was promoted again in 2014 to chief operating officer. Rob has a degree in Economics from Southern Methodist University.
Jack McCullough
President, CFO Leadership Council
Jack is the president and founder of the CFO Leadership Council, a global professional association for financial leaders. He has held many roles throughout his career, including entrepreneur, CEO, board member, author and public speaker, in addition to serving as financial executive for 26 different companies. He is the author of two books and a senior contributor to the Forbes CFO Network. He holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
RD Whitney
Chief Community Officer, Chief Executive Group & COO, CFO Leadership Council
RD is the Chief Community Officer at Chief Executive Group and the COO at The CFO Leadership Council. RD has a 30-year track record of transforming, scaling, and acquiring specialty information assets, training and recurring revenue businesses in multiple sectors. As CEO, RD transformed the Institute of Finance and Management (IOFM) and later went on to found or lead Community Leaders Institute, 365 Media, the Virtual Events Institute, and the Validation Institute. RD held senior roles at Tarsus Group, Diversified Communications, and Kennedy Information.
Kevin Minton
Managing Director, Chief Executive Network
Kevin leads Chief Executive Boards International, a peer group for business leaders that merged with Chief Executive Network in 2022. From founding and leading start-ups to $500M businesses, Kevin is an accomplished speaker and author who’s latest book entitled In Search of Balance – The Business Owner’s Guide to Building a Business and a Life has guided many entrepreneurs with the techniques used by business pros. Kevin is a graduate of The Citadel.
KimMarie Hagerty
Vice President
KimMarie, publisher of StrategicCFO360.com, StrategicCIO360.com and StrategicCHRO360.com is responsible for revenue generation and growth through sales and integrated marketing programs to B2B marketers seeking to engage with the CFO, CIO and CHRO communities CEG serves. Prior to joining CEG in 2020, KimMarie was Vice President, Head of Sales at Argyle Executive Group where she helped lead the team through several acquisitions including CFO.com.
Kendra Jalbert
Vice President
Kendra leads data strategy and execution at Chief Executive Group. She is also a part-time lecturer in management at Rice Business – Jones Graduate School of Business. Prior to joining CEG in 2020, Kendra co-led an M&A-focused SaaS data company through a challenging growth phase. She earned a BBA from Texas Tech University and an MBA from Rice University.
Chuck Smith
Executive Director, Chief Executive Network
Chuck is responsible for new member development and member satisfaction. Prior to joining CEG, Chuck was a member of the Chief Executive Network for 5 years, as founder and President of recruiting firm NewHire. Chuck holds a BA in American Literature and Religion from the George Washington University and an MA from the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Simon O'Neill
Director, Marketing
Simon oversees the strategy and execution of all marketing activities for Chief Executive Group. An experienced event marketing and publishing professional, Simon has held similar roles at Informa, IQPC and the American Conference Institute. Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Simon completed his BA in Business at Swinburne University before moving to New York.
Laura Horgan
Controller
Laura leads the finance team at Chief Executive Group and is responsible for the delivery of financial services such as accounting, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and business management. Prior to joining CEG, she held a similar role at a public accounting firm.
Patricia Amato
Human Resources Director
Patricia leads HR strategy and execution at Chief Executive Group, including employee rewards, organizational development, and talent acquisition. She held similar roles in the professional services sector before joining CEG in 2021. Patricia received her BA from Drew University.
JoEllen Belcher
Director of Operations, Chief Executive Network
JoEllen is the Director of Operations of Chief Executive Network and Senior Executive Network. JoEllen is an expert in meeting planning and membership operations. She began her career with CEN as a Project Coordinator before being promoted to Meeting and Conference Manager. JoEllen has a BA from the University of Kansas. She holds the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation from the Events Industry Council.