LOS ANGELES, (August 21, 2017) – Veteran-led disaster response organization Team Rubicon welcomes four members to its advisory board with the appointments of Andy Bessette, Gen. (ret) James Conway, Gregg Lemkau, and Jeff Smith.
“Our newest board members bring a broad range of experience from the finance, insurance, government, and military sectors,” said Jake Wood, Team Rubicon cofounder and CEO. “With nearly 50 disaster response operations under our belt in 2017 alone, these individuals will enhance and accelerate our efforts to build stronger communities through continued service.”
Andy Bessette is the executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Travelers. Bessette is responsible for operations from real estate to community relations as well as sports partnerships, including the company’s official marketing partnership with the PGA Tour. A member of the 1980 Olympic Team, he continues to support Olympic Committee activities. Bessette holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island.
Gen. (ret) James Conway was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps after graduating from Southeast Missouri State University in 1969. During his 40-year career in the Marine Corps, Conway initially led the invasion of Iraq in 2003 with 90,000 troops under his command. During his second tour, he oversaw the Battle of Fallujah. Conway was the senior operations officer on the Joints Chiefs of Staff providing support as a military advisor to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and the President. He also served as the 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps where he served as the senior uniformed Marine.
Gregg Lemkau is the co-head of global mergers and acquisitions for Goldman Sachs. He is a member of firm’s management committee, the investment banking division executive committee, and the investment banking division operating committee. He joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in the mergers and acquisitions department in 1992. Lemkau was named managing director in 2001 and partner in 2002. He earned a Bachelor’s in Government and Economics from Dartmouth College in 1991.
Jeff Smith is the senior vice president of human resources for FedEx Ground. With over 20 years of strategic leadership in human resources and operational roles, he joined FedEx Ground in November of 2014 as vice president of human resources and was named senior vice president in June 2017. Jeff is a member of The Conference Board’s Chief Human Resources Officer Committee and served on the Client Advisory Board for Linkage – Women in Leadership. Jeff is an Army Veteran serving as a member of 5th Special Forces Group and as an Army Aviator with 1/147th Aviation Battalion of the Wisconsin National Guard. Jeff has a bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a master’s from the University of Iowa.
U.S. Marine Corps veterans Jake Wood and William McNulty founded Team Rubicon in 2010 following the massive Haiti earthquake. The nonprofit organization has grown from eight volunteers to over 50,000 with over 200 operations under its belt, including responses to Superstorm Sandy, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and Hurricane Matthew.
Tags: Team Rubicon