The Executive Team at Relational is Ralph V. Whitworth, David H. Batchelder, John A. Sullivan, Fir M. Geenen, H.W. Jay Winship, Kirt P. Karros, Frank P. Hurst and David E. Demarest. (collectively, the "Team"). The Team has extensive experience with investment management, navigating complex business relationships, corporate strategy, finance and operations and have served as senior officers and/or directors of 23 publicly-traded companies including nine from the Fortune 500.

Ralph V. Whitworth
Mr. Whitworth is a founder, principal, and Investment Committee member of Relational Investors LLC ("Relational"), an investment fund specializing in strategic block investments. He has served as chairman of the board of two public companies during crisis and turnaround situations and as a director of seven others.

Mr. Whitworth's 20 years of business and corporate board activities enable him to identify the problems facing public companies and their boards, and perhaps most importantly, give him the ability to effectively communicate with boards. In addition, Mr. Whitworth has direct operational experience in finance, investments, and acquisitions. His hands-on experience has given him a unique understanding of the business environment and has earned him the respect of the business community.  

Mr. Whitworth served as chairman of the board of Waste Management, Inc. in 1999 as a major crisis management assignment. He was responsible for overall management of the company and led the recruitment effort to replace the company's management team. He played a similar role at Apria Healthcare Group Inc. (the world's largest home healthcare provider) in 1998. He is currently a director of Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corporation.

Mr. Whitworth is considered an expert on corporate governance issues. He has been invited to present his views on corporate governance and shareholder rights matters before the United States Senate and House of Representatives, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange Board, and the New York Federal Reserve. He served on four Blue Ribbon committees sponsored by the National Association of Corporate Directors regarding director compensation and corporate governance. He also served on a Joint Task Force assembled by the Council of Institutional Investors and the National Association of Corporate Directors to review and make recommendations for improving board-shareholder communications.

Mr. Whitworth was the president of United Shareholders Association (pro bono) from its founding in 1986 to its dissolution in 1994. In 1990 he authored the petition for rulemaking which in 1992 culminated in a major overhaul of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's shareholder communication and compensation disclosure rules.

From 1989 to 1992, Mr. Whitworth served as president of development at United Thermal Corporation, which at that time was the U.S.'s largest operator of district heating and cooling systems. He was responsible for developing and arranging financings for major cogeneration facilities. Mr. Whitworth served on the company's board of directors until December 1993 when the company was taken private. He chaired the board's special committee representing minority shareholders during the going private transaction.

Mr. Whitworth served as assistant to the general partner at Mesa Limited Partnership from 1985 to 1988. During that time Mesa was the nation's largest independent oil and gas company. He managed the executive staff, served on the company's operating committee, and participated in the company's investments, acquisitions, and financing activities.

From 1981 to 1984, Mr. Whitworth served on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee staff of Senator Paul Laxalt. This experience gave him a strong political and constituent-focused understanding of the development of laws and regulations that impact business at the national level.

Mr. Whitworth holds a juris doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

David H. Batchelder
Mr. Batchelder is a founder and principal of Relational and is a member of the Investment Committee. He has 27 years of financial, management, mergers, and acquisitions experience. His experience as a board member of several public and private companies and his leadership as the chairman of Mac Frugal’s Bargains•Close-Outs Inc. provided him a direct insight into corporate management and board dynamics. Mr. Batchelder’s perspective proves extremely valuable to Relational’s strategy of assisting management unlock intrinsic value.

Mr. Batchelder joined Mesa Limited Partnership of Amarillo, Texas, in 1978. He also served as a member of the board of directors of Mesa from 1984 to 1987. In 1986, Mr. Batchelder was named president and chief operating officer. During his affiliation with Mesa through 1988, Mr. Batchelder led the team responsible for Mesa’s investments, acquisitions, and financing activities. Prior to his affiliation with Mesa Limited Partnership, Mr. Batchelder was an audit manager with Deloitte Haskins & Sells.

Mr. Batchelder is currently a director of The Home Depot, Inc. He was a director of Mac Frugal’s Bargains • Close-Outs Inc. from 1990 to 1997 and served as the board’s chairman during 1997. Mr. Batchelder was also a principal of Relational Advisors LLC, a financial advisory and investment banking firm, which he founded in 1988. He built the firm into a nationally recognized source of expertise for mergers, acquisitions and shareholder matters.

A 1971 graduate of Oklahoma State University, Mr. Batchelder holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

John A. Sullivan
Mr. Sullivan is a principal and the senior managing director of research and investments for Relational Investors.  Since joining the firm in 1998, he has lead the team of research analysts and is integrally involved in Relational Investors’ Investment Committee’s decision process, communications with portfolio companies and strategy development and implementation for each portfolio company.  Mr. Sullivan also works closely with the security trading personnel on trade execution.  Prior to joining Relational Investors he was an investment banker for 12 years, most recently an associate at Relational Advisors, preceded by experience as a senior vice president at The Seidler Companies Inc. and served as an associate at Kidder, Peabody & Co., Inc.  He was a generalist and originated and executed numerous transactions in a broad range of industries including IPOs, secondary offerings, restructurings, mergers, acquisitions, and refinancing totaling over $2 billion.

Mr. Sullivan served on the board of directors of the FARR Company and American Coin Merchandising, Inc.  He was appointed chairman of American Coin to lead the company in a crisis and turnaround situation.

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. Sullivan holds a master’s degree in management and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Loyola Marymount University.

Fir M. Geenen
Mr. Geenen joined Relational Investors in October 2007 as a principal and senior managing director.  Over the past thirty years, Mr. Geenen has gained considerable experience in management consulting, mergers and acquisitions, corporate management, and private equity investing.  During this time he has assisted a number of management teams in executing growth and value creation strategies in a variety of industries including transportation, financial services, business services, health care, manufacturing and retail.

Prior to founding Harlingwood Partners (management consulting) in 1996, and Harlingwood Equity Partners (private equity fund) in 1999, Mr. Geenen served as an executive vice president of Laidlaw Inc. from 1993 to 1996.  While at Laidlaw, Mr. Geenen was responsible for profitably growing subsidiary MedTrans from revenue of $60 million to revenue $750 million.  Prior to 1993 Mr. Geenen worked with management consultant Boston Consulting Group and investment banking firm Burns Fry, Ltd. (now Nesbitt Burns).

Mr. Geenen has served on the board of directors of a number of public and private companies and served as chairman of Interface Security Systems, Inc. from 2001 to 2003.  In addition, Mr. Geenen served on the board of trustees of The Scripps Foundation, San Diego Children’s Hospital, and The Children of the California’s Foundation.

H. W. Jay Winship
Mr. Winship is a principal and the managing director of research for Relational Investors. Mr. Winship is actively involved with Relational’s Investment Committee and assists in developing and executing Relational’s investment strategies. He joined Relational as a senior financial analyst in early 2002. Mr. Winship came to Relational from Relational Advisors, where he was a partner with broad responsibilities for mergers, acquisitions, and financings for a large number of public and private companies. Prior to becoming a partner in Relational Advisors, he was an associate and among other duties, he provided various financial and analytical services to Relational Investors from 1996 to 1998. Prior to 1996, Mr. Winship was with Arthur Andersen LLP in Phoenix, Arizona where his expertise was focused on transaction-related engagements and equity offerings for public companies. Mr. Winship formerly served on the boards of Del Mar Database, Seaspan Containers Lines, Ltd., Seaspan Ship Management, Ltd., and McKay Creek Technologies, Ltd.

A Magna Cum Laude graduate from the University of Arizona, Mr. Winship holds a bachelor's degree in finance and a master’s in business administration from UCLA. He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds the professional designation of Chartered Financial Analyst.

Kirt P. Karros
Mr. Karros is a principal analyst for Relational. Mr. Karros actively assists Relational’s Investment Committee in identifying and managing portfolio companies. Mr. Karros joined the Firm in 2001 after serving as a senior associate of Relational Advisors from 1997 to 2001.  While at Relational Advisors, Mr. Karros advised clients on numerous acquisitions and divestitures as well as several private and public debt and equity financings. Prior to joining Relational Advisors, he was a tax manager at Arthur Andersen LLP, primarily providing tax consulting to public and private entities.

A Summa Cum Laude graduate of San Diego State University, Mr. Karros holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in accounting (taxation). He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds the professional designation of Chartered Financial Analyst.

Frank P. Hurst
Mr. Hurst joined Relational Investors in October 2007 as a principal and senior managing director responsible for marketing and strategic planning.  Over his 31 year business career he has spent the last 24 years in various executive, marketing, product development, and administrative positions in the investment management industry.

Prior to Relational, he was president of Berkeley Capital Management LLC, a $5 billion multiple equity strategy investment manager responsible for marketing, product development, and corporate acquisitions.

Mr. Hurst spent 15 years with Duncan-Hurst Capital Management as co-founder, president, director of marketing and client services, and chief administrative officer.  During his tenure with Duncan-Hurst he was instrumental in growing the firm from a start-up single equity product firm to a multiple equity products firm with over $7 billion of domestic and international equity assets under management.  Duncan-Hurst’s clients included public, corporate and Taft-Hartley retirement plans, endowments and foundations, family offices, mutual funds, onshore and offshore partnerships, sub-advisory relationships with insurance companies, mutual funds and investment banks, and high net worth individuals.

Additional experience includes senior sales and marketing positions with Scudder, Stevens and Clark, a global asset manager and Pacific Century Advisors, an investment management subsidiary of Security Pacific Corporation.

Mr. Hurst is a graduate of San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

David E. Demarest
Mr. Demarest is a principal and the chief administrative officer for the Relational Group.  Mr. Demarest has 21 years of experience in the investment and financial services industry, most recently as the executive vice president, operations and chief financial officer for Freeman Associates Asset Management.  He was responsible for finance, accounting, tax reporting, sales, human resources, operations, legal, and compliance, as well as being a member of the investment committee.

Prior to joining Freeman, he was senior vice president and chief financial officer at mPower.com, a start-up investment advisor which used proprietary software to provide individualized financial planning and investment advice over the internet.  He was responsible for creating, staffing, and managing finance, legal, regulatory, and human resources functions.  He was instrumental in raising $60 million in private financing to fund company operations.  Additionally, Mr. Demarest gained valuable experience while serving in executive financial positions at Montgomery Asset Management, The Copeland Companies, Wells Fargo Bank and Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co.

A Magna Cum Laude graduate from Bradley University, Mr. Demarest holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master's degree in business administration from New York University.