ConnectThe magazine for EY alumni Winter 2016

All in the familyThe Verdejas: three generations of EY alumni

Private equity: two industry CFOs share their views on investing in a disruptive world. P4

Wallena Gould shares her journey from accounting to nursing. P16

Disruption doesn’t bother Dale Jenkins, the 22-year CEO of a major medical insurer. P20

The better the question. The better the answer. The better the world works.

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What legacy will you create?

We talk a lot about family at EY. We like to think of ourselves as family and consider our alumni to be special members of this family. We have “counseling families” to help our people in their careers. And we’re committed to supporting families through progressive programs such as our Career and Family Transitions program and our Pathways to Parenthood program, which includes up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave for moms and dads. In fact, we were recently named to Working Mother’s 100 Best Companies list for the 20th time — our 11th consecutive year in the top 10.

That’s why it’s such a pleasure to introduce you, in this issue, to Octavio, Octavio Jr. and Javier Verdeja — three generations of EY alumni. From their roots in Cuba to their shared alma mater and EY experience to working together at their family-run CPA

count them as members of ours.Also in this issue, we talk to EY alumni Steven Glenn and

Anna May Tralathe challenges and opportunities they face in that dynamic industry; we hear from alumna Wallena Gould, who is helping to build a better working world by attracting women of color

Dale Jenkins discusses disruption in the physician insurance business; EY’s Global

Jeff Wong, describes the innovative mindset; and Brad Brown, husband of alumna Denise Brown, gives an

Legacy Builders cycling team, which raised more than $250,000 for deserving college students.

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t follow up on the heroic story of alumna Gwen Jorgensen, who made history by

the incredible opportunity to attend the Rio 2016 Games and to watch Gwen win. It was the thrill of a lifetime. After returning

shared her amazing journey from EY tax professional to Olympic gold medalist.

We hope you enjoy the magazine.

familyIt’s a

affair

Americas Managing Partner

Connect Winter 2016 1

On the coverOctavio Verdeja (center) and his son Octavio Jr. (right)and grandson Javier really do keep it all in the family. All

Miami, started their professional careers at EY and now work together in the family business. And they’re all proud members of the EY alumni family.

0904 08 16 20

In this issue

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24 28 32

Features04 Private equity: on the rise

Private equity investing is at all-time highs. But are there enough attractive opportunities? Two industry CFOs, along with EY’s Americas Private Equity leader, share their views.

16 Wallena Gould: one in three millionFollow EY alumna Wallena Gould’s journey from accounting to nursing to founding the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program.

20 Dale Jenkins: disrupterDisruption doesn’t bother this 22-year CEO of a major medical insurer. In fact, he prefers being one of the disrupters.

24 Brad Brown: road warriorThe husband of alumna Denise Brown drives coast to coast in support of higher education and EY’s Legacy Builders cycling team.

28 Gwen Jorgensen: pure goldFresh off the heels of her gold medal win at the Rio 2016 Games, two-

win in sports and in business.

32 Jeff Wong: innovatorEY’s new Global Innovation Officer discusses the innovative mindset and sees a bright future for those who aren’t afraid to innovate.

News36 Alumni news

40 Events gallery A snapshot of recent alumni events

EY | Assurance | Tax | Transactions | Advisory

About EYEY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & YoungGlobal Limited, each of which is a separate legal

limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of

© 2016 EYGM Limited. All Rights Reserved.

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In line with EY’s commitment to minimize its impact on the environment, this document has been printed on paper with a high recycled content.

The opinions of third parties set out in this publication are not necessarily the opinions of the global EY organization or its member firms. Moreover, they should be viewed in the context of the time they were expressed.

Connect The magazine for EY alumni Winter 2016

Managing Editor: Jay SeitherWriters: Kristin Gray, Anne Lampert, Jay Seither, Eboni T. ThomasCreative Director: Donald BattingContributing Editor: Molly ThompsonPhotography: Brian Camarao, Kim Cardwell, Jamie Giambrone, Agnieszka Stalkoper, Christie’s Photographic Solutions

Connect by Great Lakes Integrated.

For further information on Connect, please contact

or +1 864 298 2396.

Connect Winter 2016 3

Private equity:

Private equity fundraising is at an all-time high – with around $4 trillion in private equity and venture capital assets currently under management. At the same time, as a result of the recent global financial crisis, fund managers are challenged with finding attractive investment opportunities, especially outside of the US.

and has demonstrated an ability to withstand shocks. It’s no wonder private equity investors have come out of the Great Recession with a renewed focus on organic revenue growth, applying a more entrepreneurial mindset to working with their portfolio companies.

We asked two EY alumni who are CFOs at

and Anna May Trala at GTCR — along with EY’s

perspectives on the issues and opportunities facing this dynamic industry.

on the rise

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Glenn

The 1990s in London were transformative times for the investment industry. Steven Glenn was an EY Tax professional during that decade and has fond memories of his global assignment to the UK serving Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing. He had a front-row seat as new economies, such as the Czech Republic, opened their markets to private equity investors.

is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. One of the world’s oldest

Investing in

purposeandcultureat Warburg PincusWords: Anne Lampert Photos: Brian Camarao

Connect Winter 2016 5

the founding of the industry and has had a strong relationship with EY for more than 40 years — longer than with any other service provider.

Shared history, shared concernsIt’s a rare business relationship that persists through the decades. “The

strong foundation and a level of trust that enables both parties to stay focused on the right things, even when the

appreciates the challenges in serving his

private equity complex. After all, we have investments in more than 125 companies at a time.”

Many issues that currently surround private equity are common to business

an ongoing conversation on how capital gets deployed and what constitutes fairness,” he says, citing taxation as one aspect. “As a global investor, we

around the world,” he explains. “Certain

Organisation for Economic Co-operation

There is plenty of capital, but there are very few platforms that can deploy it on a global basis.

Steven Glenn is one of more than a dozen EY alumni who’ve made the move to

two firms share a people-oriented culture and a commitment to a “higher purpose.”

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Private equity: on the rise

and Development’s rules for base erosion

of private equity as part of increased attention to commercial entities in general. “As companies increase their global footprints, more nationalistic and local interests take hold,” he says. For the industry overall, the main challenge in the

interesting investments in a low-yield environment. There is plenty of capital, but there are very few platforms that can deploy it on a global basis.”

highly optimistic about the future of private equity. And he deeply appreciates the EY experiences and professionals who introduced him to the industry.

The bridge to Warburg Pincus

the merged Ernst & Young (EY). While serving in the Audit (now Assurance) practice, he caught the attention of Nat Adler, then a senior Tax partner. With Nat’s

his master’s in Tax and returned to EY working on transactions.

was taking on greater global dimensions,

to the sector, with Warburg Pincus as his primary client. Two of his mentors at the time were Tax Partner Bob Feinberg and Transactions Partner Tim Curt. Tim went on

predecessor in the CFO role, from 2003 to 2014. (Tim remains at Warburg Pincus and oversees certain IT operations and global structuring initiatives.)

After getting his law degree from

EY and soon found himself in London on that two-year assignment for the Warburg Pincus account, with a continued focus on transactions. “It was a very stimulating time to be working in Europe,” he recalls. “The Berlin Wall had come down, and with that, many market barriers as well. Private equity was really nascent in many countries.”

“shoulder to shoulder” with EY partners in London. The experience made a lasting impression. In that environment, he “came to understand how EY served clients internationally: with a presence on the ground, bringing a local and global

Warburg Pincus, which is an active investor in 40 countries.

as the lead M&A Tax partner for Warburg

Pincus. In 2007 he was invited to join the client side. It was a truly unique opportunity.

primarily on structuring and accounting, with a view to eventually step into the CFO role when Tim Curt moved on to other responsibilities. Today, in addition to his CFO

A different kind of private equity firmWarburg Pincus has always set itself apart through its core principle: seeking an

professionals, its limited partners and the management teams at its portfolio

model means that every partner draws a

“The arrangement fosters collaboration and complete shared interest,” explains

partners from EY who have moved over to Warburg Pincus: Errol Cook (now retired),

relatively high percentage of EY alumni who have landed at Warburg Pincus is due in large part to cultural commonalities.

Pincus and EY share a collaborative, “people-oriented” culture. “I also think we share a commitment to a higher purpose and a sense of service to clients and community,” he says.

Make-A-Wish

year terms, six years in all and the maximum

foundation, where he appreciates being able

to “work directly with the children, seeing the immediate impact of contributions.”

Maxwell, 16; Riley, 14; and Oliver, 9, are all active and involved in sports. And

to his community: organic farming. At

alternative to store-bought produce. But it’s taken on another dimension: helping

have teamed up to make weekly truck deliveries to Lunch Break, an organization

been providing food to the less fortunate for more than 30 years.

personal values and professional life, from EY to Warburg Pincus.

As a global investor, we are trying to enhance the flow of capital around the world.

Connect Winter 2016 7

Bill Stoffel:navigating private equity’s seismic shifts

EY Americas Private Equity

view of the industry, which has evolved dramatically since it emerged. We asked him about the significant and sometimes sudden changes in the marketplace and the notable presence of EY alumni across this dynamic corner of the investment industry.What distinguishes the way EY serves its private equity clients today in contrast to the early days of the practice?When I started in New York, the entire

EY has thousands of professionals across the world working in private equity. We have made the right investment in people and resources to make sure we cover all of the needs of private equity both at the fund level and at its portfolio companies.

We’ve developed an enterprise approach to service the needs of the private equity

account teams that work on every facet of private equity, including transactions and portfolio- and fund-related matters. Within each team there are groups focused on key areas, such as transaction due diligence, commercial due diligence, audit, tax structuring and compliance, fund operational advisory services, etc. These teams bring a global mindset and share their insights with their colleagues, whether the action is

happening in New York, London, Beijing or Bangalore. We also bring people who are steeped in the sector we are working with.

perspective to the client.

Can you speak to the changes in the industry and EY’s response?At EY, we talk about the seismic shifts underway in the industry. And we’ve transformed our service offerings in a way that responds to those changes instead of to what our competitors are doing. One major change is a more complex regulatory landscape. As an example, as funds around the world are looking to restructure their reporting frameworks and internal processes, EY has grown its fund operational advisory offerings.

Give us some other examples of how EY has responded to industry changes.Due diligence has changed dramatically. I remember how we would sit in a room with a management team for two to three weeks, grinding through the company’s numbers. It was an internal validation of the business. Today, our clients want a bigger picture — in other words, commercial due diligence — where you look at the company’s market, comparison with peers, regulatory issues and the like as well as areas for operational

commercial due diligence and operational advisory services, bringing together our

relevant areas.EY acquired the Parthenon Group two

years ago to expand our capabilities in the strategic advisory and commercial due

diligence space. With this deal, we are better positioned to serve as strategic advisors to funds as they develop and change their investment strategies. EY is also expanding its fund advisory practice, addressing such issues as succession planning and the

What attracted you to private equity?Private equity is very demanding, and so you really need to have a passion for it to be successful. When I was starting out at EY, I worked on the audit for a company

and really liked it. I liked getting assigned to new projects

short order. That is what a lot of people get attracted to in working with private equity. You have two or three weeks to help somebody make a decision as to whether or not they should buy a company.

I worked with Peter Anzalone and Dennis (Papa) Polizzi, both of whom are still here at EY. In those early days, there were primarily three major private equity clients in the New

and Warburg Pincus. It was a young industry.

Who are some EY alumni making an impact in the industry?Many EY professionals have made and continue to make their mark on the industry.

is doing things beyond the scope of the typical

on the industry as any CFO you could think

predecessor in the CFO position, who was a Tax partner in our Transactions practice. And

Tax practice, joined Warburg Pincus in 2015

activities that impact the business beyond just tax. We can also look at Anna May Trala,

a real trailblazer and one of just a handful of women executives in the industry. There’s no doubt: at GTCR, Warburg Pincus and many

to shape the future of the private equity industry.

Words: Anne Lampert Photos: Brian Camarao

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Private equity: on the rise

Anna May Trala

Private equity

pioneer at GTCRSince the earliest days of private equity, the turf in the PE space has been dominated by men. In fact, as of last March, of the 71 managing directors at Chicago’s 10 largest private equity firms, just 2 were women. One of them is Anna May Trala, EY alumna and CFO of GTCR, a leading Chicago-based PE firm with some $12 billion in assets under management. Anna May takes the distinction in stride. After all, she’s used to being a private equity pioneer.

The formative yearsAnna May joined EY as a senior in the

in merger and acquisition work and was soon asked to join a new practice, based in Chicago,

the work and was quickly promoted to partner.

GTCR was Anna May’s largest client, but

does today. “When we started serving GTCR, the company had about $2 billion in assets under management, which quickly grew to $8 billion by the early 2000s,” recalls Anna May.

An “amazing ride”

retired partner), EY’s Transaction Advisory

market. There was no Big-Four or other market

Words:

Connect Winter 2016 9

A lot of dry powderIn PE parlance, “dry powder” refers to investment capital that has yet to be deployed. And right now, there’s a lot of it in the market. According to Anna May, the

2007-08 caused the pace of PE investing to slow dramatically. The good news is that, since 2015, the PE market has come “roaring back,” matching the levels at the height of the

side: there is now a mountain of dry powder, and investors are chasing a limited number

opportunities out there,” says Anna May, “but they are at all-time-high valuations.”

to deploy your capital with a reasonable rate of return is a real challenge, especially with a high-quality asset.” Other challenges facing the industry, according to Anna May, include the uncertainties resulting from the presidential election, potential tax reform, and regulation, especially abroad. Even so, Anna May remains optimistic. “Demand is strong and there’s still a lot of interest in this asset class,” she says. “Investors are looking

strategy, team stability and an infrastructure driven by demands for transparency.”

Finding PE gold

quality assets — or those that can be turned into high-quality assets — at reasonable values, GTCR takes a unique approach that

GTCR recruits and partners with world-class executives who possess a proven track record of value creation in core domains and

competition in this space. Anna May worked

relationship, to quickly develop and grow this line of business. “This part of the PE food chain (due diligence/quality of earnings) was really brand new,” she notes. “It was a fascinating time to be in the business.”

Anna May remembers spending weeks

working with company executives to “really peel back the onion” and see how the companies operated by digging deep into their key business drivers. The objectives were to help private equity and corporate clients determine the real earnings of the target business, and to look at forecasts to be sure that the investment thesis and base model investment returns, as created by the PE sponsor, were in line with reality, and achievable. “The hours were long — sometimes 70-80 hours a week — but it was an amazing learning and growth experience.

in my career at that time, for which I’m so grateful,” Anna May shares.

In 2003, GTCR asked Anna May to join

infrastructure investment it needed. But eight months later, she agreed, with a mission of creating scalable, best-in-class infrastructure. Again, she helped to till new soil: “At the time, PE was so small that there was no PE-

“build out that function,” with EY providing assistance — from documenting business processes, to an extensive RFP process, to vendor selection, to implementation — along the way. “It was an amazing ride,” she laughs.

leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Anna May

advantage “because many times, these

we otherwise wouldn’t know about.” Frequently, GTCR will create a “platform,”

adding several similar companies to the investment, and, according to Anna May, “really transform it.” “We rarely sell the same business we buy, in large part due to the

The most important investmentWhen Anna May is not helping grow GTCR, she’s investing in the lives of her two boys:

sports fans — especially of the 2016 World

are also highly involved in sports, and many

coaching or cheering them on. But education is paramount to Anna May, and she serves on the board of the Rogers Park Montessori

Finance Committee Chair. Even with this busy schedule, Anna May and her family also carve out time to enjoy many Cubs and Bulls games, the shores of Lake Michigan and traveling the world exploring new places.

You might say she’s drawn to unfamiliar territory, but she never forgets where the trail began. “I know I wouldn’t have the career I have today if not for EY,” she says. In addition

on her career. “I have so much respect and admiration for

EY and am super-proud to be an EY alum.”

There are definitely attractive opportunities out there, but they are at all-time-high valuations.

GTCR CFO and Managing Director Anna May Tralavisiting Alcatraz with

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Private equity: on the rise

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Is acquiring potential the quickest way to achieve it?

out how M&A could make rethinking your growth strategy a reality.

Discover more at ey.com/ccb

Verdeja

Octavio Jr., Octavio and Javier Verdeja represent 50 years of EY alumni legacy. They all attended the same school, began their accounting careers at EY and now work side by side in the family firm.

12 ey.com/alumni

viewsThree generations of EY alumni share their views on their EY history, their family firm and their family’s future.Words: Eboni T. Thomas Photos:

Career paths seem to be on repeat in the

accounting career at EY in 1966. In 1971, he partnered with a friend to start a CPA

and started his accounting career at EY.

as a Tax staff after graduating. In 2016,

This trio represents not only a pattern in their family history, but an interesting

progression as well. “When my father

in Cuba one day, speaks only broken

But they aren’t the only ones to follow suit in their extended family of nearly 140

and a growing number of third-generation

my children to go to school in Miami so they would stay in Miami — and it worked.

future accountants? “Of course!”

Working at EY allowed all of us to understand hard work, dedication and the importance of clients, which we continue to apply in our family firm.

Connect Winter 2016 13

Three perspectives in their own words:

Octavio F. VerdejaIt’s amazing where the forks in the road take you. I was a foreman in a concrete plant, and my hands swelled from the heat horribly. The man who hired me said, “You are not meant to be here. I’m going to get you a job in the accounting department.” That’s when I started thinking about going

I took night classes to get my accounting degree. When I started at Ernst & Ernst, I was the oldest junior staff. At the time, nobody wanted to do Medicare audits at the

made me a Medicare audit expert, which

were all nursing homes.Over the years, I have held a lot of

important positions, but the most important and satisfying was coach. I coached for 15

in Orlando and came in second place. When I walk into a store and a 55-year-old person stops me and asks, “Coach, do you remember me?” it is worth more than all the other positions I’ve held.

I have been married for 58 years with four children, and I’ve been semi-retired since 2011. Putting my son in charge of the

every day for the life I have.

Octavio A. Verdeja Working at EY allowed all of us to understand hard work, dedication and the importance of clients, which we continue to

Ernst & Ernst and handled entrepreneurial clients, who had started small businesses. I started at Ernst & Whinney and had second-generation professionals, who became

at EY and will have the tech millennials.

14 ey.com/alumni

Verdeja views

I still have friends at EY, including

seeing some workpapers in which one of the audit seniors had used some unusual tickmarks. For example, everyone else was using checkmarks, but he’d used an eyeball, representing that he saw something noteworthy.

and he instilled giving back into the family

Javier VerdejaGrowing up, I heard great things about EY from my father and grandfather. My overall experience at EY really prepared me to be a professional and leader in

training prepared me very well for the

proud to be an EY alumnus and part of a very large community of successful people who went through a similar start to their career. I have many friends at EY, and we speak regularly.

One of my best EY memories is when a coworker brought in a dog gate and, just as a joke, blocked off our little section of cubicles. We made ourselves a “gated

guard. People even started signing in if they wanted to speak with one of us

few days, but it went on for months. It just

I have seen the importance of giving

Matters Board, an extension of the Centro Mater Foundation, which raises funds for underprivileged families in Miami. My

I have traveled to more than 50 countries and will be adding to that list this December when I get married. We’re going to New Zealand and Australia for our honeymoon.

in business? “In 35 years of working together, we have never raised our voices

“Whenever we had a business issue, we knew it would be resolved in the swimming

schools as clients. Today, we serve over 150 NFPs and over 100 schools. Our employees are all involved in the audits of NFPs, but they also serve on boards and continue to

I have been married for 35 years, with

grandchildren. I have a house in Islamorada, Florida, that I go to every weekend. I travel a lot for pleasure, but not for business. That’s the way I like it.

In 35 years of working together, we have never raised our voices at one another. Whenever we had a business issue, we knew it would be resolved in the swimming pool on Saturday.

Connect Winter 2016 15

Wallena Gould

Diversity is all about relationship building. All I did is develop a lot of relationships and bring in people to expand on it. That networking is huge.

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One in three million

EY alumna Wallena Gould shares her journey from accounting to nursing to founding the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program.

Words: Eboni T. Thomas Photos:

anesthetists (CRNAs), and only 31 CRNAs are fellows at the American Academy of Nursing. In 2015, EY alumna Wallena Gould became the

a fellow. As the CEO of the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program she established in 2002, she is particularly excited about this honor. “It puts me in a circle of people I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to talk to,” Gould shares, “so I can elevate my organization even more as a result of just being a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.”

Wallena interned at EY in New York in 1989 while studying at Fairleigh Dickinson

Fairleigh Dickinson. Although she switched to a career in nursing years ago, Wallena continues to follow the business world and EY on Twitter. Earlier this year, she attended the DiversityInc Top 50 Event in New York City, at which David O’Brien, EY’s Americas Director of Brand, Marketing and Communications,

O’Brien as an alumna, and he invited her to share her story in Connect.

What made you change careers and why nursing anesthesia?When I started with EY, my son was very young

New York City. Also, besides accounting, I

Connect Winter 2016 17

made the decision to go back to school to

the operating room, where I learned about

as a critical care nurse, I had to leave the operating room to work with patients in the trauma unit. As a critical care nurse, I later applied to the nurse anesthesia program at

What inspired you to form the mentorship program?

anesthesia curriculum with nearby Drexel

we went to each site to be taught by faculty members, all of whom were white.

I’m very careful with the relationships I establish and maintain. That’s what I learned at EY. And having that business background helped me establish my nonprofit organization.

stellar grade on that project, I kept thinking,

I asked my program director for approval to speak to them before they entered

anesthesia students and I had lunch with them and discussed clinical expectations,

even introduced them to all the anesthesia equipment in the simulation lab at the school.

How did you grow the program?I continued to host meetings with minority students in my home. By the time I graduated, so many people were contacting me — from Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York — I couldn’t accommodate everyone in my home.

program director if I could use the school’s site for information sessions. I paid for the food, the space was free and it just grew from there. The following year, I started sessions at other locations and invited one of Penn’s program directors and the CEO

doctorate) to share information about nurse anesthesia and how she rose to become

was basically word of mouth. We continued expanding — to Florida, North Carolina, California — and now host weekend sessions for prospective nurse anesthetists across the

We’ve had 28 sessions since 2004. Next year,

EY alumna Wallena Gould EdD, CRNA, FAAN, is one of just 31 certified registered nurse anesthetists who are fellows at the American Academy of Nursing. As CEO of the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program she established in 2002, she is working to attract more women of color to the nurse anesthetist field.

Our program director asked us to create a presentation on anything related to anesthesia. During that time, I witnessed a minority student fail the nurse anesthesia

a child in private school and was working full time. I made several attempts to mentor her but met with no success. Then I wondered about the nursing profession’s

I requested demographic information from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. They sent me a state-by-state compilation of all the CRNAs and nurse anesthetists. It was sad to see, at that time, out of 36,000 nurse anesthetists in the

Native Americans. Although I earned a

18 ey.com/alumni

Wallena Gould: one in three million

What happens during these sessions?

directors from different schools speak about their own learning experiences, the true rigors of a program, clinical expectations and how to balance life while still working as an RN, with many also managing a family. There’s Q&A, and everybody dresses in interview business attire. The day closes with panels of nurse anesthetists and nurse anesthesia students from diverse backgrounds speaking about their own journey. The second day is casual because we take students into the simulation

1) network with people in the profession they probably would never meet and 2) participate in a hands-on anesthesia airway workshop conducted by nurse anesthetists and senior nurse anesthesia students.

How does the program make a difference for participants?We set up mock interviews, critique students’ essays and introduce them to someone currently enrolled in or who graduated from the program for which they are applying. We set a high bar. We expect them to mentor others who want to come into the

2003 or 2004, about 1,200 people have gone through my program, and about 400 minority nurses were accepted into 55 graduate nurse anesthesia programs across

in urban hospitals administering anesthesia, becoming chief nurse anesthetists and clinical coordinators, serving in the military and owning their practices.

How long is the typical CRNA program and what does it cost?Almost 30 months, because the designation is now transitioning from a master’s-level to

Depending on which region of the country, programs can range from $40,000 to $100,000+, so we advise students to shop around to avoid a lot of debt. We also tell

encourage those with spouses to bring their partners along to hear what it takes.

anesthetists by 2020. The National Board

EY is tops in diversity and with working mothersFor the eighth straight year, DiversityInc has ranked Ernst & Young LLP among the nation’s top 10 diverse

and the highest ranked professional

Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. As part of the ranking, DiversityInc issues participating companies a “report card” that assesses their efforts to ensure diversity in recruiting, talent development, leadership accountability and supplier diversity. In total, Ernst & Young LLP has made the list 13 times.

In addition, Working Mother has named EY to its 2016 100 Best Companies list. This marks our 20th year on the list, and our 11th consecutive

dedicated to ensuring that all of our people have the opportunity to thrive in all aspects of their lives and be authentic

EY’s Global Diversity & Inclusiveness

environment is tightly woven into the

contributor to our consistent high rankings in these key benchmarks.”

Anesthetists (NBCRNA) gave us $15,000 to purchase our own simulation equipment to take to schools of nursing across the country at historically black colleges

institutions. Eventually, I’d like to take this organization on full time. The funding is just not there yet, but I’m not going to stop.

Did you ever think your school presentation would turn into what you’re doing now?No, not at all. I just wanted to help the next cohort of CRNA candidates. Diversity is all about relationship building. All I did was develop a lot of relationships and bring in people to expand on it. That professional networking is huge in the nurse anesthesia community. For example, to complete the anesthesia program, students must shadow

generation college graduates may not know someone personally, so we connect them with mentors to shadow.

How does it make you feel to have started this?I love seeing the transition from nursing student to nurse anesthetist to actually administering anesthesia in the operating room. We’re adding value to the health care industry from a cultural competence

Cameroon, Ethiopia, other nations in Africa

as their native languages. When they help patients who only speak, say, French, Thai or

level right before they deliver anesthesia. I know that what we’re doing is great.

How did your EY experience help you

I’m very careful with the relationships I establish and maintain. That’s what I learned at EY. And having that business background helped me establish my

the paperwork for the 501(c)(3), which

Connect Winter 2016 19

DaleJenkins

Embracing disruptionDon’t let Dale Jenkins’ mild manner fool you. Yes, he’s the 22-year CEO of a well-established insurance company. Yes, he and his wife, Debra, his childhood sweetheart, have been married for 37 years and have five grandchildren. And yes, he’s the grandson of a preacher, and faith and family are most important to him. But deep inside this former partner beats the heart of a disrupter.

We talked to Dale about what disruption means to him, and why he welcomes it.

Connect: Your company, Medical Mutual of North Carolina, has been providing medical malpractice insurance for physicians for over 40 years, currently covering some 12,500 doctors in 18 states. How do you stay innovative?

Dale Jenkins (DJ): I like to think we’re in the practice of helping physicians be successful. One of our core products is medical malpractice insurance, so we

certainly want to (and do) protect physicians in the event that a claim is brought against them. But we owe them more than that. They own this company. As good stewards of both the insurance premiums that they pay to us and the trust they place in us, we must always provide resources that help physicians succeed – in their business of medicine, in their personal lives and in any way possible. And that requires us to continually be envisioning and creating new products and services.

Connect: What does innovation look like for you and Medical Mutual?

DJ: Well, we try to anticipate the future – staying ahead of the curve. For example, we see physician practices aggregating and getting much larger. Where we historically dealt with a 3-, 5- or maybe 10-physician practice, managed by a former nurse, today it’s not uncommon to see 100- or even 200-physician practices managed by someone holding an MBA.

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We try to be part of the disruption because when you run to the change — to the fight — you can embrace it and be a part of it.

Connect Winter 2016 21

medicine has transformed. We changed from being a product-driven company to

we say, “Let us come in and understand your practice, your risk tolerance, the dynamics of what you’re trying to accomplish — and let us come back with solutions to help you succeed.”

Also, by the nature of our business, we carry a large balance sheet. And, with historically low interest rates, we wanted to be more creative in how we managed that

migrating some of our portfolio into both real estate and operating companies. Today we have investments in 35 to 40 properties and a dozen operating companies. Over time, we began making portions of our real estate investments directly available to our members. That opportunity took

if we put out a new opportunity at 5:30 on a Thursday evening, then by 8:30 Friday morning we had more of our owners wishing to participate than we had ownership interests to share. In response to this

Among other offerings, they have a real

That’s a whole new part of our business that is the result of being innovative.

Connect: You mentioned the transformation of the health care industry. What’s your philosophy on dealing with this disruption in the health care market?

DJ: Disruption brings opportunities. I remember seeing a recruiting poster for the

a lot of people view insurance companies as not very entrepreneurial, stodgy, and slow to react. We want to change that paradigm.

be part of the disruption because when you

embrace it and be a part of it, rather than sit back and have disruption happen to you.

Connect: You’re in the business of protecting physicians. How do you balance that against the needs of patients to receive the safest, highest-quality health care?

DJ: That’s a really good question. A lot of people think we’re solely in the business of protecting doctors. And that’s really not true. Our company was formed in 1975, and I knew most of the physicians in that

founding group. They were very keen on making sure our company promoted quality medicine — that we were not here to protect doctors who either were performing procedures they shouldn’t be doing or were substandard in their care.

We have developed nationally recognized risk management and educational programs to assure that the physicians who we insure are always doing what is in the best interest of their patients. In our view, the best claim is one that never happens — because we have worked to prevent it. We do provide them insurance defense, but, over time, we work with those doctors to help them improve the care processes and protocols that we empirically know drive better outcomes for their patients. Part of who we are is that “tough love” partner willing to cease insuring doctors who cannot practice safely. The safety of the patient must always

Connect: Are you more optimistic or pessimistic when you look at the health care horizon?

DJ: A little of both. I’m very optimistic about the incredible technological innovation going on — things like genome sequencing. And I just learned about a new contact lens being developed that also

More about Dale Jenkins•

• Made partner in 1987

•

• North Carolina in 1994 as COO and became CEO in 1995

• Chairs the boards of the North Carolina

• Recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which recognizes North Carolinians who exemplify giving back to the state

• presented by the North Carolina Medical

service to the physician community

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Dale Jenkins: embracing disruption

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17help you navigate disruption in banking with customer-centric business models.

Who will disrupt the disruptors ?

measures your blood pressure and heart rate, and can send that data in real time to your health care provider. It’s just amazing what’s in store. On the other hand, I worry about the tremendous pressure being put on physicians. Imagine a world where you go from being paid by the procedure to being paid by the outcome — strictly the outcome. And add to that the complexities of dealing with things like ever-increasing regulatory and compliance requirements. It’s putting a lot of stress on our health care providers.

Connect: What does the future hold for you, personally?

DJ: Well, I’m not ready to ride into the sunset just yet, but I’ve often wondered if something in public service is in the cards. EY instilled in me the responsibility of giving back to the community, so I also would very much enjoy serving as a coach or mentor to a business that could use my skills.

Connect: You’ve been gone from EY for more than 20 years, but you clearly still feel a strong connection with the firm.

DJ: There’s not a day that goes by that

a small, rural part of North Carolina who

of opportunity I never knew existed. I was mentored, nurtured and encouraged to maximize those opportunities by Ron

Partner at the time and such a role model),

Partner the year I made partner. It was a wonderful marriage between someone who

and a team of great people who wanted to help me do it.

BradBrown

Roadwarrior

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Call it the ride of a lifetime. Racing bikes across 3,000 miles, 12 states and 170,000 vertical feet is certainly no everyday thing. It’s a seven-day, four-hour and 45-minute thing. That’s exactly what it took to get the EY Legacy Builders’ team of four racers to the finish line.

Results? First place in the “Mixed Team: 50 to 59-year-old” division of what is dubbed the world’s toughest bicycle race — the Race Across America. Moreover, it took phenomenal teamwork. And that teamwork also paid off in raising more than

MAP (Mentoring for Access and Persistence). This fund provides

generation college students — mentored by EY professionals and now successfully pursuing their undergraduate degrees.

to point B (Annapolis, Maryland)? More than you might imagine. The riders’ support crew of 17 specialized in everything: from bike maintenance to safety preparation to meal planning.

driver Brad Brown, husband of EY alumna Denise Brown, it was the drive of a lifetime.

Words: Eboni T. Thomas Photos

Connect Winter 2016 25

In for the long haul

land such a gig? Considering this Army vet’s background as a Corps of Engineers Major with a master’s in operations research from Georgia Tech, coupled with

When Denise received an email from the EY Americas Alumni Relations team in March looking for volunteers for a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she knew it wasn’t for her. But she showed it to Brad. “You do these crazy kinds of things,” she said to him and asked, “What do you think?”

Brad and Denise had talked about what they’d like to do in their retirement. On his bucket list was to do a major bike ride, although maybe not across the country. But the opportunity to support one sounded like the next best thing. After contacting EY Legacy Builders crew chief

Greg Daniels to sign up, Brad thought he was set. But he was put on a wait list

strong lineup, including an EY partner with

kept that partner from participating, Brad landed in the driver’s seat.

Teaming 24/7A tremendous amount of planning went into prepping for the race. The Legacy Builders’ cyclists were divided into two pairs — the Legacy team and the Builders team. Collectively, they would race 24/7:

two active cyclists would take turns riding with a minivan following, while the other

as it motored to the next shift-change location. They would switch shifts, as necessary, based on the geographical

included placing head and tail lights and

minivans to trail the bikers at night.

Brad said, “so the other half of the time, I was either sleeping or taking care of requirements for the rider and other miscellaneous items.”

Brad was impressed by “all these accountants and their spreadsheets.”

lines denoting every check-in stop and race requirement along the way.” They also charted where the nearest shopping centers and gas stations were so they could resupply food and fuel quickly. Equally impressive is that “none of the cyclists had previously ridden more than 100 miles in a day until just a few months before the

was just phenomenal because they all did a great job.”

Some bumps in the roadOf course, some trying situations arose,

Brad Brown and his wife, EY alumnaDenise Brown, outside the clubhouse

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Brad Brown: road warrior

and blocked roadways. That’s where the prepping and preplanning paid off. Perhaps the most harrowing moment was when team captain Mark Gibson had an

back and arm badly enough to be taken to the hospital. But after receiving care and

and continued the race.Communication was also a challenge.

Because Brad had to leapfrog ahead of the bikers, he had very little direct contact with the cyclists while they were actively

communicate with Brad, given his highly irregular schedule. “I didn’t expect much communication,” Denise admitted. “But

Brad Brown (in blue shirt) with fellow members of the EY Legacy Builders support crew.

I found that the Race Across America website has a really good tracking system.

the team were, and how they were doing in the race — it was exciting and a lot of fun.”

Strong team, strong finishFrom beginning to end, things just fell into place for the Legacy Builders. The team was built to win. “They just seemed to have the skill sets that were needed,” Brad noted. “They had people with all this experience in biking, some bike mechanics and somebody with nutrition expertise to sit with the riders and tell them what they needed with their

would have been an accomplishment, especially through 120-degree weather in places near Phoenix. But to win? Not bad at

Everybody who showed up did a great job, and they really came together as a team.

all for a crew who had just met each other as a whole about 48 hours before starting the race.

“It was a great team-building exercise,” Brad said. “It was very demanding and challenging, but a very positive experience for the whole crew and the riders.” Worth

I would get a three-hour sleep break at like 8 p.m., and the next day it might be 11 a.m. or later. You didn’t get enough sleep — nobody did — but you caught up after the race,” Brad noted. “Everybody who showed up did a great job, and they really came together as a team.”

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The feat is even more amazing when you consider that, just six years ago, Gwen was a

never competed in triathlon in her life. Fresh off her stunning victory, Gwen recently

appeared at a “town hall” meeting in our

Managing Partner. In this excerpt of their conversation, they explore the interesting parallels between Gwen’s experience as a world-class athlete and EY’s focus on execution, innovation, agility and engagement.

Mike O’Leary: What’s your biggest takeaway from your gold medal win in Rio?

Gwen Jorgensen (GJ): I think it’s having

contacted me back in 2010, before I had ever competed in the sport, I actually laughed. I said, “You’re crazy.” I didn’t believe I was a world-class athlete. It took a lot of other people believing in me to accomplish my goals. And I think that’s something that applies equally at EY. When you see someone doing a good job, you need to tell

belief is not enough and we need to feel that belief

When EY alumna Gwen Jorgensen crossed the finish line this summer in Rio, 40 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, she made Olympic history: she’s the first US athlete to bring home Olympic gold in triathlon. Not only does she dominate her sport (she’s also the two-time triathlon World Champion), but many sports authorities are now calling Gwen the best female athlete in the world. Yes, world. Pure

GOLD!

GwenJorgensen

Connect Winter 2016 29

MO: What do you miss the most about your time at EY?

GJ: I miss the people. And I actually liked having a desk job … coming in every day and having my little cubicle. It’s funny, when I was in college and I knew I had to decide between tax and assurance, I chose tax because I didn’t want to travel. Now that’s all that I do. I’ve raced on every continent except Antarctica.

MO: You have an interesting relationship with your competitors. Tell us about it.

GJ: I’m part of an international training

competitors on a daily basis. While training,

competitors. This has taught me that, for me to be my best, I need to surround myself with the best. And I think that applies at EY as well. Every day we all need to show up and do our best. And that helps raise the bar for everyone. When we work as a team — even if we’re both after the same thing — we learn from each other, and that helps us all improve.

MO: Flexibility and work-life balance are very important at EY. How did those two things impact your athletic career?

GJ: Well, I wouldn’t be here today if not

working full-time when I started triathlon.

Focus on the process. Have goals that are achievable, that are something you know you can do, and that don’t rely on people or circumstances beyond your control.

Phot

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from others. I see how others are investing in me, and that gives me inspiration.

MO: How important is goal setting? GJ: It’s huge. After competing in the

London Games in 2012, I set a four-year

the most important things I’ve learned is how to set goals. I used to say, “I want to win the Olympics” or “I want to win this race.” But those are outcome-based goals

changed my mindset to setting process-based goals: what can I do day to day — like relaxing my shoulders when I run, or keeping my elbow high when I swim — that will help me reach a larger goal? Focus

achievable, that are something you know you can do, and that don’t rely on people or circumstances beyond your control.

MO: EY is laser-focused on innovation. Is there innovation in triathlon?

GJ: Absolutely. For example, I don’t like being cold and don’t perform my best when

Africa, and the water temperature was in the 50s (degrees Fahrenheit) — to me, that’s

heated motorcycle jacket that I wore before the race to warm up. Then we worked with my swimsuit provider to develop a suit to help keep me warmer in the water.

collaborating with others to innovate and improve is undoubtedly a key to my success.

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Gwen Jorgensen: pure gold

for the 2012 Olympics, he suggested a leave of absence to allow me to take full advantage

something to be applauded, and EY people should be proud of it. In triathlon, it’s harder to achieve balance. But I do get away a few times a year for a mental recharge. I’ll even turn on my

When we work as a team — even if we’re both after the same thing — we learn from each other, and that helps us all improve. Ph

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Having an innovative mindset and collaborating with others to innovate and improve is undoubtedly a key to my success.

MO: Our purpose at EY is helping to build a better working world. You are helping to do that, too, through the foundation you and your husband, Patrick, have started.

GJ: Yes. I’ve been given a lot by triathlon, and I wanted to give back to the triathlon community. Every year we award $25,000 to $30,000 to up-and-coming triathletes who aspire to excellence. While the scholarships are for others, I feel I’m

connect with and mentor these younger athletes. I learn so much from them.

MO: Since returning from Rio, you ran the New York City Marathon, your first marathon, and finished in 14th place among the women. What’s next?

GJ: Well, I think we’d like to have a kid and then look forward to Tokyo (site of the 2018

MO: What final words of advice do you have?GJ:

And don’t ever give up. I’ve had workouts where I’ve failed time after time to meet certain performance goals. You may not be where you want to be today, but if you keep trying, you’re on the right path.

Following her gold medal win in Rio, Gwen dropped by EY’s Minneapolis office to encourage and challenge her former EY colleagues.

Connect Winter 2016 31

Getting it rightin the innovation era

fWong

Uber. Airbnb. Snapchat. They are all major disrupters, having enjoyed a spectacular rise to global adoption. But disruption is about more than turning the status quo on its head — it’s about foreseeing opportunity, then pouncing on it.

32 ey.com/alumni

Words Photos

With this in mind, it’s important that EY experiment, innovate and be able to forecast the next big megatrends in order to develop new strategies and solutions for EY as well as for clients.

Global Innovation team, whose job is not

will play out across the entire professional services industry.

bold and start down the path even if the destination is unknown. In other words, if you wait to see how things will turn out, if you sit and watch the tea leaves as they brew, you’re too late.

failure isn’t enough — instead, dive headlong into it. After all, Thomas Edison created hundreds if not thousands of light bulbs before he got it right.

Recently, Connect

to say about the “innovative mindset,” the importance of the start-up culture even at a

The innovative mindset is driven by change, knowing it’s happening fast. The challenge now is that if we wait to observe the outcome, it’s too late.

Connect Winter 2016 33

Connect: What should we know about the philosophy of the Global Innovation team?

Jeff Wong (JW): Our motivation is about solving a problem — it’s about fundamentally caring, and it’s personally motivated. When you think about the

and purpose. It’s beyond how much it’ll cost, how famous they’ll be, how big their

an industry, even changing the world, and that’s why I’m so optimistic about the Global Innovation team and EY.

This group really has the opportunity to have a broad-based global impact, to help the industry and our clients evolve. We live that mission of building a better working world.

we’ll run a series of start-ups, wholly owned and funded by EY. We take an experimental path that asks, listens and learns much like a start-up does. We start with a blank sheet of paper and an understanding of the problem we’re trying

of the organization’s assets behind us. We mix all that together and put it in a room

problem today?”

technologies that we think could have a big impact on our business and the

profession more broadly. Initially, we are focused on robotic process automation,

blockchain — which acts as a ledger of accounts, a database, a notary, a sentry and clearinghouse — all by consensus — ensuring data integrity.

And third, we’re really looking to have

encourage innovation at all levels of the organization.

Connect: You came from eBay, a high-tech, fast-moving, highly innovative entrepreneurial company. How much difference is there between a company like eBay and EY?

JW: What’s fun for me is they’re entirely different industries that view the world differently. And yet a lot of the challenges that a new innovation faces are common to any larger-sized, successful organization. In both cases, you have this wildly successful core engine, and

adjustments to this 747 engine while

ocean?” It’s a challenge that I think not just eBay and EY face, but a lot of our clients today.

see a lot of creativity at EY. When we go

and hear about different projects, we see that creativity, that entrepreneurial spirit and energy, and I think it’s all about unlocking that.

the concept of constant and creative experimentation into the other things we’re good at.

Connect: What do you think the barriers are to developing an “innovative mindset”? And how can a person — a client or someone within EY — develop and expand that mindset?

JW: Large corporations build in processes that reinforce what made them successful. Naturally, right? And this may have worked for a long time because when things changed more slowly, leaders could thoughtfully and carefully understand how change was evolving, how they wanted to evolve with that change and then observe for a while and make a decision later on in the process.

The challenge now is that if we wait to observe the outcome, it’s too late. And so the innovative mindset is driven by change, knowing it’s happening fast. We might not know what the product will look like or what the business model will be, but we know it’s big, and we move to solve an important challenge for the customer. We attack problems in an iterative way, which gets us closer and closer to the answer, and we are willing to learn with each step.

What I really think drives that innovative mindset is experimentation. Trying it. It’s having a different view of how the world will end up than where my company or my product is currently pointed, and being open.

and simply execute to a schedule, I can almost guarantee we’re going to get the wrong answer.

Connect: We hear all the time about how important failure is in innovation, but what does that really mean?

JW: That’s when you learn most about what it will take to get you closest to the answer. On the days when things go well, that’s when the truth is hiding. When a company or a person starts to experiment and begins to tangibly feel that yes, we went down that pathway and it didn’t work, that’s when we can start to tweak and readjust.

More about Jeff Wong•

Consulting Group

•

• and leading the Business Incubation Group; was co-responsible for new start-ups at the auction platform

• at EY since 2015

•

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Jeff Wong: getting it right in the innovation era

Risk is a huge part of that. You have to put yourself in a position where things are at risk so that you do fail, so that you can get to the right answer.

Connect: Can you give examples of how EY is innovating today?

JW: One way EY is innovating is by integrating new technologies into our service offerings. For example, we’re helping clients implement Robotic Process Automation (RPA) — which is a new take on automation that allows people without coding skills to teach software — a robot — to replicate human actions on a desktop computer. Typical targets of RPA include jobs where humans are executing repetitive tasks

robots can work 24 hours a day, 365 days per year and achieve accuracy

using RPA — for example, at one major European insurer, we are helping them

just four months.And in Brazil, one of our teams used

a drone to improve our services. After a dam burst, the team was hired to verify spend on rebuilding activities in a remote, hard-to-access area. The team used a drone to do a “site visit” and was able to capture images in a cost- and

were integrated into our systems, verifying the locations where rebuilding was taking place.

Now the team is asking, “What could

early, but there’s great potential there.

Connect: You call yourself an optimist. Why is optimism important?

JW: Yes, I look at the world very, very optimistically — very wide-eyed. There’s

evolves. It’s not an opportunity that necessarily every generation gets, so we don’t want to let it pass us by. I look at it with excitement.

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Do you have to be a start-up to set the disruption agenda?

Our more than 250,000 EY alumni across the Americas are always on the move. In this section, we highlight some of the recent promotions, appointments and other achievements of your friends and colleagues.

AlumninewsAlan Arnold has been named one of Computerworld’s 2016 Premier Technology Leaders. Arnold is CTO

provider of IT modernization solutions.

Michael Balboa has been named CFO of Fenimore Asset Management, a wealth management firm based in New York.

Michelle Barton has been

President and CFO of AMC, Inc., parent entity of AmericasMart Atlanta.

Rick Bierly has been named to the board of directors of Impax Laboratories Inc., a technology-based specialty pharmaceutical

recently was CFO of Medivation, Inc.

Joseph DeSplinter, former Managing Partner of EY’s Denver and Phoenix offices, has been named to the board of directors for RE/Max

Mark Gerke has been

parent company,

Arnold Hanish has been selected to the Financial Executives International (FEI)

professionals to receive the honor in 2016.

Accounting Officer of Eli Lilly and Company.

Kulik starts publishing company

Rivals, LLC. Two of his most recently released books offer young readers a humorous look at the recent presidential election. The company is also launching a multi-campus fundraising campaign in which Big Little Rivals plans to donate up to $1 million in the

company’s goal is to “help people not take themselves so darn serious and enjoy life a little more.”

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Millicans donate

Don Millican and his wife, Donna, have established the Don and Donna Millican Endowed Chair in Accounting

Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Bret Kidd has been named President of Travelport Americas, a travel commerce platform.

Timothy Necastro has been named CFO and President of Erie Insurance, a multi-line insurance company.

Kelly Rakowski has

President of Performance Partners, the advisory services business unit of Premier, Inc.

Phillip Reinsch has been named President and CEO of Capstead Mortgage

company since 1993.

Skerritt is an American Banker Woman to WatchAmerican Banker

and Chairwoman, President and CEO of Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation and Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation Americas, to its list of 25 Women to Watch in banking in 2016. This is the third

senior governance committees in the Americas. The annual American Banker ranking recognizes

Connect Winter 2016 37

Marcus Shingles has been named CEO of XPRIZE Foundation, a nonprofit organization that “designs and implements global incentive competitions to

solve the world’s grand challenges.”

Leigh Ann Schultz has been elected to the board

Telecommunications

Managing Director for MorganFranklin Consulting.

James Sloan has been

Treasurer of PolyOne Corporation, a provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions.

Vincent Tammaro has been appointed Executive

Palos is one

“new leaders”Miguel Palos was named one of Variety’s

As the 33-year-old CFO of IM Global,

on more than 30 IM Global-produced

in production capital. Each year, the entertainment magazine recognizes

Auburn alumni honor MurphyAmy Murphy (center), Director of Accounting Graduate Programs at

honored by her former students,

board members, faculty and fellow EY alumni through the creation of the Amy B. Murphy Accounting Excellence Endowment. More than $524,000 has been pledged toward the endowment, which funds the new Amy B. Murphy Distinguished Professorship. Described as “the face of the Master of Accountancy

Accountancy” at Auburn, Amy has recruited, advised, taught and mentored Auburn accountancy students since 1994.

Karen Vejseli joined Orion Energy Partners as Managing Director and CFO. Orion Energy is a private equity direct lender and provider of creative debt solutions to middle

market energy infrastructure businesses.

Valerie Williams has been appointed to the board of directors of Omnicom Group, a global marketing and corporate communications company.

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Connecting, and staying connected, has never been easier. Visit the EY Global Alumni Network for more details. ey.com/alumni #BetterQuestions

Making new connections?Using them wisely?

01

Atlanta young alumni01 L–R: Ashley Thomson (Novelis)

and Lauren Gambrell.

02 L–R: Sinead Lynch (AirWatch) and Kristi Modisett (EY).

03 L–R: Michael Blalock (EY) and Alex Casajuana (Genuine Parts Company)

02

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Events gallery

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EY alumni take great delight in reuniting with their fellow alumni and former colleagues, whether at a start-class reunion, an industry-

former-partner outing. In the past six months, we’ve hosted over 50 events coast to coast. To view more alumni event photos and learn about upcoming events in your area, go to the EY alumni website (ey.com/alumni/login). While there, please make sure your contact information is accurate to ensure that you receive announcements, invitations and updates.

@EY_AlumAmericasFollow us to see real-time event photos and more.

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01

Baltimore01 L-R: Lou Friedman (Lou Friedman & Company) and

Laurie Dietrich (T. Rowe Price).

02 L-R: Christen Kohajda (Baltimore Gas & Electric) and Cindy Schuller (Connections Education).

Bay Area03 L-R: Walter Kolligs Jennifer Shearer (EY),

Martha Gonzalez Javier Salinas(Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc.).

04 L-R: Dave Sawaya Jayne McNicol(EY) and Eran Pilovsky

Connect Winter 2016 41

Chicago alumni put a whole new SPiN on reconnecting

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01

03

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01 L-R: Jacob Mayer (Marathon Capital, LLC), Matt Whip (EY), Victor Nminibapiel (EY) and John Vander LaanTechnologies, LLC).

02 L-R: Tim Dimond Rose BrandtLora Kmieciak

Advisors, Inc.) and Vivian Mumaw

03 L-R: Dan Kaye (AXA Financial, Inc.), John Kuyers (EY, retired partner) and Owen West (Qwen D. West, III).

04 L-R: Anjoo Rai-Marchant Taruna Rai (Echo Global Logistics) and Candi Heslep

05 L-R: Lee Harkleroad III (EY, retired partner), Ron Genty(EY), Paul Carey (The PrivateBank), Kim Simios (EY), Adrienne Jaroch (EY) and Joyce Simon

Alumni Council.

More than 500 alumni came together for our biennial gathering in the Windy City. The reunion is a long-standing tradition, but this year’s event was held at one of Chicago’s newest and most distinctive

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Events Gallery

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01

Carolinas executive alumni (Charlotte)01 L–R: Paul Foody (Wells Fargo), keynote speaker

Matt Martin (Federal Reserve of Richmond), John Sequiera (retired) and Thomas Howard

02 L–R: David Brown (retired), Dana Murray(BGW PLLC) and Bill Dries (Transdigm Group).

03 L–R: Malcomb ColeyManaging Partner), David Hood (EY), Roland Omoresemiand Raphael Ereyi (Wells Fargo).

Chicago young alumni04 L–R: Kari O’Connor (EY), Katie French

Corporation), Chris Thunander (EY), Henry CarneyJosh Smith

Megan Clayton (Lennar Multifamily Communities).

05 L–R: Shannon Holland (The Boeing Company), Kevin Chadwell (EY), Steve Kolmin (EY), Mae Luna(The Boeing Company) and Simmi Rakalla (The Boeing Company).

06 L–R: Jeff Zabor (Enova), Mark Levy Yanyan Xu(EY) and Alexia Ward (Avant Inc).

Connect Winter 2016 43

Cincinnati01 L–R: Mark Beischel (EY), Brad Knoll

Financial Group) and Emily Knoll (Procter & Gamble).

02 L–R: Jeremy Vaughan (EY), Culver Lamb (Culver Lamb & Company, Inc.), Scott Mindrumand Deb Aerne (EY).

03 L–R: Doug Meyer (Brixey & Meyer), Tom Henry (Premier Darcie Butts (Convergys Corporation) and

Josh Olson (Luxottica Retail North America Inc.).

Jacksonville04 L–R: Shelby Draper (Regency),

Aaron KaufmanAnna Silliman (teacher) and Melissa Alex (FNF).

05 L–R: Mike Brennan (EY North Florida Managing Partner), Julie Karstog (PGA

Denise BrownSteve Nichols (EY).

Louisville06 L–R: Brian Pate (Clarendon Flavors and

Louisville Alumni Council member), Adam Hack (EY), Greg Greenwood(EY) and Becca Eckert

Council member).

07 L–R: Charles Leis (Bramco, Inc.) and Dave Calzi Managing Partner).

08 L–R: Marc Charnas (GE Appliances), Shannon CharnasEnergy LLC) and Kayla Bonsutto

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Events Gallery

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Detroit01 L–R: Amy Bastien (Copper Range Technologies),

Heidi Cieslik (Rehmann), Angie Kelly (EY), John Cusmano (Cusmano & Co., P.C.) and Chuck Norman

02 L–R: Rob Vaughn (EY), Jessica Coury(EY), Marcelo Ribeiro (General Motors) and Henry Garner (General Motors).

03 L–R: Tim Cash (RIM Foundation), Bryan BeckerJ. Thomas Lesnau (EY, retired) and Tim Masserant

Milwaukee04 L–R: Erik Brenn (McClone),

Amy Jensen (The Water Council) and Heather Dunn (West Bend Mutual Insurance Company).

05 L–R: Jeffrey Blonski Tim Smits (Thomson Companies) and David Gay (EY Milwaukee Managing Partner).

Connect Winter 2016 45

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New York FSO01 L–R: Dante Maliwat (Ruben Companies),

Tracy Stelk (Millennium Management) and Virgil Alagon (Luxor Capital Group).

02 L–R: Sandra TakyiJennifer Carrieri D’Loren and Karin Leung

03 L–R: Matt Forstenhausler (EY), Anthony CaterinoManaging Partner) and Guy Lotem (Alinda Capital Partners).

Northeast Ohio04 L–R: Michael Abdalian (EY Northeast Ohio Alumni

Tom Rich (Gould Electronics Inc.), Ron Zajaczkowski (Electrolux North America) and John Leskiw (Quadax, Inc.).

05 L–R: Al Paulus (EY, retired), Tom Rich (Gould Electronics Inc.), Dave Currie (EY, retired) and Don Smith (EY, retired).

06 L–R: Paul Britton (MobilityWorks), Jerry Gootee (EY Ken Contrera

(formerly with Myers Industries, Inc., and Northeast Ohio Alumni Council member).

07 L–R: Nick Kostoff (EY), Julie Boland

Partner) and Cathy Flynn (Eaton Corporation and Northeast Ohio Alumni Council member).

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Events Gallery

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Younger alumni — ages 25–35 — comprise

of professionals. This past year, we held a series of four networking happy hours for New York City alumni who were members of the 2005–2015 start classes. The events were held throughout the city (uptown, downtown, Eastside and Westside) and drew a total of about 600 New York City area alumni.

01 L–R: Maya GoldbergDustin Gibson (EY) and Jordon Holtzman

02 L–R: Lauren GutierrezKatie Spreng (Luxor Capital Group).

03 L–R: Piotr Luc (Alderney Advisors) and Bharath Lakshmanan (EY).

04 L–R: Dan Kaplan (EY Northeast Alumni James Chao (Time).

05 L–R: Adrienne Jaroch and Darby Frizzell(EY, Alumni Managers) with Lisa Bornstein

03

Young alumni network in the Big Apple

Connect Winter 2016 47

Pittsburgh01 L–R: Glenn Breisinger (Associated

Partners, L.P., and Pittsburgh Alumni Council member), Carol Harris (EY) and Nicky Engel (FNB Corporation).

02 L–R: Lynette Horrell (EY Pittsburgh Todd Fortier

(Advani, Fortier & Patton) and Charles Modispacher.

03 L–R: Rich Lipovich (EY Pittsburgh Bill Friday

(Federated Investors) and Bob Jack(MECCO Partners, LLC).

Raleigh04 L–R: Matt Webb (MaxPoint Interactive),

Ashley Gray (EY) and Lauren Meinel(Netsertive).

05 L–R: Les Bethune (EY) and Horace Johnson (retired Raleigh

Richmond06 L–R: Bob Busch (EY, retired partner),

Andrea Hill (EY) and Bill Gibbons(William F. Gibbons LLC and Richmond Alumni Council member).

07 L–R: Scott Merithew (EY), Troy Dubay (Capital One), Chris Case(Markel Corporation and Richmond Alumni Council member) and Audra Shekleton (EY).

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Events Gallery

18th annual Orange County golf tourney is par excellence!

More than 100 alumni, clients and current EY professionals took to the links this past August for the Annual Alumni Golf Tournament. This was the 18th year for the event, which was held at the Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, California. A networking reception capped off the day.

01 L–R: Mike Lucki (EY, retired), Miwa and Keith Elmer (both EY, retired) and Jeff Wahba

02 L–R: Tom Patterson (Digital Map Products), Scott Nelson (EY), Patrick Loftus (EY) and Michael Sundareson (Bright Edge).

03 L–R: Bill WestMike Gillmore (EY), Dean McCormick (Insight

Alex Gaon (DA Property Development).

04 L–R: Dennis EveliaOwen Gonzales (Ones We Love) and Frank Smith

05 L–R: Todd Carper (EY) and Linda Horioka (EY, retired).

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St. Louis01 L–R: Kara Meister (EY), Matt Meister (Olin Corporation),

Meg Kellogg (EY), Rod Kreig (Olin Corporation) and Stan Deptula (EY).

02 L–R: Frank Sanfilippo (Enterprise Bank & Trust), Joe Frazier Jim Schuering

Sandy Boillot (Ascension).

03 L–R: Pradeep RamakrishnanGary Gray (The Boeing Company) and Jason Reed

San Francisco04 L–R: Joe Wu Ricardo Cebrecos (EY) and

Casper Caslin

05 L–R: Bessie Wu (Greenoaks Capital), Syed Rivzi (EY) and Aaron Huang (EY).

06 L–R: Ella Sezgen (EY), Elise MinceyVidya Anandan (First Republic Bank), Scott Featherson(New Relic, Inc.) and Brian May (EY).

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We’ve held numerous Los Angeles alumni events over the years, but never one exclusively for our

hosted by Tom Flannery, co-leader of Wealth Asset

01 L–R: Anisha Gomes (EY), Krissy Thomas(AIG Global Real Estate), Gloria Kim (Morgan

Jim Huang (MAG Partners).

02 L–R: John Tomback (EY), Daryll Sheridan(Angelo Gordon) and Tom Flannery (EY).

03 L–R: Jasmine Jia (EY), John Taing(TYWL, LLP), Jason Schafer (EY), Jenn Villa (Direct Lending Investments, LLC), Justin EstreraFinance, LLC) and Joost Hendriks (EY).

04 L–R: Andrew Steele (Mesa West Capital), Justin EstreraFinance, LLC), Amrita Mapara (Red Mountain Capital Partners), AJ Miller (Canyon Partners), Jennifer Allen (Wilshire Private Markets Client

Angie Gonzalezand Ian Nasib (Moss Allen).

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First-ever FSO alumni event in the City of Angels

EY alumni: a passion for making a difference

ago, I thought I had a good idea of the strength and power of the “EY family,” which includes all of our EY alumni. After all, I’ve been with

have prepared me for what I have learned and experienced while connecting directly with many of you, our EY alumni.

Perhaps the one thing that has captured me most is the shared passion I’ve seen among our alumni for making a positive impact and meaningful difference in our work and our communities. This passion has led many of the alumni with whom I have met and spoken to ask what they can do to help EY in its purpose to build

our people and culture.At this very special time of year, when

togetherness and gratitude are so much a part of

and celebrate the bonds that continue to keep us connected to each other and to EY. These relationships — often spanning generations — are what make our EY “family” truly special.

While I hope you enjoy reading about all the EY family members included in this issue, I particularly

equity of particular interest. EY is continuing to make differential investment in its sector-driven market approach. We will be highlighting these sectors, along with the resources and integrated

business priorities, in future editions of Connectand other alumni communications.

I’m very pleased with the progress we continue to make around our alumni relations efforts. Please continue to provide me with feedback so we can continue our momentum into the New Year.

A more disruptive world calls for stronger personal networks

Brexit vote are just two signs of the interesting, sometimes unpredictable age we live in. I’m convinced our world is becoming more complex, more uncertain — more disruptive — every day. I’m also convinced that, as these trends continue, the strength and scope of our personal networks play an increasingly important role in how we navigate in this challenging new world.

The good news is, as an EY alum, you are part of an incredible global network of professionals who share a common corporate culture, purpose and set of values. This network grows every day — we expect to have nearly a million alumni around the world within two years. And this network grows stronger every day. For example, we’ve

Nordics. This broadens everyone’s network.My request is that you actively participate in

this network. Perhaps you’re the person who can

help a fellow alum in his or her career journey. Or maybe you’re the one who can use that kind

resource for you, particularly in regard to your career. That’s why we’re committed to helping

please, stay involved. Attend an alumni event. Mentor a younger alum. And if you’re not a member of the EY Alumni Network, please join today at ey.com/alumni/login.

Finally, a big thank you to those of you who

a tremendous response — over 25,000 of you — and we are now analyzing that data. We truly do want to make our alumni relations efforts about you — and we can’t do it without your continued feedback and involvement.

Best wishes for a happy holiday and prosperous New Year.

A word from our EY Alumni

Michael DeStefano

Tom Lardner

52 ey.com/alumni

EY promotes 714 new partners worldwideIn 2016, 714 EY professionals globally were promoted to partner. This year’s new partner class includes a record percentage of partners from the

to focus on increasing the proportion of female partners, with this year’s

New partner promotions by geography:••••

New partner promotions by service line:•••••

EY now has more than 231,000 people in 152 countries around the world.

Stay connected:ey.com/alumni EY US Alumni #EYalumni @EY_AlumAmericas

CareersAlumni Network members can:

fellow alumni and EY• Post jobs from your organization

• Access exclusive career tools

NewsAlumni Network members receive:• Connect magazine• Alumni newsletters • EY updates and announcements

EventsAlumni Network members are invited to:• Alumni reunions and networking events• Learning and CPE events and opportunities

ResourcesAlumni Network members can access:• Global alumni directory• Event calendar• CPE, W2 and EY employment info• Event photo gallery

Get the Connect appYou can also read Connect on your mobile device. To download the Connect app, go to your preferred app store, search for “EY Connect” and click “download.”

Past issuesTo read the most recent past issue of Connect, go to ey.com/alumni and select the “Alumni stories” tab.

Join the EY Alumni Network:• Go to ey.com/alumni/login

• Follow the on-screen prompts

Update your contact info:• Log on to the Network• Click your name in the upper-right

portion of the screen

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When you leave

to leave you?The great work you did at EY is never forgotten — it continues as part of our mission to build a better working world. Stay connected at ey.com/alumni