Corporate Governance Executive Business Team

• Board of Directors

• Founder and CEO Chief Executive Officer

• Executive Vice President, Business Strategy / Secretary

• Executive Vice President, Legal Services, General Council and Chief Compliance Officer

• Executive Vice President and CFO Chief Financial Officer / Treasurer

• Executive Vice President, Retail+ and Spokespeople Partnerships Development Strategy

• Executive Vice President, Creative Development / Chairperson Creative Advisory Board

• Business Development / Market(s) Expansion Consultant

• Business Development, Advisor

• Animation Marketing, Advisor

Team Biographies

• Founder and CEO Chief Executive Officer – Board of Directors

Ms. Dona Rudderow Sturn has had a successful, professional career in the creative world utilizing her experience in advertising, marketing, corporate identity and branding, as well as graphic arts and illustration.

For fifteen years Ms. Rudderow Sturn was involved in the global entertainment industry. Employed with the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and overseeing the brand identity of 5 of its subsidiary properties, she developed the branding strategy and managed the creative teams required to implement it. She was successful in developing an art department and printing facility that produced the materials required to build consumer awareness and build customer loyalty programs, which ultimately increased revenues substantially. In the process of building brand awareness, Ms. Rudderow Sturn was responsible for the development and management of all marketing activities. Not only was she successful in developing an effective corporate image, she was also able to save the corporation millions of dollars in potential lost revenues due to legal challenges and production inefficiencies.

At MRM McCann WorldGroup Company Ms. Rudderow Sturn was pivotal in the development and implementation of brand awareness for numerous corporate clients. As Associate Creative Director she designed, created and implemented customer awareness marketing/advertising campaigns and loyalty programs. Clients included Bank of Boston, Unified Financial Services, Princeton University, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Lucent Technologies to name just a few.

In 2000 Ms. Rudderow Sturn founded DONACO Design Communication (DDC), a creative agency focused on developing brand identity, marketing/advertising and digital services. DDC’s clients are local, regional and global, including such diverse countries as England, France, China, Russia, Canada and the Caribbean. DDC develops communication solutions though the creation of dynamic graphics, artwork, storytelling and design, and the company manages the creative process through all stages of development, from start (planning & development) to finish (print, digital, public affairs/relations and social media). Projects have promoted company growth, customer visibility and revenue increases for clients such as Tyco Toys, Citibank, Indian Creek Schools, Eden Autism Services, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, PBW Children’s Wear and FAO Schwartz.

Ms. Rudderow Sturn founded The World of Jane NOT Plain, llc (JNP), and developed, designed and implemented all aspects of the JNP product line. In developing the story line, she brought together and led a global 35-person team of writers/editors, graphic designers and illustrators, webs designers and animators.  She is responsible for the illustrations as well as the storylines for the books. Jane & Jake’s Adventures to Awesome is a 31+ book series (illustrated with colorful imagery) that engages the reader with fun games, challenges, and prizes. The books and their supporting products have been accredited and approved by local boards of education and have been used in summer camps and after-school programs. Ms. Rudderow Sturn has also designed supportive materials such as an interactive website with monthly subscriptions, downloads, games and the ability to write to and get a response from the key characters – all designed to engage the reader and maintain their interest.

Ms. Rudderow Sturn’s rich experience in the creative arts, developing and implementing programs requiring both visual and story-telling elements, and her experience in advertising and marketing, have given her the ideal background to create and implement the unique multimedia brand that is JNP.

• Executive Vice President, Business Strategy / Secretary – Board of Directors

Dr. Krystyna Belendiuk has spent most of her career bringing innovative pharmaceutical treatments to market. Working as a business executive at large pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, she identified major commercial opportunities where adequate treatments did not exist and developed product strategies or identified licensing opportunities that would meet those needs. In 1991 she was the Founder and Senior Vice President of Business Development of Pharmavene, a company that later merged with Shire Pharmaceuticals. Pharmavene’s technologies were used in the development of major products such as Adderall XR and Intuniv to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As President of Aptus Pharmaceuticals, a company that developed proprietary systems to screen for new therapeutics, she was also responsible for Licensing and Business Development. Dr. Belendiuk served on the Board of Directors of Pharmavene and Aptus, and was corporate Secretary and Treasurer at Pharmavene. In 2000 Dr. Belendiuk started her own firm, Potomac Consultants, which worked with both start-ups and government agencies. During her career, Dr. Belendiuk negotiated numerous successful licensing agreements that advanced the businesses in which she worked.

Prior to working in business, Dr. Belendiuk was on the faculty of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago, where she conducted research in Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Dr. Belendiuk received her doctorate in Biophsychology and holds an MBA specializing in Finance and Marking, both received from the University of Chicago.

• Mr. Stephen B. Alexander, Senior Vice President and Chief Technolory Officer, Ciena – Board of Directors
http://www.ciena.com/about/leadership/stephen-alexander.html 

Ms. Elizabeth Lefler is an attorney specializing in corporate and securities law, regulation and compliance. For over 18 years, Ms. Lefler served as Managing Director with mid-size investment banks. Her passion is in assessing, building and managing effective and efficient internal controls and governance as a strong partner with the teams who advise on, and underwrite corporate clients’ capital formation. Her expertise is both domestic and global, leading and supporting teams in the U.S., Hong Kong, Shanghai, London and Dublin. Ms. Lefler routinely served as member of and advisor to Boards of Directors, Underwriting Commitment Committees, and various executive oversight teams who manage their firms’ regulatory risk. In doing so, Ms. Lefler developed an in-depth, real-time understanding of the interplay among corporate capital needs, investor and partner interests, the private and public markets, the role of investment banks and research analysts, and the regulation of this complex paradigm. Ms. Lefler has most recently acted as independent consultant and expert witness, as well as serving as FINRA panelist (i.e., judge) in enforcement proceedings.

Ms. Lefler is a graduate of the corporate and securities track of George Mason University School of Law. Before working in-house, Ms. Lefler was with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as Special Counsel, and as legal advisor to the Honorable Commissioner Isaac C. Hunt. She also held positions with Nasdaq and the law firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius. Ms. Lefler has participated in numerous regulatory panels and speaking engagements concerning capital markets regulation, and she has chaired FINRA’s Market Regulation Committee. She is also deeply committed to serving the needs of her community and its children, as both Volunteer Court Appointed Advocate for abused and neglected children (Guardian ad Litem), and Chair of the MYC Educational Foundation.

• Creative Development & Advertising / Marketing Advisor Volunteer

Mr. Tom McManimon is a nationally recognized expert in branding. He is also an artist, writer, and musician. As an Agency Partner, Creative Director, Art Director and Designer, Tom has been instrumental in launching successful programs for leading brands in financial services, healthcare, real estate, education, technology, legal, and many consumer goods categories. His work has elevated brands such as: Philadelphia Insurance, Prudential, iXP Corporation, Talksoft, Inc., American Reinsurance, DuPont, Cushman & Wakefield, NJ Travel & Tourism, Westinghouse, Catholic Relief Services, Kennedy Health System, the USDA, StewartXerox, Moore Frames Sunglasses, and many others.

As Executive Creative Director with Gillespie, Inc. Tom’s work helped elevate the firm to national prominence — growing the firm’s annual billings from 1.7 million to more than 170 million. Tom also managed a Design Company specializing in Logo and Corporate Identity, Business Collateral, Annual Reports, Packaging, and Web design. He has delivered many presentations on Branding and Corporate Identity featuring work recognized with CLIO, ANDY, TELLY, PRINT Magazine, and various Advertising and Design show awards.

In 2002, Tom launched StimulusBrand Communications, a branding and advertising agency located in Ewing, New Jersey, specializing in large corporate brand makeovers and brand development for start-ups —delivering the full scope of services from discovery, indentity, advertising, web design, video, display and collateral.

To The World of Jane Not Plain, Tom brought design expertise and creative advisory, initially helping to design the website and refine brand styling for The JNP Project.

Tom is also a published author and speaks on branding and communications topics and matters of personal crisis. His latest book on brand positioning. The Position Player, is due out in Spring of 2018.

Tom began as a Fine Artist receiving his degree from Providence College. He is a Board member of The Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Notre Dame High School whom he has supported with marketing expertise, advice and several award-winning campaigns.

• Business Development, Advisor

Ms. Hollis Minor is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive who has led a number of businesses—across numerous industries, from manufacturing and lending, to energy efficiency and management consulting—from startup to successful exit. Throughout her diverse career, she acquired broad experience in real-world management, organizational development, and international marketing and distribution for an extensive variety of services, products and industries. Her wide-ranging knowledge enables her to identify and plan the best strategic solutions to the challenges facing each client, as well as the supporting organizational, management, financial, and communications tactics to execute them. Hollis has implemented a wide range of successful initiatives for hundreds of organizations: public entities such as the National Park Service, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, and BWI Airport; nonprofits such as the Intelligent Transportation Society of America and Meridian International Center; and for-profit organizations, including Virchow Krause & Co. LLP and Environmental Resources Management, Inc. (ERM).

Hollis is especially experienced in creating international marketing and public outreach campaigns to promote an extensive range of public agencies’ and industries’ issues, services, and products, including those of 60 of the world’s most prestigious museums and conservation organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, World Wildlife Fund and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She also expertly implements and manages these campaigns: including the media relations; coalition building; event-staging; the writing, design and production of media kits, press releases, educational support materials, exhibits, presentations, videos, catalogs, brochures, websites, and advertisements; and frequently serves as the spokesperson/speaker. Her press releases and articles have appeared in many international publications, from Brazil to Italy, as well as on major U.S. television networks including CBS, NBC and ABC.

Hollis obtained her B.S. in Business Administration at the University of Maryland, College Park. Hollis is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where she obtained a B.S. in Business Administration. She is also a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP).