Director of The Year Honorees

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Cynthia “C.J.” Warner

Cynthia (CJ) Warner has been a director since June 2019. She was president and CEO and a director of Renewable Energy Group, Inc., an advanced biofuel producer, from January 2019 until June 2022. Prior to that, Warner served as executive vice president of operations for Andeavor (formerly Tesoro Corporation) from August 2016 until October 2018, when Andeavor was acquired by Marathon Petroleum Corp. Prior to that, Warner served as Andeavor’s executive vice president of strategy and business development from October of 2014 to August of 2016. Warner previously served as chairman and chief executive officer of Sapphire Energy, Inc. She joined Sapphire Energy after a 25-year career at BP and Amoco, Inc. (prior to its acquisition by BP) where she gained significant knowledge of the global energy industry and served in numerous leadership roles, including overseeing BP’s global refining business and its health, safety, security and environment efforts. Warner is a director of Bloom Energy and Chevron Corporation.

Warner is Sempra’s Lead Independent Director and serves on Sempra’s Corporate Governance, Safety, Sustainability and Technology and Executive committees.

ENHANCEMENT OF CULTURE & INCLUSION

Terri Funk Graham

Terri Funk Graham ranks among the select few female Chief Marketing Officers to serve as an Independent Board Director within multiple Fortune 1,000 companies for the past eleven years. Ms. Graham’s leadership positions have afforded her valuable experiences and expertise in dealing with issues facing many boards today, such as strategy formulation, branding and brand reinvention, digital acceleration and transformation, CEO and C-Suite succession planning, financial turnarounds, growth strategies, crisis management and driving cultural change in companies. As an independent director, Ms. Graham has served as Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance and Compensation Committees and she brings experience leading Search Committee’s for two public company CEO transitions, as well as operating as the Chairperson leading several Board Director transitions. Additionally, she has been involved in two “go private” sales to private equity firms.

She is currently an Independent Board Director for Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. (NASDAQ: SFM) a $6.8 Billion specialty retailer of natural and organic food focusing on health and wellness at a great value. She serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and serves on the Compensation and Risk Committee’s.

She is also an Independent Board Director for LL Flooring Inc. (NYSE: LL), a $1Billion specialty retailer of hard-surface flooring. She serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating & Corporate Governance and a member of the Compensation Committee.

Ms. Graham served as an Independent Board Director for CV Sciences, Inc. a $60 Million cannabidiol-based pharmaceuticals and consumer products company focused on enhancing health and well-being. She served as the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.

Ms. Graham also served on the Hot Topic Inc. and 1 800-Contacts Inc. boards before selling these companies to private equity firms.

She is a successful Senior Marketing Executive change agent who directly influenced the success, image and significant growth of the $3B Jack in the Box brand for more than 20 years. As the former SVP & Chief Marketing Officer for 10 years, she was a pioneer in innovative branding, product development, advertising and digital media. Acknowledged for her strategic thinking, financial acumen, courage and proven financial results. Her strategic vision and business expertise enabled her to effectively reinvent the Jack Brand multiple times with Franchise Partners and Executive Management. Ms. Graham delivered one of the most successful national advertising campaigns achieving 10 Effie Awards and several Belding’s and Clio Awards.

Ms. Graham was also the CMO of RedEnvelope, an e-commerce gifting retailer. As the chief steward of the brand, she was responsible for re-branding the website, social media and digital omni-channel strategy & experience.

Ms. Graham is a member of National Association of Corporate Directors and certified as a Board Governance Fellow. She is also a founding member of the Women Corporate Directors. Ms. Graham was recently named 2019 Women’s Inc.’s Most Influential Corporate Board Directors.

Ms. Graham’s is proud of her Spanish heritage and her personal interests include photography, golf and travel.

COMPANIES IN TRANSITION

Helen Adams

Helen Adams is a seasoned financial executive, CPA and life science board member with over 35 years of leadership experience working with high growth companies on strategy development and successful execution of corporate goals.  She is a retired Deloitte partner and national office consultation expert, and the former Area Managing Partner for Haskell & White LLP.

Helen is currently the Lead Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair for Immix Biopharma (NASDAQ: IMMX), which develops clinical-stage therapeutics targeting solid tumors and soft tissue sarcoma.  She is a member of the board of privately-held Nexcella, Inc., an ImmixBio subsidiary developing CAR-T cell therapies targeting blood cancers, multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis.  She was most recently the Audit Committee Chair for Prometheus Biosciences (NASDAQ: RXDX), an immunology and inflammation biotechnology company that went public in 2021 and was acquired by Merck in 2023 for $11 billion, the largest-ever biotech transaction in San Diego history.

Helen is a long-time member of the San Diego business and philanthropic communities, and has served as Finance Committee Chair, Program Chair and/or Chairman of the Board of organizations including Women Corporate Directors, Athena San Diego, San Diego Chairmen’s Roundtable, Make-A-Wish, Serving Seniors (Senior Community Centers), the Cal State San Marcos Foundation Board, the YWCA Board and the YWCA TWIN Program, as well as Deloitte’s FAST 50/FAST 500 awards program for high growth life sciences and technology companies.  She is a StartR Mentor for the Rady School at UCSD and is a frequent speaker at local leadership conferences and board development programs. Helen has taught college-level finance courses, developed technical literature for complex financing arrangements, and co-authored an accounting textbook.  Helen holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with distinction in her major from San Diego State University and has completed an Executive Leadership program with Columbia University.

EMERGING BOARD LEADER

Michael Naylor

Mr. Mike Naylor is the Chief Executive Officer at PKL Services, Inc which he joined in 2013 following a distinguished 30-year career with the U.S. Marine Corps and retiring as a Colonel. PKL Services is an elite provider of military aircraft maintenance and operations services through government and commercial contracts. PKL hires military veterans that provide aircraft maintenance and logistics support as well as maintenance and pilot/aircrew training. These services are provided for U.S and allied foreign military service members around the globe with over 600 employees in numerous locations across the U.S. and overseas.

Highlights of Col Naylor’s prior military service includes serving as the Deputy Commander, Marine Corps Installations West at Camp Pendleton, CA; Chief of Staff U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. National Liaison Representative to NATO Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, VA; and the Commanding Officer of both Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Atlantic in Norfolk, VA and the Marine Corps’ CH-46E helicopter training squadron, at Camp Pendleton, CA. He also served as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commandant, Programs and Resources in the Pentagon and as a weapons and tactics instructor pilot at MAWTS-1( Marine Corps equivalent of Top Gun) in Yuma, AZ.

Mr. Naylor earned a master’s degree in National Defense Resource Strategy at the National Defense University, Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Throughout his career Mike accumulated 5,000 hours as a pilot in a variety of aircraft including the CH-46E, CH-53D/E, UH-1N, MV-22A Operational Test Director/Pilot and as a Presidential Pilot at HMX-1 in the VH-3D and VH60N flying Marine One for Presidents George H.W. Bush and William Clinton.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE- NOT-FOR-PROFIT

Anne Marbarger

Anne Marbarger is the CEO and a Board Director of Curebound, which raises and invests strategic funding in translational cancer research projects, including those that address cancer disparities among underserved populations. In this role, she has prioritized building a diverse board and staff as well as launching a Scientific Advisory Board that brings together global perspectives and unique approaches to accelerating cures for cancer. Under her leadership, Curebound has awarded $26 million to fund 95 innovative cancer research grants, bringing the best minds from San Diego’s top institutions together to accelerate cures for cancer.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Daniel Bradbury

Dan Bradbury is a Life Sciences Executive with over 35 years of experience creating and implementing strategies that transform businesses, bring novel medicines to market, and maximize shareholder value. He is the Managing Member of BioBrit, LLC, a Life Sciences Consulting and Investment Firm based in La Jolla, CA.

Dan is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Equillium, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQ), a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company based in La Jolla, CA, focused on developing products to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high unmet medical need. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Equillium until January 2020. He is the former President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego, CA, focused on metabolic diseases. During his 18-year tenure at Amylin, the company launched three first-in-class medicines, including the first once-a-week therapy to treat diabetes, and was listed on the Nasdaq 100. He served as Amylin’s Chief Executive Officer from March 2007 until its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in August 2012. Before joining Amylin, Dan worked in marketing and sales roles for ten years at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals.

Dan serves on the board of directors of Castle Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTL), Equillium, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQ), Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICPT), and a number of private companies and philanthropic organizations.

Dan received a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Nottingham University and a Diploma in Management Studies from Harrow and Ealing Colleges of Higher Education in the United Kingdom.