Triad CEO Forum (2009)
Home - 2003 - 2004 - 2007

As economic news makes headlines across the state and nation, UNC-TV shows how you can make sense of the latest business news and how current economic trends are impacting the Triad region of North Carolina. Take an inside look at central North Carolina’s economic outlook during the fourth Triad CEO Forum from Richard H. Dean Biomedical Research Building at the Piedmont Triad Research Park. During this hour-long economic special, Triad CEO Forum 2009 examines the Triad's economy—including its workers, jobs and outlook. Join UNC-TV's Shannon Vickery as she moderates this enlightening discussion between leading experts from business and financial institutions in the Triad. The panel discusses how trends in population, wages, technology, education and training impact the current economic climate in the Triad and, in turn, how it affects the rest of our state.

Triad CEO Forum (2009) - Program Panelists Include:

Michelle Clark, Senior Vice President - Card Operations & Centerhead, American Express
Michelle Clark is Senior Vice President of Card Operations for American Express.  In this role, she is responsible for overseeing all of the daily operations of the American Express Service Center in Greensboro.

Michelle joined American Express in 1987 at the Company's Headquarters in New York.  Over the years, she has held a number of leadership positions in the Company, including Finance, Credit Policy and Risk Management.

Michelle relocated to Greensboro from New York in March of 2000 as Vice President responsible for the Company's Risk Operations Group.  Then in November of 2000, Michelle was promoted to Vice President of Credit Operations for the Greensboro Service Center.  A little less than three years later in June of 2003, Michelle was promoted into her current role as the head of the Greensboro Service Center.

Michelle earned a Bachelor's Degree from The School of Professional Accountancy at Long Island University.  She is also a Certified Public Accountant.

In the Greensboro community, Michelle is a member of the Board of Trustees of N.C. A&T State University, the Board of Directors of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, the Board of Directors for the United Way of Greater Greensboro and the Board of Governors of the "2 Those Who Care Service to the Community" Awards,  sponsored annually by WFMY News 2.  Michelle is also a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, an international service organization founded in 1908 with a worldwide membership of more than 170,000 college-trained women in the U.S., Europe, Caribbean and Africa.

David Congdon, President and CEO, Old Dominion Freight Line
David S. Congdon was named Chief Executive Officer of Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. on January 1, 2008.  Previously he held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer since May of 1997 and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1978.

David was born in Richmond Virginia where Old Dominion was originally founded by his grandparents.  Since 1960, he has resided in the Triad area of N.C. where the company has its headquarters in Thomasville.  David is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he received his B.S. degree in Business Administration. 

During his 35 year tenure in the transportation industry, he has held positions of Dockman, Mechanic, City Driver, Road Driver, Industrial Engineer, Director of Employee Relations, Director of Safety & Personnel, V.P. Maintenance & Equipment, President of Old Dominion Furniture Division, V.P. Linehaul, and V.P. Quality Management.

In addition to his responsibilities at Old Dominion, he is on the Board of Directors for the NC Trucking Association, the American Trucking Association, and the Piedmont Triad Partnership.  He has served on the board of Communities in Schools of High Point, N.C. and as the Chairman of Leadership Giving for the United Way of Greater High Point, NC..  Old Dominion is an active member of both the Thomasville, NC and High Point, NC Chambers of Commerce.

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. is the sixth largest U.S. less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier with over $1.5 billion dollars in sales in 2008. Through its non-union work force and four operating groups, OD•Domestic, OD•Expedited, OD•Global and OD•Technology, Old Dominion offers an array of innovative products and services and provides complete nationwide coverage within the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Central States, Gulf States and West regions of the country as well as international services around the globe.  OD also participates in other areas of supply chain service solutions such as warehousing.

Allen Gant, Jr., CEO, Glen Raven, Inc. 
Allen E. Gant, Jr. is president and CEO of Glen Raven, Inc., a global provider of innovative fabric-based solutions. Gant is the grandson of the founder of Glen Raven, John Q. Gant, and has served the family-owned company since 1971.

Gant, who attended the University of North Carolina, is currently active in a number of business and professional organizations, including Chairman of the Institute of Textile Technology, Board of Trustees of Elon University, Board of Trustees of Alamance Regional Medical Center, Board of Directors of the Alamance County Economic Development Foundation, and Founder and Chairman of New Leaf Society.

He is considered a global business and textile industry leader having served as a member of President Bush’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy & Negotiations (ACTPN), past member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Textile Foundation, Inc., former Chairman of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), and member of the Board of Visitors of the UNC School of Business.

Bobby Long, Chairman, Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation
Bobby Long is Chairman of the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation, which manages the Wyndham Golf Championship.  He is also a partner in Shelby Capital, a capital management company for financial institutions. Mr. Long was the co-founder and partner of Long, Miller & Associates in Greensboro, which was sold in 2002.  He received bachelor’s degrees in business and economics at North Carolina State University.  Mr. Long currently serves on the Elon University Board of Trustees and the Elon University School of Law Board of Advisors. 

John D. McConnell, M.D., CEO, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Dr. John McConnell became the first chief executive officer of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center on November 1, 2008, a milestone in the reorganization of the Medical Center’s two main institutions – Wake Forest University School of Medicine and North Carolina Baptist Hospital – under a single CEO. Dr. McConnell is committed to “balanced excellence” as the Medical Center addresses its tripartite mission of patient care, education and research. His experience in academic medicine has prepared him well. A distinguished urologist and researcher, Dr. McConnell came to Wake Forest Baptist from a 24-year career at the University of Texas-Southwestern in Dallas, where his clinical and administrative posts included chair of urology, vice president for clinical programs and executive vice president for administration. There he created an integrated health care delivery system that unified two Dallas hospitals with UT-Southwestern’s medical school and its faculty practice. A native of Independence, Kan., McConnell earned a B.A. in chemistry from the University of Kansas, then an M.D. (magna cum laude) from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, followed by surgical internship and urology residency at UT Southwestern.

Triad CEO Forum 2009 is made possible through support from the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greater Greensboro.  The program is produced in association with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Triad CEO Forum (2003)

Triad CEO Forum (2004)

Triad CEO Forum (2007)

PLEDGE NOW to support informative local programs like Triad CEO Forum.