Keynote Speaker - Mr. Christopher J. McMullen
Deputy Assistant Secretary
of Western Hemisphere Affairs

U.S. Department of State

Christopher J. McMullen, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service is Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. His portfolio includes the Office of Andean Affairs as well as the Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs. Mr. McMullen’s previous assignment was Consul General in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Panama. In addition to several Washington assignments, he has served in Nicaragua, Malaysia, El Salvador, Tanzania and Colombia. Prior to entering the Foreign Service, Mr. McMullen was a senior analyst at the Pentagon and worked as a Foreign Affairs Fellow in the Office of Senator John Glenn. He also taught Latin American History at Georgetown University and George Mason University.

A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. McMullen earned a Ph.D. in history from Georgetown University and is a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College.

Mr. Tony Brightman

Manager, Corporate Logistics

Buckeye Technologies, Inc.

Mr. Brightman was appointed to the position of Manager, Corporate Logistics for Buckeye in July 2006.  For the six (6) years prior to that, Mr. Brightman was Industrial General Manager for Buckeye’s Brasil cotton linter pulp business, which included Mr. Brightman and his family residing in Brasil for one year.  Prior to moving to Brasil Mr. Brightman was an Operations Manager in Buckeye’s Memphis cotton linter pulp business.  

Mr. Brightman joined the company in June 1973 at the Cape Girardeau, Missouri facility.  Mr. Brightman had subsequent assignments with the Company in Albany and Montezuma Georgia before relocating to Memphis in 1987.

Mr. Brightman is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering.

Mr. Brightman, his wife, Cathey and daughter, Morgan reside in Germantown, Tennessee.

Mr. W. Douglas Buttrey

Surface Transportation Board Member

Board Member Buttrey, a Republican from Tennessee, was officially sworn in as the seventh Member of the Surface Transportation Board (Board) on May 28, 2004. His ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Senate took place on July 20, 2004. (Click here for photos of Board Member Buttrey's swearing in as a Member of the Board in a U.S. Senate Ceremony on July 20, 2004). He was nominated to the Board by President George W. Bush on November 17, 2003 , for a five-year term expiring on December 31, 2008. He became Chairman on January 5, 2006.

At the time of his appointment to the Board, Board Member Buttrey was a private consultant in the security and biotech areas. He worked for Federal Express Corporation for 22 years in various positions, including 15 years as a senior corporate lobbyist. Before joining Federal Express, he served as Counsel to the Aviation Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Prior to that position, he was an Attorney/Advisor in the General Counsel's office at the Civil Aeronautics Board.

Board Member Buttrey holds a B.S. from Tennessee Technological University (1968), and a J.D. from University of Memphis School of Law (1971). He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Tennessee Bar.

Board Member Buttrey and his wife, Margaret, now live in Gainesville, Virginia. They have one son, Nathan, who lives with his family in Tennessee.

Mr. Sean T. Connaughton
Maritime Administrator

U.S. Department of Transportation

Sean Connaughton was nominated by President George W. Bush to be the Maritime Administrator on June 28, 2006. He was confirmed by the Senate on August 3, 2006 and sworn into office on September 6, 2006.

Sean graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree, a Third Mates (Unlimited Tonnage) Merchant Marine license, and a commission in the United States Coast Guard. He served on active duty in the United States Coast Guard from 1983 to 1986.

After leaving active duty, Sean briefly worked for a defense contractor in Arlington, Virginia. He returned to the Coast Guard as a civil servant in the Office of Marine Safety, Security, and Environmental Protection at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. During this time, Sean attended Georgetown University on a part-time basis and graduated with a Masters degree in 1988.

In 1988, Sean began working at the American Petroleum Institute representing companies involved in the energy and marine transportation industries. He attended law school at night at George Mason University School of Law. Sean graduated with his law degree in 1992 and passed the Virginia State Bar later that year.

Sean embarked on a career as a lawyer in private practice specializing in maritime and international law. He and a colleague appeared before the United States Supreme Court in 1999 to argue Intertanko v. Locke, a case involving the constitutionality of laws imposed on the marine transportation industry. They won that case in a unanimous decision. Sean has published many articles on marine transportation and environmental issues as well as spoken at numerous conferences and seminars on these topics. He joined the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP at the end of 2000. He is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, and the Maritime Law Association.

Sean was elected Chairman At-large of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in November 1999. He was re-elected to a second four-year term, beginning January 1, 2004. Sean served on numerous regional boards and commissions, including the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. In 2004, he was recognized by the National Association of Counties with its Distinguished Service Award for his efforts on workforce development programs. He resigned his elected position on September 6, 2006.

After serving on active duty in the United States Coast Guard, Sean joined the United States Naval Reserve as a selected reserve in 1986. Serving in both operational and staff billets, he retired in 2006. Sean graduated (with honors) from the U.S. Naval War College in 1998. He was awarded the Naval War College’s Franklin Reinauer II Defense Economic Prize.

Sean was named the “2007 Maritime Person of the Year” by the Propeller Club of the United States. He was awarded the “2007 Government Man of the Year” by the Maritime Port Council of Greater New York and Vicinity. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in Public Administration from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Sean currently resides in Triangle, Virginia, with his wife, Teresa, and their two children, Courtney and Sean, Jr.

Ms. Frances Gutt
Vice President of Import and Drawback Operations
V. Alexander & Co., Inc.

Frances Gutt is currently Vice President of Import and Drawback Operations with V. Alexander & Co., Inc., an international Global Supply Chain Management Company founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1946.   She has held this position for 11 of her 23 years with V. Alexander and is responsible for both V. Alexander’s Memphis Import Operations and a sales support staff that provides global supply chain management services to over 2,000 import clientele.  These clients range from small companies new to importing to the Fortune 500 companies whose Customs businesses span over 110 U.S. ports of entry.  Frances stays deeply involved in Customs compliance issues, and stresses to her clients the need for landed cost visibility, functional reporting, and the implementation of technology to reduce redundant processes, thereby ensuring the capture and accurate flow of data in the world of supply chain management that is critical to Customs compliance for importers.  Frances joined V. Alexander in 1985 and served as the Corporate Controller for 12 years where her responsibilities included the management of computer mainframe systems, financial reporting, audit engagements, tax reporting, cash flow management, and Customs compliance.

Frances has conducted over 50 Import seminars throughout the U. S.  She also manages V. Alexander’s drawback department and has substantial expertise in establishing manufacturing and unused drawback programs for her clients. In this capacity, she has successfully recovered millions of dollars in import duties for V. Alexander’s clients.

Prior to joining V. Alexander, Frances worked in the financial departments for several other companies which include:  Continental Construction Company, a leader in industrial construction, Baddour, Inc. (Fred’s Dollar Stores) and First Tennessee Bank.  She also worked for Advertising Data Systems (ADS) installing accounting and billing systems for the advertising industry.  While at ADS she converted many clients from manual to computerized accounting systems, trained clients on the various modules of the advertising systems and provided software and hardware technical support.

A native of Tennessee who grew up in Memphis, Frances graduated with honors from Christian Brothers College and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.  She is a Certified Public Account and a Licensed Customs Broker.

Frances has been a member of The Memphis World Trade Club for 20 years.

John W. Moore
President & CEO
Memphis Regional Chamber

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Memphis Regional Chamber, John Moore is focused on growing the local economy, providing first-class business services for Chamber members and business professionals, and communicating the positive assests of doing business in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee.

His efforts to advance the Memphis business community has led to one of the most ambitious, public/private economic development plans in the country, MemphisED.  With a cost of $60M over five years, Memphis is positioned to attract major corporations, grow specialized industry sectors, increase minority businesses and provide a knowledge-based workforce.  Moore and the Memphis Chamber serve as the lead agency for the MemphisED Plan.

Moore serves on several public advisory boards that affect the community’s quality of life and deals directly with issues like public safety, education and utilities.  He also participates on the boards of organizations in Memphis that support the community’s unique culture and diversity.   Since assuming the role of President of the Chamber, Moore has been selected to represent the Memphis business community nationally by participating on the Committee of 100 for the US Chamber of Commerce and in the innovative program, CEO for Cities

Before joining the Chamber in September of 2005, Moore worked for Northwest Airlines as its Vice President for State and Local Affairs for 14 years.  He moved to Memphis in 1994, to serve as Northwest’s Regional Vice President for Sales and Administration. Prior to his move, he was Northwest’s Manager of National and Corporate Sales in Dallas, Texas.  Moore also spent over 13 years with Trans World Airlines. 

In 1995, Moore was presented with Northwest Airline’s prestigious Award of Excellence for his role in the dramatic turnaround of the Memphis Hub.  He was also awarded the Uniport Association’s 1995 High Water Award for facilitating Memphis’ first international passenger flight between Memphis and Amsterdam.  In 1997, Moore was selected by Memphis Magazine as one of Memphis’ top 100 most influential people.  On June 1, 2000, he oversaw the largest expansion in Northwest’s history by adding 25% more flights to its Memphis Hub. In 2001 Moore was awarded the Kate Gooch Leadership Award by the Leadership Institute of Memphis, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the community. In 2005, he was presented with the Spirit of Memphis Award by the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau for dedication, leadership, and support of the Memphis and Shelby County tourism and hospitality community.

Moore, a native of St. Louis, earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, with a double major in Marketing and Finance.  He and his spouse Barbara have 2 sons: Nathan and Clayton.  He is an Elder at St. Patrick Presbyterian Church. Moore loves travel, water sports, trout fishing, hunting, snow skiing, exercise and great restaurants.

Dr. Gibson (Sunny) Morris

Executive Director

Arkansas Delta Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (ADWIRED) Academy

Dr. Gibson (Sunny) Morris is currently Executive Director of the Arkansas Delta Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (ADWIRED) Academy. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Morris was Liaison for Special Projects, Office of the President at Mid-South Community College.

Dr. Morris is a retired military officer whose last assignment prior to retirement (1987) was as a strategic war planner for U.S. Central Air Force (USCENTAF).  USCENTAF is the air component of U.S. Central Command which has a global area of responsibility that includes the region from Morocco eastward to Pakistan. 

After retirement Dr. Morris earned a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of South Carolina (1991). Between 1991 and 2004 Dr. Morris was a university professor and taught a broad portfolio of undergraduate and graduate courses in engineering and information technology.

During the past 15 years Dr. Morris has conducted applied research for the Space Power Institute at Auburn University and the National Science Foundation (Principle Investigator on two National Science Foundation grants). From 1998 until 2000 he was the founding Dean of Career College at Westark College, now the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.  In this position he was responsible for all technological, allied health, and business programs, including a baccalaureate program in manufacturing.

Dr. Morris retired from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in 2004. Dr. Morris is actively pursuing the resources to support the mission and strategic goals of the ADWIRED Academy.

Dr. Ernie Nichols
Director, FedEx Center for Supply Chain Management
Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management
The University of Memphis

Dr. Nichols is the Director of the FedEx Center for Supply Chain Management in the FedEx Institute of Technology and Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management in the Marketing and Supply Chain Management Department of the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at The University of Memphis.

Dr. Nichols research interests include a range of integrated supply chain management issues.  He has published articles in Academy of Management Journal, Cycle Time Research, Decision Sciences, Industrial Marketing Management, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, International Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Marketing, and Journal of Operations Management.  He is co-author of Introduction to Supply Chain Management (Prentice Hall 1999) and Supply Chain Redesign: Transforming Supply Chains into Integrated Value Systems (Prentice-Hall 2002).  Dr. Nichols currently serves on the Editorial Review Board of the International Journal of Procurement Management.

Dr. Nichols has conducted SCM consulting projects and educational programs for a number of major corporations and governmental agencies.  Prior to his doctoral studies, Dr. Nichols was a management consultant with Dialog Systems, Inc.

Dr. Nichols holds a BA in Economics from the University of Maine.  He received an MBA with a concentration in Materials and Logistics Management and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Michigan State University.  His professional affiliations include the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the Decision Sciences Institute and the Institute for Supply Management.

Senator Mark S. Norris, Sr.

Senator Mark Norris is an attorney and Special Counsel to Adams and Reese. He earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Colorado College and graduated from the University of Denver College of Law in 1980.

He served as Chairman of the Tennessee Senate Transportation and Safety Committee from January 2005 to January 2007 when he was elected Senate Majority Leader.

He represents the West Coast of Tennessee - the Mississippi River Counties of West Tennessee and the future I-69 Corridor.

Norris serves on the Board of Directors of the 16 state Southern Legislative Conference and chairs the SLC's Economic Development and Transportation Committee.

A member of the Memphis Regional Chamber's Logistics Council, Norris has been actively involved in the national quest for innovation in transportation finance. He is a Principal in the Washington, D.C. National Academy of Public Administration Intergovernmental Forum on Transportation Finance and has been called upon to testify before the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission.
 

Mr. David Martin Ostfeld

Adams and Reese Attorney

For over 30 years, David M. Ostfeld has represented clients in Intellectual Property, International Transactions, Domestic Transactions, Antitrust and Anti-Competition Issues, Customs, Export Regulation, Contract Transactions, Technology Agreements and Franchise Law matters.

Mr. Ostfeld has given testimony and advice to the United States Trade Representative, various committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, the White House, the United States Patent Office and the United States Departments of Commerce, State, Energy, and Justice concerning competitiveness, technology and intellectual property issues for the United States. He is an Arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and the International Chamber of Commerce.

For 10 years he was a practicing engineer. His experience included: staff engineer – Tenneco, Inc.; engineer – Fluor; and engineer – Union Carbide.

Mr. Ostfeld received his Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude, from South Texas School of Law in 1972. While in law school he was a member of Law Review. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics (1963), Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (1964) and Master of Science, summa cum laude, in Control Systems Engineering (1965) from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.

Mr. Ostfeld is admitted to practice before state courts throughout the state of Texas; the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas; the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Eleventh and Federal Circuits; and the United States Court of Federal Claims. He is also registered to practice in patent cases before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Tom Schmitt,
President and Chief Executive Officer, FedEx Global Supply Chain Services

Senior Vice President, FedEx Solutions

Tom Schmitt, CEO of FedEx Global Supply Chain Services, will discuss how keeping our sights set on simplicity and clarity when making decisions in an increasingly complex, competitive global environment will lead us every time to the best, most balanced solutions. Schmitt, who also serves as chairman of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce board and is the co-author of the book, "Simple Solutions," will draw from his own experiences to give attendees "real life" examples of using simplicity to win.

Serving as Chief Executive Officer and President of FedEx Global Supply Chain Services and Senior Vice President of FedEx Solutions, Tom has responsibility for Sales and Operations support across all FedEx companies globally.  FedEx Global Supply Chain Services, the FedEx Company he personally leads, provides tailored supply chain solutions, leveraging the FedEx portfolio.