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John D. Higgins has been an independent director of the Company since February 1998 and Lead Independent Director since June 2005, when the Company’s lead independent director concept was initiated. Concluding a 40-year career in the investment banking field, Mr. Higgins was Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance for Royce Investment Group, Inc., from September 1990 through November 1999. Certain assets of Royce Investment Group were subsequently acquired by Investec Ernst & Company, an international investment and merchant banking firm. Mr. Higgins is currently retired from Investec Ernst and pursuing personal business interests. He holds B.B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from Hofstra University.
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| Huelon Andrew Harrison has been an independent director of the Company since June 2008. He has more than 20 years’ professional experience in commercial banking, focusing on generating significant increases in relationship with historically under-served clients. He has integrated his professional experience in banking, transportation, civic affiliations, community outreach, and tourism to provide clients with strategic planning, management, and decision-making abilities. This unique combination coupled with his strategic alliances has afforded Mr. Harrison the opportunity to effectively support municipalities, communities, and businesses. Since November 1987, Mr. Harrison has been principal of Legacy Resource Group (and its predecessor entity) in Dallas, which provides consulting services to businesses, organizations, and individuals. His primary focus there is strategic partnering, business development, and adaptive management. From February 1991 to March 2006, Mr. Harrison served as Vice President, Community Relationship Manager at Chase Bank (formerly Bank One, Texas, N.A.) in its Dallas Community Banking Group where he managed a portfolio of more than 400 clients and served as company liaison to business owners, not-for-profit organizations, and community groups. From February 1990 to February 1991, Mr. Harrison was Vice President, Commercial Lending at First City, Texas. While there, he was responsible for developing and implementing marketing programs to increase commercial and consumer borrowing activity. Mr. Harrison is, or has been, affiliated with several professional and community-based organizations. From October 2008 to present, he has been a member of the American Public Transportation Association Business Members Board of Governors. From January 2008 to present, he has served as Chairman of the Dallas Community Development Commission. From September 1990 to present, he has served as Trustee of the African American Museum in Dallas. From February 2008 to February 2010, he served on the Board of Directors of the South West Transit Association, representing business members. From September 2004 to October 2006, he was Chairman of the American Public Transportation Association Transit Board Members’ Council. From October 2003 to October 2005, he served as Chairman of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (“DART”) Board of Directors. From November 2002 to November 2005, he was Chairman of West Dallas Community Center, Inc. From January 2002 to January 2004, he was Chairman of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce. From December 1998 to November 2006, he served as a member of the DART Board of Directors. From November 1996 to November 1998, he was Chairman of the City of Dallas Urban Rehabilitation Standards Board. From October 1996 to September 2008, he served as a Board member of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. In December 1981, Mr. Harrison earned a Master of Business Administration (Finance) with Honors from Atlanta University in Georgia. In August 1980, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., where he earned a Bachelor of Science (Accounting). |
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| Helga S. Houston has been a Company director since November 2009. Since June 2009, she has served as co-manager of Phoenix Global Advisors, LLC, in Charlotte, N.C. Phoenix Global Advisors, LLC provides strategic advice to a variety of enterprises on areas ranging from revenue enhancement, enterprise risk management and operational efficiency. Specific projects range from corporate work-outs to cross-sell advisory work and product development. From May 1986 to December 2008, Ms. Houston held key positions at Bank of America offices in Charlotte, N.C., Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y., San Francisco, Calif., and Los Angeles, Calif. Those positions included: global consumer and small business risk and compliance executive from March 2006 to December 2008; wealth and investment management risk executive from January 2003 to February 2006; corporate and investment banking senior portfolio manager from January 2001 to December 2002; commercial real estate finance manager from January 1998 to December 2000; corporate real estate regional manager from January 1995 to December 1997; and multiple roles in commercial real estate lending from May 1986 to December 1995. As a member of the Risk Management Association, Ms. Houston served on its Board of Directors from October 2005 to October 2009. Ms. Houston earned an MBA from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1988. A 1983 graduate of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., she received a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics. |
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| C. James Meese Jr. has been a Company director since April 1991. Since April 1989, Mr. Meese has provided advice and assistance to both middle market and emerging companies on issues of company valuations, acquisitions and divestitures, market development, corporate governance, capital acquisition, strategic planning, exit strategies and organizational structuring through Business Development Associates, Inc., a strategic advisory firm, where he serves as the President. Prior to April 1989, he spent approximately 20 years in various senior corporate marketing, business development and finance positions. Sixteen of those years were spent with West Pharmaceutical Services Inc., a New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE®”) company with approximately $1.1 billion in annual revenues. Mr. Meese was a member of the company’s Top Management Committee during his last four years with West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. Mr. Meese is also a director of Smart Online Inc. (SOLN.OB), and served as that company’s interim Chief Executive Officer from May 2009 until November 2009. He serves on Smart Online’s Compensation Committee, its Governance and Nominating Committee and is the Chairman of Smart Online’s Audit Committee. He has been designated as an Audit Committee Financial Expert under the regulations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 legislation, and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and the National Funding Association. Mr. Meese received a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Temple University. |
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| Stephanie L. Pinson has been an independent director of the Company since June 2001. She presently serves as president of Gilbert Tweed Associates, Inc., a well-established, retained executive search firm based in New York City. She joined Gilbert Tweed in December 1981, has been an owner since 1987, and served as principal prior to December 1996, when she became president. She is a member of the Gilbert Tweed Board of Directors and has responsibility for the operations of the firm. Ms. Pinson is the practice leader for Gilbert Tweed’s widely recognized Transportation Search Practice, specializing in searches for Public Transit Authorities and their suppliers and supporting aviation and port clients. With her partner, Janet Tweed Gusman, Ms. Pinson also is engaged in the Information Technology, Insurance and Industrial Practices. Her work with high technology and manufacturing companies is global in nature, and she directs Gilbert Tweed’s offices in Bombay and New Delhi, India. Prior to joining Gilbert Tweed Associates, Ms. Pinson served as Director of Relocation Services for Real Estate World in Boulder, Colo., from February 1978 to December 1980. From September 1972 to December 1980, she studied and taught Medieval English Literature at Rutgers University. Ms. Pinson serves in a variety of association and not-for-profit board positions. She is a past member of the American Public Transportation Association Executive Committee, having served as Vice Chair-Business Members and Vice Chair-Business Members at Large. She also served on the American Public Transportation Association Chairman’s Diversity Council and is a member of the Women’s Transportation Seminar Advisory Board. Ms. Pinson received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from Rutgers University, where she also qualified for the Ph.D. |
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| John K. Pirotte has been an independent director of the Company since May 1996. Since July 2003, Mr. Pirotte has served as President of Axxiom Manufacturing, Inc., a privately held manufacturer of air blast equipment. From August 2000 to March 2002, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Teleion Wireless, Inc., a privately held company that develops and markets wireless data communication modules. From March 1997 to December 2003, he served as President of Matrix Surface Technologies Inc., a privately held company that developed and marketed mechanical surface treatment technologies; that company has ceased operations. From July 1990 to December 2005, Mr. Pirotte served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CORPEX Technologies Inc., a privately held company that developed and marketed surface active chemical technology; that company has ceased operations. From July 1981 to August 1988, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Aviation Group, Inc., a former NASDAQ®-listed company that was acquired in December 1985. From June 1979 to July 1981, he was Chief Financial Officer of The Aviation Group, Inc. Mr. Pirotte holds a B.A. degree from Princeton University and an M.S. degree from New York University Graduate School of Business Administration. |
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| Juliann Tenney has been an independent director of the Company since April 1991. Employed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since July 2007, and prior to that, Duke University from September 1998, she currently serves as Director of the Institutional Research Compliance Program. She occasionally serves as a lecturer in Duke University’s Nonprofit Management program. From August 1990 through July 1993, she served as Executive Director of the Southern Growth Policies Board, an interstate alliance charged with designing economic development and growth strategies for southern governors and legislators. From August 1988 to August 1990, Ms. Tenney served as Director, Economic and Corporate Development, North Carolina Biotechnology Center. From November 1987 to August 1988, Ms. Tenney was Assistant Secretary at the North Carolina Department of Commerce. From August 1985 to November 1987, she was Executive Director of the North Carolina Technological Development Authority. Prior to that time, she was a practicing attorney with an emphasis on real estate and business. Ms. Tenney received a B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina and a law degree from Duke University. |
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| David L. Turney |
Director
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| Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and Executive Committee Chair |
DRI Corporation Committee Membership:
Executive Committee
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| David L. Turney has been a director of the Company since May 1996. He has served as the Company’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer since May 1998. In March 2010, he transferred his role of President to Oliver Wels and retained his duties as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Turney was co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Robinson Turney International, Inc., which was merged into the Company in April 1998. A consulting firm, Robinson Turney International, Inc. engaged in business development, marketing services, advisory services, and merger, acquisition and financing assignments for selected clients. Until the merger, the Company was a Robinson Turney International, Inc. client; all Robinson Turney International, Inc. clients were in the transit and transportation equipment industries. From March 1994 to December 1995, Mr. Turney was engaged in strategic planning and development consulting services for his former employer, Mark IV Industries, Inc., a NYSE®-listed company prior to its acquisition by a private investor. Mr. Turney founded the Mark IV Transportation Products Group, a group of nine companies, subsidiaries and operating units serving transit and transportation markets worldwide, and served as its Group Executive from February 1991 to February 1994. From May 1984 to February 1991, Mr. Turney was President of the Luminator division of Gulton Industries, Inc., which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Mark IV in 1987. Prior to 1984, he served in various managerial and engineering capacities in four corporations spanning the telecommunications, industrial hard goods, consumer electronics and electromagnetic components industries. Mr. Turney is active in the American Public Transportation Association. A former chair of the American Public Transportation Association’s Business Members’ group, he presently serves on the American Public Transportation Association’s Business Members’ Board of Governors, Legislative Committees, as well as other industry elected and appointed positions. Mr. Turney also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mineta Transportation Institute, which was established by Congress in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and reauthorized in 1998. He served as Chairman of the Mineta Transportation Institute in 2007 and 2008. The Mineta Transportation Institute conducts research, education, and information and technology transfer activities focusing on transportation policy and management topics and issues, in accordance with the institute's theme: “Transportation Policy Research and Transportation Management.” Mr. Turney received his B.S. degree in Industrial Management from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and he has participated in numerous courses and seminars in finance, mergers and acquisitions, public company administration, and operations. |
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