Roger W. Hale,
Independent Consultant and retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, LG&E Energy Corp.
Roger Hale, 65, has been a director of Ashland since 2001. He is chairman of the Audit Committee and is also a member of the Finance Committee.
Currently an independent consultant, Mr. Hale retired in 2001 as chairman and chief executive officer of LG&E Energy Corp., a position he had held since 1990. Prior to joining LG&E, he held various executive positions with BellSouth Corp. and AT&T Co. He is a director of Hospira Inc.
Bernadine P. Healy, M.D.,
Columnist and Health Editor, U.S. News and World Report
Dr. Bernadine Healy, 64, has been a member of Ashland's board of directors since 1998 and serves on the Audit, Environmental, Health & Safety and Governance & Nominating committees.
Dr. Healy is a columnist and health editor for U.S. News and World Report. Previously, she was president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross from 1999 to 2001, and from 1995 to 1999, she served as dean, College of Medicine and Public Health, and professor of medicine, The Ohio State University. She is a director of National City Corp., The Progressive Corp. and Invacare Inc. She is also a trustee of Battelle Memorial Institute.
Kathleen Ligocki,
Chief Executive Officer, GS Motors (Mexico City), and Principal, Pine Lake Partners Inc.
Chairman of the Environmental, Health & Safety Committee and a member of the Audit and Personnel & Compensation committees, Kathleen Ligocki, 52, has served on Ashland's board of directors since 2004.
Ms. Ligocki is chief executive officer of GS Motors, a subsidiary of a Mexico City-based conglomerate, and a principal in the consulting firm Pine Lake Partners Inc. Previously, from 2003 until 2007, she served as president and chief executive officer of Tower Automotive Inc. She has also held positions at Ford Motor Co., United Technologies and General Motors Corp. Ms. Ligocki serves on a number of nonprofit and academic boards focused on women, families and lifelong education.
Vada O. Manager,
Global Consultant and former Senior Director, Global Issues Management, Nike Inc.
Vada Manager, 47, became a member of Ashland's board of directors in 2008
and serves on the Finance and Personnel & Compensation committees.
Currently an independent global consultant, Mr. Manager formerly held the position of senior director of global issues management for Nike Inc. Mr.
Manager joined Nike in 1997 and held various management positions
including senior strategist, advisor to senior management and project
manager. Before joining Nike, he performed similar roles at Levi Strauss & Co.
and was also a vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based public
affairs firm, Powell Tate, a part of Weber Shandwick.
James J. O'Brien,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ashland Inc.
Chairman of the board and chief executive officer since 2002, Jim O'Brien, 54, has presided over the transformation of Ashland from a multi-industry petroleum refiner and marketer with holdings in chemicals and transportation construction into a specialty chemicals company. With Ashland for more than 30 years, he has a wealth of experience from corporate and operations management to chemical and motor oil sales and marketing.
He is a director of Humana Inc. A past "big," Mr. O'Brien serves on the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. He is also chairman of the board of trustees of Midway College and a member of the Dean's Advisory Council for the Fisher Graduate College of Business at The Ohio State University.
Barry W. Perry,
Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Engelhard Corp.
Barry Perry, 62, joined Ashland's board of directors in 2007 and is a member of the Environmental, Health & Safety, Governance & Nominating and Personnel & Compensation committees.
Mr. Perry served as chairman and chief executive officer of Engelhard Corp. from 2001 to 2006. Prior to this, he held various management positions with Engelhard beginning in 1993. He was a group vice president with Rhone-Poulenc from 1991 to 1993. Mr. Perry also held a number of executive positions during his 22 years with General Electric Co. He is also a director of Arrow Electronics Inc. and Cookson Group PLC.
Mark C. Rohr,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Albemarle Corp.
Mark Rohr, 57, joined Ashland's board of directors in 2008 and serves on the Audit and Environmental, Health & Safety committees.
Mr. Rohr is chairman and chief executive officer of Albemarle Corp. Prior to this, he held several executive positions with Albemarle, including chief operating officer and executive vice president operations. Before joining Albemarle, he served with Occidental Chemical Corp. as senior vice president specialty chemicals. He is a director of Celanese Corp. and serves on the executive committee of the American Chemistry Council and the board of directors of the Wildlife Habitat Council.
George A. Schaefer, Jr.,
Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Fifth Third Bancorp
George Schaefer, 63, has been a director of Ashland since 2003 and serves as chairman of the Governance & Nominating Committee. He is also a member of the Audit and Finance committees.
Mr. Schaefer retired as chairman of the board of Fifth Third Bancorp in 2008, having previously served Fifth Third as chief executive officer, president and chief operating officer during his tenure. He is a director of Wellpoint Inc. He also serves as a member of the board of trustees of the University of Cincinnati Foundation and as a trustee of the University of Cincinnati Medical School Advisory Board.
Theodore M. "Tim" Solso,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cummins Inc.
A director of Ashland since 1999, Tim Solso, 61, is lead independent director, as well as chairman of the Personnel & Compensation Committee and a member of the Governance & Nominating Committee.
Mr. Solso is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc., where he has held executive positions including president and chief operating officer. He is a director of Ball Corp. and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. He also serves as chairman of the Cummins Foundation and as an advisory trustee of DePauw University. He is co-chair of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum and a member of the board of the Earth University Foundation.
John F. Turner,
Former Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Oceans and International and Scientific Affairs
John Turner, 66, joined Ashland's board of directors in 2006 and serves on the Finance, Governance & Nominating and Environmental, Health & Safety committees.
Mr. Turner served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Oceans and International and Scientific Affairs from 2001 to 2005. Previously, he was president and chief executive officer of The Conservation Fund and director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He also served in the Wyoming state legislature for 19 years and is a past president of the Wyoming State Senate. He currently serves as a director of Peabody Energy Co., International Paper Co. and American Electric Power Co. Inc. He is a managing partner of Triangle X Ranch in Wyoming, chairman of the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environmental Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming, and a senior associate of The Conservation Fund.
Michael J. Ward,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CSX Corp.
Michael Ward, 58, has been a director on Ashland's board since 2001. He is chairman of the Finance Committee and also serves on the Personnel & Compensation Committee.
Mr. Ward is the chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp., having previously served as president of the company's CSX Transportation rail unit. He is also a director of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, City Year and Take Stock in Children. He is a member of the Florida Council of 100, the Business Roundtable, and the Kentucky Coal Council.
James J. O'Brien, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ashland Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James J. O'Brien, 54, knows Ashland and knows the chemical business. Since 2002, he has presided over the transformation of Ashland from a multi-industry petroleum refiner and marketer with holdings in chemicals and transportation construction into a global specialty chemicals company. O'Brien guides a company of 16,000 employees working to develop products, services and solutions that, through chemistry, meet customers' needs and contribute to improved quality of life.
As chairman and chief executive officer, O'Brien leads Ashland's Executive Committee, whose members set Ashland's global strategy, manage its capital, and uphold Ashland's operating principles.
O'Brien joined the former Ashland Chemical Company in 1976 as an accountant, a year after starting as an accounting intern. He quickly moved into operations, serving in product marketing and sales management positions in the chemicals and plastics businesses during the '80s.
By 1992, Ashland, then known as Ashland Oil Inc., was a large multi-industry corporation: the largest North American distributor of chemicals and plastics; a leading supplier of specialty chemicals worldwide; one of the U.S.'s largest highway contractors; a producer of natural gas, crude oil and coal; one of the largest independent refiners; a regional gasoline retailer and a top U.S. motor oil marketer. Also by 1992, O'Brien had gained the attention of then-Chairman and CEO John R. Hall. Hall tapped O'Brien to serve as his executive assistant to support him as the company grew its nonrefining businesses, strengthened its competitive position and focused on reducing its dependence on earnings from refining.
The year 1994 saw O'Brien, as vice president of Ashland Oil and general manager of branded marketing, take on the challenge of reinvigorating Ashland's branded gasoline marketing operations. Barely a year later, he was named president of the company's Valvoline division and became an executive officer of Ashland. At Valvoline, O'Brien and his team implemented a master brand strategy, while driving innovation and expanding the product line. In 2001, as group operating officer, O'Brien initiated the successful redesign of the Ashland Distribution business model and increased Ashland Specialty Chemical's focus on markets, new products and applications and geographic expansion.
This broad experience prepared O'Brien to lead the transformation that Ashland is undergoing today. With his proven teambuilding skills and a clear vision of the Ashland of the future, O'Brien was elected to his present role of chairman and chief executive officer in 2002.
A native of Circleville, Ohio, O'Brien is a graduate of The Ohio State University, from which he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance and a master's degree in business administration. He is a 1994 graduate of Leadership Kentucky.
O'Brien serves as a director of Humana Inc. He is also chairman of the board of trustees of Midway College, a member of the Dean's Advisory Council for the Fisher Graduate College of Business at The Ohio State University, and serves on the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Lamar M. Chambers, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Chambers, 54, possesses extensive experience managing financial, administrative and operational functions broadly within Ashland. Elected senior vice president and chief financial officer in 2008, he oversees Ashland's worldwide financial functions and processes, including financial accounting and reporting, treasury and finance, insurance, business development, planning and analysis, investor relations, tax and internal audit activities. A member of Ashland's Executive Committee, he shares overall responsibility for setting Ashland's global strategy, managing capital, and upholding Ashland's operating principles.
Chambers joined Ashland in 1976 as a staff auditor in internal auditing. During the following years, he moved through various analyst positions with then-subsidiaries Ashland Coal and Ashland Paving And Construction, Inc. (APAC). He was appointed controller for APAC in 1987.
He returned to the corporate sector of Ashland as assistant controller in 1991 and, in 1994, was selected to serve as executive assistant to the chairman and CEO.
In 1996, Chambers returned to Ashland's operations when he was named administrative vice president for Ashland Petroleum Company and, in 1998, vice president, finance, and controller for Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC, which was divested in 2005. Later in 1998, Chambers was designated to the position of auditor for Ashland. In 2001, he returned to APAC where he served as senior vice president, finance and administration, until 2003, when he was named vice president of regional operations. Chambers was elected vice president and controller of Ashland in 2004 and to his present role in 2008.
A native of Marietta, Ga., Chambers earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of West Georgia. He is also a graduate of the Executive Development Program at Indiana University's Kelly School of Business and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
David L. Hausrath, Senior Vice President and General Counsel
As senior vice president and general counsel, Mr. Hausrath, 57, is responsible for managing all legal and corporate governance matters pertaining to Ashland. In addition, he directs the company's government relations function and is chairman of Ashland's Ethics and Compliance Committee. Since 1999, he has also shared overall responsibility for setting global strategy, managing capital, and upholding Ashland's operating principles as a member of the company's Executive Committee.
Hausrath joined Ashland's Law Department in 1980 as an attorney. He assumed positions of steadily increasing responsibility, becoming associate general counsel in 1997. He was promoted to vice president in 1998 and general counsel in 1999. In 2004, he was elected senior vice president.
The Virginia native earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, and from 1974 to 1976, he was employed by DuPont in Richmond, Va., as a design engineer. He subsequently earned his J.D. degree from the University of Richmond Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review. Before joining Ashland, he served as a law clerk for the Virginia Supreme Court.
Hausrath is a member of the American Corporate Counsel Association, American Bar Association, Ethics Officer Association, Kentucky Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ky.
Robert M. Craycraft, Vice President and President, Ashland Distribution
Mr. Craycraft, 39, heads one of North America's leading distributors of chemicals, plastics, composite materials and environmental services. Ashland Distribution is also a leading source of plastics in Europe and participates in the plastics distribution market in China, as well.
Craycraft joined Ashland's Valvoline division in 1992 as a distributor-group sales representative in branded sales. During the next 10 years, he held several sales, management and business development positions within the Valvoline organization.
In 2002, Craycraft was named vice president and general manager of Valvoline's Eagle One business unit, and a year later, he became vice president and general manager of the Valvoline distributor sales group. In 2004, Craycraft was promoted to vice president of business transformation, a position that gave him an expanded role in business development, as well as leadership responsibility for Valvoline's information technology, accounting and business effectiveness teams. In 2005, he was again promoted, becoming senior vice president and general manager of the Valvoline Do-It-Yourself (DIY) retail business group, and in early 2007, he was tapped to lead Valvoline's U.S. installer-channels group.
In late 2007, Craycraft was asked to join Ashland Distribution as vice president of its chemicals business. He was named president of Ashland Distribution in 2008.
A native of Ashland, Ky., Craycraft earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Vanderbilt University.
Susan B. Esler, Vice President, Human Resources and Communications
Ms. Esler, 48, assumed leadership of both the human resources and corporate communications functions of Ashland in 2006. She is responsible for the global management of all aspects of human resources, including talent management and development, compensation and benefits, and labor and employee relations. Her communications responsibilities include corporate and financial communications, public relations and business-to-business marketing communications.
She joined Ashland in 1999 as manager, executive compensation. She was promoted in 2001 to director, corporate human resources, and in 2002, to vice president, human resources programs and services. In 2004, she was promoted to vice president, human resources.
Immediately prior to joining Ashland, Esler served as senior director of compensation, benefits and HRIS for PepsiCo Food Systems. She held various HR leadership roles within the PepsiCo organization starting in1990. Esler has also been employed as a compensation consultant with Mercer and started her working career at Dow Chemical as an HR specialist.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Esler is a graduate of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and earned her master's degree in business administration from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the Cincinnati Museum Center and on the advisory board of the Cincinnati Children's Museum. She also serves on the steering committees of two women's leadership organizations: One Hundred Wise Women and SOAR.
Theodore L. "Ted" Harris, Vice President; President, Ashland Performance Materials; and President, Global Supply Chain and Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S)
Mr. Harris, 44, was named president, Ashland Performance Materials, in July 2009. He heads a worldwide commercial unit that holds leading market positions in unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl esters, pressure-sensitive and structural adhesives, and foundry products, which are sold into the construction, transportation, packaging and converting, infrastructure and marine markets. In addition, as president, Global Supply Chain and Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S), he holds Ashland-wide responsibility for the functions that encompass the manufacture and delivery of products to customers and assure global environmental compliance. Since August 2008, he has also led the development and execution of the global integration strategy related to the Hercules acquisition.
Harris joined the company in 2004 as vice president and general manager of the Composite Polymers group within Ashland Performance Materials. In 2006, he was named a vice president of Ashland and president of Ashland Distribution. In November 2008, he was named president of Ashland's Global Supply Chain, Information Technology, and Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) groups, a role he held until July 2009.
Immediately prior to joining Ashland, Harris served as general manager of the Food Ingredients Division within FMC's Food, Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Group in his career with FMC Corp., which began in 1992.
A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Harris earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University. He also holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
J. William Heitman, Vice President and Controller
Mr. Heitman, 55, joined Ashland in 2008 with more than 30 years of financial experience in the automotive, chemical, plumbing, oil-supply and consumer-electronics industries. As vice president and controller, he is responsible for Ashland's global financial accounting and reporting processes, including oversight of accounting policies and practices, external and internal financial reporting, new accounting standards and developments, and managerial accounting.
Previously, Heitman served as controller for the $9 billion North American Tire operations of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. While there, he was responsible for all accounting and shared services covering eight subsidiaries, 21 manufacturing sites and 900 retail operations. He joined Goodyear in 2004 after three years of experience in the chemical industry at Ferro Corp., where he served as vice president of finance and interim chief financial officer. At Ferro, he successfully led the financial integration of a sizeable global acquisition, achieving targeted synergies, and was a key contributor to a $500 million debt-reduction effort. Heitman was also vice president and controller for Moen Inc., where he spent six years. Earlier in his career, he held numerous financial positions during a 16-year tenure with TRW.
Heitman earned a B.S.B.A. degree in accounting and an M.B.A. in finance from Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kan. He is a certified public accountant and a member of the Financial Executives Institute, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Ohio Society of CPAs.
Samuel J. Mitchell Jr., Vice President and President, Ashland Consumer Markets
Mr. Mitchell, 47, heads Ashland Consumer Markets, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. His responsibilities include leadership of the worldwide Valvoline business of automotive and commercial lubricants, chemicals, and appearance products, as well as growth of the company's quick-lube business and continued development of innovative premium products. Mitchell is credited with the marketing success of MaxLife®, a first-of-its-kind motor oil designed specifically for the lubricating needs of high-mileage vehicles, introduced in 2000.
He joined Ashland in 1997 as director of marketing for Valvoline's brand management group. In August 1999, he was named vice president of marketing, and in 2000, he was named vice president and general manager of the Valvoline DIY (Do-It-Yourself) retail business. He was named president of Valvoline and a vice president of Ashland in 2002. Prior to joining Ashland, he held brand and category management leadership positions at The Clorox Company for eight years.
A Birmingham, Mich., native, Mitchell earned a bachelor's degree from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in 1983 and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago in 1988. He is a 2005 graduate of the Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.
He currently serves on the boards of the University of Kentucky Business Partnership Foundation, Transylvania University, Fifth Third Bank of Kentucky, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association. He is active in his church and with Habitat for Humanity.
John E. Panichella, Vice President and President, Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients
As president of Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients, Mr. Panichella, 50, leads a commercial unit with a primary market position in rheology modifiers additives that alter the physical properties of water-based systems and are used to make everything from adhesives and paints to foods, pharmaceuticals and personal care products.
Panichella joined Ashland in November 2008 following Ashland's acquisition of Hercules, where he had held a similar position since 2006. Under his leadership, the business enhanced core technologies with new product investments, added adjacent technologies to support the core, developed infrastructure to support growth in emerging markets and reduced costs in manufacturing operations.
Prior to joining Hercules in 2006, Panichella enjoyed a 25-year career with General Electric and BetzDearborn, where he served in numerous management positions, including business development, operations management, sales and marketing, and strategic development. His last position at General Electric Water and Process Technologies was vice president and general manager of the Americas business. Before joining General Electric, he served as vice president of the Global Hydrocarbon Processing unit of BetzDearborn.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Panichella holds an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a volunteer and active supporter of Urban Promise, an organization serving children and youth living in the inner-city neighborhoods of Wilmington, Del.
Paul C. Raymond III, Vice President and President, Ashland Hercules Water Technologies
Paul C. Raymond III, Ph.D., 46, heads Ashland Hercules Water Technologies, a leading global supplier of process, water treatment and functional chemistries to the paper, pulp, chemical, commercial and institutional, food and beverage, marine and municipal industries. He was named to his current position in November 2008, following Ashland's purchase of Hercules, where he held a similar position.
Raymond began his career in 1989 with General Electric as a process engineer for GE Plastics. He became an advanced process engineer in 1991, regional product leader in 1992 and manager of GE's polycarbonate technology operation in Europe in 1994. In 1996, he moved to Japan as general manager of technology for GE Plastics Pacific. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to technical director at GE's central research facility with responsibility for corporate research and development for GE's plastics and lighting businesses and environmental sciences.
In 2000, Raymond joined Honeywell Electronic Materials as vice president, global operations, and two years later was promoted to vice president and general manager. He joined Hercules in 2005 as a vice president and president of the company's Pulp and Paper Division. In 2006, he also assumed leadership of Hercules' business ventures as part of the newly created Paper Technologies and Ventures Group.
A native of Midland, Texas, Raymond received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Rice University and his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Anne T. Schumann, Vice President and Chief Information and Administrative Services Officer
Ms. Schumann, 48, was named vice president and chief information and administrative services officer in August 2009. In this role, she holds responsibility for Ashland's global information technology functions; source management, purchasing and customer support activities within the Global Supply Chain; and security and facilities management.
Schumann joined the company in 2008 as vice president, acquisition integration, at the time Ashland acquired Hercules Incorporated. Previously, she served as Hercules' vice president of information technology from 2006, with responsibility for human resources added in 2008. She joined Hercules in 2000 as vice president of the Hercules Shared Services Center.
Before joining Hercules, Schumann served as director of finance and management operations for Bryn Mawr College near Philadelphia, Pa. She also spent 11 years with ARCO Chemical Company, holding various management positions in finance, human resources and global business operations. She began her career in 1984 with Continental Illinois National Bank, where she managed corporate banking portfolios.
A native of Chicago, Ill., Schumann earned a bachelor of science in environmental biology from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. in finance from Indiana University.
Walter H. Solomon, Vice President and Chief Growth Officer
Ashland vice president and chief growth officer since August 2005, Walter H. Solomon, 48, is responsible for leading the company's corporate strategy and long-term innovation process. Solomon and his team are charged with mapping Ashland's transformation into a global specialty chemicals company and leader in sustainable chemistry, analyzing Ashland's businesses and anticipating changes in the marketplace to create sustainable, long-term success.
Solomon joined Ashland in 2002 as senior vice president and general manager of Ashland Consumer Markets' (Valvoline) Do-It-Yourself business unit. While in that role, he grew profitability and premium lubricant volume each year. He also had global responsibility for brand management for Valvoline.
Prior to joining Ashland, Solomon spent 20 years growing both large and small companies. His first 10 years were in a series of brand management roles with Procter & Gamble, ultimately directing marketing in P&G's hair care and juice drink businesses. Most notably, he grew Pantene* from a small, $4 million boutique brand into a $100+ million business en route to its becoming one of P&G's $1 billion global brands. He spent the next 10 years leading five privately funded startup companies in the healthcare and software industries, including an Inc. 500* company and an internet technology incubator.
A native of Charleston, S.C., Solomon has served as president of the board of trustees of three not-for-profit organizations and as a board member for five others. He received his bachelor's degree in commerce from the University of Virginia.
* Trademark owned by a third party
Corporate Officers
Kristy J. Folkwein,
Vice President, Information Systems
Linda L. Foss,
Assistant General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Scott A. Gregg,
Vice President, Tax
John F. Guldig,
General Auditor
John W. "Jack" Joy,
Vice President, Corporate Development
Karen T. Murphy,
Vice President, Environmental, Health and Safety