Board of Directors

Ned Sergew, Wells Fargo Corporation, Board President

Ned Sergew, a native of Ethiopia, is a financial services professional employed by Wells Fargo Corporation, where he is a Senior Vice President in the Risk Management Division. Prior to his current position, Ned worked for GE Capital Corporation and Bank of America. He was also a Senior Manager in Deloitte Consulting’s Financial Services practice. Ned was a James B. Duke Scholar at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, where he earned a BS, Accounting as Valedictorian, summa cum laude. In addition to his passionate support of International House, Ned also serves as the Chair of his church Parish Council; is a member of the Risk Management Association Journal’s Editorial Board and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity; Hearts & Hammers Construction Mission; Reading First; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; the Arts & Science Council; and The House of Mercy. Ned and his wife have three daughters.

Karim Azar, Globe Express Services, Board Vice President

Karim Azar is the Director of sales administration & planning for Globe Express Services, an international transportation and logistics company with over 30 corporate offices worldwide. Prior to relocating to Charlotte in 2001, Karim resided in London for 15 years, working in similar jobs in the transportation and logistics industry. He has also held various senior positions in the all-cargo airline industry, and resided for several years in each of the assignments in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Those overseas postings in various countries, gave him a deep understanding of various cultures. Karim is originally a native of Lebanon, where he earned a BA in Political Science & Public Administration from the American University of Beirut. Since his relocation to Charlotte Karim has been active in such organizations as The Metrolina Phoenician Club, The Middle East Council of the Carolinas, and The Mayor's International Cabinet. He and his wife Leena have a daughter named Sofia.

Camille Evans, KPMG LLP, Board Treasurer

Camille Evans is a principal in the International Corporate Services Group of Washington National Tax at KPMG LLP, based in Charlotte, NC. She has extensive technical experience addressing complex tax, legal, business and policy issues. Prior to joining KPMG, Ms. Evans worked at the IRS Chief Counsel Office where she was Special Counsel to the Deputy Associate Chief Counsel (International – Technical). In this role, she reviewed regulations, technical memorandum and other guidance on a wide range of international tax issues. Camille holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, along with a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in accounting from the Wharton School.
 

Monte L. Ritchey, Conformity Corporation, Board Secretary

Monte Ritchey is the President of the Conformity Corp. Among other duties, Mr. Ritchey is responsible for the investigation of development opportunities, construction administration and the coordination of marketing and sales. The Conformity Corporation has been recognized by the American Institute of architects and Mr. Ritchey has been honored as a “Preservationist of the Year” by Historic Charlotte, Inc. and by the Business Journal as one of its “40 under 40.” Mr. Ritchey has been active on several City of Charlotte advisory committees and is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Congress for New Urbanism. Mr. Ritchey was nominated to attend the United States Military Academy by both Senator Arlen Spechter and Congressman John P. Murtha and attended the College of Engineering at Pennsylvania State University.

Moira Alair, Ashley Furniture HomeStore

Moira Alair is the director of marketing at Ashley Furniture HomeStore’s regional corporate office. She received her BBA from the University of Hawaii and her MBA from the University of Southern California. Moira is a successful manager with years of experience in marketing and communications, specialized in marketing strategy development and implementation. A resident of Matthews since 1992, Moira lives with her husband Doug and daughter Adrienne.

Vince Altamura, Wells Fargo & Company

Vince Altamura is a Managing Counsel within the Law Department of Wells Fargo &Company, a leading financial services company. Born and raised in the New York City area, Vince has spent the past 16 years in the Charlotte area working for Wells Fargo and its predecessors. Vince has his undergraduate degree in Politics from New York University and received his J. D. from Stanford Law School. Other civic interests include serving as a Board member for Loaves & Fishes, a Charlotte based organization that provides food to families in need, and serving as a reading tutor for a child at Ashley Park Elementary School. Vince is married with two children.

Nini RB Bautista de Garcia, PhD

“Dr. Nini” is a well-known and respected community leader in Charlotte. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. She also holds leadership roles with the Charlotte International Cabinet, the Levine Museum of the New South & the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas, to name a few. She envisions Charlotte as a city that understands the value immigrants can bring to a community as professionals, workers & citizens and embraces the strength that comes from cultural diversity. Dr. Nini speaks five languages, including Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, and Chabacano, another Filipino Spanish dialect. She is also a published author and award-winning scientist. Dr. Nini holds a Ph.D. in Nuclear Chemistry, a Master’s Degree in Chemistry, an MBA, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. Her previous professional experience includes working as a Nuclear Safeguard Inspector, UN International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria until 1998 when she moved to Charlotte.

Lee S. Bierer, College Admissions Strategies

Bill Belk, Belk Group

Bill Belk is an attorney and Vice President for Monroe Hardware Company. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill, an MBA & Masters in Law and Taxation from Emory University, and a J.D. from Wake Forest. He is involved in many civic and educational activities, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Cystic Fibrosis, N.C. Aquarium Society, & Charlotte-South Rotary. He has three children.

In her international, corporate and immigration law practice, Sarah Buffett helps foreign and domestic businesses achieve their goals by guiding them through the technical maze of immigration law and procedure. Sarah graduated cum laude from Pennsylvania State University. She earned her J.D. from Cornell Law School, and she attended Universite de la Sorbonne in Paris. A frequent national lecturer on I-9 compliance and business immigration, she is a member of the Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association and co-author of state legislation to protect the North Carolina immigrant population from notarial abuse. She is the recipient of the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association’s Young Lawyer of the Year award and Mecklenburg County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. 

Marco Casol is President and CEO of PreGel AMERICA, the U.S. division of PreGel, a global specialty dessert ingredient company headquartered in Reggio Emilia, Italy and founded in 1967 by Luciano Rabboni. PreGel stands globally as the largest manufacturer and distributor of ingredients for gelato, sorbetto, frozen yogurt, and more. One of the world’s foremost experts in the industry, Marco completed international law studies in Italy and Germany and graduated from the Artisan Gelato School of Italy. He is fluent Italian, English, French, Spanish and German. 

 

Brita O. Formato, Duke Energy

Jose Garcia, Bank of America

Jose is Senior Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for Bank of America. His career with Bank of American began in 1985, and he’s held several leadership positions in finance. Jose graduated magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico with a BS in accounting, and has earned multiple professional certifications including Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). He is one of the founders of the Bank’s Hispanic/Latino affinity group and is a founding director of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting Charlotte Chapter. Jose is a member of the American Institute for Managing Diversity Board, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte – Simmons Branch Board, and the Corporate Alliance Program at Johnson C. Smith University. 

 

 

Tom Hawkins, President, Firm Resolve LLC

Tom Hawkins is a native of Charlotte and a veteran international executive. Growing up in Charlotte, he was educated in the CMS school system, and later earned his undergraduate degree from UNCC and his MBA from Wake Forest University. In his first professional role, Tom was a senior consulting manager for Accenture, in the Carolinas practice. He then served as a Senior Vice President for First Union’s International Division, responsible for product development and information technology. Most recently, Tom was Chief Operations Officer for MassMutual International, Inc., including service as President and CEO of MassMutual Japan, MassMutual’s largest international subsidiary. During his international corporate roles, Tom traveled extensively in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Today, he is President of Firm Resolve, LLC – dedicated to helping small- and medium-sized businesses succeed.

Andre' Paul Laurent, Microsoft

Andre’ Laurent is an Operations and Sales Manager at Microsoft, based in Charlotte, NC. He has spent 15 years in the technology industry and has been with Microsoft for the last seven years. Andre’ has dedicated his time to supporting a number of philanthropic organizations. Prior to Microsoft, Andre’ served as VP of Sales & Marketing for LAN Systems as well as National Director of Sales for Softmart. Andre’ graduated with his BA from the University of Tennessee- Chattanooga in Economics and Marketing. Originally a native of Cocoa Beach, FL, Andre and his wife Stacey enjoy spending their free time on Mountain Island Lake, where they live in Charlotte. 
 

Brad Merlie, Managing Director- Engineering & Operations Systems, Piedmont Natural Gas

Brad Merlie serves as Vice President - Information Services for Piedmont Natural Gas, a gas utility with 1,000,000 customers in NC, SC and TN. He is responsible for Piedmont's information technology architecture, infrastructure, and business services. His 28 year energy industry career includes a variety of leadership roles in the areas of engineering, operations and technology, both domestically and internationally. Prior to joining Piedmont, he was employed by Williams International, and was based in Caracas, Venezuela, where he became fluent in the Spanish language. Brad and his wife Barbara have two college aged children, and are very happy to call Charlotte, NC home.  

Peter Pampillonio, Protiviti

Peter Pampillonio is an accomplished business professional and entrepreneur. He has founded two start-up companies, including a 200+ employee information technology management consulting firm focused on strategy, change management, risk management & process improvement. His international experience includes establishing a financial services practice in the Netherlands while managing the privatization of their largest government-owned bank. He has also worked with the National Bank of Kuwait and the Central Bank of Bangladesh, and he served on the US-India Business Council in Washington, DC. Peter, who holds Bachelor’s Degrees in mathematics and physics, is a nationally-recognized speaker as well as an active member of Charlotte’s community, having served on the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Metrolina Entrepreneurial Council in addition to many other service activities.

Mr. Matthias Schoenberg, CEO, Continental Tire

Matthias Schoenberg is CEO of Continental Tire of the Americas, a position he’s held since 2006. He is a native of Germany and speaks German, English, Spanish and Portuguese. Over his professional career, Matthias has lived in a number of countries in Europe and Latin America. In his current role, he is responsible for the company’s business in North and South America. Previously he worked for a private equity firm in his native Germany. Matthias holds a Bachelor of Business Administration. He enjoys the internationality of his personal and his professional life and enjoys contributing to our community.

Felix von Uklanski, Merrill Lynch

Felix von Uklanski works as an International Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch in Charlotte. He started his career with ABN Amro Bank in Amsterdam and Houston after receiving his MBA in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Felix moved to London, England to join Service Corporation International's Mergers & Acquisition group and was then recruited by Citibank’s Media & Communications group as a Vice-President. He is fluent in German and also speaks some Dutch, French and Spanish. He is an active member of the German American Chamber of Commerce and the Charlotte South Park Rotary Club. Felix lives with his wife, Candice Langston, a Charlotte native, in Cotswold.