H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management

David Aquino is currently the Vice President of Operations Strategy, Planning and Performance Measurement at $1.7B educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  He was formerly research director with AMR/Gartner, responsible for the research and analysis of supply chain developments in apparel and footwear, beverage, and direct store delivery. He led the development of Gartner’s core research on supply chain organizational design and talent management.

Prior to Gartner, David was the vice president of supply chain at Aramark Uniform and Career Apparel, where he was responsible for developing the process, organization, and proprietary supply chain technology to support the direct sale apparel organization and several key integration efforts between the three operating divisions.
David was also the vice president of supply chain at consumer products company AAi.FosterGrant, and held key supply chain positions with Scholastic, Pepsi Bottling Group and Unilever.

David earned his BS in marketing in 1993 from Syracuse University and his MBA from Fordham University. He is certified in production and inventory management from the Association for Operations Management (APICS) and is also currently an Adjunct professor of Supply Chain Management in the MBA program at Northeastern University.

Chantel Campbell-Goutcher '94 BS is currently the Director of Merchandise Design & Analysis with CSX Transportation, one of is one of the nation's leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. She has been with CSX since earning her BS in Transportation and Distribution Management from the Whitman School in 1994. She began her career as an Operations Management Trainee, working in Field operations as a Trainmaster in one of their 12 major hump switching yards in Nashville, TN. After a variety of operating positions at both the Divisional and Network level, Chantel joined their Customer Service Center, responsible for process improvement and project management for their Customer Service, Customer Accounting and Customer Operations groups. While in this role, she earned her MBA from the University of North Florida in 2000 and became a certified CSX Six Sigma Black Belt and Master Black Belt. In her current role, she leads a team responsible for the design and implementation of the merchandise carload operating plan, with particular focus on the first and last mile service at the customer facility.

Rocque D. Dameo is president of Dameo Trucking, a family business he joined after graduating from the Whitman School at Syracuse University in 1957.

Dameo is involved in the New Jersey Motor Truck Association, serving on the executive committee as treasurer for 20 years and as a member of the board of directors. Currently, he is serving as vice president to the American Trucking Association as the representative of New Jersey on the board of directors. Dameo’s son Jason now serves on the New Jersey Motor Truck Association Board of Directors. As an ATA member Dameo was chairman of the insurance task force during the 1980’s crisis and chairman of the small carriers task force for four years. He is now on the board of the Inter Modal Carriers conference after serving as secretary for four years.

Dameo was a long time member of the Rotary Club of Somerville and served as president during the 50th Anniversary year of the club. He became an active member of the Somerset County Parks Department where he has served as a commissioner and as President for the past 30 years.

He is a founding member of The 200 Club of Somerset County and a founding member of Bridgewater OPCOP. Currently, Dameo serves as a board member of the Somerset County Crimestoppers.

Robert L. D'Avanzo, is a partner in Accenture's Communications and High Tech practice, having joined the firm in 1990. His education and professional experiences are in supply chain management and corporate strategy. Prior to joining Accenture, D’Avanzo held supply chain positions at Ocean Spray Cranberries and Hub Air International. He earned a BS in operations management from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in 1988.

D’Avanzo is co-author “Supply Chain Directions for a New North America” and has published numerous articles on management strategy. D’Avanzo led Accenture’s research into supply chain mastery and high performance. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, professional association meetings, and corporate events. 

D’Avanzo is active in several civic, social, and charitable organizations. In addition to his role on the Franklin Advisory Board of Syracuse University, he is a director on the boards of the Family Resource Network and the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey, and a Trustee of the American Boychoir School in Princeton, NJ.

Garrard Grannell graduated from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in 1988 with a double major in supply chain management and marketing management.

Currently, Grannell is president of Mohawk Global Logistics which employs 62 people and is based in Syracuse. Mohawk provides international trade services including import and export freight forwarding, customs clearance service, warehousing, and distribution services. The company also has offices in Albany and Rochester and plans on opening several more offices in the Northeast in the next five years. This responsibility takes Grannell to Asia and Europe one or two times per year.

Grannell has served on the board of directors and as president of the Transportation Club of Central New York. He also serves on the Franklin Supply Chain Advisory Board in the Whitman School. He is also a guest lecturer for Export NY, a program sponsored by Whitman and National Grid to encourage local companies to expand into the global marketplace.

Grannell serves on the board at the Huntington Family Center, a not-for-profit human services organization located on the West side of Syracuse. He is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse and was named a 40 under 40 recipient in 2000 for his business accomplishments and community involvement. Mohawk Global Logistics was selected as second fastest growing company in sales and employee growth in Central New York as part of the FastTrack 50 in 2006.

Patrick Hackett is director of international supply chain at Bed Bath & Beyond. He is responsible for transportation, distribution and customs compliance-related activities for all U.S. and Canadian imports and exports supporting 890 Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY stores.

Prior to his current role, Hackett held several corporate and manufacturing site supply chain-related positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb encompassing the areas of transportation, procurement, production planning, and inventory management. Prior to that, he was a supply chain consultant working for both KPMG Peat Marwick and Deloitte & Touche where he focused on clients in the retail, consumer product, and food industries. Before consulting, he worked for Hills Department Stores where he was responsible for carrier contract negotiations, and implementing inbound, and outbound freight management systems. He started his professional career at IBM as a transportation analyst.

He graduated from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in transportation & distribution management and marketing.

Anthony Ilacqua is assistant to the regional director for the New York State Department of Transportation in Syracuse, New York. The department is responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of more than 3,500 miles of state highway and more than 600 bridges in the Central New York region. In addition, the department is responsible for traffic operations and safety, truck and bus inspection, motor carrier compliance, and rail safety oversight.

Prior to joining the NYSDOT in 2002, Ilacqua served as the Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Syracuse. His prior experience includes several years of service in the public transit industry, as a manufacturing materials control supervisor for Bus Industries of America, and as a logistics supervisor for the New York City Transit Authority.

He earned his MBA degree from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in 1987. He has been a member of the advisory board for the Franklin Program for several years, with an interest in supporting the learning experiences of supply chain management students in matters of public policy as it relates to the transportation industry.

Nancy Jenkins-Kennedy is director of global logistics at IBM, which she joined in 1985 as a professional hire in the Americas/Far East Distribution organization. Prior to joining IBM, she worked for JCPenney’s corporate logistics department and at Metro Marketing, a small marketing communications firm.

After a number of planning and operations positions, Jenkins Kennedy was promoted to manager of Latin America operations and planning for high volume products in 1988 and held a series of management positions primarily supporting personal systems operations, distribution, and planning for Latin America.

A two-year technical assistant assignment to the vice president of WW Supply and Acquisition for PC products and to the general manager of real estate and site operations was completed in 1995, when Jenkins Kennedy was named Latin America Distribution Manager reporting to the vice president of worldwide distribution.

In July of 1999, Jenkins Kennedy accepted a newly created position as director of delivery operations in the new delivery management - Americas group that had line responsibility for the quote to cash operations supporting hardware, software and services in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. In January 2003, she was named director, global logistics operations support with responsibility for Worldwide Global Logistics operations support, and network design and optimization.

Jenkins Kennedy graduated from the Whitman School of Management with a BS.

Kevin Jost is the president (retired) of Honeywell Mobility (formerly Hand Held Products), a leading manufacturer of reliable, high-performance data collection and communication solutions including mobile computers and handheld scanners.

Starting on the manufacturing line in 1972, Jost’s tenure in the Automatic Data Collection (ADC) industry is unparalleled. His three+ decade’s of experience, passion, and commitment to employees and customers has earned him great respect throughout the industry.

In 2000, Jost began his role as president and CEO of Hand Held Products. As CEO, Jost, along with an accomplished leadership team, has guided the company through a highly successful spin-off from the Welch-Allyn companies – operating as an independent entity since 1999, has delivered record growth and profitability, and has positioned Hand Held Products as a true global presence in the ADC industry with operations in every major market of the world. Largely as a result of the company’s performance and rapid growth, Hand Held Products was successfully acquired by Honeywell International, Inc. in 2007, and became Honeywell Imaging and Mobility.

Jost’s focus remains on the medium- and long-term strategic direction of the company and leads a team of professionals who have gained international respect as innovative leaders in the Automatic Identification, Data Capture and Mobility industries. He is a graduate of Syracuse University, an active supporter of many local community initiatives, and serves on several boards of directors.

Ronald Leibman joined Riker Danzig Scherer, Hyland & Perretti as counsel in January 2003. He practices in the firm's corporate group, concentrating in the areas of transportation and logistics. Leibman focuses his practice on the business needs of manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, motor carriers, third party logistics providers, and other logistics-related businesses. He is also experienced in commercial litigation and corporate law. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Leibman was a senior logistics executive at Wakefern Food Corporation (ShopRite Supermarkets) and Fortunoff's. In addition to his law degree, he has an MBA in transportation/distribution management from the Whitman School.

Representative clients include Ahold USA, Capacity LLC, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Gerber Products, International Paper, National Starch and Chemical, Prestige Brands, Rema Foods, Silverline Building Products, and Wakefern Food.

Leibman is on the board of directors of the Institute of Logistical Management and is a member of the Association for Transportation Law, Logistics, and Policy. He has recently been listed as a Member in National Register's Who's Who in Executives and Professionals. Leibman has written and lectured on a variety of transportation and logistics topics. His articles include "Workplace Injuries: New OSHA Standards Hit Power Equipment Operators" (New Jersey Law Journal, August 12, 1999).

Charles P. McCausland, Lt. General, US Air Force (retired), was the director of the Defense Logistics Agency, responsible for inventory management of more than four million spare parts; industrial commodities; fuels and petroleum products; consumable items such as medical supplies, clothing, and subsistence; cataloging; property and hazardous material disposal; storage and distribution; and the contract administration of all military procurements. Staffing of the agency exceeded sixty thousand personnel, with an operating budget in excess of three billion dollars. The annual buying/sales program exceeded twelve billion dollars.

During his tenure, supply chain management was introduced and adopted at the Department of Defense. McCausland was also a member of the Joint Logistics Commanders.

Prior to being assigned to the Defense Logistics Agency, McCausland held a variety of positions in the Air Force Logistics Command. He served as the vice-commander; chief of staff; and deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, for logistics operations, and for maintenance. He also served as the commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center in Utah. Prior to that, McCausland served as the commander of the Defense Contract Administration Region, Los Angeles, and of the DOD Cataloging Activity in Battle Creek.

Now retired, McCausland is a director and a member of the Audit Committee of the Dynamics Research Corporation in Andover, Mass. He is a director and past president of the Ontario County Association for Retarded Children, and a trustee of the Finger Lakes Community College, both in Canandaigua, N.Y. McCausland is a 1957 graduate of Syracuse University's The College of Arts and Sciences.

Matthew E. Menner is the senior vice president, sales & alliances for Transplace—a leading third party logistics and technology solutions provider focused on transportation management business processes outsourcing. Menner leads their field sales organization, develops and executes alliances strategies, and oversees industry analyst relations for Transplace. He brings more than 18 years of transportation and logistics industry experience. Prior to joining Transplace, he served as senior vice president of Global Sales and Alliances for Optiant, a leader in strategic supply chain design and optimization. Through a series of acquisitions over the course of a decade, Menner rose to the position of vice president of sales at Manhattan Associates, a global leader in supply chain execution solutions. Menner’s recent position has been achieved through a culmination of rich experiences from a number of diverse companies which include: Logistics.com, Sabre, Princeton Transportation Consulting Group, Andersen Consulting’s (now Accenture) Logistics Strategies Practice, Burlington Northern Railroad, and St. Johnsbury Trucking Company.

Menner earned an AA in 1990 from Green Mountain College, a bachelor’s degree and MBA from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. He was honored by Syracuse University as the 2007 Young Alumni of the Year and the 1997 Green Mountain College Young Alumni of the Year Award Recipient.

Menner serves on the Whitman Advisory Council. He was also the vice president, strategic development for the Council of Supply Chain Professional (CSCMP) New England Roundtable. Lastly, he recently served as the education chairman and board member to the Transportation and Marketing Communications Association.

He also has served as a Green Mountain College Trustee since 1999 holding positions as a member of the executive committee, chair of the development committee for the comprehensive capital campaign (first in the history of the 170 year old institution, achieving $9.5 million against a goal of $8.0 million, and nominating committee, recently completing his role as a member of his second presidential search committee.

In the battle against cancer, Menner is the captain and COO for Team Eradicate of the Pan Mass Challenge. This team of 35 riders who have raised in excess of a $1.3 million in nine years, contributing meaningfully to the aggregate fundraising for the Pan Mass Challenge of $240 million.

Menner and his wife Megan, a Cornell graduate and currently the vice president of human resources for EMD Serono reside in Wayland, Mass.

Paul Svindland is managing director, co-lead, of Alix Partners.

Richard Zarski brings a strong mix of new product launch, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics management, quality and service parts logistics experience to his role. Dick's particular strength and focus is in logistics process and quality. He is responsible for ISO 9001:2000 certification for Frontech North America, having received numerous Best Practice nominations by external auditors BSI and DNV.

Other accomplishments include the launch of a new Reverse Logistics Operation for Fujitsu America providing numerous improvements and efficiencies in supplying parts to customers and service organizations.

Dick is also Co-Chairman of the Fujitsu North American Logistics Committee charged with streamlining North American logistics practices within the United States and the world, which has resulted in significant savings to Fujitsu North American operating companies.