Richard C. Ferlauto spent more than 25 years working to reform financial markets as a leading advocate for expanding shareholder rights, targeting pension investment for sustainable economic growth, and reinvesting in communities.

From 2002 until joining the SEC in 2010, Mr. Ferlauto served as the director of Corporate Governance and Pension Investment for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). He was recognized by Directorship Magazine as one of the most influential people in corporate governance from 2006 through 2010.

He sat on the advisory board of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. He also served as a member of the board of CERES, Inc. from 2004 until 2010.

Learn more about the 50/50 Ferlauto Education Fund, a memorial fund to continue Rich’s important work.

Nell Minow served as president of Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. and as an attorney at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management and Budget, and the United States Department of Justice.

In addition, she was dubbed “the CEO Killer” by Fortune magazine for her record of ousting non-performing CEOs at companies like Sears, American Express, Kodak, and Waste Management. Business Week online called her “the queen of good corporate gov­ernance.”

She is co-author with Robert A.G. Monks of three books, including five editions of the leading textbook on corpo­rate governance. In 2008, she received the highest award in the field from the International Corporate Governance Network and in 2013 she received a lifetime achievement award from Corporate Secretary Magazine. Ms. Minow frequently comments on the financial markets in the press and on television, including op-eds in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today, and on network news broadcasts.

Dennak Murphy was a founding member of the Service Employees International Union’s Capital Stewardship Program. Beginning in 1999, he worked with CalPERS, Ca!STRS and other large public pension funds in the U.S. promoting the long-term retirement security interests of nearly one million SEIU members.

Corporate governance has long been an important focus of Mr. Murphy’s work on behalf of long-term investors. He is responsible for two successful resolutions at Washington Mutual in 2008 and Bank of America in 2009 which led to the resignations of CEOs at both firms.

His work is now focused on emerging governance, sustain­ability and fiduciary issues in the wake of the global finan­cial crisis and the challenges and opportunities climate change will bring to pension investors.

William Patterson has worked in shareholder advocacy, cor­porate governance and financial reform for 30 years. He has won shareholder majority votes for gover­nance reforms and spearheaded initia­tives that led to the removal of CEOs and directors at Fortune 500 companies. He currently serves as a trustee of the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, which, with $60 billion in assets, serves 860,000 plan participants

Patterson founded and ran both the AFL-CIO Office of Investment and the CtW Investment Group. These new offices advanced the interests of worker-beneficiaries in the capital markets by leading shareholder initiatives.

From 1994 to 1996, he served as co-chair of the Council of Institutional Investors. Mr. Patterson has served on the World Bank’s Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG). Mr. Patterson created the Long-View Fund, an Amalgamated Bank mutual fund delivering value through active corpo­rate governance reform that has attracted over $6 billion in investment assets.

Directorship magazine named him to the Directorship 100, as one of the most influential individuals in corporate governance.

Laura currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Praxis Mutual Funds, a Trustee for the Connecticut-based William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, and on the Board of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) Education & Workforce Partnership. She is a member of the global advisory board of Cornerstone Capital Group in New York City and the Comitato Etico di Etica, Sgr in Milan, Italy.

Laura Berry recently retired from nearly a decade or service as Executive Director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), a New York-based coalition of nearly 300 faith-based institutional investors, representing over $200 billion in invested capital. Prior to joining ICCR, Laura served The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven for five years; beginning her tenure as Vice President for Development and serving as its Senior Vice President for Philanthropic Services, responsible for a $15 million grantmaking portfolio from The Foundation’s nearly $300 million endowment.

In 2001, Laura began her professional commitment to the non-profit sector after a 17-year career as a Large Cap Value Portfolio Manager with analytical responsibility covering the Pharmaceutical industry. She began her career as in the specialty chemical industry as a Chemical Engineer. Laura received her Certified Financial Planner designation from Quinnipiac University, holds an M.S. from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. from Michigan Technology University.

She lives with her husband in both New Haven, CT and Harlem, NY; spending as much time as possible in Boston, MA where their adorable and brilliant first grandchild lives (as well as their adult children). Boston is also home to her beloved Boston Red Sox, as well as the “lyric little bandbox” known as Fenway Park.