The Executive Insight will bring together our region's most influential leaders with our "future" leaders, yes that's you EDGErs. Its a great opportunity to get a peek into the minds of our region's leaders. We have lined up 10 CEOs you'll definitely want to meet:
- James Beckwith, CEO, Five Star Bank
- Steve Childs, Publisher, Sactown Magazine
- Chris Delfino, Partner, Downey Brand Attorneys, LLP
- Mike Heller, CEO, Heller-Pacific
- Becky Johnson, Director of Public Affairs, Siemens
- Donna Lucas, CEO, Lucas Public Affairs
- Mark Otero, CEO, KlickNation
- Randy Paragary, President, Paragary Restaurant Group
- Randy Sater, Senior Vice President, Teichert Inc.
- Michele Wong, Presient/CEO, Synergex
If you are as excited as we are to meet these leaders and secure some insider tips, then you'll understand why we couldn't wait till Wednesday to begin introductions. Below is a sneak peek into the background of 4 of our executives.
James E. Beckwith, Five Star Bank
James Beckwith has served as the President & Chief Executive Officer of Five Star Bank since 2003. During his tenure, Five Star Bank has seen an annual growth rate in excess of 20% and has gone from $65 million to more than $500 million in assets. A self-described “boutique bank” that focuses on relationship-based banking for local small business and entrepreneurs. A dedication to excellent service with the expertise to back it up is at the core of the organization’s philosophy. “More than anything we are problem solvers. We are consistent and reliable. We get things done,” said Beckwith.
A native Californian, Beckwith was born in Sacramento and graduated from San Francisco State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting. Beckwith is also a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington, class of 1989, where he was class president. He currently lives in Sacramento with his wife and their three children.
Steve Childs, Sactown Magazine
Steve Childs has been the publisher of Sactown Magazine since its inception in December, 2006. Prior to Sactown, Steve was the president of the largest regional magazine in America — Texas Monthly — which routinely competes with magazines like Vanity Fair and The New Yorker for National Magazine Awards. While he has spent most of his career in publishing, Childs is also an entrepreneur with twenty five years experience in executive roles in publishing, finance, advertising and consumer marketing, business development and management. He was also the Founding Director of Communities at Excite, one if the first major Internet search portals. But possibly the coolest thing he ever did was manage the famed Beacon Theater, a 26,00 concert hall, in New York City at the tender age of 23.
Donna Lucas, Lucas Public Affairs
Donna Lucas is founder and principal of Lucas Public Affairs, a California-based strategic consulting, public affairs, and communications firm.
One of the nation’s foremost public affairs strategists and a widely recognized expert in media relations and political affairs, Lucas has provided strategic counsel to large corporate clients, labor unions, non-profits, initiative campaigns, and political candidates. Prior to forming Lucas Public Affairs in 2006, Lucas served as a deputy chief of staff for strategic planning and initiatives for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and chief of staff to First Lady Maria Shriver.
Lucas is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Journalism. She and her husband, political satirist and former Bureau Chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, Greg Lucas, live in Sacramento.
Michele Wong, Synergex
A graduate of the University of California, Davis, Michele has been with Synergex since 1982. She began as a systems programmer, and then rapidly progressed through the positions of project leader and vice president of software development. She was promoted to executive vice president in late 1984, achieved the position of president in November 1990, and was named CEO in December 1996.
She was named one of the “Best and Brightest in Sacramento” by Sacramento Magazine, and in 2000, Michele was honored to receive the Woman of the Year Award as the Sacramento Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s top fundraiser. Most recently, she was named Sacramento’s 2006 Business Woman of the Year by the Sacramento Metro Chamber.
Seats are limited and you don't want to miss out! Plus this amazingly insightful event also includes hosted beer, wine and appetizers, thanks to our sponsor, the Hyatt Regency.
