THE ESOP ASSOCIATION
ESOP Association Leadership
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

President
Mr. James Bonham
President & CEO, The ESOP Association
From The ESOP Association’s national headquarters in Washington, DC, James Bonham serves as President and CEO, leading The Association and its 18 state and regional chapters throughout the nation. Bonham also serves as President of the Employee Ownership Foundation, whose mission is to educate and expand employee ownership throughout the United States.
Bonham is a recognized expert in public policy, government advocacy, and executive leadership. He brings more than 25 years of experience as a high level government official, advisor, and business leader with expertise in the fields of taxes, labor, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and government contracting.
Before joining The Association, Bonham was Chairman for nearly eight years of the highly regarded Public Policy and Government Relations practice at Manatt, Phelps, & Phillips, LLP, a nationally recognized law and business consulting firm. In this role, Bonham led teams of lawyers, policy experts, and advocates representing clients as diverse as New York Life, The Recording Academy (Grammy’s), StarKist, and the American Land Title Association.
During a decade of public service, Bonham held multiple senior staff positions, including Chief of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, where he was frequently cited in the media as one of the 50 most influential aides of either political party.
His passion for shared capitalism springs from a family commitment to employee ownership: His grandfather had a personal and professional relationship with James Cash (J.C.) Penney, based partly on a shared business philosophy. One of their beliefs was granting a form of ownership to employees in the small mercantile businesses they ran. Bonham is proud to carry on today his family tradition of expanding employee ownership.

Chairman of the Board of Directors
Gary Shorman
President, Eagle Communications
Gary Shorman is President and CEO of Eagle Communications, which established an ESOP in 1998 and became 100 percent ESOP in 2012.
Gary has worked at Eagle since 1985, and has completed the University of Pennsylvania ESOP Executive Leadership Development Program.
He has extensive experience as a volunteer leader of non-profit entities, having served as Director of the National Telecommunications Association, National Cable Television Cooperative, and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters.
He is a recipient of the KAB Distinguished Service Award, and was named to its Hall of Fame.
He has actively participated in the Heart of America ESOP Association Chapter, and has presented at both Chapter and National seminars and conferences.
Eagle is a two-time recipient of the Heart of America Chapter’s ESOP Company of the Year Award, and is a five-time recipient of the national Annual Award for Communication Excellence.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gary Shorman
Chair
President Eagle Communications
Ali Jamshidi
Vice Chair
VP of Finance & CFO
CTL Engineering, Inc.
Karen Ellis
Secretary & Treasurer
Executive VP of HR
Superior Farms, Transhumance Holding Company
David Fitzgerald
Immediate Past Chair
Vice President & CFO Carris Reels, Inc.
Cindy Turcot
Chair of the Employee Ownership Foundation
President
Gardener’s Supply Company
Missy Pieske
State & Regional Council Chair
Executive Assistant & Meeting Planner
The Walman Optical Company
Brian Ippensen
Chair, Advisory Committee’s Chairs Council
President
TI-TRUST, Inc.
Derrick Vick
At-Large Board of Directors Member
VP, CFO
Freedom Industries, Inc.
Peter A. Ney
At-Large Board of Directors Member
Executive Vice President and Treasurer
EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc.
Andrew Ward
At-Large Board of Directors Member
Managing Director
STOUT
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Ronald Gilbert
At-Large Board of Governors Member
President
ESOP Services, Inc.
Jeffrey Gelburd
At-Large Board of Governors Member
Vice President
Merray Securus
Scott Miller, CPA/ABV, CVA
At-Large Board of Governors Member
President
ESI Equity
Jim Winterscheid
At-Large Board of Governors Member
VP of Human Resources
Travel & Transport, Inc.
Victor Aspengren
At-Large Board of Governors Member
Director
Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc.
Peter Shuler
At-Large Board of Governors Member
Partner
Crowe LLP
Raman Venkat
At-Large Board of Governors Member
Office of the CEO/CFO
LeFiell Manufacturing Company
Jim Hirsh
At-Large Board of Governors Member
President
Air Tractor, Inc.
Brian Bowers
At-Large Board of Governors Member
President & CEO
Bowers + Kubota Consulting, Inc.
Ron Kirby
At-Large Board of Governors Member
VP of Accounting
Vermeer Texas-Louisiana
David Nagy
At-Large Board of Governors Member
Director of Asset Management & Finance
Oconomowoc Residential Programs, Inc. dba ORP
A.C. “Fred” Engelfried
At-Large Board of Governors Member
Chairman of the Board
Lewis Tree Service, Inc.
Mark Adams
At-Large Board of Governors Member
President & CEO
Sebago Technics, Inc
Marcus R. Piquet, CPA
At-Large Board of Governors Member
Senior Managing Director
Ambrose Advisors
Mary Josephs
Honorary Board of Governors Member
Founder & Executive Managing Director
Verit Advisors, LLC
Daniel Goldstein
At-Large Board of Governors Member
President & CEO
Folience
Robert Smiley Jr
Life Member of Board of Governors
Managing Editor
Benefit Capital Companies
Executive Committee of the State and Regional Chapter Council
Steve Earle
State & Regional Council Chair
VP of Kitchen Operations
Mid South Building Supply
Janeece Higgins
President & Chief Executive Officer
Alaska Rubber and Supply Inc.
Matthew Olson
President
Jackson's Hardware Inc.
Maria Prado
VP of Human Resources
Rex-Cut Abrasives
Ali Jamshidi
VP of Finance & CFO
CTL Engineering, Inc.
Charles Kroll
CFO
Crystal Flash
Becky Streff
Vice President, Organizational Excellence
ESP International