Bliss Smith
Program Committee Co-Chair
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Ana Ambrosi
Program Committee
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Morley Campbell
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Hugh Hackney
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Jay Young has forty years of experience in government and industry that has included senior roles in the management consulting, technology services, and diversified industrial manufacturing industries as well as in the U.S. Naval Reserve and Intelligence Community.
In his commercial positions, Jay has recruited, trained, and led multi-functional teams focused on market/competitive analysis and forecasting, strategic planning, marketing and branding, market analyst relations, and business development. He has served in senior executive positions in several companies including Accenture, and Trinity Industries.
In his work for the U.S. government, Jay led analytical teams in support of national-level decision-makers, and senior military commanders at two US Combatant Commands. He commanded two intelligence units and supported the Office of the Secretary of Defense during a 25-year career in the U.S. Naval Reserve from which he retired in 2018 as a Captain. Jay started his career as a military analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency.
Jay holds a BA (History) from Yale University, an MA (War Studies) from King’s College, University of London, and a Ph.D. (History) from The Ohio State University.
Stuart Bumpas focuses on nonprofit organizations, art law, employee benefits and tax. A former Assistant to the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, he has substantial experience designing and implementing tax- qualified retirement plans, representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Labor, and designing and implementing employee stock ownership plans, including related loan transactions. Stuart also represents a number of art collectors as well as major museums, private schools and various charitable organizations.
David Emmons is a lawyer whose practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, securities offerings, corporate strategy and governance, and internal investigations. He has substantial experience in the oil and gas industry and is a member of the Baker Botts Oil and Gas M&A team. Mr. Emmons represents publicly traded and privately held companies in connection with acquisition and divestiture transactions. He also advises issuers and investment banking firms in corporate finance transactions of all kinds, including initial public offerings and follow-on offerings of equity securities, public offerings of debt securities, private placements and Regulation S offerings, and financings with commercial banks and other institutional lenders.
Mr. Emmons served as partner in charge of the firm's Middle East offices for three years, during which time he resided in Dubai. He has devoted a substantial portion of his career to representing clients in international and cross-border transactions, including structuring transactions to comply with various embargoes and restrictions on trade.
Kathleen Gibson is a Senior Managing Director on the Partner Advisory Team at CH Investment Partners. In her role, she focuses on firm-wide initiatives – expanding the firm’s reach by communicating its story, expertise, and unique investment capabilities through the cultivation of new relationships. She also works directly with existing Partner Families and Platform Partners in a coverage and advisory role.
Prior to joining CH Investment Partners, Kathleen served as the 10th President and CEO of Southwestern Medical Foundation. She was the first woman to lead the Foundation, growing both assets and endowment over $1 billion during her tenure. Prior to Southwestern Medical Foundation, Kathleen worked in financial services at Citibank as President of Texas and Central U.S. Commercial, and Bank of America in various roles including Head of Asset Management Risk, President of Southwest U.S. Private Banking, Head of Southwest Corporate Banking, and President of Bank of America Dallas.
Kathleen has been active in the community and throughout Texas serving on the boards of Southwestern Medical Foundation, Texas A&M Foundation, Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, Texas Higher Education Foundation, Philanthropy Southwest, Visiting Nurses Association of Texas, and LaunchBio, among others. She is a past Chair of Texas A&M Foundation and The Association of Former Students and has been recognized by Texas A&M as a Distinguished Alumnus.
Kathleen earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University and attended school at SMU in Oxford and SMU in Russia.
Jason J. Galui is the Director for Veterans and Military Families at the George W. Bush Institute. He is also the Founder and CEO of 4 Liberty Consulting LLC creatively collaborating at the nexus of business, government, and academia. He is currently a Professor of Practice in Executive Education at the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU) where he leads The Commercial Diplomacy Initiative.
Throughout a unique military career, Jason led soldiers in combat, taught economics to West Point cadets, and advised the most senior U.S. leaders in the Pentagon for the Obama and Trump Administrations. As Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Security Council and Chief of Staff to the National Security Advisor, Jason served as a key point of national security continuity during the 2017 Presidential Transition.
During his second White House experience (2019-2020), Jason was Senior Advisor for National Security at the Council of Economic Advisers. Prior to his White House contributions, Jason personally advised General Martin E. Dempsey, the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Indo-Pacific issues, Afghanistan, and on keeping faith with the military family. A two-time Assistant Professor of Economics in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy, Jason taught and mentored two generations of West Point cadets. He deployed to Kabul in 2011-2012 serving as Strategic Advisor to the Commanding General of the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, and in 2003 Jason led soldiers into combat during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Jason is a Fellow at the John G. Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs at SMU and a Visiting Scholar of the Eisenhower Working Group on Economic Statecraft at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service. Jason also serves on the Board of Trustees at the Pingree School in South Hamilton, Massachusetts; the Board of Directors of the American University of Iraq Foundation; the Board of Directors for the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations; on the Steering Committee for the Prosper Exchange; and the Board of Advisors with Deep Knowledge Investing.
Jason earned a Master of Science in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Jason and his wife, Samantha, have been married for more than 19 years and they have two teenage children.
Robert Hill is a Dallas intellectual property (IP) attorney who focuses his practice on representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex patent litigation cases.
Mr. Hill has litigated in a wide variety of technology areas, including artificial intelligence platforms, image processing software, audio codecs, database software, e-commerce software, cache management software, wireless communications technology, enterprise communication systems, adaptive streaming technologies, electrical device shock protection technologies, global positioning systems, micro-electro-mechanical systems, medical imaging technology, data bus architecture, light emitting diodes, quantum dot technology, televisions, printer technology, hearing protection devices, chemical storage systems, specialty petrochemical products, fracking logistics technologies, wearable device technologies, pharmaceutical products, drug risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS), and biotechnology products, including emulsion polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and other high-throughput sequencing and diagnostic technologies.
Mr. Hill also represents clients in cybersecurity investigations and litigation, as well as in other non-patent business litigation involving technology issues, including false advertising, theft of trade secret, breach of contract and software license audit matters. In addition, Mr. Hill has experience serving as lead counsel in antitrust litigation. Mr. Hill further has extensive experience litigating Hatch-Waxman cases.
Mr. Hill represents clients in district and appellate courts across the country, as well as before the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
Mr. Hill is a member of the 5G Technology Initiative and the Quantum Computing Initiative of Holland & Knight's Technology & Telecommunications Industry Sector Group. He regularly writes and speaks about the intersection of next generation wireless technologies with other emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence/machine learning and blockchain technologies, and the legal issues associated with these areas. Mr. Hill is also a member of Holland & Knight's industry sector crossover initiative between the Technology & Telecommunications and Healthcare & Life Sciences groups, focusing on digital healthcare issues. Mr. Hill is further active in the green technology space, in particular with regard to carbon capture and alternative energy projects.
In addition, Mr. Hill advises clients on a broad range of IP transactional issues, including patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret licenses, joint development agreements, master service agreements, master technology agreements, co-manufacturing agreements, technology asset purchase agreements, front end engineering design (FEED) agreements, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements, and endorsement contracts. Mr. Hill also advises clients on IP and technology aspects of finance, venture capital, representation and warranty (R&W) insurance, contingent legal risk insurance, aircraft finance, and private equity merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Hill handled IP matters for a global law firm in its Los Angeles office.
Mr. Hollingsworth is Managing Partner of five private equity funds with over $350 million under management. He has 30 years of experience in private equity investing and investment banking with the funds mentioned above, Paine Webber Incorporated (now UBS), and First Boston Corporation (now UBS). He served on the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, was Chairman of VisitDallas, was Chairman of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and also has served as the Vice Chairman of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART). In 2023, Mr. Hollingsworth was appointed to the Royal Commission for Al-'Ula Advisory Board. Mr. Hollingsworth serves on the Board of Hollingsworth & Vose Company (started 1728) and is Chairman of the Audit Committee. Mr. Hollingsworth also currently serves on the boards of State Service, Inc., Alsay Incorporated, Safety Storage LLC, Reliant Worldwide Plastics LLC, Continental Electronics Corporation, Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, Frac Tank Rentals LLC (Managing Member), Oil Works, Inc. (Chairman), Trinity Forge, Inc. (Chairman), Mall Area Redevelopment Board, Safety Storage, Inc., and Yellow Checker Cab Company of Dallas/Fort Worth, Inc. He is a former board member of the City of Dallas Reinvestment Zone Board, the City of Dallas Privatization Technical Subcommittee, the LBJ Executive Board, which developed the construction plan for IH 635 Freeway, and the University of Texas Southwestern University Hospitals and Clinics Board of Visitors. Mr. Hollingsworth was a Director and largest shareholder of Access Bancorp, Inc. which was successfully sold in 2022 to Texas State Bankshares, Inc. A Harvard College Scholar, Arthur Hollingsworth earned an undergraduate degree in Economics from Harvard University and has served as Chairman of the Harvard Club of Dallas. He received Harvard's Albert H. Gordon '23 Award. He is an inductee in the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame for his role as Co-Captain of the National Championship Harvard Rowing Team, as referenced in Devin Mahony's book, The Challenge. (Chicago: Contemporary Books) The Dallas Business Journal awarded Mr. Hollingsworth with the Community Impact Dealmaker of the Year award. Mr. Hollingsworth was honored as the Human Relations Award recipient by the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. A direct descendant of Alexander Hamilton, Mr. Hollingsworth serves as President of the Alexander Hamilton Scholars Board of Directors (www.hamiltonscholars.org).
David Kohl is a seasoned executive, board member, and strategic advisor with over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry, along with extensive investment expertise in both private and public companies. He is recognized for his ability to drive revenue growth, mitigate risk, navigate rapid industry changes, and help companies establish clear priorities for success during significant expansion periods. David's expertise spans privately held businesses, family offices, mid-cap public companies, turnarounds, and high-growth situations. This makes him an ideal partner for businesses seeking accelerated growth and revenue diversification.
As the Immediate Past President of the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations (DCFR), David is well-positioned to help both foreign and U.S.-based family offices foster connections and access unique investment opportunities in one of the most dynamic regions in the country. He also engages in special assignments based on sponsors' needs, including mentoring young family members and providing executive coaching.
In his role as a partner at Mangrove Investments, David focuses on taking concentrated positions in lower middle market companies where meaningful catalysts for successful turnarounds exist. These opportunities are often created because of changes in leadership or disruptions to existing business models.
David’s governance credentials include serving on several privately held company boards, including a high-growth startup that rapidly exceeded $100M in revenues and a multi-generational business focused on organic growth. He also participates in multiple high-quality, internationally focused organizations and committees. Currently, he serves on the advisory board for The Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at the University of Texas at Dallas and is active in the leadership of his local church.
David's commitment to advancing global knowledge, corporate governance, and community engagement underscores his multifaceted expertise and positions him as a forward-thinking professional in global business dynamics.
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Gordon Dee Smith is Founder and CEO of Strategic Insight Group, a private intelligence and research firm that serves a client base of large investors, operating companies, and law firms, and works in more than 100 countries. He has advised on over US $120 billion in investment transactions and has conducted projects in areas ranging from geopolitical and global change risk analysis to enhanced due diligence and transactional and market intelligence for the finance, technology, defense, energy, retail, transportation, and healthcare industries, among others. His clients include several of the world’s largest institutional investors. He has led projects in Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Russia, North America, Central and South America, and Australia and the Pacific. Prior to founding SIG, he headed a venture capital firm bringing European investment into Latin America, was an intelligence contractor for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and was a founder and president of an international NGO, InterCultura, which conducted international exchange projects in 14 countries. He is active in the international relations and geopolitical policy communities.
Smith is co-creator, host, and executive producer of A World On The Brink, a 5-part television documentary series on geopolitical risk and global change produced with Real Vision Television, which premiered in October 2017, and was broadcast nationally in the United States on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in a 4-part version starting in 2018. He continues his work in television with interviews on Real Vision.
Currently, he is: a board member of Global Americans (a think-tank on hemispheric issues based in Washington, DC); a board member and past president of the board of the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations; and immediate past chair and a member of the Advisory Council of the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies and Benson Library of the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York; of Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) in London; of the Bretton Woods Committee in Washington, D.C.; and of the Advisory Board of the Houston Committee on Foreign Relations. He has been active on several boards in arts and cultural organizations in Texas, New York, and Wyoming, currently including the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming.
Derek has over 20 years of international product, business development and operations management experience in media, internet services, financial services, and hospitality. He has worked extensively in over 50 countries. While at Westcott Communications, one of the early leaders in distance education, he did strategy and new business development. Stumfall later joined United Press International where he led sales and marketing for the Asia Pacific division, progressing to General Manager for the region, overseeing 40 news bureaus.
After UPI, he launched two magazines targeting the international business traveler, distributed in 5-star hotels in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. He then joined Q4i.com Inc., an Internet start-up providing online trading technology for the independent investment management industry. While there, Derek led a team that developed strategic relationships with global stock exchanges, banks, and financial services providers and he built software development partnerships in India and Indonesia. Prior to launching GeoWhiz™, Derek worked for TIV Operations Group, an independent consulting firm for the global hospitality industry where he created new services and coordinated sales and marketing activities in Europe, North Africa and the Indian sub-continent region.
Johann Tse specializes in international corporate development, M&A, capital markets and operating companies across multiple industries. He is founder and CEO of Aquarian Capital, as advisor and principal in technology and renewables ventures. He was previously director for international M&A with Yum! Brands, created and managed the corporate venture capital program for Rohm and Haas Company (now Dow Chemical Co.) focusing on new materials and material-enabled technologies, in addition to corporate strategic planning and M&A.
He began his career with Swire Group in Hong Kong, with increasing general management responsibilities in various countries, including marketing Coca-Cola products in Hong Kong, turning around a snack foods business in China, and establishing a limousine service company in Hong Kong. He was also in charge of Swire Group’s government relations, corporate development and strategies for China, where he established 13 companies in China across various industries.
He was the founding Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, board member of the British Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai, board member of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in China, board member and 2009 president of the Dallas Business Club, and president of Dallas chapter of INSEAD Alumni Association. He has an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, and a B. Sc. (Hons.) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in electronics engineering.
