Chatham University

CWE Business Directory: Click Here   

Moderator

Cameil D. Williams

President, Williams Management Solutions, LLC

Cameil D. Williams, is the President of Williams Management Solutions, LLC, which was founded in 2004 for the provision of project management services on construction and economic development projects up to $100 million dollars. Cameil is a native Pittsburgher and resident of Allegheny County.

Cameil is the former director of the Allegheny County Department of Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. In her first year, she was credited for doubling the departmental operating budget, securing significant grant funding, developing and implementing a comprehensive small business development and technical assistance program, that provided $1,500,000 in bonding assistance and $800,000 in working capital assistance, to local minority and women owned construction companies.

Cameil has extensive experience in program and project management, in public and private sectors, through her participation on some of the region's largest economic development projects. She began her career with the Pittsburgh Housing Authority, where she successfully managed its capital improvement budget that exceeded $121 million dollars. During her time as Acting Director of the development & modernization department, the agency received some of its highest performance ratings by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Cameil also worked for an international project management and engineering firm, as the sole contract administrator on the Port Authority of Allegheny County's Stage II Light Rail Transit project. As a contract administrator, she strategically managed every contract and subcontract associated with the $500 million dollar Stage II Light Rail Transit project.

Recognized by the United States Small Business Administration's (SBA's) as minority advocate of the year in 2004, Cameil served on several regional boards including the River's Club Board of Governors, The Ellis School Executive Board as recording secretary and the Sustainable Pittsburgh Advisory Board, previously served as treasurer on the board of the Executive Women’s Council, where she remains a member. In 2007, Williams was appointed to the PA Advisory Council to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Cameil is currently the project executive on behalf of WMS, LLC, project manager/owner's representatives, for the high-profile development of the Mount Ararat Baptist Church's 100,000 square foot Multi-Purpose Family Life Center estimated at $23,000,000.00. WMS, LLC also manages the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program associated with the Port Authority of Allegheny County's Smart Card Fare Box Collection, a multi-million dollar project. In this capacity, WMS,LLC was hired by worldwide firm, Scheidt & Bachmann, USA.

Ms. Williams personally spearheads the firm’s management consulting practice and ensures the highest ethics and integrity.

Mother of two beautiful daughters, Lauryn Alexis, twelve and Erin Mi'quel, nine, who attend The Ellis School where she loves volunteering, as a member of the Executive Board, as well as a room parent in the classroom.

Speakers

Mary Del Brady

Co-Founder and Director, Thermal Therapeutic Systems, Inc.

Mary Del Brady is an entrepreneur whose 30 years of professional experience include the founding and ownership of several companies in the services and biotechnology industries.   She has also held an executive role within an academic health system, was president of a national association of business owners with international responsibilities and has served as director/advisor for numerous not-for-profit and for-profit boards.

Since 1997, Mary Del has helped to launch several biotechnology companies:  She is the former President and CEO of RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc., a genomics-based diagnostic company that facilitates early and accurate cancer diagnosis. She co-founded RedPath in 2004 and led the company through its first 5 critical years - winning vital Medicare and Blue Cross reimbursement and successfully commercializing its flagship PathFinderTG® testing services with year over year revenue increases and sales into more than 100 hospitals and institutions in the United States. The Company’s success was recognized nationally in November 2008 with the Frost & Sullivan Emerging Company Award for Best Practices.

Mary Del currently serves on the Board of ThermalTherapeuticSystems Inc., a medical device company that is developing a next stage portable perfusion device with special applications in the oncology field, which she co-founded with 3 other bio-entrepreneurs.  And she is Chairman of the Board of iNTELOMED, Inc., a medical device company that is developing a superior marker for cardiovascular health.

In 1997, she co-founded TissueInformatics.Inc (“TII”), a bioinformatics company that developed software tools to capture, analyze and mine data within human tissue to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with their research and product development.  Mary Del served as President through the company’s first four years of growth and the development of its proprietary technology.   TII was subsequently acquired by Clinical Data (NASDAQ: CLDA). 

A business owner and advocate for most of her professional life, Mary Del was partner in her first start up at the age of 24, and launched her second company six years later.  She has served in numerous volunteer leadership capacities including President of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Vice-Chair of the Pennsylvania Delegation to the 1986 White House Conference on Small Business, member of the Governor’s Economic Development Partnership Board, and Steering Committee Member for the 1988 Governor’s Conference on Small Business.  In 1989, her statewide efforts through the Economic Development Partnership Board resulted in the creation of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Women’s Business Development.

Mary Del has been the recipient of numerous awards including the E & Y Entrepreneur of the Year award; the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business Distinguished Alumnus Award; the President’s Award of Achievement from Slippery Rock University; one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business, and the Pittsburgh YWCA Tribute to WomenBusiness and Leadership Award.  She was named Women-in-Business Advocate for Pennsylvania by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 1983, and in 1992 she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Mary Del and her husband are currently preserving a national landmark - two historic mansions situated on a prominent Fifth Avenue estate along what was once known as Pittsburgh’s “Millionaires Row”, restoring them to their original grandeur, and converting them into a luxury, four star boutique travel experience.  The Mansions on Fifth are scheduled for opening in early 2010.  She serves as a volunteer leader for a number of organizations in the arts, education and healthcare.   She has a BA in Humanities from Slippery Rock University and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.  She and her husband share four adult children and two residences in Pittsburgh and Nova Scotia.

Ilana Diamond

President & CEO, Sima Products Corporation

Ilana Diamond joined Sima Products Corporation in 1993 as Vice President of Planning and Development. She assumed the position of President in August 1994. Under Ms. Diamond's leadership Sima Products has expanded sales and profits, earned multiple industry awards for innovative engineering and product design, and been honored with a "Blue Chip Enterprise" award by the US Chamber of Commerce.

Ms. Diamond came to Sima following seven years with Price Waterhouse's management consulting division where she held the position of Senior Manager of Middle Market Business Advisory Services. Ms. Diamond managed Price Waterhouse's Pittsburgh marketing and strategy consulting practice, directing teams of business consultants in assisting growing companies.

Prior to her work at Price Waterhouse, Ms. Diamond held sales and marketing management positions with AT&T and Motorola. She earned her Master of Management degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 1986 and also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Northwestern University.

Ms. Diamond has been involved in a variety of community and not-for-profit organizations. She co-founded and served on the Board of Directors of Powerlink a not-for-profit organization which provides advisory boards to women-owned businesses and has also served on the Board of Directors of Pittsburgh's Renaissance Center, The Women’s Center and Shelter's "This Way Up" program and Executive Women’s Council. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Center (JCC), sits on the Consumer Electronics Association Board of Industry Leaders and serves as Second Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Consumer Electronics Association Accessories Division.

In her free time, Ms. Diamond enjoys hiking and camping. She is a graduate of Hurricane Island Outward Bound School's 28 day wilderness training program. An avid traveler, she has backpacked and camped across much of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Ilana Diamond is married to Dr. Ronald Rosenfeld, a professor at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science. They live in Pittsburgh with their three children.

Marilyn D. Landis

President and CEO, Basic Business Concepts, Inc

Marilyn D. Landis is the President & CEO of Basic Business Concepts, Inc., a multifaceted service firm providing the support to keep businesses financially balanced, on track and growing. Landis has over thirty years of experience in financial services.

Prior to focusing on her own business, which provides CFO level services to small business and business brokerage services, she worked for and with commercial lenders, banks and small businesses throughout Western Pennsylvania. In her career, she has served as a financial consultant; headed training, consumer loans and mortgage departments; collected delinquent loans; and coordinated operations for a multi-bank merger. Marilyn has worked for three of the largest SBA lenders in the country – marketing, originating and underwriting SBA loans.

During her career she has secured financing for income properties, construction projects, manufacturers, restaurants and hotels – handling loan amounts ranging from micro-loans to $22,000,000 fundings.

Marilyn previously served as vice president of First International Bank. Prior to that, she was associated with Heller Financial and Mellon Bank. In addition to her own company, Marilyn had been part owner of a manufacturing company on Pittsburgh's Northside.

September of 2007 Landis was elected chair of SMC Business Councils, a founding member and Pennsylvania affiliate of the National Small Business Association (NSBA) in Washington DC. January of 2008 she was elected the 2008 chair of NSBA, who since it's founding in 1937, has advocated on behalf of America's entrepreneurs, reaching more than 150,000 small businesses. NSBA is proud to be the first national small-business advocacy organization in the United States. Representing SMC and NSBA member businesses, Landis has testified before US Senate and House committees on issues vital to small business. March of 2009, Landis was awarded The SBA National Financial Services Champion of the Year.

Landis also has extensive Board level experience with non-profits, ranging from economic development to social services.

Cathy Opsitnick

President and CEO, Management Science Associates (MSA)

Cathy LoAlbo-Opsitnick joined Management Science Associates, Inc. (MSA) initially right out of high school as a Data Processor. During her initial 6 years at MSA she was promoted to a Supervisor and was instrumental in organizing and serving on the first MSA Employee Committee. In 1994 Cathy returned to MSA as an Executive Consultant where she analyzed MSA's corporate tax strategy, assisted Dr. Kuehn (founder and Chairman of the Board) in the development of MSA's Life Sciences Division, worked with the Military Processing Group, assisted in the preparation of RFP's, and was the interim President & CFO of MSA PASS an affiliate company of MSA that provided process automation solutions to the steel industry. In 1998 she formally joined MSA as Executive VP and member of the Office of the Executive. In 1999 she was elected as Chairman of the Board of MSA Focus, a wholly owned UK subsidiary of MSA and in 2000 was promoted to Sr. Executive VP of MSA and appointed to MSA’s Board of Directors. In November 2005, she became President of MSA and then in 2007 named CEO thus becoming MSA’s third President & CEO in its 47 year history, and the first woman to hold this position. Cathy served as interim head of some MSA divisions that include Media, Information Technology and Life Sciences, as well as having had all MSA Controllers directly report to her.

Opsitnick has a varied professional background that included her time at MSA, a 15 year period as a self-employed private tax and business consultant; a part owner of an art gallery and craft store (Off the Beaten Path); office manager and paralegal for Allan Opsitnick that included an argument before the US Supreme Court in which Allan prevailed; and two years as a programmer/analyst for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh.

While working full time, Opsitnick earned a B.A. in Speech & Communications from the University of Pittsburgh after which she ran for a seat on the Verona Borough Council where she served as a member of Council for 8 years and as its President for a term. She ran and won as Mayor of Verona, serving as that community's first woman mayor. Cathy also had an unsuccessful bid in the primary election for the 33rd Legislative District. During her time in local government, Cathy had two children, Zachary, who resides in Rochester NY and Allison who is a student at Chatham University. During this period she earned an MS in Taxation from Robert Morris University.

Opsitnick is a member of the Fox Chapel School District Technology Committee and a member of St. Francis of Assisi Finance Committee. She has volunteered as a CCD teacher in St. Francis' religious education program as well as St. Joseph Church in Verona, where she was also a lector. She was active with the American Field Service (AFS) organization of the Riverview School District and hosted a student from Brazil. She served both as an Eagle Scout Project Sponsor and Co-ordinator.

Cathy has been named as Finalist CFO of the Year by the Pittsburgh Business Times and twice honored as Citizen of the Year in Verona Borough as well as having been selected as an Outstanding Young Woman of America twice.

 

OUR SPONSORS:

Breakfast Sponsor

 

Contributing Sponsors

 

Media Sponsor

 

Program Partners: