Rubel School of Business Advisory Council

R. Craig Bealmear

Chief Financial Officer - Oklo

Craig has served as Chief Financial Officer for Oklo, a company that designs and deploys advanced fission power plants, since August 2023. Since April 2023, Craig has also served as an executive advisor to Trindent Consulting, a management consulting firm. From April 2021 to December 2022, Craig was the Chief Financial Officer of Renewable Energy Group Inc., a producer of advanced biofuels that was acquired by Chevron Corporation in June 2022. Prior to joining Renewable Energy Group, Craig held several positions at BP, including serving as the Chief Financial Officer - North America Downstream at BP from March 2015 to December 2020 and as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer of the Refining and Marketing Segment at BP from January 2013 to February 2015. Before that, Craig held numerous finance, strategy and commercial roles with BP and Atlantic Richfield Corporation over a 30-year career in both the United States and United Kingdom. Craig has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bellarmine University. He is married to Alison Lupel, and they have three children. They divide their time between Chicago and St. Augustine, Florida. Outside of work Craig likes to cook, read, travel and stay physically active. He serves on The Rubel School of Business Advisory Council and the Leadership Council for the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry. His father, Richard Bealmear, is a 1964 graduate of Bellarmine.

Christen Boone

Institutional Asset Management Director - PNC

Christen is the PNC Institutional Asset Management Director for Kentucky, Southern Indiana and Tennessee. She leads a team of investment and retirement plan advisors that provides endowment, foundation and retirement solutions for nonprofit and corporate clients totaling more than $6 billion in total assets. Christen, who joined the PNC Bank team in January 2023, leverages more than 25 years of nonprofit expertise and community leadership in her new role. Prior to joining PNC, Christen served as the President & CEO of the Fund for the Arts. She has also served as the chair of the national Private Sector Council for the Americans for the Arts, and locally on the board of Greater Louisville Inc., Louisville Downtown Partnership, Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Arts and Cultural Alliance, and the Governors Scholars Program. She earned her MBA from the Rubel School in 2000 and was named to Bellarmine’s Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 2017. Christen joined the Rubel School of Business Advisory Council in 2024.

Brian Cahoe

Brian has over 20 years of experience in restaurant, retail, franchising, and the real estate development space. He provides guidance on strategy, governance, M&A, portfolio management, risk mitigation, and growth initiatives to drive long-term shareholder value. Currently, Brian is with Buzzard’s Roost Whiskey. Brian spent almost 25 years in various roles at Yum! Brands. He served as the Chief Development Officer for KFC U.S.—a $5B+ division of Yum! Brands with about 4,000 franchise and corporate restaurants—where he directed all facets of KFC's franchising and restaurant development strategies to build a strong, contemporary restaurant base and fuel profitable and sustainable system growth throughout the U.S. Additionally, he served as one of three executives on the Yum! Brands’ Investment Committee board, as fiduciary for all retirement plan participants, advising on investment strategy, plan administration, and compliance. Prior to his time with Yum! Brands and KFC, Brian spent eight years serving in various operations, IT, engineering and finance roles for UPS Airlines. Brian is also passionate about giving back to the community. He currently serves on the boards of Home of the Innocents and Catholic Charities of Louisville. He has been on the Rubel School of Business Advisory Council since 2023. Brian holds an MBA from Bellarmine University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Louisville. He is a native of Louisville and lives here with his wife, Christine, and sons Trevor and Dylan. He enjoys traveling, fishing, sporting events and reading.

Adam Hack

Assurance Partner - Ernst and Young

Adam is an Assurance Partner at EY and has over 17-years of professional accounting and auditing experience serving clients within the public and private sectors in the consumer products, restaurant and retail industries.  He has significant experience in leading and supervising audit teams, both in the US and abroad, to serve clients with multinational operations.  As a proud Bellarmine University graduate of 2003, Adam leads EY’s local recruiting efforts to identify, attract and hire Bellarmine students and also serves as a Bellarmine University Board of Overseers Member.  He is also on the board of trustees of the Pewee Valley Fire Protection District, where he also serves as a volunteer firefighter, and is the chair of the Finance Committee at his church.

Dr. Angelque Johnson

Founder - MEMSTIM

Angelque Johnson is CEO/founder of MEMStim LLC, a company that produces implantable electronics to treat neurological disorders. With a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, her work on microfabricated electrode arrays has resulted in several national and international patents, funding from the NSF and NIH, and a feature on the cover of Hearing Research. As an expert in Lean Startup Methodology, Dr. Johnson has educated several founders on how to build successful companies. She is an authority on innovation and entrepreneurship. Dr. Johnson has delivered a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill, served as a speaker for the eighth district of the Federal Reserve, and delivered several international talks. She has been featured on NBC Universal, National Public Radio, The Root news site, Louisville Insider, Business First, and other media outlets. Passionate about people as well as entrepreneurship, Dr. Johnson has led numerous outreach programs to promote tech careers to underrepresented minorities and women. One such program involved her traveling to Abu Dhabi to increase opportunities in STEM for Middle Eastern and North African Women. Dr. Johnson is CEO/Founder of Vissionaireum, an organization that promotes, trains and equips underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Dr. Mushtaque M. Juneja

Entrepreneur; Anesthesiologist - Norton

As a successful anesthesiologist and director of multiple medical practices in Louisville, Mushtaque has a long list of accomplishments in healthcare and in business. He is an international entrepreneur, commercial real estate developer, restaurateur and financial consultant. Mushtaque provided a significant gift for the Bellarmine University Juneja Nurse Anesthesia Program. He was named Alumnus of the Year in 2024 at the Knight of Excellence gala and was inducted into the Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 2011. Mushtaque played an instrumental role in securing AACSB accreditation for the Rubel School after earning his MBA at Bellarmine in 2000. He and his wife sponsored the Eva Vivienne Juneja classroom space, which is named in memory of their granddaughter. They also made possible the Ponte Juneja Bridge on Via Cassia Road at Bellarmine and have supported the university’s trips to India.

Dr. Jerry Lynch

Professor Emeritus of Economics - Purdue University

Jerry is a Professor Emeritus of Economics at Purdue University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Bellarmine, and his master’s and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Kentucky. Jerry became a member of The Krannert School of Management at Purdue University in 1984 and served as associate dean of their MBA program in Hannover, Germany. He is a military veteran and taught in a master’s program on Air Force bases in Germany and Crete. He was associate dean for programs and student services, then became academic director of master’s and executive education programs. He was also the Interim Dean for the Krannert School of Management. Jerry was a visiting researcher at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. He won the Salgo-Noren Award for outstanding instructor five times. He was a Fellow of the Teaching Academy at Purdue and was listed as one of the 12 best business school professors in BusinessWeek. He has also worked as an economic consultant for companies including Caterpillar, B.F. Goodrich, Wabash National and BankOne. Jerry lives in Lafayette, Ind., with his wife, Theresa ’68. They enjoy traveling to see their children and grandchildren. Jerry was named to Bellarmine’s Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 1994 and has been on the Rubel School of Business Advisory Council since 2023.

Dr. OJ Oleka

Dr. OJ Oleka is the President of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU). AIKCU advocates for higher education policies at the state and federal level that will lead to increased affordability and access to Kentucky’s independent colleges. Dr. Oleka graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Political Science. He also has an MBA and PhD in Leadership in Higher Education from Bellarmine University. His research focus is on college affordability, social capital, and workforce development. Dr. Oleka is passionate about ending generational poverty and recently co-founded the AntiRacismKY coalition, a group of Kentuckians working to end any remnant of institutional racism in Kentucky. Dr. Oleka was recently selected for the Louisville Business First Forty Under 40 list and appointed to United States Congressional Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys. Dr. Oleka lives in Louisville, KY with his wife Jamie, their daughter Riley, and their dog Ashe.

John Pieper

Partner Emeritus - MCM CPAS & Advisors

John, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Bellarmine in 1978,spent 40 years in public accounting before retiring as Partner Emeritus from MCM CPAS & Advisors (now Cherry Bekaert). During his professional career, he provided both assurance and tax services to large and small clients in multiple industries, including various not-for-profit and government organizations. John was the 2018 Bellarmine Accounting Alumnus of the Year. John and his wife, Mary Ann, have been married for 42 years and are the proud parents of daughters Stephanie Reilly and Lauren Coffey, both of whom received their undergraduate and master’s degrees from Bellarmine University. Currently, John is the Chair of the Finance Committee for the Archdiocese of Louisville and is a member or advisor to several other nonprofit organizations. He has been on the Rubel School’s Advisory Board for one year.

Andy Powell

Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer - Republic Bank

Responsible for the overall credit quality for the Bank specifically as it relates to Commercial and Consumer lending. Oversee sales, credit and operations as it relates to commercial and consumer lending. Further, responsible for the overall oversight of Treasury Management as well as Aircraft Lending. In addition, I oversee our Special Assets and Retail Collections group. I serve on Asset Liability Committee, Senior and Executive Loan committee as well as additional strategic committees as assigned. Responsible for the Safety and Soundness of the Bank with respect to loan policy, underwriting and compliance with Regulatory exams. I have been responsible for management and oversight for Retail banking and the outer market areas in my tenure, in addition to those I oversee today.

Tim Recker, CFA

Tim joined the James Irvine Foundation in November 2016 as the Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer. He directs the Foundation's $3.4 billion endowment, develops its investment policy and strategy, and is a member of the Foundation’s Executive Team. Prior to Irvine, Tim served for 10 years as the Managing Director of Private Equity and Real Assets for the Regents of the University of California, where he oversaw an $8 billion portfolio. Previously, he was Director of Alternative Investments for the Michigan Retirement System, where he oversaw a $13 billion portfolio of private equity, hedge funds and structured products; and a portfolio manager for GE Asset Management, running a $5 billion multi-asset portfolio. He completed the two-year Financial Management Program at General Electric. Tim is the former Chair of the Institutional Limited Partners Association and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. He is a trustee and investment committee chair for the College Preparatory School, investment committee chair for the Piedmont Community Church, a member of SEO’s LP Advisory Council, a member of the Advisory Council for the Rubel School of Business and a regular guest lecturer at UC Berkeley. Tim earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Bellarmine College.

Ray Strothman

Shareholder Emeritus - LBMC

Ray founded his firm over 40 years ago and it now has more than 80 associates, ranking as one of the largest CPA firms in the region. As President and Chairman of Strothman and Company, he played an integral part in the firm’s management. He has experience in all areas of public accounting, working with business owners, investors and nonprofits. Effective Nov. 1, 2023, Strothman merged with LBMC, the largest CPA firm in Tennessee, Ray was named Outstanding Accounting Alumnus in 2000, and in 2015, he was awarded Alumnus of the Year. Ray sponsored the Bellarmine’s Bloomberg Lab, which is used by many students. He is a long-term member of the Rubel School’s Advisory Council.

Mark A. Thompson

Founder - Thompson Investment Advisors

Mark is the founder of Thompson Investment Advisors and a Certified Public Accountant who received his bachelor’s degree in Accounting in 1976 from Bellarmine University. For six years after graduating, Mark worked as a CPA for the public accounting firm Ernst & Young. He then worked as audit manager for Grow Group Inc., a former New York-based holding company of manufacturing and pharmaceutical subsidiaries. He founded Thompson Investment Advisors in 1990. He joined the Rubel Advisory Council in 2023.

Gail Tway

Director of Portfolio Management - Baird Trust

Gail has been the Director of Portfolio Management of Baird Trust since 2017. She is is a Certified Financial Planner with over 30 years of experience in the investment industry. She chairs the Investment Committee for Baird Trust and is a member of the Trust Company’s Leadership Team. Prior to joining Baird Trust, Gail was a Senior Investment Advisor with PNC Wealth Management. She has served as an arbitrator for FINRA as well as Head of Equity Research and Portfolio Management for Atlas Brown. Gail received a B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Vanderbilt University. She is a member of the Norton Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors and a former Board member of Ursuline Campus Schools and the Kentucky Opera. She also served as an Alumni Board Member of Kentucky Country Day Schools. Gail joined the Rubel Advisory Council in 2024 and is the proud parent of two children, one of whom is a 2021 Bellarmine graduate.