Manda Shemirani, PhD

Manda Shemirani has been working with the risk management department of a world class maritime service provider over the past few years. Manda is involved in various aspects of financial and hazard risk management, including marine insurance markets, claims management, and reserve analysis. She has also conducted organizational improvement by mapping and streamlining various business processes, providing greater visibility and improved efficiency. Prior to that, Manda was with the marketing department where she spearheaded the design and implementation of a market intelligence portal that has significantly enhanced the dissemination of information among various departments within the company.

Dr. Shemirani has extensively studied Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) and has published a number of articles on these funds. She also advises interested parties on issues pertaining to SWFs, including transparency, investment and social responsibility. Her other areas of interest are international political economy, globalization, interdependence and transnationalism. Manda is the Vice President, Partnership of OWIT-International. 

Sara Russell

Sara Russell is an instructor in the Maritime and Supply Chain Management Program at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Ms. Russell created and implemented the course curriculum designed to provide students with an integrated working knowledge of maritime operations and supply chain management. In addition, she has published a chapter entitled, Port Safety and Workers in the edited text Maritime Safety, Security and Piracy.

Outside the classroom, Ms. Russell is the faculty advisor for the Old Dominion Student Propeller Club and serves as President of the Hampton Road’s Chapter of the Organization for Women in International Trade.

Prior to joining the faculty at Old Dominion, Ms. Russell’s career included positions in various fields including transportation and logistics, port operations and customs brokerage. She hold’s a master’s degree in business administration with concentrations in maritime, ports and logistics management and international business and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware.

Barbara N. McLennan

Barbara McLennan has lived in Williamsburg since 2004. Formerly with the U.S. Treasury and Commerce Departments, and former Vice President for Government Affairs for the Electronic Industries Association (consumer electronics), she provides consulting services on investment, valuation, and tax issues.

Over the last several years, she’s taught courses on the federal budget for the College of William and Mary, and international taxation (particularly transfer pricing) for the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA).

She recently published a book, Reagan's Mandate: Anecdotes from inside Washington’s Iron Triangle, which recounts her experiences in Washington. There she served as a House Budget Committee staff member and Legislative Assistant for Finance and Budget to Senator Dan Quayle. She also contributed to the 1984 Treasury Department proposal of tax reform, and served as an IRS international transfer pricing specialist. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Information and Analysis, she represented the U. S. in several international trade organizations.

VYTAS A OMILIJONAS

Vytas came to the Hampton Roads area from Chicago in 2004 to help manage Disaster Relief efforts for Operation Blessing in the 2004 hurricane season. Shortly afterward, he chose to stay in the region and started Progresso Consulting.

His major areas of professional expertise include:

• Domestic and international sales and marketing management (since 1976),
• Import and export market development and management (since 1978), and
• Internet marketing strategies and implementation for both smaller and larger companies.

Progresso Consulting LLC has brought together a full suite of solutions its web marketing practice, including Search Engine Optimization, Web Site Remodeling, Web Analytics, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tools. We provide clients with the ability to be found on the internet, to convert more visitors to customers, to analyze and improve the results, and to manage their inquiries and sales.

The Progresso Consulting LLC web site is www.progressoconsulting.com.

Vytas is single, is a member of Spring Branch Community Church, and resides in Virginia Beach, VA