You are our Board of Directors, Literally.
IDEA Board of Directors at the IDEA E-Biz Forum 2011
Top from left: Robert Gaylord, President & CEO, IDEA, Del Nickel, former President (retired), Pentair's Technical Products global business unit (GBU), Greg Linder, VP, Sales Operations and Customer Support, Lutron Electronics, Greg Thrall, Sr. VP, Operations, Border States Electric, Tom Naber, President and CEO, NAED, John Teipen, Director of eBusiness, Graybar, Phil Barrios, Sr. Director, Corporate Marketing and eBusiness, Hubbell, Inc., | Bottom from left: Valerie Jones, VP of Customer Service and Inside Sales, OSRAM SYLVANIA, John Burke, President and COO, Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, Larry Stern, President and CEO, Standard Electric Supply Co., Stephen Sokolow, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Leviton Manufacturing Co. | Not Pictured: Wes Smith, President, Mayer Electric Supply Co., Evan Gaddis, President and CEO, NEMA
IDEA is proud to have a Board that shares a common vision with our Management Team—to anticipate and deliver innovative applications that help connect the supply chain and make business processes efficient, easy and enjoyable for people every day. IDEA was created by the industry, for the industry. When you say jump - we jump.
Board Officers | Voting Directors | Non-Voting Directors
Board Officers
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President Robert Gaylord President and CEO, IDEA Brigadier General Robert Gaylord (retired) has been president and CEO of IDEA since December 2007. For the first time since the inception of IDEA, Gaylord and the Board of Directors rigorously analyzed IDEA's value and purpose in the channel. full bio
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Chairman John Burke President, COO, Kirby Risk Electrical Supply John Burke is President, COO of Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, a Midwest distributor of electrical products and services with 38 locations in Indiana, Central and Southern Illinois and Northwest Ohio. full bio
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Vice Chairman Vernon Nagel Chairman, President and CEO, Acuity Brands Inc. Vernon J. Nagel is Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Brands, Inc. Acuity Brands is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with operations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. full bio
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Treasurer Brian Herington Brian Herington, President, U.S. & Latin America Electrical, Thomas & Betts, Thomas & Betts Brian Herington is President of Thomas & Betts U.S. and Latin America Electrical and LDM of ABB LP US. In this position, he is responsible for all sales, marketing, finance, manufacturing and distribution activities for electrical products. full bio
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Secretary Wes Smith President, Mayer Electric Supply Wes Smith is President of Mayer Electric Supply, a company he started with as a warehouse associate in 1987. He then moved into internal auditing and to quality assurance. Smith was Vice President and CIO, then Executive Vice President and COO before his current appointment as President. full bio
Robert Gaylord
President and CEO, IDEA
Brigadier General Robert Gaylord (retired) has been president and CEO of IDEA since December 2007. For the first time since the inception of IDEA, Gaylord and the Board of Directors rigorously analyzed IDEA's value and purpose in the channel. The strategic plan completed under his leadership resulted in a new corporate vision, mission and strategic goals that clearly articulate IDEA’s purpose - to drive cost out of the electrical supply chain. Previously, Bob was President and CEO of the Leader-to-Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management) in New York City. Bob retired from the United States Army in 2005 after a long and distinguished career culminating in his assignment as the Army's senior strategic communications and public affairs officer. He serves as a leader for several nonprofit organizations dedicated to veterans, youth, and the country’s future such as Mission Readiness, Military Child Education Coalition, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation. He is a graduate of The Ohio University with a degree in Fine Arts, and subsequently earned a Master of Technology degree from Georgia Southern College and a Master of Science degree in Public Relations from The American University.
John Burke
President, COO, Kirby Risk Electrical Supply
John Burke is President, COO of Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, a Midwest distributor of electrical products and services with 38 locations in Indiana, Central and Southern Illinois and Northwest Ohio. Prior to joining Kirby Risk in 2001 Burke most recently held positions as Chief Operating Officer with SourceAlliance, Southeast Division, President of Rexel, S.A. and Vice President, General Manager of EESCO Division of WESCO International. Burke began his career with GE where he spent 15 years engaged in various management positions in the areas of Government Contracting, Sourcing and Materials Management in the Power Systems and Electrical Distribution businesses. Burke serves on numerous electrical industry advisory boards for electrical manufacturers, the supplyFORCE Board of Directors, the NAED Education and Research Foundation Board of Directors and an Advisory Board for the School of Industrial Distribution at Purdue University. Burke graduated from the State University of New York at Albany and received an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Vernon Nagel
Chairman, President and CEO, Acuity Brands Inc.
Vernon J. Nagel is Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Brands, Inc., a North American market leader and one of the world's leading providers of lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoor applications. Acuity Brands is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with operations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Prior to his appointment as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in September 2004, Mr. Nagel served as Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer since January 2004. Mr. Nagel joined Acuity Brands as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in November 2001. Mr. Nagel received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He serves on the Governance Board of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and the Executive Board of the Industry Data Exchange Association.
Brian Herington
Brian Herington, President, U.S. & Latin America Electrical, Thomas & Betts, Thomas & Betts
Brian Herington is President of Thomas & Betts U.S. and Latin America Electrical and LDM – ABB LP US. In this position, he is responsible for all sales, marketing, finance, manufacturing and distribution activities for electrical products sold into commercial, industrial, communications and residential markets in these geographic regions. In December, 2012, Herington was named local division manager, ABB – US LP, with responsibility for leading the combined U.S. business of Thomas & Betts and ABB’s low voltage products local business units, (breakers and switches, control products, enclosures and DIN-rail products). Before joining Thomas & Betts, Mr. Herington served as president and general manager for Performance Fibers, a privately held, global leader in industrial polyester fibers used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer applications. Prior to Performance Fibers, Mr. Herington spent 16 years at General Electric (GE) moving through roles of greater responsibility, including regional general manager of GE Lighting and general manager of GE Plastics. Mr. Herington earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University and a Master of Business Administration from Ashford University.
Wes Smith
President, Mayer Electric Supply
A Mayer associate since 1987, Smith knows the company from "the inside out". He began as a warehouse associate and moved into internal auditing and then to quality assurance. Smith was Vice President and CIO, then Executive Vice President and COO before his current appointment as President. Smith is a member of Mayer's Leadership Natural Team, Strategic Natural Team, and leads the Strategic Planning QSI. In addition, Smith was the first President of The University of Alabama at Birmingham's MBA Alumni Association and helped start the association. He is also the past V.P. and Treasurer of The Institute of Internal Auditors. In addition, he contributes to several industry and professional associations including NAED, Society for Information Management, American Society for Quality and the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham. Smith also serves on the Copper Industries Distributor Advisory Council, GE Lighting Distributor Advisory Council and Eaton Distributor Advisory Council.
Voting Directors
Stephen Sokolow
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Leviton Manufacturing Company
The IDEA Board of Directors elected Stephen Sokolow, Chairman of the Board of Leviton Manufacturing Company, as the IDEA Chairman of the Board for 2012-2013. He previously served on the Board as the Vice Chair from 2011-2012 and Treasurer from 2010-2011. Stephen B. Sokolow is Chairman of the Board of Directors for Leviton, a position he has held since 2007. Prior to being named to Board Chairman, Sokolow served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and as Executive Vice President for Leviton. As Executive Vice President, Sokolow directed the company’s manufacturing, engineering, distribution and information technology operations and has been the driving force behind many process improvements in the company’s operations. Beginning his career at Leviton in 1961 in the company’s production control area, he has worked over the course of a career spanning fifty years in all disciplines and areas of the company. Sokolow has served the industry as Technical Chairman of the Electronic Data Exchange Joint Committee of NAED, NEMA and NEMRA and was Chairman of NEMA’s Wiring Device Section. He presently serves as a member of the Board of the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) and as a Board Member and Treasurer of IDEA. He is a recipient of Electrical Wholesaling magazine’s prestigious Ganzenmuller Electrical Marketing (GEM) Award, an honor given to those who lead a company to greatness in the area of electrical marketing.
Non-Voting Directors
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Evan Gaddis, President and CEO, NEMA
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Tom Naber, President and CEO, NAED
President Robert Gaylord President and CEO, IDEA Brigadier General Robert Gaylord (retired) has been president and CEO of IDEA since December 2007. For the first time since the inception of IDEA, Gaylord and the Board of Directors rigorously analyzed IDEA's value and purpose in the channel. full bio
Chairman John Burke President, COO, Kirby Risk Electrical Supply John Burke is President, COO of Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, a Midwest distributor of electrical products and services with 38 locations in Indiana, Central and Southern Illinois and Northwest Ohio. full bio