American Express

Robert D. Walter is an American businessman. In 1971 he purchased Cardinal Foods, a small Ohio food wholesaler, in a leveraged buyout. Cardinal... Health is now an $87 billion USD Fortune 100 company and one of the largest distributors of pharmaceuticals, health & beauty products, and hospital supplies in the United States. Walter graduated from St. Charles Preparatory School, has an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Ohio University. He is married to Margaret "Peggy" Walter, who also attended Ohio University. The Walters have given support to the Ohio University community, including Margaret Walter Hall and numerous other financial gifts. He retired from Cardinal Health on June 20, 2009. He is no longer CEO or chairman of the board. He resides in Dublin, OH; Boca Raton, FL; and Park City, UT.
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Kenneth Irvine Chenault is an American business executive. He has been the CEO and Chairman of American Express since 2001. He is the third... African-American CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Chenault grew up on Long Island, New York as the son of a dentist and dental hygienist. He attended the alternative Waldorf School of Garden City, where he served as senior class president. He then received B.A. in history from Bowdoin College in 1973, and juris doctor from Harvard Law School in 1976. After Harvard, he worked as an associate at the law firm Rogers & Wells in New York City, and as a consultant for Bain & Company. He joined American Express in 1981, working in the Strategic Planning Group. He became president and chief operating officer in 1997. He became CEO of American Express in 2001. While CEO of American Express in 2007, Chenault earned a total compensation of $50,126,585, and in 2008, he earned a total compensation of $42,752,461. In 2009, he earned a total compensation of $16,617,639, which included a base salary of $1,201,923, a cash bonus of $10,450,000, an option grant of $3,985,637, and other compensation worth $980,079.
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Charlene Barshefsky served as United States Trade Representative, the country's top trade negotiator, from 1997 to 2001. Prior to that, she was the... Deputy USTR from 1993 to 1997. Barshefsky attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she obtained a B.A., double majoring in English & Political Science. She earned her law degree from The Catholic University of America. Barshefsky was nominated by President Clinton to serve with Rufus Yerxa and Richard W. Fisher as Deputy U.S. Trade Representatives. In 1999, as U.S. Trade Representative, she was the primary negotiator with China's Zhu Rongji, laying out the terms for China's eventual entry into the World Trade Organization. Barshefsky was a partner and co-chair of the International Practice Group at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson. She is currently a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. She has written and lectured extensively on both U.S. and foreign trade laws and public procurement regimes.
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