Registration

$00   Members and Guest of Members
$35   Non-Members 

This is an in-person program only. Registration is required. No walk-ins are allowed. 

Overview

We will enjoy time for networking and an insightful panel discussion on Fiduciary Boards and Advisory Boards and the value they add for private companies. Hosted at Vari's new corporate headquarters, we will also get to see "Tomorrow’s Office, Furnished Today".

Please arrive by 4:00 pm if you would like to join the tour of the newly opened state-of-the-art VariSpace facility.

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Thank you to our National Sponsors!

Thank you to our Chapter Sponsors!

Panelists

As a founder and the CEO of Vari, Jason McCann’s mission is to help companies create environments that elevate people.

A lifelong entrepreneur, Jason has more than 30 years of experience building and running successful companies. He learned the importance of putting the customer first early-on while working in his mother’s hair salon as a child.

Jason co-founded VariDesk in 2013, and the brand quickly became synonymous with sit-stand desks. Under his leadership, the company grew at an incredible pace and expanded its product and service offerings significantly, calling for it’s new, more inclusive name – Vari.

Today, the company has grown into a workspace innovation company that provides everything high-growth businesses need to unlock the potential of their workforce – from a full suite of office furniture to the workspaces themselves, offering space-as-a-service with VariSpace. A multi-tenant campus ideation lab designed to elevate the way businesses approach office, VariSpace offers first-class amenities, fully furnished offices, and flexible lease terms to enterprise-level clients.

Jason accepted the award for 2016’s fastest growing company in the Dallas area at the annual SMU Cox Dallas 100™ Awards Ceremony, and in 2017 he was honored with EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year award alongside his co-founder and longtime business partner. In 2021, D CEO Magazine named Jason CEO of the Year.

Jason has spoken at industry events including Dreamforce, The C-Suite Conference, and Startup Grind. In 2018, Jason was interviewed by CNN Money on the NYSE floor, and he spoke at Australia’s Parliament in 2015 regarding workspace innovations and their effects on public health. He has been published by Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., and more.

Jason lives in Coppell, Texas with his wife of 25 years and their three children. He is a board member at the Texas Real Estate Council and a member of Eric’s Club, a distinguished and select group of University of Houston’s Hilton College that build a legacy of student inspiration.

Jason earned both his B.S. and MBA from the University of Houston.

As founding partner, chief executive officer and chairman of Pearson Partners International, Keith Pearson manages the firm’s strategic direction and operations, and also specializes in securing effective leaders for Fortune 1000 and private equity portfolio companies. Keith’s commitment to flexible, responsive client service has set the companywide standard of excellence for which Pearson Partners has become known. His deep knowledge of the private equity space has made him an invaluable partner to his many clients, whose repeat business testifies to his unique ability to understand their needs, develop creative solutions, and rapidly source high-quality talent for the executive suite.

Keith and Bob Pearson launched Pearson Partners International in 2002 as an executive search firm initially serving the leveraged buyout community and have since led the company through twenty years of growth and diversification. Today, Pearson Partners is a global, full-service retained executive search and leadership consulting firm serving businesses across a broad range of industries while offering a full complement of professional development and coaching services.

Prior to launching Pearson Partners International, Keith was with Whitehouse & Pimms as a managing director in the consulting and technology industry sectors, and with TMP Worldwide Executive Search as a principal in the professional services practice. He began his search career as a search consultant with Merritt, Hawkins and Associates.

Keith serves on the advisory council of the Naveen Jindal School of Management, and the HRM advisory board at UT Dallas and is a member of the board of trustees of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, North Texas Chapter, where he is also a member of its Team in Training. He served, in an advisory capacity, on the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) Council of the Americas.

Keith earned a bachelor of business administration degree in management from The University of North Texas and a master’s degree in business administration from The University of Texas at Dallas. He is an avid runner and cyclist who enjoys competing in ultrathons and off-road races. He also enjoys traveling with his wife, Stephanie, and three children.

Andrew Swartz is CEO of private equity firm SBI Investments.  Past roles include service as Chief Investment Officer of J Cleo Thompson Investments, and as President of Henry Investment Group, both Texas-based single-family offices.  Andrew has served on over a dozen private company boards, including CapturePoint (Carbon sequestration), System Beauty (E-comm fulfillment provider), McMahon Contracting (Heavy infrastructure construction), TruEnergy (Utility brokerage), Briarcliffe Partners (FINRA registered broker-dealer) and Legacy Knight (Multi-family office/wealth manager).

Moderator

Executive Summary

• Debra is a senior executive with 4 decades of experience guiding companies through their growth journey – from early stage to rapid growth, to market leadership. She has in-depth knowledge of the business issues faced by high-growth companies, having served companies from start up to global Fortune 500 enterprises.
• Seated in the board room of both public and private companies, Debra has experience as Chair of the Audit Committee, and Chair of the Compensation Committee of NASDAQ listed companies
• Debra also served as the Americas Director EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® (EOY). She had P&L responsibility and oversight of the global celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship in 11 countries, from Canada, through US, Mexico and Latin America. Debra has guided and collaborated with the world’s most innovative entrepreneurs/CEOs on their path to disrupt and create sustainable growth. EOY is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs, with programs in 60+ countries. Founded in 1986, EOY has been awarded to over 10,000 people. 
• Qualified to serve as a Financial Expert under SEC and NYSE/NASDAQ listing rules Career Experience
• Ernst & Young (EY) 1982 through June 30, 2020. Served as lead EY Partner for clients who received Advisory, Transaction and Tax services. Debra has a wide breadth of expertise with global public and private companies in the technology and consumer products industries. Includes leadership of public global security tech company through rapid growth (40+ acquisitions) and eventual sale; and global F100 telecom/tech company through internet transformation, acquisition, and dissolution.
• Most recently served as lead partner for $1.6B technology company, operating in 80+ countries, as well as hyper-growth early-stage consumer products company with customers in 130 countries.
• As Southwest Region Growth Markets leader for the past decade, she set direction across the service platforms of Entrepreneurship, IPO, PE/VC and Family Business for an 8-state region.
• Extensive experience in providing global business leadership, strategic tax and transaction planning, capital market/private equity activities and advisory services. She led numerous capital market transactions, working with global Private Equity funds on privatization transactions, investments, and IPO/exit readiness activities. Current and Past Board Experience
• Member, Board of Directors, Canoo (NASDAQ: GOEV); Chair of Compensation Committee; Member of Audit Committee; 2021 - present
• Member, Advisory Board, Vari (including operations for VARIDESK and Varispace); 2021 - present
• Member, Board of Directors, CSW Industrials (NASDAQ: CSWI); Chair of Audit Committee; Member of Compensation Committee; 2020 - 2022
• Chair, Women’s President Organization Zenith Chapter
• Member, Board of Directors, National Association of Corporate Directors - North Texas Chapter
• Member, Board of Directors United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Foundation
• Chair, Board of Directors, International Women’s Forum – Dallas Chapter Member, Board of Directors Dallas Entrepreneur Center
• Chair, Board of Directors, United Ways of Texas. Education and Expertise
• Graduate of the University of North Texas with BBA in Finance and Accounting, May 1982
• Certified Public Accountant
• Completed the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management Executive Program and the Harvard Business School Strategic Leadership Program through EY

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